A Hole in the World by Sophie Robbins Page A

accompanied by citrus. Lemon truffles are completely off the menu.
    She’s sitting, sucking on a cherry lollipop, Cory watching her intently, when Daisy says, ‘We should take her to a theme park. She’d love that.’
    ‘If you can afford that, feel free,’ Bianca says, ‘but I blew all my allowance today on this.’
    ‘Cory!’ Daisy grins at him.
    ‘No.’ Cory shakes his head. ‘I’m not allowed to spend any large amount of money until July. Something about spending way too much on my guitar.’
    ‘Damn.’ Daisy looks displeased.
    ‘That’s okay, we can do it another time,’ Scotty suggests, cheerfully.
     ‘Sure.’ Daisy lounges back on the grass and checks her phone. ‘It’s getting late,’ she says. ‘Mum’ll be wondering where I am. Oh, wait. No she won’t.’
    ‘Dais...’ says Cory.
    Daisy shrugs. ‘Hey, at least neglectful parents is something we all have in common, right?’ She laughs. ‘Hand me the chocolate.’
    She breaks off a large strip of milk chocolate and savours it as Bianca watches. ‘Is that how you guys became friends?’ Bianca asks the group. ‘You bonded over your mutual issues with parents.’
    ‘Nah, I became friends with Daisy because she broke my leg in drama,’ Cory says.
    Bianca blinks. ‘You what?’
    ‘We were doing a rehearsal and she slipped, landed on top of me, pinned my leg wrong and snap . She felt so bad she went with me to hospital and kept coming to my house with movies and chocolates.’ Cory eats a truffle, as though to illustrate. ‘We bonded.’
    ‘I’m sure there’s a word for ‘bonding’ with someone who abuses you...’ Bianca muses. Daisy hits her on the shoulder and she laughs.
    ‘Daisy’s right, though,’ Cory says. ‘We probably should go home. Else the parents will choose this one time to notice our absence.’
    ‘Yeah, you’re right. And I have to smuggle a princess and a whole lot of chocolate into my room without my mum noticing,’ Bianca says.
    ‘That won’t be too hard,’ Scotty replies.  They laugh for a moment and then, as a group, stand up. ‘Come on,’ he says. ‘I’ll walk you home.’
    *
    Once they’re home and Alexandra and Bianca have changed out of their uniforms, the two girls sit on Bianca’s bed and go through the sweets some more.
    ‘Try some Smarties.’ Bianca proffers them in Alexandra’s direction and the princess spends the next ten minutes sucking the chocolate out of the middle of each one individually and then eating the shell.
    Bianca finds this adorable and very amusing. ‘You’re a strange one,’ she says, with a smile.
    ‘I am normal,’ Alexandra says, completely seriously. ‘It is your world that is strange and unusual. You have such peculiar customs and mannerisms. You touch and attack each other without provocation but without meaning harm... and you accept me so readily.’
    ‘You’re lucky my friends are accepting people,’ Bianca says, finding it strange that all of a sudden Scotty’s friends are her friends, too. ‘A lot of kids wouldn’t be so accepting. They’d think you are weird and treat you badly.’
    ‘I have been considered ‘weird’ for a lot of my life,’ Alexandra says, quietly. ‘I have always dreamed of a prince who will come to me, of a person I could be with forever, of a world with no conflict, united beneath my gentle rule. Most people do not understand this.’
    ‘You gonna be Queen Alexandra some day?’ Bianca enquires, tucking in to a piece of shortbread.
    Alexandra nods. ‘I am,’ she says. ‘And you shall be Queen Bianca.’
    Bianca chokes on her shortbread. ‘I... what ?!’
    ‘As my Prince Charming, you will one day rule at my side.’ Alexandra smiles. ‘You will be a wonderful Queen, I believe.’
    ‘Look,’ Biance says, softly. ‘Not only do you seem to have some major issues with getting genders confused, here, but also you aren’t listening. I’m not your Prince Charming. One day, I’m sure, your prince will come, but