My mind blurred. Where was I? What was I doing? I’d been on a mission, and it was really important. I just couldn’t remember what it was.

  I saw something purple in my mind.

  Oh.

  The crystal shard. I had to get the crystal shard.

  Yes, Stevie, said the voice in my head. Why had I thought that voice was evil? I mean, it was kind of spooky, but I also wanted to obey it. The voice belonged to someone really powerful and queenly. Obeying it felt right.

  Be a good boy, Stevie, the voice went on. This was the most it had ever talked to me, so I must have been special to it now. I could tell it liked me. I know who you are. Come, you shouldn’t fight me. It’s better to be on my side.

  Yes, your highness, I thought back.

  The blackness started to fade around me. It was still dark, but I realized that, even though it was nighttime, I could see some things. There were other Endermen nearby. Hey, Endermen like me! There was a redheaded Overworld girl with arrows, and a few funny-looking kids who didn’t look like they were from around here. I could see the outlines of dark trees and sense everything that was around me. Wait, why hadn’t I sensed things this well before? Hadn’t I always been an Enderman?

  I could see a lot of blocks nearby. They would be fun to grab and move around. I looked down at my body. For some reason I didn’t remember being this tall. My arms were really long, perfect for reaching for things. I was holding a diamond sword, which was pretty weird, because I didn’t think Endermen like me used swords.

  “Stevie?” one of the funny-looking kids said. She got up close and looked me right in the eye. “This is Maison. Are you in there, Stevie?”

  Maison. That sounded sort of familiar. I couldn’t remember why, though. I needed to find more crystal shards and bring them to my queen. I pushed past Maison and looked around. Part of me wanted to attack her since she’d looked in my eyes, but finding the crystal shards was even more important to me. Too bad. It would be fun to attack a human.

  The redheaded girl jumped in front of me and raised her bow. Silly girl. I could just teleport away. Wait, that sounded like a good idea.

  I teleported and reappeared a short distance away. It was like blinking and opening my eyes to find I was somewhere else. Somehow my mind had decided where I wanted to teleport to, and then it had happened.

  The kids ran back in front of me. Why wouldn’t they leave me alone? They were so annoying.

  “This is what I was afraid of!” The tallest kid was talking now. “He doesn’t remember anything, and we’ll never be able to get him back. Stevie! Hey, Stevie!” He hollered the last bit in my face.

  Boy, he was so annoying! I teleported again to be away from him.

  I appeared a few feet away and the annoying kids still followed me. It was like they knew me or something!

  The girl who had spoken to me first got in front of me again. “Stevie!” she shouted. “You have to be in there somewhere! Don’t you remember me? I’m your best friend. We have a portal so we can go to the Overworld and Earth. Don’t you remember?”

  I wanted to tell her to leave me alone. I needed to find crystal shards! But when I started to talk, I realized I couldn’t. I just made a hissing sound. That was pretty weird, because I remembered being able to talk before. No, wait. That didn’t make any sense, because I’d always been an Enderman. Right? I needed to find those crystals!

  “Stevie!” the redheaded girl yelled. She wasn’t trying to sound nice like the other girl. This girl just sounded irritated. “It’s Alex, your cousin! We went to the Nether together, remember? We defeated Herobrine!”

  How could I have a cousin who was a human? Shouldn’t my cousins be Endermen?

  The other two kids jumped in front of me, too. “Stevie, you used to hate me, remember?” the tall boy said. “Because when we first met, I liked to bully people online. But then we became friends. Remember when I made you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Remember all the times I’ve put a Jack o’ Lantern on my head?”

  He would look pretty funny with a Jack o’ Lantern on his head. I wondered why he would do that.

  “Please, Stevie!” the last girl said. She was holding a torch and wearing funny pieces of glass on her face. Wait, hadn’t she been talking about reading words with glasses earlier? No, that couldn’t be right. How could that be something I’d remember?

