Yeny and the Children for Peace by Michelle Mulder Read Free Book Online Page A

she’d had since before leaving the village.
    â€œOooh. Fancy!” Mamá said, looking up from her sewing and admiring Yeny’s outfit. “What’s the occasion?”
    â€œThe Peace Carnival, of course,” said Yeny.
    Her mother’s needle and thread stopped midair, and she looked at Yeny. “I thought your father and I made it clear that we don’t want you to go to the carnival.”
    Her words felt like a bucket of ice water poured over Yeny’s head. “But Papá came to the meeting with me last week, and he said everything looked fine!”
    â€œOh, honey.” She put aside her sewing and got up to give Yeny a hug. “Your father didn’t mind you going to the smaller meetings, but you know big meetings like the Peace Carnivalcan be dangerous. We don’t want anything to happen to you.” She tried to pull Yeny close, but Yeny broke away.
    â€œBut I’ve been helping organize the carnival all week!”
    Her mother looked upset and sad, but Yeny didn’t care. Her parents were always making decisions that turned everything upside down, and she was sick of it.
    â€œI’m finally making new friends in this stupid city, and now you’re ruining everything. What will people think if I told them to come to a party that I’m not allowed to go to myself? You never think about what’s important to me.”
    Her mother looked as though Yeny had punched her in the stomach. “I know it’s hard for you, Yeny, and I know you didn’t want to come to the city, but your father and I want you to be safe. You never know what—”
    Yeny felt like running, but here in this little house in the city, there was no escape. She couldn’t even go next door to Rocio’s, because Rocio would be on her way to the carnival. Rocio’s parents understood that peace wasn’t going to happen if you sat around waiting.
    â€œI hate this,” Yeny said, stomping off to her bed behind the curtain. “I hate the city. I hate the grupos armados. I hate everyone!”

CHAPTER 7
Another Chance
    On Monday morning, before school started, everyone was talking about the carnival—white balloons for peace, white streamers, jugglers, clowns, music, hot potato empanadas, crispy cheese arepas, pork tamales, and hundreds of kids. Yeny had heard the boom-boom of the
cumbia
music from her house on Saturday night, and it had only made her madder that she couldn’t go.
    â€œYou should have seen the face-painters,” Rocio said. She and her friends had joined Yeny, Juan, and his buddies around the front door of the school.
    â€œYou should have seen my mother’s face when I got home,” said David. “I looked exactly like a sunflower. She almost didn’t recognize me.”

    â€œYou wouldn’t believe the number of people,” Beto said. “Even Joaquin showed up.”
    Yeny couldn’t believe her ears. Joaquin at a Peace Carnival? The thought almost made her laugh. If bullies like him showed up on Saturday, then absolutely anything was possible.
    â€œBut where were you, Juan?” Beto asked, chewing on his fingernail. “I didn’t see you there.”
    â€œI was talking to my dad,” said Juan, and the others nodded.
    â€œDid you go to the radio station too?” David asked Yeny, and her cheeks flashed hot. She almost lied and said yes. But both Juan and Rocio knew the truth, and the last thing she needed right now was to be known as a liar. “Well, I . . . uh . . .”
    Beto looked confused. “You spent the whole week telling everyone about the Peace Carnival and how important it was, and you didn’t bother to go?”
    â€œI wasn’t allowed,” she mumbled.
    â€œWhat?” David asked, laughing. “Do your parents have something against peace? Oh, you should have been there. Clowns, and jugglers, and dancing, and my favorite foods . . .”
    Yeny wished