Chapter 1

    "Run, Anna, run!" Persephone said excitedly, clapping her hands and jumping up and down. The dog, Anna, barked happily, chasing after a small rabbit that was foolish enough to step one of it's furry little toes onto the large property. The rabbit hopped into one of the large bushes on the outskirts of the large lawn. Anna shoved her head in the bush and barked, as if scolding the long-gone rabbit about, "playing fair." The glass doors leading to the porch slid open, and Grandma stepped out.

    "Lunch time, Persephone." She said, booping Persephone's nose. Grandma looked out at Anna, who still had her head in the bush. "What is that goofy dog doing?"

    "There was a rabbit." Persephone giggled, standing up. "Anna! Lunch time!" she called out to the dog. Anna pulled her head out of the bush, barked, and bounded over to the porch.

    "Come on, you silly dog." Grandma said as Anna ran up to them, licking Persephone's face, making her burst into a new fit of giggles. Grandma opened the door for them, and Anna ran through the door, immediately running to her water and taking large, messy slurps, getting water everywhere. "Anna, I just cleaned the floor!" Grandma said, taking a handful of paper towels and wiping up Anna's mess.

    "Persephone, here you go." Dad said, handing her a plate of mac and cheese. Hebei, the other dog, a fluffy, black and white pup, trotted into the kitchen, sitting next to the counter and staring at a steaming bowl of mac and cheese.

    "Hebei, you can't eat that." Persephone said, stabbing her mac and cheese with her fork and shoveling it into her mouth. "That's people food. Dogs eat dog food." Persephone pointed at a bowl on the ground with dog food in it. Hebei looked down at the dog food, then back up at Persephone, then back at the dog food, as if contemplating weather to jump on one of the chairs and eat off of Persephone's plate, or to bend down and eat out of her bowl full of dog food. Eventually, after a moment of decision, Hebei bent down and ate the dog food. "Good girl." Persephone said, patting the dog's furry head.

Chapter 2

After lunch, as Grandma cleaned the dishes, Persephone sat on the floor, rolling a small orange ball on the floor for Anna.

    "So, Persephone," Grandma said, scrubbing a large pan with much force. "We have cousins coming tomorrow night."

    "We do?" Persephone asked as Anna dropped the slimy ball in her lap again.

    "Yep." Grandma answered, putting the pan in the dishwasher. "We need to clean up the house and make it all nice and clean so we can have lots of new fun and make lots of new messes with them."

    "OK!" Persephone said happily. "What are we going to do?"

    "I'm going to have you clean up and put away all your toys."

Grandma replied, drying her hands on a dishtowel and starting the dishwasher. "Then you can go play outside until I need you to help again."

    "OK! I can start cleaning my toys!" Persephone said, jumping up and running into the living room, picking up some of her toys and putting them in a large pile.

Chapter 3

After Persephone had cleaned and checked the whole house for her toys, she, Anna, and Hebei all ran outside, running into the large backyard and sitting under the cool shade of the plum tree. Persephone sat down in the shade and leaned on the tree, laughing as she watched Anna and Hebei play together in the thick, green grass. Cousins! Persephone thought excitedly. I wonder which ones they are. Anna ran around to the front of the house, Hebei following her, barking happily. Persephone stood up, laughing, and chased after the dogs.

    "Hebei, Anna, wait up! I'm not as fast as you guys!" Persephone laughed, following the chasing dogs. When Persephone finally caught up to them, they where both lying in the shade on the

cold concreeck underneath the porch. She joined them and laid on Anna, closing her eyes for just a moment.

Chapter 4

Persephone was woken by barking. She opened her eyes and sat up quickly, and Anna ran towards the car that was pulling up the long dirt driveway. Could it be? Was it really?

    "Ruth!" Persephone called, standing up and chasing the car as it drove down the driveway. Ruth's window rolled down.

    "Hi, Persephone!" Ruth called back, waving and smiling from ear to ear.

    "Grandma didn't say you guys were the cousins!" Persephone yelled up to her.

    "That's because we're not!" Ruth's older sister, Bekah, called down.

    "What?" Persephone asked. The car reached the end of the