Chapter One

    Maya smiled as she ate her oatmeal. When she finished her breakfast, she was going to be allowed to go to her cousin’s house. Maya ate her final spoonful of oatmeal . . .

Put her bowl in the sink . . .

Grabbed her suitcase . . .

Told her parents goodbye . . .

And opened the door to her cousin’s house. Her cousins were ALL already there. 

    Leisha, the craziest, said, ‘’WHEN IS MAYA GOING TO COME?! WE’VE BEEN WAITING . . . oh, hi, Maya, like I was saying WHEN IS- MAYA!’’ Leisha realized Maya was there and gave her a BIG hug. 

    Maya laughed. ‘’Oh, my crazy cousin.’’ Leisha laughed. Blissa, the happiest cousin, laughed along.

Jimena, the most focused cousin, smiled. ‘’Glad that everyone’s here. Wait- let me be sure . . . Maya?’’ 

‘’Here!’’ -Calm excited voice-

‘’Leisha?’’ 

‘’Here!’’ -Loud voice-

‘’Blissa?’’

‘’Here!’’ -Cheerful voice-

‘’Faitha?’’

‘’Here!’’ -Calm voice-

‘’Manisha?’’

‘’Here!’’ -Dazed voice-

‘’Oriella?’

‘’Here!’’ -Excited voice-

‘’Finally, Melody?’’

‘’Here!’’ -Music Voice-

    Jimena smiled. ‘’NOW I know everyone’s here.’’     Blissa suddenly raises her hand. 

    Jimena calls on her. ‘’Yes, Blissa?’’

 Blissa asks, ‘’When are we going to the Crazy Carnival?’’ 

    Jimena smiled. ‘’This week!’’ she replied. 

    ‘’YAY!’’ Leisha squealed. 

    Blissa laughed joyfully. 

    Melody hummed a beautiful tune. 

    Jimena laughed. ‘’Everyone gets to choose a partner.’’ The cousins

looked excitedly at each other. Leisha looked at Maya. ‘’Do you want to be my partner?’’ Leisha asked. Maya sighed. She didn’t want to be partners with Leisha because she was always so loud. She wanted to be partners with Melody because her voice wasn’t loud at all. It was as calm as an ocean breeze. But Maya

didn’t want to hurt Leisha’s feelings, so she said, ‘’Sure.’’ Leisha jumped up and down. ‘’THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!’’ Leisha yelled. Maya giggled. ‘’You're welcome,’’ she said softly. Leisha put a big grin on her face. Melody was partnered with Oriella, Blissa was partnered with Faitha, and Jimena

was partnered with Manisha. ‘’It looks like everyone got a partner!’’ Jimena 

exclaimed. ‘’Now, let’s discuss what we’ll DO at Crazy Carnival!’’ Jimena said. Everyone smiled. Leisha’s tummy felt rumbly. ‘’Do you think we can eat first?’’ she

asked. Everyone laughed.

Chapter Two

         Leisha

    Leisha ate spaghetti her mom made until she felt like she could eat no more. She felt as if her stomach was about to explode.

    ‘’How about we all make a fort together?’’ Oriella suggested.

 ‘’Sure!’’ The other cousins agreed. 

‘’I changed my mind. How about we draw a picture?’’ Oriella suggested.

‘’Sure!’’ The other cousins agreed.

‘’I changed my mind. How about we watch a movie?’’ Oriella suggested.

‘’Sure,’’ the other cousins said uncertainly. 

‘’I changed my mind. How about we do a pillow fight?’’

‘’Sure,’’ The other cousins said again.

‘’ I changed my mind. How about-’’

‘’ENOUGH!’’ Leisha yelled. She grabbed the first pillow she saw and flung it at her cousin, Oriella. ‘’We’re doing a pillow fight, and THAT’S THAT!’’ 

The cousins spend the rest of their day giggling and having fun.

Chapter Three

Melody was playing a board game with her cousins. She and her cousins have been doing fun things together all day, but now it was very late, thus it was a quarter to midnight! 

Mrs. Faline, Leisha’s mom, came into the room and announced it was time for bed.

 All of the cousins pleaded with her, but she said no. Even Leisha’s shy sister, Linda, came to protest. Mrs. Faline permitted them to make a fort so they could go to sleep inside it. By the time they finished, it was a quarter past midnight! All the girls were exhausted, so Melody sang her cousins a lullaby so they could fall asleep. The cousins all created this lullaby, so Melody sang it.

Oh, we are cousins, the craziest cousins of all.

We support each other’s falls, and we help each other. We sing this song together, to remind us what cousins mean, and we will live happily.

Oh, we are cousins, as happy as can be! We sing this song, and support each other’s destinies! We help each other, we live with one another! Oh, we are cousins that

live happily!

But, the cousins didn’t know all of that was going to change.