Clay went home the happiest he's ever been. This was the best day of his life. He not only made a bunch of new friends and went to school but he had the most wonderful teacher. As he was walking home, he noticed the two FBI agents that had been assigned to watch his adoptive father. Clay was thoroughly convinced that he was adopted. He found no evidence that he belonged to the family since there were no papers to claim him and he could have been stolen or sold to them or, one that is less likely, he was left at their doorstep. Clay rolled his eyes as he noticed one of the agents was asleep and the other was reading the newspaper. Clay then ran into the house. "Mom, I'm home!" Clay said as he entered the house while clutching his books to his chest.

Zinnia was on the phone talking to one of her friends. "How was school?" She asked out of habit then returned to her conversation. Clay stopped because he was surprised that his mother even acknowledged him. "School was incredible. My teacher lets me do sixth grade. Look, Algebra, Geography, and Biology." Clay said as he walked to the couch and showed his mother his textbooks.

Zinnia started to get annoyed. She didn't think he would talk back to her. Michael usually said it was okay and went to his room. Clay was really excited about school though. "Hold on a minute." She told her friend on the other end then she glared at Zane. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of an important phone call?" Clay was now confused. "Well, you asked me how school was."

"Quiet!" Then she turned over, covered her other ear, and leaned more into the couch. Clay just shrugged as his mother returned to her conversation. "Well, it was really great," Clay said trying to continue to explain school was. "The Principal is insane!" Zinnia grabbed a pillow and placed it on her free ear. "He's a wizard, he used dark magic to hypnotize two students at school. I saw him use some kind of dark cloud or mist that flew into the other students. I saw it with my own two eyes. It was crazy." Clay sighed as his mother continued to ignore him. He then smiled as he thought about Merlok, Lance, Jestro, Axl, Aaron, and Macy. He blushed when he thought of Macy. "I have the most wonderful teacher..." Clay said then he went towards his room.

"Mine are driving me crazy. I'm telling you, eight hours of school is not enough." Zinnia said to her friend. "I'll say!" Clay said agreeing his mother as he made his way to his room. Zinnia sat up from the couch and looked at him surprised. She didn't expect him to hear or agree with her.

Later that night

The Wormwood family was going through their usual dinnertime fun of watching TV and eating TV dinners and snack food. Clay, who had already finished his dinner, was working on his homework in his chair and was about to start reading his beginner knighting techniques. While his father and brother were doing the wrestling match that was playing on TV while his mother was watching the screen, then the doorbell rang.

"Saved by the bell?" Harry said confused as he and Michael stopped pretending to fight. Even Zinnia looked up and was confused from her chair and the fight was still going on. "Packages at this hour?" Harry said confused then he went to answer the door while the others resumed to what they were doing. Clay was still reading his beginner knighting techniques book. He wasn't fazed by the doorbell.

Harry was surprised to not find packages but instead Clay's teacher, Merlok. Merlok knew Jestro would be fine be himself since Merlok placed a protective seal on his home where only those he invited would be allowed to enter his home. Merlok felt strongly that he needed to talk to Clay's family about Clay's intelligence. "Hello..."

"We don't give money, we don't like charities, we don't buy raffle tickets," Harry told him as if he was used to saying that to anyone who came to the door. Harry was going to close the door but Merlok stopped him with his wand. "I'm Clay's teacher, Merlok." Harry frowned. "What's he done now?" He looked at the young boy and yelled, "You, go to your room, right now! Beat it!" Clay didn't even question it, but he didn't go all the way to his room. He hid in the darkness of the hallway. Merlok noticed that the family looked nothing like Clay, nor did they act like him. Now seeing Clay's family, he now knew that Clay looked familiar but he didn't know how. 'Why does Clay look so familiar? I have never met him and yet he acts like someone I have met but who?'

Harry's laughter took him out of his thoughts. "Whatever it is, he's your problem now." Merlok was now more determined to solve this problem more than ever since Harry was too full of himself to listen. "No, there is no problem," Merlok told Harry as he held the door open. Harry was still not impressed at all. "Then beat it, we're watching TV." Harry tried to close the door on Merlok for the third time. "Mr. Wormwood, if you think that watching some rotten TV show is more important than your son, then maybe you shouldn't be a parent. Now, why don't you turn that darn thing off and listen to me explain to you about your son," Merlok told him no longer with an expression of the kind gentle teacher that his students knew. 

Harry sighed in frustration. Knowing that this teacher will not give up he begrudgingly let him in. "Alright, come in and let's get this over with. Mrs. Wormwood is not going to like this. Come on, get it." Merlok squeezed through the small opening with books and papers in his hand. "Close the door," Harry told him. 

"Who is it?" Zinnia asked while watching the TV and pretending to punch the TV. "Some teacher, says he has to talk to us about Clay!" Harry said then he turned off the TV. Zinnia then looked at her husband clearly confused and upset that he turned off the TV. "What'd you do that for? He has him on the ropes!"

