Be Brave, Willa Bean! Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2011 by Cecilia Galante

  Cover art and interior illustrations copyright © 2011 by Kristi Valiant

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Galante, Cecilia.

  Be brave, Willa Bean! / by Cecilia Galante ; illustrated by Kristi Valiant.

  p. cm. — (Little wings; #2)

  “A Stepping Stone book.”

  Summary: Cupid Willa Bean does not want to admit that she does not like flying high, or in the dark, but during a sleepover, she has to face her fears.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-98353-5

  [1. Fear—Fiction. 2. Fear of the dark—Fiction. 3. Sleepovers—Fiction.

  4. Cupid (Roman deity)—Fiction.] I. Valiant, Kristi, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.G12965 Be 2011 [Fic]—dc22 2011007276

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v3.1

  For Joseph, my sweetest boy —C.G.

  For my Jovie, may you be full of joy and not fear the dark (Psalm 23) —K.V.

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Willa Bean’s World

  1. Sleepover!

  2. Making Plans

  3. Tip-Top

  4. Companionship

  5. Hairy Ariel

  6. The Wigglies

  7. Tip-Top Again!

  8. The Plan

  9. Trouble!

  10. Be Brave, Willa Bean!

  Willa Bean Skylight is a cupid. Cupids live in a faraway place called Nimbus, which sits just alongside the North Star, in a tiny pocket of the Milky Way. Nimbus is made up of three white stars and nine clouds, all connected by feather bridges. It has a Cupid Academy, where cupids go to school, a garden cloud, where they grow and store their food, and lots and lots of playgrounds.

  Willa Bean lives on Cloud Four with her mother and father, her big sister, Ariel, and her baby brother, Louie. Cloud Four is soft and green. The air around it smells like rain and pineapples. Best of all, Willa Bean’s best friend, Harper, also lives on Cloud Four, just a few cloudbumps away.

  When cupids are ready, they are given special Earth tasks. That means they have to fly down to Earth to help someone who is having a hard time. Big cupids, like Willa Bean’s parents, help Earth grown-ups with things like falling in love. Little cupids, like Willa Bean, help Earth kids if they feel mad, sad, or just plain stuck. Working with Earth people is the most important job a cupid has. It can be hard work, too, but there’s nothing that Willa Bean would rather do.

  Are you ready for a peek into Willa Bean’s world? It’s just a few cloudbumps away, so let’s go!

  Willa Bean bounced out of bed. Today was Thunderday! That meant that there was only one more day of school until the weekend. On weekends, Willa Bean went treasure hunting with her best friend, Harper. Afterward, they flew all over Nimbus, looking for fun things to do. Weekends were the best!

  Willa Bean got dressed in her school uniform with the red stripe on the bottom. She brushed her purple wings with the silver tips until they were soft and fluffy. Then she gave them a little pep talk.

  “Good morning, little wings!” she said. “You look absolutely wonderful today!”

  Her wings fluttered with excitement. They loved Willa Bean just as much as she loved them. A few weeks ago, Willa Bean had finally learned how to use her wings. Now she could fly, like all the rest of the cupids. This meant that she could play flying games at recess instead of sitting on the swings. And she could fly to Cloud Five with Harper when they wanted to visit their treasure chest.

  Willa Bean was very happy that she could fly. She liked to make sure that her wings stayed happy, too.

  Next, Willa Bean brushed her hair. She brushed and brushed, exactly the way Mama told her to do. Then she tried to mash it down on the sides so that it was not so wide. She used both hands. She pressed down very hard. But every time Willa Bean lifted her hands, her hair boinged back out again.

  Willa Bean scrunched her nose. She shook her head. She even took out the three copper coins she had hidden inside a very tight curl, and put them in her soft leather pouch instead. Then she tried to mash her hair down again.

  BOING!

  Willa Bean sighed. It was hopeless. Her hair would not behave. Oh well. Mama was just going to have to live with it for one more day.

  “Bonjour!” A voice floated in from the window.

