2. Winter Worries

WINTER WORRIES 2 It was chaos in the classroom. Some students kept trying to close the windows. Others ducked under their desks. Snow and ice-cold rain blew inside. All anyone could see was white, white, white. It was like the school was now at the very center of a terrible blizzard.

Noises came from the radiator in the corner. The radiator rattled and shook. BONK! CLANK! CLANK! Eerie Elementary was built a long time ago. The only heat in the building came from rusty metal radiators like this one. Suddenly, there was a long, loud HISSSSSSSS. The radiator shut off completely. Sam realized things had just gone from bad to worse. It felt like the temperature had dropped about twenty degrees in seconds!

Antonio eyed the thermometer on the wall. He recently did a science project on temperature, so he knew 32 degrees was when water turned to ice. "Guys," Antonio said. "If the heat doesn't come back on soon, we'll all freeze!" Sam's eyes darted to Antonio's phone. "What else does Orson's note say?" he asked. "The school became angry after you read it aloud, so it must be important." The friends hurried to read more. Sam saw the words, "A strong freeze is needed for my plan to work." Just then, the loudspeaker squealed. The principal's voice came on. "Students, school has been cancelled—" "Snow day!" some students cheered. "Silence!" Ms. Grinker barked.

The principal's voice continued: "Parents have been called. Please go to your lockers and get your belongings. All classes report to the gym. Wait there until your parents arrive." The students followed Ms. Grinker out into the hall. Sam, Antonio, and Lucy were the last to leave. Just before they stepped into the hall— SLAM! CRASH! BAM!

The windows suddenly slammed shut. Sam gasped. He saw ice forming around the edges. The windows were being sealed shut! It's like the school is locking all of us inside, Sam thought. "We need to check the front entrance!" Lucy exclaimed. Sam and his friends raced into the hallway. They ran to the large doors that led outside.

Sam pressed his face to the window. He saw huge piles of snow forming against the door. Even worse, Sam saw ice forming on the door hinges. "Oh no," Sam said. He pushed on the door. But it wouldn't budge. "Let's all try at once!" Antonio said. The three friends threw their shoulders into the door. It still wouldn't open! "We're trapped." Sam sighed. "Trapped inside ice-cold Eerie Elementary."