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Chapter 2
A three-eyed tour guide met the class in the huge lobby of Monsters, Inc. Serious-looking monsters of every size and description hurried past the group. Mike was impressed. He knew they were all part of the important process of gathering screams and turning them into power for the city of Monstropolis.
“Stay close together. We’re entering a very dangerous area,” the guide warned. He led the students into a long, dimly lit factory room and announced, “Welcome to the scare floor!”
“Whoa!” the kids cried. Mike, at the back of the group, strained for a glimpse of the room. He was so small that he couldn’t see over his classmates’ shoulders.
“This is where we collect the scream energy to power our whole world,” the guide explained. “Can anyone tell me whose job it is to get that scream?”
The kids yelled at the same time, “Scarers!”
“That’s right!” The tour guide smiled. “Which one of you can give me the scariest roar?”
A voice came from the back of the group. “Ooh! Ooh! Sir! Right here, little green guy at two o’clock,” Mike called.
The other kids shouted, too. “Me! Me!” Some even began to roar.
Mike tried harder. “Hey, guys, watch this one!” But another kid roared before Mike got a chance. And then a giant roar came from the back of the room. It was Mike! The whole group turned and stared. Mike felt pretty pleased with himself, until he realized that the class actually was staring at a group of huge Scarers approaching behind him.
The Scarers strode past the kids with cool confidence. One of them, a tall blue monster wearing a cap with the letters “MU” on it, turned to them. “Oh, hey there, kids! On tour with your school?”
“Yeah!” the kids cheered.
“Yes,” Mrs. Graves said, smiling, “we’re here to learn about scream energy and what it takes to be a Scarer!”
“You are?” the Scarer replied. “Well, hey, you’re in luck. I just happen to be a Scarer! I learned everything I know from my school, Monsters University. Good old MU,” the Scarer said. “It’s the best scaring school there is.”
Another Scarer, wearing a Fear Tech hat, snuck up behind the first one and snatched his MU cap. “You wish,” the second one said, chuckling. “Fear Tech’s the best.”
The MU Scarer laughed and took his hat back. “Okay,” he said to the class, “you guys tell me which school’s the best.” He pointed to his hat and grinned, whispering, “MU is!”
While more workers streamed onto the scare floor, the tour guide ushered the excited kids to a viewing area. As Mike studied his surroundings, he accidentally stepped over a yellow line on the floor. “Oops, stop right there,” the tour guide warned him. “Don’t cross that safety line.” Everyone knew that human children were toxic and dangerous, so it was important to stay a safe distance away.
Mike quickly stepped back just as a row of doors was wheeled onto the floor. Again, all his classmates rushed forward, blocking his view. “Whoa, hey!” Mike protested as he was pushed and elbowed to the rear of the crowd. “Watch the eye!”
Desperate to see, Mike jumped up and down. Finally, he peeked through a sea of legs and glimpsed a door being placed into a door station. The light above the door turned red, which meant that a direct link had been created to the human world. When a Scarer stepped through this door, he’d be entering the human world through a child’s closet door. Mike watched the Scarer, who was crouched and snarling. Mike figured he was warming up.
“Look, he’s gonna do a real scare!” a kid in front yelled just before Mike’s view was completely blocked. He tried to nudge his way forward, but one of the bigger kids pushed him back. “Out of the way, Wazowski,” the kid said. “You don’t belong on a scare floor.” But Mike didn’t believe that for a second, and he wasn’t about to give up.
Mrs. Graves was trying to keep her excited students from misbehaving. “Brian,” she said sharply, “do not step over the line.”
Brian looked up at her and whined, “But, Mrs. Graves, Michael went over the line.” Mrs. Graves looked around and was shocked to see Mike crouched behind the Scarer at the door.
“Michael!” she yelled as the Scarer opened the door to the human world and crept inside. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Mike slipped into the human world right behind the Scarer!