Considering Tracey's exhausted wings, the flight to Jenkins Point took longer than usual. When he and the necklace finally made it, he felt like his wings were about to break. He couldn't do it anymore! He sunk to the ground, and his knees touched the road's concrete. His wings fell limply behind him.
While Tracey rested, he checked his surroundings. Looking to his left, he saw that a pond with a bench on its bed sat, and just beyond it, his eyes barely caught a large, blue and white Seabrook Island home in which the garages were under it. A blue surfboard with flower designs was propped against the side of one garage.
When he saw the house, Tracey said, "Hm," and stood. He wondered if it was Makenna's house. Glancing at the necklace, he pointed at it. "Is that Makenna's house?"
The necklace nodded and floated toward the house.
Tracey stumbled after it and tried to fly, but his wings were too tired. They felt heavy for once, but he didn't give up.
Before long, he and the necklace stood before the house and peered up at it.
"This is it?" Tracey said.
"Yep," spoke the necklace. "It is." It floated toward an open window on the second story of the house.
"So, I'm guessing that's Makenna's room?" Tracey included, pointing at it.
Once again, the necklace nodded.
Tracey took a deep breath and didn't take his eyes off the open window. He didn't want to fly, but it was probably the best way to get into the house.
Very slowly, he lifted his aching wings and prepared to flap them, but just before he could, he heard a sudden sound behind him. Gasping, the young fairy whirled around, and his golden-brown eyes widened. He froze.
A red jeep with black tires rolled down the road toward another Seabrook Island house, and its headlights landed on the child fairy. Driving the jeep was a young man, maybe in his early thirties, who had short, auburn hair and blue eyes. At the sight of Tracey, he gasped, and his eyes widened. He slammed the brakes, and the jeep came to a screeching stop, throwing his coffee mug and spilling it all over the passenger's seat.
Not paying attention to the spill, the young man yelled, "It's a fairy! Holy cow! It's a real fairy!" Shocked, he reached into a brown satchel beside him and fumbled for his camera. "Wait! Don't move! I've gotta get your picture! Oh, I'm going to be famous! A real fairy!"
Outside the car, Tracey remained frozen.
Before long, the necklace approached him and yelled, "Don't just stand there, Tracey! Fly! Fly before he gets your picture!"
Tracey returned to reality and said, "Ugh!" shaking his head. What was up with him tonight? He turned away and started to run. As he ran, he tried flying, but his wings were still exhausted, and almost immediately, he fell onto his front.
The young man in the red jeep finally found his camera and opened the door, leaping out of the car. Once his feet hit the concrete, he ran toward Tracey and held the camera up to his eyes.
Terrified, the child fairy crawled back and again tried flying, but he couldn't do it. His wings were too tired. He sat on the concrete for a second, lost in thought, but then he got an idea. Tracey was Tracey. He could get out of a tricky situation with no problem. He was like a ninja, a fairy ninja, and he knew what to do.
Quickly standing, he glared and brought his palms and fingertips together. "I have had it with you wannabee humans!" With that said, he dropped his hands and turned his back to the young man, flapping his wings as fast as a hummingbird's.
Unfortunately, the man managed to get a shot of his wings before he was thrown back and crashed into the hood of his jeep, falling to the ground.
Tracey turned back to him and crossed his arms, chuckling. Then he took off in flight and followed the necklace into a tree, where they waited together for the coast to clear.
The young, auburn-haired man, now covered in green and purple fairy dust, soon recovered from his crash and chuckled. He checked the blurry picture of Tracey's wings flapping and said, "A fairy. A real fairy. Whoo-hoo!" He kissed his camera and jumped to his feet, starting to tap dance. Afterward, he opened the door to his car and dove inside.
Tracey could hear him yelling, "Wait until Liana and Peter hear about this! They're going to flip out of their skin!"
The man laughed and closed the door, placing his hands on the steering wheel. While driving away, he repeatedly whispered, "A fairy." He considered himself a fortunate man. It wasn't every day someone found a fairy hovering around Makenna Delling's house.
When he disappeared into the shadows, Tracey sighed and, unaware that the man had gotten a picture of his flapping wings, said, "Whew, that was way too close."
"It was," said the necklace. "Come on, let's not waste any more time."
