Fangtastic! by Sienna Mercer Page B

behind it. Even Garrick and the
Beasts listen to her!”
    “And
you say this girl’s name is Ivy Vega?” confirmed Serena. Olivia bit her lip.
    Charlotte
shuddered. “Just the sound of her name gives me the creeps! You should read
some of the morbid propaganda she writes in the school paper.”
    Serena
held up a pink fingernail. “You mean, this is the same Ivy who’s on the school
paper?”
    Charlotte
nodded disapprovingly. “I ask you: What is happening to journalism in our
schools today?”
    Serena
Star narrowed her eyes. “I thought there was something odd about her.”
Abruptly, she turned to Toby. “Toby, I want you to follow Ivy Vega’s every move
and then report back to me. I want to know every single place she goes, every
single person she talks to, and every single thing she does.”
    Olivia
looked on with dread as Toby said, “Right away, Ms. Star.” He turned and smiled
at Olivia. “I look forward to speaking with you again when I’m not working,
Olivia.”
    “You,
too, Toby,” Olivia quavered, as he hurried out of the gym.
    I
have to warn Ivy that she’s under surveillance! thought Olivia in a panic. Suddenly,
Ms. Barnett, the gym teacher, appeared. “What’s going on in here? Ms. Star,
this is cheerleading practice, not journalism club. You can talk to my squad
some other time.We’ve got some serious cheering to do!” It was nearly 4:30 P.M.
Ivy had stayed after school to do homework in the library, but she hadn’t been
able to concentrate because she couldn’t stop worrying about Serena Star.
    Now
she was at her locker, packing up to go meet Sophia at the Meat & Greet. As
she slammed her locker door shut, she thought she saw someone dart into a
nearby doorway. She stared for a long moment, but no one reappeared. In fact,
the hallway was almost completely empty.
    This
Serena Star thing has made me seriously paranoid, she decided with a shake of her
head. In the library, she’d even convinced herself that someone was peeking in
at her through the window.
    Ivy
turned and began making her way down the hall. No matter how many times she
told herself nothing was amiss, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was
following her. Slowly, the hallways started filling up as people finished their
clubs and sports practices.
    At the
corner of the main hall, Ivy set her jaw and abruptly spun around. Twenty feet
behind her, a person in a blue shirt slipped behind a tall girl wearing a
basketball jersey. The girl obviously found this odd, because she stepped aside
to reveal . . . Toby Decker!
    “Can I
help you?” the tall girl demanded, peering down at Toby, her hands on her hips.
Toby nervously caught Ivy’s eye and lunged to bury his face in a nearby water
fountain.
    Suddenly
Olivia appeared at Ivy’s side. “I’ve been looking for you,” she said.
    “Apparently
you’re not the only one,” replied Ivy. “I think Toby Decker is following me.”
She gestured toward the water fountain, where Toby was peering at them as water
filled his mouth.
    “That’s
what I need to tell you,” Olivia murmured in a low voice. “Charlotte told
Serena Star that you’re like queen of the Goths, and now Serena’s commanded
Toby to follow your every move.”
    “What!?”
exclaimed Ivy.
    “Shhh!”
Olivia said and gestured for Ivy to start walking beside her. She spoke out of
the side of her mouth. “Act natural. Serena also thinks people here are
obsessed with vampires.”
    Ivy’s
heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder, only to
see Toby snapping a huge telephoto lens onto a camera. She whipped her head
back around. “He’s trying to take pictures of us!” she gulped.
    “We
shouldn’t be seen together like this,” Olivia said.
    Ivy
agreed with a tiny nod and whispered, “Meet me at the Meat & Greet in
thirty.” They split off in different directions down the hall.
    A half
hour later, Ivy walked into the Meat & Greet and saw her sister sitting
alone in a