Olivia was just about to open her front door to meet Benny so they could walk to school together, when her mom stopped her.
"Your father and I are going out for the night and won't be back till about 10am tomorrow. So I don't know whether you want to have a few friends over or go round someone's house but no parties, you hear me?"
Olivia smiled and nodded. "Sure, I don't really want to be the one cleaning up the aftermath anyways."
Her mom chuckled and kissed her on the forehead. "See you soon, honey."
"Bye, mom." Olivia replied, walking out of the door.
"Hey, babe!" Benny called out. Olivia was stood by a lamp post, she turned around when she heard the sound of her boyfriend's voice. They both smiled at each-other. Benny placed a kiss on her temple before they laced their fingers together and began to walk to school.
"Benny?" Olivia asked.
He looked to her and smiled. "Yeah?"
Olivia paused for a moment. Perhaps she should invite everyone, not just Benny, incase he gets the wrong idea - not that Olivia wouldn't mind.
"My parents are out tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to have a sleepover with me." She said in one breath.
"I'd love to! Do you want me to get grandma to have her bingo night at one of her friends' house tonight?" Benny asked, not picking up on the fact that Olivia meant at her house.
Olivia shook her head. "I was actually talking about you staying round mine because I have a free house; we can do whatever we want."
Benny smirked. "Sure."
Olivia laughed. "Easy tiger, don't jump to conclusions."
Her boyfriend frowned and Olivia smirked. "I never said I wasn't considering it."
Benny's face lit up and he grinned as they reached the school. "I'll be round at 6."
Olivia smiled as she watched her boyfriend walk off to his first period, turning around and giving her a small wave before he entered the classroom. She sighed happily before spinning on her heel and heading to her first period: Health class.
***
"So, I've heard that you're having Benny sleeping over tonight." Sarah looked at Olivia, grinning.
Erica cocked an eyebrow. "How come I didn't know about this."
Olivia chuckled. "I didn't even know Sarah knew!" She turned to Sarah. "How did you know?"
"Benny ran up to Ethan in first period and he ran up to me in hallways; he seems really excited."
Erica awed. "You know, I'm not a fan of vampires and geeks being couples but you guys make it look cute."
Olivia rolled her eyes but couldn't stop herself from cracking a smile. "So, you want to sign up for the school play? I'll do it if you're doing it." She said to Erica, who nodded.
"Really? I didn't expect you to be interested in The Rainbow Factory." Olivia asked.
"Ugh, The Rainbow Factory? I hate that hippy junk! This is going to be the worst school play ever!" Erica whined.
"So why do you wanna be in it?" Sarah asked.
"It's on my bucket list." Erica responded.
"Why do you have a bucket list?" Olivia laughed.
"It's a long list and item 12 says star in the school play so I can ram it in the face of that drama queen, Sunday Clover." Erica said in a mocking tone.
"You act like she came all the way from Australia on exchange just to bother you." Sarah stated. "Why can't you just be nice?"
"Don't tell me how to live, Sarah." Erica responded, about to take hold of the pen beside the sign up sheet, but Benny reached for it to. Erica glared at him.
"Ladies first." Benny smiled.
Erica faked a smile back before writing her name down.
"Oh, that's it! Let the egos of creativity saw! I'm off to make copies of this wonderful script." The drama teacher said. Erica handed the pen to Olivia, who put her name down too.
The drama teacher was struggling to open her book.
"Are you struggling a bit?" Olivia asked, trying not to snigger.
"Looks like it doesn't wanna open." Ethan said.
She chuckled. "It didn't wanna be found either, hiding away inside that basement wall for 25 years and I dug it out." She said with gritted teeth, eventually opening the book, making Benny jump a little. "There we go; it should be clear sailing from here!"
"Benny, why're you signing up?" Olivia asked, once their drama teacher had walked off.
"I wanna do the lights! All the cool stuff, you know?"
"You mean all the nerdy stuff?" Erica corrected, earning laughs from both Olivia and Sarah.
***
"I'm the understudy?" Erica repeated, staring at the teacher. "But I totally nailed that audition!"
"You were very... present." She forced a smile. "Congratulations, Sunday Clover, you're our lead!"
Sunday ran into the centre of the room, squealing. Once she calmed herself down, she began to speak some of her lines. "Do I dream? Or do my waking eyes seek a new? Such reds, such golds!"
Olivia and Sarah could see the look on Erica's face - she wasn't happy.
"Thank you so much Miss Lovedhouse Oldman Little!"
"The kids call me Miss LOL." She told Sunday.
"Makes me wanna put that shrimp on the barbi." Erica whispered to Sarah and Olivia in an Australian accent.
"I know you'll be an ace understudy," Sunday said to Erica, smiling. "and just step right in if something happens to me!"
"Yes! If something happens to you." Erica faked a smile and pulled Sunday into a tight hug. Olivia swore she could hear Sunday's bones clicking.
"Wow! You have a lot of positive energy!" Sunday exclaimed, pulling away. "I can feel it in my ribs! I'm grinning like a shot fox. I'm gonna go the Harold Holt and have a captain cook at my dressing room!" She squealed, running off.
