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always had, except now Olivia had begun to understand. Her father must have seen Ink in his dreams, too. She closed her eyes, trying to remember the dream, but a sudden knock at her door snapped her back to reality.
     “Please get ready and exit your room within the next five minutes,” Ms. Kobayashi said. Olivia opened her eyes, startled. She could hear Ms. Kobayashi knocking on her neighbor’s door to give the same order. For a moment she wondered why Mr. Gloome hadn’t made his morning announcement, but then the events of the previous day came flooding back all at once. She walked to her bed and placed the journal under the mattress.
    I’ve gone mad . She suddenly felt a little embarrassed that she had even considered the idea that her father had seen Ink in his dreams. My father couldn’t have had these dreams. I saw Ink only because I’ve seen him in this diary. I made him up because of this drawing . She sighed and walked over to her door. She wasn’t quite sure of what to expect from the day ahead of her, but what she was sure of was that the memory of Ms. Canterbry’s death and Ms. Cooper’s departure was still very vivid. It pushed her thoughts about the dream and Ink to the back of her mind.
     Outside her room, Olivia saw the other children lining up outside their doors. Most of them looked tired, as if they hadn’t slept the night before. Olivia heard some of the children sniffling in a failed attempt to hold back tears. In a way, Olivia respected the children a little more than she previously had. They were showing emotions that she had believed had been all but snuffed out. She walked down the hall and took her place in line. She heard Mr. Schafer waking the boys on the other hall. She thought about Nachton and how weak he had become the day before. It worried her.
     When they had all gotten in line, Ms. Kobayashi led them down the stairs and into the main hallway. A sheet lay over the place where Ms. Canterbry had fallen. The children bowed their heads sadly as they walked past it. Shortly after she reached the main hall, Olivia looked up the stairs to see Mr. Schafer and the boys coming down. She didn’t see Nachton among them.
     “Alban’s boy refuses to leave his room,” Olivia overhead Mr. Schafer mumbling quietly to Ms. Kobayashi. “I told him that I would bring his breakfast up to him.”
     “That will be fine,” she replied, nodding solemnly. “He’s having a tough time dealing with these recent events.”
    Olivia was suddenly struck with a sense of dread. What if something is wrong with Nachton? He can’t be sick. We’re immune to illness , she thought. Maybe it’s deeper than a physical illness. Our bodies may fight disease, but our minds ... She turned this thought over in her head as they walked to the dining hall. Olivia was somewhat relieved that Mr. Schafer and Ms. Kobayashi were being as kind to Nachton and the other children as they were. She figured it must have been a result of Mr. Gloome’s absence.
     The children ate breakfast in silence. Olivia noted that Mr. Dewberry was looking increasingly worse with each passing day. He appeared to be in pain as he slowly helped the nannies pass the trays out to the children. Olivia wasn’t hungry, but she knew that she needed to eat. She watched as Mr. Schafer explained to Mr. Dewberry that his son wouldn’t come out of his room. Mr. Dewberry shook his head and wiped a tear from his face. He thanked Mr. Schafer repeatedly for offering to take a tray up to Nachton’s room. Then he walked slowly back into the kitchen.
     
    * * * * *
     
     They spent the remainder of the day in the physical education room, where the children halfheartedly threw balls back and forth and jumped rope in silence. Olivia spent the time worrying about Nachton and Mr. Dewberry, wishing that she could go and talk to them. She was relieved when Ms. Kobayashi announced that they would be returning to their rooms after dinner. Olivia wanted to be