During the entire journey to Merlin’s Cave, the two fairies were quiet. They didn’t even look at one another. When finally, they reached the cave, which was in the middle of the forest, Tracey hovered and placed his hands on his hips.
Then he closed his eyes and turned his head away from Makenna, saying, “Here we are, prissy Miss Makenna.”
“Prissy?!” asked the Metamorphic Fairy, “Nobody calls me prissy, Ninja Boy!”
“Well, you are.” Tracey seriously said.
“Shut up!” Makenna shouted at him, “Do you want me to break your stupid wings because I will! Put up your dukes.” The statement about his “stupid” wings made Tracey mad. Nobody talked bad about his wings! Turning to Makenna, he stooped down and landed, putting down his foot.
Then, he raised his voice, “Take that back, Makenna! Nobody talks bad about my wings! Nobody! How would you feel if I took your most prized procession away from you?! Take that back!”
“Why should I, Ninja Boy?” asked Makenna. Tracey lost his marbles! He had a name!
“Ninja Boy, Ninja Boy!” he shouted, “That’s all I ever hear from you!”
“Well, what else am I supposed to call you?” Makenna asked, although she knew his name was Tracey.
“Tracey!” retorted the young apprentice, “My name is Tracey! T-r-a-c-e-y! Tracey!”
“Tracey?” asked Makenna with a mean chuckle, “That’s a girl’s name. What are you, androgynous?”
“No, I’m not!” Tracey shouted, “Tracey is a unisex name, Makenna! Look it up!” Suddenly, he gasped. He just realized that Makenna had pulled him into a fight. She was toying with him. Tracey hated fights. Immediately, he returned to his calm self and faced the mouth of the cave again, saying, “Come on, Makenna,” in a calm voice, “Let’s go inside.”
Makenna fell to the ground, saying, “Ugh!” She was ready to put up her fists and beat him until she heard the cracking of those ridiculous fairy wings, and he just had to ruin the moment. Makenna hated him, but at the same time, she had this warm, fuzzy feeling for him. She wondered if he felt the same way. Getting up, she groaned and lowered her head. She hated internal conflicts!
Crossing her arms, she followed seventeen-year-old Tracey into Merlin’s Cave, and immediately, she shivered. It was freezing in here! It had to be like thirty degrees! There was ice on the cave’s wall, but the corridor was lighted by a line of torches.
Tracey flew forward and said, “Follow me.” He didn’t seem to be bothered by the cold, despite that the sleeves of his ninja-style, tunic-like shirt were very short. It may have been because he grew up here. Tracey soon stopped and turned to Makenna, asking, “Are you cold?” when he saw her shivering.
“Shush!” Makenna told him, “I-I may be, bu-but I-I don’t ne-need you bu-butting in!”
“Makenna,” spoke Tracey, “I can help you.”
“I don’t need your help, Ninja Boy!” Makenna said. She marched by him, and BOOM! Once again, her wings threw her into the sky, and Makenna yelled as she blew all over the place. “Ninja Boy, help!” she shouted.
Below, agitated Tracey crossed his arms and told her, “Not until you call me Tracey, Makenna.”
“Fine!” yelled Makenna with closed eyes, “Tracey! Tracey, please! Please! I’m begging you!” Tracey cracked a small smile. Makenna said, “Please.” That was good enough for him.
Nodding slowly, he said, “All right then,” and put down his foot. “Wings!” he called to Makenna’s wings, “Stop!” Suddenly, Makenna’s wings stopped throwing her all over the place! She was now just hovering! Makenna gasped. Below, Tracey lifted his hand and gestured at the wings, saying, “Bring her here.” The wings obeyed. They brought Makenna over to Tracey, and the young apprentice pointed at the ground. “Put her down,” he said.
The wings dropped Makenna onto her butt, and she yelled, “Ow!” reaching for it.
“Don’t yell!” Tracey yelled at her.
“Huh?” asked Makenna, “Why, Tracey?” Suddenly, she heard screeching! Gasping, Makenna peered up to the corridor’s ceiling, and she screamed when she saw that a whole colony of bats was shooting down toward her! “AHHH!!” Jumping to her feet, she shoved Tracey to the ground, turned, and sprinted down the corridor with the bats chasing her.
