NOVEL_TEXT = """
Chapter One

    Inside a frigid indoor ice rink, thirteen-year-old Riley Andersen carefully laced up her skates. Her breath made puffs in the chilly air as she checked the tape on her hockey stick. She fastened her helmet and pulled on a thick pair of gloves.
The San Francisco middle-school girls hockey championship game was about to start. Riley’s team, the Foghorns, was up against the Sea Lions. It was one of the biggest games of Riley's life—and she was ready for it.
    In Headquarters, the central control tower of Riley's mind, her Emotions were getting ready, too. Joy, a sunny yellow Emotion with bright blue hair, stretched from side to side, limbering up for the big game. Joy was always front and center for Riley's happiest moments—like now, playing hockey.
    Riley’s other Emotions stood by, preparing for the moment when Riley would need them. Anger, a stout red Emotion, straightened his tie. Disgust, a green Emotion in a crisp dress, filed her nails. Soft, blue Sadness polished her glasses. And pale purple Fear adjusted his bow tie. The five Emotions had been with Riley since the earliest moments of her life—together, they were Team Riley. And over the next hour, she would need each and every one of them.
    Now Joy stepped up to the console in the center of Headquarters. The console was a control panel filled with buttons that the Emotions used to help steer Riley. On the screen above the console, the Emotions watched everything through Riley's eyes.
    As the Foghorns began their warm-up laps, Joy pulled on a headset. Joy loved announcing the games in Riley’s mind. Plus, she was the best at cheering.
    “This is Joy, coming to you live in Riley's mind, and we're expecting a great championship today with the Foghorns!” Joy exclaimed. “Riley fans, get up on your feet and make some noise!”
    Inside Headquarters, confetti cannons fired around Joy.
    Outside in the stands, the crowd roared. Riley's parents sat right in front, cheering as loudly as they could.
    “Let's go, Foghorns!” they chanted.
    An air horn blared. Game time!
    “Bring it in!” Riley called to her teammates.
    The Foghorns circled up, putting their gloved hands together in the middle. Riley flashed a metal grin.
    “Foghorns on three!” she said. “One, two, three!”
    “FOGHORNS!" the girls shouted.
    Riley skated out to the center of the ice, facing off for the puck drop.
    The referee lifted the puck and dropped it between the two hockey players. For a second, it seemed to fall in slow motion.
    The puck hit the ice. Riley sprang into action. Game on!
    “Now it's time to greet your Team Riley!” Joy cheered. “Playing in his thirteenth year, and fresh from the penalty box ... it’s Riley's Anger!”
    “Lemme at 'em!” Anger growled, stepping up to the console. Stout, red Anger was Team Riley's go-to on offense.
    As he pounded his fist on the console and grabbed two levers, the console turned red. Anger’s head began to heat up as he drove.
    With Anger at the helm, Riley charged down the ice. She dodged the Sea Lions’ defender and slapped the puck into the net. Score!
    A memory sphere rolled onto the shelves in Headquarters. The shelves were lined with brightly colored balls, each one containing a memory of a single moment  in Riley's life. Each memory sphere's color matched the emotion Riley was feeling at the time. In many memories, the colors melded together, reflecting a swirl of emotions.
    As the game went on, pale purple Fear hovered near the console, studying his safety checklist. His main job was keeping Riley safe, and he took it seriously.
    "Helmet, pads, gloves," Fear said, crossing each one off the list. "Safety checklist is complete. It should be nothing but smooth sailing from—AHHH! LOOK OUT!"
    Fear's clipboard went flying. He grabbed the controls and frantically tapped buttons just in time to keep Riley from colliding with another player.
    "And that's Fear, keeping Riley on her toes," Joy said with a grin.
    "We gotta get our mouth guard, people!" Fear wheezed.
    With Fear driving, Riley skated over to the bench. She picked up a mouth guard and popped it into her mouth.
    Disgust gasped, shoving Fear aside. "No-no-no-no! That's not ours!" she cried, pressing a button on the console.
    Riley instantly spit out the mouth guard: Gross!
    "And that, folks, is the infamous Disgust! Glad to have her on our team!" Joy cheered.
    Disgust stepped back with a nod, her job done. She smoothed her dress and checked her tidy hair. The emerald-green Emotion liked to look her best—even in the middle of a hockey game.
    Back on the ice, Riley tore after the puck. But as she reached for it, her stick connected with another player's skates.
    The referee's whistle shrilled.
    "Twenty-eight, Andersen, tripping!" the ref shouted.
    "Oh, no... we got a penalty," blue Sadness said, taking over. The console turned blue as Riley unhappily skated over to the penalty box.
   "And bringing up the rear—you know her, you love her, the one, the only... that's right: Sadness is in the house!" Joy announced.
    Face-down on the console, Sadness waved a tiny pennant. "Yay.“
    As Riley sat out her two-minute penalty, the Emotions took a much-needed break. So much had happened in the past two years. So much had changed! Riley had turned thirteen. She'd grown several inches and gotten braces (with extra rubber bands). She'd graduated from middle school. But through it all, she'd always been the same great kid.
    Joy stepped over to the window to admire Riley's Personality Islands. Located just beyond Headquarters, the islands looked like tiny theme parks. Hockey Island. Family Island. Goofball Island. Honesty Island. And biggest of all—Friendship Island.


Joy loved all the islands, but Friendship Island was extra special. Riley hadn't known a soul when her family moved to San Francisco. But now she had Bree and Grace.
Breonna Young was the Foghorns’ goalie. Tall and lanky, with thick black glasses, Bree was loyal to her core. Grace Hsieh was a tiny goofball with a heart of gold. From hockey to homework, the three girls did everything together. Joy wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
But as she'd grown, Riley had become more than just her friendships and personality. She was also made up of her beliefs, which were formed by her memories. She had beliefs about school (homework should be illegal), bands (Get Up and Glow is the best!), and her BFFs (I make great friends).
