As the sun started to descend from the sky, Coutarine Island’s Celt Tip started to quiet down. The only sound outside came from Harmony prancing in circles just outside of the Wizard Fairy’s house, who had still not been found, but he let Ash use his house since they were good friends. The horse kicked up sand as she paced and every once in a while glanced up to the house. All she wanted in life was to just feel Ash’s arms wrapped around her neck again. Would she ever experience that again though? Would Ash ever be the same?
Inside the Wizard Fairy’s house, Dr. Snugglekins whipped up a pot of tea. He used a camping stove since the house didn’t have a built-in stove of its own. Merlin sat in one of the gray-clothed chairs with leaf and white flower designs and was thoughtfully scratching his beard. Selene on the other hand was over at the bed where Ash rested comfortably under the covers. She had pulled up a wooden chair up next to it so she could be with her apprentice. He wasn’t asleep yet – he was just resting his eyes.
While he rested, Selene gently massaged his cheek and pulled hair out of his face. “Please,” she silently begged, “I just want my carefree apprentice back.” With that brain injury though, she didn’t know if it was possible. Her biggest fear was that she was going to have to take care of him like a little child the rest of his life, and fairies lived quite a long time – about 300 years. Dr. Snugglekins soon finished with the tea, and he grabbed a tray from a cabinet. He put the kettle on it, as well as four tea cups, and a few cookies.
Coming within reach of Merlin, he asked him, “You’re thinking about your own apprentice, right?” Merlin said not a word but went ahead and nodded. The doctor offered him some tea, and the wizard took a cup. He didn’t feel like a cookie right now. His mind was too focused on Tracey. As the doctor passed him, he smiled and said, “Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure Tracey’s fine.” Next, he shuffled over to the bed where Selene and Ash were, “Aluna, Selene. Has he fallen asleep yet?”
“No, sir.” Selene nervously answered with a shake of her head.
Dr. Snugglekins smiled, “Oh, good!” He was trying to be positive during this critical time of Ash’s recovery. Leaning in towards him, he asked, “Why don’t you go ahead and open your eyes for me, Ash?” and Ash did. He could hear him, and that was a very good sign. It meant that the brain injury hadn’t affected his hearing. “Good boy.” Dr. Snugglekins continued. He offered the tray of tea and cookies to him next, “I have here some delicious Coutarinian tea. It’s a very common tea here on Coutarine Island, made from the spices and berries that only grow in the island’s jungles. It is also a great remedy for concussion victims. I’ll tell ya, kid, one sip of this tea, and your headache will vanish. I put a little juice from the Crusha Fruit in it, so it will also help you get a good night sleep tonight.” Ash gave him a funny look when he said this. Could he trust this guy?
Selene soon patted his shoulder and said, “Listen to him, son. He’s a doctor.”
A doctor? Ash thought to himself, I thought doctors were for sick people, but I’m not sick! What are these peoples’ problem? He honestly was still a bit creeped out with these three random people, especially the female fairy next to him who kept on touching him. That was a little weird when an old person did it to someone who was only eighteen years old, especially an eighteen-year-old fairy. Ash even shivered a bit at this thought.
Dr. Snugglekins soon handed him a cup of tea, as well as a cookie, and he told Selene, “Madam Selene, the boy’s able to think, and that’s a good omen, but his mind is still a total blank. He just can’t remember us.”
Remember? Ash asked himself next, What’s with this whole remember thing? I’ve never seen you people in my life.
Selene met eyes with the doctor and explained in a choked voice, “I know. He can’t even remember Harmony. Her heart’s been shattered. She didn’t eat her hay tonight. Oh, doc, will my apprentice ever be the same again?”
“Only time will tell,” he answered, and he peered down on Ash again. He had discovered a keychain with a few keys on them on the counter next to him, and he shook the keys like he was a little baby. In between his teeth, he held his cookie. Of course, this behavior was being caused by the brain injury.
