Sara & Dorothy Cases
School Days
Case # 1522-A
A RunningCat Production product
2009

	While in high school Dorothy was way ahead of her peers. In some subjects she was even ahead of the instructors. The brilliant ideas she had where fascinating but often caused her to stay off subject. In the classes   she was able to absorb a full text book in less than a month. The only class she had trouble with where the art classes she was required to take. Dorothy failed miserably in these classes because there was no book to learn from. If not for the intervention by the only teacher that understood her Dorothy would have lost her scholarship to New Furtain University.
	Dorothy has always been grateful to the teacher however she has fallen out of contact with her favorite teacher in recent years.

	Dorothy, I got the mail, Sara says putting a pile of mail on the dinning table with much of it covered in blood from Sara's most recently closed case.
	Sara, Dorothy says with a groan seeing the bloody stains covering the mail. Did you have to get blood all over the mail? she asks not expecting Sara to of realized the mess she made.
	Sara looks at her hands seeing them covered in blood that has stained her arms almost all the way up to her elbows. I am going to shower, Sara says leaving Dorothy to clean up the blood she left around the Condo.
	The Dalmatian has gotten used to this and at the same time gotten pretty good at cleaning up blood. She begins cleaning the blood stains around the mail and comes across an envelope addressed to her with a return emblem of a prestiges private school for wealthy and powerful Furries. She wonders who works there that would send her a letter.
	Curious Dorothy opens the heavy weight, high grade envelope. She looks at the header of the even higher quality paper that is inside. Dorothy eyes become wide when she realizes who the letter is from. After finish reading the header she realizes that this is not a joke as she recognizes the elegant hand writing belonging to her mentor.
	Dorothy takes a seat at the table and begins reading the letter.

From the Desk of
Ms. Judith Poltree
Fourth Year Teacher

	Dorothy is soon overcome by a warm feeling as she realizes that her former teacher and mentor has finally gotten the job she has always deserved at Furry Bast Private Boarding School. The rich and powerful Furries send their pups1 to this school.
	As she reads the letter the teacher speaks of how much she loves her job and having plenty of resources to educate these young minds. The letter then goes on about her life at the private school and how she is getting along with the other staff and faculty.
	Dorothy smiles from ear to ear and holds the letter close to her heart thinking how much she owes Miss Poltree. Then a thought occurs to her and she jumps up from the dinning table causing the chair she was just sitting in to fall backwards with a crash.
	That's what I'll do, she shouts out excited.
	Sara burst through her bedroom door gun drawn, she swings it around her wet body fur dripping everywhere having come running from the shower. What's wrong? she shouts searching for a intruder.
	Dorothy had dropped to the floor the moment she saw her friend with her gun drawn.
	After finishing her sweep Sara goes to the dinning room and looks under the table finding Dorothy hiding there. Alright, what's was all the screaming about? Sara asks now holding her weapon in a safe position.
	You scared me, Dorothy says clutching the letter to her chest, her heart racing.
	I scared you! Sara says surprised. You scared me. I thought something had happen to you.
	You where worried about me? Dorothy says with a smile.
	This makes Sara uncomfortable as she begins stammering her words well, It's, uhm.
	You where, Dorothy says crawling out from under the table. She sees her friend blushing. Dorothy has never seen Sara get embarrassed about anything. Are you blushing?
	NO! Sara shouts even more embarrassed.
	You are, Dorothy now teasing  her usually tough as nails friend.
	I am not, Sara shouts back returning to her room.
	Dorothy watches her friend as Sara's tail flips back and forth as she leaves. It does not take a psychiatrist to understand those tail movements as belonging to someone who is agitated. The Dalmatian is pleased to know that, even though they have known each other for quit some time know and roommates as well, the black Cat has some emotions that Dorothy can understand.

