Fangtastic! (7 page)

“ ‘We
all thought it was such a strange request,’ ” Toby said, continuing his quote, “
‘especially because he isn’t even one of Dr. Roth’s patients.’ ”

“What
happened?” Serena pressed.

“Nothing.”
Toby shrugged. “The receptionist told him he’d have to talk to Dr. Roth, who
was seeing a patient at the time, so Garrick said he’d come back later—but he
never did.”

Serena
Star was on her feet. “Did he say what the fangs were for?”

“No,”
Toby replied.

“Is
she—the dental assistant lady—is she willing to go on camera?”

Toby
nodded. “I think so.”

Serena
Star’s wide eyes went starry. “I can see the on-screen graphic now,” she
murmured, spreading her hands in the air like she was making words appear on an
invisible TV screen. “FANGTASTIC!”

Then
she blinked, picked up her bag, and gestured to her cameraman. “Principal
Whitehead,” she said, barely looking his way, “I’m taking Toby out of school
for the rest of the day on fieldwork. Toby, let’s go!”

“But
who won the assistant job?” Marnie Squingle blurted.

“Who
do you think?” Serena shot back. And, with that, she charged out the door,
closely followed by Toby Decker, grinning widely as he hurried to catch up.

Ivy
was about to bury her face in her hands when she heard a blubbering noise. Rudy
Preston had burst into tears.

“Don’t
blame yourself, Ivy,” Sophia said as they trudged down the hall. “How could
anyone
compete with a quote like that?”

“I
know,” Ivy said. “But this is seriously bad news, Soph.” She looked around to
make sure no one was listening. “A vampire inquiring about a new set of fangs?
What was Garrick thinking?”

“Probably
that his mom would kill him if he let his own incisors grow,” Sophia said
gloomily.

“But
why would he go to a human dentist?” Ivy said, utterly exasperated.

“You
know the answer to that,” Sophia said, rolling her eyes. “There isn’t a dentist
in our community who would agree to do it!”

She
was right, Ivy thought. Getting fangs made—or even not filing down your real
ones for an extended period of time—violated the 1926 Bylaw of the Night: A
vampire will never try, or conspire to try, to bite a human. The risk of getting
caught was too great, not to mention the fact that it was incredibly evil.

“Anyway,”
said Sophia, “it’s time for plan B: damage control. We have to keep an eye on
Toby and on what he and Serena are finding out.”

“And
how do you suggest we do that?” Ivy asked.

“I was
sort of thinking that maybe you could become Toby’s new best friend,” Sophia
suggested.

“As
if,” Ivy replied. “Did you see that tie he was wearing today? I don’t really
think I’m his type.”

“Come
on,” her friend teased. “You’d look killer in polka-dots.”

That
gave Ivy an idea. “
I
might not be the right person,” she said, looking
down the hall, “but I think I know who is.”

Ivy
hurried over to join her sister, who was opening her locker.

“Did
you get the job?” Olivia asked hopefully.

Ivy
shook her head, and Olivia’s face fell. “We lost to a quote about Garrick
Stephens asking a dentist for a set of fake fangs,” Ivy admitted.

Olivia
winced. “That doesn’t sound good. What are we going to do now?”

“I’m
glad you asked,” Ivy said. “We’re going to make sure we know what Serena Star’s
finding out even before
she
does.”

“How?”

Ivy
smiled. “Well, Olivia, have I ever told you how seriously great you are at
making friends?”

Olivia
looked at her suspiciously. “Why do I think you’re buttering me up for
something?”

“I’m
not,” Ivy answered innocently. “I just thought you might like to make Toby
Decker the next new friend on your list.”

“Toby
Decker?” Olivia repeated. “I know him. He’s in my math class. He’s nice. A
little boring, though.”

“Not
anymore,” said Ivy. “Now he’s bound to have some interesting stories to tell;
he’s Serena Star’s new assistant on her Franklin Grove investigations.”

Olivia
took this in. “I’d better start befriending,” she said.

