Sleepover Club Vampires Page 2

  The others shook their heads and looked suitably ashamed. They gave Lyndz an extra big hug.

  “Sorry for being so mean,” Frankie told her. “You go and have fun – just not too much, OK?”

  At least we were all friends again, which was the main thing. But my big speech back there had got me thinking. Why couldn’t we all go up to Scotland? Uncle Bob wasn’t really ninety, and Dad had already said that he had loads of rooms and loved having his house full of people. What could be better than having it full of my friends? I knew that Mum would be speaking to him that night to confirm the arrangements, so I’d have to ask her if the rest of the gang could come with us before she phoned.

  All afternoon I rehearsed how I would ask her. The only problem was that as far as Mum was concerned, us Sleepover girls together meant only one thing – TROUBLE. And it was one thing coping with that in your own home, but quite another transporting it hundreds of miles up into the wilds of Scotland.

  I decided to just grab the bull by the horns and ask Mum straight out as soon as I got home. But it was just my luck that she was tackling Dad’s paperwork. Now if there’s one thing I’ve learnt in my ten years on this planet, it is never to disturb Mum when she’s got her business-head on. The fall-out can be pretty spectacular – I still have the scars to prove it! And it was the worst luck ever that she had her business-head on all through dinner and all through the rest of the evening. In fact she only snapped out of it when the phone rang.

  “Oh Uncle Bob!” she spoke crisply into the receiver. “I was just about to ring you.”

  Drat, drat and double blooming drat covered in bogies. I was too late – there was no way that the rest of the Sleepover gang could come up to Scotland with us now!

  Whilst Mum chatted to Great Uncle Bob, I sat on the stairs and put my head in my hands. I’d let my chums down big time. I know that they weren’t expecting to go to Scotland with us or anything, but I’d kind of got used to the idea in my head.

  I’d never been to Great Uncle Bob’s house before, but I imagined it was like this enormous castle overlooking a lake. I figured that it would have about fifty bedrooms and they’d all have four-poster beds and jacuzzi baths just like the one Fliss has, only much bigger. I imagined the five of us swimming in the lake. Well, maybe Fliss wouldn’t actually swim in the lake, she’d just hover at the edge looking pretty…

  “…Laura! Laura! For goodness sake, stop daydreaming! Uncle Bob wants a word with you!” Mum was holding out the receiver to me and looking very impatient.

  What on earth could he want with me? I hadn’t been listening to Mum’s conversation at all, so I didn’t know what she’d told him about Lyndz and her family. Maybe he was going to explain to me why they couldn’t stay with us after all. I braced myself for the worst.

  “Er, h-hello?” I stammered, taking the phone from Mum.

  “Kenny! How are you?” a warm chuckly voice asked.

  Now any adult who calls me Kenny instead of my stupid proper name is all right by me.

  “Fine thanks!” I grinned.

  “So I’m finally going to meet you and one of your friends – two for the price of one, eh?” he guffawed.

  “Erm yes, thanks for letting Lyndz come too, Great Uncle Bob,” I said. “We really appreciate it.”

  “The more the merrier. How are the rest of your Sleepover chums?” he asked.

  Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather! How on earth did he know about them?

  “Erm, fine thanks,” I whispered. I was beginning to see why Mum thought the guy was a bit strange.

  “It seems such a pity that only one of your friends is going to accompany you up to Bonny Scotland. How about inviting the others as well? What are their names again? Frankie, Fliss and who’s the other one?”

  The guy was seriously starting to spook me out now.

  “R-Rosie!” I squeaked.

  “Ah yes, that’s the one!” he chuckled. “I love reading about your sleepover exploits in your Christmas letters!”

  Phew! So that’s how he knew about the Sleepover gang. (Mum makes us write these stupid letters to our rellies at Crimbo time and I always fill mine with stuff about our best sleepovers and of course news of Leicester City FC!)

  Anyway, when I’d recovered myself I suddenly realised what Great Uncle Bob had suggested. It was like he could really read my mind!

  “Thanks, Great Uncle Bob!” I screamed. “That’d be brilliant! I’ll ask them all tomorrow.”