Dr. Snugglekins took the keys away from him, only to get Ash upset, and he reached for them, “It starts with Crusader. He has to get Crusader back.” A question mark appeared over Ash’s head. Dr. Snugglekins’s next words were, “The good news is that he is young, so he is very strong. He’s fighting this brain injury with everything he’s got. I’m optimistic. I really think we’re going to pull him through this.” His words caused a small smile to creep onto Selene’s face. It wasn’t long until Ash swallowed his cookie. With his free hand, he tugged the doctor’s sleeve.
“Yes?” he asked, and he set the tray of tea and cookies down. Ash opened his mouth which it twitched as he tried to speak again.
It took a few minutes, but finally, he managed to stutter a, “Wha-What’s a Cru-Crusader?” His voice was weak, but that was enough. Just that one line and the sound of his distinct Scottish accent not only made Selene but also Dr. Snugglekins’s day.
Selene’s small smile turned into a grin, and she announced, “Ash! You’re talking!” With that, she grabbed him and pulled him into another tight hug.
Dr. Snugglekins grinned too, “He is! He hasn’t even lost his Scottish accent!” One thing that made Ash special was his accent, and it would have been a bummer if the brain injury took it away from him. But it didn’t.
He soon pushed himself out of Selene’s arms and reached for his throat, “Why-Why does my-my voice sound we-weird?” He obviously was struggling a bit to talk, but Selene hoped that would change soon. At the sound of Ash speaking, Merlin the Great turned around in his chair and peeked over the top of it to the bed. The pain in his heart was severe. Just seeing Ash reminded him how much he missed his own apprentice.
Selene soon patted the Wizard Fairy’s shoulder and said, “Your voice sounds like that because you have an accent, and you also haven’t talked in a while. You see, my young friend, you’re from Scotland.”
“Sco-Scotland? Where the heck is Sco-Scotland?”
Dr. Snugglekins chuckled and said, “I’ll leave you two alone for a bit.” He shuffled over to the tray of tea and cookies and picked it up. He offered a cup to Selene, but she shook her head. Nodding understandingly, the doctor handed Ash the keys found back. As he left the bed, he smiled at the young fairy and pointed at the cup he held, “Drink. You’ll feel better.” Then just like that, he left and went into the living room.
Ash watched him go, and then he peered down on the cup he held.
He didn’t even think about blowing on the tea before he took a sip and yelled, “Ow!”
Dr. Snugglekins immediately turned around when he heard this, “Is he okay?”
“Yeah!” Selene called, “He just burned his lips trying to drink the tea.” She smiled sweetly at her apprentice, “Here,” and took the cup out of his hands. Ash placed them in his lap and focused his attention on the old fairy. She gently blew the tea and held the cup out to him, “This should be better.”
“Than-Thanks.” Ash quietly stuttered. Retrieving the cup, he brought it to his lips again and took a sip. This time around he did not burn his lips. It turned out the doctor was right when he told him the benefits of the tea. Ash’s headache immediately eased, and he started to calm down. That was the power of the Crusha Fruit.
When Dr. Snugglekins made it to the living room, he set the tea tray down, this time on top of the small refrigerator. He reached for a cup of his own but stopped when his eyes caught Merlin the Great. He sat cross-legged on his chair, and his head was buried in his hands. Taking a deep breath, Dr. Snugglekins kept the tea cup he reached for on the tray and approached him.
He took the old wizard’s shoulder and comfortably told him, “Hey, don’t be so down, Merlin. Tracey’s fine. You’ll see him again. Makenna will be there with him, and they will take down Poseidon together. Come on, what’s the worst thing that could happen?” An instant after he asked that though, he, Merlin, and Selene heard a thump at the door. All three of them immediately looked up and focused their attention on it. What was that thump? Within seconds, the door opened, and in flew Evelyn, followed closely by Silvey.
The sprite looked frantic, and she yelled, “Makenna’s run away!” Dr. Snugglekins froze.
Then, with his hand still on Merlin’s shoulder, he pointed at the door and admitted, “That’s pretty bad.”
“Run away?!” Merlin shrieked. He hopped to his feet and focused in on the sprite, “What do you mean ‘run away?!’ What happened?!”