From where he sat, Tracey laughed and said,
“Ha! She’s hilarious! I like her!” He flapped his wings to help him stand, and once standing, he lifted off the ground and chased after the bats and Miss Makenna Delling, yelling, “Makenna!”
Makenna finally lost the bats, deep in the corridor, and fell to her knees, yelling, “I hate them! I hate bats!” She heard laughing behind her and asked, “Huh?” She turned her head and saw Tracey hovering behind her. He was the one who was laughing. Narrowing her eyebrows, Makenna asked, “Why are you laughing, Ninja Boy?! Shut up!”
“I’m sorry,” laughed Tracey. He reached for his cheek, “I just haven’t seen anything that hilarious in a long time. Ahem!” He placed his hands on his hips, “Please, I can help you, Makenna. I know it’s cold in here, but it’s going to be like this the entire time you’re in here. You need a coat.”
“A coat?” Makenna scoffed, “And how am I supposed to get a coat, Ninja Boy? Hm? Am I supposed to ask the torches?”
“No,” said Tracey. He winked, “Just leave it to me.” Gulping, Makenna shivered and backed away from him. “Stay there.” Tracey told her. He placed his hand on his chin and scanned the young fairy up and down a couple of times. Then he asked, “What size do you wear, Makenna?”
“Uh,” stammered Makenna, “a fourteen. Why?”
“Fourteen.” Tracey thoughtfully said, “Perfect. That won’t be too hard. All right, now I want you to stay there, Makenna. Don’t move.”
“What are you going to do?” asked Makenna.
“Let’s just call it Apprentice Fairy couture.” Tracey said, “Now stay put.” Makenna gulped. Tracey backed away from her and stopped about ten feet back. Then he lifted his right hand high over his head and said, “Apprentice couture! Give this fairy a look she can adore! Apprentice couture! Give this fairy a look where she can stay warm! Apprentice couture!” Green and purple sparkles appeared at the ends of his right fingertips, and lowering his hand, Tracey pointed it at Makenna, and the sparkles escaped it.
They circled young Makenna, and she gasped, asking,
“Ninja Boy! What are you doing?! Ninja Boy!” Soon, green and purple sparkles covered her completely, and there was a great blast of light. Tracey smiled and took another step back, focusing his attention on Makenna. Soon, the sparkles left her and came back toward him. Lifting his right hand, Tracey held out his palm, and the sparkles flew into it.
Then he whispered, “Thank you,” and dropped his arm, “Ta-da.” He bowed, “Your welcome, Makenna.”
Makenna opened her eyes and asked, “Huh?” for she didn’t feel cold anymore! Then, peering down, she gasped when she saw that over her fairy-like attire, she was wearing a long, heavy, fur coat that went all the way down to the tops of her ankle boots! Amazed, Makenna said, “A coat. A fur coat. Wow!” She glanced at Tracey, and for the first time, she grinned and said, “Thank you, Tracey. Thank you. You saved me.”
“No problem, Makenna,” spoke Tracey. He gave a thumbs up, “It’s all part of the job. Come on, we’re almost at the heart of Merlin’s Cave.”
He leaped into the sky, and behind, Makenna called to him, “But, Tracey, what about you? Aren’t you cold?”
Tracey stopped and turned to her, saying, “Not really, Makenna. You see, I grew up in here, so I’ve adapted to the cold.”
“But still,” said Makenna. She shivered at the sight of Tracey’s extremely short-sleeved, ninja-style shirt. How on Earth could he stay warm in that? Makenna decided not to ask him and just said, “Lead the way, Ninja Boy.” She followed him cautiously through the corridor and kept her eyes open for anymore bats.
As Tracey flew in front of her, he whistled a song Makenna’s never heard of before. Hm, she wondered if he liked to sing. Makenna didn’t know what it was, but she felt like the cave got colder and colder the further they went in. How in the world could Tracey stay warm? She shook her head and looked away. Just seeing him caused her to shiver.
Makenna kept looking away until finally, she heard Tracey saying,
“We’re here!”
