The Sams, Jasmine, and Jake signed up to climb. A bunch of kids I hadn’t talked to wrote their names under basketball. Jackie and friends told Karly they wanted to stay in the pool area, because the patio was open now and they could sunbathe. Axl and Izzy signed up for Ping-Pong, but by the time I got the sheet, there was an even number of names, so I wouldn’t have a partner. I decided to play video games, even though it wasn’t as much of my thing. But at least I could do it alone.

Walking to the shower area, I thought maybe I’d text Frankie if there was an online multiplayer game, to see if she wanted to play. That would make her happy, and making her happy usually made me feel better.

There was a line for the showers, so I left the locker room in search of a drinking fountain. Swimming and the salty lunch had made me thirsty.

I found a water fountain at the end of the hallway, but it had an OUT OF ORDER sign, so I decided to try the one on the second floor. I trudged up the stairs in my clammy flip-flops; it was muggy and even hotter up here, the pool making the whole building swamplike. The second floor had a bunch of classrooms and meeting rooms, but it didn’t seem like anything was happening today. I walked by signs outside empty rooms that said KNIT WITS, DRIVER’S ED, CITY COUNCIL, and CHILDBIRTH 101.

When I got to the end, there wasn’t a water fountain at all.

Sighing, I went back to the stairwell, then decided to try the top floor.

When I pushed through the double doors, it was even hotter and muggier, and the hallway lights were out. It wasn’t dark, but dim. I tried the light switch, but nothing happened. I waved my hands in front of it, and jumped around, in case it would turn on with one of those motion sensors.

Looking up and down the gloomy hallway, I considered how badly I wanted a drink. My mouth felt practically glued shut, so I decided to go for it, hoping the line at the showers would be gone by the time I got back to the locker room.

I forced myself to walk casually by the empty rooms, since there was absolutely nothing wrong, even though I was tense and the slapping noise my flip-flops made on the linoleum made me want to take them off and tiptoe. Irrationally, I wanted to be quiet, so as not to disturb . . .

What? You could turn a carnival into a nightmare.