How much Makenna wanted to hurry over to Tracey, but she couldn’t because she had to escort Jessica back into shore and pick up the “extremely important parcel.” She also had to make sure her family knew she was okay. Makenna and Jessica waited for a bit until Folly Beach became free of the surfing meet and a good number of people before they went in. By the time they finally managed to, it was almost dark, and Makenna was starving. Jessica picked up the two halves of her surfboard and tucked them under her arm while Makenna grabbed her own board. After doing so, she offered Jessica her hand, and Jessica took it. Immediately after she did, blue magic outlined her, and Jessica slowly lifted off the rock. Raeven hovered next to her and spoke comforting things to her. He knew that she liked Ash, so he told her to not worry about him. Jessica kept on trying to tell him and Makenna that she didn’t, but they knew she was lying. They knew this because every time they spoke Ash’s name, she blushed.
Makenna’s parents and Caleb waited on the beach for Makenna and Jessica’s return. They knew they were out there, but they also knew they had to wait a bit until the coast cleared before they could come back. Makenna was extremely desperate to hurry to Merlin’s Island, so she wasted no time. She soared to the beach and searched for her family. Mr. and Mrs. Delling rested on their beach chairs in the last light of day, and Caleb, now twelve years old, sat in front of them and played in the sand. Mr. McKevlin left, but Makenna would see him again. Did she win that invitational to Australia? Makenna’s family members soon sensed she was coming, and all three of them lifted their heads. Caleb smiled at the sight of his sister flying towards the beach as a Crystal Metamorphic Fairy. Just seeing her transformation, he was reminded of that beautiful yet terrifying night at her school when she earned it. He and Makenna shared very similar facial features, and each of them had brown hair.
Caleb soon pushed himself to his knees, and he lifted his hand, waving Makenna over, “Makenna! Makenna, over here!” Makenna saw him and nodded.
She hurried over to her family and quickly yelled, “I can’t stay, guys! Here!” She gently set Jessica, who continued to clutch her wrist, down on the sand in front of her parents and added with, “Take Jessica to a doctor! She’s hurt her wrist! I on the other hand have to return to Tracey!”
“Makenna, wait!” Caleb yelled, “We have news for you!” and he tried to grab her, but Makenna snatched her wrist away,
“Not now, Caleb! Tracey is in terrible danger! I have to get to him before the Octopus Man does! Goodbye! Hugs! Kisses!” She quickly gave each of her family members, who had approached Jessica, hugs and kisses and hurried to the “extremely important parcel” that rested next to her beach chair. Makenna landed next to it and dropped her surfboard. She reached down and picked up the parcel with both hands.
“Makenna stop!” Mrs. Delling yelled, but Makenna went ahead and flapped her wings, lifting in the sky again.
“Love you, Mom, Dad, Caleb, and Jessica! See you!” she shouted, and just like that, she took off! Makenna soared in the direction of Seabrook Island and left her family and friends behind – even Raeven. They groaned and watched her fly away.
Soon though, all heads turned in the direction of Raeven, and he gasped.
“What’s up?” he asked. The others gave him a look that told him they wanted him to fly after Makenna. “Aw, but I haven’t gotten my fruit yet!” groaned the Megabat.
“Raeven!” sternly snapped Mrs. Delling, and she pointed in the direction Makenna flew in.
“Okay! Okay! Relax! I’m going, I’m going!” chirped Raeven. He flapped his own wings and took off after Makenna Delling.
Mr. Delling shook his head and spoke, “We’re going to have to put that girl in a bubble. She can’t stand still enough for us to at least tell her she’s going to Australia.” Oh hey, what do you know? Makenna actually did it! Even with that wipeout at the very end of her surfing meet, she still won that invitational to Australia! Thanks to that hang ten, she scored 2nd Place. Of course though, she was too jumpy to stay back for just a few minutes to be told the news. Her mind was too hyper focused on Tracey and Ash’s words claiming that he could gain his wings back, and that it was possible! Who was Ash? How did he know so much about Makenna and Tracey? How did he know Raeven, and how did Raeven know him? There were so many unanswered questions, and Makenna didn’t have a lot of time to answer them all. She had less than a month to become a Merfairy and defeat the Octopus Man or else it would be game over for both her and Tracey. Tracey would die first and then her. Makenna didn’t know this. Not yet at least. However, Selene’s friend, the one she mentioned back at McKevlin’s Surf Shop, on Coutarine Island would deliver the news. Who was that friend?
Raeven tried his best to keep up with Makenna, but it was difficult because she flew so fast.
