Читать книгу Fashion Frightmare! - Sienna Mercer - Страница 7

DING!

The bell over the front door of the Meat and Greet jangled loudly, and Ivy Vega jerked her head up.

Ouch! Pain jolted through her neck. She rubbed at it, sighing, as she looked away from the boy who’d just arrived at the restaurant. He wasn’t who she was waiting for.

For the last fifteen minutes, she’d jerked at each ding of the bell. Unfortunately, the Meat and Greet was so crowded today, the bell dinged a lot. That meant her neck was starting to feel some serious whiplash!

It’s no fun waiting by myself, she thought glumly.

If her best friend, Sophia, had been here, the situation might at least have felt funny . . . but then, if Sophia had been home in Franklin Grove, Ivy wouldn’t have had to wait here in the first place. Sophia was away in Tokyo, on a two-week-long vampire student exchange programme. In her place was a Japanese vampire named Reiko, who was due to arrive any moment now.

And I’ve got to chaperone her – if she ever shows up!

DING!

Ivy’s head bounced up again, sending a brand-new stab of pain down her neck. ‘Ow!’ She clapped one hand to the collar of her jet-black beaded sweater. This had better be Reiko – because, seriously, I’ve only got about two more of these reactions left in me before my head just falls off !

But when Ivy looked closer, she saw not Reiko, but a familiar face: her own! It was her identical, human twin sister, Olivia, wearing a pink cashmere sweater and glittery, embroidered blue jeans. Olivia was beaming as she murmured something into her cell phone. Her smile widened as she caught Ivy’s gaze, holding up one finger as she slid into the booth across from her sister.

‘I’ll see you soon,’ she said into the phone. ‘I can’t wait, either!’

Aha. Ivy grinned. She didn’t need her special vampire hearing to know that the voice on the other end was Olivia’s movie star boyfriend, Jackson Caulfield.

‘So he can come, after all?’ Ivy asked, as her twin tucked the phone into her bag.

‘Absolutely.’ Olivia let out a happy sigh as she sat back in her seat. ‘Jackson will be in town on Wednesday night – which means that lots more news outlets are going to want to cover the event! Isn’t that great? So many people are going to find out about Café Creative!’

‘Hmm.’ Ivy hid a grin as she prepared to tease her twin. ‘Y’know, Franklin Grove isn’t that big. We probably could have just stood on the roof of the museum with a megaphone, and everyone in town would still have heard about it.’

‘True enough.’ Olivia laughed. ‘But it won’t hurt for people outside this town to know of it, too. Just think! It could draw creative young people from Lincoln Vale.’ She flung out one arm in a sweeping gesture. ‘And beyond. After all, any press is good press!’

‘Seriously? ’ Ivy stared at her twin, dumbfounded. ‘Did you just say what I thought you said?’

‘Um . . .?’ Olivia raised her eyebrows.

‘Pretty soon, I’m going to need a phrasebook to translate all your “Hollywood-ese”!’ Ivy told her.

Olivia laughed. ‘I’m sure Sophia can help. Fashionista-language can’t be all that different, right?’ She leaned forwards, nudging aside her beaded purple bag. ‘Speaking of whom . . . have you heard anything from her yet?’

Ivy shrugged. ‘Just a one-line email. She said she was pretty jet-lagged, but that Tokyo looked dead cool from the inside of her taxi.’

‘Finally!’ A stressed-looking waitress hurried towards their table, already scooping out a notepad and pen from her apron. ‘I take it you’re ready to order now?’

Uh-oh. Ivy winced. It was the most crowded time of day at the Meat and Greet, and she’d already taken up a table for nearly twenty minutes without ordering anything. The waitress had to be ready to tear her own hair out.

Ivy gave a weak smile. ‘We’re, um, still waiting for one more person, actually.’

The waitress stared at her. ‘How much longer do you think they’ll be?’

Ivy shook her head helplessly. ‘She should have been here twenty minutes ago.’

The waitress’s face pinkened. She opened her mouth as if to say something – and since she had the same look on her face that their teacher Mr Russell got whenever he spotted a skateboard inside their school, Ivy was pretty sure whatever she said next would be scathing.

Olivia said hastily, ‘I’d love a diet soda, please.’

‘Hmmph!’ The waitress swung around and stalked away . . . without writing the order down on her notepad.

Olivia sighed. ‘I don’t think I’m going to get that.’

