The corridor led to an enormous, torch-lit room filled with training equipment. It was a training room! Makenna and Raeven hid behind a wall and nervously peered out to it. Makenna gasped. She was blown away by the room, but she was even more surprised by who she saw in it. In the heart of the room, training and performing a beautiful magic show, was a teenage boy who had long, black hair and golden brown eyes! A curved tuft of hair stood up on the center of his head, and another tuft rested on the left side of his nose. It was Tracey. Makenna couldn’t believe it! It was Tracey, Merlin the Great’s young, ninja-like fairy apprentice! It was really him! He was just as handsome as Makenna remembered. The last time she saw Tracey, he was being rushed to the Coutarine Fairy Hospital in critical condition because the Octopus Man seriously broke his wings, and Merlin didn’t get him to the hospital immediately after it happened. He was back though, – he survived – and he looked much better than he did that horrifying night at Makenna’s school. He was dressed in what appeared to be a training uniform. He wore a white, green and purple trimmed, armored bodysuit that had shoulder pads and a long tail that stretched from his waist to his knees and was green on the inside, boots, and elbow-length, white gloves that had black fingertips. The only thing he didn’t have any more – Makenna noticed this – were his wings. Tracey no longer had his wings. He was a wingless fairy. Since his wings were so badly damaged by the Octopus Man and severely infected, the doctors had to amputate them so he could live. Makenna kind of expected the wings would come off, and she was right.
She watched amazed as Tracey continued to put on a magic show. With him was Gina, his own best avian friend. She too once broke her wing, but she was lucky. Her wing healed, so she could still fly. Not Tracey though. Once pure magical fairy wings – not half fairy wings like Makenna’s – broke, they never healed. Victims were considered “crippled fairies.” From this point on, Tracey was known as “the wounded ninja.” He didn’t see Makenna and Raeven spying on him. Instead, he waved his hands, and a purple and green rainbow-like image appeared over his head. Tracey reached up and grabbed the image. Gina, Makenna, and Raeven watched as he pulled it down and brought it down over his shoulders. He wore it like a cape. After doing that, Merlin’s now eighteen-year-old apprentice sprinted forward, and the purple and green, rainbow-like image streamed out behind him. It was so beautiful. Gina followed her friend. Tracey soon stopped, and he wrapped the image around him. Then, there was a great blast of light, and green and purple sparkles rained down.
“Whoa.” Makenna whispered from where she and Raeven watched. She let the bat go and rested her hand on a loose rock in the wall. Right when she did, the rock broke and fell from it! “Uh oh.” Makenna whispered. Tracey heard the break, and instantly, he whirled around and shot a beam of light towards her! Makenna screamed and turned to run away. Tracey’s attack slammed into the ground and threw her forward! Makenna landed on her front and braced her head as a cloud of dust surrounded her.
“Makenna!” Raeven screeched in bat language, not English this time. He shook from pure fear while resting on another rock. Makenna coughed through the dust.
Tracey and Gina soon emerged from the cloud, and Tracey held a shuriken.
He pointed it at her. “Who are you?” he asked in a calm but stern voice, “How did you get here?” Tracey was normally a very calm boy.
“What?!” Makenna asked, and she glanced at him. Raeven was right! Tracey didn’t even recognize her!
“How did you get here?” he repeated.
“Dude, it’s me!” Makenna shouted, “Don’t you remember?! It’s me! Makenna Delling!”
“Makenna Delling?” Tracey questioned, “No, that’s impossible! Makenna Delling is ancient history!”
“What?” asked Makenna, “What are you talking about, dude?! It’s me! Remember we worked together last year before your accident to find Selene?”
“Accident? What accident?” confusingly asked Tracey. Makenna was bewildered. Why was Tracey acting so weird? Was it because of the curse the Octopus Man had placed on him last year? Was it zapping him of his memory?
Makenna shakily stood up and explained, “You broke your wings last year, Tracey! Merlin told me you had to be put in the ICU of the Coutarine Fairy Hospital! You were in such terrible shape! Merlin and the doctors didn’t think you were going to make it! Don’t you remember returning this necklace to me?” She reached for her necklace pendant which hung in front of her coat.
“Huh?” Tracey asked. His eyes landed on the pendant, and he stared at it.
Gina gasped at the sight of the Metamorphic Fairy, and she seemed to smile. “Makenna!” she yelled through telepathy. Like Raeven, she was able to communicate through telepathy, but unlike him, she couldn’t speak in English. She soared to Makenna and landed on her shoulder pad. Raeven landed on the other one, and together, they watched Tracey.