	As the next several days pass Sara would not speak to Dorothy as every time Sara looks at her friend she would become strangely uncomfortable. Dorothy finds this quit funny. However what the Dalmatian is interested  is having to wait for a response back from her mentor to the e-mail she sent, which is beginning to drive her nuts. Several times a day Dorothy has checked to see if the e-mail made it to the proper server. Every time she finds the message sitting there waiting to be downloaded to the schools server.
	Dorothy gets concerned by the third day so she does what she knows how to do best and attempts a hack Furry Bast school's server. It takes her nearly the whole morning just to get through the private school's first layer of security. She can not understand why a school would have so much security. Dorothy decides to take a break with the intention of getting through the other nine layers before the day is done.
	Upon returning to her computer she stretches her fingers cracking the knuckles and brings the screen to life ready to go.
	What? she shouts out finding that the layer of security she spent so much time hacking is back up. Frantically Dorothy taps away at her computer searching for her bread crumbs that she leaves when she is attempting to hack a system. What she finds is nothing, its as thought she had not even begun her hack. The Dalmatian freaks out even more as her own firewalls are being taken down.
	A back hack, she says freaked by what is occurring. Soon Dorothy is furiously tapping away trying to keep the hacker at bay.
	Five hours and all Dorothy can do is just barely keep the hacker from entering her computer.
	So what are we ... Sara is asking coming from her room finding her friend still at her computer. She begins to worry about Dorothy as she's been at the machine all day now.
	No! Dorothy shouts pounding her fist against the keyboard. Alright, you want it to be that way,  take this, she shouts.
	Dorothy, what is going ... Sara is asking when she looks out the window of the condo and watches as lights all over the city of New Furtain go out. Then the lights in the Condo go out. Dorothy, what did you do?

	Yesterday's city wide blackout is still a mystery for New Furtain's power company. Sara watches the local Furry newscast say. The utility company says its as though some one just flipped a switch cutting off all the power to the city. Sara turns to her friend who is working at restoring her computer she crashed. She never realized that Dorothy could plunge the city into dark ages. It's a good thing that it had only lasted a couple hours or there might have been more consequences.
	I just don't understand you Dorothy, Sara begins saying. Why not just disconnect the computer from the net?
	Dorothy is very angry as she has never had an intruder into her system. As Sara has just told her, a very logical of answer instead of crashing the city, she turns to her friend her mouth a gap. Why didn't you say that yesterday, she says surprised.
	Sara begins chuckling for several minutes as she can not believe that her friend, the computer genius, did not contemplate such an easy solution

	By the evening Dorothy has the computer nearly back to normal but is still angry that she found a system she could not hack and they had the nerve to hack right back into her system. All of this because her mentor is not returning her e-mail.
	So, are you going to be alright? Sara asks from the table where she is eating her thirds slice of super meat lovers pizza since Dorothy was not in the mood to cook anything.
	Something just is not right, Dorothy says turning to her friend.
	What's that? Sara asks rolling, with her finger, a loose string of cheese that is hanging from the corner of her mouth.
	I got this letter the other day from a former teachers, Dorothy says finding the letter and shows it to Sara. To Dorothy's horror her friend takes the paper with her pizza grease hands.
	Well it looks authentic, Sara says taking another slice of pizza folding it in half with one hand and is about to chomp it down when she notices Dorothy. What's up?
	You, you, you ... the Dalmatian stutters pointing to Sara as she is leaving greasy finger prints all over the letter from her mentor.
	Hey what's this? Sara asks looking at the letter.
	What? Dorothy says turning from surprised outrage to curios.
	There seams to be some more writing.
	Dorothy looks over her friends shoulder to see what Sara is talking about. And sure enough, in spots where Sara's greasy fingerprints are, there is more writing still in her mentors hand writing but different as well.
	This is odd, Sara says seeing part of a sentience. ...need help as... she reads.
	Dorothy takes the letter and runs her finger in the grease of the pizza box where she carefully runs them over the paper revealing a completely different letter as to the one she first read.