For this round, Silvey spoke, but her voice was full of fear, “Well, Ethelinda was trying to teach her about sword fighting! Makenna wasn’t doing well, so she gave up! She took herself and Crusader and dove into the ocean for Seabrook Island!”
“Whoa, wait!” Dr. Snugglekins interrupted, and he held his hands up to the fairy dog, “Makenna took Crusader with her to Seabrook Island?”
“Yes! Ethelinda told her she could in case she changed her mind, but I don’t think she’s going to! We’re doomed! We’re all going to get devoured by The Mincing!” Merlin immediately kneeled to Silvey and tried to calm her down. Dr. Snugglekins on the other hand had an idea.
He glanced back to the bed Ash rested in, and Selene stood next to him. While he sat there, he shook the keychain again like a baby.
Dr. Snugglekins soon clenched his fists and yelled at him, “Ash!” His yell started the teenager.
Yelping, he lowered the keychain and held it in front of him like a shield, “Wha-What?!”
Dr. Snugglekins planted his feet and pointed at him, saying, “I’ve got a mission for you tomorrow!”
“Huh?” frightfully asked the Wizard Fairy.
“Huh?” his master asked too.
The doctor crossed his arms and approached the bed. “Tomorrow,” he explained, “you will travel to Seabrook Island and seek out Makenna Delling.”
“No!” Selene yelped, and she pulled her apprentice close to her breasts again, “Are you insane, doc?! My baby boy is not flying to Seabrook Island in his condition!”
“I apologize, Selene, but that’s the only way how he’s going to get Crusader back.”
“No!” Selene hugged Ash tighter, “Don’t you see?! He’s got a permanent brain injury! I’m not letting him go alone!”
“He won’t be.” Dr. Snugglekins calmly said, and he rested his hand on the bed’s headboard, “I’m going to send Evelyn and Silvey with him. If you want, you can go too, but I prefer you don’t. Retrieving Crusader should only be between Ash, Makenna, and Evelyn. If you do decide to go, Selene, you should probably just hang around your sailboat.”
“But I’m worried about him!” Selene quickly let go of Ash, and he started to play with the keys again, “Look at him! He’s playing with a keychain like he’s a baby!”
“Relax,” calmly spoke Dr. Snugglekins, “He’s not going to be like this tomorrow. The whole reason why this babyish behavior is happening because it’s his first day of resurrection. Just let him get a good night sleep tonight, and he’ll be fine. Please, Madam Selene, I know how you feel, but he needs Crusader. He needs to teach Makenna about Special Spells before it’s too late.” Selene didn’t know though. Her eyes scanned her apprentice up and down. He yawned and pressed his head up against his pillow. With the keychain still in his hand, he closed his eyes and tilted his head to the left. Ash yawned one last time, and then he was out. The tea Dr. Snugglekins gave him was nothing more than just a sleeping medicine that would allow him to sleep peacefully throughout the night, without having to worry about a headache bothering him. The time was only 6:00 pm, but he needed the rest.
Once Ash was breathing silently, Selene rubbed tears from her eyes and rubbed his cheek again. She tried to make up her mind. She didn’t want Ash to travel all the way to Seabrook Island, but Dr. Snugglekins had a good point. He had to get Crusader back.
After some intense thinking, she finally shook her head and said, “Okay! Okay, fine! He can travel to Seabrook Island, as long as Silvey and Evelyn are with him for all twenty-four hours!” Here, the wise, old fairy glanced over at Silvey and Evelyn. “Just please,” she begged, “I don’t want him to get hurt again.”
As much as the scuba diver wanted Tracey to leave him, he just didn’t.
He instead tried to entertain him with a magic show, “Want to see a magic show?” Merlin’s apprentice waved his hand, and a box appeared next to him. From the box emerged a waving woman, and he added with, “Watch this! This is the sawing a woman in half trick!” A saw appeared in his hand, and he closed the lid of the box with his other one. Gina and Alexandria covered their eyes and shook with fear as he started to saw away. Afterwards, with a smile on his face, Tracey glanced into the box he cut, but he turned green at what he saw, “OMG! Are humans really this gross inside?!” Merlin’s apprentice coughed. He quickly shooed the box away. “Never mind! Let’s pretend that didn’t happen! How about I sing a song for you instead?”
