The Day After Tomorrow
Keeping Warm
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Every one was asleep, or nearly everyone any way, Cadence and Tori was questioning Jensen about their younger brother, Dean. Stella was asleep and Frankito was stroking her hair, looking down on her. Joey and Roxy were asleep along side each other and Ramona was sitting at one of the tables across from Jake reading a book.
Jake was at work on the radio, using a screw driver the library security guard had loaned him.
"Maybe you should have somebody help you with that?" the guard suggested.
Jake gave him a surprised look, "Sir, I am president of the electronics club, the Math club and the chess club. Now if there's a bigger nerd in here, please point him out!"
"I'll just leave you alone to work on it okay!" This made Ramona smile.
The silence was broken when Bill cam running in with Skippy, "Hey guys there's people out there, hundreds of them, they're walking in the snow!"
"Where could they be going?" someone asked.
"Getting out of the city before it's too late!" another replied.
This gave the Guard an idea, "Alright people, quiet down, when was the last time anyone got a signal on a cell phone?"
"I got through to my cousin in Memphis an hour ago; they're being evacuated to the south!" a girl explained.
"We should get moving too, the water has frozen over enough to walk on, we should get going before the snow gets too deep. Everyone, wrap yourselves up as fast as you can."
Joey shook his head, "We shouldn't go," he advised quietly to his gang.
Jensen who was putting on gloves and hat, "Why not, Joey, everyone's leaving!"
"When I spoke to Roxy's sister she told me to stay inside, the storm will kill anybody caught in it."
"Then you have to say something!" Roxy told him,
"I know!" he replied and he got up and ran over to the guard.
"Excuse, but you're making a mistake," Joey began.
"What? Listen we're all scared, but we've got no choice," The guard replied.
"That's not it..." Joey said.
"Get ready to go!" ordered the Guard.
"If these people go outside they will freeze to death!" Joey yelled, this had everyone's attention.
"What is this nonsense?" the guard asked.
"It's not nonsense all right, look this storm is gonna get worse and the people caught outside will freeze to death," Joey explained.
"Where are you getting this information?" the librarian lady asked.
"My sisters a climatologist she works for the government," Roxy informed.
"So what do we do?" she asked again.
"We stay inside and ride it out!" Joey said.
"The snow is getting deeper by the minute, we'd be trapped here without food, supplies..." the guard explained.
"It's a risk yes..." Joey replied.
"An unnecessary risk..."
"No, no it's not," Joey tried.
"We've wasted enough time talking about this, come on everyone, let's go!"
"Look, look, look for a second okay, the storm is gonna get bad, really bad, you're not gonna be able to survive in it," Joey tried again,
"Please sir just stay, stay." Joey knew it was hopeless as the people walked passed him. The only ones that did stay behind were Bill, Skippy and the librarian lady.
NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION CENTRE
Elisa was outside packing up the snow van when Billie, Adie, Jakob and Mike emerged from the building. Tre was inside getting kitted out by Jack.
"Hey," Billie said and Alyssa smiled.
"Hey, listen, it's gonna be impossible for you to reach me so leave a message at the American Embassy in Mexico to let me know you guys got their safely and where you'll be," she packed another box up.
Adie looked ill with worry and she pulled Alyssa into a hug, "Thank you so much!" was all she said and Elisa hugged her back half heartedly.
"If I was older I'd go with you!" Jakob announced when Adie pulled away.
"Oh really, well I'll bear that in mind for when you are older," Alyssa amused.
"Really?" Jakob said excitedly.
"Sure I will, I'll even get you a snow suit with your name on," she told him and Jakob cheered before running into the building to tell Tre.
Adie went after him and before Billie followed he mouthed the words "thank you" while slightly touching Alyssa hand. Alyssa looked at the floor trying to hold back tears; they'd never been this nice to one another.
Mike approached helping her with the last of the boxes, "I have every ounce of faith that you'll bring my baby back to me," he assured.
"Thanks," Alyssa said with a smile.
Mike continued, "Take care and tell my little Hero I love her soooo much," Mike requested. Elisa looked at him with despair.
"She'll be okay, Mike," Alyssa assured him.
"I know because you'll bring her back to me!" Then he disappeared into the building.
Suddenly a random box was slid onto the back of the van.
Alyssa turned to see Jack with Tre lingering behind, "What are you doing, you're supposed to be on a bus heading south!" she remarked.
"Are you kidding, I've been watching you're back for ten years you think I'd let you go it alone?" Jack replied
"And all these years I thought I was watching you're back," Alyssa sniggered.
Jack let a smile play his lips, "Where are the keys?"
"In the truck," Alyssa replied with a mock smile.
The next random box that was slid on was from Brian, Alyssa watched expectantly, "And where do you think you're going?" she asked.