	To Dorothy, I have been following your exploits with your friend. I believe that you may be able to help me. Since I started this job at the the private school I have noticed odd events occurring. When I asks my fellow faculty about the occurrences they tell me its just my imagination. However a student of mine, who reminds  me so much of you, has gone missing. When I went to her room there was no sign she ever lived there. Even her roommate did  not know what I am talking about. I thought I was going crazy at first and then I found some work of hers I had forgotten to return. So now I am certain that some people at the school are covering something up.
	I can no longer trust anyone here  so that is why I wrote this in such a secret way. Please Dorothy get in contact with me as I believe that something may happen to me. You are the only one I can trust and I need help your as soon as possible.
	Your friend Judith Poltree

	Dorothy becomes even more worried about her mentor than ever before and since she can't hack the school's computer from the outside...
	I need to get into that school, Dorothy says.
	Sara looks at her friend to see how series she is. Sara licks her fingers, stands up, and places her hands on Dorothy's shoulders.
	Alright, she says giving Dorothy an awkward smile.
	Dorothy nods her head and she sits down at the table taking a slice of Pizza folding in half, like Sara did, and takes a large bite off it.

	Henry just called to say that he will be here shortly, Sara calls out from the living room having just hung up the phone. She looks around at the three designer footlockers that cost several thousand dollars. Then there is the designer clothes inside them costing close to five grand. This case is becoming increasingly expensive with  no guarantee of any monetary return. It is not the first time Sara has spent a great deal of money on a case but this is becoming the weirdest one ever as Dorothy came up with most of the plan.
	Are you certain I can pull this off? Dorothy asks from her bedroom. As she is thinking about how insane this plan is with Sara ironing out the details. The Dalmatian looks at herself in her full length mirror and barely recognize the person staring back.
	We have gone over this a dozen times, Sara calls back. She adjust the strap that is holding her handgun in the shoulder holster finding it uncomfortable, especially since the weapon strapped there is a colt revolver. Her Baby Eagle is hidden in the false bottom of one of the footlockers along with several other pieces of equipment she might need. The only item Dorothy has, that she feels needs to be hidden, is a thumb drive with a viral program that she wrote. She is keeping it hidden in her knee highs.
	I still can not believe how young I look, Dorothy says coming out of her room.
	Sara looks at her friend over with Dorothy wearing black patented shoes, white knee high socks, a pleated skirt that comes down to just below her knees, and a white blouse. Her head fur is cut  so that she has a younger look. She is now the perfect young teenager.
	Well aren't you cute, Sara says seeing the mid twenty Dalmatian now dressed and looking the part they need for a teenager.
	I could barely believe it my self, Dorothy says going over to friend.
	Sara hands Dorothy the last piece of the costume, a retainer that has been modified so Dorothy can keep in contact with Sara. Just don't loose this, it was hard enough putting it together, Sara tells her friend.
	I know, I know, Dorothy says sliding the communication retainer into her skirt pocket.