“Uh, no thank you,” nervously spoke the diver, “I think I’m just going to return to my boat.”
“Aw, but we were having fun together.”
“You cut a woman in half! Literally!”
“True, but that doesn’t always happen. That was just a mistake. If you want, I can get your camera for you to make up for it.”
No! Alexandria frightfully mouthed, and she brought her fins to her head. Too late. Tracey had already started to swim into the crevice the camera fell down. It rested at the bottom of it, pinned against two rocks.
Seaweed brushed up against Merlin’s apprentice’s cheek as he dug into the sand and pulled it out, “I’ve got it! Man, I love this Merfairy transformation!” He had just gotten his new wings and already he was drooling over the fact that he could fly again – not only on land but also underwater!
The excitement bubbled inside Merlin’s apprentice as he squeezed back through the crevice. While he did so, he held the camera over his head and announced, “Here it is!” However though, he didn’t see the scuba diver anywhere! He’d vanished! “What the?” Tracey asked, “Where’d he go?” Right after he asked that, his golden brown eyes caught a figure swimming towards the surface of the ocean, his flippers flapping frantically, “There he is!” Tracey wasted not a second and hurried after the escaping scuba diver.
Behind, in the seaweed forest, Alexandria called to him, “Tracey, stop! He’s going to get your picture if you return that camera!” Tracey didn’t care. After all the attention he got when he saved the Veendam, he just wanted to make friends with every human he saw. It was amazing how just one save cured him of his anthropophobia, but that was because he never got that much attention from others. Obviously though, Tracey hadn’t learned his lesson from eight years ago when Peter’s dad snapped a picture of his wings while he was searching for Makenna. As fast as a bullet, he zoomed through the ocean and burst his head out of the ocean. Soggy hair flapped over his face, and Tracey watched as it changed back to pure black. In front of him, further away, sat a white motorboat. At it, the frantic scuba diver grabbed hold of a ladder and quickly pulled himself aboard. He pulled his mask off his face to reveal a young man, maybe in his late twenties.
Another man on the boat, his friend, hurried to his side to help him out. “What’s wrong?” he asked, “Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?”
“Drive!” the scuba diver shouted at the driver of the boat, another friend of his, “Get us out of here!”
“Why?” the driver asked, “What did you see?”
“Just drive! I’ve now realized that this area is even more dangerous than I thought! Go!”
“Okay! Okay!” The diver’s friends worked together to pull up the motorboat’s anchor. As soon as they did, they turned it on, and the boat sped away in the direction of the island Tracey saw.
Left behind, he yelled, “Wait!” and held the camera over his head, “You forgot your camera!” The boat didn’t come back. They just left Merlin’s apprentice floating in the ocean. Turning his head, he peered back to the clouds that still flashed with different-colored lightning and were drawing nearer and nearer by the minute. When he turned back around, he cautiously examined Emilee and Jesse’s so-called island. Through the dusk of day and sunset, he noticed that lights one by one were turning on. “What the?” Tracey asked when he saw this, “Weird. I don’t remember Emilee and Jesse’s island being that inhabited.”
As he said this, Alexandria poked her head out of the ocean next to him, as well as Gina’s. “Are you crazy, Tracey?!” the oracle snapped at him, “What were you thinking when you saw that human?! That could have gone down the wrong path very fast!”
“I just wanted to make a friend.” Tracey upsettingly spoke, “After what happened on the Veendam…”
“That’s not how the Merfairy transformation works.” Alexandria explained in a slightly annoyed voice, “We have to teach you, Tracey. You’re even more clueless than I thought.” Suddenly, she yelled, “Get down!” and she pushed Tracey’s head underwater with her fin. Gina had to stay on surface because the spell Tracey casted on her, that let her breathe underwater temporarily, had worn off. She quickly moved out of the way as another boat zoomed past her and her friends, and headed in the direction the scuba diver’s boat had gone in.
