Page 3 of Queen of Nothing

“I think a little life is when people die from heartbreak,” I decided and basketed my legs, “from being poor.”

Dray frowned at the pages. “The Ströms aren’t poor.”

I made a face at him. “Your mother said they are.”

“Oh.” Dray couldn’t have cared less. He pushed the menu onto my lap. “Split a gelato?”

I sifted over the dessert page. “There’s no cannoli?”

Impatient, Oliver snatched the menu from me. “No one else likes cannoli. You have to pick food we all like.”

My mouth puckered, moody. “Do we have to share?”

“Mother said we only get one dessert between us.” Oliver flicked the page, too rough, and it tore at the edge. “And one meal to share.”

Dray nudged me with his shoulder. “It’s your fault. You ate so much you were sick last night. If you weren’t sick, we wouldn’t have been caught.”

Oliver’s face twisted. “It stunk of liquorice.”

True.

It did stink.

I stole too much from Grandmother Ethel’s stash of chocolate-coated liquorice. I ate too much of it.

Got the cane for it, too.

Oliver smacked the book shut. “We will order cannoli—” Dray made a face. “—if you ask Mother what a little life is.”

I stuck out my hand.

He stuck out his.

And we shook on it.

The three of us clambered out of the pit. And shadows had stretched over us.

I looked up and saw two lovely faces angled down at us.

Serena and Asta had found us.

Serena started, “What are you do—"

“Go away,” Oliver snapped as he scrambled to his feet. “You are not invited!”

I snickered and chased at his heels, Dray at mine, and we ran back to the daybeds.

Oliver flattened the menu on the mattress, beside Mother’s stretched out legs.

She looked over her sunglasses at us. “Is it lunch already?”

Oliver then threw an expectant look at me, just as Dray dropped onto the daybed, exhausted from digging sand pits in the sun.

I nudged myself between Amelia and Mother. “What’s a little life?”

Mother’s smile was tired and smelled of those nice cocktails she and Amelia had been drinking all morning.

Amelia sang her question, “Have you all been repeating things the adults said?”