Three days later
Summertime had hit Charleston, South Carolina. Kids had been out of school for about two weeks, so people were beginning to flow into the warm coast.
Folly Beach and Isle of Palms were two of the most popular tourist attractions because they offered decent surfing, and surfing was a popular sport in Charleston. Folly Beach had a teeny bit better waves than the Isle of Palms, so many surfing competitions took place there. A surfing competition on Folly Beach was exactly what Makenna Angelia Delling would kick the summer off with.
It had been a little over a year since she first discovered that she was a special type of fairy, a Metamorphic Fairy, who was half fairy and half human. It had been a little over a year since she teamed up with Merlin the Great's ninja-like fairy apprentice, Tracey, and worked together with him to help her earn her Crystal Metamorphic Fairy wings. It had been a little over a year since she last saw Tracey.
For the past year, a lot had happened. Makenna got braces, made it through sophomore year with As and Bs, and started learning to drive. She wanted to kick off the summer with something exciting to celebrate her successful year, and to her, a surfing competition was just the thing. She had come to Folly Beach with her parents, her younger brother Caleb, and her best friend, Jessica.
They arrived at the beach early so Makenna could get some practice in before the surfing meet. She loved to surf, as did Jessica. Unlike Makenna, though, Jessica didn't compete.
As summertime in Charleston went, the morning was warm, and the day would gradually turn hot, with highs in the mid-90s.
Bright morning sunshine blanketed Folly Beach, and Makenna and Jessica, who had just appeared on set, sprinted toward the ocean with their surfboards tucked under their arms.
Makenna glanced at Jessica and smiled, and Jessica returned it. She held her long, brown hair up in a high ponytail, wore a blue bikini top, blue surfing shorts, pearl earrings, cobalt braces, and, finally, a necklace with a blue horse-head pendant.
Jessica, on the other hand, wore her long blonde hair in a braid and was dressed in a bikini top and surfing shorts; both were pink and adorned with floral designs. In her hair, she wore a surfboard-shaped barrette, and in her ears, surfboard-shaped studs.
Jessica and Makenna sprinted into the ocean, and a wave brushed the sand and washed up a few seashells.
Makenna and Jessica hopped onto their five-foot surfboards and paddled them out and behind the waves.
Makenna's parents and Caleb watched them from the beach.
It didn't take long for Makenna and Jessica to find a good wave. Together, they paddled and let it catch them.
When the two teenagers were sure the wave had them, they hopped up onto their surfboards, steered their boards to the left, and started their run.
Makenna grinned and again glanced at Jessica, who mimicked. She steered her surfboard to the lower leg of the wave and created a small splash.
Jessica watched her.
Makenna and Jessica's second run was where they started performing tricks.
To keep balance, Makenna grabbed the edge of her surfboard and acted out an air reverse over the crest of the wave.
Jessica steered her own surfboard over the crest and caught a new wave.
On that one, Makenna watched as she performed her own tricks. However, watching her caused her to wipe out because she wasn't paying attention. Makenna didn't care. She loved to surf. Even the best surfers wiped out every once in a while. She just couldn't let that happen during the meet.
On their third run, Makenna flew off the crest of the wave, went about six feet in the air, and landed on its face again.
Jessica spun her surfboard with her feet.
For another trick, Makenna jumped off her surfboard and held her arms out to her sides. She looked like she was flying. Makenna grabbed her surfboard again and landed on her feet. Now that was what she called a trick! Both she and Jessica grinned, and Makenna's cobalt braces glistened in the sunshine.
When the two friends took a break from surfing, they played volleyball on the beach with a few more girls their age. They popped the ball over the net. During the game, Makenna and Jessica danced a bit since they also liked to dance.
At one point, the volleyball hit Makenna in the face, knocking her down. She landed on her back.
Jessica's face soon appeared over hers, and she offered her friend her hand.
Makenna accepted it, and Jessica pulled her to her feet.