He continued to stare at the necklace, and very slowly, flashbacks of the year before started to invade his mind.
He gasped. “Makenna!” he yelled. The color returned to his eyes, “Makenna, it’s you!”
“Yeah.” Makenna nervously spoke, and she gestured at Raeven, “And there’s Raeven. Remember Raeven, the loudmouth Megabat?”
“Makenna!” Tracey yelled, “It’s you! It’s really you!”
“Yeah. Hi, Tracey. It’s been a while.”
“A while?” questioned Tracey, “Are you kidding? It’s been forever! So, what are you doing here?”
“Good question.” Makenna spoke. She glanced at Raeven, “Want to answer that, Raeven?”
Raeven scoffed, “Hello. Don’t blame this on me. You were the one assigned to deliver that parcel to Merlin, and I tried to tell you to wait until today to fly out here, but you didn’t listen to me.”
“Parcel?” Tracey asked, “Oh, so that was what that box was.”
“You know about the box?” Makenna wondered.
Tracey shrugged, “Well, now I do. I set it down over there in the corner of the room.” He pointed to the corner of the room, and Makenna peered in that direction. Sure enough, there was the “extremely important parcel.” Makenna was relieved to see it safe and sound.
She nodded and turned to Tracey again, asking, “So, Tracey, Merlin didn’t take you to Coutarine Island with him?”
“No.” Tracey explained, “But that’s okay. I don’t want to get involved in his urgent mission. Besides, I have plenty of other things to do here. Hey, if you’d like to talk, Makenna, do you want to go outside?”
“Outside?” Makenna asked.
“Why not?” was Tracey’s next question, “It’s a beautiful day, and besides, I’m getting the itch for tuna!”
“Tuna?” Makenna asked. She shook her head, “Yeah, let’s go outside, Tracey. I think you’ve been indoors too long. Besides, it’s freezing in here! Which reminds me, thank you for the coat, but I think I should return it now if we’re going out.” She reached for her coat and unbuttoned it.
While she did this, Tracey said, “No problem. I knew you would be cold when you woke up, so I went ahead and made it for you.” Makenna pulled off the coat, and she handed it to him. Immediately, she shivered and wrapped her arms around her body. “You won’t be cold for long,” continued Tracey, “I know a back entrance from here, and whoa!” His golden brown eyes landed on Makenna’s Crystal Metamorphic Fairy transformation, “Sensei wasn’t joking! You really are a Crystal Metamorphic Fairy now, Makenna! That’s a good look for you too. Wow, snazzy.” Makenna chuckled. She had forgotten how much fun it was being around Tracey. He gestured for her to follow him and finished with, “Follow me. There’s an awesome cove just behind this section of the volcano. It’s a great place where we can sit and catch up with each other. Gina and Raeven, do you want to come along too?” Gina, who was resting next to Raeven on his rock, nodded, and she grabbed his paw with her claws.
“Whoa!” Raeven spoke as she pulled him off the rock and into the sky.
Makenna smiled at the sight of them flying, “Hey, Raeven and Gina, wait for me!” She lifted her crystal wings and gave them a flap, lifting into the air. Makenna still had trouble believing that she really could fly. She soared to Gina and Raeven and flew in circles around them. Fairy dust trailed out behind her, and the rainbows shimmered in her wings. Makenna held her wand tightly in her hand. She soon stopped to hover, and she gave each Raeven and Gina a high five, Raeven with his paw and Gina with her foot. Down below, Tracey forced a feeble smile, and he let out a weak chortle.
Next, he held his hand out to his friends and announced, “Don’t forgot me! I want to join the flying party too!”
“Flying party?” Makenna asked, and she peered down on him, suddenly gasping, “No, Tracey! Wait!” Tracey didn’t listen. He attempted to fly. Bending his knees, he leaped into the sky but immediately fell down with a crash. His foot hit some ice, since it was so cold in the cave, and he yelled as he slid forward. Makenna, Gina, and Raeven watched. All of them closed their eyes and turned away when they suddenly heard CRASH! Tracey crashed into a stack of wooden crates, and all of them fell on top of him! When Makenna finally opened her eyes, she stared frightfully at the mess. Tracey soon emerged from it, and she noticed he limped a little bit. The young apprentice peered down on the crates, and his entire face glowed red. He temporarily lost his calmness. He let out a frustrating yell and kicked one wooden crate across the room. He then crossed his arms and plopped down on his knees. His wing-free back faced Makenna, Raeven, and Gina. Gina sighed and stared at him. She then nudged Makenna, and Makenna glanced at her.
