Lucky Break Part 11

The thought of Lucky alone out there in the woods made Olivia's heart ache. Ivy nodded and limped to the porch swing, clutching the phone like a lifeline. Olivia swung her leg over Honey and rode over to where Rebecca was briefing Hank and John.

Rebecca called out to the grey-haired, flannel-clad visitors, 'Thank you all very much for coming. I hope you enjoyed yourselves.' Then she said more quietly, 'Let's go, Olivia.'

They rode hard to the woods, where Ivy had pointed and then slowed down, looking for signs.

'This way,' Rebecca said. 'Where those branches are broken.'

The horses picked their way through the trees, their hooves crackling the leaves and twigs underfoot.

'There are some positives,' said Rebecca, breaking the nervous silence. 'It's not winter any more, and Lucky wasn't fully tacked. It would be much worse if he had reins that could get caught on branches. He's a smart horse and knows the area very well.'

It wasn't much to believe in, but it made Olivia feel a tiny bit better.

'Horses like people and familiar things,' Rebecca went on. 'If he smells horses he knows or hears my voice, he might come to us.'

Olivia patted Honey on the neck. 'I'm glad you're here, then.' She'd only ridden her a few times but already she loved the horse. She could only imagine what Rebecca must be feeling for Lucky.

Olivia pushed a branch away from her face. 'I feel so awful. If we had never come '

'Don't say that,' Rebecca said. 'You two are all the family I have left and having you here has been wonderful. But that Brendan boy ...'

Olivia was torn. She wouldn't betray her sister's trust and tell the truth about how Lucky got out, but she couldn't let Rebecca think bad of him. 'Brendan is a really good person,' Olivia said. 'He's perfect for Ivy and treats her so well.' Not to mention that he's really brave and loyal for taking the blame, Olivia thought.

'Humph.' Rebecca changed the subject. 'I think I've lost the trail.'

They had emerged on to one of the many paths in the woods. It followed a high fence, and there were too many hoofprints to know which were Lucky's.

'What do we do now?' Olivia wanted to know.

'We should keep riding for a little while, and then go back to see what group efforts we can coordinate.'

Olivia nodded.

She would do whatever it took to find Lucky for Rebecca and for her bio-mom, but most importantly, for her sister.

'It will have to do for now.' Ivy closed her laptop sadly.

She'd been trawling the internet for advice on lost horses, and she'd found some great websites.

One woman had managed to convince the local police academy to run training exercises in the woods when she'd lost her horse and someone else had got the recreational pilot's club in the area to do a rota of flyovers. Ivy was willing to do anything to help find Lucky and she planned to start making phone calls first thing in the morning.

'You're doing everything you can,' Olivia offered.

Olivia looked dishevelled after five hours of searching. Ivy had spent her time phoning everyone that Aunt Rebecca knew and organising a search party of thirty people for first light tomorrow.

'I have never felt so wretched.' Her ankle throbbed and it felt like her legs were made of lead as she stood up to change into her bat-patterned pyjamas.

'It wasn't your fault,' Olivia replied with a pained expression. 'Don't blame yourself.'

'There is no one else to blame,' Ivy said. 'Brendan shouldn't have said he'd done it. I'm so lucky to have him even if Aunt Rebecca doesn't think so.'

Olivia nodded. 'She just needs to get to know him.'

'Except now she'll never let him set foot on her property again,' Ivy replied.

I've messed everything up, Ivy thought. I'm definitely not my mother's daughter.

She thought about her mother's journal, lying wrapped up on top of the dresser. It was almost like she didn't deserve to read it any more.

As she laid down on the floor, wis.h.i.+ng she was at home in her coffin, Ivy drifted off, to dream of a white horse running in the moonlight.

Back in Franklin Grove five days later, the twins were upset to hear that Lucky was still missing.

They had phoned Aunt Rebecca every day for updates, but there were no new leads. Now Olivia had to put him out of her mind. In less than an hour, it would be the grand opening of Romezog and Julietron. The entire cast was a.s.sembled backstage in all their metallic glory for a last-minute pep talk.

Aliens were perched on parts of the holodeck set, robots were scattered among the bizarre blue trees that Sophia had designed for the outdoor scenes. They were big spheres of Styrofoam stacked on top of each other. Everything was on wheels, ready to be whisked in and out by the stage crew at Ivy's command.

Camilla hopped up on to an alien sculpture from the party scene to address the group. 'You all look amazing and you've worked so hard. Our play is going to be in a galaxy of its own.' She looked very professional, dressed in a black suit with a moon rock necklace. 'Special praise goes to Sophia Hewitt for the incredible costumes and to Garrick for all the extra time he put in memorising his lines.'

Olivia had b.u.t.terflies in her stomach that had mutated into alien creatures that threatened to burst out of her and do a little dance on the table. Opening night meant no more air-kissing. This was it.

'And remember: yorg zup fandiot.' Camilla saluted and strode away.

'What on earth does that mean?' Olivia asked Jackson, who looked like a real cyborg in his metal and wires.

Jackson shrugged. 'Probably Martian for "Break a leg".'

Olivia giggled. 'I hope not! Can you imagine how funny Garrick would look writhing around even more than he already does!'

She glanced at her Romezog, who was sitting in the corner on a silver four-poster bed from Juliteron's bedroom scenes with his head in his hands all ten of them.

That doesn't look good, Olivia thought.

