‘Now,’ Bethany interrupted. ‘Tell me everything!’
As Ivy explained all about the set, with Sophia butting in and correcting her on the details, Olivia saw Brendan’s face falter a little. She hoped he wasn’t feeling left out with all the movie excitement. Maybe there would be a way to get him on set tomorrow – that is, if the set was still there tomorrow.
That night, Ivy sat in front of Olivia’s computer and clicked on the moon icon to get to the usual all-black screen with three big Gothic letters:
VVV
‘Good thing they let you have a chip,’ Ivy said as she clicked the Vs seven times in the precise pattern that would bring up the password prompt. ‘I’d never last two nights in a row without being able to get on to the Vorld Vide Veb.’
Olivia was in her pink pyjamas, sorting through her closet trying to find something to wear for tomorrow. ‘I couldn’t figure out what was happening when that guy showed up at our house, pretending to be a computer repair man.’
Since her official initiation by the Vampire Round Table, Olivia had been granted all the privileges of the vampire world, including access to the super-secret Vorld Vide Veb, which required a special computer chip to even get to the home page.
‘It didn’t help that he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sandals with socks,’ Olivia went on as Ivy tapped in her user name and password. ‘He didn’t look a thing like a vamp.’
‘It just goes to show that you never can tell,’ said Ivy, wondering if Olivia would take the hint. Think Jackson! Ivy wanted to shout but Sophia was right. She needed proof.
A riddle popped up and Ivy read it aloud. ‘What happens when a vampire gets a cold?’
‘Ooh, I know that one,’ Olivia said. ‘Lots of coffin.’
‘Ha, ha.’ Ivy typed it in and the MOONLIGHT search screen appeared with its tag line ‘Illuminate the darkness,’ underneath the entry box.
As soon as Ivy had heard Olivia describe Jackson as ‘normal’ she’d known Olivia was interested in him, so she had decided to do a little research. If he was on the VVV then Ivy could accidentally leave it up on the screen for her sister to discover. It would be so much easier if Olivia found out for herself that Jackson is anything but normal, Ivy thought as she typed in ‘Jackson Caulfield vampire.’
Ivy scanned the screen but the search results didn’t list any hints of his possible vampness – only sites like ‘Top 50 Bite-able Humans', which put Jackson at number four, and ‘Vampires for Jackson for President'.
But just because there was nothing on the VVV, it didn’t mean he wasn’t a vampire. Lots of movie-star vamps kept it a secret to avoid being typecast as moody brooders by the vamp powers-that-be in Hollywood.
‘What do you think of this for me to wear tomorrow?’ Olivia held up a green ribbed sweater dress and wide green belt. ‘It might be my last chance to see Jackson, so I want to look nice.’
‘I’m not sure Jackson is your type,’ Ivy said, ‘but the belt looks great.’
‘Do you mean the way-too-good-looking-and-famous-to-ever-actually-consider-me type?’ Olivia sighed and sat down on her bed.
‘No!’ Ivy didn’t want her sister thinking Jackson was out of her league. ‘He’s way into you.’
‘You think so?’ Olivia’s voice went up an octave.
‘It’s just he might not be as perfect as you think,’ Ivy said, shutting down the VVV and standing up to make her ‘bed’ for the night.
‘He’s definitely not perfect,’ Olivia said. ‘At lunch today, he went all carnivorous on me. I totally expected him to be a veggie, like me, but he had a burger you would have been proud of.’
Carnivorous? Ivy’s stomach lurched. That could count as evidence. ‘Does that mean you don’t want to see him any more?’ If Olivia was going to give him up anyway, then Ivy could stop her investigations.
‘I’d love to keep hanging out with him, as long as it’s not at lunchtime.’
Ivy sighed. She was going to have to get proof – and that meant going back to the movie set tomorrow and facing whatever consequences there might be for Jessica’s outburst. She was clearing the dressing table when there was a knock at the door.
Ivy whirled around as Olivia said, ‘Come in,’ and Mrs Abbott appeared, carrying a tray of warm milk, some crackers and a bottle of pink digestion liquid. Good thing it hadn’t been a minute later, or they would have had a tough time explaining why Olivia’s dressing table was on its back.
‘You said your tummy was bothering you.’ Mrs Abbott put the tray down on the edge of the bed.
The tummy ache plan from this morning had worked like a charm, and Ivy had already wolfed down the roast-beef sandwich they’d bought on the way home – mmm.
Ivy snapped out of the happy memory to say, ‘That’s so nice of you, Mrs Abbott.’ Moms really were awesome.
‘I just want to make sure you get a good night’s sleep.’ Mrs Abbott gave both girls a hug and wished them sweet dreams. ‘Olivia, honey, be considerate to our guest and give Ivy the comfy bed tonight.’