‘I guess not,’ Tessa muttered.
‘Trust me,’ said Ivy, placing a hand on Tessa’s shoulder. ‘I know what it feels like to be the odd one out. You should see me surrounded by all those bunnies in Franklin Grove!’ Tessa peered at her sideways, one corner of her mouth starting to curl up into a smile.
‘It’s not like it’s going to kill them!’ Olivia added. ‘Only a wooden stake could do that.’
Ivy groaned at her sister’s bad vampire joke, but Tessa grinned. ‘I appreciate your optimism and all, but –’ a mischievous look glimmered in her eye – ‘don’t come complaining to me when my uncle starts a conga!’
Olivia crossed her fingers and squeezed her eyes shut. ‘Does this mean we’re going to have a wedding? Does it?’
Tessa wrapped both the twins in a tight hug. ‘It was never really off.’
‘Yes! I knew it!’ Olivia bounced up, squealing. She checked her watch. ‘But – oh my goodness – we don’t have much time.’ She was in business mode and her to-do list was already forming in her head.
Make-up
Hair
Nails
Jewellery
Avoid messy food at all costs . . .
‘Right – we have to get to work.’ Olivia snapped back to the present. ‘First, we need to get dressed. Then Ivy needs to write some of her news article and, as for me, I have to . . .’
Olivia’s words were swallowed by a fierce summer breeze that whipped through the grounds. The back of her neck tingled. From across the garden, she saw a single rose-head lift out of the meadow, floating on the warm air. Olivia couldn’t see what colour it was, but she knew what she had to do. She ran after it, sprinting through the grass and clover. Without waiting, she plucked it from the air with both hands, too scared to look.
Tessa and Ivy arrived, panting. ‘Well?’ asked Ivy.
Slowly, as if holding a butterfly, Olivia uncurled her hands, revealing a perfect blue rose. ‘Impossible love,’ whispered Olivia.
Tessa gasped. ‘Does that mean Alex and I – ’
But Olivia cut her off. ‘The rose isn’t a message for you and Alex. You two are perfect together.’ She stared at the rose, transfixed. ‘It’s a message for me and Jackson.’
Chapter Ten
Glowing paper lanterns and fairy lights flickered high above the dance floor where a ten-piece vampire band was playing an upbeat version of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Deep-purple blooms spilled out of the towering centerpieces that were balanced on top of plush velvet tablecloths so expensive looking Ivy couldn’t imagine actually eating off them.
The wedding had gone off without a hitch. Tessa looked beautiful in her lace dress and Alex had seemed fit to burst when he saw her walking down the aisle. Even the Queen had appeared pleased! The choir sang from a balcony and four little girls scattered flower petals in front of Tessa’s satin slippers as she walked down the thick carpet towards the prince she was about to marry, on the arm of – Vincenzo! After Olivia’s little speech Tessa must have found him to make up with him. Ivy couldn’t wait to find out the details.
Then there had been the vows; the rings; the first kiss as a married couple. Even Ivy had been moved – not to tears or anything, but still, it had been sweet. Olivia had teased Ivy that she’d been crying, but she seriously wasn’t. Her nose was just itchy.
After Olivia had caught her blue rose, a big yellow one had come and whacked Ivy in the face, giving her a nose full of pollen. She’d be sneezing for a week. Ivy pulled the yellow rose out of her bag, smoothing the petals. She knew the colour yellow meant ‘new beginnings’, but did it have to mean watery eyes and the sniffles too? OK, Universe. Ivy lifted her eyes to the dark, night sky. You’re coming in loud and clear. Everything seemed to be telling her to go to Wallachia Academy – but how could she leave Olivia and Brendan, especially now, when her sister seemed to need her most?
Ivy took a seat next to Olivia at one of the round guest tables. Olivia was dressed in a gorgeous pink chiffon gown, her hair pulled back with a shimmery headband. The twins sat in silence, watching Alex and Tessa share their first dance to the Moonlight Sonata. Tessa’s dress was a stunning lace gown adorned with silk and tulle roses. Buttons lined the back of it, all the way from the neckline to the elegant train that trailed lightly upon the floor. Alex twirled his new bride around the dance floor, dipping her low and planting a sweet kiss on her cheek.
‘Now that,’ Ivy insisted, ‘is cheesy.’
Olivia turned to face her, pinching Ivy’s cheeks and tugging at them like she was a long lost aunt at a family reunion. ‘I know there is a hopeless romantic hiding somewhere behind that tough goth exterior.’
Ivy put her hands on her hips and gave her sister a ‘try me’ look. ‘Are you sure about that?’ Olivia rolled her eyes. Ivy smoothed down her black kimono-style dress and adjusted the chopsticks that were pinning her bun in place.
The music stopped and Prince Alex took the microphone. ‘We would like to thank each and every one of you for making our special day possible.’ Ivy noticed him wink at the two of them. ‘It is my great honour to present to you my bride, Princess Tessa!’ The crowd cheered. Tessa was wearing a delicate tiara on top of her elegant up-do. ‘And now, we’d like to invite you, our guests, to join us on the dance floor.’ He handed the microphone back to the lead singer and the band started up again.
Olivia raised the lens of her camera and snapped a few shots. Their article for VAMP magazine was due first thing Monday morning and Ivy still had a small pad of paper stashed in her purse for jotting down final notes. A Date with Destiny – Transylvania’s Very Own Cinderella Story, the headline would read. She hoped Georgia would eat it up.
‘Oh my darkness!’ Ivy grabbed Olivia. ‘Look over there!’ She pointed at the head table, where Vincenzo was offering his hand to the Queen.