Ivy traded a look with Olivia. How many other secrets have the grown-ups been hiding from us?
‘You girls have to understand,’ Charles said, ‘the vampire community is a global community, with many far-flung smaller groups throughout the world. These small groups have always had to develop ways of blending in with the ordinary humans around them – but it’s also been the responsibility of the Transylvanian vampires to figure out ways to watch over our kind, even from great distances. One way to do this . . . well . . .’ He paused.
Fresh from her conversation with Pierre, it was easy for Ivy to fill in the blanks. ‘The Laws of the Night,’ she said.
Charles nodded. ‘The Laws were developed to make sure that vampires all over the world shared a common set of rules and values.’
‘I understand how important safety is,’ Ivy said, ‘but come on. The Twenty-First Law is a bit ridiculous, don’t you think? I mean, who cares whether anyone eats vegetables on a full moon?’
Charles sighed. ‘I don’t disagree with you,’ he said. ‘But you have to remember, the vampire community is rather a superstitious one. The Twenty-First Law was not set down because some vampire higher up simply had it in for veggies. It was probably based on a genuine belief that eating vegetables when the moon was full would bring bad luck to one’s family.’
‘That’s . . .’ Olivia began. Then she stopped, flushing.
‘. . . Crazy,’ Ivy finished bluntly.
Charles grimaced. ‘Well, now that I’m explaining out loud, I must say that I can see that some of the Laws are quite odd by any standards. There are a couple of later amendments from the thirties that we all break every day. Perhaps they do need revising.’
Ivy snorted. ‘Definitely they need revising. I mean, after all, you and I have both broken the First Law by telling humans that vampires are real.’
Charles nodded. ‘You’re right. Perhaps I’ll talk to my parents and suggest that the issue be raised in Transylvania with Queen Stefania.’
‘Really?’ Ivy jumped up and threw her arms around him. ‘Oh, this is fantastic! Can I go to Brendan’s and tell him the good news?’
‘Wait!’ Charles shook his head even as he patted her lightly on the back. ‘Remember, this isn’t “good news” yet. Even if my parents raise the issue with the Queen, it will take some time before there is any formal change to the Laws, and I can’t promise –’
‘I know, I know. But thank you!’ Ivy gave him one last squeeze before she finally let him go.
She was practically dancing as she and Olivia left the museum five minutes later. ‘I can’t wait to tell Brendan!’ she shouted, leaping down the steps.
Olivia giggled, poking her in the arm. ‘Look at you. That last move was practically a cheerleading high-jump.’
‘Bite your tongue!’ Ivy scowled – for about three seconds, before her happy smile returned. Maybe Brendan’s family situation couldn’t be fixed immediately, but now that her dad was taking the issue all the way to the top, a happy ending was definitely possible!
Unfortunately, as soon as she approached Brendan’s house, Ivy could tell that his family wasn’t in a celebratory mood.
Raised voices drifted down the street – or rather, one raised voice . . . and it belonged to Marc Daniels.
‘How dare you sneak around behind my back?’ he roared.
Oh, no. Ivy raced towards the house, forcing herself to keep to a human speed instead of a full vampire blur.
If she’d needed any more proof that Mr Daniels was too angry to think straight, the sight of the front door standing ajar would have been enough. Ivy hesitated for a moment on the porch before walking inside and closing the door behind her. I have to help!
She found the two of them in the living room, where Mr Daniels paced through the room, red-faced and shouting.
Brendan sat slumped on the couch. ‘I promise,’ he said quietly. ‘I didn’t go looking for family secrets. I couldn’t have, because I never even knew I had a cousin in the first place. Maya found me and told me the story.’
Ivy shifted in the doorway, and Mr Daniels’ head snapped around, his face darkening. ‘Were you in on this, too?’
‘Mr Daniels –’
Brendan’s dad didn’t pause to listen. ‘When you turned up last night, acting like you were going to dump my son, was that all just an act so you could help him sneak around behind my back?’
‘What?’ Brendan jerked around to stare at Ivy. ‘You were going to dump me?’
‘No!’ Ivy gasped. This is exactly why you should always knock before entering someone’s house. Even if the door is already open!
Drawing a deep breath, she turned to Mr Daniels. ‘I had no idea about any of this until after I’d come by last night. But I’ve just found out about the Twenty-First Law, and I have some good news.’ Her smile burst out despite the tension in the room around her. ‘My dad is going to talk to his parents and see if they can’t suggest to Queen Stefania that the Laws of the Night be updated to better reflect modern times.’