Sym Wates Timeline and Summary

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• Uncle Victor tells Sym and her mother they're taking a quick trip to Paris.
• Oh wait—actually, Sym's mother isn't coming because she "lost" her passport.
• In Paris, when Victor is out for the evening, Sym finds her mother's passport in his coat pocket; she knows in her heart that he took it on purpose.
• The treachery of the passport is overshadowed by an exciting announcement by Uncle Victor: They're going to Antarctica.
• They depart for Antarctica via Buenos Ares, where they meet up with the rest of their fellow travelers.
• The group arrives in Antarctica. The first week or so passes uneventfully, with people taking turns giving lectures. Sym becomes closer with Sigurd, a fellow teenager.
• People start getting really sick to their stomachs. Not Sym, though—she seems just fine. So fine, in fact, that she has her first kiss (with Sigurd, of course).
• She also finds out a secret: Uncle Victor and Manfred (Sigurd's dad) have known each other a long time, and they think they've found Symmes's Hole, a hollow portal into inner earth.
• Sym worries that she should contact her mother and tell her about the whole "hollow earth" thing. Sigurd discourages her, though. He distracts her, too, with all the kissing.
• Uh oh, everyone's so sick that the remainder of the trip has to be called off. They're packing up to take the next plane back… until the plane explodes.
• That night, when everyone's sound asleep, Sym takes off in a special vehicle with Victor, Manfred, and Sigurd. They're going to find Symmes's Hole after all.
• The journey goes poorly. The terrain is dangerous and Manfred seems really sick; Sym is really worried.
• After a close brush with death, Manfred admits to treachery: He and Sigurd are con artists who were out for Victor's money. Sym isn't exactly shocked. She realizes on some level she that knew all along.
• Things get worse when Victor poisons Manfred, then leaves him behind in the snow. It's slowly starting to dawn on Sym that good old Uncle Victor is a total nightmare person.
• Meanwhile, she and Sigurd are falling in love. Or at least he's falling in love with her. She doesn't think too much about the fact that he's been lying about his identity all this time.
• The lovebirds are also very busy with their new job: walking in front of the all-terrain vehicle to make sure it doesn't fall into a crevasse.
• Eventually, they fall into a crevasse. Victor hauls them out and restores them to health.
• As Sym recovers, she finds out that Victor is even worse than she thought. For one thing, he murdered her father. With this, Sym realizes her father did, in fact, love her.
• Sym and Sigurd plot to murder Victor, but they both lose their nerve. Also, they almost have sex. Sort of. Well, they think about it.
• Tricked by Sigurd, who makes off with their vehicle, Sym and Victor are left in the snow to fend for themselves. Oof—love hurts.
• After they march themselves around in the snow for a time, Victor stuffs himself down through a crack in the ice. Sym tries to feel happy about it, but she's just sad and exhausted.
• Sym's so tired that she doesn't think she can carry on; Titus tries to motivate her.
• Finally moved by Titus's assertion that his (real, century-old) corpse was dumped into the sea by the shifting ice, Sym decides she doesn't want to die.
• Helped by Titus—or the idea of Titus—Sym makes her way through a blizzard until she finds shelter. Unfortunately it's with Sigurd, who she's still sort of mad at.
• Sym slowly comes back to life. She finds a special mobile phone in the pocket of Victor's jacket, and she and Sigurd try to call for help.
• Sym decides she's going to set the vehicle on fire in hopes of attracting rescuers. It doesn't work, but they're rescued anyway.
• Back in civilization, Sym is surprised when Mike flirts with her. She's too young to date him—at least for now—but she still manages to flirt back.