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It was Ben's first day of school at Monster Academy.
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He floated into the auditorium for the first-day assembly.
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Inside, he saw some other ghosts, along with a crowd of goblins, zombies, and other monsters.
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Everyone was talking loudly.
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"Ben, over here!"
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Ben easily spotted the giant who was waving to him. Ben shot over to her.
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"I'm glad you're here, Gaby," said Ben as he sat down next to her.
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"You're the only one I know in—"
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Crash!
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Ben stopped talking. So did all the other monsters around him.
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A two-headed monster looked up at the ceiling.
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"What made that sound?" asked one of her heads.
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"I don't know," answered her other head.
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"It sounded like a giant landed on the roof of the school," said a goblin.
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"Maybe it's my mom," Gaby whispered to Ben with a giggle.
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Ben grinned. Gaby's mom was a giant, just like Gaby.
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But Ben was pretty sure she wasn't on the roof of the school.
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Mr. Freaky, the school principal, rushed onto the stage.
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He was tall and thin, and he had three noses.
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"Monsters, please be seated! Everything is totally under control!"
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"Mr. Freaky loves to say that everything is under control," Gaby whispered.
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"But what he really means is that everything is totally out of control!"
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Ben laughed. It was lucky that his family had moved next door to Gaby over the summer.
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Gaby had told Ben nearly everything he needed to know about Monster Academy.
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"All the students and teachers are monsters, just like us," she had explained.
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"The principal is pretty nice—as long as you don't get in trouble.
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The office ogre is friendly too, unless she gets really busy.
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After all, she only has four arms!"
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Ben looked around the crowded auditorium again.
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Most of the students were still talking.
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A few ghosts in the last row were batting around a ball of paper.
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Mr. Freaky clapped his hands for silence.
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"Please don't worry about the loud crash. I'm sure it was just another broom."
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A murmur went through the crowd.
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"What is Mr. Freaky talking about?" asked a troll.
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"We've had a few . . . incidents involving flying brooms this morning," Mr. Freaky went on.
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"But let's forget about that for now.
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Your eighth-grade class president, Waldo Wizz, would like to say a few words."
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Monsters whistled and shouted as a young wizard approached the microphone.
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Gaby's eyes lit up. "Waldo's amazing," she gushed.
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"He's so cute. Plus, he's super smart, and he can do all kinds of magic."
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Waldo waved to the crowd.
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"This is going to be a fabulous school year," he began.
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"We have two new after-school clubs—marching band and spell casting—and the first dance is coming up soon.
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The Monster Mash dance will be held in a few weeks. So don't forget to show your best school spirit and participate in all our great activities!"
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The crowd cheered again.
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Waldo handed the microphone to Mr. Freaky.
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"Settle down, students," said Mr. Freaky.
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"Before you go to class, I have some news about People Place.
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There's a new mayor."
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"People Place is creepy," murmured a skeleton.
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In the next row, a four-eyed monster leaned toward a three-eyed monster.
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"I heard the new mayor is really scary looking. He only has two eyes!"
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"Eww, gross!" replied the three-eyed monster.
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Ben knew that Monsterville was next to a town inhabited by people.
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A huge wooden fence separated the two towns.
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His parents had warned him and his brother, Sid, to stay away from that fence.
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But he didn't know anything about the mayor.
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Mr. Freaky was still talking.
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"I've been told that Mayor Hubbletree doesn't like monsters. So we must be extra careful not to upset him.
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Remember—Monster Academy was built on land owned by People Place.
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If we scare the people, they could force us to leave our school."
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The two-headed monster raised her hand.
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"I was near People Place last week," said one head.
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"A human kid saw me and screamed!"
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"I wasn't even doing anything!" said the other head.
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Mr. Freaky nodded. "Unfortunately, some people get scared just looking at monsters.
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Now, please exit quietly, monsters, and enjoy your first day of school.
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It's going to be a wonderful school year!"
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Ben and Gaby exchanged looks.
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"And everything is totally under total control!" they said at the same time, laughing.
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They headed out of the auditorium.
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Ben thought it was fun to kid around with Gaby, and so far Monster Academy seemed really cool.
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But he had to admit that a few things were worrying him.
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The principal seemed nervous, and empty brooms were crashing around the school.
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Plus, People Place had a new mayor—one who didn't like monsters!