A Hole in the World by Sophie Robbins Read Free Book Online

mutters.
    *
    Twenty minutes later, Bianca is, insofar as her attire, all ready for school: shirt buttoned, tie draped around her neck and blazer and black trousers on, and trying to tie Alexandra’s tie for her, even as the blonde complains and tries to figure out what the purpose of the tie is.
    ‘I don’t know ,’ Bianca says, for the fourth time. ‘I just know we have to wear it, so just let me tie it!’ She pulls the tail through as Alexandra picks up and examines the trousers.
    ‘Put those on,’ Bianca says.
    ‘These are meant for men,’ Alexandra announces, wrinkling her nose and holding out the offending garment towards Bianca. ‘Womenfolk are meant to wear skirts and dresses.’
    ‘I think I just heard a hundred feminists crying.’ Bianca glares at her and finally finishes off the tie. ‘Can’t you just wear the trousers? Is that too much to ask ?’
    Alexandra drops them on the bed in disgust. ‘Trousers,’ she says, using the word as though for the first time, ‘are for princes.’ She gestures at Bianca and her trouser-clad legs.
    ‘And princesses!’ Bianca exclaims. ‘Really! Princesses can wear them too!’
    ‘It is not proper and I will not do it!’ Alexandra exclaims.
    ‘Oh... for crying out loud .’ Bianca glares at her, pushes past her and walks across to the wardrobe. ‘I might have a skirt in here somewhere...’ She rifles through the articles of clothing lying abandoned on the base and, after a couple of minutes, comes back with a short, pleated skirt from a few years before. It’s multiple sizes too small for her now – something she’s eternally grateful for, since it stops Julia from nagging her to show off her legs – but will probably fit Alexandra. It’s also black, which fits with the school dress code.
    ‘I dunno if it’ll fit you,’ she says, bringing it back across to the cantankerous princess, ‘but it’s worth a try, I guess.’ She shrugs and moves away to tie her own tie, having paid attention only to Alexandra’s.  ‘Now, come on. We need to go downstairs.’
    She pulls the blonde from the room, skirt still clutched in dainty hands, and drags her down the stairs and into the kitchen-cum-dining room. She’s half way across to the fridge when she notices Alexandra just standing there .  ‘Are you going to put that on or what?’ she asks, after a moment, gesturing at the small slip of black fabric in Alexandra’s hands.
    ‘Yes, of course.’ Bianca can’t help but track the skirt’s progress as the blonde pulls it on and up her slender legs to sit, comfortably, on her hips. Although the waist size seems to be perfect, the skirt itself barely comes down to her mid-thigh. Alexandra stares at it in disbelief and Bianca just stares. ‘This skirt... It is inappropriate !’
    ‘Do you want the skirt or the trousers?’ Bianca snaps, stalking across and hitting the button on the kettle to boil it, not even bothering to check there’s still water contained within from the night before. Alexandra pulls a face and Bianca knows she’s won.
    She navigates across the room and opens the fridge. She’s about to retrieve food of some description when it occurs to her she has no idea what princesses eat. ‘What do you want? You look like the type to be vegetarian or something.’ Alexandra isn’t forthcoming so she sighs and says, ‘Toast, I think. Toast is usually the lesser of the evils...’ She pulls a carton of juice from the fridge and grabs a loaf of bread from within the breadbin by the sink. When she turns to take it over to the toaster, she notices Alexandra is standing beside the microwave, the damn hat finally discarded upstairs, and looking lost, so Bianca gives her a reassuring smile and asks, ‘Toast okay by you?’
    Alexandra nods, cautiously. Bianca suspects she doesn’t have a clue what toast even is .
    ‘Okay then.’ She retrieves two glasses and pours orange juice into both, then pushes one of the glasses towards the blonde.