Underwater, Tracey took a deep breath and whispered, “Whoa.” He felt a presence behind him, and then heard a small roar. The young man quickly whirled around, and his eyes caught the Kraken swimming towards him and Alexandria. “What are you doing this close to surface?” he asked the beast, “Why are you no longer camouflaged?”
“Come on.” Gene groaned, “I want to be a part of the adventure too. Besides, I like you.”
“Really?” Merlin’s apprentice felt himself smiling, “All right, fine. You can come along. I’m just going to swim to Emilee and Jesse’s island and see what the heck is going on with that place.”
“Um, Tracey,” nervously spoke Alexandria, “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. About Emilee and Jesse…”
“Chillax.” Tracey spoke, and he held his hand up to Gene, “We’ll be careful. This time, I am going to stay underwater the whole way. Madam Alexandria, I know how you feel, but Emilee and Jesse need to know I’m okay.” As he said this, the Kraken lifted the tip of one of its tentacles and wrapped it around his wrist.
The two of them started forward, but Alexandria called to them from behind, “Wait! Tracey, that island is not the island you’re looking for! Listen to me! You’re putting your identity and the Kraken’s in jeopardy!”
“We’ll be careful!” Tracey called back, “I promise.” Then just like that, he and Gene/the Kraken disappeared in the deep, blue Atlantic Ocean. During their journey, they ended up falling asleep on the ocean floor. The water crashed down on them, and fish swam around their motionless bodies. Up above, boats constantly zoomed over where they were sleeping but were totally unaware that they had just passed two mythical creatures.
Makenna Delling eventually made it home. Her house was located next to the Gator Pond on Jenkins Point, but she spent the next day just moping in her bedroom with the door shut. During her journey home, she had transformed back into a merfairy, but she didn’t stick around her family members to tell them the story about how she got the transformation. The second she got home, she flew up to her room and placed the Sunset Delay spell on herself again. Since then, she had closed her door and refused to hang out with her family members. It was now 12:00 in the afternoon, and she hadn’t even gone down for breakfast or lunch. Makenna gloomily stood in the heart of her room with her head hung. In her hands, she held the dress Tracey made for her for the Spirit Week Dance the year before. Sighing, the Metamorphic Fairy tossed it onto a chair. Just thinking about Tracey, memories of when he stopped breathing at her school invaded her mind. It was all her fault that that had happened. Makenna soon headed over to her bed and plopped down on it.
After a few more minutes of moping, a knock came from the girl’s door. It opened to reveal her mother, Michelle Delling.
She entered the room, carrying a plate of food, and forced a feeble smile, “Hey, darling. I’ve got a delicious lunch for you here.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Makenna feebly spoke. She couldn’t bring herself to start a conversation. The guilt was killing her. Thanks to her, Ash most likely didn’t survive the Devil’s attack, and Tracey probably lost his battle against the Octopus Man. She was never going to see her friends again. The human and fairy worlds were doomed to The Mincing.
Mrs. Delling sauntered over to her daughter’s dresser. She replaced an untouched breakfast plate with the lunch plate, “It’s a beautiful day.” Here, she reached up and pulled Makenna’s curtains apart. Bright sunshine flooded the room, and Mrs. Delling added with, “Why don’t you go for a little walk?”
“Maybe some other time,” replied her daughter. She was scared to show her face to the outside world.
Michelle glanced at her and said, “All right.” She watched as Makenna lowered her head a bit more. Heading towards the door of her room, she added with, “Caleb really wants to spend some time with you though. Maybe consider taking him to the crab dock later.” With that, she exited the room and closed the door behind. Makenna remained on her bed, and it wasn’t long until she reached up and pulled her curtains over her blinds again. She then reached for the two necklaces she wore and took them off. Makenna focused her attention on them and sighed.
Wrapping her fingers around the necklaces, she tossed them into the corner of her room. “I don’t deserve to be a fairy,” she told herself as she did this, “I’m nothing but a murderer.” A few tears ran down her cheeks as she hopped off her bed, “The Wizard Fairy would be disappointed. I’ve let everyone down.” Falling to her knees, the young fairy slipped her hand under her bed and pulled Crusader out from it, as well as the mysterious scroll.
