Mr. Nelson hid Tracey deep in Makenna's school in the backstage area of the auditorium. He dragged him into the men's changing room, in the net, and locked him up inside. Cody had one fairy. He just needed the other two, and then his collection would be complete.
Tracey was totally out of sorts. He was dying, and he was dying very quickly.
Mr. Nelson prepared to head out and search for Caleb. He would be his second prize. After he had both him and Tracey, he would use them as bait to lure Makenna into his trap.
Glancing at Tracey, Mr. Nelson said, "See you soon, my little friend. Don't worry, you won't be alone for long. You're going to have some company." Chuckling, he left Tracey in the changing room and headed out to find Caleb. Cody slammed the door behind him, but Tracey didn't stir.
Caleb scurried down the east wing's hallways, Gina on his shoulder, and he and she called, "Tracey!" They rapidly searched the area.
Gina scoffed and asked, "Oh, so now it's a game of hide-and-seek?"
"Don't worry, Gina," Caleb said. "We'll find Tracey. I know we will. Hm? Hey, did you hear something?"
"Hear what?" Gina glanced into Caleb's face.
He planted his feet and cautiously surveyed the area.
Not far from him and Gina, hiding behind another wall and spying on them, was Cody. He wore his bazooka over his shoulder and smirked at the sight of Gina and Caleb. "Target spotted," he whispered.
Where Caleb stood, his fairy instincts booted up. To Gina, he softly spoke, "I smell danger."
"Let's investigate," Gina voiced back.
Caleb nodded and asked, "Watch my back, okay?"
"Right." Gina peered behind her into the empty hallway.
Caleb focused on the wall Cody hid behind and took a deep breath. "Hang in there, Tracey," he whispered. "I'm coming." With those words, he started for the wall.
Mr. Nelson saw him and murmured, "Target approaching. This will be like taking candy from a child." He purposely bumped his bazooka on the wall.
Hearing it, Caleb said, "Yep, there is definitely something hiding behind that wall."
Gina turned her head and also focused on the wall.
Caleb crept toward it and prepared his magic. There was the sound of shuffling, and Caleb moved faster. Soon, he reached the wall and looked around it. Caleb gasped. Nobody was there! Where Mr. Nelson had been standing was now empty.
Caleb thought he heard something. He stepped behind the wall and searched the area. Sure enough, nobody was there. Sighing with relief, Caleb said, "Whew, my imagination's gone wild." He backed up, softly chuckling.
Gina heard something behind her. She again turned her head, gasping.
A bag was thrown on top of her, and two powerful hands grabbed Caleb and covered his mouth. Mr. Nelson had snuck up from behind.
Caleb's eyes widened, and he turned his own head.
In Mr. Nelson's right hand—the hand that didn't cover Caleb's mouth—he held Gina's bag.
She squawked and tried freeing herself.
To Caleb, Mr. Nelson said, "Gotcha!"
Caleb began fighting him.
"Ha, ha, you didn't think we'd meet again, eh, boy?" Mr. Nelson included. "Your friend, Tracey, is looking forward to your company. Don't worry, you'll soon have your sister by your side, too."
Caleb continued to fight, but Mr. Nelson held him tightly. He dragged him toward the school's auditorium.
Further away, Makenna, who explored the west wing, was getting weaker. Groaning, she closed her eyes and fell onto her back.
Raeven dropped from her shoulder and landed beside her. "Makenna!" he yelled. He leaped to his feet and approached her. "Rise and shine, soldier! Get up! You're not dead yet!"
"I can't, Raeven," Makenna admitted. She tried to lift her head, but it only dropped to the ground again. "I feel like I am."
"No, you're not!" Raeven shouted. "Up, up, up!" He circled her. "Collect your marbles, kid, and let's move! Tracey's counting on you!"
"Uhh," moaned Makenna. Lifting her head again, she tried to stand.
"That's it, that's it!" Raeven encouraged. "You're doing it, Makenna!"
Makenna struggled to her feet. Once standing, she inhaled.
Raeven twirled before her and excitedly announced, "We've had enough of this puppy paradise! Let's move on to the east wing. Who knows, we may even run into Caleb. Ye-hoo! I'm liking this! Now this is what I'm calling an adventure! Go, Makenna! Go, Makenna! Show the world the true power of the Metamorphic Fairy!"
Makenna clamped his muzzle and pulled him out of the sky, whispering, "Shh! Shut up, Raeven! Why did I have to be stuck with the loudmouth?" Closing her eyes, she stumbled forward.
Mr. Nelson had reached the auditorium.
Caleb was confused. Why did Mr. Nelson bring him there?
He dragged him and Gina up a ramp just left of the stage that led backstage and approached the men's changing room. It was hidden from view by the stage's curtain.
Cody threw open the door and hurled Caleb and Gina into the room, where they landed beside one another.
Caleb quickly sat and picked up Gina's bag. He could hear her whimpering inside.
Glaring, Caleb glanced at Mr. Nelson. "You hurt her!" He tore open Gina's bag and pulled her out, hugging her to his chest.
In the doorway, Mr. Nelson leaned against it, smirked, and said, "I'll leave you in here for a few moments to get acquainted with your dorm mate. I, on the other hand"—he prepped his bazooka—"have a Metamorphic Fairy to catch. My collection's almost complete." Mr. Nelson laughed and shut the door of the changing room, locking it.
Caleb didn't waste another minute. He gently set Gina down and leaped to his feet, hurrying to the door. He pulled on the handle and yelled, "Let us go! You don't have the right to do this!" He banged the door. "Just wait, Mr. Nelson! Makenna is going to earn her third transformation, and once she does, she's going to chuck you and Peter off the face of the Earth!" Caleb continued to pull on the door, but it didn't budge.