“Makenna!” he gasped, and he flew next to her, “Oh, my gosh! Slow down! My little wings can’t handle strenuous flying.”
Hearing him, Makenna gasped, “Raeven!” She turned her head and glared at him, “What are you doing here?!”
“Oh, my gosh you’re fast!” gasped Raeven, “Phew! Makenna please, you’re exhausted. You need to call it a day.”
“I’m fine,” growled Makenna, “I need to get to Tracey, Raeven, so get off my back!”
“But the flight to Merlin’s Island is so far from here.” Raeven groaned, “I don’t know if you’ll make it.”
“I’m fine!” Makenna growled again.
“Oh, my gosh, my little wings,” repeated Raeven, and he fell onto Makenna’s shoulder pad, “Seriously, Makenn, why don’t I just get Ash again and let him teleport us to Merlin’s Island?”
“Not happening!” Makenna yelled, “I don’t need any so-called Scottish warriors helping me, Raeven! I can do this myself! I’m flying to Merlin’s Island, and if you don’t want to come, fine! But I’m going!”
Raeven tried to stop her. He knew Makenna wouldn’t make it right after she spoke that sentence. Her voice sounded very tired, and her eyes drooped a bit. She also needed to rest to get some of her magic back. When the Octopus Man spelled her earlier, he stripped her of some of her magic. In Makenna’s world of fairies, magic was like blood. If fairies used up all their magic or got stripped of too much magic, then they died. That also happened with Tracey the year before, but luckily Selene saved him right at the last minute. Magic wasn’t Makenna’s only source of tiredness though – her transformation was too. Every time she transformed, it left her a little tired. She fought this though and flew as fast as she could through the sky. She flew like Superman. Raeven heaved on her shoulder. He finally just tried to force her to stop. He flapped his aching wings and hopped off Makenna’s shoulder, but a sudden gush of wind blew him away from her, and Raeven almost crashed into a tree. He sighed and shook out his head. Raeven then noticed something quite interesting about the tree behind him. Its trunk glowed a green color! The tree was glowing! How unusual. What was this? It definitely was something magical. When Raeven saw the glowing though, he smiled a bit and turned in the direction of exhausted Makenna Delling. She stopped to hover a bit. While she hovered, she took deep breaths and tried to figure out exactly where she was. It was dark now, so she had trouble seeing. Lifting her hand, Makenna thoughtfully scratched her head.
Behind at the tree trunk, Raeven flew back and forth and called to her, “Makenna! Makenna! Makenna! Look, look, look! Hello?” Makenna heard him, but she tried her best to not listen. Raeven tried again, “Makenna! Makenna!” Makenna narrowed her eyebrows to an angry position and growled. Raeven was so annoying at times.
The young fairy whirled around and shouted, “Shut up, Raeven!” but when she saw the glowing tree trunk, she gasped, and her eyes widened. Officially curious now, she flapped her wings and approached Raeven. “Raeven,” Makenna asked, and she pointed at the trunk, “the-the-the trunk! Don’t you see it glowing?”
Raeven nodded and said, “I do, Makenn.”
“What is this?” asked Makenna, and she pointed at the trunk with her hand. Both she and Raeven approached it, and the glow shone on their faces. Makenna glanced at Raeven and waited for his answer. Remember, she still was a fairly new fairy, so she didn’t know all the secrets the fairy world hid just yet. Raeven knew what the glowing trunk was though. It was a portal, a portal that would take somebody to Merlin’s Island, and it was created by two magical beings, magical beings Makenna knew pretty well. Who though? Well, the main clue was all the green. Who did Makenna know in which his/hers theme colors were green?
Raeven tried to tell her that this was a portal that would make the trek to Merlin’s Island much easier. If they took it, then they won’t even have to worry about flying over the ocean where the Octopus Man hid. “Makenna,” he spoke, and he pointed at the trunk, “this is quite a strange phenomenon isn’t it? Do you think it’s something that can help us out? Why don’t you get a little closer?” Makenna gave him a funny look, but she went ahead and did as he asked. She had to admit, she too was a little curious. She held her guard though as she flapped her wings and slowly approached the portal. Raeven watched her, and under his breath, he whispered, “Thank you, Ash and Tracey.” Makenna soon hovered in front of the tree’s trunk, and she tucked the “extremely important parcel” under one arm. With her other hand, she lifted it and slowly reached for the portal. However, she stopped an inch away from it. Wait a minute, she had a bad feeling about this. Raeven pulled her into a trap, and it was too late for her to turn back. He snuck up on her from behind and said, “Sorry, Makenna. Hold your breath.” Then, just like that, he lifted his feet and shoved Makenna’s back! She yelled as she fell into the portal and vanished without a trace. On the other end of it, Raeven flapped his wings and nodded. He then dove into it and vanished as well. Right when he did, that end of the portal on the trunk disappeared, and all was silent once again.
