‘You bet. Have a safe flight. And, Ivy? I didn’t get a chance to say it yesterday: I’ll miss you too.’
Ivy hung up the phone and stashed it in her hand luggage. She really did have the perfect boyfriend.
Over the intercom a woman called, ‘Boarding all rows for flight seven zero three to Transylvania. All rows, boarding now.’
‘Eek!’ Olivia squealed. ‘That’s us!’ She looped her arm through Ivy’s. ‘You have your ticket?’
Ivy waved it in reply. The flight attendant scanned her ticket and before she knew it she was stepping on to the plush Transylvania Air jumbo jet, with its crimson aisles and red velour seats. Ivy made her way towards their seats in first class. 7B . . . 7B . . . There it was. She tossed her bag on to her empty aisle seat. B for Brendan. He’d done everything he could to make her feel good about this trip. One day there’d be a seat on a plane bringing her back to him. But for now . . . Translyvania here I come! she thought, clicking the seatbelt shut over her hips. You’d better be ready for me!
Chapter Three
First class or not, Olivia was thrilled to be off the flight. She was so jet-lagged her arms and legs felt as if they were encased in concrete. It seemed like every other in-flight film had starred the J-word. Olivia hadn’t known he’d made that many movies. The universe must be out to get me – or, at least, the airline is!
And to make matters worse, she had ended up watching some horror flick called Fangs At Dusk just to avoid anything that would remind her of him, but that movie had been totally scary, and now she kept expecting blood-sucking vampires to jump out at her at any moment! Don’t be ridiculous, Olivia told herself. None of the vamps she knew would ever do silly things like that. Ivy would probably eat a whole loaf of garlic bread before wearing a cape!
Olivia turned her attention back to Horatio. He was behind the wheel of the luxury Cadillac he’d left in long-term parking at the Transylvanian airport. His chauffeur’s cap was back on his head and Olivia could see a big grin stretching across his face. She guessed Horatio was happy to be home in more ways than one. He was way more comfortable when he was taking care of people.
In fact, Olivia thought, maybe the butler was a little too much in his comfort zone, because they were going so fast on the windy country roads that it felt like they might fly off at any moment. It was worst for Olivia: she was sitting in the front passenger seat, while her bio-dad and Lillian were in the back with Ivy.
She watched as the needle on the speedometer climbed. Were Lillian and Charles concerned? She glanced in the rear-view mirror, but the couple were sitting pressed close together as Charles murmured in Lillian’s ear – small tidbits about the scenery that was whizzing by.
Olivia took a deep breath. She knew Horatio’s vampire reflexes made him a safer driver than any non-vamp on the road, but she couldn’t help clutching the door handle for dear life. She was only human, after all!
Thankfully, the view outside the Cadillac window served as the perfect distraction. The rolling hills were like green waves speckled with red-roofed houses, and the forest that lined the highway was a bright emerald. Olivia had never seen so much vibrant green. She bet her botany teacher, Mr Strain, would be very impressed with all the plant-life here. A cluster of stone towers peeked out from a forest of towering pines, and Olivia remembered their last visit, when her bio-dad had pointed it out as the castle where the real Dracula used to live. The Transylvanian countryside was among the most beautiful in the world. Honestly, Ivy would be lucky to stay here!
Minutes later, Horatio’s Cadillac whooshed through the Lazars’ gates and between the pillars topped with creepy stone gargoyles.
Somebody’s been watching a few too many car chases, Olivia thought, rubbing her belly and concentrating on not getting car sick.
The Cadillac zipped up the long, winding driveway of the Gothic mansion where Ivy and Olivia’s grandparents lived. It was still hard to believe that she, Olivia Abbott, was descended from vampire aristocracy. How posh! How chic! How completely weird.
‘It’s lovely,’ said Lillian, peering out of the window at the ivy-covered walls and pointed turrets. ‘Even better than I’d imagined!’ Lillian looked down at her outfit, smoothing her tunic. ‘Oh dear, I’m all wrinkled. Do you think Horatio has something to help?’
‘Don’t worry,’ Olivia leaned in and whispered. ‘You look great.’
Horatio honked the horn, which played a sombre bar of a song that sounded vaguely familiar to Olivia. She giggled. ‘What kind of honk was that ? It was Mozart, right?’
Charles swished his fingers through the air as if conducting an invisible orchestra. ‘Excellent! That was a snippet from the “Lacrimosa” passage of Mozart’s Requiem.’
Olivia shook her head. ‘I can’t believe I actually got that right. Clearly, I’ve been hanging around vampires for too long!’
The wheels skidded to a stop and the great doors to the Lazar family home swung wide. The twins’ grandparents bustled out to the drive, looking majestic even though it was only 7 o’clock in the morning, Transylvania time! The Countess wore a silk skirt of jade green paired with a satin off-the-shoulder top, while the Count greeted them in a fancy, ruffled chemise that blossomed out from the front of his charcoal coat.
‘Welcome! Welcome!’ cried the Count, striding down the steps.
Seeing them – even so soon after their visit to Franklin Grove – chased the jet lag straight out of Olivia. At least for now. The girls rushed over to their grandparents, Olivia’s camera dangling around her neck. She managed to push it aside right before the Countess wrapped her in a tight hug.
Lillian curtseyed politely. ‘Nice to see you again, sir.’
Olivia’s grandfather tilted his head, looking at her standing there so formally, before pulling her into a warm embrace. ‘Welcome to our home, Lillian!’
Lillian’s eyes bugged over the Count’s shoulder before her lips parted in a wide smile. ‘Thank you,’ she stammered and Olivia’s heart warmed. The moment was so sweet she wished she could save it and put it on a greeting card.
Meanwhile, Horatio didn’t waste a single second. Now that he was back on the job, he rushed around the family, collecting everyone’s luggage. ‘I will have these inside and up to your rooms in just a moment. And don’t worry, Count and Countess Lazar, as soon as I have finished attending to the bags, I will be at your service. I imagine there is a great deal of work awaiting me. I have been away for far too long.’
‘Absolutely not,’ said the Countess, raising one eyebrow at her butler. ‘You may not go back to work after having just returned home on an overnight flight, Horatio.’
‘But, Madam, I must –’