The trio continues working on their design. There is one month left until the competition. To test whether the designs survive a three-story drop, they go to school on a Saturday; there’s a volleyball game, so the building is unlocked. While others are watching the game, they go to the third floor and start dropping eggs from a window onto the concrete outside, planning to clean them up before the game is over and anyone notices. The game ends early, and they are nearly caught. All their eggs break. However, Dari thinks that some of the designs could work with tweaks.

During the last week of school before winter break, it snows for the first time, so Mr. Neely lets the students play outside during science class. A snowball fight breaks out.

The following day is a real snow day off from school, and Natalie’s dad tells her they’re going somewhere fun. It turns out he means Christmas shopping, and Natalie is disappointed that errands are now his idea of entertainment. However, they actually enjoy themselves for a while because they pretend the crowded mall is a battlefield they have to brave together.