Gina looked in the mirror at the bright red pustule on her nose. She poked at it carefully, afraid that it might burst on her dress. It was large and painful. The more she prodded it, the larger it got. This is not how it was supposed to go! Gina thought to herself. Then she began crying. Her mother yelled up the stairs, "Gina! Eric is here!" This news made Gina even more upset.

Who is Eric?

Iggy squinted as he tried to see through the holes in the ski mask. He could make out the large bag on the counter. The frightened woman who put it there now had both hands raised. Iggy exited the first set of doors but stopped in the entryway. Soon the windows of the building pulsated with blue and red lights. Iggy hurriedly walked back into the building.

What is Iggy doing in the building?

Missy looked at her brother Kirk with burning eyes. Her hatred seared through him. Kirk knew Missy well, but he had never seen this particular expression on her face before, and it startled him. He said, "Look, there's no use wasting a bunch of energy fighting. Let's look for it. Where does it go anyway?" Missy fumed at his nonchalance. She replied, "Look at the puzzle, Kirk. You can't miss it."

Why is Missy angry with Kirk?

Pam clutched the steering wheel awkwardly. The man in the passenger seat looked at her from behind wireframe glasses and then looked back at his clipboard and made some checks. Pam attempted to pull out from the parking spot slowly, but her foot slipped and she pressed on the gas too hard. The car jerked back suddenly and she almost crashed into a parked van. The man scowled at her and made another check on his clipboard.

What is Pam doing?

Emilio took the cap off his head, dropped the baseball bat, and rested his elbows on the fence. It wasn't that he couldn't find the ball. It was sitting right in the middle of the lawn, just beyond the fence. Emilio could probably get a running start, grab the top of the fence, and flip right over it. But there was a dog, a large Rottweiler with a spiked collar. He sat under an awning a few feet away from the ball. He looked at Emilio and let out a menacing growl.

What was Emilio doing right before the text begins.

"Honey, I'm home!" Valentino shouted as he crossed the threshold. He walked into the kitchen and put his coat and bag on a counter stool, careful not to damage the flowers that he was carrying. "Where are you, honey?" Valentino asked. "I'm upstairs, dearest!" Dulce shouted as she finished wrapping the tie. Valentino held the flowers behind his back and crept up the stairs. Dulce tied the bow and concealed the package behind her back as she stepped into the hallway. Their eyes met and Valentino and Dulce smiled at one another.

Why is today significant for Valentino and Dulce?

"Nico!" Erin shouted at the top of her lungs as she bounded through the meadow, "Come back, Nico!" She was nearly out of breath but she kept running through the tall grass. "Nico, come on, boy! It's time to go home!" Erin continued shouting, her voice hoarse from shouting similar expressions all day. Then she stumbled over the leash that she was carrying, "Whoa… Come on Nico!" Erin shouted, regaining her balance.

Why has Erin been "shouting similar expressions all day"?

Mr. Johnson looked up at the sky. It was clear as far as the eye could see, except for the cruel sun. The insatiable sun drained the land of all moisture. He cursed the sun. Mr. Johnson ran his fingers through one of the rows of dirt and grabbed a handful. It was bone dry, almost powdery. He let the dirt sift through his fingers and it turned to dust in the wind. Mr. Johnson put his hands on his hips and surveyed the field. It was well seeded, that he knew. He had seeded it himself, yet nothing sprang from the dirt.

What does Mr. Johnson do for a living?

Pablo slowly got off the ground and wiped the dust from his pants. There were several tears in both legs. He could see blood through the holes. He picked the gravel from his wounds, wiped off the dust, got back on his seat and headed once more for home. When he got there, he quickly grabbed the hose and sprayed the motorbike. He wiped it down with a rag from his father's garage and then parked it against the wall. He walked into his house where his mother was shocked to see him. "Oh my! By heavens, what happened to you, Pablo?" Pablo did not even hesitate, "I got attacked by a dog after school by Jalen's house. It was one of his neighbor's dogs."

Why did Pablo lie to his mom?

Warren pushed the back door open with his elbow. He was dragging a heavy black plastic sack behind him. Thud, thud, thud. The bag thumped each stair Warren descended. Thud, thud, rip, drip, drip. The bag had gotten caught on a nail and a foul, odorous juice poured out, splashing Warren's leg. "Ew... gross!" Warren shouted as he adjusted the bag. He walked out to the alley and deposited the bag in a large plastic container, closing the lid behind him as he left, still muttering about his pants.

What is Warren doing?

Virgil slammed his fist against the locker. The hallway had been packed one minute ago, but now most of the students had filed into their classes. The bell would ring shortly. Virgil looked around urgently but saw no friendly faces. He faced the locker again and started spinning the lock, first right, then left, then right. He took a deep breath and pulled the lock. It held tight. Virgil cursed under his breath at the exact moment that the bell rang. Virgil grabbed the handle of the locker and yanked it repeatedly in a fit of frustration. Then he threw his arms against the locker and burrowed his head into his arms. Finally, he pushed himself off of the locker and went to look for a custodian.

Why is Virgil upset?

Screech! Karen stomped on the gas pedal the moment the light turned green. She looked over her left shoulder and zigged past a semi-truck. She zoomed ahead and looked over her right shoulder and then zagged past a motorbike. She glanced at the clock on the console and darted into the parking lot. Whipping into a parking spot, she grabbed her suitcase and ran through the lot, up the escalator, and into the terminal. Just as she entered the terminal, she heard an announcement over the loudspeaker, "Final boarding call for flight 205 to JFK..." Karen looked at her ticket and then at the line to get through the security checkpoint, which wrapped around several times and was moving incredibly slowly. Karen sighed and then slowly walked to the customer service desk.

What happened to Karen?

Brenda reached for the box of tissue. She blew her nose with a thunderous force and then tried breathing through it again. It was still clogged. She tottered over to the phone on her dresser. She located the contact labeled "Work" and pressed send. A couple of rings later, a familiar voice answered the phone, "Happy Fun Land, this is Deidra speaking. How can I help you have a happy fun day?" Brenda moaned, "Oh, Deidra, it's Brenda." Deidra responded with pep, "Hey, Brenda! I can't wait to see you this afternoon." Brenda grunted and replied, "Yeah, well, actually, I need to talk to the manager."

Why does Brenda need to talk to the manager?

"Shh…" Dale whispered to his friend Jim. Jim stopped talking mid-sentence and looked at Dale. Dale was dressed in a fluorescent orange sweater with the hood up and a camouflage vest over the sweater. He saw Dale point his rifle at the horizon and squint, and then Jim looked where the barrel was aimed. A large 10-point buck trotted about thirty meters from the bushes behind which Jim and Dale were positioned.

What event is most likely to occur next?

Troy moved the cloth in a circular direction on his car's fender. Troy loved this car. It wasn't a race car, but he took really good care of it. Next he wiped down the trunk with the rag and then the bumper. He put the rag down and took a step back, putting his hands on his hips and admiring his work. The chrome bumper shined dazzlingly. Suddenly, Troy felt a cool breeze. He heard a distant crack of thunder and noticed a storm cloud rolling in from the west. Troy kicked the water bucket over and said, "Doggone it!"

Why is Troy upset?