Fangtastic! by Sienna Mercer Page A

that !” and Olivia’s jumping jacks skipped a jack. “I
thought you meant something serious. Those guys are always playing Dracula. It’s so lame. They’re all, like, ‘I want to suck your blood’ and ‘I should
bite that guy’s neck.’ ” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I mean, this is eighth
grade. Isn’t it time to stop playing dress up?”
    Serena
nodded. “All this vampire talk could be the start of something dangerous,” she
said. “Have you heard of any vicious animal attacks or gruesome murders taking
place in Franklin Grove?”
    Charlotte
frowned, looking faintly alarmed. “No, I can’t ...I mean, I don’t remember . .
.” she stammered.
    Serena
smiled reassuringly and changed the subject, but Olivia’s stomach was churning.
Serena Star was becoming obsessed with vampires, and the problem was that that
fixation could lead her to stumble on the truth.
    Out of
the corner of her eye, Olivia saw Garrick still lurking off to one side. He was
clearly eavesdropping, just like she was, and he did not seem happy with
Charlotte’s description of the Beasts’ behavior. Olivia saw him gesture to Kyle
Glass, and a moment later, the two boys slipped out of the gym.
    Toby
was still hanging around, waiting for Serena to finish talking to Charlotte,
and Olivia suddenly remembered her promise to Ivy.
    Now’s
my chance, she
thought.
    She
did an extralarge jumping jack so that her arm accidentally clipped Toby’s
shoulder.
    “Oops,
sorry!” said Toby, stepping backward apologetically.
    Olivia
gasped. “Oh, my gosh! Toby, I’m so sorry,” she said. “Are you okay?”
    He
pushed a blond lock of hair off his forehead. “Yes,” he said, blushing
slightly. “No problem.”
    “So,”
Olivia went on, “what have you been up to lately, Toby?”
    “I’m
acting as special assistant to WowTV’s Serena Star on her big story about
Franklin Grove,” Toby told her.
    “Wow!
Really?” Olivia said with wide eyes.
    “Yes.”
Toby nodded proudly.
    “Any
big leads?” Olivia inquired.
    Toby
looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Garrick Stephens asked my
dentist’s office for a set of vampire fangs, and Serena thinks it might be the
big break we’ve been waiting for! She’s absolutely determined to discover
everything she can about the obsession with vampires in Franklin Grove.”
    “You’re
kidding!” Olivia exclaimed with a grin. “Vampires?” Maybe if I can convince
Toby that there’s nothing to the vampire angle, Olivia thought, he’ll
convince Serena Star.
    Toby
nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable.
    “Come
on, Toby,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes. “Serena Star might as well be looking
for werewolves— I mean, witches,” she added quickly, remembering Ivy and
Sophia’s ambiguity on the werewolf front. “You don’t think there’s anything to
it, do you?”
    “Honestly?”
whispered Toby, with a backward glance toward Serena Star. “I’ve known Garrick
and those guys all my life, and they are pretty strange. But lots of kids have
issues. My father says they’re just looking for attention.” He shrugged. “Nevertheless,
I have to do what Serena Star says. This job is a stepping-stone for me. In a
few years, I could be the youngest network anchorman in television history.”
    Olivia
believed he could, too—Toby was nothing if not driven. Suddenly, she thought
she heard Charlotte mention Ivy’s name. From the look on Toby’s face, she knew
he’d heard it, too. They exchanged glances and edged closer to Serena’s conversation.
    “She
is like the darkest Goth of all. She’s been wearing nothing but black since
before kindergarten—I’ve even seen her wear black socks . Isn’t that  gross?  I live next door to her house, and sometimes you can see her lurking
behind these thick dark curtains . Not that I would ever spy or anything.”
Charlotte giggled uncomfortably. “Anyway, if there’s anything bizarre happening
in Franklin Grove, I’d bet my poms that she’s