“We set up tables in front of businesses that will allow us,” Karina explained, walking home from school today. “Sometimes we ask our teachers too.”

She shrugged. “Honestly, we don’t raise lots of money.”

“What do y’all do with what you do raise?”

“Oh,” she said, watching two squirrels chase each other across the playground, “we usually just have enough for, like, a big pizza party or something. Sometimes enough for all of us to go to a movie.”

All these weeks I’ve been dreaming about selling enough brownies to go to the camp up in the mountains this summer. I imagined what camp in the mountains would be like every day when I looked west.

But tonight, I have a different idea.

After roll call, we say the Firefly Pledge.

“I promise to do my best every day to make the world a better place . . .”

Tonight, those words have extra meaning for me.

Karina stands at the podium and goes through the agenda. She looks at me and says, “Piper has requested time to talk about our brownie sales.” She motions for me to come up to the front.

I see Mama’s face in the back of the room. She smiles and nods. “Just tell their story,” I hear her say in my head.

“There’s a woman named Jewel. She lives over in the park across the road with her little dog, Baby. Jewel and Baby can’t be in a shelter like us where it’s safe and warm because they don’t allow pets in shelters. So,” I say, “they have to live outside, even in the winter.”

I see Alexa, Desiree, Chloe, Luz, Phoenix, and even Carmen frown.

Angel shakes her head. “That is so not fair.”

I take a deep breath and continue their story. “Because of that, Jewel got really sick with pneumonia and is in the hospital. Baby was left alone, and he’s just a little dog, kind of like Toto from The Wizard of Oz.” Seeing how upset people look, I rush to add, “But a lot of other people who live in the park helped look after him.”

“You helped too,” Karina adds.

“There’s no way I could have done all this without y’all,” I say, looking at my best friends.

Karina nods. Daria blushes. Fire grins and says, “Never underestimate the power of Firefly Girls together.”

Everybody laughs and claps.

“Exactly,” I say. I straighten my shoulders and touch my blue sash. “That’s why I’m proposing we help Jewel and Baby. They have a place to go when Jewel gets out of the hospital but no money to get there.”

“How can we help?” Desiree asks. “We sure don’t have any money.”

I grin. “Yes, but we do have brownies, and that’s a powerful thing.”

Fire pumps her fist. “Brownie power for the greater good!”

Oh, how I wish Ree could see her!