'Trust me,' Rebecca said with a smile. 'There's never been a person that I couldn't match with a horse.'

Ivy forced a smile. Yeah, but how many vampires do you know?

Ivy was just throwing her toothbrush in her bag when Aunt Rebecca flew in the door. 'Your dad is coming up the driveway!'

'Whoops!' Ivy said. 'I'm not ready yet.'

Olivia and Rebecca had spent the morning with the horses and after that, once they'd started reading their mom's journal, Ivy had lost track of time.

The entries they read were about taking care of the chickens and the goats, a crush that she'd had on an older guy at school and how one of the horses which would turn out to be Lucky's mom was pregnant.

Ivy tossed in a pair of socks that was lying on the floor, zipped up her bag and followed Rebecca down the steps with Olivia just behind.

They managed to make it to the porch by the time Mr Vega stepped out of the car, against the backdrop of the sunset.

'Didn't you say seven?' Rebecca asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

'I definitely said six,' Mr Vega replied.

'I could have sworn you said seven.' Rebecca picked up Olivia's bag and took it over to the car.

Mr Vega cleared his throat and then went over to get Ivy's bag. Once the luggage was stowed in the boot, he said, 'I'm sure you'll see the girls again soon.'

Rebecca was about to reply. Ivy jumped in, 'We were kind of hoping that we could come back next weekend.'

She realised that she actually meant it. She wanted to read that journal and did want to see if Rebecca could help her with the horses. I must have liked it here, after all, she thought. At least a little bit.

Mr Vega frowned. 'Oh. Well, ah. I suppose so.'

'I'll let you know what my parents say,' Olivia called as she got into the car.

As Ivy climbed in, she almost sat on a brown paper bag. 'What's this?'

'Oh, just a little something,' said Mr Vega.

Ivy waved goodbye to Rebecca and the farm and turned to her package. It was a new concert alb.u.m from Mountain of Beef, one of her favourite bands.

'Wow, thanks!' Olivia called from the backseat.

Her sister was holding a book called Method Acting for Beginners.

'Just a little something,' Mr Vegas said, his face colouring as he kept his eyes on the road.

The twins shared a look. They didn't normally receive presents for no reason.

Is Dad feeling threatened? Ivy wondered. She made a mental note to make sure she did a father/daughter dinner this week, in between play rehearsals. She knew what it was like to feel left out. I don't want Dad to feel like that at all.

'Tighter,' commanded Camilla.

Sophia, who was fitting Olivia's robot costume, squeezed the golden corset-type top even more. Olivia thought she was never going to breathe again.

'Too tight! A little too tight!' she gasped. She loved her Julietron outfit especially the gold, knee-high boots but this was crazy!

Sophia relaxed it a little and Camilla frowned. 'I suppose I need you to be able to say your lines,' she said.

Thank goodness for that, Olivia thought.

'It looks great,' Camilla told Sophia. She was wearing black tuxedo bottoms and a white b.u.t.ton-down shirt, with her now trademark red braces. 'And you were born to play my Juliet, Olivia.'

'Thanks!' said Sophia and Olivia at the same time.

On the other side of the small dressing room, Charlotte snorted.

'Born to kiss Garrick Stevens,' she muttered.

Charlotte hadn't missed an opportunity to rub that in ever since the roles had been announced a week and a half ago.

'I need at least one more layer of padding in Charlotte's costume,' Camilla declared.

Olivia stifled a smile. Charlotte's balloon-like Nanny-bot costume had gone from the size of a normal television to a wide-screen deluxe during this final costume fitting.

'I'm not going to be able to move!' Charlotte wailed. The costume engulfed her up to her elbows and knees, so she had to waddle.

'Trust me,' Camilla said. 'You're going to look like the perfect old lady robot.'

'Great,' Charlotte said. 'Just the look I was going for.'

'I'm going to check on the boys,' Camilla said. 'You're doing a fabulous job, Sophia.' Sophia beamed. 'You two,' Camilla said to Olivia and Charlotte, 'have about five minutes to get changed and get out into the studio for our final blocking rehearsal.'

They had been pacing out each scene in the last few rehearsals and Camilla had told them she wanted to finalise it today so they could start full run-throughs tomorrow.

Sophia started to help Charlotte get out of her puff-ball costume.

'Would you say Juliet is more like a gazelle or a swan?' asked Olivia, placing her boots neatly on the shelf.

'I would say your Juliet is more like a golden goose,' Sophia replied, picking up the Nanny-bot wig where Charlotte had tossed it. 'Why do you ask?'

'It's just that this method acting book my bio-dad got for me,' Olivia explained, 'says that actors can model their movements on animals.'

'If that's the case,' Sophia whispered, 'then Charlotte should be thinking hippo.'

Four minutes later, when Olivia walked into the studio, Jackson and Garrick were rehearsing an early scene. It was the one just before Romezog met Julietron at the masked ball.

'Nay, gentle Romezog, we must have you dance,' said Jackson, pretending to play with the many arms that Garrick's costume once he was wearing it would have.

'Not I, believe me,' read Garrick from a scruffy-looking script, standing stock-still. 'You have ... uh ... dancing shoes with nimble soles; I have a soul of lead, so stakes me ...' He paused to look up and chuckle. 'Stakes ...' he repeated. When no one else seemed to think the joke was funny, he carried on. 'Uh ... stakes me to the ground I cannot move.'

