"You're a legend!" Zahir beams, helping me out of the foam pit. "Do you hear everyone—they're going nuts—chanting your name!"
Isa wraps her arms around me and gives my cheek a giant, smacking kiss. She's practically naked in her skimpy warrior skin; my ears burn from embarrassment because I can't help but picture her as a mermaid.
"Merlin—mi amor! You were amazing!"
"And stupid!" G smirks. "But stupid brilliant, jumping on his back!" And the next thing I know, a little green elf is hugging me. And he's smiling—the kind that dances on his face—for the first time in what feels like forever. Even though I hurt all over, a happy warmth spreads through my chest.
Little G is back!
Randall's here too, and I'm so glad he only high-fives me. One almost-naked hug is enough for me. He and Isa are hot enough to star on a cover for a trashy romance novel.
"Dude," Randall says, "you gave me an awesome idea for the dance-off."
"Nooo!" Everyone yells at once.
And then I see Luke and Liam. Luke's holding his Maledict mask in his hand. Liam's wearing the Khan Maykr skin and looks like a space alien. Neither are smiling or laughing. The whole Project Glupyy gang is here—right next to Headmaster Hayes.
"Merlin, are you alright?" Hayes asks. He places a hand on my shoulder, and my heart races. It takes everything I have not to pull away. "Mate—I'm so sorry for the stunt Fydor pulled. Luke got here too late to warn me...I didn't know. I never would have—"
"Just like the shots," Luke interrupts, his tone as sour as his face.
"What are you saying," Professor Hayes objects, folding his arms.
"He means the shots you saved me from," I say, perhaps too eagerly. "You got me to the hospital just in time. We all know you'd do anything to keep us safe, Headmaster Hayes."
His lips move without smiling—classic Hayes.
"Merlin!" I hear Jupiter yell my name before I see her.
Her timing is perfect, a much needed distraction for Hayes and Luke—to keep our plan intact. Because I'm afraid of what Luke might do or say next. She fights through the growing crowd under the platform—her green highlights the perfect compliment to her elf skin.
"Sorry," I apologize. "I know...I broke the rules a—"
Before I can finsih, Jupiter wraps her arms around me super tight and gushes, "Merlin, you're the baddest killer I know—I'm so proud!"
"Ow!" I whimper, my ears bright red.
Why is everyone hugging me!!
"Oops—sorry," she says. "I guess Fydor did just beat the crap out of you."
When Jupiter releases me, she turns toward Headmaster Hayes and makes her demand, "Fydor should be disqualified for fighting an 11-year-old!"
"Yeah!" Zahir agrees. "That's worth at least -1000XP."
The trap door opens above us. A skeleton legs step down the ladder amidst a raining chorus of boos—Fydor!
"Um, time to go," Randall says, nodding his head toward the rear tunnel.
No one argues—it's the fastest way out of the scaffolding maze. Luke and Liam stay to avoid suspicion. And while I'm more than happy to let Jupiter sort out the mess with Hayes and Fydor, I'm worried sick about Luke. Because I don't know how Fydor took his spot in the battle, or why he wasn't able to alert Headmaster Hayes before the fight. And Luke looks like a ticking bomb waiting to explode—a bomb who's responsible for keeping Liam safe!
YOU ARE READING
Merlin's Curse
Science Fiction[8X FEATURED] Merlin is the greatest-eleven-year-old nerd the world doesn't know because his name has cursed him--he's all parts nerd and zero parts magic and all he wants is to be cool. When Merlin hacks a new encryption code designed to protect on...