Through telepathy, Gina told her, “You’ve got to comfort him, Makenna. He’s really not as happy as you think. He’s still being affected greatly by Peter’s bullying.”
Makenna nodded understandingly, “I know, Gina. Merlin told me last week. But I also know it’s something else.” She flapped her wings and soared in the direction of Tracey. From where he sat, he sighed sadly and shook his head. Makenna soon landed behind him, and she asked, “Tracey? Are you okay?” Tracey jumped a little bit when he heard her voice.
Without looking at her, he lifted his fist and rubbed his nose. “Yeah,” he answered in a slightly choked voice, “I-I’m fine, Makenna. It’s just…” He next rubbed his eye, “I-I forgot. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh, all right then.” Makenna spoke. She took Tracey’s shoulders and bent down next to him. She sat and peered into his face, asking, “Why don’t we go outside? You’re right, Trace. It’s a beautiful day. It’s so beautiful, I almost want to get married to nature.” She hoped she would get a chuckle out of Tracey, but she didn’t. Makenna sighed. She wasn’t even the best at telling jokes. She picked up Tracey’s hand and comfortably rubbed it, “Um, now about this cove you mentioned?”
“Oh.” Tracey spoke, “Right.” He nodded, “The cove. Um, right. Just follow me.” He stood up and headed in the direction of one of the room’s back walls. Raeven and Gina together flew to Makenna, and they hovered beside each of her ears.
The young fairy shook her head and admitted, “There is something really weird going on with him. I hate to admit it. One minute he’s happy, the next he’s not, and the next it’s like he doesn’t remember anything!”
“He’s been like this all week, Makenna.” Gina explained through telepathy, “It’s the curse. You have to be really careful when you go to that cove. He cannot go in the water.”
“What’s he doing?” Makenna asked.
Tracey stopped in front of the back wall, and he brought his hand to his chin, tapping it. He stared at the wall. He didn’t move at all. Makenna again shook her head, and she headed towards him, calling, “Tracey. Tracey. Tracey!”
Tracey finally heard her, and he jumped. “Hm?” he asked, and he glanced at her, suddenly smiling, “You know what? I think I want some fish.”
“Huh?” Makenna asked, “But what about the cove? Can’t you have fish later, Trace?”
Tracey suddenly snapped at her, “My name is not ‘Trace!’ It’s Tracey!”
“But, that’s my nickname for you. Come on, you call me ‘Makenn,’ and I don’t care. Now, Tracey, please, are we going to the cove or not?”
“Oh yeah,” spoke Tracey, “Good point. Very good point. There actually happens to be a coral reef just outside that cove. Perfect! Thank you, Anne Louise.”
“Anne Louise?” Makenna asked, “What? I’m not Anne Louise! I’m Makenna, Makenna Delling! Oh, Tracey.” She sniffed and reached forward, taking his wrists, “I thought I had you back.”
“I am back, Annie.” Tracey spoke. He pinched Makenna’s cheek and shook her skin, “I am just the same boy you knew over a hundred years ago.”
Makenna sniffed again and rubbed her nose. “No you’re not,” she admitted, “and there are reasons behind this! Number one because I have no idea who Anne Louise is, and number two because I am not over one hundred years old, and neither are you!” She shook her head, “Octopus Man, what have you done to him? Tracey please.” She gripped his pointy ears and pulled his face close to hers, “Snap out of it!” Raeven soon tapped her shoulder, and Makenna glanced at him.
Smiling hopefully, the bat told her, “You know, Makenna, I could always get Ash.”
“No!” Makenna instantly stated, “I don’t need any so-called wizards helping me, Raeven! I can deal with Tracey myself!”
“Well, remember it was he who slipped you out of your trance on the pier.” Raeven explained, “I’m sure he can do the same with Tracey.”
“No!” Makenna again yelled. She accidentally spat in Tracey’s face, and he closed his eyes, reaching for it. “Oh, my gosh!” Makenna continued when she saw the spit on his face, “I am so sorry, Tracey!”
Tracey rubbed the spit out of his eye, and suddenly, he grinned, “Water!” Tracey leaped ten feet in the air, “I love water! I need more water!” He clapped his hands together and whirled around to the wall again.
“Tracey stop!” Makenna yelled, “Please!” She grabbed his arm, “You can’t go in the ocean!” Tracey didn’t listen.