"I agree," Tracey said. He checked his surroundings. Then he zipped over to Makenna's house and landed on its roof. The necklace joined him. Tracey silently slid down the roof and jumped off it. He now hovered before Makenna's open window and peered inside.
Soon joining him, the necklace asked, "Is there a reason why you're entering Makenna's house like Peter Pan, Tracey?"
"Shh!" Tracey said, placing his finger to his lips. "This is where the Shrinking Spell comes in handy."
"Huh?" asked the necklace.
Tracey grabbed it and whispered, "Come here." He closed his fingers around the necklace and shut his eyes, starting to meditate. After a bit, he shrunk down to two inches tall, and the necklace shrunk, too. Tracey opened his eyes and smiled at his success. "Ah, that's better." He shook his tiny shoulders and flew into the room, even though his wings were killing him.
A fairy night light lighted the small room. It had two twin beds, and Tracey could hear the silent breathing of children. Between the beds was a nightstand.
Tracey said, "Hmm," and flew up to the nightstand, landing on it. He turned his head to the right and saw that he was facing the face of a little, brown-headed boy, maybe four years old. Tracey guessed he was Caleb, Makenna's little brother. He carefully turned his head to the left and held his breath at what he saw. There she was—little Makenna Delling.
She rested on her side and slept peacefully.
Smiling, Tracey opened his hand and let the necklace float out. "Well, necklace, there's your fairy." He nodded. "Good luck, my friend."
"Thank you, Tracey," the necklace said. "I promise I won't fail you, partner. I promise I will help this little girl become a Crystal Metamorphic Fairy so she can save Merlin."
"Sure," Tracey said in a calm voice. "That's as if it's proven tomorrow that she really is one."
"Oh, Tracey," the necklace said, "what's giving you your doubts?"
Tracey crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "I don't know. I feel like this little girl is going to be a challenge."
"All Metamorphic Fairies are," said the necklace, "but I promise we'll succeed. Well, goodbye, Tracey."
"Goodbye, necklace," Tracey said. He glanced at Makenna. "Goodbye, Makenna Delling. I'm certain we'll see each other again." Nodding, he turned to the necklace and bowed. Then he backed up and watched as it changed its size and became big again. It landed beside Makenna's head, so it'd be the first thing she'd see when she woke up.
Tracey feebly smiled and lifted his wings, flapping them. He lifted into the sky and started flying away.
Little did he know that the Tooth Fairy was behind him, flying out from underneath Caleb's pillow. She was a tiny fairy with long, blonde hair worn in a bun who wore a short, long-sleeved, silver dress and barefoot sandals. Her wings were long and white. One could barely see each wing's small, thin bones. She held a silver wand in one hand and one of Caleb's baby teeth in the other.
"What a beauty!" she excitedly said. "Caleb is getting better at flossing!" She chuckled and kissed Caleb's tooth. However, she crashed into Tracey's back, and he yelled. Both fairies were knocked out of the sky and landed on the nightstand. Tracey landed on his front, and the Tooth Fairy landed on her back. She leaped to her feet and yelled, "Watch where you're flying, or else I'm going to have to fine you!"
Tracey, too, jumped to his feet and asked, "Watch where I'm going? You're the one who crashed into me!" However, the two fairies soon recognized each other, and they gasped, Tracey yelling, "Tooth Fairy?"
"Tracey?" she yelled back. Tracey nodded, and the Tooth Fairy shook her head. Then she asked, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be practicing at Merlin's Cave?"
Tracey rocked his head up and down. "Well, yes, but he's losing control of his powers, and only a Metamorphic Fairy can save him."
"Metamorphic Fairy?" asked the Tooth Fairy. "What are you talking about? Metamorphic Fairies are extremely rare. Not even you'd be able to find one."
She continued to speak, but Tracey placed a finger to her lips. "Now, Tooth Fairy, don't judge a fairy by his looks. He may know more than you think."
The Tooth Fairy glared and crossed her arms. "Like?"
Tracey eyebrows creased, and he pointed at Makenna. "That girl is a Metamorphic Fairy. She's the necklace's fairy." He next pointed at the necklace.
Chuckling sarcastically, the Tooth Fairy said, "Oh please, you've got to be kidding me, Tracey. No, she's not! You're even more clueless than I thought! Humans can't be fairies! They're humans!"
