‘What is it with “e”s today?’ Brendan asked.
‘What does it mean?’ Ivy said, clearly worried.
This could mean trouble, Olivia thought. Had it become a regular diner? If it had, where would the vamps eat out now? Or had someone exposed their secret?
Camilla jumped up and down, her blonde curls bouncing. ‘I know! We’ve entered an alternate universe; the aliens who created it have obviously gotten some things wrong.’ Camilla was a huge sci-fi fan.
Olivia couldn’t decide which was worse: an alien invasion or the existence of vampires being exposed. She was one of the few humans who knew the big secret and had taken a vow never to break the Laws of the Night, the very first being: Don’t Tell Anyone About Vampires EVER!
Ivy started walking faster towards the diner, with everyone hurrying to keep up.
Ivy stopped at the diner’s door to read a sign explaining that the Meat & Greet – with the ‘a’ – would be closed for a week.
‘Phew,’ Ivy said. ‘I was about to stake somebody.’
Camilla was still suspicious. ‘But why is the sign different?’
A rumbling noise filled the air. The five friends listened, huddled on the step in front of the diner’s door. The cold wind picked up and whipped Olivia’s hair in front of her face. It was the noise of an engine, a great big engine – or maybe lots of engines.
A convoy of trucks trundled down the road towards them. ‘Harker Films’ was emblazoned on each one.
‘It’s not aliens,’ said Camilla, clearly disappointed.
‘No,’ Sophia replied, her eyes shining as the trucks turned into the diner’s parking lot. ‘It’s Hollywood!’ She rubbed her hands with glee.
‘The Meat & Greet must be a movie set. This completely sucks!’ Olivia said, using the vampire phrase for all things awesome.
‘But what about my burger?’ Brendan said.
Ivy gave him a sympathetic hug as the trucks formed a large rectangle around the parking lot. There was a clatter of metal against concrete as burly men in thick sweaters banged down ramps from the back of the trucks and hauled out trolleys of speakers, enormous lights and costume racks.
A pair of men started putting up a line of plastic building barriers along the sidewalk.
‘Franklin Grove?’ said one with a few holes in his sweater. ‘Whoever heard of this place?’
‘Not me,’ muttered his companion. ‘They don’t even have a coffee shop.’
‘I hope Hollywood isn’t going to be as snobby as Charlotte Brown,’ Ivy said.
Finally, a group of long trailers arrived. From the size of them and the gold stars on the doors, Olivia guessed they were the private dressing rooms for the actors. Passers-by were starting to take notice and come over to see what was happening.
‘I can’t wait to find out what movie it is,’ Sophia said.
‘And who’s starring in it,’ Olivia added. She loved following Hollywood gossip. The latest issue of Celeb Weekly was always on her bedside table.
As they spoke, a huge bald man in sunglasses with bulging arms approached them. He was wearing an ear piece and his jacket had the Harker Films logo with a nametag that read ‘Jerome'.
‘Welcome to Franklin Grove,’ Olivia said brightly.
This seemed to startle him and he lowered his sunglasses to get a good look at them. ‘Thank you,’ he said in a deep voice. ‘But I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to vacate the premises.’
‘Yes, sir,’ Camilla squeaked, looking like Goldilocks facing off with the biggest bear.
‘Before we go, would you please tell us what the movie is?’ Olivia asked.
‘Technically, I’m not allowed,’ Jerome said. ‘But since you’re so polite, I can let you in on a little secret: if you wait just behind that third barrier from the end, the star will be arriving in about five minutes.’
Olivia beamed. ‘Ooh, thanks!’
Jerome gave them a wink and then called out to one of the roadies, ‘Hey, you! What do you think you’re doing with those lights?’
‘Being nice always pays off,’ Olivia said to Ivy as they moved towards the barriers.
The five friends hurried to a spot at the front of the growing crowd. There were the Meat & Greet waitresses on their day off, hairdressers from the salon across the street and even ladies in curlers trying to see what was happening. Everyone was gossiping about who the movie’s lead might be.
Right on time, an SUV with tinted windows pulled up to the barricade as their new friend Jerome shifted one of the waist-high plastic barriers to let it in. Olivia felt the crowd surge forward, pressing her into one of the barriers.
Sophia snapped away with her camera and even Ivy was stretching her neck to catch a glimpse. The back door opened and out came a faded brown cowboy boot, followed by a well-worn pair of jeans and then a trademark flash of white teeth.
Olivia’s heart was shaking like a pompom. She felt her cheeks turn hot and she couldn’t move.
‘Olivia,’ asked Ivy, ‘are you OK?’
Olivia had to remind herself to breathe. ‘I don’t believe it,’ she said and grabbed her sister’s arm. ‘It’s him!’
Chapter Two
‘Jackson Caulfield!’ shrieked a young girl behind Ivy, almost bursting her eardrum.
Not bad, Ivy thought, for a bunny. His scruffy blond hair and blue eyes were definitely not Ivy’s thing, but she could see why millions of bunnies – including Olivia – would get excited. Jackson smiled and, as he waved at the crowd, his green army jacket flapped open to reveal a rock band T-shirt.