He again repeated, “Water!” and he ripped his arm out of Makenna’s grip. Next, he lifted his hands and started to pat different sections of the wall with his palms.
“What in the name of Neptune are you doing?” Makenna asked him. Tracey still didn’t listen. He continued to pat the wall.
After a bit, a secret entranceway in it opened up! The wall’s rocks moved aside and revealed Merlin’s Island’s jungle! As soon as it did, a gush of warm morning air blasted Makenna, Tracey, Raeven, and Gina.
Makenna smiled and lifted her hands, saying, “Cool.” While she stood in the entranceway, she took in a whiff of the tropical breeze. Ah, outside felt so good.
Makenna immediately became serious again though when Tracey started to yap, “Water! Water! Water!” over and over again. And then just like that, he took off with a sprint and sprinted out of the cave in the direction of a beach.
“Tracey, wait!” yelled Makenna. Gina and Raeven together landed on her shoulders, and Makenna flapped her wings. She lifted into the sky and chased after Merlin’s apprentice. However, because he was a ninja-like fairy, he was very fast. He moved only as a green blur, and this caused Makenna to fly extra fast.
“Stop him!” Gina yelled through tern squawks on one of her shoulders, “He can’t dive in the ocean! The Octopus Man will drag him to the Bermuda Triangle if he does!”
“I know, Gina!” Makenna yelled, “Merlin told me! But the thing is, he moves so fast, even without his wings! Tracey, stop!” Tracey didn’t. He hopped over a log and pulled a branch forward to move it out of his way. When he let it go, the branch snapped back like a slingshot and smacked Makenna! She yelled and fell out of the sky. She, Gina, and Raeven together toppled onto the tropical jungle’s bed.
Makenna soon got up on her knees, and she told the tern and bat, “Stay here, guys! I’ll get Tracey!”
Raeven leaped to his feet and shouted, “Makenna, wait!” but Makenna shushed him. She flapped both her arms and wings and leaped into the sky, flying after Tracey again.
Behind, Raeven and Gina exchanged glances, and Gina told Raeven, “We’ve got to go after her.”
Raeven nodded and communicated with her with his own telepathy, “Sure. But first.” His eyes landed on a banana tree hovering over him and Gina, and Raeven added with, “I’m gonna get meself some bananas,” while rubbing his paws together.
“Raeven!” Gina frustratingly yelled, but Raeven ignored her. He flapped his wings and soared into the banana tree over them. When he landed, his eyes widened at the sight of the bananas, and Raeven’s mouth watered.
He licked his lips, “Oh yeah, come to papa,” and pulled one banana off. Down below, Gina slapped her foot to her face and shook her head.
How beautiful Merlin’s Island’s jungle was, but Makenna didn’t have time to admire it – she had to catch Tracey before the Octopus Man did! Tracey led Makenna all the way to, as he said, a cove. This cove was absolutely gorgeous! Makenna definitely felt like she was in paradise the second she stepped onto the fluffy, white sand. To get to the cove, she and Tracey leaped out of the jungle and took a cool, rocky, arch-like tunnel. When they made it to the other side, Makenna felt as if she had just entered another world. Well, she technically was in another world. Just like the jungle though she couldn’t admire it because of Tracey! The second he stepped onto the cove, he hurried in the direction of the water, and also in the direction of, just like he said, a coral reef.
While he approached it, he yelled, “Water!” again and again. He did not stop yelling that.
“Tracey, stop!” Makenna yelled again, but Tracey still didn’t listen. Raeven and Gina soon flew up on Makenna from behind, and they both landed on a pile of driftwood to rest their wings.
Gina seemed to gasp when she saw Tracey close to the water, “Oh no! Oh, I can’t watch!” She covered her eyes with her wings.
Makenna thought fast.
She first yelled, “Ka-ploop!” and dove into Tracey’s back, knocking him to the ground, “Tracey, you can’t go in the water!” She clenched her teeth and held him tightly.
Tracey squirmed and tried to break free. “Make me!” he shouted, “Anne Louise, please! I need to search the ocean for tuna! All hail tuna!” He failed to release himself though because Makenna gripped him so tightly.
“No!” she snapped at him, “You’re not going anywhere, Tracey! You and I came here to catch up on each other’s lives – not to play a game of tag!” Tracey finally lifted his hand, and with his index finger, he flicked Makenna’s forehead, just under her circlet. “Ow!” yelped the Metamorphic Fairy, and she released him to reach for it, “How dare you flick me! All right, Tracey, you leave me no choice!”