Those beliefs were a part of the Belief System that sat beneath Headquarters. In the Belief System, each belief was represented by a string. The belief strings ran all the way up to Headquarters, where they intertwined to form the biggest change of all: Riley’s Sense of Self. In Headquarters, it looked like an amazing sculpture—a beautiful combination of color and light. The Sense of Self was Riley's guiding light, the thing that helped her make good choices. It was the Emotions’ masterpiece.
Joy paused to admire it now. She plucked at it and heard Riley's voice: “I'm a good person.”
Joy sighed happily. What wasn't there to love about Riley? She was exceptional and kind and super smart. She was good with animals, and—
A noise blared, jolting Joy back to the game. As Riley exited the penalty box, she glanced at the scoreboard. The score was 3-3, with only seconds left on the clock.
Sadness gasped. “We're tied!”
“How are we gonna score in time?” cried Disgust.
Joy pulled out a box filled with light-bulb-shaped ideas.
The other Emotions reached in the box and grabbed ideas.
“We use our slap shot,” said Fear.
“We charge the goalie!” shouted Anger.
Then Joy pulled out an idea. “Don't worry: Riley's got this,” she told them, plugging the idea bulb into the console.
The Sense of Self glowed and hummed. It accepted the idea.
Sure enough, as the players took their positions, Riley leaned over to Grace.
“Thread the needle,” she called to her.
Then Riley looked at both Bree and Grace. The girls nodded to each other.
In Headquarters, the Emotions were glued to the screen.
"C'mon, Riley," Joy whispered.
The puck dropped.
Riley pounced on it. She feinted left, then passed it behind her to Bree in the goal. Bree ricocheted the puck off the wall, sending it back to Riley.
With only six seconds left on the clock, Riley raced toward the goal, on a breakaway. The crowd rose to their feet as she tore up the ice.
The Sea Lions defender swooped in. But Riley was expecting it. She passed the puck between her legs to Grace, who was right behind her. Grace swung back—and slammed the puck into the goal. Score!
In Headquarters, all the Emotions jumped up and down, cheering.
The buzzer blared. Game over! The crowd went wild!
On the ice, Riley, Bree, and Grace launched into their goofy celebratory dance.
"Awooga!" they hooted, pumping their fists and shaking their hips. "Awooga! Awooga!"
"And the Foghorns win the championship!" the announcer declared.
Grace threw her arms around Riley. Bree zoomed in and tackled them both. Seconds later, the whole team had joined the dogpile.
As Riley and her friends tumbled together laughing, a shiny new memory rolled into Headquarters. Within the memory sphere, the girls' happy moment of victory played over and over.
Joy smiled. This one was a keeper.













Chapter Two


After the game, Riley, Bree, Grace, and their teammates exited the ice, savoring their victory.
As they walked to the locker rooms, a woman approached them. “Hey, girls. Congratulations on your win!” she said.
Riley’s eyes widened. It was Coach Roberts, head of the high school hockey team!
“What a game. That last play. Woo! The three of you were impressive,” the coach said, smiling.
“Thanks, Coach Roberts,” Riley replied.
“Look, it’s last-minute. But every year I do a three-day skills camp. I invite all the best players in the area. I’d love for you girls to come,” Coach Roberts said as she handed Riley a flyer.
The three best friends gaped at her, too stunned to speak. Meanwhile, in Headquarters, the Emotions were freaking out.
“Are we in a dream right now? Please, can somebody pinch me?” Fear asked.
“If we impress Coach, she’ll put the three of us on the team next year!” Joy exclaimed.
“The Fire Hawks! Finally, a team I can get behind!” Anger said approvingly.
“What do you say?” Coach Roberts asked the three girls.
“Yes!” Riley, Bree, and Grace chorused.
“Great! We’ll see ya tomorrow!” the coach told them.
As she walked away, Riley and her friends turned to each other, laughing in amazement. They hadn’t thought it was possible for the day to get any better. But it just had.
Later that night, Riley sat on her bed, taping her hockey stick. Her mom and dad came in to say good night.
“What a big day!” Mom said.
Dad pulled Riley into a hug. “You are such an all-star!” he said, rocking her back and forth. “You are gonna knock the coach’s skates off!”
“Dad, stop!” Riley pushed him away, laughing. “It’s just her hockey camp. Who knows what will happen.”
Her smile dimmed as she suddenly remembered her penalty. In Headquarters, the blue-colored memory rolled into recall, playing across the screen.
Twenty-eight, Andersen, tripping!
“My penalty almost lost us the game today,” Riley told her parents. “What if I get to camp and I screw it up?”
“Hey, don’t talk like that,” Dad replied, placing a comforting hand on Riley’s shoulder.
“Yeah, you did great today, honey,” Mom said.
“Exactly! Mom gets it,” Joy said. She yanked the blue memory out of recall.
Riley’s smile returned. “Yeah, I guess,” she admitted.
“We are so proud of you,” Mom told Riley. She kissed her on the forehead.
“Night, monkey,” Dad said. He and Riley scratched at their armpits, making monkey noises. It was their good-night ritual.
When her parents left, Riley got under the covers and lay down with a sigh. Then she turned out the light. Within seconds, she was asleep.
The Emotions looked with concern at the blue memory in Joy’s hands.
“Oh, Riley’s so hard on herself,” Sadness said unhappily.
“But... we can make everything easier!” Joy said.
She picked up a hook and used it to pull a long tube down from the ceiling. “Behold! My super high-tech Riley protection system.”
The others studied the tube. A piece fell off. Joy popped it back into place.
“This is for all those memories that belong in the Back of the Mind. Like this penalty one,” Joy explained, holding up the blue memory sphere. “It’s weighing on her, so let’s lighten the load!”
She placed the penalty memory sphere inside the Back of the Mind Tube and then pulled down a spring beneath it. When she released the spring, the memory was launched through the tube. The Emotions watched as the blue sphere arced away from Headquarters and disappeared into the distance, to the farthest part of Riley’s mind.