  I was getting ready to teleport again when the girl who called herself Maison stood in front of me. She had her legs set wide apart, like she was making sure I couldn’t move her aside. Her eyes were much smaller than the eyes of people in the Overworld, but they were so full of some kind of emotion that it made them look big and watery.

  “Not so fast, Stevie,” she said. “There must be something you remember.”

  And she held up her hands to me.

  CHAPTER 15

  Fingers! those crazy things they had on Earth but we didn’t have in the Overworld! Hold on a second—how did I know that?

  She began wiggling her fingers, and I stared at them. Didn’t I once think they looked like squid tentacles? Well, I still kind of did, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. Why wasn’t I going to tell her? Oh, because I liked her. Wait, why was that?

  Stevie! The voice was in my head again. Ignore them! Bring me my crystals!

  The voice made me shudder. It was so evil! Why had I thought it was okay to listen to it just a few moments ago? I lifted my long arms and put them over my face, trying to clear my head. I had so many thoughts and images jumping around in my mind that I couldn’t keep any of them straight.

  “He seems to be responding!” the boy said. He and the other funny-looking girl with the pieces of glass on her face began wiggling their fingers, too. I stared hard.

  Maison, I thought. Yancy. Destiny. I looked at the redheaded girl, who wasn’t wiggling her fingers because she didn’t have any. Alex.

  I remembered them!

  Right at that moment, I realized I could sense where the missing ender crystal shard was. It was on the other side of the mountain. The Enderman who’d gotten it was holding it there. Soon it would head back to the End and present the crystal to the Ender Dragon.

  I had to get the crystal back—before it was too late!

  I looked at the other kids. I couldn’t just leave them here with so many mobs around. I didn’t think any mobs would attack me in my new form, so I gestured for them to climb on my back.

  “Uh, what’s going on?” Yancy asked.

  “I think he understands!” Maison said. “He wants us to jump on his back.”

  “Why?” Yancy said. “So he can eat us?”

  “No, look,” Maison said. “When he first changed, his eyes were purple like an Enderman’s. Now they look like … like Stevie’s eyes.”

  “He’s as tall as an Enderman,” Alex said. “Before, when the other villagers changed into Endermen, they weren’t that tall.”

  “Maybe it affects people in different ways,” Maison said.

  While they were talking about this, we were losing time to get the crystal back. I gestured more forcefully for them to climb on my back.

  Yancy let out a long sigh. “Here goes nothing.”

  They all grabbed on to me. If I were in my Stevie body, I never would have been able to handle all that weight. But in my Enderman body it didn’t bother me at all.

  I teleported up the mountain. When I reappeared, I checked to make sure everyone was still hanging on to me. They were, but they looked a little out of breath. Teleporting for them was harder than teleporting for me. I remembered how hard it was when an Enderman had grabbed me before and teleported with me. It had been stressful, and I hadn’t been able to breathe during teleportation. But it was still better than teleporting with an Ender pearl, because those had really lowered my health.

  Hang on, I thought. I teleported again.

  Together, we made it to the other side of the mountain. Standing a few feet away from us was the Enderman with the crystal shard. The Enderman looked transfixed, as if the shard had some kind of power over it.

  “There it is!” Destiny said.

  All of them leapt off my back. I hurried toward the Enderman, knowing this was my last chance.

  CHAPTER 16

  The enderman turned toward us, hissing. it knew it would battle us to protect the crystal. But its eyes were on me, so it didn’t notice when Alex pulled back her bowstring. Her arrow flew through the air and hit the Enderman.

  The Enderman flashed red and I teleported right next to it. I snatched the crystal back! The Enderman hissed and tried to take it, but another of Alex’s arrows hit it right on its square head. While it was trying to recover, Maison, Destiny, and Yancy lunged for the Enderman, taking it out with their weapons.

  “I can’t believe that actually worked,” Yancy said.

  “We did it, Stevie!” Maison cheered. “We have the crystal back.”

  I stopped listening. What a beautiful crystal! I held it in my long arms, studying it. This was a crystal fit for a queen. In fact …

  Yes, Stevie, said the voice in my head. It didn’t sound angry anymore. I decided I didn’t mind it. Bring me the crystal, Stevie. It’s not too late.