They played volleyball for a bit longer, then returned to the ocean. Makenna and Jessica collected their surfboards and sprinted into it. They practiced for a little longer. That time, they decided to catch waves one at a time.
Jessica glanced at Makenna and spoke, "Watch how the pros do it, Makenna."
Makenna gestured her on. She sat on her surfboard, studying her friend.
Jessica caught a wave and stood on her board. She steered it down the line, and water splashed onto her. Jessica flew off the crest and acted out a long air reverse. She again twirled her board with her feet.
Jessica tried a new trick. She acted out a semi-circle on the wave's face and yelled, "Oh yeah!"
To conclude her run, she steered her board over the crest of the wave again and acted out a big air. She landed behind it. Right after she did, the wave crashed, and foam flew into the sky.
Jessica fell onto her front and paddled to Makenna, still sitting on her board. "Beat that!" she told her.
Makenna friendlily scoffed. "Skootch over, Jessica! Watch me do a hang ten!"
"Be careful, Makenna."
"Oh, Jessica, you know I always am." Makenna got down on her front and paddled away from her friend. She stopped and searched the ocean for the perfect wave. She found one. It was an enormous wave! It had to be almost ten feet tall! If not, it was ten feet tall!
Makenna smiled at the sight of it. "Perfect!"
Jessica saw the wave she was interested in, and her eyes widened. "Are you crazy, man?" she yelled at her friend.
Makenna turned and started to paddle. The wave crept up on her from behind. Makenna peered back at it.
From the beach, her family members and a few beachcombers saw her.
"Check out that wave that girl's riding!" one of the beachcombers yelled. "She's crazy if she thinks she can ride it!"
"Yeah, Makenna!" Caleb called. "You've got this! Rock that wave!"
"That's my girl!" Mr. Delling, Andy, yelled at his daughter.
"Eee!" Makenna's mother, Michelle, shouted. She buried her face in her hands.
Makenna knew her mother was a little nervous. However, she still went for the ten-foot wave. After all, she was the Star-Spangled Surfer, right?
The wave she wanted soon caught her board, and within seconds, she was on her feet.
Makenna steered her board down the face of the wave and turned to the left, picking up speed. Once she was flying on the wave, she steered to the crest and executed a carving 360°, which was the surfer's term for a 360° turn on a wave. Makenna didn't fall off. She didn't even stumble.
She grinned and steered back and forth from the top of the wave and the bottom.
A crowd had gathered on the beach, and everybody cheered her on.
Jessica had steered into shore, put down her surfboard, and sprinted after her friend. She followed her as she did her run.
Makenna decided to try another air reverse, but a backside one that time.
For her next trick, she hopped off the crest and bent her knees. Both her hands gripped her board's edge, and she fell on the wave's face.
"Show them what you've got, Makenn!" Andy yelled from the beach.
Makenna waved at everybody cheering her on. She twirled her board with her feet, like Jessica, and skootched toward the tip of it. She reached it and held her arms out to her sides.
Amazing gasps came from the beach.
On the beach, Mr. Delling leaned toward a young woman watching the show and pointed at Makenna, saying, "That's my baby girl!"
Makenna skootched back to the center of her board and rode the wave into shore. Right when she hit shallow water, she hopped off, unstrapped herself, and picked it up. Makenna tucked the board under her arm and headed toward her family and the cheering crowd.
She soon heard Jessica's voice, "Makenna!" and turned her head.
"Hi, Jessica!" Makenna said. She and Jessica met up and wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders.
Where the Delling's beach camp was set up, Mr. Delling nudged Mrs. Delling, who was still hiding behind her hands, and said, "Don't worry, darling, she made it. She's coming right now."
Very slowly, Mrs. Delling dropped her hands, and her eyes landed on Makenna and Jessica approaching them. Both of them laughed and grinned, and Michelle sighed with relief.
She, Andy, and Caleb stood and approached the two girls.
"Hi, guys!" Makenna announced. She waved, and she and Jessica stuck their surfboards in the sand. After doing that, Makenna jumped up and down in excitement. The entire time she did, she laughed.
