The Love List

Alice traced the pattern on the kitchen tablecloth with her finger, the tiny embroidered flowers blurring into a soft, watery haze. She could hear the muffled sounds of Mom – Sandra – talking in the living room, her voice a warm hum that usually made Alice feel safe, but today it felt like a distant melody she couldn't quite reach. Olivia was beside her, carefully arranging a mismatched collection of buttons into a rainbow on a piece of cardboard. Olivia always knew what to do with things, how to make them fit together. Alice wished she had that knack.

"Mommy's talking to Auntie Rose," Olivia said softly, not looking up from her button art. "About us."

Alice’s heart gave a little flutter. Was Mom talking about her? Was she explaining why Olivia got more smiles, more praise, more… everything? Alice tried to push the thought away, but it clung to her like sticky jam. She remembered the art project from yesterday. Mom had praised Olivia’s neat brushstrokes, how she’d blended the colors so perfectly. When it was Alice’s turn, Mom had just said, "That's nice, dear," before moving on to help Lambert with his lopsided clay dinosaur. Nice. Not special. Not amazing. Just… nice.