“A one-way expressway to ‘We’re not gonna think about that right now!’” Joy said.
The other Emotions nodded, impressed.
“Not bad, Joy,” said Anger.
“You take such good care of Riley,” Sadness added.
Joy smiled modestly. “Thanks, I try. Okay, let’s do a sweep!” she said, gesturing to the day’s memories.
Disgust, Fear, Anger, and Joy went to the shelves of the memory wall. They began to pull out all the memories that might weigh on Riley’s mind.

“Here’s one where she waved at a guy who was actually waving at a girl behind her,” Disgust said. She handed the sphere to Joy.
“Oh, that was so bad. Good choice,” Joy said.
“Here’s when she forgot that girl’s name,” Anger said, grabbing another.
“Oh yeah, that was super awkward,” Joy added.
“What was her name?” Disgust asked.
“I don’t know. Janet or something? Whatever, let’s just get rid of it,” Joy said.
Joy grabbed more memories. Soon her arms were so full, she could barely hold them all. She loaded them into the Back of the Mind Tube, pulled the spring back, and released.
Whoosh! The memories flew out of Headquarters and vanished into the distance.
“We keep the best and toss the rest!” Joy said, dusting off her hands. She took the memory of Riley, Bree, and Grace celebrating their championship win off the shelf. “Nice work, everyone. All right, Anger. The rest of these babies can go to Long Term.”
Anger pushed a button on the floor. The remaining memories rolled off the shelves and headed to storage in Riley’s Long Term Memory.
“Okay, let’s get some shut-eye—big day tomorrow,” Joy said.
As the other Emotions headed off to bed, Joy lingered behind.
At the door, Sadness turned. She eyed the memory sphere in Joy’s hands. “Joy, are you taking that where I think you’re taking that?”
Joy smiled. “Wanna come this time?”
“Yes. I—I mean, no. I—I really shouldn’t,” Sadness stammered.
“You know, you’re the only one who hasn’t been to the Belief System,” Joy pointed out.
“Yeah, it’s just that it’s new, and I know how important it is. I don’t want to mess it up or break it or burn it to the ground or anything,” Sadness explained.
“Sadness, you won’t hurt it. I promise,” Joy assured her. “Have I ever steered you wrong before?”
“Yeah,” said Sadness. “Many times.”
Joy pressed a code into a panel beneath her feet. An elevator rose from the floor.
“Come on,” she said, stepping into it. “Where I go, you go.”
Sadness followed her into the elevator. As the doors closed, she smiled and took Joy’s hand.
The elevator traveled down the stem of Headquarters, then down, down, down, into the depths of Riley’s mind.
The doors opened.
“Oh my goodness,” Sadness said, stepping off the elevator.
They were standing in the center of a massive root system. All around them, glowing beliefs grew like vines. The beliefs stretched high above them, reaching all the way to Headquarters.
Joy plucked at one of the glowing tendrils. As it vibrated, they heard Riley’s voice speak her belief.
“Mom and Dad are proud of me.”
Joy grinned. “An oldie but a goodie.”
Sadness reached out and plucked at another.
“I’m kind.”
“Aww. That’s nice,” said Sadness.
Giggling, Joy ran through the forest, strumming several tendrils as she passed. The beliefs vibrated in the air around them.
“I’m strong.”
“I’m brave.”
“I make great friends.”
Joy and Sadness looked down at the memory sphere in Joy’s hands. In the memory, Riley, Bree, and Grace were celebrating their championship win. Joy bent down and placed the memory in the flowing stream.
Its glow intensified, spreading light everywhere. A new belief sprouted from it, attaching itself to the rest of the root system. Joy plucked it.
“I’m a winner.”
A pulse of gold energy shot from the new belief. Joy and Sadness watched as it traveled up through the root system, all the way to Headquarters. It touched Riley’s Sense of Self, which glowed. “I’m a good person.”



Chapter Three

Deep in the night, a sound woke Joy.
BEEP…
Joy peeled her eyes open. She glanced around the darkened room.
The other Emotions were asleep in their beds. She could hear their gentle snoring. Joy was about to go back to sleep when she heard it again.
BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…
Sadness leaned over from the top bunk. “What the heck is that?” she asked.
Joy and Sadness roused the others. The sleepy Emotions crept downstairs. They followed the annoying sound to the control room.
On the console, a dim red light flashed.
It was the puberty alarm!
BEEP… BEEP…
The Emotions leaned in closer.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
The alarm turned into a wailing siren!
Anger’s head burst into flames, Fear screamed, and Sadness started to cry.
“Turn that off, Joy! What is happening?” Disgust snapped.
Joy tried to muffle the alarm with her hands, but it blared on. In a panic, she wrenched the alarm off the panel, stuffed it into the tube, and sent it soaring to the Back of the Mind.
“Whew. Problem solved,” Joy said. The Emotions sighed with relief.
SMASH!
A wrecking ball crashed through the window!
The Emotions screamed. Through the gaping hole, they saw a construction platform lift a crew of Mind Workers in hard hats. They were all looking back.
“Okay, let’s clear it all out!” a foreman shouted. “It’s demo day!”
With a cheer, the workers spilled into Headquarters through the smashed window.
“DEMO?” Joy exclaimed. “Wait, what’s happening?”
The Emotions watched in horror as the workers attacked the walls with sledgehammers and electric saws. They began to jackhammer the floor and tear apart every inch of Headquarters.
Joy spotted a worker carrying a stack of papers.
“Hey! Are you the one in charge here?” Joy asked, running over to him. “Could you do me a favor and stop tearing Headquarters apart?”
“No can do. Didn’t ya hear? Permits just came through.” The foreman dropped a stack of papers into Joy’s hands.
“Permits?” Joy exclaimed. “For what?”