Makenna felt like she was traveling through a wormhole. She flew through a long tunnel and continued to yell. Suddenly though, the tunnel’s setting around her changed! It changed to a watery setting! This was definitely magic here. All around Makenna, the portal’s walls glowed different shades of blue, and bubbles danced around her! This was a sign that Makenna was traveling across the ocean. However, she was freaking out too much to enjoy the scenery. Raeven appeared behind her, and his head became caught in one bubble.
He smiled and said, “Ooh,” but then the bubble popped, and he groaned. Shadows of ocean animals soared by him and Makenna, but they weren’t real. They were all just mere mirages. Soon though, the setting vanished and changed to black. Suddenly, in front of Makenna Delling, appeared the rocky walls of a cave, and she flew forward! She and Raeven had made it! They were at Merlin’s Cave! Makenna yelled and landed hard, very hard, on the ground. The second she landed, she blacked out, and the parcel escaped her grasp and slid towards a wall. Raeven flew out of the portal after her and landed on her tummy. The portal vanished for good this time behind him. Raeven soon shook out his head and peered into Makenna’s face. “Makenna!” he yelled, and he shook her tunic, “Makenna!” Makenna didn’t stir. She was totally out, but that wasn’t all bad because she needed the rest. Even more, she was resting in Merlin’s Cave on Merlin’s Island! She and Raeven were back in the world of fairies!
What happened next though was very interesting. Raeven heard something, footsteps, and he looked up. His eyes widened. He quickly hopped off Makenna’s tunic and glanced in the direction where the footsteps came from. He shivered and wrapped his wings around his body. Further away from him and Makenna, standing in the shadows and darkness of the cave, was a figure, the figure of a young man! Was this who Raeven thought it was? He couldn’t entirely make him out because of the darkness, but he did seem quite familiar. He approached Makenna Delling and nodded at Raeven who smiled. Now he knew exactly who it was! After nodding, the figure reached down and picked Makenna up in his arms. She breathed steadily. She actually looked very peaceful – like she was having a good dream or something. Next, the mysterious figure carried her to a dark room, a guest room, and Raeven excitedly followed. Once inside, he set her down on a bed, and Makenna’s head gently hit a pillow. She soon lied on her back with her left hand on her tummy, and she continued to steadily breathe. Raeven landed next to her and watched the figure. He still couldn’t see him that well because all the lights in the room had been turned out for the night, and it was dark outside, so no rays of sun shone through the room’s cracks. The mysterious, yet familiar figure got Makenna comfortable. He set a stuffed animal down next to her, a dog, because he knew she liked stuffed animals, and picked up her hand. He set it down on the dog’s body, and then he threw a blanket over Makenna. It was very cold in the room, which was normal. It was always cold in Merlin’s Cave, even during summertime. After the mysterious figure warmed Makenna up, he sat down in a chair next to her and pulled out a huge book of fairytales. To conclude the night and Makenna’s return to Merlin’s Island, he read her a bedtime story. While he read, Raeven slipped under her blanket to keep warm, and the figure of a bird rested on the mysterious figure’s shoulder and enjoyed the story. A bird! Could this person be…could he really be…? Makenna would find out soon enough.
Darkness. That was all the Octopus Man saw. It was dark, warm, and he craved power. Way out in the Atlantic Ocean, off the shore of Folly Beach, underwater in the light of the crescent moon, he swam through the ocean, blue eyes glowing, and tightly gripped his staff. He was very annoyed. He got so close to capturing Makenna today, but then Ash, that annoying, Scottish, teenage Wizard Fairy stopped him! The Octopus Man has very bad memories of Ash. Ever since a certain someone assigned him a mission to protect Makenna and Tracey against him, he’s got in his way! The Octopus Man swore to himself though that he would succeed! He would capture these two fairies, Makenna and Tracey, and strip them of magic until he was unbeatable, and they were dead! Tracey still was the first priority on his list though. He still had him under the spell he placed on him the year before, and he still was recovering from his broken wings. Therefore, Tracey currently was much more vulnerable than Makenna Delling. The only thing the Octopus Man had to worry about with her was her Merfairy transformation. While he soared through the ocean, he put together a plan to raid Merlin’s Island and steal Makenna and Tracey away. He summoned his minions, groups of watery sirens that attacked Tracey the year before, and ordered them to prepare for battle! Merlin’s Island was in trouble, but the bad news was, Makenna and Tracey were totally unaware, and also, Merlin wasn’t there. Remember, he was at Coutarine Island on an “urgent” mission. Could two teenage fairies stand up to the Beast of the Sea, the Octopus Man (A.K.A.) Poseidon? Well, it would be determined soon enough.
