Blizzard! by Jake Maddox

Author:Jake Maddox
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction/Action & Adventure/Survival Stories
ISBN: 9781434288776
Publisher: Capstone
Published: 2013-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

[ Chapter 7 ]

BEFORE THE ICE AGE

Owen and Gray stayed as far under the rocky overhang as they could. They kept their backs to the wind. They covered up with their coats and scarves.

Gray sat as close to Owen as he could, trying to stay warm. The needles didn’t stop the cold coming from the ground as much as they had hoped. The wind whistled. Snow blew through holes in their branch wall.

“At least it hasn’t fallen over yet,” Gray said.

“I just wish we had found a cave,” Owen said. “Even if we had to share it with a hibernating bear or something.”

They gnawed on strips of bark. The bark tasted like a cereal box carton, but it helped them feel less hungry.

Owen and Gray were both tired, but the cold kept them awake. Neither of them felt like talking, but there was nothing else to do.

“Last night, what did you mean when you said you’re not even supposed to be here?” Owen asked.

Gray hugged himself tightly, trying to stay warm. He tried to get a little more comfortable.

“My girlfriend is the one who deserved to be here,” he said. “I don’t mean here in the woods. I mean at the awards dinner. She’s the community service champion. I was just helping because it made her happy. Plus, it meant we could spend more time together.”

“So why isn’t she here?” Owen asked.

“She got a cold,” Gray said. They both laughed. Then Gray asked, “What about you? Why is this awards dinner so important to you?”

“Well, I’m not an athlete,” Owen said. “Or an artist. I don’t have a girlfriend. But it doesn’t take any skill to do community service. Anyone can pick up trash in the park and along the highway.”

“Is that what you did?” Gray asked.

“Yeah,” Owen said. “For twelve hours straight.” He held up two gloved fingers. “Two days in a row.”

“Are you serious?” Gray asked. “No breaks?”

“I stopped to eat a sandwich for lunch and dinner and made a couple runs to the bathroom,” Owen told him. “But otherwise, no breaks. I even got on the news.”

“Wow,” Gray said.

“Go on. Say it,” Owen said. “I know. I need to get a life.”

“No, I wasn’t going to say that,” Gray said. “It’s really cool. Really. I don’t care that much about anything.”

“You gave up a long weekend to fly here for someone else,” Owen pointed out. “That’s caring.”

“Okay,” Gray said. “Well, I don’t have patience like you do, I guess.”

“We both have more patience than we thought we did a day ago,” Owen said. “I just hope it lasts through the night.”

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