Tracey waved his finger and said, "Not unless they're a Metamorphic Fairy. You'll see someday, Tooth Fairy, that that child is a fairy! Until then"—he glared—"I suggest you stay out of the way."
Scoffing, the Tooth Fairy flapped her wings and lifted into the sky, starting to fly away. "Fine," she said. "When you see that she's not a fairy, don't come crying to me." She disappeared out the window and left Tracey and the children behind.
Merlin's apprentice was left hesitant. What if the Tooth Fairy was right? What if Makenna wasn't a fairy? No, Tracey wasn't going to let his doubts overtake his mind. The truth would be revealed in the morning.
With that thought in mind, Tracey flew to the windowsill and landed. He yawned. Along with his wings, he was exhausted. It was time for bed. Like humans, fairies, too, had to sleep.
Tracey yawned again. Then he saluted at Makenna, opened his wings, and fluttered out of the house. He spent the night in the knot hole of a tree beside Makenna's house and used a leaf as a blanket.
***
Eventually, the following morning came. The sun rose in the east, and its rays poked through Makenna's open window, scanning the floor like a lighthouse.
The birds started to chirp, and the squirrels began to chatter.
The time was 7:30 am, and Caleb was the first to wake. He yawned and, still half asleep, sat in bed. While sitting there, he scratched the side of his face and stretched his arms. Then he lowered them and grinned. There was a gap in his mouth from where he lost his lower, central incisor, the tooth the Tooth Fairy came to get.
Caleb turned toward Makenna, who was still fast asleep. While waiting for her to wake, he slipped out of bed and trotted to a wooden chest toward the front of the room filled with costumes, accessories, and props.
Once he approached the chest, Caleb got down on his knees and went through it. He wanted to play Neverland with Makenna. Neverland was a game the two siblings usually played. It went like this: since Makenna was a fairy lover, she usually played the role of Tinkerbell, and Caleb played the role of Peter Pan. Tink and Peter, the two siblings, would travel to Neverland and have many adventures with Captain Hook, Smee, and the Lost Boys. Neverland was a great game for the children because they had incredible imaginations. Their parents, Michelle and Andy, defined them "as two Anne of Green Gables" together.
Caleb waited for ten more minutes, but finally, he could take no more. He stood and sprinted to Makenna's bed, leaping onto it. Once on it, he extended his hands and grabbed his sister's shoulder, starting to shake it. "Makenna, Makenna! Wake up, wake up, wake up!"
She groaned and pushed him off the bed, which Caleb landed on his bum. She pulled the covers over her head and tried to go back to sleep.
From the ground, Caleb huffed. He wanted to play with her. After a bit, he gasped and sat up straight.
Leaping to his feet, Caleb rushed over to his bed, grabbed his pillow, and tossed it off. At the sight of the quarter the Tooth Fairy left behind, he grinned and picked it up. He returned to his sister, pulled the covers off her head, and held the quarter to her face. "Makenna, look! The Tooth Fairy came!"
That woke her up. She smiled slyly and opened her stunning blue eyes. Then she sat up in bed. She wore a beautiful blue nightgown and fluffy blue night socks. Her Tinkerbell wings hung from a clothes rack.
Makenna turned her head to Caleb. She gasped and took the quarter out of his hand. Her eyes lit up, and she said, "She did! She really did come! Congratulations, Caleb!" She handed him his gift back and jumped onto the floor, hugging her brother.
He blushed.
When Makenna let go, she peered into his eyes, and Caleb started to beg.
He put his hands together and asked, "Makenna, can we please play Neverland? Pretty please, with a cherry on top?"
Makenna playfully rolled her eyes and took Caleb's shoulder. "Of course."
He cheered and jumped into the air, but his sister placed a finger to her lips. "Shh!"
Caleb understood her message and said, "Oh, right." He placed his finger to his lips and shook his head. "Shh."
"Caleb," Makenna whispered, "why don't you go ahead and dig out your costume? I'll join you as soon as I get dressed. Okay?"
She pushed her brother toward their chest of costumes, and he whispered, "Okay," back. He slipped away from Makenna and skipped over to the chest, starting to dig through it.
