“Just hanging out,” Brendan said. He threw an arm around her affectionately.
Fooling Toby is one thing, but I can’t fool Ivy’s boyfriend! Olivia thought. Brendan felt her stiffen and pulled his arm away. “Ivy, what’s wrong?”
Olivia blinked, her mind racing. There couldn’t be anything worse than Brendan realizing I’m not Ivy right now, she thought. It could be the end of Ivy’s relationship and, with Toby Decker watching, maybe the outing of her twin-ness to the whole world!
“Ivy?” Brendan pressed, looking a little worried now.
“Nothing,” Olivia said at last. “I’m just ...I told my dad I’d be home by 4:30 P.M., and I’m already seriously late.” She gave her best Ivy eye roll.
“Perfect.” Brendan grinned. “I’ll walk you home. I need to get that English book I lent you so I can write my essay tonight.”
Olivia didn’t move.
Brendan gallantly held up his arm for Ivy to take hold. “Shall we?”
“Shall we what?” Olivia gulped.
Brendan frowned. “Shall we go to your house and get the book?” he asked, looking puzzled.
Olivia let her hair fall in front of her face like Ivy sometimes did. “Killer idea,” she croaked, taking his arm. This was so not part of the plan! she thought.
Ivy stood in front of the adoption agency, trying to get up the nerve to go inside. She didn’t envy Olivia, who was at the mall being followed around by Toby, but she was still really nervous about her own mission.
The store’s sign said MILK DUDS. It looked like a cutesy human baby furniture store, but there was a tiny upside down “V” in the corner of the window, so Ivy knew she was in the right place— places that served vampires often used a mark like that to identify themselves to their customers. If the agency was like most vampire businesses, it would be hidden at the back of the store.
In the storefront window, the reflection of Olivia’s seriously embarrassing top floated beside an empty baby bassinet. Ivy felt her heart flapping in her chest. This is where I might find out about my parents, she thought. What if I don’t like what I find?
Then she thought of how eager Olivia had been for her to come here. “I hope you find what we’re looking for,” her sister’s voice whispered in her head.
Ivy took a deep breath, walked in, and headed straight for the back of the store, where she found a door in the crib section labeled STAFF ONLY. Beside the door was a small metal plate that had a black button beneath a round speaker. Ivy pressed the button; somewhere, a buzzer sounded faintly. A moment later, the speaker clicked to life.
Ivy put her mouth close to it. “Marmalade,” she said carefully. At least it’s better than the last password, she thought. I hate butterscotch.
“Approach the mirror,” a nasal voice crackled. Ivy looked around and noticed that hanging on the wall nearby was a cartoonish ceramic monkey that had a round mirror where its face should be. She walked over, and the mirror slid down to reveal the pale, sharp face of a man with bifocals. It was quite a head for a goofy monkey’s body, and Ivy cracked a smile against her will.
The man scowled back. “Can I help you?” he asked in a nasal monotone. Ivy leaned forward and whispered, “I’m here for the adoption agency appointment.”
The man peered over his glasses and took in Ivy’s sparkly top. “Did Serena Star send you?” he said suspiciously.
“No!” said Ivy. “I’m— This is just my disguise. I wouldn’t be caught dead in clothes like this normally.”
“Name?” he asked.
“Ivy Vega.”
The man pulled away from the mirror and looked down, presumably at the appointment book. He peered back up at Ivy, eyeing her top dubiously. “Prove it.”
Ivy dug into Olivia’s book bag, pulled out her student ID card, and handed it over.
The man barely looked at the card before passing it back. “Looks fake.”
“It’s not!” Ivy cried, but the monkey man just stared at her impassively. Ivy rolled her eyes. “What do you want me to do, bite someone?”
“Very funny,” the man said without a hint of a smile.
Ivy sighed with exasperation. Then she reached up and gently took out one of her contact lenses to reveal her natural bright-violet eye color. “Okay?” she demanded.
The man nodded grudgingly and Ivy heard a buzz come from the door. She rushed to put her contact lens back in and open the door before he changed his mind.
Inside, Ivy was surprised to find a mediumsized room packed with every conceivable item a vampire baby could want. There were utterly cute tiny black coffins lined up against one wall and paper mobiles with bats and moons hanging from the ceiling. Ivy’s heart nearly melted when she saw a little black onesie that said GOT BLOOD? on it.
“Can I help you?” asked a voice behind her.
Ivy turned to see a friendly-looking woman whose pale face was punctuated by a shock of bright red lipstick. She was sitting at a desk with a sign that said GIFT REGISTRY and looking at Ivy expectantly.
Ivy walked over to her. “I’m looking for the adoption agency,” she said.
“With a shirt like that,” the woman replied, “I don’t think any vamp in their right mind’s gonna adopt you, honey!”
Ivy must have looked upset, because the woman added, “Oh, I was just teasing. You must be Ivy Vega!”
Ivy nodded gratefully. At least she wasn’t going to have to convince another person that she belonged here, in spite of her bunny outfit. “But isn’t this the gift registry?” she asked.