Morning eventually found Merlin’s Island. The time was 8am, and like all early mornings in and around Charleston during summer, it was fairly cool outside. Merlin’s Island was absolutely gorgeous! Compared with other tropical island around the world, it had the appearance of Fiji, the Cook Islands, and Hawaii combined. Coutarine Island was the same way, but currently, this wasn’t Coutarine Island – this was Merlin’s Island. The Hawaiian touch of the island came from its volcano. Merlin’s Island did have a volcano, and it rested in the heart of it. The volcano’s cave was where Merlin’s Cave was located. The ocean around the island, in the coves, beaches, everywhere, was very sparkly, clear, and blue. Occupants could easily tell the difference between the sandbar and deeper water. Aside from the water, Merlin’s Island also had fluffy, white sand beaches, and an extensive, beautiful, tropical jungle. Only magical beings could see Merlin’s Island and access it though. A force field surrounded the whole island, and it didn’t let any non-magical beings touch it. Because of this, that was why normal humans hadn’t discovered it. To them, whenever they sailed out to Merlin’s Island’s location, they didn’t see a beautiful island filled with vegetation and Caribbean-like waters. They instead just saw the Atlantic Ocean. The same thing went for Coutarine Island. No human ever saw it because it was protected by a magical barrier. Coutarine Island and Merlin’s Island, as well as the other different fairy realms spread out over the world, were basically different worlds trapped in the same universe as humans. While Makenna Delling technically did enter Earth as a human, she wasn’t fully human, thanks to a little somebody – she was half human and half fairy.
When she woke up this morning, she first had to adjust to where she was. During the night, Raeven had slept with her. He woke up first. He crawled out from under Makenna’s blanket and stretched his wings.
Yawning, he said, “Oh, what a night.” Unlike other bats, he wasn’t nocturnal. Since it was morning, he could finally make out the room he and Makenna were in. It looked like any ordinary guest room. The only difference was that it was in a cave vs. in a house. Next to the bed Makenna rested in was a dresser. She had not performed the Sunset Delay Spell, so she still had her wings. Morning sunshine shone through the cracks in the guest room’s walls and shone on her face. This light woke her up. Makenna scrunched up her face and lifted her left hand, holding it up to her face. She could only lift her left hand because her right one still held the stuffed dog. Finally, Makenna blinked, and she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Raeven. He hovered over her face and waved his paw, saying, “Hi! Good morning!”
“Huh?” Makenna sleepily asked, “Raeven?” Raeven moved out of the way as she sat up. Makenna pushed herself up onto her butt, and while she did this, she searched the area. Hm, there was something about this area that seemed familiar. Makenna lowered her head, and her eyes landed on the stuffed dog she held. “Where am I?” she questioned, and she dropped the animal, swinging her legs off the side of the bed, “How did I get here?” Her eyes landed on her dresser, and they widened when she saw that resting on the face of it was a plate of food. Somebody had served her. Who though? Makenna reached for the plate, but she didn’t dare pick it up. She still had to remember where she was.
Raeven hovered next to her ear and tried to help her understand, “Makenna, I knew you wouldn’t make it last night. I ended up dragging you here all the way from the ocean. You passed out before I could even say, ‘We’re almost there!’”
“There?” questioned Makenna, and she glanced at him, “Where? Are meaning to tell me, Raeven that we’re here? Here at Merlin’s Island?”
“How would you feel if I answered yes?” Raeven wanted to know. Makenna felt a pinch of excitement in her.
She hopped off the bed and lowered her head, clenching her fist. “Yes!” she whispered. Lowering her fist, she peered up to the dome-shaped ceiling, and her eyes rotated everywhere. “Tracey!” Makenna continued, “Tracey, Raeven! I can finally see Tracey again!” She approached the plate of food next to her bed and picked up a biscuit, “Do you think it was he who served me this plate?”
“Well, knowing Tracey,” Raeven answered, “I’m sure it was. Go ahead, Makenna. Have some breakfast, and then we’ll search for Tracey together.”