  “Oh Kenny – there’s just one thing before you go.”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you think you could just call me ‘Uncle Bob’? I don’t want to feel like a doting old fool just yet!”

  I grinned. “OK Uncle Bob, you’ve got it. See ya!”

  I handed the phone over to Dad, who was hovering by my shoulder. This was just wicked! I couldn’t wait to see the others at school the next day. But I was going to make sure that I had some fun with them first.

  The next morning I was in the playground first for once. As soon as Rosie appeared, I started doing this crazy jig.

  “You look like a turkey with a firework up its bottom!” she shrieked. “What on earth are you doing?”

  “The highland fling!” I shouted, throwing myself into my dancing with gusto. “Lyndz and I have to learn it for Uncle Bob’s party. It’s going to be wicked.”

  “Oh!” Rosie’s face fell. “Right.”

  “Yeah, he has this mega big party every year and we’re going to be there for it. It’s going to be ace! Hey Lyndz, I’m going to have to teach you the highland fling before we go up to Scotland, you know!”

  Lyndz was walking into the playground with Frankie and Fliss. She looked kind of embarrassed when I mentioned the Scottish trip, like she didn’t want to upset the others or something. But I didn’t let that stop me.

  “Uncle Bob’s got this stonking great pile of a house. It’s really mega. You’d love it, guys!” I looked round the others then clapped my hand over my mouth. “Oops sorry, I forgot! Still, Lyndz and I’ll tell you all about it when we get back, won’t we?”

  Lyndz just went bright red and looked at her feet. The others looked seriously peeved.

  But I didn’t stop there. By lunchtime I’d told them that Uncle Bob had hundreds of servants, including chefs who could knock up any delicacy you fancied. I’d also told them how all the guests at his party would be in the height of fashion and dripping in diamonds. You should have seen their faces! Honestly, if looks could kill, I’d be dead a million times over.

  I was just about to launch into a description of Uncle Bob’s (imaginary) helicopter and speedboat when Frankie snarled:

  “OK McKenzie, I think we get the picture! You and Lyndz are going to have a fantastic time in Scotland and we’re not. Well quite frankly I pity Lyndz. I wouldn’t want to spend all my half-term with such a bragger. I don’t know what’s got into you, Kenny. You’re not the same girl we used to know.”

  The others stared at me hard and shook their heads. Even Lyndz was looking at me sadly.

  “We wouldn’t come to Scotland with you if you paid us, would we girls?” Frankie growled.

  “No way!”

  “No thanks!”

  I grinned. My plan had worked.

  “Well that’s a pity,” I said innocently. “Because I was going to ask you all if you wanted to come with us too!”

  “You’re kidding!” The others started doing impressions of goldfishes with their mouths open.

  “No, straight up,” I admitted. “Uncle Bob invited you himself last night. I was just winding you up to pay you back for being so mean yesterday!”

  “Kenny, you creep!” Frankie leapt on to my back.

  “Still, if you’re not going to come it doesn’t matter,” I shrugged, shaking her off.

  “‘Course we will, you dill!” Frankie grinned. “Especially if your Uncle’s place is as fantastic as you say.”

  “Ah well, I actually made that up!” I conf
essed. “I’ve never even been there myself. It could be one big run-down old shack for all I know.”

  “Oh well, in that case,” Rosie said jokingly, “I don’t think we should go. What do you think, Fliss?”

  “Well erm, I don’t think Mum would let me go anyway,” Fliss admitted sheepishly.

  “WHAT?” I almost screamed. “You gave Lyndz and me such a hard time yesterday because you weren’t coming with us and now you say you can’t come anyway? There’s no pleasing some people!”

  “Mum needs me to help out with the twins,” Fliss told us huffily. “She’s always saying how she’d be lost without me.”

  “But you will ask her, won’t you Fliss? It’ll be a laugh,” Frankie giggled.

  Then she turned to me. “Kenny, you are serious about this, aren’t you? This isn’t another one of your sick jokes?”