After
school, Olivia was warming up for cheerleading practice in the gym, trying to
ignore both Charlotte Brown, who was chattering on obliviously beside her about
how being on TV had completely changed her life, and Garrick Stephens, who was
lounging on the bleachers with Kyle Glass and leering at all the cheerleaders
as “research” for his movie.

Suddenly,
the gym door swung open and in marched Serena Star, followed by Toby Decker and
her cameraman. Charlotte’s friend Katie shrieked and whispered, “But I’m having
the worst hair day!”

“Hey,
Serena!” Garrick Stephens sprang up from the bleachers and trotted over. He was
still wearing the same Interna 3 T-shirt, which Olivia thought was starting to
look crusty. “I was wondering when you’d be back for more of me!”

Serena
turned to Toby and said, “Keep him away from me,” loud enough so that everyone
could hear. Toby looked doubtfully at Garrick and went to distract him while
Serena went up to Charlotte.

“I
need to talk to you,” Serena said.

“Of
course!” Charlotte winked at Olivia smugly as Serena led her out of earshot.

I
have to hear what they’re saying!
Olivia
thought. She started doing huge jumping jacks, inching closer to where
Charlotte and Serena were standing with every jump. Finally she heard Serena
Star say, “...you have a big role in a film that Garrick Stephens is making?”

Charlotte
flipped her hair and said, “Not really, it’s just—”

“It’s
called ‘Cheers for Fears,’ ” Garrick interrupted, reappearing beside them as
Toby scrambled to intercept him. “It’s going to be a blockbuster!”

Serena
spun around to face Garrick and snapped, “Don’t you have a coffin to be in?”
Then she looked over his shoulder at her new assistant. “Toby, is there a
problem?”

“No,
Ms. Star,” Toby answered sheepishly. “I mean, yes, Ms. Star. I mean, come on,
Garrick.” He put his hand on Garrick’s arm.

Garrick
shook him off. “Showbiz,” he scowled. “One day you’re the big story, and the
next you’re out on the street.” He glowered meaningfully at Serena Star and
then stalked away.

Serena
turned back to Charlotte and switched her smile back on. “Have Garrick or his
friends ever asked you to do anything strange?” she asked.

“Like
what?” said Charlotte.

“Like
sleep in a coffin? Or do anything with vampire fangs?”

Charlotte
laughed, “Oh,
that
!” and Olivia’s jumping jacks skipped a jack. “I
thought you meant something serious. Those guys are always playing Dracula. It’s
so
lame. They’re all, like, ‘I want to suck your blood’ and ‘I should
bite that guy’s neck.’ ” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I mean, this is eighth
grade. Isn’t it time to stop playing dress up?”

Serena
nodded. “All this vampire talk could be the start of something dangerous,” she
said. “Have you heard of any vicious animal attacks or gruesome murders taking
place in Franklin Grove?”

Charlotte
frowned, looking faintly alarmed. “No, I can’t ...I mean, I don’t remember . .
.” she stammered.

Serena
smiled reassuringly and changed the subject, but Olivia’s stomach was churning.
Serena Star was becoming obsessed with vampires, and the problem was that that
fixation could lead her to stumble on the truth.

Out of
the corner of her eye, Olivia saw Garrick still lurking off to one side. He was
clearly eavesdropping, just like she was, and he did not seem happy with
Charlotte’s description of the Beasts’ behavior. Olivia saw him gesture to Kyle
Glass, and a moment later, the two boys slipped out of the gym.

Toby
was still hanging around, waiting for Serena to finish talking to Charlotte,
and Olivia suddenly remembered her promise to Ivy.

Now’s
my chance,
she
thought.

She
did an extralarge jumping jack so that her arm accidentally clipped Toby’s
shoulder.

“Oops,
sorry!” said Toby, stepping backward apologetically.

Olivia
gasped. “Oh, my gosh! Toby, I’m so sorry,” she said. “Are you okay?”

He
pushed a blond lock of hair off his forehead. “Yes,” he said, blushing
slightly. “No problem.”

“So,”
Olivia went on, “what have you been up to lately, Toby?”