Brian made a face, "Neither one of you knows how to navigate worth a damn, without me you'll end up in Cleveland!" he remarked and joined Jack in the truck.
Takoda joined them, "I'll try to give you updates on the storm as it heads you're way," he assured. "Good luck ALyssa," he added.
Alyssa shook his hand, "Thank you for all your help... take care," she said before grabbing Tre and jumping in the van.
Natalie had approached and was waving them off as they drove down the snowy road.
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Joey had enquired about a fire place in the old aged building and the librarian had obliged, she'd shown them to an office they never used where a grand white fireplace stood before them.
"This fireplace hasn't been used in a hundred years," she informed. Joey didn't care, he walked over and opened the flue.
"All right..." he said and grabbed some books nearby and dumping them into the fireplace,
"What on earth are you doing?" The librarian gasped.
"What do you think we're gonna burn?" Joey replied and Roxy helped him bring the random books over.
"You can't burn books!" the librarian declared.
"No! Absolutely not!" Ramona gasped.
"Shut up Ramona, stop being such a geek, you don't even read!" Frankito snapped.
"I read when I need to!" Ramona replied.
"Do you want to freeze to death?" Joey asked bluntly and the librarian and Ramona let him tear on.
"I'll go get some more!" Cadence said and headed for the main room.
"I'm gonna help!" Jake said although Tori, Bill, Roxy and Stella were already following her out. The librarian winced and followed after them.
"Alright, we have to find a cafeteria or lunch room!" Joey declared to the guys and they went in search.
All they found was an employee's lounge where there were only a couple of vending machines. Frankito broke the glass and picked up the sweets.
"We won't last long on potato chips and M 'n'M's," Jensen observed.
In the main book hall, the five kids where piling books onto the trolleys, the librarian were selecting the ones that she thought definitely shouldn't be burned.
"What are you doing?" Cadence asked, exasperated.
"You can't burn Friedrich Nietzsche, you cannot burn Friedrich Nietzsche, he was the most important thinker of the nineteenth centaury!" the librarian gasped.
"Oh come on, Nietzsche was a chauvinist pig, who was in love with his sister, put it back!" Roxy said.
"Nietzsche was not a chauvinist pig!" the librarian gasped.
"But he was in love with his sister," Tori added.
"Um, excuse me guys?" Jake called out.
"There's a whole section on tax law here that we can burn!" and he lifted a case of heavy encyclopedia looking books onto the trolley.
Every one was asleep, or nearly everyone any way, Cadence and Tori was questioning Jensen about their younger brother, Dean. Stella was asleep and Frankito was stroking her hair, looking down on her. Joey and Roxy were asleep along side each other and Ramona was sitting at one of the tables across from Jake reading a book.
Jake was at work on the radio, using a screw driver the library security guard had loaned him.
"Maybe you should have somebody help you with that?" the guard suggested.
Jake gave him a surprised look, "Sir, I am president of the electronics club, the Math club and the chess club. Now if there's a bigger nerd in here, please point him out!"
"I'll just leave you alone to work on it okay!" This made Ramona smile.
The silence was broken when Bill cam running in with Skippy, "Hey guys there's people out there, hundreds of them, they're walking in the snow!"
"Where could they be going?" someone asked.
"Getting out of the city before it's too late!" another replied.
This gave the Guard an idea, "Alright people, quiet down, when was the last time anyone got a signal on a cell phone?"
"I got through to my cousin in Memphis an hour ago; they're being evacuated to the south!" a girl explained.
"We should get moving too, the water has frozen over enough to walk on, we should get going before the snow gets too deep. Everyone, wrap yourselves up as fast as you can."
Joey shook his head, "We shouldn't go," he advised quietly to his gang.
Jensen who was putting on gloves and hat, "Why not, Joey, everyone's leaving!"
"When I spoke to Roxy's sister she told me to stay inside, the storm will kill anybody caught in it."
"Then you have to say something!" Roxy told him,
"I know!" he replied and he got up and ran over to the guard.
"Excuse, but you're making a mistake," Joey began.
"What? Listen we're all scared, but we've got no choice," The guard replied.
"That's not it..." Joey said.
"Get ready to go!" ordered the Guard.
"If these people go outside they will freeze to death!" Joey yelled, this had everyone's attention.
"What is this nonsense?" the guard asked.
"It's not nonsense all right, look this storm is gonna get worse and the people caught outside will freeze to death," Joey explained.
"Where are you getting this information?" the librarian lady asked.
"My sisters a climatologist she works for the government," Roxy informed.
"So what do we do?" she asked again.
"We stay inside and ride it out!" Joey said.
"The snow is getting deeper by the minute, we'd be trapped here without food, supplies..." the guard explained.
"It's a risk yes..." Joey replied.
"An unnecessary risk..."