	An hour later Sara and Dorothy are seated in the back of a limo that Henry is driving to the private school.
	You have the documents? Sara asks.
	Right here, Dorothy says patting an attach case.
	The documents the two friends came up with finessing as well as calling in a marker2 that Sara had hopped she would never have to use.
	Sara takes the attach from Dorothy and begins, once again, to look over the documents all of them false, to those in the limo. To the school Dorothy, is Lady Anna, a fourteen year old orphan and heiress to a small fortune transferring into Bast Private Boarding School. Sara is her bodyguard and trustee tell Lady Anna turns eighteen. The school will know Sara as Miss Shadow a former police officer who was hired away by Lady Anna's parents to protect their precious daughter.
	We are coming up on the school's main gates, Henry calls back.
	Sara looks up from the documents and sees the driver way that leads to the school. As they approach a guard house a Doberman and Rotweiler stand guard. One has his hand up to stop the limo. Sara quickly puts the documents away and take the snap off her shoulder holster open. Henry has a sawed off shotgun next to his feet and Dorothy sits very still trying to do her best not to wrinkle her skirt.
	Papers, the guard asks Henry. 
	Henry hands the guard the needed documents he begins looking the documents over and Sara becomes edgy.
	Did I ever say this is a bad idea? Sara asks softly.
	Yes, but you also said that this could be exciting as well, Dorothy says.
	Don't remember that.
	It was in your tone of voice.
	Gotcha, Sara says watching the guard hand the papers back to Henry.
	Just follow the driveway to the main building, do not deviate from the main driveway. An administrator will be waiting for your passenger there,
	Henry nods his head and begins driving. As they pass through the gates Sara takes in the security of the front gate. She notices the many cameras on the guard house where no angle is hidden. As they continue on Sara spots many more security cameras covering the grounds leading up to the school.
	As the limo rounds a hill the first view of the school or maybe better called a castle comes into view. Though Sara and Dorothy have seen satellite images of the school seeing it in person is completly different.
	How old is this place? Sara asks.
	Over one hundred and fifty years, Dorothy answers her mouth a gap.
	That's sometime before the first Furries started to become worldly exposed.
	Uh-hu, Dorothy says with a node.
	The architecture seams to have been heavily influenced by the old castles of Europe. The limo continues on up the driveway and past two guardian Lion statues. As they past them Sara could swear that one of the statues was watching the limo as they passed however knowing that has to be impossible she puts the thought out her mind figuring that it has to be the weirdness of the architecture that caused the feeling.
	The limo passes through a large gated entrance and into a court yard that is ordained with several classical style marble statues. Sara has a feeling that the statues look familiar, it is when the limo passes close to a famous one that she realizes why it looks so familiar. The statue is that of the famous Italian statue called David, however, this one is different for instead of it being a Human this figure is a Furry. As Sara looks at the other statues, that she recognizes, Sara realizes they are all Furries of famous Human statues.
	You see it too, Dorothy says seeing that her friend has also realized the significances of all the statues.
	Yea, they have replaced all the Human art and made them to be Furries.
	We are nearly there, Henry says.
	Sara looks out the front window and sees a male Raccoon standing at the entrance of a doorway. Alright, you remember the plan? she asks Henry.
	Sure thing, I wait seventy two hours. If I do not hear from either of you by then I am to go to the mayor's office and give him the letter.
	Sara nods as Henry brings the limo to a stop. She looks at her friend and finds Dorothy panicking. Dorothy, take a deep breath and slowly let it out. I will be at your side all the time.
	Dorothy does as her friend asks taking several deep breathes and lets them out. OK, I am ready, she says.
	Henry opens the limo door first for Sara then for Dorothy. The two friends stand next to one another looking like a young school girl and her body guard. The Raccoon approaches with a hand out stretched.
	Welcome to Bast, he says shaking Sara then Dorothy's hands. I am the assistant principle. I trust you have all your papers in order?
	Sara holds the attach case up and pats it while purposely showing that she has a gun in her shoulder holster. She does this to try and get a reaction from the school administrator what occurs is instead very peculiar.
	Follow me then, the Raccoon says turning to go into the school.
	Sara gives a side ways glance at her friend as she had expected a reaction from the man. She is pretty  positive that he saw her side arm. Still the two friends fall into their characters and enter the school.

