Feeding the Class Pet

It was one week from the end of the school year, and classes were winding down for the summer holidays.

*Just four more days and I'm outta here* Cassie thought to herself as the bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. She was a senior at Peterborough High, and she was looking forward to finishing her last week at the school and heading off to college.

She shoved her notebook into her backpack and stood up from her desk, swinging her bag over her shoulder and walking to the door along with the other students. However, just as she was about to leave the class, she heard the teacher call her name.

"Yes, miss?" Cassie asked as she turned and walked back to the teacher's desk.

"Cassie, Mr Keene wants to see you in the biology lab."

Cassie frowned. "Um, did he say why?"

"Nope, just said he wants you to go see him after class."

"Oh, okay..."

Cassie left the class and started walking down the winding hallways, now bustling with students who were on their way home. She picked her way through the throngs and soon arrived at the lab as instructed. She knocked on the door and entered.

The thrum faded into silence as she shut the door behind her.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Ah, Cassie. Yes." The teacher was sitting at his desk, apparently grading papers, but looked up when Cassie arrived. He gestured towards the 'class pet' sitting in the corner of the room, which Cassie had been deliberately ignoring until this point.

"I need you to feed Fred," Mr Keele said nonchalantly.

Lots of schools keep live frogs as class pets, and students take turns feeding them. Peterborough High was unusual though, in that the frog it chose was a rare species of Giant Bullfrog. The frog in question was easily the size of a person and was capable of swallowing large prey.

Usually, Fred ate pigs, of which he was fed one per month. It was a class activity, where the teacher brought in a pig and the class gathered around excitedly to watch Fred eat. On occasion though, the frog was fed one of the students. This normally happened if they weren't able to procure a pig in time for the scheduled feeding, or on other special occasions.

Cassie felt her blood run cold. "H-huh?"

"Clothes off please, you know the drill."

"B-b-but... I only have 1 week left!"

"Actually it'll be more like 4 days."

"Can't you just feed him a pig like usual?"

In the time Cassie had been at the school, she had seen the frog eat 3 students - all attractive girls in their final year - and she had been able to see them squirm and thrash in the frog's belly for several days afterwards. Judging by the muffled screams emanating from the frog's belly the whole time, it was not a pleasant way to die.

"Sorry Cassie, someone knocked over the display skeleton last week and one of the femurs and ulnas snapped. I need a new human skeleton to replace it, a pig's won't do."