Fashion Frightmare!. Sienna Mercer
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!
Olivia was in such a rush to get to her locker at the end of school on Wednesday, she had to make a quick, dancing side-step to avoid the stooped, elderly janitor who stood in her way. With only a few hours to go before the grand opening of Café Creative, she didn’t have much time – she’d have to rush home if she wanted to scoff down a quick sandwich before heading over to the museum.
As she bundled her books into her locker, a familiar clump-clump-clump caught her attention.
It was the unmistakable noise of Amelia Thompson’s heavy black boots marching down the hall.
Olivia glanced around curiously. The gothabulous senior was making a bee-line for Penny Taylor. Penny was a bunny freshman who had once pretended to be the gothiest of goths – but actually preferred the lighter, sparklier side of life. Today, Penny looked as bright as spring in a blue cardigan and pale pink dress . . . and Amelia was scowling as she marched towards her.
Uh-oh. Forgetting her own hurry for a moment, Olivia turned around to get a better look. Is Amelia mad at Penny about something?
Both Penny and Amelia were designers for the fashion show at the Café’s grand opening, and Olivia just knew Lillian would be devastated if anything fell apart at the last minute.
Amelia came to a halt in front of the younger girl. ‘Is it ready?’ she demanded.
‘Oh, yes.’ Penny gave a satisfied smile. ‘I finished up the very last piece over lunch break. It is definitely ready . . . and it’s definitely going to be great!’
‘Ohh!’ Amelia wasn’t mad at Penny at all. Olivia couldn’t help herself. Leaving her locker door hanging open, she rushed forwards, sidestepping around the janitor again to race towards the other girls.
‘Please!’ she begged, as she arrived at Penny’s locker. ‘I’ve been dying to know about this show-stopping secret project. What did you guys collaborate on? I know it must have been a dress, or . . . well . . . some item of clothing, right?’ She looked from one of them to the other, lowering her voice as a group of chattering students passed behind her. ‘Come on, can’t you just give me a hint?’
Penny laughed. ‘It’s a secret, Olivia!’
‘Yes, but I’m one of your models,’ Olivia said. ‘So you don’t have to keep it a secret from me !’
Penny