Fangtastic! (14 page)

Garrick
nodded encouragingly as the other Beasts closed in behind her. Between
Charlotte’s heavy makeup and exaggerated facial expressions—and the fact that
Ivy couldn’t hear a word she was saying—she looked exactly like the victim in
an old silent vampire movie.

“We
have to stop them!” Olivia croaked. The Beasts were licking their chops
hungrily while Charlotte prattled on at the camera, completely oblivious.

“Yes,”
Ivy agreed.

Olivia
was trying not to hyperventilate. “But there are four of them, and only two of
us. Plus they’re all vampires!” She gulped for air. “I really, really want to
make it to ninth grade—you know?”

Ivy
squeezed her sister’s hand. “Olivia, I’ve been putting up with the Beasts my
whole life. They’re complete wimps! You and I can definitely take them,” she
said confidently. “On the count of three,” she went on, putting her hand on the
doorknob, “we’re going in. One, two—”

“Wait!”
Olivia grabbed her sister’s hand. “If anything happens ...I want your dark red
top.”

Ivy
cracked a smile. “Three!” She turned the knob and eased the door open, but an
unexpected noise stopped them from going farther. They peeked in to see Dylan
Soyle coughing up a lung again.

“Stop
coughing, Dylan!” Garrick hissed. “You’re ruining the . . . er . . . the shot!”

But
Dylan just kept coughing. Finally, Charlotte spun around in her chair, her lip
curled in annoyance. “Why don’t you go get a drink or something?” she snapped.

That’s
when Olivia noticed that Dylan’s mouth wasn’t puffed out anymore.
He took
out his fangs!
she thought.

Suddenly,
Dylan was heading for the door. Olivia and Ivy dove out of the way as he burst
into the hallway. Looking like he was going to puke, he fled in the direction
of the boys’ room.

From
where she was crouched on the other side of the doorway, Ivy grinned at Olivia
and mouthed the words “Cold feet!”

Now
that the door was open, Olivia and Ivy could hear exactly what was going on
inside.

“Go
on, Charlotte,” Garrick said, motioning frantically from behind the camera. “Don’t
stop!”

“So
unprofessional,” Charlotte muttered under her breath and adjusted herself in
her chair. “Like I was saying”—she switched her smile back on— “the life of a cheerleader
is filled with ups and downs, tosses and turns. Just like a real cheer!”

Behind
Charlotte’s back, Ricky and Kyle looked like they were having a silent
finger-pointing contest. Olivia grinned at Ivy across the doorway.
They can’t
figure out who should go first!
she thought gleefully.

Suddenly,
Kyle cleared his throat loudly.

“What
is it now?” Charlotte snapped.

“N-nothing,”
Kyle stammered. “Uh, I’m just going to go see if Dylan’s okay.” And just like
that, he rushed out of the room without a backward glance.

“You’ll
never work in this town again!” Garrick shouted after him. Then he leered at
Charlotte, clearly determined to salvage the situation. “Please, contin—”

“Garrick?”
said Ricky bashfully from behind Charlotte’s chair. “I’m not really hungry
either.”

Charlotte
looked like she was on the verge of throwing the biggest fit in middle school
history. “Hungry!” She leaped up from her chair. “I’m lighting up the silver
screen, and all you boys can think about is food?”

Ricky
mumbled an apology and shuffled out.

“Garrick
Stephens,” Charlotte said, marching right up to him, “this is all your fault!”
She poked him in the chest angrily. “I’m going to have to start all over again!”

Suddenly
Charlotte peered at Garrick’s mouth suspiciously. “Are you chewing gum during
my movie debut?” she demanded incredulously. “You spit that out!”

Garrick’s
sunken eyes dulled with defeat. He turned his back on Charlotte, and Olivia saw
him spit his fangs out into his hand. “Show business,” he muttered forlornly.

Thrusting
the teeth back into his pocket, Garrick gestured for his star to return to her
seat. In a grim monotone, he said, “Charlotte Brown, cheerleader, take two.”

“It’s
head cheerleader, you dork!” Charlotte corrected.