“Expanding the place!” the foreman said. “You know, for the others.”
BOOM! A wall exploded, throwing dust in Joy’s face.
“What others?” Joy spluttered.
The foreman rolled his eyes. “They’re not here yet? Ah, for Pete’s sake… Hey, Margie,” he called out to a worker. “You got that console?”
“Yeah, gimme a sec!” the worker called back. She had her hand inside the console and was stirring the wires around like a pot full of spaghetti. A second later, she slammed it shut. “All right, she’s all set!”
“Set with what?” Joy asked in alarm.
Suddenly, all the lights in Headquarters came on. That meant one thing—Riley was awake!
A whistle sounded. “Lunch break!” the foreman called out. The workers dropped their tools and began to leave.
“Whoa! Wait! You can’t leave it like this!” Joy cried, rushing after them.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be back,” the foreman told her.
As quickly as they’d come, the workers were gone.
The Emotions looked around in dismay. Headquarters was in chaos! How were they supposed to work in this mess?
Just then, they heard Dad’s voice. “Come on! We’re gonna be late! Grace is waiting.”
The Emotions rushed to the console. They saw Mom standing in the doorway of Riley’s bedroom.
Mom looked at Riley’s duffel bag. “Riley, you aren’t packed yet?” she asked.
Anger touched a button on the console.
“UGH!” Riley shouted. “YOU’RE ALWAYS ON ME! CAN’T YOU JUST LAY OFF FOR, LIKE, ONE SECOND?”
Disgust raised an eyebrow at Anger. “Uh, overreact much?” she asked.
“I barely touched it!” Anger snapped back. “Those morons broke the console!”
On the screen, Mom’s forehead wrinkled. “Riley, what’s wrong?” she asked with concern.
“Oh, Mom looks sad,” Sadness said, stepping forward to drive.
The second Sadness touched the console, Riley burst into tears. “I’m the worst!” she wailed.
Sadness stepped back. “I barely touched it!” she said.
“That’s what I said!” Anger agreed.
Riley stopped crying mid sob. She sniffed her armpit.
Disgust stepped up to the console and cracked her knuckles. “Let the professional handle this,” she said.
But as her finger grazed the console, Riley shouted, “I’M TOO GROSS TO GO TO CAMP OR ANYWHERE EVER AGAIN.”
Disgust removed her finger from the console. “Oh yeah, this is totally broken,” she said.
Mom carefully sat down on the bed, eyeing Riley like a bomb that might go off any second. “You are not gross, honey,” she told her. “You’re just changing. Remember that beautiful butterfly we saw in the park last week?”
In Headquarters, the Emotions huddled together, standing far away from the console. They reached toward the controls with a long stick.
“Well, that butterfly began as a caterpillar, and just like that caterpillar, you’re about to get your wings. Not literal wings,” Mom went on. “But if you have questions...”
“Easy... easy...” Joy murmured. The stick grazed a button.
“OH MY GOSH, MOM! JUST GO AWAY! UGH!” Riley exploded. She jumped out of bed, walked past her mother, and exited the room.
Mom looked defeated.
The Emotions felt defeated. Nothing in Headquarters was working right. All they could do was wait until the Mind Workers came back and straightened out this mix-up.
They just hoped that would be soon.

























Chapter Four(1)

“Okay,” Joy said to the Emotions, “until we can figure this out, nobody touch the console unless you really need to.”
The others nodded uneasily. It was their job to be there for Riley when she needed them. But the system had clearly gone haywire. No one wanted another outburst like the one they’d witnessed earlier.
Luckily, at that moment, they had nothing to worry about. Riley was squished in the back seat of her parents’ car with Bree and Grace, on their way to hockey camp. With Riley’s two best friends at her side, what could go wrong?
“You guys, I’m so psyched!” Grace said as the car headed down the road.
“Me too!” Bree added.
“I know! How great is next year gonna be? Coach Roberts’s team has been state champs, like, every year!” Riley said.
She pulled up a picture of the Fire Hawks varsity team on her phone, then zoomed in on a girl with wavy brown hair and a confident smile. “And Val Ortiz is the captain now.”
Valentina Ortiz was Riley’s latest obsession. She’d made the varsity hockey team when she was only a freshman. Riley wanted to be just like her.
“All we have to do is be super awesome at camp,” Riley told her friends. “Coach will put us on the team, and we’ll all be Fire Hawks!”
Bree and Grace exchanged a glance. Riley noticed.
In Headquarters, Disgust froze. “We got a look. I don’t like this.” Disgust watched the screen through narrowed eyes.
Back in the car, Grace looked uncomfortable.
“Coach Roberts isn’t gonna be our coach next year!” she blurted.
“We got assigned to a different high school,” explained Bree.
Riley sat back, stunned.
In Headquarters, the Emotions all began to talk over one another.
“How long have they known this?” Disgust exclaimed.
“We can’t go to high school without Bree and Grace!” Anger railed.
“We won’t know anybody,” Sadness whimpered.
“We’ll still get to hang out...,” Bree said.
“And we’ll have this weekend,” Grace added.
“Which means we’ll get one last time playing on the same team.”
“Friends are forever. Right?” Bree said. She and Grace offered their hands for a fist bump.
Riley forced herself to smile. “Yeah, of course.” She bumped their fists, then turned away to stare out the window.
“Oh, this is so sad.” Sadness couldn’t help herself. She lunged for the console.
The other Emotions held her back. “Don’t do it!” they cried. “Touchy console!”
“Just hold on until they’re out of the car!” Disgust begged.
It took every bit of strength they had to hold Sadness back. The car finally arrived at a cluster of buildings set among tall trees. A large sign at the entrance read WELCOME! HOCKEY CAMP.
“Here we are. Wow, this looks pretty cool,” Dad said as they pulled into the drop-off area. Dozens of girls carrying hockey sticks and heavy gear bags were climbing out of other cars.
