"Today, we're learning how to properly tenderize meat," Mrs. Anderson smiled. Her eyes wrinkled around drug store eyeliner; bits of caked mascara rested on her cheek.

     This year, the district had implemented home economics into the course of study, which was also an archaic one. Mrs. Anderson was the new addition to Glendale High School and an unwanted one at that.

     "Everyone, please grab a cutting board and a mallet. They should be located in the the drawers below your table."

     "It's gonna be a long year," Travis whispered over to Cassie, but she remained dazed. Her eyes refused to blink. Her attention stayed fixed on the surrounding trees beyond the window, swaying back and forth before the coming storm.

     Travis poked her arm, "Hey, are you alright?"

     She shook her head and snapped back into reality. "Did you say something?"

     "Excuse me," Mrs. Anderson started, looking at Cassie, "Are you too good to pay attention?"

     The girl looked directly at the old hag then darted her eyes around the room at classmates who watched her quietly. In front of each of them sat slabs of crushed meat atop a cutting board. Each held tightly onto a metal mallet. Her piece of beef remained bagged and in its original state.

     "I'm sorry, Mrs. Anderson. It's just been a bad summer," she dropped her head softly.

     "I understand that this has been a difficult time, but you still need to participate."

     The elderly teacher referred to Jess. Over the course of the summer, children from the area had been going missing with no leads but thankfully no bodies. Three were taken in the past three months and one of them happened to be her best friend. Mrs. Anderson remained stationary, attempting to look consoling, but the sagging skin made any sign of comfort...uncomfortable.

      "It won't happen again."

     "Unfortunately, I will have to have you do this after school," Mrs. Anderson replied, "Please go see Principal Stone and return when the bell rings."

     The class snickered silently to themselves, including Travis beside her. She nudged at him with an elbow, annoyed. Cassie prepared for her walk of shame by grabbing hold of her textbook and spiral notebook; she grasped them tightly across her chest until her knuckles whitened. However, the laughs continued even after she closed the door and made her way down the hall.

     Up ahead, a locker that once belonged to Jess stood adorned with crosses and candles; pictures and notes were taped across the red painted metal. She only paid it any mind for a moment before bringing her head back down to rest above the hefty home ec book she continued to squeeze on to.

     The sign on the door simply read "Principal". The name below had been scraped off the glass at least two years ago, but Principal Stone hadn't bothered to put his there since then.

     Knock knock knock

     "Come in!" He yelled from the other side of the door.

     Cassie pushed it open slowly and made her way in to the musty office. Papers sat in disorganized stacks on his desk, along with two canisters that could have possible held soup or coffee at some point.

     "What can I help you with?"

     "Mrs. Anderson said to wait in here until class ended."

     Principal Stone gestured over to the seat in the corner, "You know if you ever need to talk to anyone, I'm here and so are all the other teachers."

     Cassie gave him a small grin but remained silent. She took a seat and waited the last twenty minutes, listening to the shuffling of papers and occasional humming from the principal.

***

     At the sound of the bell, Cassie made her way through loud groups of students running through the halls. At least twice she had to dodge an oncoming caravan of the overactive teenagers, but she made it to her home ec class in one piece.

     Mrs. Anderson stood by the board erasing sloppy writing and charts from the class she missed. At the sound of the door opening she stopped and turned her large frame to face Cassie. A small attempt at a smile crossed her bright pink lips.

     "Everything is out for you," she pointed to a desk with a large piece of beef sitting atop a standard white plastic cutting board.

     Cassie took her seat and began unraveling the meat and grabbed onto the metal mallet beside it.

     "I'm sorry about your friend," Mrs. Andersen added, her back still facing Cassie while she continued wiping away at the board,"but in all honesty, she was kind of a bitch."

     Cassie took a moment to process what the old woman had just said, while she continued to pound at the tough meat before her. Something shiny poked out of the cold red meat. She grabbed for it and pulled it out, revealing a finger with the ring that Jess had worn everyday.

     Cassie jumped from her chair and screamed, but Mrs. Andersen kept meticulously wiping the whiteboard and cackled to herself. Screams turned into tears; she ran to the door and opened it, revealing Principal Stone, standing still in front of her. A smile crossed his lips.

Confusion hit her.

The cold feeling of a metal mallet against her head made her eyes widen in shock.

Then the world around her went dark.