Esther slipped on their bag, tapping their chin as they thought about it. “Twenty minutes or an hour? I’m not sure, since the beginning of seventh I guess,” They said with a shrug, but then shuddered at the obvious chill of the building that seeped through. They fixed their collar and sweater, making sure to get as much warmth as they could. 

“Sorry, bad habit calling youngsters “freshman”.” They ducked underneath the stairs as they got out of their little hiding spot. “Anyway, see ya, Alice! I’m Esther by the way.” And with that, Esther headed toward the nearest door, hoping to catch her bus. Their house wasn’t so far, but was far enough that they’d rather not like to walk. They pushed at the door, but odd enough it didn’t budge. They pushed and pulled it, before looking out through the window.

“Shit, son. You gotta be kidding?” Esther exclaimed, gesturing at the door and looking over toward Alice. “So I guess you also noticed we’re trapped? This’ll be fun.”