  “I’m seriously serious,” I reassured them. “Just ask your parents tonight and let me know tomorrow.”

  I felt all kind of warm and happy as we walked home from school. Not only would Lyndz be having a better half-term than she expected – we all would!

  I thought the worst thing about the whole deal would be waiting until the following day to see whether the others could go. But that evening our phone was ringing hot on the hook. And do you know who the first person to ring was? Only Mrs Proudlove, Fliss’s mum.

  As soon as I heard her voice on the other end I thought, “Oh-oh, trouble.” We’d never hear the end of it if Fliss really couldn’t go, because as you well know she hates being left out of anything. And her mum does tend to fuss over nothing. I just knew that she would be panicking about how far away Scotland was, and who would be taking care of her precious baby in her absence.

  Well, it just goes to show how much I know.

  “That was Fliss’s mum,” said Mum as she came off the phone about three hours later. Hell-o Mum, I knew that, I answered the phone, remember?

  “She just rang to check arrangements for Scotland and to thank us for taking Fliss with us.”

  “What?” I asked, stunned. “You mean she can come?”

  “She certainly can! Nikki seemed quite relieved to have her off her hands, to be honest with you.”

  Now that I could believe.

  Ten seconds later the phone rang again. It was Frankie.

  “I can come, I can come!” she squealed down the phone. “Is your mum around so my mum can discuss the arrangements with her?”

  Whilst Mum was still on the phone Molly returned from Carli’s.

  “Who’s that?” She gestured to the phone.

  “Frankie’s mum. Not that it’s any of your business!”

  “What did she want, then?” Molly demanded as soon as Mum had put the phone down. But I could guess by her aggressive tone that she’d already figured out the answer.

  “Uncle Bob asked me to invite the rest of my mates to Scotland with us,” I smiled evilly. “I guess he knows that you’ve only got the one friend to invite!”

  Molly made a lunge for me.

  “That’ll do, you two,” said Mum sharply. “If there’s going to be any trouble, neither of you will be coming. You can go and stay at Gran’s with Emma.”

  I should explain that Emma our older sister had to study for exams over half-term, so she was staying with our grandparents in Cuddington.

  “Well, how are we all going to get up there?” Molly demanded. “There won’t be enough room in our car.”

  Oh no! I hadn’t even thought about that! Fortunately Mum had.

  “I know that, Molly. That’s why Lyndz’s parents will be taking all the girls in their van.”

  Wicked!

  The only person we hadn’t heard from was Rosie-Posie, and I just knew that there wouldn’t be a problem with her. Her mum’s always a bit strapped for cash since her dad left, and they never get much of a chance to get away. I knew that she’d be keen to let Rosie have a break with us.

  Well, I was wrong again! When I got to school the next morning, the others were all in a huddle in the playground. I figured they’d all be chatting excitedly about Scotland, but they looked dead miserable.

  “Whassup?” I rushed over to them.

  “Rosie can’t come with us,” Fliss said quietly.

  “No! Why not?”

  “It’s Mum’s new boyfriend Richard, he wants us all to go somewhere together,” Rosie sniffed. “I tried to persuade Mum, really I did, but there was no way she was going to budge. She really likes this guy and she said this was really important to her. What could I do?”

  Rosie put her hands over her eyes and her shoulders started to shake. Fliss put her arm round her and Lyndz and Frankie looked glumly at their feet.

  I felt gutted. It just wouldn’t be the same if we weren’t all together.

  “I don’t know what to say Rosie, I really don’t,” I admitted. “We’re just not going to enjoy Scotland so much now, are we guys?”

  Nobody said anything. I looked at Frankie – and I swear she was laughing! Lyndz was bright red in the face and starting to splutter, and Fliss was trying so hard not to laugh that she was snorting down her nose.

  “Guys?”

  “FOOLED YOU!” they all yelled together.

  “You’re not the only one who can wind people up, you know!” giggled Rosie, slapping me on the shoulder.

  “You mean you can come?” I asked, gobsmacked.

  “’Course I can!” Rosie smiled. “Richard had mentioned about going away but when I told him about your Great Uncle Bob’s place he said it sounded a lot of fun and I should definitely go. He says we can go away another time. Isn’t that cool?”