Olivia
and Ivy snuck away down the hall, rushed into the science hall bathroom, and
burst into laughter.

“I
should have known they wouldn’t go through with it!” Ivy cried.

“I’d
say Charlotte was the only one who drew blood in that room!” Olivia joked.

A
moment later, Ivy glanced at her watch, and her smile melted away. “Oh, no,”
she grimaced. “I’m supposed to meet Serena Star in the
Scribe
office for
my interview in five minutes!” She glanced at herself nervously in the mirror.

“Don’t
worry,” Olivia said. “You look great.” She straightened the shoulders of her
sister’s black sweater so it fell squarely over her black pants. “If Charlotte
could survive her interview with a vampire, I just know you’ll survive yours
with Serena Star!”

Through
the window in the
Scribe
’s office door, Ivy saw a setup that made the
Beast’s movie shoot seem even more amateur. The staff table had been removed,
and the room’s ceiling had been transformed into a canopy of bright lights and
hanging microphones. Atop a square of carpet taped to the linoleum floor were
two plush leather chairs that faced each other, and beside each one was a small
side table.

Ivy
noticed that Camilla was there, talking with the cameraman. Beside them stood
the largest TV camera Ivy had ever seen, aimed squarely at the two chairs.
Is
that a camera or a diabolical weapon?
she thought nervously.

Serena
Star spotted Ivy looking at the door. She bounded over and ushered Ivy inside. “Come
in,” she said with a strange smile.

Ivy
noticed she’d developed dark bags under her eyes, and strands of her hair were
sticking out at odd angles. Her lipstick was uneven, and Ivy thought she saw a
stain on the lapel of yesterday’s suit.
In the last day or so,
Ivy
thought,
Serena has gone from being perfectly turned out to looking slightly
unhinged.
Somehow, her eyes had now widened beyond the point of reason.

Camilla
waved at Ivy from where she stood by the cameraman. “You look really nice,” she
said. “Martin here was kind enough to let me sit in. Since I’m in media
studies, I thought it would be neat to see how a live interview is done.”

“Live?”
Ivy quaked. She looked at Serena. “This is going to be on TV
right now
?”

Serena
nodded. “Anything could happen,” she sang, steering Ivy to the far chair. “Martin,
how much time do we have?”

“Two
minutes,” the cameraman responded.

Ivy
started seeing spots at the corner of her vision, but then she realized it was
just Martin testing the lights.
It’s grim enough being on camera,
Ivy
thought.
Now I have to go on live TV?

“She’s
looking pretty pale, Serena,” Martin said. “Should I get some blush on her?”

“No!”
Serena said quickly. “She’s
perfect
.”

Camilla’s
smile of encouragement couldn’t keep Ivy’s heart from beating wildly as Martin
counted down from behind the camera with his hand. “Five! Four! Three! Two!” He
mouthed the word “one” and pointed to Serena.

“I’m
Serena Star, and this is a very, very special afternoon edition of
The
Morning Star
,” Serena announced. “In a few minutes, I’ll show you exclusive
footage of it girl Charlene Costa’s secret wedding. But first, join me for the
shocking final installment of my week-long investigative report into Franklin
Grove—the town that some people are calling Franklin
Grave.
I think you’ll
agree it’s nothing short of . . . TERRORFIC!” Ivy could just imagine the graphic
with the word “TERRORFIC!” that was appearing at that moment on TV sets across
the nation.

“Meet
Ivy Vega, a typical eighth-grader here.” The camera swung toward Ivy, who
forced herself to smile.
“Or is she?”
Serena Star added meaningfully.

“Ivy,”
Serena said, “I understand you’re a writer on the school paper. What got you
into journalism?”

What
a lame question!
Ivy thought. “Well, I’ve always liked to write,” she said simply. She waited
for the next question, but Serena wasn’t looking at her. In fact, she didn’t
even seem to have heard Ivy’s answer. She was busy exchanging looks with Martin
the cameraman.