Ivy slumped in her seat. ‘I can’t believe how late Reiko is!’

Olivia gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘Maybe she has a good excuse?’

‘Maybe.’ Ivy shook her head. ‘I wonder what she’s going to be like, though. I’ve never met a Japanese vamp before – I’ve heard they’re really traditional and strict.’

‘Ooohhh.’ Olivia’s eyes glazed over. ‘Do you think she gets to wear kimonos?’

Ivy blinked at her sister. ‘Are you fantasising about her clothing, now?’

‘Why not?’ Olivia’s lips stretched into a dreamy smile. ‘Do you remember that black kimono you wore before the ball last year? It looked so good with your pale complexion.’

‘Did I also “look good” on the way home, when I tripped over it and fell flat on my face?’ Ivy snorted. ‘I have no idea how anyone manages to walk in those things for more than twenty minutes!’

‘Well, growing up wearing them probably helps,’ Olivia said. ‘It must teach grace and poise, balance and posture. Or, in other words . . .’ her gaze narrowed ‘. . . all the things you’re going to need on Wednesday, at the opening of Café Creative!’

‘Aaagh!’ Ivy groaned. Her dad and stepmom, Lillian, were opening the converted south wing of the museum with an event showcasing local creative talent. The showpiece was going to be a fashion show put on by Amelia Thompson and Penny Taylor, two students at Franklin Grove High. Somehow, Ivy had agreed to take part . . . as a model ! She shuddered. ‘What was I thinking? Me, parading up and down in fashions designed by girls from our school . . . what in the world could ever have made me agree to that?’

Olivia giggled. ‘You know the answer already. Lillian’s been working on this for weeks – and she has us both wrapped around her fingers.’

‘Um . . . huh ?’ Ivy pointed one accusing finger straight at her twin. ‘I remember the moment Lillian first asked us – you, Olivia Abbott, needed no convincing.’

‘Of course I didn’t. It’ll be fun!’ Olivia shrugged, smiling irrepressibly. ‘Can you imagine what the designs will be like? Penny’s half of the show is going to be all bright and bunny-tastic, while Amelia’s all about “classy goth”. They’re going to complement each other perfectly! Plus . . .’

She leaned over the brightly coloured table, dropping her voice to a low whisper. ‘Rumour has it they’ve also worked together on a hybrid of both their styles. A joint outfit to be their big finish and close the show. I can’t wait!’ Letting out a little squeal, Olivia bounced in her seat. ‘I can’t even imagine what such a dress will look like!’

Ivy scowled. ‘I suppose it’s good at least one of us is excited.’ It wasn’t often she wished that movie vampire rules were true but, right now, she’d give anything not to be able to show up in photographs. Then, no one would ever ask her to stroll up and down a catwalk!

Unfortunately, real vampires showed up perfectly well in photos – and in mirrors, too. The only thing that bunny screenwriters got correct was how much they hated garlic. And Ivy was considering eating some just to get out of this fashion show!

DING!

Ivy looked up sharply. Pain sparked down her neck, but this time she barely noticed. She was in too much shock.

The girl at the door had to be Reiko . . . and she was not what Ivy had been expecting at all !

Olivia turned around to follow Ivy’s gaze. ‘No kimono,’ she murmured.

‘Nope.’ Ivy’s eyes widened as she took in the other vamp’s bright yellow tank top and neon green athletic shorts. ‘And she does not look like she’s been raised in a strict community, does she?’

That’ll teach me to make assumptions, Ivy thought wryly. Not only was Reiko not wearing a kimono, she wasn’t even a goth like every single young American vamp Ivy knew.

Instead, she wore clothes that weren’t just bright – they were so luminous they could have lit up a pitch-black room! Her shorts even had a logo so big and sporty it made Ivy’s fangs itch. But most of all, Ivy couldn’t stop staring at Reiko’s massive orange backpack.

It had a tennis racquet sticking up out of it.

‘Am I dreaming?’ Olivia whispered. ‘Or am I actually looking at a vampire tennis player ?’

Ivy could only shake her head wordlessly. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’

And that wasn’t all. Above the backpack and the tennis racquet, Reiko’s long hair – which was a perfectly normal goth shade of purple – bounced in a high, bouncy, cheerleader-style ponytail!

That is so not a vamp look!