“Tuna!” Tracey begged, “And salmon, and seaweed! I want them all! I want to make a seaweed salad! Anne Louise, please! I don’t belong here! I belong in the Bermuda Triangle! I love the Octopus Man as if he was my own father!”
Makenna choked on her spit.
She coughed and reached for her throat, yelling, “Anne Louise?” Her eye twitched, “What is wrong with you? My name is not ‘Anne Louise!’ It’s Makenna Delling! Oh, my God, if you say, ‘I love the Octopus Man as if he was my own father’ again, then please give me a plastic bag so I can puke in it! How can you say that?! He’s the one who broke your wings! He’s the reason why you’re acting so weird!”
“Water!” Tracey again shouted, totally ignoring her, “I feel like fish and a swim! The Bermuda Triangle is where I will revive my powers!”
“No!” Makenna shouted, “Tracey, please! Don’t do it! I don’t want to lose you again!” She reached for Tracey’s arm, but he flicked her forehead again. Makenna flinched and reached for it. She watched as Tracey stood up on the beautiful, tropical beach, and he sprinted in the direction of the South Pacific-like water again. Makenna had to stop him! But how?! She frantically looked around the cove for a solution to the situation, but she didn’t see anything! Her eyes then rested on the pile of driftwood Gina and Raeven rested on. At the sight of it, Makenna smiled. She just found the perfect solution to snap Tracey out of his trance and stop him from diving into the water! The Metamorphic Fairy leaped into the sky again and soared to the driftwood.
When he saw her, Raeven gasped and announced, “Makenna!” in English.
“Huh?” Gina frightfully squawked, and she peeked out from behind her wings. Her eyes landed on Makenna.
She soon hovered over the driftwood, and she shot her hand forward into the pile, yelling, “Excuse me!”
“What are you doing?” Raeven asked her, but Makenna didn’t answer. She really didn’t want to do this to Tracey, especially since he had been seriously injured the year before, but it was the only way how she could stop him from diving into the ocean.
She yelled, “Sorry! Not now, Raeven!” and Raeven nodded understandingly.
From the pile of driftwood, Makenna pulled out a long piece of it, and she whispered, “All right, this should work.” She banged the piece amongst her palm. Raeven soon understood what she was about to do, and very slowly, an amused smile developed across his face.
With the piece of driftwood on hand, Makenna soared back in the direction of Tracey who continued to run for the ocean and yell for water.
“Mom! Dad!” he shouted, “Don’t worry! I’m coming!” Makenna stopped a bit to hover, and she took a deep breath. She could do this. She believed that this was the best thing for Tracey right now. She just hoped she wouldn’t critically injure him. Not again. Please not again. Makenna prayed for this with all her might, and finally, when she was ready, she continued her flight towards Tracey. He was very close to the ocean now – almost too close. “Mom! Dad!” he shouted for a second time. Makenna didn’t understand. Why was he calling for his parents? Weren’t his parents, um, dead? She decided to ask him later.
For now, she yelled, “Incoming!” and she lifted the piece of driftwood high over her right shoulder. From the pile where Gina and Raeven waited, Raeven excitedly bounced up and down while Gina frightfully peeped out her wings again. Where Makenna and Tracey were, Makenna made her move. She closed her eyes and swung her piece of driftwood! It smacked Tracey right on the head, SMACK, and he fell onto his side on the beach! Makenna just knocked him out! It was for a good reason though. Merlin’s Island was quiet, except for the gentle slap of waves brushing the shoreline. Makenna soon opened her eyes, and when she saw Tracey lying unconscious on the fluffy sand, she took deep breaths. She dropped her weapon when she saw some of his blood on it. Right when it hit the ground, she landed and apologized, “Sorry, Trace, but I had no choice.” From where he and Gina sat, Raeven cupped his paws around his muzzle and shouted at her, “Boom! Headshot! Well done, Makenna Delling! Well done! Let’s all give her a warm round of applause!” And then, just like that, he clapped his paws together. Gina soon nudged him, to stop him from clapping, but Raeven refused to. Makenna felt terrible, but she knew she did the right thing. She fell to her knees next to motionless Tracey and dropped her wings behind her back.
Makenna soon pulled him into a hug, and she softly spoke, “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.” She got him right on time too. Tracey was within only a few feet of the ocean and death. Now did this rescue anger the Octopus Man? Sam heck yeah! He was so tired of people coming in between him and his prey! Now it was it was time for him to become even more aggressive than he already was.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