Mom turned to smile at Riley and her friends over the back of the seat. “Have fun!”
As Bree and Grace climbed out of the car and thanked Riley’s parents, Riley hung back.
“Don’t miss us too much,” said Dad.
“Okay, love you guys,” replied Riley.
“Don’t forget your deodorant!” Mom said.
Riley rolled her eyes. She grabbed her bag and climbed out of the car. She watched as her parents drove away.
On Joy’s command, the Emotions let go of Sadness. She lunged for the console.
Riley burst into tears.
“It’s okay. We need this,” said Joy.
Riley turned around mid-cry. That was when she realized that even though she felt entirely alone, she was in fact, very much not alone.
Sadness gasped, stepping away from the console.
Riley wiped her eyes. She quickly pulled herself together.
“We can’t cry in front of our peers!” Disgust shouted.
“There’s so many people to make a bad first impression on,” added Fear.
“It’s okay,” said Joy as she stepped up to the console and took over driving. “We just need to find Bree and Grace.”
“Wait, aren’t we mad at them?” asked Anger.
“Oh, of course not,” said Joy.
Outside, Riley scanned the crowd for Bree and Grace. When she spotted them, she took off in their direction.
Slam! Riley had been so focused on getting to Bree and Grace, she didn’t see the girl in front of her until she crashed into her.
Riley fell backward and hit the ground with a thud. The girl turned, startled. “Whoa! Hey, are you okay?”
Riley looked up. A girl with long, wavy brown hair reached down to help her up. But not just any girl...
“Everybody act regular!” Joy exclaimed. “It’s Valentina Ortiz!”
“Ah!” Fear cried.
“We gotta say something!” Disgust shouted.
But Riley just stared, too overwhelmed to speak.
Valentina pulled Riley to her feet. “Hey. Hi, I’m Val,” she said.
Finally, Riley’s mouth started moving. “I know! You’re the varsity captain. You set the all-time goal record as a junior. Your favorite color is red. And your skate size is nine and a half, just like me!” she blathered. Her face fell as her words sank in.
“What are we saying?” Disgust asked, horrified.
“We are so uncool,” said Sadness.
“Why are we still holding her hand?” Fear yelled.
Riley let go of Valentina’s hand.
“Oh! You’re the one Coach told us about. Riley, from Michigan, right?” Valentina asked.
“It’s Minnesota, sweetie!” Anger growled.
“No, no, no, no!” Disgust said. “We cannot correct Val Ortiz.”
Riley chuckled nervously. “Yeah, that’s me,” she said. “Riley from good ol’ Michigan.”
As she spoke, the console in Headquarters suddenly lit up orange.
“Orange? Who made the console orange?” Joy asked.
“Do I look orange?” Anger replied.
“I didn’t touch it!” said Fear.
“Orange is not my color,” added Disgust.
“Hello, everybody!” said an unfamiliar voice.
“Ahh!” The Emotions jumped and hid behind Joy.
An Emotion they’d never seen before had appeared by the console. She was small and skinny, with a spray of orange hair, a wide mouth, and large, buggy eyes. Her arms were full of luggage, which she dropped when she saw Joy.
“Oh my gosh, I am just such a HUGE fan of yours. And now here I am meeting you face to face,” the orange Emotion said with a squeal. “How can I help? I can take notes, get coffee, multitask...” She zipped to and fro, grabbing objects. “...follow you around, carry your things, watch you sleep?”
“Wow, you have a lot of energy! Maybe you could just stay where I can see you?” Joy suggested.
“Anything,” the Emotion said, stopping beside her. “Just call my name, and I am here for you.”
“Okay, love that. And what was your name again?” Joy asked.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I can get ahead of myself,” the orange one replied. “I’m Anxiety. I’m one of Riley’s new emotions! And we are just super jazzed to be here.”
“What do you mean we?” Disgust asked with a frown.
A small hand appeared, reaching for the console. The Emotions looked down.
A tiny, teal-colored Emotion was standing there. She gazed up at them with huge eyes full of longing. Then she pulled herself up onto the console.
“I wish I was as tall as all of you,” she said.
“Who the heck are you?” Anger asked.
“I’m Envy,” the newcomer replied. Then she saw Disgust. “Ooh! Look at your hair,” she gushed, reaching for it.
Disgust held up her hand. “Oh yeah, not happening.”
Envy’s big eyes darted to the console screen. “Look at her hair! We need hair like that!”
Before the Emotions could stop her, Envy pressed a button on the console.
“Oh my gosh, I love the red in your hair,” Riley told Valentina. She reached out to touch it.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Disgust screeched.
She moved tiny Envy away from the console. But not fast enough.
“Hey, maybe when I make the team, I can join Team Red Head, too!” Riley said, doing an awkward dance.
As her words sank in, Riley’s face turned pink.
In Headquarters, a third new Emotion had stepped up to the console and pressed a button. This Emotion was huge and pink. A bulbous nose and two tiny eyes peeked out from the hood of his lavender sweatshirt.
“Okay, who’s this guy?” Anger exclaimed.
“What’s your name, big fella?” Sadness asked the new Emotion.
“That’s Embarrassment!” Anxiety said. “He’s not big on eye contact. Or talking. But he’s a really sweet guy.”
“Well, welcome to Headquarters, Embarrassment.” Joy reached out to shake his hand as Embarrassment tried to fist-bump. After a few more misses, they managed an awkward handshake.
“Oh, you got a real sweaty palm there, buddy,” Joy said, grimacing.
“Hey, do you wanna come with me, actually?” Valentina asked Riley. “You can meet some of the other Fire Hawks.”
In Headquarters, everyone turned to the screen.
“Ooh! This is exciting!” Anxiety said. “But we can’t let her know we’re excited.”
“Yeah, sounds good,” Riley told Valentina with an indifferent shrug.
In Headquarters, the console had turned purple. But this time, no one was touching it.