‘Hey!’ Reiko’s face lit up in a grin as she saw them. Giving an excited wave, she bounded over to the table in fast, athletic strides. ‘You must be Ivy, right? And Olivia! I recognise you both from Banp magazine!’

‘Did you say Ban magazine?’ Ivy asked, scooting over on the seat to make room for Reiko and her giant backpack full of sports equipment. Through the crack in the top of the backpack, she could see tennis balls and even a basketball jostling for space inside.

‘No, Banp !’ Still standing – and bouncing on her toes – Reiko yanked off the backpack and tossed it on to the table.

‘Oops!’ Olivia jerked out of the way just in time, before the handle of the tennis racquet could slam into her head. She sat back, eyes wide. ‘Bamp magazine?’

‘No, no, Banp . You know . . .’ Reiko slid into the booth beside Ivy, then leaned forwards to whisper, with an infectious grin: ‘Japanese for “vamp”!’

‘Aha!’ Ivy gave a sigh of relief. Banp must be the Japanese edition of VAMP magazine.

‘It’s so great to meet you two!’ Reiko said, bouncing in her seat. ‘And it is so nice of you to take care of me while I’m in Franklin Grove. This is a big adventure for me, you know?’

‘It’s no problem. Really.’ Ivy didn’t have to force a smile. Reiko may have been a little over-energetic, but she did seem like a nice person. ‘I’m sure the next two weeks will be killer.’

‘Absolutely.’ Reiko’s knee jiggled up and down so vigorously, Ivy had to scoot further to the side to keep from being bumped. ‘So, who’s playing tonight?’

‘Um . . .?’ Ivy gave Olivia a Help-me! look. ‘None of the bands I know . . . Olivia?’

Ivy’s twin shrugged.

‘Not music .’ Reiko laughed. ‘No way! But Franklin Grove has a sports team, right?’

‘Well . . .’ Ivy’s head was whirling.

‘You must have lots,’ Reiko said. ‘There are so many different sports in America, right? Just like in Japan. So, who’s playing tonight? And what time does the game start?’

Dread settled in Ivy’s stomach. No one warned me I’d have to watch sports for this! ‘I . . . have to check the newspaper,’ she said weakly. ‘I think . . . are the sports reports at the back? Maybe?’

Olivia only shrugged again. Reiko looked stunned.

‘Are you serious?’ she said. ‘I can’t believe you two live in America and you don’t follow sports!’ She shook her head at both of them. ‘If I lived here, I’d go to a different game every night!’

Please not for the next two weeks, Ivy begged silently. I might start looking for a stake to walk into!

As Reiko launched into an excited list of all the different types of games she most wanted to watch while she was in Franklin Grove, Ivy sagged lower and lower in her seat. Does she actually expect me to watch a whole sports game? On purpose?

Worse yet . . . based on how packed full of equipment that backpack was, Reiko might even expect Ivy to play sports with her .

Ivy shuddered. I can’t believe this is happening!

Of all the possible vamps that she had imagined turning up, she would never have expected a sports fanatic! Now, here she was sitting right next to one . . . who suddenly gave her a nudge so powerful, she nearly slammed into the wall of their booth.

‘Hey, do you mind if we go somewhere else for lunch?’ Reiko tossed down the menu with a shudder. ‘This whole menu is really unhealthy. Does the Meat and Greet have something against proper nutrients?’

‘Ahem.’ Next to the table, the waitress cleared her throat loudly.

Cringing, Ivy looked up. The waitress stood holding Olivia’s diet soda . . . and she’d obviously heard every one of Reiko’s words about the menu.

‘Ready to order, finally ?’ the waitress snapped.

Ivy gave her best “apologetic” smile. ‘Um . . . can we please have the check?’

The waitress let out a growl. ‘I don’t believe this!’

Ivy sighed. Trust me, neither do I.

Two hours later, Olivia led Ivy and Reiko through the echoing halls of the Franklin Grove Museum. She had to hold on to Ivy’s elbow to keep her twin moving in the right direction. Ivy was walking backwards, her horrified gaze firmly fixed on the exchange student behind them . . .

Less than a minute after stepping into the museum, Reiko had pulled a tennis ball from her backpack. Now, she juggled it fluidly between her palms, elbows and shoulders as she walked. She was obviously skilled, but Olivia dreaded what would happen if the museum’s intense vampire caretaker, Albert, caught sight of what was going on. And if Reiko’s ball actually crashed into one of the museum’s priceless displays?