  I needed to teleport to the End and give the crystal to her! That had been my mission all along. I looked at the strange humans around me. I couldn’t remember why they were here.

  One of the girl humans gasped. “Oh no!” she said. “Stevie’s eyes have gone purple again! Stevie, Stevie, it’s me, Maison! Look!” She started wiggling things on her hands. They looked like little squid tentacles. Why would I want to see that? I needed to get this crystal shard to my queen!

  “Stevie, no!” The boy tried to tackle me by jumping on my back. I easily brushed him off.

  Look at them, Stevie, the voice said. They want to keep you from bringing the crystal to me, even though it’s rightfully mine! Do you know what I need you to do?

  What, my queen? I asked in my head.

  Her answer came to me immediately:

  Destroy them.

  CHAPTER 17

  I turned on the pesky kids.

  Yes, my queen! I thought.

  The redheaded girl pulled her arrow back. “Don’t make me do this, Stevie!” she shouted.

  Stevie? Who was Stevie? That name sounded almost like Steve Alexander. Why did I know that name?

  When I thought about Steve Alexander’s name, I felt the Ender Dragon shudder, like something had hurt her.

  Don’t think of him! she ordered.

  I tried to figure out why that name had made my queen so angry. How could a name have that much power? The kids all crowded closer, calling me “Stevie” again and again.

  “No descendant of Steve Alexander is going to be a servant of the Ender Dragon!” the redheaded girl said hotly. “Steve Alexander is the greatest hero the Overworld has ever seen. Don’t you dare let him down like this.”

  Wait … In my mind I could see a statue of a man holding a diamond sword. That was Steve Alexander. And I was his … descendant?

  Don’t listen to them! the Ender Dragon warned. Even though her voice was in my head, it sounded so loud that I couldn’t help thinking everyone must be able to hear her. They lie to you! I’m the one telling you the truth! Bring me my crystal!

  I tried to think of what truth she was telling me. All I knew was that she wanted this crystal and I wanted to obey her.

  But something didn’t feel right.

  “You’re not an Enderman!” the black-haired girl said. Her voice was forceful, full of real feelings and desperation. “You’re Stevie! You’re getting the crystal away from the Ender Dragon and her Endermen. Because she’ll destroy all of us if she gets the crystal back.”

  The crystal pulsed in my arms, as if it had a heartbeat. Then, suddenly, from deep within the crystal, I heard another voice—just barely. It was a man’s voice, and very deep. Return to your friends, Stevie, it said. I am watching over you in your mission. Don’t fall into her trap!

  Silence! the Ender Dragon roared.

  Something in my head shattered like glass. I blinked, and suddenly I remembered who and what I was. I was Stevie, the son of Steve and descendant of Steve Alexander! I wasn’t the servant of the Ender Dragon. She could never have this crystal!

  “His eyes are back to normal!” Maison exclaimed.

  The man’s voice seemed to have left the crystal, but the Ender Dragon’s hadn’t. Get him! she hollered. I realized she was calling out to all the Endermen and mobs in the area, sending them after me. Get him, and get that crystal!

  I looked around. Endermen were quickly teleporting toward me. Armed skeletons came out from under the trees. The air filled with moans as zombies came our way. We were surrounded.

  I gestured for everyone to get on my back again, and this time they didn’t hesitate. Then I teleported, disappearing just before the mobs reached us.

  CHAPTER 18

  “The house is that way!” alex leaned over my shoulder and pointed to the left.

  That’s when I remembered we were all supposed to go hide in an abandoned house tonight. It was like my mind was clearing after hearing the man’s voice. I didn’t know for sure whose voice I had heard, but I could guess.

  Again and again I teleported in the direction of the abandoned house, making sure to keep disappearing just as soon as we’d appeared in a spot. I hoped this made it harder for the Ender Dragon’s mobs to follow us.