“What Emotion was that?” Anger asked.
“That’s Ennui,” Anxiety replied.
“Enn-what?” asked Joy.
“Ennui,” said a bored, French-accented voice. “It’s what you would call the boredom.”
The Emotions turned. A long, droopy Emotion was sprawled across the couch, looking at her phone.
Chapter 4(2)

“How are you driving?” Fear asked curiously.
Ennui showed them the screen of her phone. “Console app,” she explained.
“Hey! Stop it! That’s enough!” Anger shouted with frustration.
“Now, now, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that all Emotions deserve to be here,” Joy said, putting her arm around Sadness a little too tightly. “Even the ones you want to urgh until they ugh. Ya know? But it’s important to work together. To grow and change.”
“Cool. Lead the way,” said Riley. She grabbed her things and started to follow Valentina.
At that moment, though, Riley saw Bree and Grace. She hesitated.
“Oh, but what about our friends?” Sadness asked.
“Val is our future,” Envy said.
“Yes, I agree completely,” Anxiety said. “We need new friends, or else we’ll be totally alone in high school. Right, Joy?”
“Well, I mean maybe, um—” Joy began.
“Great!” Without hesitating, Anxiety went to the console and started to drive.
Riley turned toward Valentina. “Wait up! Thanks for showing me around!” she called, hurrying after Val.
Joy was aghast. This new Emotion certainly was getting ahead of herself! “Wait! Why did you do that?” she asked Anxiety.
Anxiety looked confused. “Sorry, what did I do?”
“We just left our best friends behind!” Joy pointed out.
“But what about the new ones that we’re about to meet?” Anxiety said.
Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment nodded in agreement.
“What? No!” Joy exclaimed. What was wrong with these new Emotions? “These next three days need to be about Bree and Grace.”
“Joy,” Anxiety said with exaggerated patience, “the next three days could determine the next four years of our lives.”
Joy rolled her eyes. “I think that’s overstating things a bit.”
“Oh là là. Joy’s so old-school,” Ennui said.
“Look, we all have a job to do,” Anxiety told Joy. “You make Riley happy. Sadness makes her sad. Fear protects her from the scary stuff she can see. And my job is to protect her from the scary stuff she can’t see. I plan for the future. Here, let me show you.”
She turned a knob on the console. A screen and keyboard rose and swiveled toward them. Anxiety began to tap on it.
“Hmm, I was using that as a cupholder,” admitted Joy.
“Okay, so my team has run all the data, and we’re looking at the following likely scenarios,” Anxiety said.
An image appeared. In it, Riley, Bree, and Grace were goofing around on the ice while Val watched them, frowning.
“First, we don’t take this camp seriously and we goof off with Bree and Grace,” Anxiety narrated. “Riley looks really uncool in front of Val.”
The next image showed Coach Roberts kicking Riley out of camp. All the older girls were laughing.
“She fails to impress Coach,” Anxiety went on, “does not become a Fire Hawk, and finally arrives at high school…”
The next image showed Riley walking alone through a high school hallway while everyone stared at her.
Anxiety tapped the keys again. In the final image, Riley sat alone at a cafeteria table, looking completely miserable.
“She has no one,” Anxiety concluded. “She eats alone and only the teachers know her name.”
“Ew,” said Disgust.
“Okay, you and I are gonna be friends,” Fear said with admiration.
“Oh, this is a sad story,” Sadness added.
“It’s a ridiculous story!” Joy exclaimed. “Look, again, love the energy. But you’re being silly. None of this will actually happen.”
Anxiety opened her mouth as if to argue. But all she said was “Okay. Yeah, right. Whatever you say. You’re the boss.”
At that moment, an elderly, teary-eyed Emotion with white hair entered Headquarters.
“Oh, remember when we all finally came up to Headquarters?” she asked.
“That was, like, thirty seconds ago, Nostalgia,” Ennui replied.
“Yeah,” said Nostalgia with a sigh. “Those were the days.”
Anxiety guided Nostalgia back to the door. “Nostalgia, you aren’t supposed to be here yet. You still have about ten years, two graduations, and a best friend’s wedding before you’re invited. But I will keep you in the loop, I promise,” she said as she slammed the door on Nostalgia.
Envy pointed to the console screen. Val was talking. The Emotions needed to pay attention.
Riley and Val had arrived in the locker room. “All right, you ready, Riley?” Val asked, pushing the door open.
Riley paused in the doorway, taking it in. This locker room was much bigger than the one at her old skating rink. Around the room, players were suiting up for the first practice. Several of the girls had red streaks in their hair, just like Val’s.
“These girls are so cool,” Envy gushed.
“And older,” Disgust noted. “Are we going to have to change in front of them?”
“It’s fine!” Joy insisted. “Locker rooms are places of mutual respect.”
“Come on!” Valentina said, calling Riley over. “I want you to meet the other Fire Hawks.”
Riley walked over to Val, who was standing with a group of girls. They nodded at Riley.
“Hey,” Riley said with a wave.
“Riley is from Michigan,” Val explained.
“Oh, cool,” said a tough-looking girl with short black hair. “Where in Michigan are you from?”
In Headquarters, the Emotions froze.
“Oh, no—what now?” Fear asked.
“Okay, looks like we’re committing to this,” Joy said. “Cities in Michigan?”
“We need to make something up!” Anxiety reached around Joy to press a button on the console.
“I’m from… all over,” Riley said.
“Nice!” said the dark-haired girl. “I got a cousin in Minneapolis.”
“Dani, that’s Minnesota,” another girl said, rolling her eyes. “Two completely different states.”
Dani shrugged. “My bad.”
Minnesota! That was where Riley was actually from. And they’d just missed a chance to connect over it. But Joy didn’t have time to dwell on it. Valentina was talking again.
“You wanna sit with us?” she asked Riley.
“She wants to sit with us! Everything is beautiful!” Anxiety cried.