Little Makenna chuckled. She turned her body and reached her arm across her bed, picking up her Tinkerbell doll. She held her up to her face and traced her facial features with her index finger. "Are you ready, Tink? Are you ready for another day of fun and adventure, fighting Captain Hook-For-No-Hand?" She smiled, "Yeah," and held her doll to her chest. "I am, too."
She was getting ready to slip into her silky blue dress when her eyes rolled over the nightstand between hers and Caleb's bed and landed on the blue horse-head necklace Tracey had delivered.
Makenna asked, "Hm? What's this?" and reached for the necklace.
Caleb heard her and stopped rummaging in the chest. "What's what, Makenn?"
He turned to her, and Makenna answered, "This necklace," while pointing at the necklace. "I don't remember buying nor seeing this."
"What?" Caleb asked. He stood and approached her. "What are you talking about, sis?"
With her free hand, seven-year-old Makenna pointed at the mysterious necklace.
Seeing it, Caleb's eyes widened. "Whoa! Where did that come from?"
"I-I don't know," Makenna stammered. She picked up the necklace, and both she and Caleb examined it. Makenna added, "This is very mysterious. A random necklace doesn't just appear from out of nowhere unless—!" She gasped and glanced at Caleb.
At the same time, they announced, "Magic! The Tooth Fairy!"
"You didn't even lose a tooth!" Caleb said, slightly jealous. "So, how come she also gave you a gift?"
Makenna shrugged and said, "I'm not sure, Caleb. I really do not know."
She and Caleb were unaware that resting on the windowsill of her open window, hiding behind a picture frame, still two inches tall, was the deliverer of the necklace, Tracey. He had woken up only a short time ago but was already wide awake. His fairy instincts had led him right back to Makenna's open windowsill, and he was eager to see the proof of whether or not she was a Metamorphic Fairy.
He smiled at the sight of Makenna holding the necklace and whispered, "Come on, come on," in a serious tone.
Makenna and Caleb, unaware that a real fairy was watching them, stared into each other's eyes, completely bewildered.
Caleb broke the awkward silence by asking, "Say, Makenna, why don't you try it on?"
"Try it on?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Caleb. He shrugged. "I mean, if the Tooth Fairy gave it to you, it only makes sense to wear it. You can go to school on the first day of Second Grade and announce to everybody that the Tooth Fairy also left you a gift!"
"Hm," Makenna thoughtfully said. She smiled. "You are right, Caleb! That'd be the coolest thing ever to announce to Ms. Haynes!"
"See?" asked Caleb. He backed up and held out his hands. "I think you should do it, Makenna. I think you should put on that necklace."
"All right," Makenna said. She stood up straight. "I will."
"Yes, yes," Tracey whispered. "Go on, Makenna. Put it on."
Makenna cleared her throat, her eyes fixed on the necklace. She started to bring it toward her neck and undid its loop.
From where he stood, Tracey shook with excitement. "Come on!"
Finally, after what felt like five minutes, Makenna clipped on the necklace and gasped when suddenly, she heard screaming, and a blurry image of a young girl took over her mind.
She could hear her yelling, "Help! Mommy! Daddy!" and saw her arm frantically waving. Makenna then listened to the cracking of iron and a splash of seawater.
Her necklace's pendant started to glow faintly blue, and Caleb gasped at the sight of it. Whoa!"
Tracey's mouth gaped, and he said, "Come on, necklace. Is she a fairy or not?" He chewed on his nails—he was so nervous—and his foot started to shake.
The image of the screaming girl replayed itself in Makenna's brain over and over again, and she was looking into space.
Caleb said, "Whoo-hoo," waving his hand before her face. "Makenna, are you in there?"
"Caleb!" she said, blinking and snapping out of her doze. "I'm so sorry. There was just an image in my head."
"An image?" he asked, bewildered. "An image of what?"
"A young girl," she explained, "maybe thirteen years old. She was yelling for her parents, and she sounded freezing and sick. It was almost as if she was dying from hypothermia."
"Oh, Makenna," Caleb said, though he had no idea what hypothermia was, "it's okay. You're still in a bit of a dreamlike state. You'll feel better when we get to Neverland."
Makenna shook her shoulders and said, "Yeah," gripping her no longer glowing necklace pendant. "You're right, Caleb. Let me quickly get changed." She headed toward her dress.
