Trapped

The group debates whether the heat works with no power. They come up with a plan to use Pete’s flashlight app on his phone to find a thermostat and keep it cold so the heat will stay on. Their hopes disappear when Jason reminds them “the thermostats are electric” (58). Pete concludes they are “really and truly screwed” (58). Elijah and Les laugh at Pete’s observation, which freaks Weems out.

The emergency lights kick on after a bit. Everyone goes to their lockers. Weems finds a pack of stale Oreos and hopes no one else heard the crinkle of the package because he “might need them for trading” (64). The group reconvenes, and Weems notices no one else has food visible. He concludes they all had the same thought about trading and that “this was when we started keeping secrets” (65).

They spend the rest of the night chatting and checking the snow until they fall asleep. They are all sure the storm will end and they’ll go home tomorrow. They are wrong.

Weems wakes up to find the emergency lights have gone out, eight feet of snow outside, and more snow falling. He stares at the wall of snow for a while, finding it “bizarre and kind of overwhelming” (69).