Case File 13 #2 by J. Scott Savage Page A

disappointment. “It looks pretty much like our school,” Dana said. “Except with less technology.”
    Cody picked up a pencil from a nearby desk. “See? Nothing here. Let’s go.”
    â€œNo one made you come,” Angie said. “You can leave any time you want.”
    Tiffany opened a small closet near the back of the room, shined her light inside, and let out a piercing scream that set Nick’s hair on end.
    â€œWhat is it?” Dana called, rushing over.
    Tiffany stumbled into a desk, her eyes wide. “A sk-sk-sk—” Her flashlight slipped from her fingers as she dropped into a chair.
    Nick rushed over, looked into the closet, and gasped. A human skeleton stared back at him. There was no doubt about it this time. This wasn’t someone’s leftover dinner.
    Angelo touched an arm bone and pulled it toward him. The skeleton rattled out of the dark. But a moment later, Angelo gave a disgusted sigh. “It’s only a model.”
    â€œWhat?” Nick was sure they’d uncovered some terrifying secret. But Dana shined her flashlight on the skeleton and nodded her agreement.
    â€œSee the little metal hooks and strings holding it together? And the numbers on each of the bones? They use these to teach human anatomy.”
    â€œ This is kind of odd,” Angie said, flipping through a stack of textbooks.
    â€œWhat is it?” Nick walked over to join her.
    â€œLook at these titles.” Angie turned the book and held her light so Nick could see the covers. A Is for Apple . She grabbed another one from a different stack. Learning to Read .
    Cody shook his head. “What’s the big deal? This is probably a kindergarten class.”
    â€œMaybe not.” Angelo pointed his light at a glass jar of milky fluid with something pink floating in the middle. “Since when did six-year-olds start studying human brains?”

Nick aimed his flashlight into the glass container, creating a huge brain-shaped shadow on the blackboard behind it. “Maybe it’s from a pig or something.”
    Dana dropped to one knee and stared at the brain floating in its milky bath. “Look at the size of those frontal lobes. It’s definitely human.”
    â€œWhat’s that liquid?” Angelo said, studying the glass container. “Normally organs would be preserved in a formalin solution or ethyl alcohol. This isn’t either one. It looks more like some kind of nutrient broth.” He tapped the side of the glass container and the brain moved slightly.
    â€œDon’t do that.” Nick shuddered as the brain’s shadow swayed back and forth on the blackboard. He had no idea what his friend was talking about, but the thought that he was looking at an actual human brain totally freaked him out.
    â€œWe should take this with us to study,” Angelo said.
    Cody stepped in front of him. “That’s stealing. You agreed not to break any laws.”
    â€œIf it belongs to one of the stolen bodies, it doesn’t belong to Sumina Prep anyway,” Nick said. “So how can it be stealing?”
    Cody continued to stand in his way.
    â€œOkay,” Angelo said. “We won’t take it. But I do want to get a closer look.”
    â€œA brain studying a brain,” Tiffany said.
    â€œWhat?” Angelo jerked the jar away from his face, bumping the table a little as he pulled away. “Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?” The jar teetered on the edge of the table, and for a moment it looked like the brain was going to fall off and crash to the ground. Nick and Dana both darted forward to steady it.
    Tiffany swallowed. “Umm, sort of.”
    â€œHow did you do that?” Angelo asked. His eyes were huge and he was breathing in short gasps.
    Nick wondered if his friend had totally lost it. “Do what? What are you talking about?”
    Angelo looked at Nick and licked his lips. “Did you hear