“Let’s not pretend any longer,” she huffed at the camera. “I didn’t ask Ivy Vega here, America, so that she could tell you about her extracurricular activities. I asked her here because I’ve discovered the dark secret at the heart of Franklin Grove, and it is worse than you could possibly imagine! An undead people lurk here. They stalk the land, terrifying the locals and sucking the blood from this community!” She dug under her neckline and pulled out a crucifix. “I’ve taken to wearing this to protect myself.Yes, America, there are vampires living in Franklin Grove!” Serena’s wide eyes were enormous. “And this eighthgrader is the worst of them!”
“But I still haven’t answered your question about sunbathing,” Olivia said.
Serena Star glowered at her, and Olivia knew at once that she had her fooled. “You’re a vampire,” Serena Star seethed. “And I’m going to prove it.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw the cameraman gaping at Serena like she’d lost her mind. Meanwhile, Serena was pulling a small ziplock bag from the inside pocket of her jacket. “This is raw garlic,” Serena announced, waving it before the camera.
She held the clove out to Olivia with two fingers. “Eat it!”
Olivia grimaced. “No!” she exclaimed.
“Eat it!” Serena demanded.
“It will give me seriously bad breath,” Olivia protested.
Serena Star narrowed her eyes and turned to the camera. “The fact that she won’t eat it proves she’s a vampire!”
Olivia sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. She took the garlic from Serena Star and lifted it to her mouth. Then she pretended to think better of it and shot a desperate look at the camera.
“Go on,” Serena sneered.
Olivia gave a dramatically fearful gulp before popping the clove in her mouth. Then she chewed with a pained look on her face, and the cameraman looked back and forth from her to Serena Star anxiously. Finally, Olivia swallowed with great difficulty.
Her eyes began to tear, and she started to cough. Raw garlic was really strong!
Serena Star’s wide eyes lit up in triumph as she pointed a manicured finger at Olivia. “To dust, you bloodsucking beast!” she cried. She waved her arms at the camera. “Watch now, America, as a single piece of raw garlic destroys this vampire so she can never threaten her fellow students again!”
Serena leaped to her feet. “That’s right! I, WowTV’s Serena Star, have both broken the biggest story in history and saved humanity from the dark forces of evil!”
Serena turned, waiting for Olivia to turn to dust, but Olivia just stared back in mock horrified amazement. There was a very, very, very long pause.
“You s-stopped coughing,” Serena Star finally stammered.
“Duh,” murmured Camilla from the corner. Martin the cameraman buried his head in his hands.
“You can’t fool me!” Serena Star snapped. She turned to the camera. “I saw this girl leap onto a rooftop! She was in a graveyard! She guzzles blood!” she howled.
Olivia blinked and said, “Are you okay?”
“I KNOW SHE’S A VAMPIRE!” Serena shouted.
Martin whispered something to Camilla. He stepped in front of the camera and took Serena Star’s elbow, but she pulled it away and flapped her arm at Olivia hysterically. “SHE’S THEIR QUEEN!”
“It’s okay,” Martin said, firmly putting his arm around her. He looked into the camera grimly. “This was Serena Star,” he said. “Sorry, America.”
As Martin led her out of the door, Serena cried, “Vampires are real!” and burst into tears. Olivia heard her sobbing the phrase over and over again as she was led away down the hall.
Chapter 12
At last, Olivia turned to the camera and shrugged sadly. “I guess the ‘Star of truth’ shone too brightly.” She sighed. “It seems to have burned itself out!” And, at that, Camilla shut off the camera and ended the interview.
“Our thoughts are with Serena Star as we wish her a speedy recovery. This is Jack Donnell,” said the tanned former host of Hollywood Hijinx, who was filling in for Serena Star on Friday morning. “Wake up, America!”
Ivy flipped off the TV and smiled at her dad across the breakfast table. “Pretty killer story, huh?”
Her father looked at her proudly. “You certainly made a finer impression than that boy Garrick Stephens.” He looked at his tea thoughtfully. “The only element I still do not understand is how you were able to eat an entire clove of garlic without having a reaction.”
Ivy had already thought of how she’d respond if her dad asked that question. “Dad,” she said coyly, “you have to look to the future, not back to the past.”
Her father sat back in his chair. “Does that mean you are not going to tell me?”
“Not unless you’re going to help me find out about my adoption,” Ivy said.
With a tender look, her dad reached across the table for Ivy’s hand—and promptly knocked over his cup of tea. He leaped to his feet, his gray wool slacks soaked. “I have to change at once!” he said and darted from the room.
Ivy stared after him, wondering if he’d spilled his tea on purpose so he wouldn’t have to talk about his least favorite subject.
After school on Friday, Olivia went to the Meat & Greet diner with Ivy, Brendan, and Sophia to celebrate their victory over Serena Star. They grabbed Ivy’s usual booth near the back, and soon enough Olivia was dramatically recounting the Toby Decker ladies’ underwear incident. Brendan laughed so hard red lemonade went up his nose.