But not Troop 423. Everybody hurries to one of the chairs Mama and Mrs. Bailey set up. There’s no giggling or whispering. All the girls sit up straight and proud, eyes fixed on Karina.

One by one, Karina calls their names—Angel, Alexa, Carmen, Daria, Desiree, Chloe (Chloe lets go of my hand, shoots her arm up into the air), Jessica, Luz, Phoenix, Sapphire (“You know I’m here!”), and Trina—and each one raises their hand and says, “Here!” All except Trina.

Karina frowns. “Anybody seen Trina?”

Heads shake. Shoulders shrug.

“Well,” Karina says, putting down her roll-call list, “we have someone new joining our troop today.”

Karina motions me to stand up. Her mother says, “Tell us a little bit about yourself, baby.”

“And don’t leave nothing out,” Sapphire commands. Everyone laughs.

I stand up. My stomach slides down to my toes. What all do I say? Do I tell about my life before and why we’re here?

I look at the roomful of girls all looking back at me with expectant eyes. In their bright-blue vests and sashes, they look like any other Firefly troop. But they’re not. They’ll understand my story, even without all the details.

I take a deep breath. “My name is Piper Trudeau. I’m eleven—almost twelve—and in fifth grade. I was born and raised in Louisiana but came here from Texas.”

“Whew,” Sapphire says. “That’s a long ways away, Louisiana.”

“Sure is,” several of the girls agree.

“I belonged to Firefly Girls Troop Sixty-Three back home in Cyprus Point.” I start to sit down, but then I add, “And I’ve never seen snow before or mountains.”

“We got a lot of both,” Carmen says.

“Thanks, Piper,” Karina says. I sit back down.

“Let’s stand and recite the Firefly Girls Pledge,” Karina says.

We all stand. I look around for the poster with the Firefly Pledge printed in big bold letters. That’s what my old troop used to recite from. There’s not one here.

I gulp. It’s been so long, I don’t think I remember all the words.

And then, as if a choir conductor had raised his baton, everyone places their hands over their hearts, voices strong and confident:

I promise to do my best every day

to make the world a better place,

to demonstrate kindness, compassion,

fairness, and strength,

and to shine my light as a beacon of hope.

I promise to respect my family, myself, and

all living things.

Together, we are brighter.

Together, we are stronger.

Together we can make a difference.

Whew! I remembered!

For the first time in months, I feel like I’m on solid ground.

Karina taps her pencil on a piece of paper. “First item on the agenda,” she says, “is new badges and pins.”

My mouth drops open. Not because there are new badges and pins, but because there is an agenda. These girls are serious!