Re-Vamped! Read Online Free PDF Page B

indisputable
fact that Brendan’s father was the same Marc Daniels who had written the
article.
    “We
have to talk to him,” Olivia said at last.
    Ivy
bit her lip. “Judging from his research, he’s not really on our side,” she
said.
    “Maybe
we can change his mind,” Olivia proposed.
    “Even
if we could, Olivia,” responded Ivy, “I can’t talk to my boyfriend’s father
about how babies are made.”
    “Sure
you can!” Olivia laughed. “He’ll understand. Come on, Ivy. We have to get
answers! Ask Brendan tomorrow if he’ll introduce us to his dad. Please .”
    “I am
not going to bring this up at school,” Ivy declared decisively, and Olivia’s
heart sank. Then Ivy added quietly, “I have a date with Brendan on Friday. I’ll
ask him then.”
    Olivia
clapped her hands. “Talking to a vampire geneticist about how we’re twins is
going to be way more interesting than cheek cells!”
    At
school on Thursday, the whole twin frenzy was even more intense than it had
been the day before. After fourth period, Ivy saw a sixth-grader wearing a baby
tee that said, I WANNA GOTH TWIN.
    I’m
a fad! Ivy thought,
horrified. If she could have dug a hole, climbed into her coffin, and lowered
herself into the ground, she would have. She felt so ill by the end of the day
that she canceled after-school plans with Olivia—they had been going to make a
list of questions for Mr. Daniels—and went straight home.
    That
night, Ivy was in her pajamas, reading before bed, when she heard footsteps
descending the basement stairs. She watched as her father came slowly into
view.
    “You
cleaned your room,” he said approvingly.
    That’s
when Ivy knew something was wrong, because, if anything, the basement was an
even bigger mess than usual. She sat up and closed her book.
    “Ivy,”
he said when he reached the bottom of the stairs, “I need to speak with you.
    “Do
you recall the hotel job I mentioned several weeks ago?” he asked.
    “You
mean the one in Europe?” Ivy said. Her father nodded in confirmation. A chain
of vampire-funded hotels had wanted to hire him to be their interior designer.
It was a really good job, but he had said he didn’t want to leave Franklin
Grove.
    “I’ve
accepted the job,” Mr. Vega announced.
    Ivy
blinked. “I thought you already said no.”
    “I
did.” He cleared his throat. “But now they have made me an offer that I cannot
refuse.”
    “What?”
gasped Ivy.
    “I
have to.” He paused. “I would not be able to live with myself if I didn’t take
the job. I start in about three weeks.”
    A
chill came over Ivy. She pulled the sleeves of her pajamas down around her
wrists. “So you’re going to Europe?”
    Her
father nodded apologetically.
    “But
how am I supposed to stay in Franklin Grove if you go to Europe?” she asked.
    He
pulled a black handkerchief from his pocket and wrung it absentmindedly. “You
won’t,” he said, a pained look in his eyes. “You’ll be coming with me.”
    Ivy’s
heart seized. “You’re taking me out of school?”
    “There
is a very good academy for girls like you in Luxembourg,” her father answered
in a weary voice.
    “I
can’t!” she cried in horror, pulling a black cat pillow in front of her.
    “We
must,” her father said.
    “All
my friends are here!” Ivy pleaded.
    “You
will make new friends.”
    “What
about Olivia?”
    Her
father studied his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
    Ivy
could feel tears starting to slide down her cheeks. “Why are you doing this?”
she quavered.
    “Ivy,
I am taking this job for you,” he said gently. “You will understand one day,
when you are a parent.”
    Without
saying anything more, her father started to walk away. He turned to look back
at her solemnly before climbing the stairs. “We’ll be moving during your winter
break. I know how hard this will be for you, Ivy. But try to think of it as a
new adventure. For both of us,” he finished. Then he was gone.
    Ivy
was stunned. How