She looked back and gasped, saying, “Whoa!” Tracey was right! She and he were standing in an enormous, dome-shaped room that was decorated with furniture, stringed lights, torches, training equipment, etc. It was beautiful! Makenna smiled at the sight of the room. Then she glanced at Tracey.
“Welcome to the heart of Merlin’s Cave, Makenna,” he said, “This is where I do most of my training.” He flew forward, calling, “Master Merlin, I’m back, and I’ve brought Miss Makenna Delling with me!” and Makenna followed him.
As she followed, she examined the room’s rocky dome and placed her hands on her chest, saying, “Wow.” She had to admit, this was an amazing room, but, where was Caleb? Makenna lowered her head and blinked away a few tears. Where was her brother? She didn’t see him anywhere. She saw that Tracey was leading her toward a corner of the room. Gasping, Makenna stepped back. There was Merlin! He stood in the corner, and his back was turned to the two, young fairies. His long, blue cloak trailed to the ground, and his tall, wizard hat stood proudly on his head. Makenna gasped again. No, she couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe that she was looking at the Merlin the Great. She said, “No way!” and rubbed her eyes.
Tracey landed behind Merlin, and he bowed, saying,
“Master, I’ve brought back Makenna, just as you ordered.”
“You’ve done well, Tracey,” said Merlin, “Please rise.” Tracey did and dropped his wings behind his back, grabbing hold of his right arm. Merlin turned, and he said, “Ah,” at the sight of Makenna, “so you’re Miss Makenna Delling, the Metamorphic Fairy.”
“Uh, maybe.” Makenna stammered, “I don’t know! Oh, pull it together, Makenna.” She rubbed down her face, “This is just a dream.” Then, lowering her hands, she focused her attention back on Merlin, cleared her throat, and asked, “And what are you supposed to be – some crazy old man who can’t find his underwear in the morning?”
“Awkward.” Tracey said under his breath. Merlin began to approach Makenna, but when he passed his apprentice, he stopped and took his shoulder, patting it. Tracey glanced at him, and Makenna sighed, blushing.
Still holding onto his shoulder, Merlin, with his head, gestured left and said, “You’ve done your deed today, my young apprentice. It’s time for you to get some rest.”
“Thank you, Sensei.” Tracey said. He released himself from Merlin’s grip and brought his hands together, acting out a ninja bow. Merlin mimicked him. Then, Tracey dropped his hands, and lifting his wings, he held his arms out to his sides and flapped them, lifting into the sky. Once airborne, he flew to a small loft sticking out from the wall and landed on it, peering down to Makenna.
Merlin stopped in front of her and asked,
“So I’m an old man who can’t find my underwear, aren’t I?” Makenna glared. Then, all of a sudden, Merlin let out a loud whoop, “YEHAW!!” and he picked up Makenna, hugging her tightly, “You’re here, you’re here, you’re here!”
“Uh, I guess so,” said suffocating Makenna Delling. From his loft, Tracey crossed his arms and giggled.
Merlin dropped Makenna to the ground and reached for his head, saying, “Great belly flop balls of fire! She’s here! But, does she have her real wings yet?!”
“She does, Sensei,” said Tracey. His fingertips gripped the edge of his loft, “I just gave her a coat because she was cold. She’s not used to these kinds of temperatures.”
“YEHAW!!” Merlin shouted again, “Now that is what I’m calling a gentleman! Miss Makenna Delling, we’ve waited for seven long years!”
“Listen,” Makenna shouted from the ground, “I have no idea who you are, sir! Yeah, I know Ninja Boy, but…”
“His name is not ‘Ninja Boy’, Makenna.” Merlin said with a smile. He placed his hands on his hips, “It's Tracey.”
“Fine!” said Makenna, “Tracey! But still!” She jumped to her feet and immediately glared, pointing at Merlin, demanding,
“What have you done with my brother?!”
“Your brother?” asked Merlin, “Oh yeah!” He tapped his chin, “What was his name again? Todd? Bob? Bill?”
“Caleb.” Tracey told him through telepathy, “Caleb, Master.”
“CALEB!!” Merlin shouted. Makenna jumped. Merlin punched his palm and said, “Ow,” shaking out his hand, “Yeah, Caleb. Don’t worry, Miss Delling, your brother is here.”
