"So you told him the truth and now he's failing you on purpose?" Marley asks. "Yeah and before that, my dad didn't even believe me. He claimed that I wrote both papers and just forgot about the other one." Marley scoffs. "Well I call bs on that. Why would you even write two reports?" Marley remarks as the three start to sit down at lunch with their 3 glass bottles of sparkling drinks. "We should do something about it," Lucas adds. "We can!" Bastian gestures.
"Oh yeah? And what's your big plan?" Lucas questions bluntly. Bastian's quiet for a moment as he thinks about how to explain this so it makes sense. "Mr Blank. Could it be a coincidence? Blank means nothing. It's like he doesn't even have a name." Bastian says. "What difference does it make?" Lucas asks. "I don't know, but think about it. Nothing can exist without a name." Marley furrows her eyebrows, "what are you talking about Bastian?" She asks.
"I'm talking about getting Mr. Blank off my back, permanently." Bastian says firmly. "What happened to the policy of keeping a low profile?" Lucas asks. "It didn't work for me. But it might work for Mr. Blank. A profile so low, he ceases to exist. I have a good plan." Lucas and Marley give each other a mocking look. "You've gone mental?" Marley asks. "No, he's a genius. I want to be a genius too. Here's my plan, I'm gunna wave a magic want, and Mr. Blank will diss appear! Poof!" Lucas starts demonstrating with his hands as Marley laughs.
Bastian's quiet rolls his eyes, "I'm serious. My dad told me how he once kept such a low profile at work, that they forgot he was working there and they hired a new guy to replace him." Lucas and Marley look at him again, actually taking what he is saying a little more serious now. "Fine. What do you think we should do?" Marley asks. "We're gunna need…." Bastian trails off as he begins to think. "We're gunna need White out, and red spray paint. We're also gunna need to get his key-pass that's always in his bag."
"Where the heck do we find spray paint?" Lucas asks. "The office. Don't worry I'll get that stuff. You can get the key-pass." Marley says. "And I'll get his medical files from the nurses office." Bastian adds. "Okay, when are we doing this?" Marley asks." Bastian looks at the clock at the wall and back at his friends. "3:10. When school gets out. We'll meet at the stairs outside Mr. Clark's room."
The three followed out with the plan. Bastian snuck into the medical file cannot st the nurse and took out Mr Blank's. Marley spray painted his name on his parking spot and used white out on his mug. Lucas erased his name from the clsssroom chalkboard and tried searching his stuff for keypass, but nearly got caught. They did everything they could to erase the sight of his existence in the school.
"Keypass?" Bastian asked as he looked up at Lucas waiting for him to confirm he got it, but his head just lowered in shame. "We were counting on you!" Bastian said in disappointment. They had gotten everything else on the checklist except for that. "Hey I was this close to juvie hall," Lucas gestured with his fingers. "Aw man you have to get that keypass!" Bastian repeated. "Oh yeah? And how do we do that?" Bastian looked down and thought for a minute. "Marley, you distract him, Lucas, you grab it. I'll be outside. Can you guys do that?"
Marley and Lucas give each other nervous looks, but nod. However, once they did so they were only disappointed to find Mr. Blank walking into the classroom the next day as normal. They realize that they must delete his data in order to get rid of him completely. Meanwhile in Fantasia, Atreyu and Fly girl find each other again, and she insists on them journeying together, even though she was the one who dropped him off.
Once school ends, Bastian shows Lucas and Marley his attic hideout, which they decide hang out in until it gets dark. "What is this? Graveyard of obsolete technology?" Lucas questions as Bastian helps him up from the ladder. "I figure we can hang out here until everyone's left for the night." Bastian." He helps Marley up and the two start to look around. "Bastian we've friends since what? Grade one? And now I find out you've got this whole secret place I don't know anything about?" Says Marley says Lucas puts on a rubber rat head he found and scared them. "Maybe even a secret life." The 2 jump back in fright and they all laugh.
