Audrey must have noticed the horrified expression on Ivy’s face, because she said, “We promised Carol, remember? We’re taking care of the girls while she and Jeff go to dinner for their anniversary.”
I’m going to kill my sister, thought Ivy.
Casey and Stacey raced up to Ivy. She had no idea which was which, but one was wearing a yellow leotard and tutu, and the other was wearing a pink one. She forced herself not to recoil as they tugged at her hands.
“TEACH US A CHEER! A CHEER! A CHEER!” they shrieked.
“I— I don’t know any cheers,” Ivy stammered.
Olivia’s mother and father both stared at her.
“Just kidding.” Ivy smiled weakly.
“Well then,” said Audrey. “I’ll just leave you to work your magic.” She winked at Ivy and walked out of the room.
Don’t leave me! Ivy wanted to yell. She had zero experience with human kids. This wasn’t going to be like hanging out with Brendan’s little sister. Playing Vampire Hunter was not an option. What am I supposed to do with a pair of hyper baby bunnies for a whole evening? she thought frantically. She didn’t know ballet, and she wasn’t about to have a conversation about ponies.
“OLIVIA, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?” the girl in the yellow tutu screamed.
Human children are like animals, Ivy thought. They can smell fear. She couldn’t let on that she had no idea what to do.
“Look, Olivia,” the girl in the pink tutu said. “We got dressed up for you.”
“You did?” said Ivy, and both little girls beamed up at her angelically. The one in the pink tutu was missing two front teeth. All at once, Ivy realized that these little bunnies were expecting her to be nothing more than the perky, peppy, fun Olivia they knew. All I have to do is give them what they want, she thought.
Ivy clasped her hands together. “Well. Those are the prettiest, sparkliest, most princessy outfits ever!” she said, giving her best Olivia ponytail flip. “I totally love them!”
“I told you she’d be impressed,” the girl in the yellow tutu said, beaming at her sister.
Olivia was sitting at the table in Ivy’s kitchen as her father checked the oven. “What’s for dinner?” she asked, her leg bouncing nervously under the table.
“It is a surprise,” he answered mysteriously.
This afternoon, Olivia and Ivy had agreed that she’d make up some excuse at dinner time so she wouldn’t have to eat anything that would make her puke. “Just say ‘I’m not feeling well’ or ‘I’m trying a new diet,’ ” Ivy had said.
But now the evening had been going so well that Olivia didn’t want to spoil it. Her father had set the table for them really nicely. “Can you give me a hint?” she asked anxiously.
Her father came over and lit a candle in the center of the table. “In honor of our move,” he said proudly, “I have made a European dish that is renowned for its taste, texture, and iron content.”
Olivia’s stomach churned. That means something bloody, I know it, she thought. She gulped her glass of water. “I don’t think I’m hungry,” she said after a moment.
Her father’s face fell, and Olivia felt super guilty. “Won’t you even try a bite?” her dad pleaded. “It’s quite a delicacy. In fact, it’s part of a traditional human breakfast.”
It can’t be too gross then, Olivia thought. Okay, I’ll try it.
Her father slipped on a gray oven mitt and crossed the kitchen to pull something out of the oven. She could tell he was slicing something. He returned and set a plate before her. It had two thick patties on it that looked like dirt.
Olivia poked one with a fork. “What is it?”
“Black pudding,” her father said proudly. “It’s very popular in England.”
That doesn’t sound so bad, Olivia thought. “What’s in it?”
“It’s congealed blood sausage, cut into slices,” her father said matter-of-factly.
“Humans eat that?” Olivia blurted.
“All the time,” her dad replied, sitting down across from her with his own plate. He cut a huge piece and popped it in his mouth. He shut his eyes blissfully, savoring the taste. “Mmmmm.” He gestured toward Olivia’s plate encouragingly, but she couldn’t move. She was too busy concentrating on not breathing through her nose.
“Go on.” He nodded.
Olivia’s fork and knife shook in her hands. She forced herself to cut a piece the size of her pinky fingernail. She adjusted her glass of water so the moment she took a bite she could chug.
“Don’t let it get cold,” her father directed.
Olivia felt like the whole Franklin Grove cheerleading squad was doing handsprings in her stomach. You have no choice, she told herself. You have to eat it! She shut her eyes as tight as she could and raised the trembling fork to her mouth.
Ivy tilted the living room lamp so that it shone on Casey and Stacey like a spotlight. Olivia’s mom and the girls’ own mother, who’d arrived to pick them up, watched from the couch. Instead of teaching the girls a dance or a cheer, Ivy had helped them write a little play, and now was their big performance.
“And so Princess Casey and Ballerina Stacey were trapped by the evil wizard,” Ivy narrated. She swung the lamp toward Olivia’s father, who was sitting in the corner in an easy chair, rubbing his hands together. “The infamous AccountantO!” she announced. Mr. Abbott laughed menacingly.
“Eeeeeeeeeeekkkkk!” shrieked the girls. “Isn’t Steve frightening?” Audrey whispered happily to her friend, who nodded. “They waited for their princes to rescue them,” Ivy continued.