“I’m
acting as special assistant to WowTV’s Serena Star on her big story about
Franklin Grove,” Toby told her.

“Wow!
Really?” Olivia said with wide eyes.

“Yes.”
Toby nodded proudly.

“Any
big leads?” Olivia inquired.

Toby
looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Garrick Stephens asked my
dentist’s office for a set of vampire fangs, and Serena thinks it might be the
big break we’ve been waiting for! She’s absolutely determined to discover
everything she can about the obsession with vampires in Franklin Grove.”

“You’re
kidding!” Olivia exclaimed with a grin. “Vampires?”
Maybe if I can convince
Toby that there’s nothing to the vampire angle,
Olivia thought,
he’ll
convince Serena Star.

Toby
nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable.

“Come
on, Toby,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes. “Serena Star might as well be looking
for
werewolves—
I mean, witches,” she added quickly, remembering Ivy and
Sophia’s ambiguity on the werewolf front. “You don’t think there’s anything to
it, do you?”

“Honestly?”
whispered Toby, with a backward glance toward Serena Star. “I’ve known Garrick
and those guys all my life, and they are pretty strange. But lots of kids have
issues. My father says they’re just looking for attention.” He shrugged. “Nevertheless,
I have to do what Serena Star says. This job is a stepping-stone for me. In a
few years, I could be the youngest network anchorman in television history.”

Olivia
believed he could, too—Toby was nothing if not driven. Suddenly, she thought
she heard Charlotte mention Ivy’s name. From the look on Toby’s face, she knew
he’d heard it, too. They exchanged glances and edged closer to Serena’s conversation.

“She
is like the darkest Goth of all. She’s been wearing nothing but black since
before kindergarten—I’ve even seen her wear black
socks
. Isn’t that
 gross?
 I live next door to her house, and sometimes you can see her lurking
behind these thick dark curtains
.
Not that I would ever spy or anything.”
Charlotte giggled uncomfortably. “Anyway, if there’s anything bizarre happening
in Franklin Grove, I’d bet my poms that she’s behind it. Even Garrick and the
Beasts listen to her!”

“And
you say this girl’s name is Ivy Vega?” confirmed Serena. Olivia bit her lip.

Charlotte
shuddered. “Just the sound of her name gives me the creeps! You should read
some of the morbid propaganda she writes in the school paper.”

Serena
held up a pink fingernail. “You mean, this is the same Ivy who’s on the school
paper?”

Charlotte
nodded disapprovingly. “I ask you: What is happening to journalism in our
schools today?”

Serena
Star narrowed her eyes. “I thought there was something odd about her.”
Abruptly, she turned to Toby. “Toby, I want you to follow Ivy Vega’s every move
and then report back to me. I want to know every single place she goes, every
single person she talks to, and every single thing she does.”

Olivia
looked on with dread as Toby said, “Right away, Ms. Star.” He turned and smiled
at Olivia. “I look forward to speaking with you again when I’m not working,
Olivia.”

“You,
too, Toby,” Olivia quavered, as he hurried out of the gym.

I
have to warn Ivy that she’s under surveillance!
thought Olivia in a panic. Suddenly,
Ms. Barnett, the gym teacher, appeared. “What’s going on in here? Ms. Star,
this is cheerleading practice, not journalism club. You can talk to my squad
some other time.We’ve got some serious cheering to do!” It was nearly 4:30 P.M.
Ivy had stayed after school to do homework in the library, but she hadn’t been
able to concentrate because she couldn’t stop worrying about Serena Star.

Now
she was at her locker, packing up to go meet Sophia at the Meat & Greet. As
she slammed her locker door shut, she thought she saw someone dart into a
nearby doorway. She stared for a long moment, but no one reappeared. In fact,
the hallway was almost completely empty.

This
Serena Star thing has made me seriously paranoid,
she decided with a shake of her
head. In the library, she’d even convinced herself that someone was peeking in
at her through the window.

Ivy
turned and began making her way down the hall. No matter how many times she
told herself nothing was amiss, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was
following her. Slowly, the hallways started filling up as people finished their
clubs and sports practices.