‘We’d better cut out,’ said Brendan, ducking under the velvet ropes and out of line.
‘Good luck,’ whispered Sophia in her ear.
Olivia pulled a compact out of the pocket of her torn jeans. Olivia studied her reflection. Black wig? Check. Pale make-up? Check. Grungy clothes that may or may not need to go in the laundry? Check, check, check.
Now only two people separated her from the front of the line. Olivia refused to sneak another look over at Brendan and Sophia. Just keep calm and you’ll get through it. It will be fine.
‘What was the first Pall Bearers song to top the Transylvania Billboard Charts?’ she overheard the bearded man working inside the box office ask the teenager standing first in line.
In order to redeem their prize, each winner had to answer a trivia question about the band to prove their fandom. Even though it was a warm evening, a spike of cold went through Olivia’s heart.
‘“Welcome To My Frightmare”!’ the winner answered enthusiastically.
‘That is . . . correct!’ The box office man handed over the tickets. ‘Next!’
Olivia was shivering with nerves. Sophia had spent all day helping her study, but what if they asked something she didn’t know? Come to think of it, Olivia wasn’t sure she could remember anything!
She stared blankly at the back of the head of the person in front of her as the bearded man asked, ‘What is the lead singer’s cat’s name?’
Olivia felt like someone had shaken her brain and erased it like an etch-o-sketch.
‘Zombie Gray!’ answered the girl, who was wearing fishnet stockings and knee-high boots. She took her tickets and waved them around.
It was Olivia’s turn. She shuffled forwards as if on autopilot.
‘Name?’ the man asked, scratching at his beard and looking bored.
Olivia squared her shoulders. ‘Ivy Vega.’
He rifled through his list of winners. ‘Vega, Vega . . . Ah, here you are.’ He looked from the picture to Olivia and back at the picture again. Olivia held her breath. ‘Right,’ he continued. ‘Your question is: What is the third line in the second song on the first album?’
Say what?! This was definitely not something they had studied. Olivia felt herself go whiter than the shade of Pale Beauty make-up she was wearing. How was she going to wing this?
Eyes wide, she looked over at Brendan and Sophia, who had already begun performing a ridiculous game of charades. Olivia squinted. She knew they were trying to tell her the answer, but what on earth were they miming?
Sophia was furiously tapping her chest with one hand and pointing at Brendan with the other, while Brendan had brought his fingertips together in a sharp point and was making swift prodding motions into the air.
Chest? No. Heart? Love . . . thumping . . . pointy thing . . . crying?
Olivia shook her head, turning back to the man at the box office, who was now reading the sports pages, waiting for Olivia to respond. Might as well give it a try, she thought.
‘This love is like a stake in the heart ?’ she said.
He peeled his eyes away from the newspaper to read the answer sheet. ‘Here you go,’ he said, sliding three tickets towards her. Olivia snatched them. Seriously? I did it? She wanted to jump for joy, but she was pretty sure goths weren’t allowed to show that much enthusiasm about anything. Instead, she walked coolly over to Brendan and Sophia, wondering: Who would listen to a song about love and stakes?
Half an hour later, Olivia was busy avoiding getting her toes crushed beneath combat boots in a sea of goth girls and guys, who were all so ghostly pale it almost looked as if they’d drained the colour from the usually vibrant park. The three of them scoped out a spot on the grass and spread a blanket among the other concertgoers, who all sat in clusters, waiting for the gig to start.
‘This –’ Sophia stared up at the blazing spotlights – ‘is killer.’ They were sprawled out in the Winner’s Enclosure right beneath the stage and even Olivia had to admit, it was pretty cool. She had never seen a live band playing this close up.
‘You ready to hear your new favourite song?’ Brendan nudged Olivia playfully.
She dropped her chin. ‘Any song that compares love to being staked will not be gracing my iPod!’
The lights dimmed and a roaring cheer rose from the crowd. Brendan pulled Olivia to her feet just before the crowd surged forwards. The place was a madhouse! She clung to Brendan’s hand so as not to be crushed. Pall Bearer fans are rabid.
‘Brendan!’ Olivia yelled, still clutching on to him. His hand was scalding hot, like he had a 110 degree fever. ‘Are you OK?’ she asked.
‘Yeah, yeah,’ he said, letting go. ‘I’m fine.’
Olivia peered up at Ivy’s boyfriend. She couldn’t put her finger on why, but she didn’t think Brendan was telling the truth. He looked hot and flustered. Something’s definitely wrong. Before she could ask any more questions, music blasted from the speakers and amps situated at the end of the stage. How could vampires stand this? They had super-sensitive hearing, but Olivia could barely handle it, and she was human! It was the single loudest noise she had ever heard. She would have plugged her ears if only her arms weren’t pinned to her sides in the crowd crush. Now all she could do was cringe. She felt like her parents: Turn the music down!
Sophia bounced next to her, pumping her fist to the pounding drum beat. A red light illuminated the stage, revealing The Pall Bearers, dressed in skinny jeans and ripped T-shirts. The lead guitarist jammed on the strings of his instrument and what came out was a tuneless, rhythmless mess.