Weather

Weather in the novel foreshadows danger or trouble for the protagonists. In many situations the reader will see the weather go from bad to worse just before something horrible happens. For example, when Cady and Ty are in the car with Elizabeth on the way to Cady’s house, it is raining. The rain gradually increases, building suspese, until Elizabeth and Brenner finally reveal themselves to Cady and Ty.

Field Mice

The field mice that carry the Hantavirus in the story symbolize and represent Cady in some respects. Like Cady, they are harmless and unsuspecting, and yet in the long run, they end up being very lethal and deadly. Cady is similar. She is just a 16 year old girl, and she is not the cause of all these problems that revolve around her family. Originally, she is not even affected by what is happening at Z-Biotech...