Then she felt a hand on her arm and turned around. Ivy was holding her back.
‘What’s wrong?’ Olivia asked, the excitement fading from her face.
Ivy swallowed. She didn’t want her sister getting hurt. I can’t blurt out that Jackson is a vampire without proof, Ivy thought. But if they ended up starring in a movie together, Olivia could totally end up falling for him. What should I do?
‘Ivy?’ Olivia was frowning.
At the same time, Ivy couldn’t deny that this could be Olivia’s big break. The director would have to be a zombie not to see her potential.
Ivy sighed. ‘I just wanted to say good luck,’ she said, hoping that she’d get some evidence before the role was decided.
Olivia gave her a big hug and scurried off with Camilla to sign up.
‘It is now Mission Critical to uncover the truth about Jackson Caulfield,’ Ivy said to Sophia as they watched the others leave.
‘That he’s utterly into your sister?’ Sophia replied.
Ivy batted her on the arm. ‘I know that – it’s because of that we have to figure out whether or not he’s a vampire. Now, I’ve got a plan.’
Ivy wanted to create some diversion on the other side of the set. That way she could break into the cafeteria truck, steal a chef uniform and pretend to be a caterer so she could find out exactly what food his contract specified.
‘All you have to do,’ Ivy said, ‘is something distracting.’ She searched around for inspiration, her glance falling on a loudspeaker. ‘Like singing over the megaphone. Or maybe streaking?’
‘Um,’ Sophia said. ‘So many “no’s”.’
‘There you are!’ said a voice behind them. ‘I was hoping to find you on set somewhere.’
The two girls turned to see Lillian, the second assistant director, who had signed them up to be extras yesterday. Ivy hoped she wasn’t going to give them a piece of her mind for what happened yesterday.
‘Hi,’ Sophia said cautiously.
‘Your cartoon was hilarious,’ Lillian said.
‘Really?’ Sophia’s voice had gone so high a bat would squeak back. It was pretty cool that a Hollywood director liked her cartoon.
‘We thought you’d want to bury us for the Jessica incident,’ Ivy said.
‘No, but now that you mention it – you can make it up to me. I need some help in the costume trailer.’
‘Sure,’ Sophia agreed.
As they walked across the parking lot with her, Lillian explained, ‘Yesterday was not at all your fault. At first, Jessica tried using car sickness as a medical reason for not doing the movie.’
‘But she wouldn’t actually be in a car,’ Sophia pointed out.
‘Exactly. It’s just another lame excuse to get out of the shoot.’
Lillian took them inside the huge costume trailer and over to a pile of clothes. ‘OK, girls, these need sorting out and hanging up.’
Ivy was more than happy to help with the costume racks – every kind of top, designer-label jeans, a hundred different belts and sunglasses.
Ivy started helping Sophia with the hats.
‘The next excuse from Jessica was an extreme allergy to snow,’ Lillian said. ‘We responded with understanding and pointed out that would also prevent her from doing anything that required leaving her house for the next three months.’
Ivy mock-gasped. ‘But then how would she get on the cover of Paparazzi Press?’
Lillian smiled. ‘In the end, I’m sure it was because the script is too much about Jackson. You’d think she would have read it before signing up. Anyway, now that she’s gone, this movie is tabloid paradise – an unknown actress plucked from obscurity, teamed with the biggest teen dream . . . Philippe couldn’t have planned it better.’