"I didn't understand half of that." Olivia said once she was gone.
"What just happened?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, Sarah, Olivia, I have nominations for you too! Olivia, you'll be playing the role of Moonbeam, Sundrop's sister and Sarah you'll be playing Sundrop's best-friend: Rainbeam!"
"I was just helping Erica out, I wasn't trying myself." Sarah replied, politely.
"What a shame; you're a natural." Miss LOL sighed.
"Really? Because I actually had so much fun doing it! And the part about the bunnies who wuv each-other; it's so cute!" Sarah almost squealed.
"I'll take that as a big yes!" Miss LOL said, walking off.
"Welcome aboard. Good luck acting like you can stand Sunday Clover." Just as Erica said that Sunday danced past them. "This is gonna be fun." Olivia mumbled, folding her arms.
***
"Now, Rainbeam needs to help Sundrop believe in loving herself so she can apply for the job of Mother Nature. Can you put that in your heart?" Miss LOL asked Sarah.
Sarah smiled. "I got it."
"Okay, good. Now where's our star?" The drama teacher asked, looking around for Sunday.
"The sun drops down!" Everyone heard Sunday say, as a sand bag fell from the ceiling. "So the grasses can grow." She said, dropping another sand bag, which almost hit Olivia if she didn't catch it quick enough. Everyone then began to run off stage and Olivia realised it's not normal for someone to catch a sand bag and not express any pain. "Ouch, my hands!" She awkwardly said, trying to cover it up.
"That is why the sun drops down!" Sunday yelled, letting another sand bag fall, then another, and then another. Everyone then heard Sunday scream and a loud thud.
Ethan, Olivia, Miss LOL and Benny ran towards the girl trapped under the sandbags.
"Sunday?!"
"I'm okay..." She managed to get out.
"We need a doctor!" Ethan yelled.
"And an understudy." Erica grinned.
***
"Wait, can't vampires go all puppet master in the weak-minded?" Ethan asked Erica, who shrugged. "You could've convinced her to hurt herself."
"Glamouring is only something old and powerful vampires can do, so what did you do?" Sarah asked.
"Nothing! That Aussie punk is as mad as a snake! She freaked out on me earlier, she told me to stay out of her mirror. If I was gonna break her legs, I'd of done it then." Erica replied, truthfully.
"I think she's telling the truth." Olivia chimed in.
"I am! Now, your star has lines to learn. We open tomorrow, no time to yapper like a dil." Erica said.
The teenagers looked at her with confused faces.
"I think you're spending a little too much time as Sunday's understudy." Sarah said.
"Ah, she's apples! Now on your bike before I go agro on your baco!" Erica replied in an Australian accent before walking off.
"Okay then." Olivia laughed.
***
"It's morning for my feelings, Rainbeam, Moonbeam, where are you?" Erica acted, gracefully holding her arms up in the air.
Sarah started to float. "Look to the sky, Sundrop, where happiness spreads her wings!" She said, waving her arms around before laughing. "Get it?"
"Don't upstage me. Ever... or else..." Erica shot at her, before storming off.
Olivia and Sarah looked at each-other. "What's up with her?" Olivia asked.
"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." Sarah replied, following Erica.
"Or else what?" Sarah asked Erica, who was sat down in front of her mirror. "What's wrong with you, I was just playing!"
"This is my show! Mine! No one else can have it!"
"Your show? You're sounding just as bad as Sunday, look at yourself!"
"Erica... how come you have a reflection...?" Olivia asked, pointing.
"Woah... you can look at yourself, you have a reflection!"
"Ugh, no fair." Olivia groaned.
Erica stood up at and hissed at the two girls. "Stay out of my mirror, stay out of my way." She then whizzed off.
"We need to tell Ethan and Benny." Olivia said. Sarah nodded and the two ran off to find them.
"Ethan, we need your help." Sarah said to Ethan, who was sat with Rory and Benny.
Ethan instantly got up. "Er, yeah."
Rory looked at him.
"Sorry man, stage manager business."
Benny winked and gave him a perfect sign with with his fingers.
"Erica almost attacked me she was acting like I'd done something to her!" Sarah explained to Ethan.
"You saw all of this?" He asked Olivia, who nodded.
"This is going to sound crazy, but I saw her reflection in the mirror." Sarah added.
"I knew it! I told Benny this play was cursed!" Ethan replied. "Maybe I'm right."
"Yeah, let's hope. Look we need to go see that mirror." Sarah said.
"I'll go. Maybe you two should avoid Erica." Ethan said to the girls.
"You don't think we could take her?" Olivia asked, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.
"Actually, I do. One sec," Ethan grinned, pulling out a large poster from his locker. "Benny and I made a chart, like they do for cage-fighters. "See, you're quicker, but Erica's got the reach. Olivia, you're the strongest for sure. But, I'd think you'd win because you're not afraid to get hit in the face." Ethan explained.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Go!" She pushed him away and Olivia and Sarah looked at the poster. Olivia laughed and pointed at her cartoon character that she could clearly tell had been drawn by Benny. "I like how he's made me look hotter than I actually am."