'Thirty minutes until curtain,' Ivy called, in stage-manager mode. There were dark shadows under her eyes from worrying about Lucky. 'Doors are now open and the audience are taking their seats.'

Charlotte stomped past with Sophia chasing after her. 'I will not wear another pillow!'

Garrick didn't even look up.

'Just give me a minute,' Olivia said to Jackson and headed over to Garrick. She stood in front of him and said, 'I hope I don't regret asking, but what's wrong?'

'I can't find my itching powder,' he said, still staring at the floor. 'Without it, I can't do this.'

'What do you mean by "this"?' Olivia asked, worry creeping in.

'This!' He threw his many arms out wide, indicating the whole production. 'Be Romezog.'

Olivia's heart dropped into her knee-high gold boots. If Garrick wouldn't take the stage, then there was no show!

'Don't say that,' Olivia said. 'The show must go on!'

'I can't,' he whined at her. 'The only reason I got the part was because of the itching. Now I won't get my kiss.' Garrick looked like a wreck. 'And I had all this extra stuff planned at the end, too.'

Olivia didn't know what to make of the extra stuff, but she knew she didn't want him to call off the performance. You can't do Romeo and Juliet without Romeo ... or Romezog, she thought.

'You don't need the powder,' Olivia said. 'Just act it. Remember what it felt like and pretend.'

Garrick looked confused. 'Pretend to itch?'

Olivia suppresed the urge to beat him with his goggly eyes. 'Yes, pretend. You are supposed to be acting, after all.'

'Maybe ...' Garrick stood up.

Jackson came over. 'Break a leg,' he said to Garrick, flas.h.i.+ng a grin at Olivia.

'Enough with the jealousy, man,' Garrick said.

'No, no,' Jackson replied. 'That's how they say "good luck" in the theatre.'

'Oh, well, uh, thanks, but I can't go on.' Garrick shuffled his feet.

'Are you kidding?' Jackson said. 'You are the most convincing alien octopus that has ever graced the stage.'

'Absolutely!' Olivia added, hoping she sounded like she meant it.

Garrick looked suspicious.

'I'm serious,' Jackson said. 'You own that role. Be confident, man. Be strong!' Garrick started to nod along. 'You are Romezog, and you will have your Julietron!'

'You're right, Jay Jay,' Garrick said, punching Jackson on the arm. 'I will have her, won't I?' He winked at Olivia and made a clicking noise. 'See you on stage, baby.' Garrick stood up from the bed and sauntered off.

Olivia hit Jackson gently. 'Did you have to use me as bait?'

'Hey,' Jackson said, leaning in so close that she could see the flecks in his blue eyes. 'A kiss with you would get anyone to do anything.'

Olivia s.h.i.+vered and clutched one of the posters of the bed behind her. She had tried so many ways to corner him and kiss him this past week, but something had always gotten in the way. Is he saying that he wants to kiss me? Olivia hoped so. She had just minutes to kiss him before Garrick got there first.

'I would happily get stabbed with a retractable sword for you,' Jackson grinned, referring to his death in the play.

Olivia smiled back.

'You are an amazing Juliet and a wonderful actress,' he said quietly, stepping even closer.

The noise of swords clas.h.i.+ng backstage, Charlotte complaining, props being moved around they all faded away as Jackson took her face in his hands. Was it finally going to happen?

'And an awesome girlfriend,' he whispered.

She closed her eyes and felt his breath on her face. Her heart was pounding.

'Fifteen minutes!' shouted Ivy, making Olivia jump.

Jackson took a step away from her.

No! Olivia thought. Come back! So close!

Then Garrick sauntered over and pressed something into her hand. Baffled, Olivia saw a wrapped-up mint. 'It's for later,' he mock-whispered.

Olivia wanted to scream, but all she could do was grit her teeth. Her last chance to kiss Jackson was ruined and now there was no escape.

Garrick Stevens was going to be her first kiss.

Chapter Nine.

Ivy looked out across the lobby of the theatre where friends, family and what seemed like every girl under the age of sixteen within a twenty-mile radius were milling around.

One girl with blonde pigtails was flipping through the specially printed programmes. 'What do you mean he isn't Romeo? Isn't this Romeo and Juliet?'

Her black-haired friend pointed to a page. 'It says here that he's some kind of cyborg.'

'Well,' replied Pigtails, 'I don't care if it's science fiction or science cla.s.s, as long as I've got a seat up close! I didn't buy this ticket off eBay to sit at the back.'

Ivy rolled her eyes, but at least having Jackson in the cast helped Camilla's directorial debut become the fastest sell-out production in Franklin Grove Middle School's history.

But the only two audience members she cared about right now were obviously not following instructions. They were late.

She looked past the dolled-up girls and spotted a solo figure in a simple, das.h.i.+ng black suit and a mandarin-collared white s.h.i.+rt, almost hiding behind a pot plant.

'Dad!' Ivy shouted.

He was staring in completely the wrong direction. Ivy only had fifteen minutes to round him up, find Aunt Rebecca, get them to their reserved seats and be backstage before the curtain went up.

'VIP number one spotted,' she reported to Sophia over the headphones. 'VIP number two, unaccounted for.'

'Check,' Sophia replied. 'Twelve minutes.'

A red sweater dress caught Ivy's attention. It was Rebecca on the opposite side of the lobby, by the ladies' room.

Ivy marched over to her dad. 'Hi, Dad, not much time, got to keep moving,' she said in one breath.

'OK, Ivy.' He stumbled along, trying to keep up. 'All going well backstage?'