"I don't wanna," Keeley cried, tightening her arms.
"It's going to be fun!" her mom said with a bright smile. She kneeled in front of her. "You'll make a lot of new friends."
Her pigtails bounced as she shook her head. "No. I wanna be with Zach." She hugged her twin harder, not letting go.
Zach patted her head. "It's okay, Keels. I'll see you at recess."
"No!" she shouted.
Parents and children stared at the trio as they walked into Tiny Tots Pre-School. One girl even pointed her finger, whispering something to her mother.
"Why can't I be with you?" Keeley asked, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't understand. They were always together. Who was she going to play with?
"Because you're in different kindergarten classes, sweetie," her mom answered. Slowly, she pried her arms off Zach. Keeley's lip trembled as her mom cupped her chubby cheeks. "I promise you'll have a good time. Your teacher, Mrs. Shapiro, seems really nice."
"I'm scared," she admitted in a small voice. She looked down at her new pink shoes. She'd been so excited when she got them, but now she wished she hadn't. Maybe then she could stay at home. "I don't wanna be alone."
Zach unzipped his Batman backpack and pulled out his favorite eraser—a yellow and black bat signal. He'd won it at the county fair playing a game with their dad. "Here." He held it out to her. "You have it today."
"Really?" He loved that eraser so much. He even slept with it under his pillow.
His head bobbed up and down. He gave his mom a quick peek before leaning in. "It has secret powers," he whispered in her ear. "You squeeze it and it sends a signal."
"To who?" she asked, her eyes widening.
His chest puffed out. "To whoever I want."
She searched the eraser, but didn't see anything special about it. "How do I do it?"
"Only I have the secret password." He took it out of her hands and tapped the eraser for a couple seconds. "I just set the signal to me. Now when you squeeze it, I'll know and I'll send a signal back. That way you won't be alone."
"Wow," she whispered in awe. She had no idea it did all that. No wonder he always kept it so close.
"Just don't loose it," he warned.
"I promise," she swore, eagerly grabbing the treasured item. Her little fingers wrapped around it, holding the eraser tightly.
Her mom stood up. "Zach and I will walk you to class, okay?"
She paused, still scared. Zach motioned to the eraser in her hand and she squeezed it. He tapped his temple and then winked at her. She could feel the eraser warm up in her hand. Her mouth dropped. It really worked.
"Ready?" he asked, grabbing her hand.
She nodded. The eraser gave her the extra courage she needed. Hand in hand, they walked down the hallway to Keeley's classroom. Mrs. Shapiro gave her a warm smile as she ushered them inside and showed them Keeley's seat. The girl who'd pointed at them earlier was sitting in the chair next to hers. She had curly black hair and was snacking on an apple.
"I'm Nicky," she said, swinging her legs back and forth. "Who are you?"
"Keeley," she whispered, tightening her grip on the eraser.
"I like your shoes."
"I like yours too." They were yellow and had smiley faces on them.
"Do you want some?" Nicky asked, pointing to the apple slices.
Keeley's face scrunched.
Embarrassed, Nicky looked down at the table. "That's all I have."
She hadn't meant to make Nicky feel bad. Quickly, she set Zach's eraser on the desk and reached into her backpack. She pulled out a small bag of candy her mom had packed her. "We can share," she said, proudly holding it out to Nicky.
A slow smile spread across Nicky's face. "Really?"
"Really!" Keeley said, grinning back.
"These are my favorite."
"Mine too!"
"Keels," Zach said, sticking his head in between the two girls. "You okay?"
She nodded cheerfully. Maybe kindergarten wasn't going to be so bad after all.
A small frown appeared between his brows as he stared at the eraser on the desk.
"Come on, Zach," their mom said. "You don't want to be late."
"Yeah, you'll get a tardy if you're late," Nicky added helpfully. "Mrs. Shapiro said so."
He glared at her and purposefully turned his back. "If you need me..."
"I know," Keeley said, giving him a big hug. "You better go. I don't wanna get you in trouble."
He nodded, but didn't look happy.
After he left with their mother, Keeley sat in her chair. "Do you like cartoons?"
"I love them!"
As they chatted about their favorite shows, Keeley forgot about the eraser, too happy at finding a new friend.
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