• Hey, look at this,” Sierra whispered to her friend, Megan. She had a miniature ceramic cat in the palm of her hand. “I found it in my desk,” Sierra explained. “It’s just a little toy,” Megan apathetically whispered. “Well, I think it’s cute,” said Sierra, just a little too loudly. The teacher said, “Is there something I should know, Sierra?” “No,” Sierra said.
    Suddenly, a meow escaped from Sierra’s desk. “What on earth is going on here?” the teacher said, with a scowl on her face. “I don’t know,” Sierra said incredulously. “Go to the principal’s office, Sierra, and take your books with you,” said the teacher. Sierra got up and took her books out of her desk. She gingerly slipped the tiny cat into her pocket, and started walking down the hall to the principal’s office.
    “Hello, Sierra. I hear that you were making noise in class,” said the principal, Mr. Brown. “No, I wasn’t!” Sierra exclaimed. “Then who was?” asked Mr. Brown. “Um, I don’t know,” Sierra said. “Put your books down. I’m calling your mother,” Mr. Brown scolded. Sierra set her books on Mr. Brown’s desk. The cat didn’t fit very well in her pocket, so she set it on top of her books. “Sierra, I have your mom on the phone,” the secretary called.
    “Hello, Sierra, what’s going on? You got sent to the principal’s office, why?” questioned Sierra’s mother. Mr. Brown closed the door to his office, and Sierra was left alone with the secretary. “Mom, I’ll explain more when I get home. I didn’t do anything. Me and Megan were just talking in class,” Sierra explained nonchalantly. She hung up the phone, and went back into Mr. Brown’s office.
    Mr. Brown was holding the cat figurine, sagaciously examining it. “Sierra, where did you get this?” he asked. “I found it in my desk,” Sierra said. “Do you know what this is?” Mr. Brown asked. “No, I have no idea, isn’t it just a ceramic cat?” Sierra questioned. “Hmm. So, let’s get back to why you’re here,” Mr. Brown said, as he replaced the cat on top of Sierra’s books. He asked, “What happened?”
    “I was talking to Megan in class,” said Sierra. “Really, because your teacher says you were making noises like a cat,” Mr. Brown said. “No, I wasn’t, really,” Sierra said in a pleading tone. “Okay. Please go wait outside my office, I need to make a phone call,” Mr. Brown said.
    Sierra went out and sat in a chair that was next to the door. She could hear Mr. Brown talking. “What do you mean you don’t know how it got out? You think someone stole it? How would it end up in a desk at my school? Yes, this girl touched it and it started meowing. What am I supposed to tell her? This is not good,” Mr. Brown yelled angrily into the phone. Sierra waited until he was off the phone, and then went back into his office.
    “What is this, Mr. Brown?” Sierra demanded, holding up the ceramic cat. It got warm when she held it, and soon it let out a quiet meow. “Well, Sierra, it’s the latest scientific milestone. The future of pets,” Mr. Brown said. “My wife works at the lab downtown, where they’re making them. Someone has stolen one, and I think that I’ve found it,” he said.
    “What is it, though?” Sierra asked. “It’s a little pet cat. It stays in a coma-like state until it feels someone’s skin touch it. That’s why it feels cold, like ceramic, when you first touch it,” Mr. Brown explained. “It’s a real live cat?” Sierra asked. “Yes, it’s a real cat,” Mr. Brown said. “How did they get it to be so small?” Sierra asked, petting the tiny cat. “They’ve been working on this for years and years. Even now, the cats are still a work in progress. They shouldn’t be outside the lab,” Mr. Brown said. “So, you think someone stole this and left it in my desk?” Sierra asked. “Yes. Do you have any idea who might have left it there?” Mr. Brown asked Sierra. “No, you should find out who sits in that desk in the classes before mine,” Sierra said. “That’s a good idea. I’ll call your teacher,” Mr. Brown said.
    “Your teacher says that the person who sits there before you is absent today, and before that, my son sits there,” Mr. Brown said solemnly. “Get my son, Mark, in here,” Mr. Brown ordered the secretary. “I can’t believe that Mark would steal something,” Mr. Brown said. Mark was soon nonchalantly walking through the door to Mr. Brown’s office.
    “Hey Dad, why am I here?” Mark said insolently. Mr. Brown held up the miniscule cat. “Do you have anything to say about this?” Mr. Brown questioned. “Did they finally finish them? Can I have one now?” Mark asked. “No, they’re still prototypes. Would you happen to know why this one isn’t at the lab?” Mr. Brown asked. “Okay, fine, I took one from the lab,” Mark confessed, “My friend wanted one. He sits in the same desk as me the period after, but I guess something went wrong.”
    “Mark, I’m going to have to give you in-school suspension for a few weeks. You have to go give this poor cat back to the lab, and explain to your mother what happened. And you’re definitely grounded for this,” Mr. Brown said. “Mark, you’re not allowed to ever have one of these cats. I hope you’ve learned your lesson,” said Mr. Brown. He picked up the phone and called his wife. “You need to come pick Mark up and bring him to the lab. He’ll explain,” Mr. Brown said. Then he called Sierra’s teacher. He told Sierra, “You’ve missed a few periods, but I’ll make sure you don’t have to make up the work. I’m sorry that you got dragged into this. Sierra, when the cats are ready, you can have one, for free.”