There’s a crackle sound, and a hot rush of wind draws my attention down to a controlled flame set in an open area on the bottom floor. The woman leading our class talks about temperature and smoke alarms or something.
I glance back up and wave to the figure in the basket. I don’t think he sees me because he doesn’t wave in return. How long until we get to go on basket rides?
“Gemma.”
At the voice calling my name, I turn to find Charlie motioning me to follow him up the stairs to the second floor of the tower. Our group has been divided, and the other half of class is heading toward the fire engine. I want to go that way, but Karson himself would probably chide me for not following directions. Maybe if I’m last, I’ll get more alone time with him.
I take the stairs two at a time to catch up with my roommates. “What are we doing?”
Charlie leaves us behind in order to be first in line, so only Kai remains to answer. “We’re taking turns going in pairs into a smoke-filled room to rescue dummies.”
“Oh cool.” I look around at my classmates lined against the bare cement walls in their yellow protective gear. I’d thought I’d enjoy the police side of our class the most, but this side seems even more immersive.
“Gemma.” Charlie calls me again. “I need a partner.”
I look to Kai who’s going to get left out if I join Charlie. He sweeps an arm to usher me forward anyway. “Ladies first.”
I head toward the white smoke pouring through a doorway. It smells like Karson’s grandpa’s brick pizza oven but looks more like fog than smoke. This is when I’m glad for my face shield.
Charlie leans toward me as if we’re football players in a huddle. “They hid two dummies, and they are timing how long it takes for us to get them out. I want to win, so I picked you since you were so fast at driving the cop car.”
I blink. I can try to race, but it’s not the same without Karson here to impress. “Okay.”
“Let’s stay together and circle the room to the right. If we haven’t found one of the dummies when we get to the door, we’ll go into the second room.”
“There’s a second room?”
His eyes bulge from behind protective plastic. “Didn’t you pay attention?”
“Uh …” I shrug. “We just drag the dummies out, right?”
He huffs, fogging up his face shield. “I should have picked Kai.”
The female firefighter at the door laughs. “You’ll both be fine. I’m following you in, and if you get scared or need any help, just yell.”
What is there to be scared of? This is all a simulation, right? No real fire. “Thanks.”
“Ready?” She holds up a stopwatch.
Before I can even nod, Charlie yells, “Go,” and grabs my hand to drag me after him.
I squeeze to hang on when he disappears into the dense haze. I can’t see a thing through this white cloud, but true to the man’s game plan, we seem to be circling the room to the right.
His hand slips away from mine to feel against the wall, so I reach for the back of his coarse jacket to keep up. I’m afraid to take actual steps in case I trip on the dummy, so I just shuffle my feet forward.
My breath echoes inside the helmet and grows louder. I’ve never been claustrophobic, but if I was, this would be terrifying.
Charlie’s jacket pulls to the left. He must be turning a corner. I blindly follow.
I know this room is safe. I know there’s no actual threat. I know that at any time I can be rescued. But firefighters do this all the time without any of those safeguards, which has never blown my mind more.
“I found a door,” Charlie’s muffled voice shouts. “You go into the next room and look for a dummy while I keep circling the perimeter here.”
Tingles of adrenaline surge through my body at the idea of being left alone. But I’m not really alone. There’s a firefighter following us.
“Okay,” I yell back and let go of him to feel my own way.
My fingers run along the solid wall until I feel open space, and I step into the unknown. As I reach out, my own hands disappear into the smoke. I take baby steps until there’s another wall to anchor myself against. Then I start around this room in the same way we had the previous one.
