Journal Entry #7

Sooooo...I didn't die.

We're you worried about me, Alex?

It's been a few weeks since my last entry—I know, sorry. But my body and mind say otherwise because I did almost die—twice! You know the saying about how your life flashes before your eyes...well, it's true. I basically lived two lifetimes in a single day.

I don't know where to start.

How about with I know who @WizardSlayer666 is...

Professor Atlas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He almost killed me—TWICE. Me...the greatest nerd the world doesn't know. He switched my harness before the dance-off. That's why I fell out so easily when I tipped upside down—in shock over his message about my dad. And I sort of met him later that night at cliff's edge during a storm. 

Ok, I know...roll your eyes, tell me I'm stupid. You can't say or do anything my mom or the police or the entire school has already said or done.

Merlin Z Glupyy!

Fydor was right about me all along, but now I smile when I'm teased—because I like who I am. And that's pretty cool. Why should I be embarrassed about being me? I think that's what Isa has been helping me understand since we met. She loves my big ears, my skeleton frame, and everything dorky and stupid about me.

Me too.

Even the glupyy part of me willing to do anything to find my dad. Professor Atlas said my dad ruined his life, but there's no record of my father working with him. Why would he lie about that when he wanted to kill me? He whispered my dad's location in my ear just before I fell—before everyone arrived to save me.

Belarus—that's what he said.

Did you know Belarus is known as the Lungs of Europe? That's because 40% of the country is covered in primeval forests. My dad has terrible allergies; why would he be in Belarus? The country's name—bela + rus—means White Russia. Maybe that's why the white stork is their national bird—the holy bird of Belarus.

Excalibur told me.

Storks are associated with sex education—GROSS! But the lesson is simple: don't ask where things come from; the answer may upset you. I think the same is true for how Professor Atlas knows about my dad.

But now I can tell you almost anything you want to know about Belarus—except for why my dad is there; or maybe there. Professor Atlas isn't speaking to anyone—not even me—which is weird. Because he also said at the cliff, "Maybe our little game isn't done."

Super creepy!!!

Even more so because it turns out I was right. He is a weirdo living in his mom's baseement! Not anymore—now he's in jail and will be for a long time. My mom says I should forget him and everything he said. She thinks he's mentally insane.

So why was he my favorite teacher?

And why do I kind of miss him at The Breakers—his bad jokes, his help after classes, his teasing about Gwendolyn? I told Luke, and he says I'm crazy. But do you know what that means? I'm soooooo happy.

Luke is talking to me now!!!

Can you believe it? He's my hero. And not just because he's talking to me—he saved me from falling off the cliff. My brain got all jumbled from processing too many neural links, and somehow I projected the messages from @WizardSlayer666 to the jumbotron in the Great Hall—right after Luke ran out of the room where he was arguing with his dad.

He kept running.

And his dad followed him. And my mom. And probably half the PCs and guests at the school. Everyone got soaked in a torrential thunderstorm. I know—super ironic after our stormy-themed dance-off.

Luke got there first.

He snuck around the backside of the guard rail and crept toward us. The news says Edric Landry arrived first and saved me from Professor Hayes. No one disputes his story. I only remember lots of lights shining at us, but Atlas did what he was told—he let me go on the slippery rocks.

And I fell.

Luke tackled me before I tumbled over the edge. He saved my life. Luke Landry, the dumbest coolest boy I know...the knobbed whelk, sharp and poky on the outside and glossy smooth on the inside—layered in warm colors—saved my life.

But In all the commotion, Liam slipped away from the gawking crowd and stood on the precipice with arms raised like soaring wings—someone screamed. All the lights shifted to my favorite ramrod just in time to see a drenched elf and warrior tackle him to the ground—little G and Randall.

Liam and Preston's parents, and a bunch more, are suing BrainTech. Headmaster Hayes and Dr. McKenna are both in jail without bail for using students at Code-X Academy to test the X-chip. Hayes claims he didn't know.

Edric Landry is free. The world doesn't know what to make of him. Some believe he secretly authorized Dr. McKenna's illegal testing, but there's zero proof. I've looked. Others call him a hero for saving my life. Maybe he did...maybe he didn't.

Luke's the real hero.