Ouch. Olivia cringed at the idea.

Reiko was the only one who seemed completely unfazed by the priceless antiquities all around them. ‘ . . . and after we go to the basketball game,’ she was saying, ‘I want to see a real American football game! And then . . .’

‘I can’t take this any more,’ Ivy mumbled. She pulled free of Olivia and turned to stride ahead.

Oh, dear. Olivia sighed. She couldn’t imagine Ivy sitting through a single sports game, much less two weeks’ worth of them!

Still, she didn’t want Reiko to feel snubbed, so Olivia dropped behind to walk by the exchange student’s side as she chattered on and on, juggling her tennis ball all the way. As they walked past an ancient ceramic vase sitting on a pedestal, the ball flew up over their heads. Reiko jumped up to catch it between her shoulder and jaw . . .

She missed.

‘Oh!’ Olivia gasped as the ball hurtled towards the vase.

‘Noooo!’ Albert suddenly appeared from the shadows of the hall, lunging towards them with his arms outstretched.

Ivy spun around. Horror spread across her face as she leaped forwards . . .

And, just in time, Reiko snatched the ball out of the air in a quick, backwards catch. ‘There!’ She winked at the others, grinning. ‘You weren’t worried, were you? I never miss a catch.’

Albert put one hand to his chest, as if to soothe his racing heart. He took deep breaths. Olivia thought he might be about to pass out from shock. As soon as he had calmed down, though, they were going to be in big trouble.

She traded a panicked look with Ivy. ‘Let’s hurry, OK?’ I don’t want to be here when Albert starts yelling! Putting one hand on Reiko’s back, she steered the exchange student through the marble halls at a quick trot. Aiming a wary look back at the recovering caretaker, she tried to laugh. ‘Sooo, Reiko . . . I guess maybe you shouldn’t have had that second cup of Vitali-Tea at lunch, huh?’

‘Are you joking?’ Reiko shook her head so vigorously, her long purple ponytail whipped against Olivia’s cheek. ‘That One Planet place you guys found is great! They even had gotu kola in the Vitali-Tea!’

Olivia glanced to Ivy for help, but her twin only shrugged.

‘Gotu kola is one of my vices,’ Reiko said happily. ‘It’s much better for you than caffeine, you know.’

‘If you say so.’ Smiling weakly, Olivia pushed open the door to the old South Wing. Finally. ‘Ta-da! Check out Café Creative!’

‘Cool!’ Reiko didn’t stop juggling, but she looked around with obvious interest.

Olivia felt a wave of pride as she followed the exchange student’s gaze around the wide hall that her vampire stepmom had decked out so impressively. ‘Isn’t it great? Lillian’s done fantastic work with the space in here.’

Once, this whole wing of the museum had been abandoned and full of dust. Now, light beamed in through long windows, showing off the tables arranged in star-formations around an X-shaped platform.

Olivia pointed to it. ‘See? That’s going to be the catwalk for the fashion show this week.’

‘Really?’ Ivy groaned. ‘It’s raised, like, five feet off the ground. If I fall off that, I’ll leave a dent in the floor!’

Laughter sounded behind them, and a familiar female voice spoke: ‘Now, I know you’re more graceful than that, Ivy Vega!’

Olivia, Ivy and Reiko all spun around . . . and for the first time since they’d stepped into the museum, Reiko actually dropped her tennis ball. It bounced away across the floor and rolled underneath the catwalk, but she didn’t even seem to notice. Her mouth had fallen open and her eyes were wide as she stared at the two new arrivals standing in the doorway: a young man with spiky black hair and high cheekbones, and a young woman with long, silky black hair tied in an impossibly long braid.

‘Is this . . .’ Reiko stopped and swallowed visibly. ‘I mean, are you really . . . can you be . . . Prince Alex and Princess Tessa of Transylvania?’

Olivia hid a grin. Who knew the sports-mad vampire could be so star-struck?

‘Of course they are,’ she said warmly, and ran forwards to hug them. ‘What are you guys doing here?’

‘We’re on, um . . . official business,’ said Alex, giving Ivy a hug. ‘But we couldn’t come all this way and not swing by to visit our favourite twins!’

‘Just look at you!’ Olivia exclaimed, moving to hug Tessa. ‘You’re such a princess now!’