Makenna rose to her feet and picked up the sword. She held it up to her face and looked it up and down. The next memory that overtook her mind was the simulation of the terrifying monster on Coutarine Island, when she thought she heard Tracey call her. A fifteen-year-old girl couldn’t defeat a monster like that, even if she did learn how to fight with a sword. It was just impossible.
Makenna didn’t understand why Ethelinda had told her to keep the mysterious scroll and Crusader. She refused to get dragged into this mess – yet, something about the sword intrigued her. It was the strangest thing. Just holding her, she couldn’t help but to feel like magic from the sword was blanketing her – inside and out. It almost felt like it wasn’t Ash who was meant to hold Crusader, but her instead. If the sword really did belong in Makenna’s hands, then that meant she herself was the second most powerful fairy in the whole world, right next to Selene. If and when Selene died, her title would be handed over to Makenna, and that would officially make her the queen of the human and fairy worlds.
Just thinking about this, the Metamorphic Fairy’s head hurt. She really was the one chosen to save the human and fairy worlds from Poseidon! No! Why?! Why her?! Why were the two worlds putting their trust in a fairy who bullied her friends, nearly killed one the year before, and most likely killed her other friend too?! This was too much for her to bear. Makenna could look at Crusader no more. She tossed the sword onto her bed and quickly threw her covers on top of her. As soon as she did, another knock came from her door.
A voice was heard from the other side, “Makenna, it’s Caleb. Can we please, pretty please go to the crab dock?”
The young, Metamorphic Fairy crossed her arms and yelled at the door, “No, Caleb! Just leave me alone!”
“You can’t stay in your room forever though.” Caleb told her, “Why don’t we put together a picnic and take it to the dock? While we eat, we can have fun pulling up the crab nets.” Makenna’s anger and stress boiled inside her. She stormed to her door and threw it open. There was Caleb, holding an empty picnic basket with desperation in his brown eyes. He looked as cute as ever. The twelve-year old had combed his fairly long, brown hair and was dressed in a long, puffy-sleeved, white shirt, long, white pants, an orange, belt-like sash, and brown shoes. “Please?” he begged his older sister, “I’m sure the crabs will like to see us. Also, if you want, we can play a game of Neverland.”
Makenna glared and yelled at him, “Oh, Caleb, grow up! We’re not little kids anymore! We’re too old for Neverland! I refuse to leave my room! Go to the crab dock by yourself!”
“But, Big Sis!”
“Leave me alone!” Makenna angrily clenched her teeth and slammed the door shut, right in Caleb’s face!
On the other side of the door, her brother scoffed and sung the lyrics to a song he once heard: “‘Why you gotta be so rude? Don’t you know I’m human too?’” Then, he lowered the picnic basket and left Makenna alone.
She stayed in her room for a little bit longer, and then the guilt of just slamming the door in Caleb’s face hit her. What on earth was going on with her? She had to apologize. Quietly, the Metamorphic Fairy’s door creaked open, and she peeked into the empty hallway. She didn’t know, but Caleb went ahead to the crab dock by himself, so she only heard her mother and father’s voices from down below. As quiet as a mouse, Makenna slipped into the hallway and quietly started down the second story’s staircase. Halfway down, she stopped and hid behind the railing. Makenna’s eyes landed on the kitchen, and that was where she saw her father. Mr. Delling sat at the table with a cup of tea in his hand and was reading the newspaper. Mrs. Delling, on the other hand, headed towards her bedroom for a nap. Makenna searched for Caleb, but she didn’t see him. Where was he?
She was just getting ready to slip into the kitchen and ask her father, but a knock at the kitchen door stopped her.
“Coming!” called Mr. Delling, and he set down his newspaper. He held onto his cup of tea as he stood from the table and approached the kitchen door. Makenna curiously watched him from where she hid. Who had knocked on the door? They weren’t expecting anyone, right? Mr. Delling took another sip from his cup, and then he opened the door. Makenna’s eyes widened at who she saw standing in it. It was Ash! She couldn’t believe it! It was Selene’s apprentice! He was alive?! Makenna thought she killed him! What was he doing here? Ash was dressed in his medieval battle tunic, and he wiggled hello with his fingers to Mr. Delling. He looked a lot better than he had the day before. His shield, broadsword, bow, and quiver of arrows rested on his back.