This world is a cruel place—Edric Landry said that to his son. I think he's right. Did you know Edric Landry means powerful ruler? Funny how we become our names. Luke's dad shut down the entire X-chip operation and is settling out of court. That didn't stop the great Edric Landry from reporting record profits for his tech empire. His stock is at an all-time high. How is that possible?

I think only a powerful ruler knows. 

Luke says I should sue his dad; he has plenty of money, but I can't sue a Landry—not when Luke is my friend. Not when I have already won. And yes, I mean, Luke...and maybe 8.6 billion dollars in capital assets. That's code for...

Excalibur!!!!!!!!!

Also known as the X-chip. Maybe I'm not so cursed after all. Turns out I never needed a brain cap or a wired connection to communicate with computers. Dr. McKenna switched out our hybrid shots with X-chip injections for a few scholarship students. Her seized data shows that I was the only one to get the full dose.

Billions of X-chips!!!

All fully capable of receiving and sending data via an internal, brain-computer interface. Dr. McKenna has only scraped the surface of what the X-chip can do. The good news is everyone now knows why I was so shocking and Liam so crazy.

The bad news is each chip was built with a self-destruct option. Super scary, right? I mean, who wants to be first to test out that feature—turns out, Liam did after twenty-four-hour mandatory observation in a padded room. He's ready to ditch the Superman routine.

BrainTech brought us to their research lab to enact the self-destruct protocol under a team of doctors. I asked to go last—do you blame me? I don't like shots. Ok, that's not the complete truth. I also needed enough time to access my backdoor into BrainTech one last time—the one I created on top of DOOM's hack—the one Professor Kaz still hasn't found.

I'm not afraid of the dark.

He'll figure that out soon enough; while other PCs were getting deprogrammed, I downloaded all the X-chip code. The most complex programming I have seen in my life. But the zeros and ones controlling the self-destruct command—easy-peasy; same with the binary code showing status of the X-chips.

I'm negative.

But I'm oh, so positive—and no one knows. Just me. Oh, and you—of course. But I trust you, Alex. Can you believe how much has changed in a few short months?

I'm Merlin Z Glupyy.

I'm Excalibur.

I'm Merlin the Wizard.

But best of all, I am a friend and a son. My black hole isn't so black anymore; my mom may not always agree with me, but I know she loves me. I hope you have someone like that in your life, Alex—who loves you no matter what. If not, you have me—Merlin.

Merlin the friend.

Thanks for sharing in my adventures, but please...PLEASE don't forget me. You'll always have me just like I know I'll always have little G.

My best friend.

And Luke and Isa and Zahir—and hopefully Jupiter, Randall, and Liam. You think I forgot someone, don't' you? I suppse Anila is ok; I mean, she did end up naming that freckle on her nose Alnath —the butting one! Seriously. But don't worry...I'll always remember Gwendolyn, the girl prettier than a sea butterfly. Good news...she doesn't think I'm crazy anymore.  

Goodbyes are hard.

So let's not do that; maybe, instead, I'll just say...see you soon.

Oooh...but wait—I almost forgot to tell you what I did today.

Best day ever.

I explored the ocean with Team Glupyy and Gwendolyn. More than a Killer or Achiever, I think I might be an explorer most of all. You'll never guess what I found...no, seriously—you won't.

A Quahog clam!

I know, supper funny name—pronounced ko-hog. The shell's exterior is nothing special and looks like a billion other bland, grey-to-white clams scattered across the ocean floor. The Quahog's interior, however, is why the Native Americans gave the rare clam a name that means money. Most have at least a hint of purple—the rarest ones are deeply layered in dark hues of iridescent purple with shimmering angel wings; the Northern Lights of the sea.

And the one I found—my Quahog—this one has a roundish, purple pearl so deep and rich in color it's like peering into a Phantom Galaxy 32 million miles away; a spectacular collection of gas, dust, and stars—all shrouded in the darkest shades of purple created by the supernova explosion of a giant star.

My fallen star.

I'm ok. And now I know he's ok. My father found me; the rare pearl hangs around my neck, close to my heart. I thought my name cursed me—Merlin without magic. But now I know. The Quahog seashell is my daily reminder that the coolest kind of cool—the rarest kind—is to simply be yourself. 

For me that will always be...Merlin.