Joy shot her a disapproving look. “There’s not enough room for Bree and Grace. Oh! We should go sit over there,” she said, indicating an open bench.
“Oh, sorry,” Riley told Val. “I was gonna go save seats for my friends.”
“Oh. Okay. It’s cool,” Val said. The Fire Hawks walked away.
Joy turned to Anxiety. “See? Was that so hard?”
Anxiety’s eye twitched. “No, that was super great,” she said through gritted teeth.
Just then, Bree and Grace walked in.
“Bree and Grace!” Riley called.
“There you are!” Grace cried. They hurried over to her.
“Time to celebrate!” Joy said.
Riley pulled out her phone. “Say awooga!”
“Awooga!” the three girls chorused. They did their goofy celebratory dance as Riley snapped selfies.
Joy danced along with them. Outside the windows of Headquarters, Goofball Island was going wild. Everything was perfect. Riley was having a blast with her two best friends, just like Joy wanted.
As the girls posed for another selfie, Coach Roberts walked in. “Okay, ladies, let’s all settle in,” she said.
The room went quiet. But Joy was so busy dancing, she didn’t notice—and neither did Riley. Riley snapped another photo with her friends.
“Joy—” Anxiety said warningly.
Suddenly, Coach Roberts loomed over them. She glared at the phone in Riley’s hands.
“Ladies, settle in means settle down,” the coach said. “I need your focus. Which means now I’m going to need your cell phones.” She looked around the room. “All of them.”
Cries of protest rose from the players.
“What? No phones?”
“Thanks, new girl.”
“Are you serious?”
“You’re here to work. Not goof around,” Coach Roberts told them. She looked right at Riley. “Got that, Andersen?”
“Yes, Coach,” Riley said meekly.
The coach held out a basket. “Please put all your phones in the basket. You get them back at the end of camp,” she said.
One by one, the players tossed in their phones. Several of them shot death stares at Riley.
In Headquarters, Anxiety tapped Joy’s shoulder. “Uh, Joy, maybe I could help a little…”
“Thank you, not now,” Joy replied, her eyes glued to the screen. She hadn’t seen that coming. But she could still save this. Camp was supposed to be fun, which meant keeping things lighthearted. She just had to get Riley back on track.
At that moment, Grace leaned over to Riley. “Wow. Coach is so serious,” she whispered.
Riley giggled. “I know, right?” she whispered back.
Unfortunately, Coach Roberts heard them. Her head whipped around.
“Oh, you think this is funny?” she snapped. “Well, you know what else is funny? Skating lines. Now hit the ice, ladies!”
A collective groan rose. Skating lines was the worst drill. All the girls glared at Riley.
“Bravo, Joy. She’s totally fitting in now,” Ennui drawled from the couch.
Joy kept her attention on the screen. But she could feel the new Emotions casting doubtful looks in her direction.
Joy tried to ignore them. She knew what was best for Riley. She always had.
So maybe camp was off to a bumpy start. Joy wasn’t about to let that get Riley down. Everything would be better once practice started. Riley loved skating. Some of her happiest memories had been made on the ice.
Joy nodded to herself. Camp was about to get better. She was sure of it.



Chapter Five

A few minutes into practice, though, even Joy started to have her doubts. Riley was skating her hardest. But it wasn’t good enough for Coach Roberts.
“You’re laggin’ behind, Andersen. Skate harder,” the coach shouted as the players charged back and forth across the rink.
Riley’s legs burned and her breath came in gasps. As she passed the Fire Hawks, several of them shot dirty looks at her.
“Ugh! This is the worst,” one of the girls groaned.
At last, Coach blew her whistle. “All right, ladies! Take a breather! Then we’ll divide into teams.”
Gulping air, Riley headed for the locker room. She had just reached the door and stopped to drink from her water bottle when she heard voices in the bleachers above her.
“Oof, that Michigan girl’s off to a rough start,” someone said.
Riley froze mid sip.
Her heart hammering, she peeked through the stair railing. Val, Dani, and a Fire Hawk named Ally were standing together on the bleachers. They didn’t see Riley below them.
“Well, Coach isn’t gonna put her on the team if she can’t get it together,” Dani said.
“Uh, okay, Dani,” Valentina said. “Like you had it all together when you were a freshman.”
“I wasn’t that immature,” Dani replied as the girls headed to the locker room.
Riley’s face turned bright red. In Headquarters, Embarrassment had collapsed across the console, pressing every button at once. Only one button was just out of his reach.
“I got you, big guy,” Sadness said, pressing the button for him.
Tears filled Riley’s eyes.
“I always wanted people to talk about us. But not like this,” said Envy.
“Oh, Joy, what do we do now?” Sadness asked.
All the Emotions turned to Joy. Even Ennui looked up from her phone.
But Joy could only stare up at the console screen. Somehow everything had gone off the rails. And this time she didn’t know how to fix it.
“Um, we can just… umm…,” she said.
“I have an idea!” Anxiety said, popping up beside Joy. She held a light-bulb-shaped idea in her hand. “If we can get Val on our side, everything will be okay.”
Anxiety plugged the idea bulb into the console. A second later, the bulb lit up. Riley had taken the idea!
Val saw alone on the bleachers. Riley approached her. “Uh, Val?”
“Oh, hey, Riley,” Val said, looking slightly uncomfortable. “What’s up?”
“I—I—I,” Riley stammered. Then the words came out in a rush. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to get the whole team skating lines. I feel terrible. I respect you so much. And I would never do anything to mess it up—”
In Headquarters, Joy leaned over Anxiety’s shoulder. “Uh, that’s laying it on a bit thick, don’t you think?”
“Shhh, Joy!” Anxiety hissed. Her fingers darted around the console.
“You’re a great hockey player. And you lead the team so amazingly,” Riley went on. “And I really look up to you, and—”
“Okay, okay. Thanks,” Val interrupted with a laugh. “Listen, Coach was pretty hard on you today. But that’s not a bad thing. It means you’re on her radar.”