This was Mr. Delling’s first time officially meeting him, so he was little confused, “Hello. Can I help you with something, sir?”
“Is-Is Makenna Delling here?” Ash asked in a desperate tone. His still stuttered when he spoke, but it sounded a little better now. Though he didn’t exactly remember Makenna, Merlin, Selene, and Dr. Snugglekins told him about her this morning.
Mr. Delling slowly nodded and said, “Yes. Why do you want to see her?”
“I-I’m a fr-friend.” Ash sputtered out, “Please, sir. I-I really need to speak with her.”
Just before Mr. Delling could respond, Makenna angrily stomped down the stairs, and she was messing with her fingers, since she was still mad at Ash because of the argument they got into the day before.
Without meeting his eyes, she asked her father, “Dad, if by any chance a boy named Ash shows up, can you just tell him, ‘I’m not talking to you right now, Ash.’?”
Mr. Delling glanced at Ash and said, “I don’t think she wants to talk to you.”
Groaning, Ash pushed his way past him and entered the house, “Please, young lady, I-I’m so sorry about what happened on Coutarine Island, but apparently we need to travel to the Ber-Bermuda Triangle and meet up with so-some bo-boy named Trac-Tracey.”
“Strange,” Makenna spoke in a bossy voice, “I hear a weird whining sound. Did you let the mosquitoes in, Dad?” Here, she went into the living room and plopped down on the couch, continuing to mess with her nails that turned red, due to anger. Mr. Delling didn’t bother to ask the two what was going on. He instead took Ash’s arm and tried to lead him out of the house, but he didn’t let him.
The two sauntered into the living room where annoyed Makenna Delling sat, and the Scottish Fairy glanced at her father, asking, “M-Mr. Delling, can you tell Ma-Makenna that I’m really sorry about this whole Ber-Bermuda Triangle thing?” Though he didn’t understand, Mr. Delling went ahead and did as he was told. If this Ash character was another fairy, then this was really freaking cool! He did wonder though why this young man spoke with a stutter.
Facing his daughter, Mr. Delling placed his hands behind his back and said, “Ash here says that…”
“I heard him,” Makenna interrupted, “and you can tell him that he’s immature to think that I would risk my life, just so his master can be pleased with him.”
“Imma…” Ash started. For some reason, he didn’t like being called immature. “Listen, Ma-Makenna,” he stuttered, and he stormed towards her, “I-I don’t know why we have to go to the Ber-Bermuda Triangle, but apparently we-we can save the human and fairy worlds if-if we-we do. Some fair-fairy named Selene told me we-we have to-to.” This statement apparently really offended Makenna.
She looked up and said, “Oh, so now you’re calling me stupid? How dare you make it sound like you don’t even know your own master! I know what you’re trying to do here!”
“Well, I do-don’t.” Ash stuttered, “Th-This fairy, Selene, just told me to fly-fly here and teach you something called Spe-Secial Spells. I-I didn’t say anything about you being stu-stupid. All I-I’m saying is that if you-you are to save the human and fair-fairy worlds, then you mu-must travel to the Triangle and de-defeat some beasty known as the Oct-Octopus Ma-Man.”
“Why are you stuttering so much? It makes you sound like you’re a five-year-old child. Who cares?” Makenna narrowed her eyebrows and glared at the Wizard Fairy, “Do it yourself, you immature brute! I’m younger than you, so it isn’t my time to die!” And just like that, she stood up and approached Ash. She shoved his shoulder to get by him and stormed up the stairs again.
Ash clutched his shoulder – Makenna had shoved his bruised arm, and he watched her disappear upstairs.
There was a moment of silence between Ash and Mr. Delling and then Mr. Delling spoke, “I’m sorry about her, kid, but she’s been a bit moody since she’s returned from Coutarine Island. Which brings me to ask…” Here, he glanced at Ash, “Are you a fairy too?”