Makenna didn’t want breakfast though, even though she was starving; she wanted to see Tracey.
“But I want to see him now,” she complained.
Raeven shook his head and said, “No.” He pointed at the plate of food, “Eat first, Makenna. Come on. Chop, chop.”
“Since when did you turn into my mother?” Makenna wondered. Raeven said nothing. He merely pointed harder at the plate. Finally, Makenna gave in. She sighed and ate her breakfast. Makenna ate it at a very high rate of speed. She even slurped down the orange juice. Within just five minutes, she finished her breakfast and set the cup down, saying, “All right, Raeven, I’m ready.” Makenna burped, and she reached for her lips. “Excuse me,” she spoke, and Raeven chuckled. Makenna then suddenly shivered, “Oh goodness,” and she wrapped her arms around her body, “I forgot how cold it’s in here, Raeven! Gosh!” Goosebumps pricked up on her arms. Makenna felt them and rubbed her arms.
Raeven then pointed forward, and he explained, “I think Tracey got you something warm to wear though, Miss Delling.”
“Huh?” asked Makenna, “What are you talking about, Raeven?” Continuing to rub her arms, she peered forward, and her eyes landed on a chair that sat in front of her further away. Resting on the chair was a wool, blue coat. Makenna’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung open with astonishment. She approached the coat and whispered, “Wow.” Letting her arms go, she reached for it and picked it up. Makenna held it up to her face and announced, “It’s a coat! Oh that Tracey! He’s such a sweetheart.” The coat had a very interesting appearance to it, including a blue, cape-like feature that hung from the back of it. Makenna went ahead and decided to put it on. She dropped her wings behind her back and slipped on the coat. Once it was on, she reached back and tucked her wings into it. She then buttoned it up, and immediately after she did, she warmed up.
Behind her, Raeven flapped his wings and lifted off her bed.
He soared to Makenna and studied the coat up and down, “Nice.” He nodded, “That coat looks good on you, Makenn. I love the cape-like feature on the back of it. Tracey really knows how to make his coats. All right,” He landed on her shoulder, “are you ready to search for him?”
Makenna vigorously nodded. “Yes!” she announced, “Whoopee!” She closed her eyes and lifted her hand over her head, “Hang on, Tracey because Makenna Delling, the best Metamorphic Fairy in the universe, is coming to your rescue!”
Raeven rolled his eyes and spoke, “All right, don’t overdo it, Makenn.”
Makenna had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that she was in Merlin’s Cave, and she was searching for Tracey, Merlin’s apprentice.
She marched down a chilly corridor lit with torches and called, “Tracey! Tracey! It’s me! Makenna Delling! Hello?”
Raeven glanced up to the ceiling, and his eyes landed on crystalline structures hanging from it. “Do you have any idea where you’re going?” he asked.
Makenna shook her head, “No, not really.”
Raeven suddenly gasped, “Oh no!” and he reached for his head, “Then that means we’re going to be trapped down here forever! We’re all gonna die!”
He shook Makenna’s coat collar, but she quickly pushed his paws away, “Geez, Raeven, take it easy. Nobody’s gonna die. We’re going to search these corridors for Tracey, and we’re not gonna rest until we find him!”
“Bu-But, Makenna.” Raeven chattered, “We’re trapped down here! I’m sure this place is swarming with ghosts! There’s probably a man eating monster at the very of it! Then you won’t be able to fly because your wings are tucked in your coat! We’ll get blasted to smithereens!” His knees knocked together, and he frightfully wrapped his wings around his body. “Oh, sweet cheese cakes.”
Makenna grumbled, and she brought her palms to her face, “Shut up, Raeven! Nobody’s gonna die!”
“How can you be sure of that?” asked Raeven. Suddenly, over the course of that last second, he and Makenna heard shouting! The shouting echoed off the corridor’s walls.
Hearing it, Makenna immediately stopped walking. “What’s that?” she nervously asked. She crept down the cool, spooky corridor, in the direction where the shouting came from.
Raeven suddenly flew into her face, and he asked, “Is it thugs? Bandits? What is it?!”
“I’m not sure, Raeven.” Makenna nervously admitted, “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.” She had to admit though, she too was getting a little uneasy. She pulled Raeven off her face and hugged him to her chest. She jumped when she heard the shouting again.
“We’re all gonna die!” Raeven repeated. Makenna ignored him. She instead continued to creep in the direction of the shouting.
ns 15.158.61.54da2
