“We brought our decoration—our human!” the boy said, bouncing up and down on his toes excitedly. “You know, like an hors d’oeuvre,” he continued with a guffaw. “That means snack.”
Olivia knew by now that there was only one way to handle Beastly behavior. She marched back to the front door, the boy scurrying after her, and went right up to Toby Decker.
“I’m sorry, Toby, but I’m afraid these boys misled you. Nobody can come tonight without an invitation. We’re already over capacity.”
“But—” Toby and a few of the Beasts began.
“No buts,” Olivia said decisively. She glared over Toby’s shoulder at the Beasts. “It’s a safety issue.”
Then she turned back to Toby. “Sorry,” she said as nicely as she could. “These guys should have known better. Maybe next time, okay?”
Toby nodded like he understood. Then he raised his eyebrows and said hopefully, “I should tell you I’m a really good dancer. I took classes for my older sister’s sweet sixteen.” He looked at Olivia expectantly.
“That’s nice,” said Olivia. “The boys will escort you back home now.” And then she added, speaking very slowly and looking each of the Beasts right in the eye, “And I’ll see you at school on Monday, Toby.”
Nobody moved. Olivia bore down on the Beasts with Ivy’s death squint.
“Let’s go,” one of them sulked at last. They all turned and shuffled off down the hill, Toby trailing behind.
Olivia shut the door and smiled to herself. Like Ivy said, they weren’t as scary as they smelled!
Ivy anxiously studied her reflection in the mirror that hung on an open door of her wardrobe. She straightened her dark, wine-colored, velvet strapless dress and turned around to inspect the thin satin ribbons crisscrossing her bare back. Her dark hair fell around her face in ringlets, and pearl earrings hung from her earlobes.
She was just applying her Midnight Merlot lipstick when she heard someone coming down the stairs.
“Hello?” she heard her sister whisper. “Ivy?” Ivy pushed the wardrobe closed. Olivia stared. “Do I look okay?” Ivy asked in a worried voice. “You—you look . . .” Olivia stammered, “unbelievable!” She walked over, still staring.
“Really?” Ivy asked, glancing nervously in the mirror again.
“Really!” Olivia cried, circling her. “Brendan is going to be floored!”
“I hope so,” Ivy said.
“I know so,” Olivia said firmly.
Ivy couldn’t help smiling. She pulled on a pair of long black evening gloves and looked at herself one last time in the mirror. I look drop-dead, she decided.
“I’d better put my own clothes back on and scoot.You’ve got a ball to go to,” Olivia said, grinning.
“Not so fast,” said Ivy, barefooting it over to her bed, which was piled high with clothes, papers, and pillows. She rummaged through the mess, throwing clothes aside, until she emerged with a black box tied with a pink ribbon that she handed proudly to her sister.
“What’s this?” Olivia asked, shaking the box.
“A thank-you gift,” Ivy answered.
Olivia untied the ribbon. “For what?” she asked.
“For the last three weeks,” Ivy told her. “For Brendan. For tonight. For being my sister.” She shrugged. “For everything. Just open it.”
Ivy watched Olivia’s face as she reached into the box and took out a black baby tee. On it, the word “bunny” was printed in bubbly fuchsia letters, followed by a tiny sparkly bunny. Olivia gasped in delight. “I love it!” she exclaimed.
The doorbell rang. Ivy’s heart leaped as she glanced at the clock by her bed. She guessed it must be Brendan, arriving early for pictures.
Olivia read her mind. “Where are your shoes?” she asked.
“Shoes?” Ivy grinned. “As if !” She hurried to lace up her best pair of high-heeled boots.
Olivia was tucked behind the suit of armor in the hall. Before she went home, she wanted to see Brendan’s face when he arrived and saw Ivy in her ball dress. Ivy had said it was okay for her to watch for a few minutes, as long as she stayed out of sight. If Olivia looked through the gap between the breastplate and the arm piece, she could just see the front door.