“Fai-Fairy?” Ash confusingly stuttered, and he scratched the side of his sore head, “Wha-What’s a fair-fairy?” For a bit, Mr. Delling stared at him. He then snorted and burst out laughing.
Wiping his mouth, he asked the boy, “Are you serious? You really don’t know? But just a second ago, you mentioned Coutarine Island! Makenna briefly told us that that is where the fairy sprites live. She also mentioned someone named Ethelinda.”
“E-Ethelinda?” questioned Ash, “Who-Who’s Ethelinda?” Oh man, he had it bad. Ash had to hurry and retrieve Crusader so he could regain his memory. He and Ethelinda were usually good friends who worked together to keep Coutarine Island fun and peaceful.
Mr. Delling finally just dropped the topic about the island and Guardian and next said, “Forget that. I’ll bring that up later. What I do want to know is, why are you speaking with a stutter?”
“It’s because he’s got a pretty serious brain injury,” a voice behind him suddenly spoke. At the sound of it, Mr. Delling leaped ten feet into the air and whirled around. Ash stared at the wall, totally spaced out. A sparkle soon emerged from the kitchen door, and Mr. Delling watched as it soared into the room and approached his face. It was Evelyn! She placed her hands on her hips and added with, “So you must be Makenna’s father!”
“I-I am.” Mr. Delling stuttered, shocked, “And you’re a – you’re a…!”
Evelyn placed her hands on her hips and finished for him, “I am a sprite from Coutarine Island, but you call me Evelyn. Silvey and I traveled here to help Ash on his mission.”
“Silvey?”
A small bark came from the front door, and in sauntered Silvey. With a smile on her face, she stopped in front of Mr. Delling and glanced into his face with her big, cyan eyes.
Mr. Delling’s heart snapped when he saw her, “Oh, my goodness!” Evelyn moved off to the side so he could kneel to the fairy dog. Andy scratched her behind the ears and admitted, “You’re so cute! My heart feels as if it’s about to burst! What are you? Are you a dog of some sort?”
“Silvey’s a fairy dog.” Evelyn explained, “Fairy dogs are special dogs that are born and raised in the fairy world.”
“She’s adorable!” Mr. Delling couldn’t help to say that. Silvey flopped down onto her back and stuck her four legs into the air. She closed her eyes as Andy started to scratch her tummy. “Oh, you like it there, don’t you?” he asked her.
Evelyn chuckled, but then her face changed to serious, and she placed her hands on her hips, “Sorry, Mr. Delling, but we don’t have much time. Ash needs to see Makenna.” Andy took his hand away from Silvey offered it to the sprite.
She landed in it and placed her tiny hands behind her back. “She just went up to her room,” Mr. Delling explained to her, “but I have to warn you, she’s a bit grumpy.”
“It’s stress. She’s worried about Tracey and Ash.”
“Tracey? Wait, he’s all right? The last news bit I heard about him was that he was still in ICU.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry. He was discharged from the hospital a few months ago.”
“Oh man, that’s a relief.” Mr. Delling admitted, “We were scared he wouldn’t make it. Speaking of which, what did you mean when you said Ash here has a pretty serious brain injury?”
“It’s a long story,” Evelyn politely explained, “but there’s no time to explain. We’ve got to see Makenna. Where is her room?”
“Just go up the stairs and take a left. Her door is at the end of the hallway.”
“Thanks.” Evelyn flapped her wings and lifted off Andy’s hand. She and Silvey headed over to spaced out Ash, and Silvey started to push him towards the staircase. “Come on, Ash,” said Evelyn, “We’re going to take you up to Makenna’s room.”
“Makenna’s room? Wh-Why? Do-Don’t you think that it-it’s a little we-weird when you bare-barely know the gi-girl?”
Understanding his reference, Evelyn quickly spoke up, “We’re not doing anything weird up there. We’re just going to talk to her.” With a shake of her head, she glanced down at Silvey and told her, “We’ve got to retrieve Crusader so he can regain his memory.” Silvey nodded in agreement. She watched her step as she, Evelyn, and Ash started up the stairs and towards Makenna’s room. Andy Delling just stood speechless at the bottom of them.
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