“Really?” Riley brightened a little.
“Listen, I’m glad you came to talk with me. Hey, let’s try to be on the same team later, okay?” Valentina said. She got up from her chair and placed an arm around Riley.
“Oh yeah! Cool,” Riley said.
Anxiety had fixed it! In Headquarters, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment applauded. Even Joy was impressed.
Anxiety ducked her head, pleased. “Aww, you guys. It really wasn’t anything. I’m just trying to help,” she said.
“I agree. Great job, Anxiety,” Joy said with a tight smile. “I stepped back, you stepped in, you got Riley back on track. Now I’m ready to step back in.” She reached for the console.
Anxiety blocked her way. “But that was just part one of my plan,” she told Joy.
Joy raised her eyebrows. “There’s a part two?”
“A good plan has many parts, Joy,” Anxiety replied.
Back on the ice, the break was over. The players lined up to form the teams they would play on for the next few days.
“Okay, ladies, we’re gonna form your teams for the rest of camp. Now, split yourselves down the middle. Team One on the right. Team Two on the left,” Coach Roberts instructed.
The crowd of girls began to divide. Val and the other Fire Hawks skated one way. Bree and Grace headed the other way.
“Let’s do this,” Bree said as she approached Riley.
“One more time on the same team, right?” Grace said, looking at Riley.
“Right,” Riley said. But as she glanced at the opposite side of the rink, she saw Val motioning for her to join them.
Riley hesitated.
“Val wants us!” Envy crowed.
“But we promised Bree and Grace!” Joy argued.
“Joy, we have to plan for the future,” Anxiety replied. She tapped at the console to send Riley toward the Fire Hawks.
Riley didn’t move.
“Come on, Riley. Move those feet,” Anxiety said. “Val’s on Team One. You wanna be on Team One. Let’s go!”
“She made a promise to her friends. She’s not gonna break it,” Joy said, gesturing to Riley’s Sense of Self.
A light seemed to dawn on Anxiety’s face. “You’re so right, Joy.”
Anxiety went to Riley’s Sense of Self. She began to pull on it. Hard.
“What are you doing?” Joy shrieked.
With a horrible wrenching sound, Anxiety ripped out Riley’s Sense of Self. At once, the glowing beliefs that rooted it dimmed and fell away.
Joy grabbed the Sense of Self from Anxiety. “No, You can’t have that! Put that back!” she demanded, placing the Sense of Self back in its holder. “This is Riley!”
“No, Joy. You don’t understand. Please let me do this. I promise it’s for the best!” said Anxiety. She snatched back the Sense of Self.
Then Anxiety opened the Back of the Mind Tube.
“No!” Joy cried, rushing toward her.
But she was too late. Anxiety launched Riley’s Sense of Self into the farthest reaches of her mind.
“No!” Joy gasped, looking on in horror.
“I know change is scary,” Anxiety told the shocked Emotions. “But watch…” She returned to the console and drove.
Riley made her decision. She skated to the Fire Hawks’ side.
“All right! Welcome to our team, Michigan,” Val said with a smile.
Riley looked around at her new teammates. She was a Fire Hawk now—almost, anyway. It kind of felt good.
She glanced over at Bree and Grace. They were watching her. When she caught their eyes, they both shook their heads in disbelief.
Riley looked away.
“That is not Riley!” Joy insisted. The Riley she knew would never abandon her friends!
“I know! It’s a better Riley,” Anxiety said excitedly.
“A Riley who won’t be alone next year,” added Envy.
Anxiety walked over to the place where the Sense of Self had been. “We build her a new Sense of Self. A brand-new her!” she explained.
Anxiety selected an orange-colored memory sphere from the self: Val welcoming Riley to her team. Envy punched in the code to summon the elevator to the Belief System. The elevator rose from the floor. The doors opened.
Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear, and Sadness stepped in front of Anxiety, blocking the way.
“Over my dead, flaming body,” Anger growled.
“I am truly sorry—I was so looking forward to working with you guys,” Anxiety said coldly. She gave Embarrassment a nod.
Without warning, Embarrassment grabbed the old Emotions!
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” Joy cried, struggling to get free. Embarrassment held them tight in his massive arms.
“Riley’s life is more complex now,” Anxiety told them. “It requires more sophisticated emotions than all of you. You just aren’t what she needs anymore, Joy.”
The old Emotions gasped.
“How dare you, madam!” Fear exclaimed.
“You can’t just bottle us up!” Joy cried.
“Oh! That’s a great idea!” Anxiety exclaimed.
To their horror, Embarrassment lowered the Emotions into a giant glass jar with a thud.
Joy and the others yelled and pounded on the glass. But it was no use.
“It’s not forever. It’s just until Riley makes varsity or until she turns eighteen. Or maybe forever. I don’t know! We’ll see!” said Anxiety.
Embarrassment closed the jar’s lid. He poked holes in the top so they could breathe. Then he placed the jar on the construction platform the Mind Workers had left behind. He lowered the jar out the window of Headquarters.
The last thing Joy saw was Anxiety standing at the elevator, holding the orange memory.
“Okay, don’t worry, Riley. You’re in good hands,” Anxiety said. She looked at the orange memory she held. “Now let’s change everything about you.”
The new Emotions crammed into the elevator. Then they traveled down, down, down, until they reached the Belief System.
“How do we build a new Riley if it took them thirteen years to build the old one?” asked Ennui.
“Well, good news is we’re not starting from scratch. And the better new is that I’m a fast worker,” Anxiety explained.
Anxiety knelt at the water’s edge, holding the memory sphere. She released the memory into the water. An orange belief string grew. “By the time we’re done with this place, you won’t even recognize it. One by one, until the light reaches Headquarters.”
She plucked the new belief.
“If I’m a Fire Hawk, I won’t be alone.”
An orange light rose from the center of the Belief System and moved toward Headquarters.
"""