One (Sarah Crossan)

Blood

Tippi and I are teaching Grammie how to

tag herself in online photos

when the blood comes.

We plod into the bathroom

and

I smile at the rust-coloured spot

as I do whenever this happens,

each time it’s proven

that I am a real girl.

Dragon is in her room

doing the splits.

‘Got any sanitary pads?’ Tippi asks.

Dragon

leaps up

and pulls a full packet of pads from her closet.

‘Have them,’ she says,

and hurls them at us.

Tippi catches the pads.

‘Won’t you need them?’

‘I don’t think so,’ Dragon admits.

I glance at the place on Dragon’s body where a baby would

show itself,

but that’s not it.

‘What’s wrong?’ I ask.

Dragon flicks her hair over her shoulders.

‘You guys aren’t regular.

Must run in the family.’

But that is

not it

either.