Despite all the strange things that had happened to Makenna between 11:50 and 3:30, she still went to the surfing competition. She had to win that invitational to Australia! For the time being, Makenna tried her best to ignore her worries about Tracey and unanswered questions about Ash.
The competition started at 3:30. A crowd gathered on the beach and cheered Makenna and the other surfers on. Within the crowd were Makenna's family members and Jessica. Tents, including an announcer's tent, and different surfboards decorated the competition's beach.
Makenna breezed through the first two rounds with no problem, but now it was time for the round that decided it all, Round 3.
Her family, Jessica, and Raeven watched Makenna's entire competition from start to finish. Mr. McKevlin, as promised, joined them.
Makenna had to admit that she was nervous about that last round. It wasn't so the competition—it was more that it was late afternoon, and late afternoon meant sunset, and sunset meant popping fairy wings. Makenna begged with all her might not to transform into a fairy during the round.
She gulped and turned her head toward the beach.
On it, in the rays of the late afternoon sun, the announcer announced, "It's now time for our Star-Spangled Surfer, everybody! Say hello to Makenna Delling!"
Makenna forced a feeble smile and waved at everyone on the beach.
Mr. Delling, Mrs. Delling, Caleb, Jessica, and Mr. McKevlin clapped.
"She has just thirty seconds to go," continued the announcer, "so will she find the perfect wave?"
Makenna glanced behind her and searched the ocean. She had to find the perfect wave that would guarantee her a trip to Australia.
Makenna had trouble concentrating, though, because Raeven suddenly appeared beside her and asked, "So, what will it be, Champion Makenna? Will it be a huge wave? A medium one? A small one?"
"Buzz off." Makenna shooed Raeven away.
"Will you let me ride it with you?" asked Raeven. "Please? Please? Please?"
Makenna furrowed her brows. "Shut up! If I let you ride the wave with me, Raeven, will you promise to be quiet afterward?"
"Well, that depends," Raeven spoke. "Will you give me some fruit?"
Makenna groaned. "Sure, whatever. Hop on."
"Yay!" Raeven cheered. He clapped his paws and prepared himself for the ride. "Do you see your wave yet?"
"Hm," Makenna said. She peered behind her again. Her eyes landed on an enormous, beautiful wave coming straight toward her. "I do," Makenna chuckled.
Raeven's eyes also landed on the wave. "Oh goodness!" he yelped. "You're crazy, Makenna! You're going to get creamed!"
Makenna didn't listen to him. She plopped down on her surfboard and started to paddle.
When the announcer saw the wave she was aiming for, he announced, "Whoa! Check out the size of that wave, dudes! Makenna definitely has her hands full!"
Makenna's family and friends continued to cheer from the beach.
"Show them what you're made of, Star-Spangled Surfer!" Jessica shouted. "Win that invitational to Australia!" She smiled at Mr. McKevlin and then at Makenna's family.
Makenna continued to paddle, and the wave caught her. She leaped up on her surfboard, and Raeven landed on her left shoulder, wrapping his wings around her neck.
Makenna started her run with a bottom turn. She fell down the face of the wave and turned to the left.
"Makenna Delling is starting us off with a bottom turn!" the announcer announced. "What other tricks does she have up her sleeve today?"
Makenna next leaped off the crest of her wave and acted out a long air reverse.
"Oh, look at that air reverse!" continued the announcer. "Man, I'll tell you, dudes and dudettes! It's like this girl has wings!"
Raeven laughed throughout Makenna's entire run.
Makenna hopped off the wave again and grabbed the side of her board. Her ponytail flew into the sky.
Zooming in on the ponytail, it turned into a long, Kraken-like arm that belonged to a dark shadow swimming out in the Atlantic Ocean. The Octopus Man, and he headed for Makenna's meet. While he swam, all eight of his Kraken-like arms soared out behind him, and his eye sockets glowed blue.
Makenna, the other surfers, and the people on the beach were totally unaware of his incoming appearance.
Makenna leaped off her board and held her arms out to the sides again. Raeven almost fell, but held on tight.
Makenna landed on her board. She cheered and charged toward the crest of the wave. When she reached it, she snapped back, turned in a circle, and headed left again.
"Whoa!" yelled the announcer. "Did y'all see that layback snap? Makenna Delling is really giving us a show today!"
"Whoopee!" Mr. Delling cheered from the beach. "That's my baby girl! You're definitely going to Australia, Makenna!"
The layback snap sent warm ocean water slamming into Makenna and Raeven. However, when the water hit Makenna's hair, blue highlights appeared, but Makenna and Raeven didn't notice at first.
Makenna's wave began to crash behind her, but she still had enough time to perform one more trick. She wanted to perform another hang ten. A hang ten would definitely get her to Australia.
Makenna steered down the line of the wave and prepared for the hang ten.
Unfortunately, though, the announcer noticed her blue hair through his binoculars and said, "Whoa! I can't believe what I'm seeing! Makenna's hair has turned blue!"
Makenna heard him. What? What did the announcer mean by "blue hair?" She moved her eyes up to a strand of blue hair that hung in her face and gasped.
On the beach, the audience gasped as well.
Jessica quickly turned toward the sun, and her jaw dropped when she saw that it was setting. She yelled and clapped her hands over her mouth.
Makenna's family members also noticed the sun, and their eyes widened.
"Sunset," Caleb whispered. "Oh, no!" He, Jessica, Mr. Delling, and Mrs. Delling leaped into a run and hurried for Makenna, yelling, "Makenna! Makenna! Sunset! The sun is setting!"
They left Mr. McKevlin behind. He turned on a confused face and watched them.
While Makenna didn't hear her family and friends, Raeven was luckily right there.
