‘Hi, girls!’ One of the new guests pulled out a chair and plopped down between Ivy and Olivia. ‘I’m Petra.’ She wore a black shift with a funky lace hem. ‘So sorry we’re late.’ Ivy caught traces of various European accents – totally different to the Transylvanian one shared by the girls who had stonewalled her. ‘We had this assembly at the Academy that ran a little late. You know what a bore teachers can be.’ Her eyes flicked to the ceiling. ‘I’m sure we’re all capable of waiting until Monday to hear our millionth lecture on the importance of eating a balanced red-blood-cell diet.’
Ivy felt as if a fist had clenched around her stomach. Did she say ‘the Academy’? As in ‘Wallachia Academy’? Ivy sat up straighter. This was going to be her first glimpse of the kind of people she might, maybe, possibly be studying with, and they seemed much cooler than the snooty Snobzillas who had been cold-shouldering her and Olivia so far tonight.
‘Hey!’ Petra’s eyes lit up. ‘You ladies are the American twins writing that VAMP magazine article, aren’t you? I have to talk to you two later.’ Her tone was hushed and excited, like she was asking Ivy to share a particularly juicy piece of gossip. ‘I want to know everything about America. Like why do you call those yummy potato things “French fries”?’
Ivy and Olivia laughed for the first time that evening. Maybe this party wouldn’t be a total flop after all.
Petra looked around. ‘Where is Tessa, anyway?’ she asked the other guests at the table, but nobody bothered to answer. The new girls’ presence had done nothing to thaw their ice-queen acts.
‘We’re not sure,’ Olivia chimed in, shifting in her seat. ‘I’m starting to get worr–’
‘I’m here! I’m here!’ Tessa rushed into the Banquet Hall before Horatio could properly announce her arrival. She skidded to a stop at the head of the dining table where the snooty vamp girls were staring open-mouthed.
She looked beautiful, but a little ragged. Her navy-blue dress hung unevenly and her up-do wasn’t as sleek as it could be. Whoa, thought Ivy, where did that come from? Since when was I a serving member of the Fashion Police? Clearly, Olivia had been rubbing off on her.
‘I’m late. Oh goodness, I know, I’m so late.’ Tessa smoothed her hair, tucking a hairgrip back into place.
Horatio nodded to the waiting servants and they swooped in with shiny platters of bite-sized appetisers: blood-sausage links wrapped in crescent rolls; miniature slivers of toast with pâté; and small vials of blood smoothie.
Tessa stood apart from the group and looked like she didn’t know how to proceed. Gone were the confidence and movie-star poise Ivy had seen earlier that day. In fact, she looked like the same shy serving girl Ivy had first met. She should have been commanding the room, not cowering in it. After all, it wouldn’t be long until she was Princess Tessa.
All eyes were on the bride-to-be, the silence more awkward than any Ivy had ever experienced. Tessa parted her lips and then seemed to think better of saying anything more. She even looked uncertain about whether or not she should take a seat!
‘Perhaps we should kick things off with a game,’ suggested Petra.
‘Great idea!’ Olivia clapped.
Ivy grinned to herself – not just at the sight of her twin’s excitement about party games, but because it was a Wallachia girl who had come to the rescue! She was starting to warm to Petra already. Maybe the famous school was not going to be full of stuck-up vamp girls, after all.
‘How about Secrets and Lies?’ A sly smile formed on Petra’s lips.
‘What’s that?’ asked Ivy and Olivia at the same time. They immediately both cringed. It was a little too creepily twin-tastic when they did the whole talk-in-unison thing. ‘Sorry,’ they both said. Not again!
Petra just giggled. ‘It’s this cool vampire game where one person is asked a series of very direct, very personal questions.’ She drummed her fingertips together mischievously. ‘And the person being asked is supposed to tell the truth. It’s almost impossible to lie, since vampire sensitivity and super-hearing make us experts at knowing when people are lying. We can catch all the giveaways like subtleties in voice, tone – even the most minor change in heartbeat. One teensy untruth and we’ll call the liar out!’
Ivy glanced nervously at Olivia. She didn’t want her to feel left out since she was the only non-vampire in the room, but Olivia was leaning in, her elbows propped on the table. ‘Really?’ she asked excitedly. ‘You can tell just from listening to people talk?’
‘Sure can,’ said Petra, lifting her chin.
‘You know, you guys would make killer spies!’ Olivia’s eyes were wide.
‘The game?’ reminded Ivy before Olivia went too far off-track.
‘Right,’ said Petra. ‘Maybe Tessa can start, since it’s her ceremony and all.’
Tessa backed away, waving her hands in front of her. ‘No, that’s all right. Actually, I have to excuse myself. One moment.’ She held up a finger and Ivy noticed not only the sparkly engagement ring, but the way Tessa was trembling. ‘I’ll be right back.’
Ivy watched her leave the room, her navy gown swirling behind her. Something was definitely up with Tessa, but what could it be?
Ivana shook her head slowly. ‘Tsk, tsk. How rude. And she’s supposed to be a princess ?’ She jutted her chin and stared down her nose. ‘But that’s probably just an indication of her upbringing.’