Fangtastic! by Sienna Mercer Page B

outside.
    Brendan
walked around, lighting a huge candle in each corner. Beneath the
cathedral-like ceiling, the walls were covered with huge, strange markings
carved deep into the stone, and the ground was grooved, as if a network of tiny
rivers flowed through it. A small tower of stone rose like a bony finger from
the center of the floor; a garland of long-dead flowers hung around it.
    “T-this
place is incredible,” Olivia stammered.
    Each
wall had an arch in its center which led to another room.
    “That
room,” said Ivy, pointing to the passage on the left, “is where all the urns of
Brendan’s relatives are.” Olivia peeked in to see dozens of ornate stone
containers, each one on its own little shelf, rising from floor to ceiling. She
was overpowered by a musty smell and backed away.
    Then
Ivy gestured to the passage on the right. “And that one his family uses for
some of their more valuable antiques.” Olivia could dimly make out an elegant
chaise longue, some gleaming candelabra, and a big old wooden chest.
    “But
this one,” said Brendan, pointing to the middle room, “has killer acoustics.”
He ducked inside and started lighting more candles. The three girls followed.
    The
middle room was lined with a series of life-sized bronze figures, sitting with
their backs against the walls.
    “Are
there dead people inside those?” Olivia whispered.
    Brendan
shook his head with a little chuckle.
    Brendan,
Ivy, and Sophia each took a seat on the laps of the effigies as Olivia stood in
the center of the room, looking around her in amazement and fascination. She
loved the enormous tapestry of the silhouette of a huge leafless tree, which
hung high up on one wall.
    Finally,
Olivia took a seat beside Sophia on one of the cool bronze laps. She leaned
back. This is surprisingly comfortable, she thought.
    Brendan
opened his backpack and pulled out some plastic cups. Then he pulled out a dark
bottle, uncorked it, and poured a round for himself, Sophia, and Ivy.
    “Is
that ...you know ...” Olivia stammered, desperately trying not to be lame. “Blood?”
    “Not
really,” Sophia said.
    “Sophia!” Ivy exclaimed, rolling her eyes.
    “It’s
true!” Sophia cried. “This stuff is packed with preservatives!”
    Brendan
raised his cup in the air. “A toast,” he announced.
    Ivy
nodded. “To family,” she said, looking right at Olivia.
    “To
friends,” said Sophia.
    “To
secrets,” Olivia said, grinning.
    She
clinked her smoothie against her friends’ cups, and a moment later, their
laughter was echoing in the crypt’s perfect acoustics.
    Ivy
hugged Sophia and Olivia good-bye outside the tomb. Brendan was staying behind
to hang out and start working on his essay, and Olivia and Sophia had decided
to walk home together, since they both lived in the same direction.
    “Are
you sure, Ivy?” Olivia asked. “My parents would never let me walk home alone
after dark in a zillion years.”
    Ivy
smiled. “I’m a vampire, remember? Night’s my favorite time of day.” With a
little wave, she set off across the graveyard.
    Ivy
stayed off the main streets, enjoying the darkness around her. She didn’t have
to be home for another half hour, so she had lots of time. As she strolled, she
couldn’t help thinking about how happy she felt. It was strange, because in
lots of ways, it had been a terrible day: from first thing this morning, when
Serena Star had tried to implicate her on national TV, to her failure to learn
anything at the adoption agency. But, somehow, none of it mattered. Brendan was
right: there was so much to celebrate.
    He
wasn’t even mad, she thought tenderly.

Chapter 10
    Before
she knew it, Ivy was climbing the long drive to her house. She glanced at her
watch: 8:25 P.M., right on time. Her dad’s car still wasn’t back, though, so
she reached into her bag for her keys. After a few seconds of rummaging, she
realized she hadn’t gotten them back from Olivia.
    No
big deal, she
thought. She would