Where Gina stood, she shifted, and her eyes landed on Tracey.
Gina held her breath. It was Tracey! He was still trapped in the net and wasn't moving.
Gina hurried to him and landed.
Caleb still screamed and pulled on the door.
Outside the changing room, Mr. Nelson listened to Caleb's rants and tittered. "Kids," he menacingly spoke, gripping his bazooka. "He can fight as long as he wants, but I must complete my collection. Oh, Pete!" Mr. Nelson drew his walkie-talkie and brought it to his lips. "I got the bird and brother. Now all that's left is Makenna."
In the changing room, Caleb stopped banging the door and mumbled, "That jerk. This cannot be happening to me." He rubbed his fist and stared at the door. Caleb sniffed. He could feel tears in his eyes. Closing them, he lowered his head and pressed his forehead against the door.
Gina gnawed at Tracey's net and called, "Caleb! Caleb! I need your help!"
Caleb removed his forehead from the door and turned toward the tern and her friend.
She gestured at Tracey.
Caleb gasped. "Tracey! So, this was where Mr. Nelson hid him! Thank you, Gina!"
Gina cooed.
Caleb reached into his back pocket and drew a pocketknife. He hurried to Tracey's net and kneeled. "It's okay, Tracey. Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of here." Caleb flipped open the knife's blade.
As if he had seen it or had seen it in his mind, Tracey yelled and thrashed. He tried to get out of the net, but failed.
Noticing his fear, Caleb said, "Wait! No! Tracey, stop!" He sawed the net's ropes with his knife. "I'm just trying to help you! Don't move!" Caleb sawed as fast as he could, but Tracey continued to yell.
Scared by it, Gina jumped back and hid behind the leg of a wooden chair.
Caleb finally finished cutting all the ropes. He closed his pocketknife, grabbed the net with both hands, and pulled it off Tracey. It landed on another chair.
Caleb next grabbed Tracey by both arms and calmly said, "Calm down. Calm down, Tracey. You can trust me. It's Caleb. Gina's here, too."
Right after he mentioned her name, Gina popped out from behind the chair. She opened her wings and flapped them. Lifting into the sky, she flew to Tracey and landed beside his head. Gina squawked comfortably and rubbed against his hair like a cat.
At Caleb's voice and her touch, Tracey started to calm down. He stopped thrashing, and his head fell to the left.
"That's it," spoke Caleb. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you, Tracey. I know you're scared, and I don't blame you. Mr. Nelson's not here. It's just you, Gina, and me. Calm down. We're going to find a way out of this—I swear. You're going to be okay." Caleb placed his hand on Tracey's forehead. When he removed it, his entire palm was wet with his sweat.
Gulping, Caleb's eyes landed on Tracey's first shirt. He reached forward and grabbed it. Caleb pulled it off and set it down beside Merlin's apprentice. He then stood and hurried to the closet in the changing room.
Caleb opened it and frantically felt around for something to cover Tracey with.
Gina remained with her friend and talked to him.
Caleb finally found a large, gray sheet on the closet's top shelf. He snatched a chair nearby and dragged it to it. Caleb checked to make sure the chair was stable. When he was sure it was, he hopped onto its seat and reached up, clutching the sheet. Caleb pulled it down, and the entire sheet fell out of the closet.
Caleb jumped off the chair and shook the sheet out. Afterward, he returned to Tracey and threw the sheet over him.
Gina watched him.
Caleb dropped to his knees and ensured Tracey was still breathing. He was, and the boy sighed with relief. He then lifted the sheet off his wings and studied them.
Tracey's wings had lost their color. They were white. However, faded, green and purple sparkles circled them. A yellowish green outlined the tears, and a few more tiny bones fell from Tracey's wings.
Horror flashed across Caleb's face. He reached for Tracey's wings and frightfully said, "They're infected. Oh, gosh. They have to come off. Hang on for just a bit longer, Tracey. Take deep breaths." He covered his wings with the sheet and leaped to his feet.
Caleb returned to the door and lifted his fist, pounding on its face. "Help! Somebody help us! We're trapped! There's a boy in here who's dying! We need a doctor!"
Nobody answered his pleas.
Caleb groaned. Tears invaded his eye sockets, and he punched the door harder. "Help! We need a doctor! There's a boy in here who's dying! Argh!" That time, Caleb punched the door so hard that he flinched and grabbed his fist. He turned and breathed rapidly, studying the room. His eyes landed on the bathroom.
Caleb sprinted to it. Once inside, he collected a towel and turned on the sink. He soaked the towel with cold water and wrung it out.
Caleb exited the restroom and returned to Tracey, who lay as still as a rock. Caleb placed the towel over his forehead. He grasped his hand, which rested on his tummy, and looked at the door again. "Makenna," Caleb begged, "Makenna, please." He tried to calm down, but it wasn't easy. It was getting to the point that he may have to perform CPR on Tracey.
Caleb continued to beg for Makenna. "Please. There's nothing more I can do. Tracey's going to die if you don't get here." He frantically searched the changing room. "Is there a phone in here? Of course not. It's a changing room." Caleb glanced down at his friend, and his shaky hand touched his neck. "Stay with us, Tracey," he begged. "Please. Don't stop breathing. Continue to take deep breaths."
Tracey obeyed. He inhaled and exhaled. Inhaled and exhaled.
Caleb went ahead and prepared for CPR. He lifted the sheet off Tracey and removed his tank top, revealing his bare chest. He was already lying on a flat surface, so he didn't have to worry about lying him down.
Caleb fixed his hands and held them up to Tracey's chest. "Stay with us, Tracey," he repeated. "Don't stop breathing. Gina and I are right here. Makenna's going to be here soon. If you stop breathing, I swear I'll revive you. Dad taught me how to perform CPR a long time ago."