  Willa Bean turned around. “Hi there, Snooze!” She gave her brown owl an eyelash kiss and patted his head. “How was Paris?”

  “Actually,” Snooze said, “I went further than Paris last night.”

  “Where did you go?” Willa Bean asked.

  “Morocco,” Snooze answered. “It’s a marvelous place. And I have some family there. We had a sensational time together.”

  “Where’s Morocco?” asked Willa Bean.

  “In Africa.” Snooze flapped his wings. He got excited when he talked about his travels. “It’s very hot and dry, even at night. And it’s full of wonderful smells. Spicy smells that make your feathers curl!”

  Willa Bean wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like spicy too much,” she said. “It makes my tongue feel tingly.”

  “To each his own.” Snooze opened his beak and let out a yawn. “Well, I’m completely worn out,” he said. “I’ll see you later, Willa Bean. Have a good day at school.” Snooze slipped inside Willa Bean’s closet. He settled himself in the corner and tucked his head under one wing. Then he closed his eyes.

  “Sleep tight, Snooze,” Willa Bean whispered. She pulled on her sandals and went downstairs.

  Baby Louie was sitting in his high chair. He was wearing a diaper. Nothing else. There were Babyflakes in his hair. There were Babyflakes on his stomach. There were even Babyflakes in his ears! Baby Louie was not the neatest cupid in the world. In fact, he was somewhat of a slob. But Willa Bean loved him anyway.

  Mama and Ariel were sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

  “Everyone will get here at five,” Ariel said to Mama. “And then we’ll go up to my room and decide what we want to do for the rest of the night.” Willa Bean slid into the chair next to her big sister. “And, Mama, please keep Willa Bean away from us.” Ariel frowned at Willa Bean. “I don’t want her hanging around during my sleepover. It will ruin everything.”

  “Sleepover?” Willa Bean sat up straight in her chair. Her curls boing-boinged on top of her head. “Who’s having a sleepover?”

  “I am.” Ariel pointed to herself. “Tomorrow night. And you’re not invited.”

  “Mama!” Willa Bean cried. “If Ariel gets to have a sleepover, then I get to have one, too!”

  “Another time.” Mama raised an eyebrow. “You’re not leaving this cloud until you brush that hair, Willa Bean.”

  “I already did!” Willa Bean said. “And I smooshed it, too! With both hands! Just like you said!”

  Baby Louie threw a Babyflake on the floor. “Smooshie-
gooshie!” he said.

  “No throwing food,” Mama said, looking sternly at Baby Louie.

  “Smooshie!” Baby Louie said again.

  Ariel rolled her eyes. She shook her head at Baby Louie and wrinkled her nose. Ariel did not have much patience for babies.

  “It’s not fair!” Willa Bean wailed. “Ariel gets to have all her cupids over tomorrow, and I’ll be alone!”

  “Gee whizzle, Willa Bean,” Ariel said. “Sometimes I wonder if you should just stay home with Baby Louie. All you do is whine.”

  “You be quiet!” Willa Bean said.

  Ariel made a googly face at Willa Bean. “Baby,” she said.

  “Meany-pants!” Willa Bean yelled.

  Baby Louie kicked the bottom of his high chair. “Gooshie!”

  “That’s enough, girls.” Mama rubbed her forehead. “All right, Willa Bean,” she said. “You may ask Harper to spend the night tomorrow. But Harper only. No one else.”

  “But, Mama!” Ariel started.

  Mama raised a finger. “I will make sure they stay out of your way, Ariel. No one is going to wreck your slumber party. I promise.” She turned and looked directly at Willa Bean. “And you have to help me keep that promise, Willa Bean. There is to be no bothering your big sister while Harper is here.”

  “NO MATTER WHAT,” Ariel said, leaning in close to Willa Bean. “OR ELSE HARPER GOES HOME.”

  “Don’t worry,” Willa Bean said, taking a bite of her Wingfastic cereal. “I don’t want to be part of your smelly old sleepover anyway. Harper and I will have our own fun.”

  And it was true, she thought.

