Switched by Sienna Mercer

coffin?”
    “Yes.”
Ivy almost blushed. “That myth happens to be true.”
    “But I
saw your bed,” Olivia said.
    “The
quilts and pillows and stuff make it more comfortable when I’m doing homework.
There’s a coffin underneath,” Ivy explained. “When I was little I was utterly
jealous of Sophia and her sister’s bunk bed coffins,” she added wistfully.
    “And
you getting sick from Camilla’s lasagna?” Olivia prompted.
    “Was a
bit more than an allergic reaction,” Ivy admitted.
    “You’re
really serious,” Olivia breathed in amazement.
    “Completely,”
Ivy confirmed.
    For a
moment, Olivia said nothing. Then she gave a queasy smile. “I am so glad
I didn’t have any cherry punch at the ball meeting.”
    Ivy
couldn’t help laughing. “Pretty killer secret, huh?” she said.
    “Totally,”
Olivia croaked.
    Ivy
touched her sister’s arm. “Olivia, by telling you this, I’ve broken the First
Law of the Night. A vampire is never supposed to reveal her true self to
an outsider. I could get into serious trouble if anybody ever finds out that I
have”—Ivy paused—“and you could, too.”
    Olivia
nodded bravely. “I won’t tell,” she said. Then a weird look crossed her face.
    “Are
you freaked out?” Ivy asked.
    “If we’re
twins,” Olivia said slowly, “does that mean that I’m a vampire?”
    Ivy
had been asking herself that question for a week. She shook her head. “There’s
no way, Olivia. You love garlic; you have normal skin; you have regular blue
eyes; and, on top of it all, you’re a vegetarian! You’re the least vampy person
on earth.”
    “But
you’re still sure we’re twins, right?” Olivia asked.
    “Absolutely,”
Ivy said. “I won’t pretend to understand it, but I know I’m a vampire and you’re
a bunny. We just happen to also be identical twins.”
    “So
that’s what a bunny is,” Olivia murmured distractedly.
    This
is a lot for Olivia to take in all at once , Ivy realized. “Maybe now that you know,” she said, “swapping
places isn’t such a good idea. Maybe you shouldn’t go to any more ball
meetings. I’ll do it. You focus on cheering.”
    Olivia
shook her head. “No,” she said firmly, “I can do it. I promised you.” Suddenly,
her eyes rested on Ivy’s mouth. Olivia bent her head down a little, and Ivy
thought for a second that her sister was trying to look up her nose. Then Ivy
realized that wasn’t what Olivia was doing at all.
    “Are
you looking for fangs?” Ivy demanded. Olivia smiled sheepishly. “Maybe.”
    Ivy
rolled her eyes. “We get our incisors filed
    down.
And just so you know,” she added, “my face never gets gross and bumpy like the ‘vampires’
on Buffy .”
    Olivia
nodded thoughtfully.
    She
needs time to get used to this, Ivy
thought. “I think we’re done cheering for today,” she said aloud.
    “But
we only just started,” Olivia protested halfheartedly.
    “It’s
okay,” Ivy said. “Really. I’m ready for tomorrow. I have the moves. I can
shout. I can even smile. You said it yourself.”
    Olivia’s
eyes flickered uncertainly.
    “Are
you sure you still want to go through with it?” Ivy asked.
    Her
sister grinned. “Are you worried I’ll freak out in front of all your friends?”
    “A
little,” Ivy admitted.
    Olivia
looked her in the eye. “Trust me,” she said. “I can handle it.” They hugged. “After
all, you know what they say,” Olivia continued. “Blood is thicker than water.”
    Ivy
couldn’t resist. “And better tasting, too!”

Chapter 10
    In
math the next morning, Mr. Langel stood in front of the board, telling the
class how to calculate a rectangle’s area. He started doing an impression of
the Count from Sesame Street . “One! Ha-ha-ha!” he declared, smiling.
    But
Olivia couldn’t roll her eyes as she usually did at Mr. Langel’s sense of
humor. Could he be a vampire? she wondered, looking at him suspiciously.
After all, his hairline descended into what her mom called a