Ivy
scrambled to fill the silence. “I used to be a cheerleader,” she blurted.
For about three days,
she thought with a wince. “But it wasn’t really my
thing. So . . . I joined the school paper.” Martin reached his arm in and
carefully placed a big glass of water on the table beside Ivy’s chair.

“Some
water?” Serena Star offered brightly, springing back to life.

“No,
thank you,” said Ivy.

“Aren’t
you thirsty?” Serena pressed.

Serena
Star’s an even worse interviewer than Garrick Stephens,
Ivy thought. “No, not really,” she
replied.

Serena
glared at her. “I insist.”

With a
shrug, Ivy picked up the glass of water and took a tiny sip. Serena Star leaned
forward expectantly.

Actually,
the water felt good. Ivy hadn’t even realized how dry her mouth was. She took a
big swallow, and Serena looked like she was going to fall off her chair.
When did drinking water become such a big deal?
Ivy wondered.

Ivy
put the glass back down on the table, ready for the next question. Serena sat
back in her chair, looking disappointed. “Um ...what’s your favorite of all the
articles you’ve done?” she asked.

“I did
a series of pieces on the history of Franklin Grove Middle School that won a
special achievement award,” Ivy explained, but once again, Serena appeared to
lose interest the moment Ivy started talking. “Most people don’t know this,”
Ivy soldiered on, “but in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge accidentally dropped
his favorite pocket watch in—”

“What’s
your favorite book?” Serena interrupted eagerly. Then, before Ivy could even
answer, Serena pulled a fat volume out from beneath her chair. She held it up
to the camera before shoving it into Ivy’s hands. “How about this one?”

Ivy
looked at the book in her hands.
The Bible?

Serena
Star stared at her accusingly.

“Well,
it’s certainly a good book. In fact, it’s
the
Good Book,” Ivy said at
last, cracking a nervous smile.

Serena’s
shoulders fell.

Suddenly,
Ivy began to put two and two together, and Serena’s strange behavior started to
make sense.
A Bible, a big glass of water. She’s testing me to prove I’m a
vampire!
Ivy realized.
This isn’t an interview about a good role model.
Serena Star’s trying to expose me! I bet that glass was full of holy water, and
Serena must have thought the Bible would set me on fire or something!
Of
course, that religious stuff only worked in the movies, but who knew what else
Serena had up her sleeve?

If
she hits on something real,
Ivy thought in a panic,
I’ll be revealed as a vampire on national TV!

“Did
you see her show on celebrity underwear, when her made-up word was ‘INCROTCHIBLE’?”
asked Olivia, who was waiting for Ivy on the steps in front of school with
Sophia and Brendan.

“No,”
Sophia said. “Serena Star has her own ridiculous language.”

“As a
matter of fact,” said Brendan, leaning back on his elbows so his black
button-down shirt hung open over his white top, “that’s what I ended up writing
my English paper on.”

“You’re
kidding!” said Olivia.

Brendan
raised his eyebrows. “I’m going to call it, ‘The Stupidfying Words of Serena
Star!’ ” he said, laughing.

Olivia
and Sophia burst out laughing, too. Then the front doors of the school opened,
and Toby Decker emerged, his tie hanging undone around his neck.

Olivia
waved and walked over to join him. “Hey, Toby,” she said. “Is Serena Star’s
interview with Ivy over already?”

Toby
shook his head. “Still going,” he replied. “I’m surprised you’re not watching
it.”

“What
about you, Mr. Special Assistant? Shouldn’t you be in there?” Olivia said. “Camilla
got a special invitation from the cameraman, but I didn’t think I’d be allowed.”

“You
wouldn’t have, but it’s live TV.” Toby shrugged. “You could have watched it in
the library with everyone else.”

“I
didn’t realize it was live!” Olivia exclaimed.

“It
is.” Toby sighed. “The only reason I’m not in there is that ...well, I quit my
job as Serena’s assistant.”

“You
did?” Olivia was shocked.

Toby
hesitated, as if he was trying to figure out whether he could confide in her. “Olivia,”
he said finally, “I think Serena is having some sort of nervous breakdown.”