Sarah laughed and shook her head. "Please, you're much hotter than a drawing, babe. But wow, they've really put effort into this."
***
Olivia spun round at the sound of Benny yelling and a loud crash. "Benny!" Miss LOL screamed at him.
"I'm sorry! It won't happen again." Benny nervously laughed. "I hope."
"Erica what's wrong with you?!" Sarah almost yelled.
"Just leave me alone!" She replied, storming off.
Olivia walked over to them. "Okay, that's not the Erica I know."
"Yeah, that's kinda the Erica I know..." Benny responded.
"Did Ethan say if anything was going on with that mirror?" Sarah asked.
"No. I haven't seen him all day. Should I be as worried as you look?"
Sarah, Olivia and Benny walked into Erica's room and saw the mirror.
"Okay, so vampires don't have a reflection because their curse blocked the souls in the light, so if Erica saw herself, that means there's a soul inside this mirror." Benny explained to the girls.
He took out a stick that Olivia recognised, the tip of it went blue. The mirror began to form waves in it and Benny chucked. "I'm getting pretty good with this stick, right? Okay, there's someone in there but I can't tell if it's Ethan."
"There's only one way to find out." Olivia said, walking towards the mirror. Her eyes widened when she saw herself. "Wow, my makeup looks pretty good on a person who can't use a mirror." She whispered, admiring how well she managed to nail her eyebrows.
A girl then appeared in the mirror, overlaying Olivia's reflection. "They deserve to hurt." The reflection said. "All of them."
Olivia saw Ethan in the background, he pushed her out of the way. "Benny! It's Ethan! Get me out of here!"
"Touch the mirror!" Sarah ordered.
"Pull me through!"
"Olivia, you have to touch the mirror; it's a supernatural connection."
Olivia bit her lip before touching the mirror as Ethan did the same.
"Hold on, I know a spell that can unleash-" Benny began.
"Just do it! Email me the explanation!" Ethan yelled.
"Okay, here we go." Benny said, opening his spell book. "Sackarath, masnacko!" He yelled, a light shooting from his palm, pulling Ethan through.
Benny ran over to Ethan and helped him up. "Teamwork for the win!"
"Get away from my mirror!" Erica ordered, pushing past everyone. She looked at it. "You cracked it..."
"Erica, watch out," Ethan said, smashing the glass with the end of a mop.
"What're you doing? That's seven years bad luck!" Benny complained.
"Really, Benny?" Olivia asked.
"Well, I guess you'll just have to shower with your grandma's special soap again." Ethan responded.
"Erica, are you okay?" Olivia asked her friend.
"Of course I'm okay! I'm finally free, and stronger than ever! I think I'll start the show with the finale!" She giggled, before skipping off.
"Should we be terrified by that?" Sarah asked.
"No time to explain: there was a ghost girl trapped in the mirror, now she's inside Erica and we gotta stop her before she gets revenge on everyone."
"For someone with no time to explain; you did pretty well." Sarah replied.
***
Later that night, everyone was ready to go out on stage and perform. The lights suddenly turned on and the stage was revealed.
Erica was floating carrying a rainbow-coloured flag. She cackled. "You tried to stop me, but the show must go on!"
"Heads up, hippie." Sarah hissed. Erica flew down to the ground and Sarah attacked her.
Once Erica got up, Olivia ran on and signalled for Benny to shine the light onto Erica. A blue light shot into the soul inside Erica's body. Olivia panicked and kicked her backwards.
"Get off my stage!" Erica yelled at the girls.
"Olivia, fix your hair!" Ethan said, running onto the stage and held out a mirror in front of her. At first, Olivia thought Ethan was talking to her, but then realised he wasn't when Erica turned around; the spirit was obviously called Olivia too. "Now, Benny!"
Benny shot the same light at the soul again and she flew out of Erica's body and into the mirror Ethan was holding. Once her soul was in the mirror, Ethan faced it to the floor and Erica fell.
The crowd then applauded and cheered.
***
"No, I'll get you for this!" Olivia yelled as Ethan painted over her reflection in all the mirrors.
"Okay, this'll hold her, until we can release her for good and let her move on." Ethan exclaimed.
"Catch and release, huh? Very eco-friendly." Benny said, grinning.
"I can't believe she was called Olivia!" Olivia said in an 'ugh' tone, as if it was wrong for a soul like her to have the same name as Olivia.
"If anything, you suit the name way more." Benny grinned a toothy grin, making Olivia chuckle.
"Oh, well. It was nice to have a reflection while it lasted." Erica sighed.
"Yeah, it was nice for you! This rest of us nearly died." Sarah responded, with her hands on her hips.
"Ah, come on, we had a pretty great opening."
"Is Miss LOL still apologising to everyone?" Ethan asked.
Olivia listened extra carefully with her vampire hearing and scoffed. "Yeah, and Rory just arrived."
"Looks like Pranksy's finally revealed!" Benny said, sarcastically waving his arms around.
"He's probably landed himself a few weeks detention." Sarah laughed.