"So, Gibson, what really is your name? I mean your first name and your last name," asked Chyna on an icy cold December day, ready for an explanation. She'd been wondering about this problem for the ten months she had been a student at Webster High. She was a part of the Advanced Natural Talent, or ANT, Program, which took students of advanced talent in certain areas – like art, drama or singing – and let Principal Susan Skidmore exploit those talents for her own personal gain. Well, in the brochure, it said the Advanced Natural Talents were used for competitions of art, sport, robotics, and whatever Olive was good for, for instance. Today, the young musical prodigy was wearing a bright yellow top, bright yellow jacket, and a pair of bright yellow jeans, with bright green Converse Allstars trainers on.
"My full name is Gibson Gibson," replied Gibson, the counsellor-cum-tutor-cum-therapist in charge of the ANTs. He liked concealing objects inside his head of large curly black hair, like liquorice or, in some rather extreme cases, kebabs.
"Gibson... Gibson?" asked Fletcher Quimby, the art expert at the ANT Farm, who had a huge crush on Chyna.
"Yes. My surname is Gibson, and my first name is Gibson," he explained cheerfully, going about his business. As he walked out into the corridors, teenagers scattered.
Benny walked in to the ANT Farm. He was a robotics expert. "Hey, you guys know that today is the coldest day of the year so far?" he asked, strolling over to his robot table in the corner of the ANT Farm.
Chyna contemplated this. "Well, it is cold," she reasoned. Olive jumped into the ANT Farm in a frenzy of excitement wearing an enormous, heavy blue coat, her pink scarf flying behind her like a streamer.
"I love it when she's excited!" exclaimed Angus Chestnut, the computer genius who obviously had a crush on Olive.
Chyna, Olive and Fletcher walked out into the main corridors, preparing to get to their first lesson, science, as quickly as they could. But then, to the horror of the three friends, the bell rang, and the older kids began running through the corridors, sending the ANTs flying. Angus was sent back in the crowds, screaming and cursing.
The last lesson of the day was Chyna's favourite: drama. Some of the ANTs and Big Kids were rehearsing for their annual summer musical: a musical based on Hannah Montana written by some of the female teachers. Fletcher had been protesting all the time about how Hannah Montana was girly and babyish, though the rehearsals continued. Chyna delivered a show-stopping performance of the song "Are You Ready". After the lesson had finished, the ANTs had to stay behind for a word with Principal Skidmore in her office. They knocked on the door nervously, and entered the room. They had never actually been in their principal's office previously, and gazed in wonder at it. There was a desk with a gold nameplate reading PRINCIPAL SUSAN SKIDMORE and behind it, a bookshelves crammed with leather-bound books. Behind the desk, where nobody could see, was a horrible mess of cardboard boxes and documents.
"Ah! ANTs! Well, you're wondering why I've dragged you to my lair at the end of school. I have some special assignments for each of you. Fletcher, I need you to paint a picture of me for the school hallway. Try to capture my sensational youthful glow. Use acrylic paints only. Watercolours make my nose look big. Olive, I need you to write an entire history of Webster High to put in the entrance hallway. Chyna, I want you to write a song about this school. Make it good, or I will feed your tongue to my raven". China shuddered. "Or at least make it better than that "Soccer Ball" song you did".
"Principal Skidmore, that turned into Unstoppable, the song you asked Angus to put on your phone. You nearly deleted Mad Birdies just to get that song on," pointed out Chyna.
"Oh, well, you're dismissed". Skidmore started humming 'Unstoppable' as the ANTs left the office.
Chyna, Olive and Fletcher went to their lockers to get their coats and bags. Once they had collected all that, they walked down the corridors briskly to the ANT Farm, where Gibson was playing with two raisins.
"So, Raisinella, this is Raisino. Say hello".
"Gibson... what are you doing?" asked Fletcher as he entered the ANT Farm. Grabbing a painting of Chyna from the corner of the room and shielding it from Chyna herself, he walked out of the massive room.
"My raisins are communicating with each other," replied Gibson.
Chyna and her friends walked to the main door of the school and tried to push it open. They were the last kids in the school, and all the teachers liked to run away from the school as soon as possible: Skidmore, Chyna, Gibson, Olive and Fletcher were the only five people in the whole school.
The door wouldn't budge. "Help me here guys," suggested Chyna and both of her friends pushed. The door wouldn't move. They saw why.
Benny had said it was the coldest day of the year, and there had been weather reports of snow on the way: a huge mound of snow had blocked the doors, trapping the kids, their Principal, their tutor-cum-counsellor, and their tutor-cum-counsellor's raisins in their school.
Chyna and her friends tried all the other doors, pushing them as hard as they could, but those doors were blocked too. They had no signal on their mobile phones. They were stuck, with no communication. Chyna's mum and dad were away for the week, Olive's mum and dad were at a science conference, and Fletcher's mum and dad were at an art gallery. They were helpless, trapped in Webster High for at least one whole night with Gibson and Principal Skidmore.