"Cool," Caleb said.
Makenna stopped and turned to him. She didn't like that remark.
Caleb shrugged and hopped onto his bed again.
***
Tracey had yet to be given proof of whether Makenna was a Metamorphic Fairy. He was starting to lose hope. He was beginning to believe that the Tooth Fairy was right when she said humans couldn't be fairies. He was starting to think that Metamorphic Fairies were extinct, but how would Merlin get in control of his powers without one?
Ashamed, the young, ninja-like fairy wrapped his arms around his body, dropped his wings behind his back, and hung his head. He had failed. Merlin would never forgive him.
Plopping down on his backside, Tracey placed his hands in his lap and stared gloomily at the Gator Pond, the pond beside Makenna's house. He sighed and said, "The Tooth Fairy was right. Humans can't be fairies. They're humans."
After a couple of minutes, Makenna, who had changed into her dress, stepped out of the bathroom. She held her Tinkerbell doll in her left hand. She wore her small but glittery costume wings on her back, and she still wore the mysterious horse-head necklace. She had grown very fond of it in just a couple of minutes. She almost felt as if she was meant to wear it.
At the sight of her, Caleb, still sitting on his bed, asked, "Are you ready, Makenna—excuse me, Tinkerbell?" He had changed into a Peter Pan costume.
Makenna smiled. "I am, Peter." She excitedly clenched her fist. "Let's go fight Captain Hook-For-No-Hand again! Lead the way to the second star!"
"As you wish," Caleb said. "Let's go, Makenn—I mean, Tink!"
"Yes," Makenna said. "Let's." She started to jump up and down, and Caleb cleared his throat.
He leaped down from the bed and, in his best, manly voice, announced, "Hurry, Tink! We must rush to Neverland to help the Lost Boys at Mermaid Lagoon!"
Makenna nodded and reached her tiny hand into a pocket of her dress. She drew a small bell from it and rang it since that was the only way Tinkerbell could communicate.
Caleb gave a thumbs up.
He and Makenna hurried toward their bedroom door, but Makenna's necklace pendant started to glow halfway to it. Yelling, she reached for it and fell to her knees.
Hearing her, Caleb stopped, turned, and asked, "Makenna, what's wrong?"
"My necklace!" she yelled. "It's burning my neck!" She grabbed the pendant and tried pulling it off, but blue lightning bolts escaped and shocked her. Makenna yelled again.
Caleb hurried to her and kneeled. "Makenna, your necklace! It's glowing!" He reached for the necklace, but Makenna pushed his hand away.
"No, Caleb! Don't touch it! Please." Peering into Caleb's face, she added, "Go get Mommy and Daddy."
Caleb nodded and quickly stood. He hurried to the door and threw it open, exiting.
Makenna could hear him thundering down the hallway, calling, "Mommy! Daddy!"
Looking down at her necklace, she asked as the glow shone on her face, "What's happening?"
From the windowsill, Tracey heard her and asked, "Huh?" He quickly stood and lifted his wings, turning. He gasped, seeing Makenna, and his jaw dropped.
The necklace's pendant glowed brighter, and Makenna again asked, "What's happening?" in a much louder voice.
A bright blue light outlined her, and she closed her eyes. It lifted her into the sky, and she slowly twirled around and around. When she stopped, she smiled and put her hand to the side of her head. Her necklace pendant glowed like crazy.
Makenna dropped her hand. Faint, blue and pink tail fins appeared on the backs of her legs. She was oblivious to what was going on but knew it was something mysterious.
Makenna placed her hand on her heart. When she turned and faced the camera, her costume Tinkerbell wings started to flap.
Tracey, who watched the whole thing, gasped again. That was it! That was the proof he and Merlin needed! Makenna was a Metamorphic Fairy! She was destined to become a Crystal Metamorphic Fairy, save Merlin and all the magic in the world!
Tracey was overwhelmed. Metamorphic Fairies were so rare. He continued to watch her.
The magic around her eventually died, and the fins on the backs of her legs vanished. Her pendant stopped glowing, and it wasn't long until her Tinkerbell wings turned back into costume wings.
She floated to the ground and landed gently on it.
Makenna opened her eyes and asked, "What? What just happened to me?"
Caleb soon returned with their parents still in their night clothes and pointed at Makenna. "There she is."