  If there was anyone in the universe who was more fun than her best friend, Harper, Willa Bean didn’t know who it was.

  They would have the best time ever.

  Just this past summer, Willa Bean had slept over at Harper’s house. First, they went to Cloud Five, where their treasure chest was buried. They stayed there for a long time and looked at all their treasure. Then they put everything back and went to Harper’s house for dinner. After that, they stayed up late, trying to count the stars outside the window. It took them a long, long time. They played with Harper’s flying friend, Octavius, and practiced hanging upside down. Octavius was a bat. He was very good at hanging upside down. They told ghost stories and built a giant fort. It was the best sleepover in the whole world!

  But Harper had never slept over at Willa Bean’s house. Not even once.

  Tomorrow was going to be the first time Willa Bean had a real sleepover! At her house!

  Willa Bean jiggled and wiggled as she waited for the cloudbus. She could not wait to tell Harper the good news.

  After a while, the cloudbus rumbled up. Mr. Bibby, who was the cloudbus driver, opened the door and let Willa Bean in. Mr. Bibby liked to wear bow ties. Today, he was wearing a blue bow tie with gold dots. “Good morning, Willa Bean!” he said.

  “Hi, Mr. Bibby!” said Willa Bean. “I like your bow tie!”

  “Thank you,” Mr. Bibby said. “It’s one of my favorites.” He shut the door behind Willa Bean. “Take your seat now. And fasten your cloudbelt.”

  “Hey, Willa Bean!” Harper yelled. “I’m over here!”

  Willa Bean ran down the middle of the cloudbus and sat in their favorite seat. “Guess what?” she asked.

  Harper was eating a Snoogy Bar. She was making a big mess. It was a blueberry one with vanilla star sprinkles on top. “You found a treasure?” Harper asked.

  “Nope! Guess again!”

  Harper licked her fingers. The gooey blueberry mess smeared even more. “You flew to Paris with Snooze last night?”

  “Nope, nope, nope-ity, nope!” Willa Bean wiggled her legs. “And Snooze didn’t even go to Paris. He went to Morocco instead. They like spicy things there.”

  Harper popped the rest of the Snoogy Bar into her mouth and wiped her fingers on the seat. It made a sticky, disgusting mess. She peeked over the seat at Mr. Bibby. He didn’t notice. “Let’s not sit in this seat on the way home,” Harper said quietly.

  Willa Bean yanked on Harper’s sleeve. “Guess! Guess again!”

  “I don’t know, Willa Bean,” Harper said. “I just guessed everything I could think of.”

  “Mama said you could sleep over!” Willa Bean hollered. “TOMORROW NIGHT! At our house!”

  Harper fluffed her wings. “Wizzle-dizzle-doodad!” she yelled. “Really?”

  “Really!” Willa Bean hopped up and down in her seat. “We can make Snoogy Bars, and stay up late, and build forts, and play with Snooze before he leaves for the night!”

  “And we can have pillow fights and play dress-up!” Harper bounced up and down in the seat. “And now that you know how to fly, we can go flying in the dark!”

  Willa Bean stopped wiggling. “Fly in the dark?” she repeated.

  “Yeah!” Harper yelled. “It’s so fun! Last weekend, my dad took me flying around the back of the Milky Way. It took so long that by the time we turned around, it was almost midnight! It was so dark that I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face! It was awesome!”

  Willa Bean swallowed. She had two night-lights in her room that Mama turned on every night before she went to sleep. And she liked having her door open a little so that the hall light could shine in. She did not like to sleep in the dark.

  And she could not imagine flying in the dark.

  It sounded much, much too scary.

  “Oh, I don’t think we’ll have time to do anything like that,” Willa Bean said.

  “Why not?” Harper asked.

  Willa Bean leaned in close to Harper’s ear and covered her mouth with her hand. “Because Ariel’s having a sleepover with all her cupid friends! So we have to figure out how we can play tricks on them!”

  Harper’s eyes were as round as golf balls behind her blue polka-dotted glasses. “Golly-wolly-wing-wang, Willa Bean! This is gonna be the best sleepover ever!”