Mr. Delling soon asked her, "Why do you get so excited over practice?"
"Why not?" Makenna asked him, acting out a ballet twirl. "I love to surf! Right, Jessica?" She glanced at Jessica, who laughed, too.
"Truer words were never spoken!"
"Besides," Makenna added, "if I want to get that invitational to Australia, then I have to show the world that confidence and a positive attitude will!" The whole reason she came to the meet today was that she heard that if she got into one of the top three, she would be invited to a championship surf meet in Australia, and Makenna had always wanted to surf in Australia. She had her mind set on winning! She was ready to win, but she had to wait a bit before it was her time to shine. Her meet started at 3:30 pm, and it was only 11:50 am.
Mr. Delling soon lifted his wrist and checked his wristwatch. "Well," he explained, "your meet starts at 3:30, Makenna, and it's almost noon. Do you guys want to grab a bite to eat at Rita's Seaside Grille?"
Right after he asked that, Makenna's tummy rumbled, and she blushed, reaching for it.
Caleb, Jessica, Mr. Delling, and Mrs. Delling looked at her.
Makenna chuckled and gripped her tummy. "Sure, Daddy. Lunch sounds delicious. Jessica and I need to visit McKevlin's Surf Shop anyway. Right, Jess?"
Jessica nodded, and she and Makenna scooped up their surfboards.
"Perfect," Mr. Delling voiced. "Then, how about we do this? You and Jessica visit McKevlin's, Makenn, and your mom, Caleb, and I will grab a table at Rita's Seaside Grille. You can meet us there when you're done with your business at McKevlin's. Does that sound good?"
"It sounds perfect!" the girls said simultaneously. They high-fived one another.
"Let's go, then!" Mr. Delling led the party to their chairs.
When they reached them, Jessica and Makenna put their surfboards down and slathered themselves with more sunscreen. They then grabbed their beach dresses and slipped them on. Makenna's was light blue, and Jessica's was carnation. To complete their ensembles, the last things they slipped on were Rainbow sandals. They joined Mr. Delling, Mrs. Delling, and Caleb, and all of them headed toward a boardwalk that would lead them to Folly Beach's shopping and restaurant area.
Right when they stepped onto the boardwalk, Makenna waved at the beach and said, "See you soon." She turned and chased after her friend and family members.
Behind, the ocean sparkled with midday sun rays.
Just as they had planned, when the Delling party stepped off the boardwalk and found themselves in Folly Beach's enormous shopping and restaurant area, they parted ways. Makenna and Jessica went one way, and Mrs. Delling, Mr. Delling, and Caleb went the other. They wished each other luck at their destinations as they walked away, then turned their backs to each other and took off.
Makenna and Jessica loved exploring Folly Beach's shopping and restaurant area. It was stunning. Various stores, restaurants, and beach houses surrounded them, and Makenna couldn't help but smell the ocean breeze.
She and Jessica laughed as they traversed down the sidewalk and passed other surfers. One of them was a shirtless young man, maybe nineteen, who was very muscular.
Jessica shivered and leaned to Makenna, asking, "Did you see how muscular that boy was, Makenna? Yikes. Is Tracey that muscular?"
As soon as she asked that, Makenna's face drooped. Great, Jessica just ruined everything. For the past year, she had been very worried about Tracey. She actually managed to avoid thinking about him that morning. That was until Jessica just mentioned his name. Now, Makenna's mind momentarily left surfing and went to Merlin's apprentice.
She stopped and lowered her head.
"Makenna?" Jessica asked, facing her. "Are you all right?"
Makenna didn't know. She stood speechless for about a minute. Finally, in a low voice, she spoke, "Yeah," and cleared her throat. "Come on, Jessica, let's go to McKevlin's."
"Sure," said Jessica. She and Makenna continued down the sidewalk.
However, they were unaware that in the blue sky, a dark figure came toward them. It stopped, hovered, and then chased the two girls again.