‘Is that by the pet store?’
‘No,’ Ivy replied, thinking Olivia must be joking. The closest thing to a pet store on set was the make-up trailer where Spencer groomed and fluffed his actors like poodles. Ivy decided to play along. ‘It’s next to the cake shop.’
Olivia didn’t respond for a moment. ‘There’s a cake shop in the mall?’
Now Ivy was completely baffled. ‘The mall?
‘Yes, the mall,’ Olivia said. ‘The mall where you are.’
‘I’m not at the mall,’ Ivy said slowly. ‘I’m on set where you are supposed to be.’
‘But –’ Olivia started. ‘But . . . but . . .’
There was a terrible pause as Ivy couldn’t figure out what to say.
Olivia finally broke the silence. ‘You’re not at the mall.’
‘Why in the name of all that is gory would I go to the mall now? And why would you?’
Olivia sighed. ‘Charlotte Brown.’
Olivia explained what Charlotte had told her, and the truth sunk in.
‘It’s true that Brendan might be feeling a little left out, but we didn’t fight,’ Ivy said. ‘I haven’t spoken to him today.’
Two points to Charlotte, Ivy thought. Or maybe more like ten.
‘She was just trying to get me off set, so I’d miss the callbacks,’ Olivia said and Ivy could hear her start to get breathless as she hurried through the mall. ‘And it looks like she succeeded!’
Ivy looked down at her spooky pumpkin watch. ‘You’ll never get back in time.’
‘I know!’ Olivia said quietly. She sniffled. ‘It wasn’t just Jackson; it was the part. I really thought I had a chance.’
Grrr, Ivy thought. Arg. She wanted to hang Charlotte up by her fake designer-label boots. She is so devious!
‘Now there really is something to fix,’ Ivy said, looking around at the film people passing by, to see if there was someone she could tell. ‘We’re not going to let Charlotte win. I’ll go and stall them.’ She jumped up from the plinth.
‘You couldn’t stall Philippe with an apocalypse,’ Olivia replied. ‘But there is something we could do.’
Olivia’s tone of voice made Ivy brace herself for what was coming.
‘Even though I’m not on set, there happens to be someone who looks just like me there.’
Ivy knew what Olivia meant. ‘You mean switch?’
‘It’s the only way,’ Olivia said. ‘You can be me for the callbacks, at least until I get there. Camilla is still on set; she’s got my copy of the script.’
Ivy gulped. ‘Um . . .’
She knew her sister wanted this role – and that she’d be perfect for it – but learning lines and going in front of the camera on her behalf could be a disaster. Bigger than Olivia not showing up at all? she thought. Maybe, if Ivy got the part and got to spend time with Jackson, she could figure out once and for all whether he was a vampire.
‘Jackson doesn’t know we’re twins, I don’t think. I’ve never told him. And you’ve fooled everyone else before.’ Olivia’s voice got quiet. ‘Please?’
‘OK, I’ll do it.’ Ivy felt a little flush of panic saying it but knew her sister would go to the same lengths for her.
Olivia squealed down the phone and Ivy had to hold it away from her ear. When she put it back, Olivia was saying, ‘OK, go get bunny-fied. I’m leaving right now and will be there as soon as I possibly can. Love you, sis.’
‘Love you, too.’ But Ivy felt like a gravestone was on her shoulders. How was she going to find Camilla, learn lines and pink up in the next half an hour plus impress a highly strung director and teen-dream movie star?