Flying Solo. Sienna Mercer

      By the time Olivia had left Ivy’s house, the sun had dropped in the sky and was washing the clouds in soft pinks, yellows and oranges. Not a bad colour palette for a wedding, thought Olivia, wishing she had her camera.

      She fished a pair of sunglasses from her tote bag. Her eyes were a little sore after so many hours staring at a computer screen. Not that she minded. Knowing exactly what Charles was up to actually made the research fun! She yawned, covering her mouth with her the back of her hand. She was wiped! It was only 6 o’clock and already she couldn’t wait to collapse into bed.

      ‘Olivia!’ She heard someone calling her name. She span around and there was Brendan, Ivy’s boyfriend. Olivia remembered when Ivy had been too nervous even to say ‘hello’ to the dreamy vampire boy with the long hair and chiselled chin, but now Brendan was totally in love with her sister.

      ‘Hey, Brendan!’ She waved. He crossed the street at super-speed, checking to make sure no one was around. Vampires! Always using their super powers even for the simplest things, thought Olivia, smiling to herself.

      ‘Talk to Ivy today?’ Brendan asked, chewing on a snack bar that looked a lot like chocolate.

      ‘Yeah.’ Olivia walked alongside him, past the intersection of Undertaker Hill and Cemetery Lane. ‘But only for a minute. She had to run to dinner. Those time differences are killing us! What is that?’ She poked at the bar.

      Brendan held up the wrapper for her to see. ‘It’s a Taurus Bar. For energy.’ He took another bite. ‘There was a stand giving them away in the mall. Want some?’

      Olivia clutched her throat and pretended to gag. ‘Ugh, no thanks.’ She pushed it away. ‘It smells like stale cheese crackers. And what does a vampire need an energy bar for anyway?’

      Brendan shrugged, studying the shiny wrapper. ‘I don’t know. Why do I care? Who turns down free food?’

      Olivia rolled her eyes. ‘Not growing teen boys, I guess.’

      ‘Plus, it’s high in calories,’ he said, reading. ‘And in glucosamine and oxymistine.’

      ‘Ummm . . .’ Olivia glanced sideways at him. ‘Are you speaking English?’

      ‘It’s a synthetic ingredient that helps pump oxygen around the bloodstream. Great for giving an extra boost!’ He thumped his chest with his fists.

      Olivia giggled. ‘I’m not sure I want to see a vampire with extra energy!’

      ‘I’m training to get as buff as possible before Ivy gets back. I want to impress her!’ Brendan took the last chomp out of the Taurus Bar and strolled over to one of Franklin Grove’s community rubbish bins, where he tossed the wrapper. He brushed his hands off, smiling a sad smile as he walked back over. ‘I really miss her, you know,’ he said, wiping his mouth. ‘Even though I’m super excited she’s getting to go on this whole adventure and everything.’ Poor Brendan. Olivia felt the exact same way.

      ‘You know, you don’t have to do anything to impress Ivy. She thinks you’re totally cool just the way you are.’ Olivia took a hesitant step forwards, wondering if she should give him a hug, but stopped herself. I’m not sure I’ve ever hugged Brendan.

      She let her arms fall to her sides. She wasn’t sure how he’d react. As Olivia pulled back, she noticed something. Brendan’s neck and forearms were splotched all over with strange grey patches. Like some kind of weird zombie rash.

      She remembered the horrible reaction she’d had to the Bloodbite Nettles she’d got tangled up in back in Transylvania. The vampire plant had made her skin red and bumpy and it itched ten times worse than any case of the chicken pox. She hoped Brendan wasn’t coming down with a weird variation of that. Maybe he misses Ivy so much he’s made himself lovesick – literally!

      ‘Brendan . . .’ Olivia said, not taking her eyes off the grey blotches. ‘Are you feeling OK?’

      Brendan cracked his neck and wiggled his fingers, shaking out his arms. ‘Yeah, I feel fine.’ He paused. ‘How have you been, since Ivy left?’

      ‘Me? Well . . .’ Olivia chewed her lip. ‘You know.’

      Brendan gave her a smile that was tinged with sadness. ‘Yeah, I know.’ The two of them gazed out across Franklin Grove. It just wasn’t the same without Ivy. Then Brendan cleared his throat. ‘Um, I like your . . . erm . . . outfit today, Olivia. Very, um, pretty.’

      ‘What are you talking about?’ Olivia asked. Brendan was nice and everything, but she didn’t think he’d ever noticed any outfit she’d put together until now. He looked at her hopefully. Uh-oh, she thought. I smell a rat.

      ‘That’s so sweet of you,’ she said, folding her arms and fixing on an overly bright smile. ‘What is it that you like, in particular?’ She swivelled her body from side to side, as though to give him a better view of the ensemble.

      She tried not to laugh as two pink spots appeared on Brendan’s cheeks. He waved a hand in the direction of her tunic. ‘Um, the colour. It’s very . . . grey.’

      ‘Anything else?’ Olivia prompted.

      ‘And the . . . um . . . Your hair is . . .’ He gave a big sigh. ‘OK, you’ve rumbled me. I give in.’

      ‘So what’s the favour?’ Olivia said, laughing. ‘You know, the one you’re buttering me up for.’

      Brendan lowered his head and peered out from behind his shaggy hair, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. ‘Well, see, there is one thing.’ Olivia knew it! ‘Ivy forgot about something when she decided to stay behind in Transylvania.’

      ‘She forgot something?’ Olivia repeated. ‘Like a toothbrush? Because I’ve seen the place and I’m pretty sure she’s all set. It’s like she’s going to school at the Ritz! They probably have a twenty-four hour concierge service and everything.’

      ‘No, nothing like that. Ivy, Sophia and I had made, um, plans,’ he said.

      ‘Plans?’ Olivia cocked her head.

      ‘Yeah, and they’re sort of the type of plans that need Ivy.’

      ‘OK . . .’ What kind of plans would the three vampire friends make? Blood-drinking? A coffin slumber party? A crawly feeling began to spread up the back of Olivia’s neck. She had a hunch that she wasn’t going to like where this was going.

      Brendan sighed. ‘When I tell you, you’re going to freak out. It’s a pretty big favour . . .’

      Uh-oh. Olivia felt another item being added to her to-do list – and if it was something that Brendan and ultra-goth Ivy had cooked up together, it was bound to be something that would take her totally outside of her comfort zone.

      What was Brendan going to ask – and, more importantly, was Olivia ready to hear it?