  “I know!” Willa Bean said. “It’s gonna be the best sleepover in the whole uvinerse!”

  Recess was Willa Bean’s favorite part of school. It was even more fun since she had learned how to fly. Now she didn’t have to sit on the swings by herself. Or stand and watch as everyone else played flying games.

  Today, she joined the other cupids as they got in a big circle. They were going to play Wing Touch. But first, they had to decide who should be captain.

  Wing Touch was one of Willa Bean’s favorite games. To play well, you had to fly very, very fast. Willa Bean loved flying fast. She was good at it. She couldn’t wait to start playing.

  “I want to be captain!” Vivi said. “Sophie got to be captain yesterday, so it’s my turn!”

  Vivi sat in front of Willa Bean in Class A. She had long red hair and tattled to Miss Twizzle if Willa Bean did anything wrong. Willa Bean was not one of Vivi’s biggest fans. Not even a little bit.

  “But you were captain on Moonday,” Harper said to Vivi. “You can’t be captain two times in the same week. It’s Lola’s turn!”

  “Yeah!” said Raymond. “It is Lola’s turn!”

  “That’s not fair!” Vivi’s face turned pink. She stamped her foot. “We only had a half recess on Moonday because of bow-and-arrow practice! So I get to be captain again!”

  “No way!” Willa Bean said.

  “Yes way!” shouted Vivi.

  “Cupids!” Miss Twizzle hurried over. “Why don’t you play a different game today? Something that doesn’t involve captains?”

  “I know!” Raymond jumped up and down behind Pedro. His little white wings wiggled excitedly. “I know, Miss Twizzle! We can play Tip-Top!”

  There was a shout from the rest of the cupids. “Yeah! Let’s play Tip-Top! Let’s play Tip-Top!”

  Everyone jumped up and down and yelled and clapped their hands.

  Everyone except Willa Bean.

  The Tip-Top game was a lot different from Wing Touch. In Tip-Top, each cupid tried to fly to the very tip-top of one of the baby clouds above them.
If they reached it, they had to grab a piece of the cloud and bring it back down. Baby clouds were not one of the nine special clouds of Nimbus. They were too small. And too soft. But they were very, very high up. Willa Bean was sure they were at least a millionbajillion miles above them.

  Only one thing scared Willa Bean more than the dark. And that was being up high. Being too high made her nervous. Maybe even a little bit more than nervous. What if her wings got tired while she was all the way up there? What if they pooped out? And what if she fell? Then what?

  Willa Bean took a step back as the other cupids jumped up and down. She twisted a curl around one of her fingers and stayed very quiet.

  “I want to go first!” Vivi said. She waved her arms. The big green bow in her hair flopped up and down. “Me, me, me, me!”

  “You always get to go first,” Hannah said. “For everything. It’s not fair.”

  Hannah was the tallest cupid in the whole class. She almost reached the top of Miss Twizzle’s waist! Willa Bean wondered if Hannah ever got scared being so high up.

  “It is too fair.” Vivi smoothed her hair down with her fingers. “Besides, I’m the oldest. And so that’s just the way it is.”

  “Let’s pick a feather for it,” Raymond suggested.

  Raymond always had good ideas.

  All the cupids reached over their shoulders and plucked a feather out of their wings. Willa Bean felt around until she found the tiniest feather she could find. She squished her face as she pulled it out. It hurt a little bit. Then she held it out in the middle of the circle along with everyone else.

  Raymond looked at everyone’s feather. “Sophie wins!” he shouted. “She has the longest feather! She gets to go first!”

  Sophie clapped her hands. “Yay!” she yelled. Sophie was the littlest cupid in Class A, but she was very brave. She was always the first one to go down the highest slide in the playground. And she never even screamed.

  Vivi stamped her foot. She tossed her hair and puffed out her bottom lip.

  Willa Bean put the tiny feather back inside her wing. The jiggly-wiggly feeling inside her stomach was making her nervous. She wondered if there was a secret to flying high that she did not know about yet.