	Sara stands while Dorothy sits in a large wing back chair before an old oak desk as the two infiltrators to the school wait for the principle to come. Dorothy notices the paintings on the wall are Furry versions based off of famous Human paintings.
	Sara, Dorothy says softly getting her friends attention and points out the paintings.
	Yes, I know, Sara says just as softly. It seams they do not have any Human artwork her at all.
	Dorothy continues looking around the principles office and finds it quit disconcerting as she's is faking her way into this exclusive private school. The discomfort comes to a stop when she spots the principle's computer. She realizes if she can get the thumb drive inserted into the computer then their mission would be complete as she could take control of the school back at their comfortable condo far away from the creepy school. Dorothy bends over to get the thumb drive from her sock when Sara grabs her shoulder. She looks up at her friend wondering what is going on. As Dorothy is looking up at her friend wondering what is going on. Sara's ears are turned in such a way to hear behind her and Dorothy looks behind the chair to find a female Snow Leopard wearing a business dress attire reading a folder only a few feet away from the door to the office. If she had tried to take advantage of the computer all their planning would have gone up in smoke. It is times like this that she is glad that Sara is at her side.
	Hello Lady Anna, Miss Shadow, the Snow Leopard says pleasantly entering the office. My name is Miss Leopald.
	Sara spots the nameplate on the desk and figures this Snow Leopard is the schools principle. So know  Dorothy and herself are really in. If they are going to find out what is going on around the school they are going to have to stick to their cover stories.
	The board of trusties has reviewed Lady  Anna's application to join us and have given her permission to attend Bast, Miss Leopald informs Sara and Dorothy.
	Dorothy is relieved to of gotten another step out of the way. Now if they can get to stage three then her feelings of this case may make her feel a little more secure.
	Sara finds this Snow Leopard a little to cheery for her taste and she begins to get a tingling sensation that something expected will soon occur.
	Miss Shadow, I take it that you will want to stay with us for a couple days?
	Yes, Sara answers now waiting for the other shoe to fall.
	Alright then, I shall have a guest room made up for you.
	Any second now Sara is certain that what ever is going to happen is just about to happen.
	Do you mind if I take a look at you sidearm? Miss Leopald asks having not paid Sara to much attention since coming into her office.
	'Their it is,' Sara is thinking 'they will now tell me that they need to hold onto the weapon in order to protect the students.' Sara takes the revolver from its holster and lays it on the desk.
	Very nice, Miss Leopald says taking the weapon into her hand and examining it. You keep it in fine working order, she says looking at the cylinder spinning it before snapping it back into place. She places the weapon back onto her desk and Sara reaches to retrieve it.
	Sara is stopped from doing this as Miss Leopald places her hand on top of Sara's. This is what Sara is prepared for and yet ...
	You do have a backup weapon? Miss Leopald asks.
	Sara looks at the principle and wonders if the woman knows about her weapons in the hidden compartment. But Sara feels it is more likely that Miss Leopald is referring to the weapons she is caring on her. She pulls her hand free and puts her right leg up the arm of the chair, Dorothy is seated in, and pulls her pants leg up revealing a second small twenty two caliber gun in an ankle holster. Sara takes the weapon out and lays it on the desk.
	Miss Leopald nods her head oddly. Any more? she asks.
	Sara smiles widely as she begins to like this woman. From the back of her pants she reveals two semi-automatic Berettas. Well that's all of them, Sara says laying the last two guns on the principle's desk.
	My you are well armed, the principle says seeing the four guns on her desk.
	For Sara she is finding that Miss Leopald is not really surprised by how well armed she is. This is so indifferent for how Sara expected a principle of a private school to act.
	I take it that you are a good shot, Miss Leopald says moving the guns around on her desk so that they all line up by size.
	I'm alright, Sara answers modestly.
	Dorothy lets a giggle escape knowing full well that Sara is master marksman. Miss Leopald looks at Dorothy and the Dalmatian suddenly feels cold and unwelcome by the woman.
	Well you will have to show me at the range, the principle says not breaking her cold gaze from Dorothy.
	You have a range? Sara says surprised figuring that the students would not be allowed to use guns.
	Well it's a archery range nothing like what you might be used to however we can set something up, she says returning her attention back to Sara along with a pleasant smile. Ah Ronald, she says next waving at the doorway. Sara looks behind her finding a Red Fox enter the office. Ronald, will you show Lady Anna to her dorm room and I will show Miss Black to the guest room.
	Sara realizes that this is unexpected and she sure is not going to be separated from Dorothy now. My apologies, but I want to make sure my charge is safe with her new surroundings. After all it was not so long ago that a third attempt on her life was made for this is the reason I enrolled her here, Sara tells the principle falling into her character.
	Yes it does say that, the principle says opening the folder and turns several pages tell she comes to the information she is looking for. Here it is. Says that you where wounded? Miss Leopald asks.
	Yes.
	Interesting.
	Sara wonders why the file has information on her as she figured it would be all about Dorothy's alias and her family background. Well we shall be seeing you around then, Sara taps Dorothy on the shoulder who gets up, smoothies her skirts and the two of them head for the door.
	Before you go, Miss Leopald stops the two friends in their tracks that causes Dorothy to gulp. You will need these.
	Sara and Dorothy turn to see Miss Leopald holding two strips of odd plastic. They then look at one another Dorothy shrugs as she has no idea what they are.
	This might sting, the principle says coming around her desk and the Snow Leopard snapping the plastic strip against Dorothy's wrist. The piece of plastic snaps around Dorothy's wrist.
	That didn't hurt, Dorothy says expecting something worse.
	Wait for it.
	Sara looks at the Snow Leopard and finds that the woman has a mischief grin. It is not until it's to late that she realizes what is about to happen to Dorothy.
	Aaahhh! Dorothy screams as an electrical shock encompass her causing her to fall to the floor.
	As I suspected, Miss Leopald says she is weak.
	Get this off her, Sara shouts coming to her friends aid.
	Oh don't worry, she'll be alright, Miss Leopald says pleased with the outcome. It's just a little device of my own creation. Every student and guest wears one.
	What for?
	Mostly to know your locate while on the school grounds and also keep people out of areas they are not permitted.
	Sara bends close to her friend and finds that Dorothy is coming around. Sara figures that this must be why there is no visible security on the school grounds.
	Miss Shadow, if you please, Miss Leopald says holding the second plastic wrist band device up.
	Sara is not to fond of being tethered to the school's security system however they have come this far. So finding that Dorothy is slowly recovering she stands up and puts her arm out to the principle. As she does this a feeling of familiarity come over her. It's as though she has done something similar to this before, but as usual she has no idea of when or where.
	As the plastic wrist band raps around Sara's wrist she begins to experience a tingling sensation from the  device. The black Cat prepares herself for, what she believes, is going to be a nasty electrical shock.
	After several long seconds all Sara feels is a tingling sensation that runs through out her body and out along her tail. The odd sensation causes all the fur on her tail to stand on end making it all puffy. This causes Dorothy to giggling like the young woman she is pretending to be. Miss Leopald looks at Sara oddly as though she expected a similar experience that happened to Dorothy, Lady Anna, to happen to Sara, Miss Shadow, when it does not happen that way all she can do is stare at the black Cat as she collects her weapons.
	As soon as Sara and Dorothy are out the door Miss Leopald is on the phone.
	Yes, I need to speak with him, she asks the person on the other end. Yes, it is important, no I can not wait, the Snow Leopard says urgently.