“He is?!” Makenna asked, “Where, sir, where?!”
“I’m sorry,” said Merlin, “I can’t give you that information, Miss Delling.”
“What?!” shouted Makenna, “What are you talking about, old man?! If I don’t find my brother, then my parents are going to ground me!”
Her voice was getting louder by the second, but Merlin ignored her rage and said, “Forgive me, Makenna, but for you to find your brother, you must understand why you are here, why you have wings on your back, and I must give you a clue to him. Then, after I give the lecture and clue, you and Tracey will search for him.”
“Search for him?!” shouted Makenna, “I’m not interested in a scavenger hunt, old man, and even if I was, there is no way I am teaming up with your useless apprentice!”
“Uh.” Tracey scoffed, “Well.” He reached for his heart, “I think something just broke right here. That’s it.” He flapped his wings and lifted into the sky, trying to sneak away, “I’m going to go find Gina.”
“Na hah, hah.” Merlin called to him, “No you’re not, my young apprentice. You must stay here and prove to this self-centered fairy just how useless you are.”
“Self-centered?” asked Makenna, “Uh, excuse me, sir, I think the word you’re looking for is ‘beautiful.’”
Tracey huffed from where he hovered.
Then, stooping down to Makenna, he hovered behind her, crossed his arms, and told her, “Makenna, you need to change your attitude. If you don’t, you’re going to be a dead fairy.”
“He speaks the truth!” said Merlin, “I must say, Makenna, Selene currently isn’t happy with you.”
“Selene?” Makenna asked, “Who the heck is Selene?”
“Oh,” said Tracey sarcastically, “no one. Just the wisest, oldest fairy in the world who decides whether or not, Metamorphic Fairies deserve their wings.”
“Okay!” Makenna sternly said, “You’re all crazy! When I wake up, these stupid wings will be gone, and I will be resting in my bed back home!”
“Yeah,” calmly scoffed Tracey, “good luck with that.”
Makenna glared and turned to him, shouting, “Shut up, Ninja Boy! You’re nothing but a big mouth, and I can’t take it!”
She waited for Tracey to yell back, but he simply closed his eyes and said, “Well, that’s not my problem. I’m not the one being tested for true metamorphosis. Egocentric defines you quite well right now, missy.” Makenna had had it! She hated this ninja! She wanted to hurt him! Yelling, young Makenna lifted her fist, and for the second time, she punched Tracey across the face (a lot harder this time) and sent him sprawling to the ground where he landed hard on his back and yelled, reaching for his wings.
Gasping, Merlin shouted,
“Hey!” and he grabbed Makenna by the wrist, “How dare you! Nobody hits my apprentice! Nobody! He doesn’t deserve to be treated that way! Do you not even realize how fragile his wings are?! You could’ve broken them! Don’t you dare hit him!”
“As you wish, Merlin.” Makenna growled, and she released her wrist, “Just get your stupid lecture over with so I can find my brother and return to Seabrook Island!”
Merlin didn’t speak.
He passed Makenna and approached Tracey, offering him his hand, “Are you all right, Trace?”
“I think so, sir,” said Tracey, and he took Merlin’s hand which he helped him to his feet. Then he let go, and Tracey massaged his throbbing cheek. Together, he and Merlin glanced at Makenna.
She took a deep breath, and in a calmer voice, asked, “Merlin the Great, what is the clue to Caleb?”
Tracey gasped. “Don’t mention ‘great’!” he said. It was too late. Merlin sunk to his knees and fell onto his side, curling into a ball.
“Uh,” he said, “that word. Don’t mention that word.”
“What’s wrong, Merlin?” Makenna asked.
Tracey approached her and dropped his hand from his cheek, whispering, “Whatever you do, don’t mention g-r-e-a-t.” Makena slapped him, and Tracey reached for that same cheek, saying in a stern voice, “Makenna, you’re disgusting. I don’t want to hang out with you if you’re going to act like a drag. Excuse me.” He opened his wings and flapped them, “I’m going to go hang out with Gina instead. Goodnight.”
With that, he lifted into the sky, and Makenna watched as he flew away and disappeared down another corridor.