"No, no it's not," Joey tried.
"We've wasted enough time talking about this, come on everyone, let's go!"
"Look, look, look for a second okay, the storm is gonna get bad, really bad, you're not gonna be able to survive in it," Joey tried again,
"Please sir just stay, stay." Joey knew it was hopeless as the people walked passed him. The only ones that did stay behind were Bill, Skippy and the librarian lady.
NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION CENTRE
Elisa was outside packing up the snow van when Billie, Adie, Jakob and Mike emerged from the building. Tre was inside getting kitted out by Jack.
"Hey," Billie said and Alyssa smiled.
"Hey, listen, it's gonna be impossible for you to reach me so leave a message at the American Embassy in Mexico to let me know you guys got their safely and where you'll be," she packed another box up.
Adie looked ill with worry and she pulled Alyssa into a hug, "Thank you so much!" was all she said and Elisa hugged her back half heartedly.
"If I was older I'd go with you!" Jakob announced when Adie pulled away.
"Oh really, well I'll bear that in mind for when you are older," Alyssa amused.
"Really?" Jakob said excitedly.
"Sure I will, I'll even get you a snow suit with your name on," she told him and Jakob cheered before running into the building to tell Tre.
Adie went after him and before Billie followed he mouthed the words "thank you" while slightly touching Alyssa hand. Alyssa looked at the floor trying to hold back tears; they'd never been this nice to one another.
Mike approached helping her with the last of the boxes, "I have every ounce of faith that you'll bring my baby back to me," he assured.
"Thanks," Alyssa said with a smile.
Mike continued, "Take care and tell my little Hero I love her soooo much," Mike requested. Elisa looked at him with despair.
"She'll be okay, Mike," Alyssa assured him.
"I know because you'll bring her back to me!" Then he disappeared into the building.
Suddenly a random box was slid onto the back of the van.
Alyssa turned to see Jack with Tre lingering behind, "What are you doing, you're supposed to be on a bus heading south!" she remarked.
"Are you kidding, I've been watching you're back for ten years you think I'd let you go it alone?" Jack replied
"And all these years I thought I was watching you're back," Alyssa sniggered.
Jack let a smile play his lips, "Where are the keys?"
"In the truck," Alyssa replied with a mock smile.
The next random box that was slid on was from Brian, Alyssa watched expectantly, "And where do you think you're going?" she asked.
Brian made a face, "Neither one of you knows how to navigate worth a damn, without me you'll end up in Cleveland!" he remarked and joined Jack in the truck.
Takoda joined them, "I'll try to give you updates on the storm as it heads you're way," he assured. "Good luck ALyssa," he added.
Alyssa shook his hand, "Thank you for all your help... take care," she said before grabbing Tre and jumping in the van.
Natalie had approached and was waving them off as they drove down the snowy road.
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Joey had enquired about a fire place in the old aged building and the librarian had obliged, she'd shown them to an office they never used where a grand white fireplace stood before them.
"This fireplace hasn't been used in a hundred years," she informed. Joey didn't care, he walked over and opened the flue.
"All right..." he said and grabbed some books nearby and dumping them into the fireplace,
"What on earth are you doing?" The librarian gasped.
"What do you think we're gonna burn?" Joey replied and Roxy helped him bring the random books over.
"You can't burn books!" the librarian declared.
"No! Absolutely not!" Ramona gasped.
"Shut up Ramona, stop being such a geek, you don't even read!" Frankito snapped.
"I read when I need to!" Ramona replied.
"Do you want to freeze to death?" Joey asked bluntly and the librarian and Ramona let him tear on.
"I'll go get some more!" Cadence said and headed for the main room.
"I'm gonna help!" Jake said although Tori, Bill, Roxy and Stella were already following her out. The librarian winced and followed after them.
"Alright, we have to find a cafeteria or lunch room!" Joey declared to the guys and they went in search.
All they found was an employee's lounge where there were only a couple of vending machines. Frankito broke the glass and picked up the sweets.
"We won't last long on potato chips and M 'n'M's," Jensen observed.
In the main book hall, the five kids where piling books onto the trolleys, the librarian were selecting the ones that she thought definitely shouldn't be burned.
"What are you doing?" Cadence asked, exasperated.
"You can't burn Friedrich Nietzsche, you cannot burn Friedrich Nietzsche, he was the most important thinker of the nineteenth centaury!" the librarian gasped.
"Oh come on, Nietzsche was a chauvinist pig, who was in love with his sister, put it back!" Roxy said.
"Nietzsche was not a chauvinist pig!" the librarian gasped.
"But he was in love with his sister," Tori added.
"Um, excuse me guys?" Jake called out.
"There's a whole section on tax law here that we can burn!" and he lifted a case of heavy encyclopedia looking books onto the trolley.