	Sara slides her pistol into the shoulder holster as She and Dorothy follow the Red Fox to Dorothy's dorm room. Dorothy, who is not paying to close attention to where she is going, is very interested in the bracelet as it glows green. Before they know it they come to a stop or rather Sara and Ronald, their guide, stop and Dorothy runs into them before a door that has three names on it one of which is Dorothy's alias.
	This is your dorm room, Ronald tells Dorothy.
	Sara sees that it is not a private room and is quick to voice her concern. Lady Anna had requested a private room.
	The Red Fox begins chuckling.
	What's so funny? Dorothy asks collecting herself from her run in before seeing her alias name along with two others on the door.
	Did you not read the schools bylaws? he says.
	Sara and Dorothy look at one another and are unsure what he is speaking of as most of the information they got about the schools rules is pretty much based speculation. Sara is able to quickly improvise.
	We have been on the move for quit sometime and did not receive all the required information from the school, she says hopping that this will satisfy him.
	Well we shall make sure Lady Anna gets the school's hand book, Ronald says sternly.
	For know could you explain this room rule? Sara asks not particularly liking this unexpected set back.
	All students shall have a roommate so that they shall be responsible for one another, Ronald recites.
	Sara understands this, so you have to either trust your fellow roommate or fear them for they might report you in. A good way of keeping a student in line.
	After Sara and Dorothy enter the room Ronald leaves them alone, as the other two students are in class, to get Dorothy, Lady Anna, a copy of the schools hand book. Dorothy's luggage is already in the room so Dorothy heads to one of the footlockers and retrieves a bug detection device from the false bottom.
	Sara, on the other hand, begins looking at photos of a group of French Poodles. She wonders which of young looking cubs3 in the photo is Dorothy's roommate.

END OF SECTION A

	Epilogue
	With Sara and Dorothy able to infiltrate the ultra private boarding school they shall quickly learn that there is more going on at this school than the three Rs.
