of my attention: a small, cold stone sinking

into a depth I can’t quite see.

“Emma says…” said Ollie? She told him

what I told her, and he is telling me

what she told him. Something here

has shifted while I’ve been away.

With Our Three Arms / Emma

With Our Three Arms

Emma

Ollie gently mentions Frank: I hate to see you cry

about your brother. I’ll try to do things he would have done

for you. The kindness in his eyes and voice loosens a tight place

deep inside me, releasing an ache I’ve been trying not to feel. Instead

of simply saying “Thank you,” I start to tremble, my shoulders shake,

and I can’t stop myself from crying. Ollie, startled, steps back. I’m sorry,

Emma. Of course no one can take Frank’s place. I know I could never …

His arm drops to his side. I nod my head: It’s okay. All the tears I’ve ever

kept myself from crying seem to be falling now, torrential. Don’t worry,

Emma, I don’t mean … I want … I put my finger to his lips to make

him stop apologizing. He leans down to kiss my forehead …

and then somehow, with our three arms, we embrace.

I whisper, You’re not my brother, Ollie—I find one

clear smile—and I don’t want you to try.

Nothing in the World / Muriel

Nothing in the World

Muriel

It’s true, Muriel. I saw them, Grace confides.

They didn’t see me, though—Emma might think

I’m still sick. I’m sure Ollie has told Emma

that Grace is out of bed, but it’s true that Grace

can be so quiet you don’t know she’s there.

Why shouldn’t I believe her? Ollie and Emma,

hugging and kissing—I’m not surprised.

Emma has always had a soft spot in her heart

for Ollie, though he has never quite believed it.

Two people I care for, together now—I’m …

happy for them. What’s wrong, Muriel? Grace’s question

catches me off guard. I’m on the edge of tears—

I don’t know how to answer. Nothing,

Grace, nothing in the world is wrong.

Is that closer to the truth than I admit?

Nothing. Is that what will be left for me, if

Emma and Ollie are to be a pair? At home, we were

always Frank and Emma, Muriel and Ollie.

At school, it was Frank and Ollie,

Muriel and Emma. If Frank is gone, and now

it’s Emma matched with Ollie, where

does that leave me? With no one.

Nothing. Nothing in the world.

Worth Knowing / Ollie

Worth Knowing

Ollie

Clever words and witty conversation are not

how I make friends. Still, I never dreamed that being

nice could be enough to get a girl to notice me. All these years,