  But all the teleporting was really hard on my friends. I heard them gasping for breath and clinging to me with shaking limbs. I knew they couldn’t hold on for much longer.

  What should I do? I could make it to the house, but I was scared the Endermen would just follow me there. So I started teleporting a little out of the way, trying to confuse them.

  “No, Stevie!” Alex shouted. Then we teleported and she couldn’t say anything else. When we reappeared, she said, “That way!”

  Too bad I couldn’t talk to tell her my plan. I really was trying to help!

  After a few fake teleports that I knew made my friends really uneasy, I got back on track. I headed in the direction of the house. Finally, we could see the house in front of us. It was so small, barely a shack. But it would have to work.

  “Oh, thank goodness!” Maison slid off my back and I could see she was trembling. All four of them were. “I thought all that teleporting was going to make me sick.”

  Alex hurried over to the front door and opened it. We burst inside and slammed the door behind us.

  “First things first,” Maison said. She reached out for the crystal shard, which I still had in my long hands.

  No, mine! I thought. I wanted to keep the crystal for myself.

  Then Maison pulled it from my hands. She reached up and touched my shoulder with the crystal.

  There was a blinding explosion of purple light, and suddenly I felt different. Turning back to a human was way better than turning into an Enderman. It wasn’t so cold and scary and dark. I felt myself getting shorter and warmer and the mixed-up thoughts all cleared from my head. It was like waking up and realizing those scary thoughts had just been nightmares.

  Except it had been real. I’d really felt all of that. I’d really wanted to obey the Ender Dragon.

  The purple light went away and left me standing there, unharmed. I checked my brown arms and my turquoise shirt and blue pants. Everything looked normal.

  Maison sagged with relief. “That was really scary for a while. What happened?”

  Alex, meanwhile, peered out the window at the night. “So far I don’t see anything following us. Let’s sit down so they can’t see us through the window.”

  Destiny was setting the torch on the wall so we could all see. At the same time, Yancy reached into his toolkit and pulled out food and milk.

  “I think we all need this for our health, too,” Yancy said. “Stevie looks pretty wiped out. He can tell us what it felt like after we have a bite to eat.”

  I didn’t argue. I was still sifting through the thoughts I’d had while I was an Enderman. I wasn’t proud of how I’d acted some of the time.

  We all sat down, exhausted, and ate the food. I watched as my friends’ pale faces filled up with color while they ate. That was good, because it meant their health was getting better. Pretty soon they had all their health back.

  “I understand why people obey the Ender Dragon,” I said finally, thinking of the villager Endermen I’d met. It was hard to admit.

  Everyone looked at me as if I were crazy.

  “The Ender Dragon wants to destroy this world!” Yancy said. “Why would anyone want to obey her?”

  It had all been really obvious to me in the moment. Now I realized I was going to have a hard time explaining it. “Her power is just so strong,” I said. “I think the things keeping me from obeying her while I was an Enderman were you guys … and … a voice.”

  Everyone looked concerned now.

  “A good voice!” I quickly explained. “I heard the Ender Dragon’s voice, and she was talking to me more than ever, telling me to give her the crystal. But there was also a man’s voice. I think it was …” I hesitated. I didn’t know if I was right. “I think it was Steve Alexander.”

  “Steve Alexander spoke to you!?” Alex cried, as if I’d met a celebrity.

  “He made these crystals, so maybe there’s a part of him in each of them,” I said with a shrug. “And I’m sorry about scaring you and teleporting you all over.”

  “It’s okay,” Yancy said, finishing off his chicken. “It was terrifying, but it worked.”

  “So, should we stay here until dawn?” Destiny asked.

  Alex peeked over the windowsill. “As long as no one bothers us, we stay here,” she decided. “But just because they haven’t found us yet doesn’t mean they won’t. We have to be on our guard.”

  “After all this excitement, I say we don’t worry unless there’s a reason to worry,” Yancy said. “I was about to panic when Stevie went full-on Enderman. But you were right to trust him, Maison.”