Ivy sighed. ‘I just wanted to say good luck,’ she said, hoping that she’d get some evidence before the role was decided.
Olivia gave her a big hug and scurried off with Camilla to sign up.
‘It is now Mission Critical to uncover the truth about Jackson Caulfield,’ Ivy said to Sophia as they watched the others leave.
‘That he’s utterly into your sister?’ Sophia replied.
Ivy batted her on the arm. ‘I know that – it’s because of that we have to figure out whether or not he’s a vampire. Now, I’ve got a plan.’
Ivy wanted to create some diversion on the other side of the set. That way she could break into the cafeteria truck, steal a chef uniform and pretend to be a caterer so she could find out exactly what food his contract specified.
‘All you have to do,’ Ivy said, ‘is something distracting.’ She searched around for inspiration, her glance falling on a loudspeaker. ‘Like singing over the megaphone. Or maybe streaking?’
‘Um,’ Sophia said. ‘So many “no’s”.’
‘There you are!’ said a voice behind them. ‘I was hoping to find you on set somewhere.’
The two girls turned to see Lillian, the second assistant director, who had signed them up to be extras yesterday. Ivy hoped she wasn’t going to give them a piece of her mind for what happened yesterday.
‘Hi,’ Sophia said cautiously.
‘Your cartoon was hilarious,’ Lillian said.
‘Really?’ Sophia’s voice had gone so high a bat would squeak back. It was pretty cool that a Hollywood director liked her cartoon.
‘We thought you’d want to bury us for the Jessica incident,’ Ivy said.
‘No, but now that you mention it – you can make it up to me. I need some help in the costume trailer.’
‘Sure,’ Sophia agreed.
As they walked across the parking lot with her, Lillian explained, ‘Yesterday was not at all your fault. At first, Jessica tried using car sickness as a medical reason for not doing the movie.’
‘But she wouldn’t actually be in a car,’ Sophia pointed out.
‘Exactly. It’s just another lame excuse to get out of the shoot.’
Lillian took them inside the huge costume trailer and over to a pile of clothes. ‘OK, girls, these need sorting out and hanging up.’
Ivy was more than happy to help with the costume racks – every kind of top, designer-label jeans, a hundred different belts and sunglasses.
Ivy started helping Sophia with the hats.
‘The next excuse from Jessica was an extreme allergy to snow,’ Lillian said. ‘We responded with understanding and pointed out that would also prevent her from doing anything that required leaving her house for the next three months.’
Ivy mock-gasped. ‘But then how would she get on the cover of Paparazzi Press?’
Lillian smiled. ‘In the end, I’m sure it was because the script is too much about Jackson. You’d think she would have read it before signing up. Anyway, now that she’s gone, this movie is tabloid paradise – an unknown actress plucked from obscurity, teamed with the biggest teen dream . . . Philippe couldn’t have planned it better.’
Ivy realised that she might not need Sophia to go streaking after all. Lillian had access to the inner circle with all kinds of information about the people in the movie.
She needed to keep Lillian talking about Jackson. Her mind flashed to the girl in the polka-dot jacket outside and then to Bethany – Jackson fan girls. If Ivy pretended to be a big Jackson fan, she could ask Lillian lots of questions without Lillian wondering why she was asking.
Think perky. Think Mister Smoothie. You can do this! Ivy told herself.
Ivy forced an Olivia-style giggle. ‘Whoever they pick for the lead is going to be one lucky girl getting to talk to Jackson all the time.’
Sophia looked at her like she’d grown a second head.
‘I mean, he is totally above all labels.’ Ivy winced at her own idiocy, hoping that Lillian would buy her act and spill some silver bullets.
Lillian chuckled. ‘He certainly isn’t at all what you’d expect from his movies.’
In a blood-drinking, coffin-dwelling, fang-filing kind of way? Ivy felt like Lillian was finally going to give her the breakthrough evidence she needed. She clutched the Stetson she was stacking with both hands.
‘In a really modest and down-to-earth kind of way,’ Lillian finished.
Ivy let out her breath. This guy was completely squeaky clean! He had everybody fooled.
‘Except,’ Lillian said and Ivy’s head whipped back up, ‘for the dietary requirement section of his rider.’
Ivy gulped. ‘Yes?’
‘It’s a mile long. For a guy who is so laid back he’s almost dead, he sure is particular about his meals.’
Ivy nudged Sophia so hard that she dropped a stack of baseball caps, and they scattered all over the floor of the trailer.
‘Ivy,’ Sophia whispered, as they crouched to pick up the hats. ‘Can we please stop talking about Jackson?’
‘But I’m on the verge –’ Ivy started.
‘Of getting us escorted off the movie set in handcuffs for harassment,’ Sophia finished. She picked up the last hat and gave Lillian a big smile.
Ivy sighed and kept her mouth shut.
‘Thanks so much for helping out, girls,’ Lillian said. ‘Let’s see . . . I’m sure I’ve got . . .’ She trailed off as she went rummaging around in a box in the corner. ‘Yup! Here it is.’ She pulled out a T-shirt that said ‘Save the Whales'. ‘Jackson wore this last week, during shooting in the studio.’