"Gosh Lucas!" Marley exclaimed before walking by him to see where he was. "Wow so this is where all the behind-the stage props and costumes are for the drama club?" Bastian shrugs. "I guess a lot of them are up here." Lucas sits down on an antique yellow chair Bastian often sat on to read. "They got nice furniture too. Hey speaking of secret life, what's so fascinating about that book that you're always ditching us for?" Lucas asks. "Lucas-" Marley starts. "No it's ok, I have to admit, it really has been taking over my life but I'm trying to lay off a little bit." Bastian sits on the ground, Marley sitting a few feet next to him.
"So what's it about? Is Mr. Blank in it?" He says the last part jokingly but still had no real idea who Mr. Blank really was. Bastian's eyes trailed down to the wood floor, as much as he talked to his friends it was like his dad trying to understand his point of view on things but couldn't, he couldn't believe anything he couldn't see with his own eyes or that didn't make sense. It was like there was always a barrier, he could never get through to Bastian and Bastian could never get through to him.
He knew that explaining this to his friends was pointless, maybe even risky. He wasn't even sure if he was supposed to tell anyone about the book, about Fantasia, or even the girl thats existing in his dreams..? Was it supposed to be a secret? He didn't know. "Well he's…"
"I was kidding!" Lucas interrupted before Bastian could even finish. Bastian lets out a fake laugh. "No uh…it's just a book."
A few hours went by, the three just sat around and talked. Marley had to wake Lucas up when it was time since he fell asleep. "The coast is clear, let's go" Bastian said as the three peaked through the doorway and down the hall to the office. Lucas pulled out the keypass and scanned it, him and Bastian went in while Marley stayed outside on the watch to make sure no one came. Bastian gave her a thumbs up and closed the blinds. Lucas turns on the computer and tries guessing passwords, but none work.
"Try the name of the secretary's dog." Bastian says as he looks at the painted blue and red frame with bones and paw prints around it with a picture of a happy looking pug with his tongue out. "Don't be ridiculous." Lucas rolls eyes but types it in anyway. "All right!" Bastian yells in a whisper. "Lucky guess," says Lucas. Suddenly, bright lights start to beam across the room and Bastian gets up to look out the window. "Someone's here!"
"Who is it?" Lucas asks, not looking away from the computer as he starts deleting data. "I can't tell, but it kind of looks like Mr. Blank's car. Come on we've got to hurry!" He says as he rushes back to the computer. The first of the front doors creak. Bastian hurries over to the door once he hears it jiggle and opens it. "Someone's coming." Marley whispers through the door." She walks in while Bastian quickly closes the door. Lucas starts to type in "Blank" in the global search. "Hurry!" Marley pleads as Lucas starts to delete more of the data.
"Shh listen," Bastian whispers as the creaking from the front doors get louder, the second of the front doors was now open, he was coming. "Hurry!" Marley repeats again but more desperate. "I'm doing the best I can!" Lucas whispers back as he continues highlighting the data and hitting backspace to delete each section. "Do better!" Marley and Bastian looked more panicked by the seconds. "How's many more are there?" Bastian asked. "How's am I supposed to know." Lucas replied, still not taking his eyes off the mouse and computer screen.
Marley sighs, "I knew we shouldn't have." Now there are footsteps. They get louder and louder until eventually they stop from behind the door. There is now a grey shadow that has taken form on the blinds. "He's coming he's coming!" Marley's voice is now more high pitched, the three knew this was a bad idea from the start but they were even more terrified someone has actually shown up…
"Just a couple more…" Lucas has confidence in his voice, like he is determined to finish this before the imposter catches them. "Come on come on…" Lucas says to himself. "Last one!" He presses his pointer finger firmly on the backspace and within a flash the figure behind the door had disappeared. It was gone. He had no choice but to return to Dark City in sheer defeat, because Mr. Blank was gone. Xayide later then forced him to turn himself into a drone.
