Read Online Nightmare Academy by Frank Peretti - Free Book Online

hello. None of the kids playing the game paid her any mind. The game was getting intense, coming down to the wire. The ball was sailing over the net and bouncing off hands at a frantic pace, and the yells and screams were reaching one big, unintelligible roar.
    Bap! A girl swatted the ball over the net.
    Bip, bap, the ball bounced from one player's hands to the next, and then bump! it hit the ground. A tall white guy with a nearly shaved head scooped it up and put it back into play.
    â€œHey!” came some protests from the opposing team, but the game kept going.
    Bip, bap, bung, bat, the ball bounced from one player to the next, and then Bam! a big, muscular guy spiked it back.
    It shot like a cannonball between two players and bounded off the ground. Everybody on that side wailed in defeat—and disgust.
    Mr. Easley sounded his whistle. “Okay that's it. That's game, twenty-one to eighteen. Good job!”
    â€œNo fair!” a black girl in dreadlocks wailed, pointing at the tall white guy. “The ball hit the ground before he hit it!”
    The culprit on the other side retorted, “You played on it.”
    â€œSo?” said the black girl's companion, a stocky Hispanic who must have cut her own hair.
    â€œAh, but listen,” said Mr. Easley. He had to blow his whistle to get their attention. “Listen. See what you're doing? You're falling into that old trap again, trying to see things as either/or.”
    Elisha wasn't sure what he was talking about, but some of the kids rolled their eyes when he said it.
    â€œAren't you?” Easley prodded. “You're saying, 'Either they won or we did.'”
    â€œThey didn't!” said the black girl.
    â€œWe did” said the tall white guy.
    â€œSee?” said Easley. “That's either/or. But let me ask you this:
    Did you enjoy the game?”
    â€œYeah, 'til a few seconds ago,” said the little Hispanic.
    â€œThen it was an experience, wasn't it?” He raised his voice so everyone could hear. “You have power over the experience, to make it what you want, so it's the experience that matters. If you enjoyed playing the game, then you've already won as long as you think you've won. You can all be winners and the score doesn't have to mean anything. That's both/and.” He asked the little Hispanic, “Come on, Maria, see if you can say it using both/and.”
    Maria gave a grumpy sigh and attempted it. "Both our team and their team won.”
    There was a collective moan from several. “Oh right, yeah!”
    â€œNo way.” “Sore losers, that's all.”
    â€œBut we won!” said a chubby gal on the “losing” side.
    â€œYou're right!” said Easley.
    Another moan, and some pretty hot protests.
    â€œAnd you're right!” he told the moaners, which cheered only half of them. “Listen. If the experience was yours and you enjoyed it, then you won. There's no winning or losing here, no right or wrong. There's just the game and what you make of it.”
    A cute blond with wire-rimmed glasses hopped in the air and squeaked, “I won!”
    A few of her teammates—all from the “losing” side—tried to match her enthusiasm. “We won.” “Yeah, right, we won.”
    â€œWe all won,” the tall guy finally conceded.
    â€œUntil next time,” said the muscular guy, and several of his teammates agreed with him.
    Easley called out, “Hey, this is the new girl. Let's make her welcome.” He asked Elisha, “What name would you like?”
    Elisha was confused by the question. “What name? Oh. I guess, Sally”
    â€œEverybody, this is Sally.”
    Girls and boys came forward, shaking her hand. “Hi, Sally.”
    â€œHi, Sally” “Hi, Sally.”
    â€œHi. Hi. Hi.”
    The cute blond with the wire-rimmed glasses stepped up with springs in her feet. “Hi. Are you the new girl in room