She asked, “Who in the name of is Gina?” Then she gasped, “Oh no!” and reached for her cheeks, “Does he already have a girlfriend?! Oh, I’m ruined!” She dropped her hands and turned, running right into Merlin who was back on his feet. “Merlin!” she gasped. Merlin placed his hands on his hips and glared at her. Chuckling nervously, Makenna nervously smiled and said, “Hello.”
“Come with me, Miss Makenna Delling,” spoke Merlin, “We have something to discuss.”
“But I!” Makenna protested, “I have to get home! I have to find Caleb! My parents are probably worried sick!”
“You can’t search for him today,” said Merlin, “and if you’re wondering why is because you need to let my apprentice take a little break. You need Tracey to help you search for him.”
“But why him?” Makenna asked, “Why can’t I team up with some other magical being instead, or even an animal?!”
“Because,” said Merlin, “Tracey knows this island much better than you do. Besides, he doesn’t get to hang out with other teens often. Come on, miss.” He gestured for Makenna to follow him, and Makenna did. She had so many questions.
Merlin led her to a table that had a crystal ball on it.
Once standing over it, he pulled a chair out for Makenna and gestured for her to sit down, “Have a seat, Miss Delling.” Makenna thanked him and sat down in the chair. Merlin plopped down on a chair in front of her, and with his hand, he pushed the crystal ball a bit off to the side so he could see Makenna better.
Once settled, Makenna’s first question was, “Mister Merlin, I’ve been wondering, how did Tracey get here? I mean, why doesn’t he hang out with other so-called fairies? Aren’t there others on this island?”
Merlin shook his head. “No, Miss Delling,” he explained, “There aren’t. You see, it’s kind of a long story. This is what I want to discuss with you. Are you sure you’re up for it?”
Nodding, Makenna said, “I am, sir. If I can’t save my brother today, then I really don’t have anything else to do.”
“Very well.” Merlin said. He peered into the crystal ball, “Gaze into the crystal ball with me, Miss Delling.”
“Yes, sir,” said Makenna. She peered into the crystal ball, and Merlin waved his hand across it. Very faintly, cloud-like objects appeared in the ball, and they came together to form cloud-like building structures. Makenna watched carefully. Merlin took a deep breath. Then, he started the explanation.
“You see, Miss Delling,” he started with, “The realm Tracey’s from, Atlantica, was destroyed years ago. It is now known as the Lost World of Fairies.”
“The Lost World of Fairies?” asked Makenna.
“Yes,” said Merlin, “Atlantica, Miss Delling, was one of the most, if not the most, beautiful fairy realm in the entire world. Fairies from all over visited it. It was a very popular tourists’ destination. All fairies there lived in peace until one day, suddenly, it was attacked by the silhouette of a man who was half octopus.” The crystal ball now showed a cloud-like image of fairies running in fear and the image of the man who was half octopus.
Makenna shivered. “Half octopus?” she asked. Suddenly, she gasped. Her dream! Her dream of the mysterious girl she met in the United Kingdom had a man who was half octopus in it!
Her mind raced as Merlin continued the explanation, “The Octopus Man was in search of the most powerful fairy in any realm that he could capture to help him seize control of the Atlantic Ocean since the Atlantic Ocean is his home.”
Makenna gulped. “The Atlantic Ocean?” she asked.
“Correct.” Merlin said, “He traveled to every realm searching for the right fairy, but for the first four realms, he didn’t find anything. In frustration, he also destroyed those realms. Eventually, though, his searching brought him to Atlantica and there, he knew the fairy he wanted was in that realm.” Makenna thought about this for a moment.
Then she gasped, and her eyes widened. “Tracey!” she said, “Tracey was the fairy he wanted!”
“Yes,” said Merlin, “Like you, Makenna, Tracey is a very special fairy.”
“Holy cow,” was all Makenna could say.
