Luna stepped onto the sidewalk. Her backpack bounced against her shoulders. A red leaf stuck to her shoe — she peeled it off and tried again.
A squirrel darted across the walkway! Luna jumped and dropped her bag. She covered her mouth, then bent down to pick it up.
Luna found her blue pencil in her pocket. She rubbed it between her thumb and fingers. It felt like a lucky charm.
The path got noisier. Children's voices drifted over the white fence ahead. Luna tightened her grip on her blue pencil and kept walking.
Luna pushed open the classroom door and froze. Twenty pairs of eyes turned toward her all at once.
The teacher knelt down to Luna's level. 'Hi there!' she said with a wide smile, holding out her hand.
A girl at a desk two rows back lifted her arm. 'Over here!' she called, pointing to an empty chair.
Luna walked forward with her blue pencil still in her hand. She pulled out the empty chair and sat down beside the girl.
