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flashed to the conversation I’d had with Rylee on the bus. She’d said she had the perfect team all picked out.
    “Rylee.” My voice came out rough, and I pointed at the girl for good measure.
    Rylee made her way up on stage just as Mr. Smith called, “Alexander Bratersky.”
    “Derek Anderson,” Alexander said without hesitation.
    “You’re a Delta?” Rylee whispered as she stepped beside me. “Why didn’t you tell me? Were you testing me? Why’d you pick me first?”
    “Becca Plain,” Mr. Smith called out.
    “Kari Martins,” the redheaded Delta said from farther down the line.
    I knew my turn was coming again. “Rylee, who should I pick next?”
    “Huh? Why are you asking me?”
    “Dexter Miller,” Mr. Smith called.
    “Ali Donaldson,” Dexter said.
    “C’mon,” I urged. “You said you had a team all sorted. Now tell me who to pick.”
    “Chase Erickson.”
    Chase’s voice boomed from the end of the line. “Bryce Foul.”
    This time Mr. Smith didn’t say my name, but he looked down the line at me with an expression that clearly implied, “Make your next selection.”
    “Just give me a name, Rylee.” The desperation in my voice must’ve registered because Rylee suddenly looked very worried.
    “Just call Angie Salt,” Rylee whispered.
    “Angie Salt,” I said.
    A girl stepped out of the crowd as the other Deltas continued with their selections. She was a few pounds more than “curvy” and had a smile that looked practiced. Her hair was bleached blonde and stopped just above her shoulders.
    “All right,” I whispered. “Who do I call next?”
    “Um . . .” Rylee licked her lips and glanced over the crowd. “If you’d have told me I was going to be on your team, I would have had more time to come up with some names.”
    “You said you already had the perfect team sorted out,” I reminded her. “Who’s next?”
    Rylee squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Pick Amara Ubeku.”
    Chase had just called out his next selection, and Mr. Smith’s gaze turned back to me.
    “Amara Ubeku,” I said.
    Amara was a tall, skinny guy who looked at least a year older than me. He had dark skin and a shaved head. He adjusted his thin-rimmed glasses as he stepped out of the crowd and stared at me just long enough to make me uncomfortable. He crossed the platform with long, wiry strides and took a post next to Angie. He looked intelligent and mean. Not mean in the I’m going to mug you in a dark alley sort of way. More of a say or do something I don’t like and I will make bad things happen to you sort of way.
    I turned to Rylee, and she whispered another name as my turn came again.
    “Junosuke Tagai,” I said, repeating her suggestion.
    Junosuke was Asian and about the same height as me. He had thick dark hair and walked with a sort of swagger.
    “It’s Juno,” he said as he joined the group. “Everyone just calls me Juno.”
    Rylee tilted her head toward me. “Pick Yaakov Katz next.”
    I repeated the name when my turn came again. Yaakov Katz turned out to be the kid who had been buried in his laptop on the bus. He was at least a full head shorter than me and had arms like coat hangers. Not exactly the kind of person you’d pick for a sports team, but I’d pretty much given up on that idea. I just hadn’t firmed up my next theory yet.
    When the final name had been called, Mr. Smith turned to the remaining kids. “Team and cabin assignments will be located on the bulletin board outside the first-aid station in the next few minutes. You have the rest of the morning to get squared away. Remember,” he added, “that the quadrant you’ve been assigned is specific to a team. That team’s Delta can use you as they see fit. Is that clear?”
    The campers nodded without making a sound. It was eerie.
    Dalson stepped forward and cast his gaze around the crowd and nodded approvingly. Then he turned to the Deltas. “I suggest you take the day, get your teams settled in your cabins. A