15. Snow Day

SNOW DAY 15 CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The sound of opening doors filled the school. Defeating Orson Eerie caused the snowbanks and the ice to melt instantly! The students were no longer trapped. Parents rushed into the school. Lucy and Antonio sat up. They both looked dazed. "Are you guys okay?!" Sam asked.

"Ooof," Antonio groaned. "I feel like I just rode the Tilt—A—Whirl nine times in a row." "I think I'm okay..." Lucy said. "We did it, didn't we?" Sam grinned. "We did." Just then, Ms. Grinker marched over. Sam gulped. "You three!" she barked. "What are you doing out here? And Sam, are you wearing your ice skates inside school?" "Um, well," Sam stumbled. "I have hockey practice today." "I think you got plenty of practice already, buddy," Antonio joked.

Mr. Nekobi walked out into the hallway. "Ms. Grinker," he said, interrupting her. "Were any other students missing from the gym today?" Ms. Grinker thought for a moment. "Well, no..." "Then I think our hall monitors did a wonderful job," Mr. Nekobi said, steering her toward the gym. Sam untied his skates and slipped back into his sneakers. Then, Sam, Lucy, and Antonio headed toward the exit. Students and parents hurried past them. But the three best friends took their time. They were tired and did not want to do any more racing around.

They spotted their parents outside. But before they walked over, Lucy stopped. "Guys," she said, "There's something I have to tell you. When I was inside that tornado, I felt something... I felt Orson Eerie." Antonio nodded. "I felt it, too. He's even more dangerous and powerful than we ever thought..." Lucy's words made Sam's skin crawl. It took a moment before he could speak again. "We must stop him," Sam finally said. "We thought Orson Eerie had one goal: swallow students to stay alive. But now we know that was only part of his plane His real goal is to come back to life."

Lucy nodded. "And who knows how many other ways he might be able to do that. This freeze plan was probably just one of many!" "I bet Orson's old science book holds more clues," Antonio added. Sam shoved his hands into his pockets. The air was chilly, and his clothes were still damp. "Well," he said, "it sounds like we've got a lot of studying to do to protect the students of Eerie Elementary."