  “Not as cool as us all going away together!” I said, and we all started doing a crazy jig right there in the middle of the playground.

  “Well, Uncle Bob, you’d better watch out!” I sang. “’Cos Scotland here we come!”

  For the next few days, right up until half-term, all we could talk about was Scotland and what a wicked time we were going to have. I swear that even our breath turned tartan.

  Fliss’s main concern was – surprise, surprise – what clothes she was going to take.

  “I’ve got this cool little mini kilt with a dinky pin, and an Aran sweater – that’s Scottish, isn’t it? And I saw these great checked cropped trousers in Gap, Mum might buy those for me too.”

  “Get a life!” I scoffed. “All Mum said was that you should take plenty of warm things and some sturdy walking shoes. So that doesn’t mean your silver stilettos, all right Fliss?”

  “But what about the party?” asked Rosie. “Surely we’ll need something posh for that.”

  “I doubt it. The villagers who go won’t exactly expect to see us wearing tiaras,” I reassured her. “Just take whatever’s comfortable. I know what I’ll be wearing…”

  “…Your Leicester City football kit!” chimed in the others. “Yes, we know!”

  “Although I do think you ought to make a bit of an effort for your Great Uncle,” Fliss told me seriously. “You don’t want to let him down, do you?”

  How I stopped myself from punching her in the hooter I’ll never know. Fliss gets me like that sometimes. And the thing is, she has absolutely no idea at all that she’s winding me up. Although she wound everybody up on the day we actually set off for Scotland – and everybody made sure she knew about that!

  To be fair, it wasn’t all Fliss’s fault that the start of our holiday was a disaster. My dad had a hand in it too – or at least one of his patients did. Now I know that doctors are there to serve their patients. And I know that saving lives is one of the most important jobs in the whole world. But why did Mrs Fogarty decide that 10.30 on Saturday morning was the ideal time to ring Dad to say that her son was seriously ill? I mean, we were all packed up and ready to go to Lyndz’s to meet up with the others.

  “Mrs Fogarty, you really ought to call the surgery,” Dad told her gently as we all stood around tutting and pointing at our watches. “Of course they’ll see a
patient if it’s an emergency. No Mrs Fogarty, I wouldn’t want a death on my conscience, but I am pretty…all right then Mrs Fogarty, I will come round as soon as I can.”

  “DAD!” Molly and I yelled together.

  “Look, her son just might have meningitis and you can’t play around with that. I’ll be back as soon as I can. You’d better ring Patsy and Keith and explain the situation to them.”

  And with that, Dad grabbed his doctor’s bag and flew out of the door.

  Now if I was a doctor, I don’t really know what I would have done. But just at that moment I wasn’t thinking about being a doctor. I was just thinking about meeting up with my mates and getting up to Scotland to have some fun.

  Eleven o’clock passed. And half past. It was almost midday when Dad finally reappeared. I was certain that the boy had had to go to hospital for sure.

  “Well?” we asked when Dad finally came through the door. We could tell by the look on his face that it wasn’t good news.

  “A temperature and a runny nose. The lad has a wee cold,” he told us grimly. “I spent half an hour trying to reassure the woman that her son was not on death’s door, and then I had to go to the surgery to inform the other doctors. You couldn’t make me a cup of tea, could you Molly love? I feel exhausted and I’ve still got that long drive ahead of me.”

  Talk about spitting feathers! We’d never get up to Scotland at this rate.

  When we did eventually set off, I hadn’t been in the car five minutes before I’d had a fight with Molly, called Carli a brainless chicken and been told by Mum that if I carried on I wouldn’t be going to Scotland at all. Needless to say, by the time we drew up in front of Lyndz’s I was well cheesed off. Not in the best of moods then to cope with Fliss bawling her eyes out and having what looked like a full-on paddy.

  “What’s with her?” I asked Frankie, who was looking a bit pink round the edges.

  “She’s just discovered that she’s brought her brother Callum’s bag instead of her own.”