Merlin continued, “When Atlantica’s king refused to tell the Octopus Man where Tracey was, he attacked the realm and burnt it to the ground in search of him. It was one of the most gruesome battles in all fairy history. Thousands of dead fairies littered the grounds, and the entire realm looked like a nuclear bomb had hit it. It was terrible. Sadly, Tracey and his mother were the only ones who survived and managed to escape.” The crystal ball now showed an image of the Octopus Man attacking the realm, and two, cloud-like, fairy-like images were shown to be flying away. Merlin added, “Tracey’s mother feared for him. She didn’t want the Octopus Man to find him. She wanted to hide him. At the time of the attack, Tracey was still just a baby, about a year old. His mother, for many weeks, flew all over the place to find an ideal hiding place for him. During her journey though, she broke a wing.” Makenna gasped. Merlin took a deep breath, “And broken wings never heal, unless the fairy is a Metamorphic Fairy like you. With a broken wing, she couldn’t last long. She ran into many hurricanes and tropical storms out in the Atlantic Ocean until finally, she winded up on this island, barely alive.” The image in the crystal ball changed again. It now showed Tracey’s mother lying on the ground, with her son held tightly in her arms, and Merlin was hovering over her. “I was out helping a few sea turtles when I found her,” explained Merlin, “She was a beautiful woman. With her last bit of strength, she gave me Tracey, and with her dying breath, she told me, ‘Please, Merlin the Great, take care of my little Tracey for me. He is the fairy the Octopus Man wants. Please protect him. Please train him to become a Wizard Fairy so he can destroy the Octopus Man.’ I promised her I would do everything in my willpower to train him. With one last smile, she dropped, and the wind came to pick her up and take her to Fairy Heaven. It was both the saddest and happiest day of my life. Well,” He waved his hand in front of the crystal ball again, and the cloud-like figures disappeared from inside it, “that’s the story of how Tracey got here.”
He pushed the crystal ball off to the side and faced Makenna.
“Whoa,” she said, “That’s deep. Have you told Tracey yet?”
Merlin shook his head and said, “No I haven’t, and I don’t want you to tell him either. Not yet at least. He’s too young to understand.”
“Are you nervous that the Octopus Man may come back to get him?” asked Makenna.
“Sometimes.” Merlin said, “But this island is very safe. If the Octopus Man is still out there, it’s not going to be easy for him to find this island. Tracey is another reason why I want you to become a Crystal Metamorphic Fairy, Makenna. It’d be kind of nice for you to somewhat act like a bodyguard around him.”
“A bodyguard?” asked Makenna, “I don’t even know anything about this Crystal Metamorphic Fairy, Merlin! I don’t even know why I’m a fairy!”
“All of it will come together tomorrow,” said Merlin, “but for now, I want you to get some rest for tomorrow’s quest for Caleb. It’s not going to be easy, Makenna. You need to get in control of those wings!”
“My wings?” Makenna asked, “I don’t know how to, old man!”
“Well if you don’t get in control of those wings,” explained Merlin, “then you will never become a Crystal Metamorphic Fairy! Do I make myself clear?”
Makenna sighed. “Yes, sir,” she said.
“Good,” spoke Merlin, “now your room for tonight, Makenna is just down that corridor.” He pointed to the corridor Tracey flew down. “If by any chance you do run into Tracey,” he added, “then don’t mention anything about his mother, the Octopus Man, and how he got here, all right?”
“Oh,” Makenna muttered under her breath, “I can’t wait to wake up.”
“What was that?” asked Merlin.
Makenna jumped. “No-nothing sir!” she said.
“That’s what I thought.” Merlin said, “Now, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning, Miss Delling.”
“I’m not going to be here tomorrow morning,” muttered Makenna, “I’m going to be back home.” Merlin glared at her. Makenna chuckled nervously.
Then, Merlin waved his hand and said, “Go, go!” Makenna groaned.
Turning on her heel, she headed toward the corridor and mocked Merlin, “‘What was that? Can you be my apprentice’s bodyguard?’ Humph, Ninja Boy doesn’t need a bodyguard. He’s a ninja! I doubt that this Octopus Man and Lost World of Fairies even exists!” She stopped in front of the corridor and gulped. Like the first corridor, there were torches on the wall, and bats hung from the ceiling, fast asleep. Why did Makenna have to do this on her own? She peered back to Merlin, and he waved goodnight to her. Makenna scoffed and faced the corridor again. She didn’t need this so-called wizard to come with her! She could do this on her own! With a huff, she stepped into the corridor and disappeared into the shadows.
ns 15.158.61.13da2