Tessa laughed as she gave Olivia a careful hug, holding a thin wooden box to one side. ‘It took a lot of training,’ she whispered. ‘But the Queen is finally pleased with me.’

‘Of course she is.’ Smiling, Olivia stepped back and looked her friend over. With the grace and poise in every line of Tessa’s posture, no one would ever recognise the timid serving girl the twins had first met. ‘Married life really suits you!’

Tessa smiled, her cheeks flushing. ‘I think it does!’

‘Watch out!’ The strained voice belonged to Camilla Edmunson, Olivia’s best friend. ‘Wardrobe coming through!’

As the others all scattered to make way, Camilla and Lillian staggered into the room, pushing a tall, intricately carved oak wardrobe on a wheeled platform. Normally, Lillian’s vamp-strength would have been enough for her to carry it by herself with ease, but she had to keep up the act of ‘being human’ in front of bunnies like Camilla.

She also looked genuinely exhausted.

‘What do we still have to do?’ Lillian rasped, as she and Camilla heaved the wardrobe across the room. ‘Do the caterers have their menu?’

‘Done,’ Camilla panted as they shoved the platform the last few steps forward.

‘The news releases are all sent out?’

‘Done.’

‘And the short film?’

‘Um . . .’ Camilla shook her head, looking shifty, as she let go of the platform’s handle. ‘Not quite done yet.’

Lillian winced. ‘Camilla, this film is supposed to be playing on loop all through Wednesday evening,’ she said. ‘That’s just four days from now. Is everything OK?’

‘It’s just not quite perfect yet!’ Camilla ran one hand through her short, springy blonde curls, her face scrunching into what Olivia called her ‘artistic scowl’. ‘I’m still editing, but I swear I will lock the picture very soon. It just needs a few more touches!’

‘Well, in that case . . .’ Lillian raised her eyebrows. ‘Why don’t you go home and finish up now?’

‘Oh, no, I can stay and help here some more first,’ Camilla said. ‘I’ll just –’

‘Camilla,’ Lillian said, smiling although there was worry in her eyes. ‘I need that film to be turned in by the end of tonight . . . perfect or not!’

Camilla winced. ‘It will be perfect. I swear it. No matter what it takes!’

With a hasty wave at the others, she grabbed her purple velvet beret from inside the wardrobe and darted out of the room.

Lillian sighed and looked around the space, her shoulders hunching.

‘Last-minute concerns?’ Tessa asked sympathetically.

‘Oh . . .’ Lillian gave an unconvincing smile as she walked over to join Olivia and the vampires. She was dressed just as elegantly as usual, in a black pantsuit and discreet pearls, but she looked as if she needed to sleep in her coffin for at least a month. ‘I’m just really nervous about the opening.’

‘It’s going to be great,’ Olivia said.

‘It really will,’ Ivy added. ‘Seriously. Even I think this space looks . . .’ She winced, then forced the word out with an obvious effort: ‘. . . Fabulous!’

‘Well, in that case . . .’ Lillian’s lips twitched. She looped one arm around Ivy’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

‘Luckily,’ Tessa announced firmly, ‘there is no need to be nervous, because . . . look what I brought!’ She held out the wooden box she’d been carrying.

Lillian blinked at it. ‘What – oh!’ Her face lit up. ‘I remember! Charles said that you were going to loan us the pashmina you wore at your wedding reception. That is wonderful!’

‘Ooh! I want to see it!’ Olivia couldn’t help almost barging Ivy aside to get a better look as their stepmom opened the narrow box. A fabulous, blood-red pashmina lay folded inside, embroidered with bat symbols in a mix of black and gold. The colours were so rich and vibrant, the pashmina seemed to glow against the wood.

Olivia gasped. ‘Tessa, that’s gorgeous!’

‘That is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,’ Reiko agreed. She started to reach out as if to touch it – then yanked her hand back as if she’d been burned.

Alex smiled proudly, wrapping one arm around his wife’s waist. ‘It was a gift from the Indian vampire community’s Senior Ambassador,’ he explained. ‘It is said to bring good fortune to whoever holds it close. Franklin Grove Museum will have it on display until the spring. While it is here, nothing bad can happen. So, you see? There’s nothing to worry about.’

‘Oh, thank darkness.’ Lillian visibly relaxed for the first time that day. ‘I can’t tell you how much this helps.’

As Olivia looked at her stepmom’s relieved expression, she had to stifle a giggle. Vampires really are so superstitious!