Mrs. Delling, Michelle, gasped. "Makenna!" She rushed to her bewildered daughter and picked her up. "Are you all right? You're looking a bit pale."
Makenna nodded, although deep inside, she wasn't sure if she was all right. She had been shaken up by something, but what? Was it the image she saw of the screaming girl, or was it that she couldn't help but feel like something magical just happened to her?
Makenna didn't speak. She couldn't. Her nerves rattled like a rattlesnake. She felt as if she had just seen a car wreck.
Mrs. Delling soon lifted her hand and placed it on Makenna's forehead to feel for a fever. She didn't have one. She was healthy.
Mrs. Delling removed her hand and tickled her daughter's nose. "Makenna, why don't we go ahead and make breakfast? You may have woken up from a nightmare. After breakfast"—she smiled and glanced at Caleb—"why don't we head out to North Beach and buy you and Caleb a new toy?" She put Makenna down beside her brother. Mrs. Delling leaned down and kissed both her children on their heads. Afterward, she ruffled each child's hair and joined her husband, Andy Delling, at their bedroom door.
Makenna was getting ready to relax when suddenly, Caleb opened his mouth and said, "Mommy, Daddy, did you see the necklace the Tooth Fairy got for her?"
"Necklace?" Mrs. Delling asked. She eyed her child. "What necklace? What are you talking about, Caleb?"
Caleb pointed at Makenna's necklace, and Mrs. Delling's eyes landed on it.
"Oh," she said, "that necklace. Oh my gosh." She approached Makenna again and leaned into her necklace pendant. "Where did you get that beautiful piece of jewelry, Makenna?"
Makenna opened her mouth to speak, but Caleb beat her to it. "The Tooth Fairy gave it to her!"
"Ah," Mrs. Delling unconvincingly said. "The Tooth Fairy."
"No, she didn't!" Tracey whispered from the windowsill. "I did!" He still hid behind the picture frame.
"You should have seen it, Mommy!" Caleb said. "Her necklace pendant was glowing just a second ago! The Tooth Fairy must have left some magic in it! What if"—he gasped—"she gave her the gift of a fairy? What if Makenna is turning into one?"
Makenna hid behind her hands. She had never been so embarrassed in her life. She loved fairies, but wasn't Caleb taking this too far?
"Oh gee," said their mother. "Can't we save the drama for Neverland, Peter Pan?"
Caleb shut his mouth, and Makenna mouthed, Thank you at him.
Mrs. Delling chuckled. She re-approached her husband and shook her head. "Ah, children. Now, Makenna and Caleb, breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. Ten minutes." She hooked elbows with her husband. "How long until breakfast is ready, Makenna and Caleb?"
They together held up ten fingers. "Ten."
Mrs. Delling nodded. "Correct. You guys are getting better at counting. We'll call you when it's ready, okay?"
"Okay," they said. They waved goodbye, watched their parents exit their bedroom, and shut the door behind them.
The two siblings were left almost alone. Tracey was still there, but he was getting ready to go. He had been given proof that Makenna was a Metamorphic Fairy, so all he had left to do was fly back to Merlin's Island, deliver the good news, and start training extra hard so he could be in prime form when he met Makenna again. He knew they were going to meet again. His fairy instincts told him so.
Flapping his wings, Tracey lifted into the sky and turned his head, glancing at Makenna one last time. He put his hands together and bowed. Then he saluted and said, "I'll see you again when you become a full-fledged Metamorphic Fairy, Makenna. You can count on it."
He closed his golden-brown eyes and turned to the window, opening them. With a flap of his wings, he was out the window and shooting toward Seabrook Island's treetops, arms out to his sides.
As he flew, he covered himself in green and purple magic. Through the magic, he returned to his average height. Merlin's apprentice no longer was two inches tall. He was 4 ½ feet instead but still covered in magic. However, the second he shot out of Seabrook Island's treetops, the magic left him, and he hovered over the beautiful island facing the Atlantic Ocean and the direction of Merlin's Island.
Tracey smiled. With his arms slightly out to his sides and wings flapping behind him, he turned his head and looked over his shoulder, winking. He shot across the sky as fast as a rocket. In a blast of green and purple fairy dust, Tracey disappeared.