"What do you want?" Harry asked upset that they had to stop watching their TV show. There were unaware that Clay was watching from the hall. Merlok took a deep breath. "I'm sure you are aware by now that Clay has a brilliant mind." Harry laughed at that remark. "Yeah, right. Mikey, give me a beer." Michael tossed a beer at his father. "His math skills are simply extraordinary. He's reading material that I didn't..."

"Want one?" Michael asked. "Oh, no. Thank you." Wu said as he looked at Michael then back at Harry. "material that I didn't see until my second year of... college." Merlok would have said wizard school but decided to avoid it. Many people don't believe in wizards anymore and many of them are gone. There aren't any kids wizards in the school anyway. The last of the wizards perished many years ago. He and Monstrox were the only ones left. 

"Ugh, college." Zinnia mocked as she crossed her arms. "Great, college." Harry laughed as he walked over to his life. "I really feel that, with private instruction, that he'd be ready for college in just a few short years, maybe even join as a faculty member.

"Look, Mr. Snit," Zinnia said as she stood up from the chair. "A boy does not need college to get anywhere. Take a look at you and my husband for instance. You chose college and now you're wiping snotty noses of brats and trying to get them to learn all the fancy knight stuff. Meanwhile, my wonderful husband is a successful business owner with a nice house who married me and had a kid; and he never went to college. You want Clay to go to college?" Merlok noticed that she said 'had a kid' instead of two kids. It was like there people didn't even want to acknowledge Clay as their own child. 

The entire family was laughing at the thought of Clay actually amounting to something. "College?" Harry said laughing. "I never went to college. I don't know anyone that did. Bunch of hippies and cesspool salesmen." Merlok was a very patient wizard. He had Lance, Aaron, and Axl in his classroom, all these boys can be frustrating but this family takes the case. 

"Do not sneer at educated people, Mr. Wormwood. If you became ill, heaven forbid, your doctor would be a college graduate. Or say someone decided to sue you for selling a faulty car, the lawyer who defended you would have gone to college too." Clay internally groaned at the mistake Merlok made. 'My dad hates it when you mention legalities to him.'

Harry looked at Wu suspiciously. "What car? Sued by who? Who you been talking to?" Merlok then realized what Harry's occupation was. "N...nobody." He sighed, got up, and headed towards the door. "I can see we aren't going to agree. I apologize for barding in on you like this." Then the Wormwoods went back to their TV show. "We oughta sue him for interrupting our show," Zinnia said clearly upset that their wrestling match was interrupted. 

"Tell me about it," Harry said as he hits a button on the remote. They didn't even notice Merlok place some knight and wizard stories on a small table near the front door. He wanted to make sure Clay saw them 'Thank you' Clay said using only his mouth. Merlok gave Clay a silent 'Tomorrow,' as he left the house.

"Why is he standing in the middle of the ring?" Harry asked as he was watching TV. "He's standing in the middle of the ring cuz it's over," Zinnia told him annoyed. 

"We missed it?"

"Great, it's over?"

"Who won?"

"How should I know, you turned it off?" No one noticed Clay sneck past to grab the books and he went back to his room to finish reading his knights techniques book. This was definitely one of his best nights.

As Merlok was walking home, the only thing on his mind was Clay.

'This family is clearly not Clay's birth family, he must be adopted.' Merlok thought as he headed home to Jestro. Once he arrived home, Jestro was asking questions. "How was it? What did Clay's family say? Were they nice? Was it fun?" Jestro asked without giving Merlok a change to answer. Merlok smiled at Jestro's energy. "It was fine. Clay's home was fine though I do not believe that Clay is related to his family." 

Jestro was now confused. "What do you mean, Merlok?" 

"Clay looked nothing like his family, nor do they act like him. I believe he was adopted. But unfortunately, I also believe his family does not like him."

Jestro frowned. "Poor Clay. Can't we do anything to help him?" Merlok smiled. Jestro was always loyal to his friends no matter what. "You, Macy, Lance, Axl, and Aaron being his friends is perfect."

"Yeah, I know we'll be great friends with him. He's so smart. He solved a math problem really fast and it was really hard too." Merlok nodded. "Yes, although something else is bothering me." Jestro looked at Merlok concerned. "What?"

"Clay looks familiar to me. I have never met him before and yet he looks like someone I have met before." 

"Do you think it might be her?" He asked knowing Merlok has missed her for quite some time. "No, she disappeared six years ago and yet I knew she was expecting a child and that she was expecting a boy but she ran off before I could meet him." Merlok shook his head. "It is getting late. Did you finish your homework?" Merlok asked. Jestro nodded. "Yes." "Good, now let's go brush our teeth then go to bed." Jestro nodded and rushed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. 

'Clay, who are you really?'