8

Maya

“Let me get this straight. You’re going to be a Creator? How did you keep this from meall day?” Edz’s fork drops against her plate.

I’ve held back from spilling the news because I wanted to share it with my whole family during our weekly Saturday dinner. My parents are the whole reason we all work at Dreamland together, so I wanted to celebrate with them too.

Nikki jumps out of her seat, making her brunette curls fly around her head. She throws her arms around me. “Yay! You did it!”

I hug my sister back, cherishing her warmth. It means the world to me to show her that nothing can get in her way, regardless of her Down syndrome diagnosis. And in other ways, she pushes me to be my best self every day with her infectious happiness.

“We need to celebrate!” My mom’s hazel eyes brighten…