Camilla looked like she was about to strangle him. 'Garrick, you are staying for extra rehearsals this afternoon,' she ordered.

'But my band is supposed to jam tonight,' he whined.

'Until you are off script,' Camilla said, 'and can do the entire play from memory, you will be stuck here with me every afternoon. Now, continue!'

As they went on, Olivia's stomach churned like a Mister Smoothie mixer.

Garrick was the least romantic Romeo in all of history. He might make a great twitchy alien, but there was nothing appealing about his spotty skin or his lecherous grins. At least she'd been able to avoid kissing him so far.

Jackson, on the other hand, looked amazing, delivering his lines with confidence. He still hadn't tried to kiss her and Olivia was starting to worry that she wouldn't be able to avoid Garrick for much longer.

'I dream'd a dream tonight,' read Garrick.

'And so did I,' replied Jackson.

'Well, what was yours?' Garrick sounded more like a petulant child than a Shakespearean actor.

'That dreamers often lie.' Jackson put his hands together and tucked them under his ear, like he was sleeping on a pillow, but emphasising the double meaning of 'lie'.

It's so unfair! Olivia thought. Jackson can get across two meanings while Garrick can't even get across one. Think how good a Romeo Jackson would have made!

It wasn't long before Olivia took the stage across from Garrick for the Romezog and Julietron scene where they meet at the ball and fall in love at first sight. There were boxes set up to represent the tables and the neon light fountain that would be on stage for the real thing.

Camilla and some of the other cast members were sitting in plastic seats to watch.

'Are you ready?' asked Camilla.

'Uh, huh, huh ...' Garrick chuckled his helicopter laugh again. 'Just a sec.'

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a familiar-looking bag and tipped a little powder down his trousers. Immediately, he started hopping around like a flea. He was using the itching powder to stay in character, taking method acting to a whole new level.

'Let's start from Tybalt's exit!' Camilla commanded.

They began rehearsing Romeo and Juliet's first meeting.

'O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do!' Garrick twitched nearer and nearer with every word. 'They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair,' he said in a monotone.

Unlike the previous scenes, Garrick had all these lines memorised. Probably, Olivia thought, because he read the kissing parts over and over again. Ew. But he was just saying them, without any feeling. Olivia wondered if Garrick even knew what he was saying.

Olivia had to hold on to all her willpower to stay in character and not cringe as she said her line, 'Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.'

'Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.' Garrick leered at her.

Olivia felt her mouth go dry. That was the line just before Romeo kisses Juliet.

'Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purg'd.' Garrick leaned in and Olivia turned it into a quick air-kiss even that made her want to projectile vomit.

'Cut, cut!' Camilla cried, waving her hands. 'Olivia, you are way too human. You're supposed to be a robot! And why aren't you two actually kissing? There's only a week until final dress rehearsal. I need to see the real love, the real pa.s.sion.'

Olivia almost gagged love, pa.s.sion? With Garrick?

'Run those lines again,' Camilla directed.

It looked like Olivia was about one minute away from having her first kiss with the wrong guy.

'But ... but ...' Olivia stammered.

Do something! she thought. It was too late to pretend to be ill; the fire alarm was in the other room; Camilla would kill her if she disrupted rehearsals.

'I'm having trouble with my motivation,' Olivia blurted. 'Would a robot really kiss an alien? Robots don't have feelings.'

Camilla practically shrieked, 'That's what makes it romantic! It's the whole point!'

Olivia looked around for support, but Jackson must have gone for a costume fitting. Ivy was somewhere painting the set and Charlotte was giggling in the corner.

Ugh.

'I completely agree, Ms Edmunson,' Garrick said, still wiggling around from the itching powder. 'It's very romantic.' He opened his arms to Olivia. 'Now, come here and give me a big kiss.'

Olivia felt a little bile rise up from her stomach. Kissing a boy who would actually put itching powder down his own jeans! Gross.

'We can't just kiss,' Olivia protested, stalling for time. 'You have to say the lines.'

'Fine: thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purg'd. Now, c'mere.' He hopped a jerky dance towards her. His breath smelled like bacon.

Three ... two ... one ...

At last, an idea came!

Olivia shrieked at the top of her lungs. Garrick recoiled and Camilla jumped out of her seat. Olivia felt a tiny bit guilty, but she'd started now and couldn't stop.

'Itch! Itching everywhere!' Olivia shouted, pretending to scratch herself. 'It must have been his powder!'

'Oh no!' Camilla said. 'Get to the bathroom!'

Olivia didn't need telling twice. She bolted from the studio and rushed to the nearest girls' bathroom. It took her a moment to catch her breath, so she leaned against the sink and was still standing there when Camilla opened the door.

Olivia tried to grab paper towels, but it was too late.

'You weren't really itching, were you?' Camilla asked softly.

Olivia bit her lip and shook her head.

Camilla sighed. 'I'm sorry; I do get really bossy when I'm in director mode.'

'It's not a bad thing,' Olivia replied. 'Jackson thinks you're as good as a Hollywood director.'

Camilla blushed, then hopped up on the sink counter. 'What's really going on?'

'I totally get why you picked Garrick, but I just can't kiss him a hundred times a day.' The very thought brought the bile back. 'It's the most foul thing ever.'