Chapter 8

Chapter 8 LET'S BE HONEST: PINEAPPLE ON PIZZA IS JUST NEIRD, EVEN IF IT PROVIDES A BALANCE BETWEEN SWEET AND SAVORY. Theo felt a terrible mix of emotions in his belly. He was angry at Morgan for the things he'd said. He was worried that all his friends might feel the same way Morgan did. Worst of all, he felt guilty. Because what if Morgan was right? What if Theo's mods had broken the game somehow? What if the Evoker King had been destroyed…and it was all his fault? After Theo stormed out of the butterfly sanctuary, he didn't stop moving until he'd made it across the street to Stonesword. He didn't even realize he was still holding the pizza box until Mr. Malory pointed it out to him. "Sorry, Theo," he said. "No food allowed."

"Oh," Theo said, looking at the box in his hands. "Do you want it, sir? I'm not really hungry anymore. It's pineapple…." Mr. Malory grimaced as he took the pizza box. "Not my favorite. But I'll put it in the break room. The volunteers from the high school will eat anything." He looked toward the door, as if expecting other students to file in behind Theo. "Where's the rest of the group? I thought you all traveled together." "Sometimes," Theo said, looking a little embarrassed. "But other times, they treat me like I'm not really part of the group. I don't get it. I try so hard to fit in…."

Mr. Malory nodded. "I've been there. We've all been there," he said. "But sometimes, trying to fit in is the wrong thing to do. Because if you try too hard, you're not being yourself. And your friends should like you for who you are." For a moment, Theo was silent, his jaw working like he was chewing a piece of sticky caramel. "Thanks, Mr. Malory," he said, a smile slowly returning to his face. "You've given me something to think about. Are the computers free?" "They are today," he said. "But eventually, other kids are going to find them. I might have to limit screen time…."

Theo's smile dropped again. "Really?" he said. Mr. Malory chuckled. "You go right ahead and enjoy yourself. Forget about your problems for a while." "Okay," said Theo. But he didn't intend to forget about his problems. He intended to fix them. Because Mr. Malory had told him to be himself. And who he was…was a problem-solver. Even when that meant breaking the rules. Theo had played Minecraft by himself plenty of times. But he still wasn't used to being alone in the strange VR goggle version of Minecraft. The silence made him feel nervous. Of course, he probably should be nervous, he thought. The Endermonster was out there somewhere. And Theo meant to find it. Theo raided one of the Shack's many storage chests. He selected a set of diamond armor, a diamond sword, and some healing potions. He felt a lot safer now…but he would have to be sure to put everything back, or Morgan would be even more annoyed with him.

He crept carefully through the forest, retracing their path from the day before. In the clearing where they'd battled, the footprints made a big, messy jumble of squares. But Theo picked up the Endermonster's tracks just outside the clearing. The mob's trail led him out of the forest, across a sunflower plain, and right to the foot of a low mountain. The footprints disappeared occasionally, and Theo was forced to wander around until he found where they picked up again. There was only one explanation for the gaps in the trail: the mob was teleporting as it traveled. It never teleported very far, but still, Theo was losing precious time. The sun had set, and darkness had fallen on the Overworld. Using a torch to see more clearly, Theo picked up the Endermonster's trail once more. Even in his diamond armor, Theo felt a shiver of fear.

It was when the night felt its darkest that he found the Endermonster. He saw its eyes first. Those frightening red eyes seemed to glow in the dark. Then Theo realized his mistake. If he could see those eyes… …those eyes could see him, too! The Endermonster emitted a terrible scream. The sound chilled Theo to the core. He lifted his sword to defend himself— But it was teleported right out of his hands! Okay, thought Theo. That's fine. I didn't want to hurt him anyway. I just wanted to get a good look at him.