His eyes rotated over to the sun, and he gasped, too. "Makenna! Sunset! It's sunset!"
Fear pierced Makenna like an arrow. She turned her head, and her eyes landed on the setting sun. "Ah!" she screamed, beginning to approach the front of her board to see the sun better. No! Makenna couldn't transform! She had to win! She had to go to Australia!
Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, Makenna felt a tap on her shoulder and faced her wave. Her eyes widened when she saw that within it was the shadow of a huge man that had eight massive, Kraken-like arms.
"Ahh!" Makenna yelled. "It's the Octopus Man! Do something, Raeven!"
"What can I do?" asked Raeven. "I'm a bat!"
Makenna edged closer to the end of her board, unaware that she had actually achieved her goal to perform a hang ten as her final trick.
"Whoa!" the announcer piped out from the beach. "I can't believe my eyes!" He lifted his sunglasses off his eyes. "Makenna Delling is performing a hang ten!"
The audience cheered, but Jessica and Makenna's family members continued to sprint down the beach and shout, "Makenna! Makenna! Sunset!"
Makenna was finally given no other choice. She pulled Raeven off her shoulder and threw him into the sky.
"Makenna!" he shouted. "Makenna, wait! Oh, no!" He thought fast. "I've got to get Ash! He's closest!" With a flap of his wings, he soared into the sky and called, "Ash!"
Makenna reached down and pulled her surfboard's leash off her ankle. Then, just like that, she dove into the wave.
It crashed, and her surfboard flew into the sky!
"Whoa!" yelled the announcer. "That's what you call a gnarly wipeout! Makenna Delling just got destroyed!"
Hearing that, Jessica, Mr. Delling, Mrs. Delling, and Caleb stopped and gasped.
"Makenna!" screamed Mrs. Delling, bringing her hands to her mouth.
Everybody stared out at the ocean and waited for some movement that would tell them Makenna was okay. It was dead silent on the beach. Everybody watched in awe.
Finally, where Makenna's surfboard floated, a hand emerged from the ocean and waved at the beach.
The audience stared. They then clapped and cheered.
Mrs. Delling peered out from behind her hands, sighing when she saw Makenna's hand.
"Okay, good, she's okay," was the announcer's final announcement. "That's a relief. Come on in, surfers, as we decide the top three winners."
Makenna climbed on her surfboard, paddling as fast as she could behind some rocks and away from the beach.
Jessica saw her vanish and turned to Makenna's family, saying, "I'll go get her." She sprinted back to the Delling's beach camp and picked up her own surfboard.
Mr. McKevlin, still there, asked, "Jessica, what is going on?"
"Sorry, not right now, Mr. McKevlin," Jessica quipped. "I've got to get my friend." And just like that, she ran into the ocean and threw her surfboard on top of it. Jessica started to paddle toward the rocks Makenna had vanished behind.
Makenna climbed onto them, and immediately afterward, pink and blue sparkles from the setting sun appeared and hurried toward her.
The Octopus Man retreated into the ocean, but slowly lifted one of his Kraken-like arms and launched it toward Makenna.
Geez, that was too close. When Makenna realized she was transforming, she smiled.
She closed her eyes and began to twirl, the sparkles surrounding her from head to toe. They circled her head, and over her forehead appeared a crystal circlet.
Makenna turned her head and body. Her blue-tinged hair grew even longer—it now almost touched her heels—and a warrior-like appearance was given to it. Her pointy ears were revealed, and her hair waved.
Still smiling, Makenna extended her arms and waited. Blue and pink magic covered her body, and sparkles circled her wrists. Over them appeared silver gauntlets.
Makenna performed a backflip and kicked her leg up. The magic was sucked away from her body, and Makenna clenched her fist. She now wore a blue and silver tunic with knight-light shoulder pads. A translucent, silver, organza cape accessorized it. Mixed in with her tunic were scale patterns.
After gaining it and her cape, Makenna leaped up and down and moved her body from side to side. She turned her back toward her surfboard and flapped her arms like wings. During the process, tall, warrior-styled, knee-length boots covered her feet.
Shooting backward, Makenna flew in an arch and executed three more, then stopped. Sky blue, feather-like wings, similar to the wings Percy Jackson wore on his flying shoes, appeared behind her knees.
Makenna faced forward and lifted her hand over her head. Materializing in her hand was a blue wand with a star-shaped head, tipped with pink.
Grinning, Makenna announced, "Now this is what I call a transformation!" and pointed her wand at her back. Sparkles escaped it, and Makenna popped a pair of medium-sized fairy wings. They were made of real crystals, and each crystal was outlined in blue. Rainbows shimmered in them.
Makenna was officially a fairy. Transforming still made her a little tired, but she wasn't too tired to cheer and jump up and down.
The sparkles set Makenna down on her rock and faded, but Makenna still cheered. She could finally fly again!
Unfortunately, the Octopus Man's arm hurried toward her, and Makenna finally noticed it.
Her eyes widened, and she said, "Uh, uh." Makenna retreated backward on her rock. She couldn't fly yet, because people would see her if she did. Therefore, Makenna jumped onto the rock behind her, a much larger one, and began climbing it.
Jessica, still paddling toward her, stopped when she saw the Octopus Man's arm, and her entire face turned blue. "Ahh!" she shouted. "What is that?" Jessica retreated and headed back toward shore.
When the Octopus Man passed her, he created a massive wave that crept up on Jessica from behind.
She studied it and screamed. "Forget the ride!" Jessica said. "I'm about to get swamped!"
Swamped, she did.
The wave slammed into her, and Jessica yelled. The force of it snapped her surfboard in two, and it flew into the sky, leash and everything.
When the wave settled, there was no sign of Jessica, but her broken surfboard floated on the surface of the ocean, like a warhorse that had just lost their rider.