Playing House

WEATHER REPORT: Temperatures have dropped again, lingering around 10˚F/-12˚C during daylight hours, and even lower in darkness. Additionally, it’s snowing much harder now, with white-out conditions. Definitely a day to stay inside!

EVENTS: As they did yesterday, the scientists once again let everyone know there have been more removals. Bobby, Kai, and Connor are gone this time, though there have been no replacements as of yet. Anyone doing the math would realize that there’s a few more women than men in the house right now, and may find that ratio amusing.

Though no one could know it, there is something interesting happening to both Avery and Rupert. In fact, they may be losing their sanity. How delightful!

Okay, actually they’re both as sane as they were yesterday, but they’re bound to be feeling crazy. Any time Avery is alone, he will feel chilled. No matter how high he turns the heat up in whatever room, even if he turns his thermostat up to 90, he’s going to be feeling cold. Unless he’s in a room with someone else in it. Should that happen, the temperature warms to a comfortable level immediately. The exact opposite is happening to Rupert: he is being plagued by high levels of heat. Even if he opens his bedroom windows and walks around wearing nothing but strategically placed ice-packs (and we’re quite sure that’s something Experiment B would enjoy seeing), the room he’s in is going to feel like a boiler room - unless someone else enters the room. In which case things cool immediately, never leaving any hint of the inferno he had been experiencing. That’s not possible, right? No, no, that’s totally not possible. Yup, they’re going crazy alright.

For the first time, those in Experiment B are going to experience a little special treatment. In the morning, no matter how they left their computers, the computers are on and a tiny light is flashing for their attention. They will find a note waiting for them from the scientists! It reads:

“Greetings.

We feel as though those below have had enough time to settle in, and so we have finally begun our first series of tests on the participants of Experiment A. It may interest you to watch Avery and Rupert for the next few days, as we have selected them for our first test – though of course, they have no knowledge of this.

Happy viewing.”

Oh, that’s just fabulous, right? So nice of the scientists to give pointers on who to watch for the juicy bits. Most unfortunately, they are in for quite an unanticipated side effect. Meaning?

Heat rises.

Whatever the scientists are doing downstairs is affecting the uppermost floor. It’s hot. By 3 PM, even if every heater on the fourth floor is turned off, the entire floor is at a toasty 80˚F.

Okay, so, that’s annoying. But the scientists are sure to fix the problem. Aren’t they?