Genre (s): Dark Fantasy/Adventure

Written When? 11th Grade

Beyond Coutarine Island's reef, in the windy Atlantic Ocean, Tracey continued to sail for the Bermuda Triangle. Ronda's raft had gotten beat up from the weather, but Tracey refused to give up, even though he literally was dying from hunger and thirst.

Tracey finally just had to stop and dive into the ocean to search for food. He found a calmer section of it and dropped the sails of the raft. When he did, he opened the empty compartment that used to hold his food and water and dug out a spear buried in it.

Tracey didn't want his shirt and tank top to get wet, so he set the spear down and took them off. Tracey slipped off his boots, so he was barefoot, and grabbed hold of the spear. With it in hand, Merlin's young apprentice leaped off the raft and landed in the ocean. He searched it for fish. There was one. It was a good-sized fish, too. Tracey could taste it, already.

The setting sun's rays shone on his bare back as he kicked his legs and swam towards the fish. Just before he could spear it, a splash exploded above it, and a huge beak scooped up the fish instead.

Frustrated, Tracey clenched his fist. Bubbles escaped his lips, as he accidentally cursed underwater. He hurried to the surface and poked his head out of the ocean. The teenager's eyes rolled over to Ronda's raft. "Ugh!" he yelled when he saw a pelican sitting on it, with the fish he saw, in its beak.

Tracey continued: "You darn pelican! I saw that fish first! No fair!" He waited for the pelican to swallow his prey right in front of him, but it didn't.

Instead, it tossed the fish into the compartment on the raft and called for Tracey.

He swam to the raft and climbed aboard. His eyes widened when he saw the empty compartment was now full of fish. "Whoa," Tracey spoke. He set down his spear and leaned in to see the fish better. "Tha-Thank you," he told the pelican.

The pelican nodded. It and Tracey waited for the fish to die, and then they chowed down.

Mm, Tracey forgot how good food tasted. Now he just needed to find water, and no way was he going to drink the ocean water. Groaning, he said, "I need water."

The pelican cautiously listened.

Tracey decided to try his fairy dust again. Now that he wasn't as hungry, maybe it came back? "Abracadabra!" Tracey shouted, but yet again, only smoke escaped his hands. He tried to stay calm, but it was difficult. "Abracadabra! Come on!" More smoke; nothing else. "I need water to survive!" Tracey yelled. "At least tell me where I can find some!"

Right when he said that, green and purple magic spat out of his hands with such immense force, he fell off the raft. A powerful wave smacked the side of it and flipped it upside-down.

While it flipped, the pelican flapped off it and landed on its upside-down deck.

Tracey soon came to the surface and groaned. He needed to stock up on fairy dust, but he refused to sail back to Coutarine Island. His first day on the high seas did not exactly go as planned. The ocean was still too rough for him to stay out there. That time around, Tracey decided to ask the ocean for help.

"Ocean, please," he begged. "I need water. Please point me in the direction where I can find some." He waited for a few minutes, but the ocean didn't respond. "Please," Tracey repeated.

Finally, the ocean came to his assistance.

A wave lifted out of the sea.

Tracey's jaw fell open when he saw it.

Turning, the bubbly body of water turned in the direction of another island. How come Tracey didn't see it there before?

The only problem with the island was that it looked sketchy. There weren't a lot of trees on it. Most of the island was just rock. What was even creepier was that a random lighthouse, with a house attached to it, stood on top of the tallest rock. Even more, the light still worked.

Just seeing the island, Tracey broke down in sweat.

The sun vanished from the area where he floated, even though it was still setting. It looked like it was always dark around there, which was great because Tracey loved the dark. Did the creepy lighthouse mean he was going the right way to the Bermuda Triangle?

Tracey decided to be brave. The ocean said so itself that there was water on the island. It even followed him there, but the friendly pelican just fled. It wasn't going to get wrapped up in a haunted island case.

The wave flipped Ronda's raft back over and picked up Tracey. It set him down on it and pushed the back of the raft, escorting the young fairy to the island.

Tracey grew tenser the closer they approached. The journey to the island took about ten minutes, and then the raft hit sand. A wave pushed it up onto a rocky beach.

Tracey gulped. The first thing he noticed was an abandoned sailboat that looked a bit newer than other abandoned sailboats. Merlin's apprentice took one glance at it and looked away. He did not want to be on the island, but he needed water.

Before he went exploring, Tracey put his ninja-style shirt and tank top back on. He drew a ninja star and clutched it tightly in his right hand.

Behind him, the wave nudged him forward.

Tracey peered back to it. "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

The wave nodded.

"All right," continued Tracey, "then make sure you put together my funeral."

Before he knew it, the wave dove back into the water and left him alone.

"Okay," Tracey gulped when he noticed that. As quiet as a mouse, he crept forward and started his exploration on the haunted island.

Tracey made sure he stayed out of the lighthouse's rays while he explored. It looked like the island had once been inhabited. There was a ghost town on it. Most of the buildings were run down, though, and there was even a spooky Ferris wheel.

Tracey, honestly, was terrified. He searched for any signs of paranormal activity, but he didn't get anything. He hoped he wouldn't get anything. The island itself was creepy enough.

The young fairy passed a playground set, in which the swings swayed back and forth in the breeze. They creaked while they did. The town was completely empty. Right now, the only place that looked a little more inhabited was the lighthouse. Tracey searched for a path that would lead him up to it. He noticed the lighthouse's rays creeping towards him and quickly moved out of the way. When the light left, there was a sudden blast of wind. Tracey closed his eyes against it. He jumped out of his skin when he heard a sign fall and asked, "What was that?" in a frightened voice. Sweat fountained down his temples.

Tracey crept forward, in the direction of the sound, and attempted to use his magic to create a light, but it, of course, didn't work. He was totally magic broke.

Just when Tracey began to calm down, paranormal activity caught him. He heard another crash–that one was much louder–and took off at a full sprint. Since it was so dark and his magic wasn't working, he couldn't see where he was going.

A black figure appeared in front of him, and his eyes widened. It turned out the figure was an old well.

Tracey crashed right into it and whispered, "Ow!" He tripped over its edge and fell into the mouth of the well. If only he was used to walking. Luckily, Tracey caught himself on its rocky wall, but he could only hold on with one hand, because the arm he injured had begun to hurt again.

Groaning was heard deep in the well under him,–Tracey knew they were ghosts–and by then, he was gone. He scurried up the well's wall and rolled over its edge. Unfortunately, he landed on his injured arm, and it started to bleed again. Grabbing it, traumatized Tracey got up on his knees and rapidly searched the area.

Just to his luck, the lighthouse's rays caught him. They landed on the young fairy, and he gasped.

Things only got scarier from there. Immediately after the lighthouse's light landed on Tracey, it started to blink on and off, and multiple crashes were heard all around him.

As fast as a ninja, he leaped to his feet and hurried forward, asking, "Why on Earth did the ocean lead me here?"

Tracey soon left the ghost town and started to run on a path which was under a small but spooky forest. Bats zoomed by his head, but he ducked under them. He didn't even realize how far he ran. When he reached the end of the path, he tripped over a rock and fell into some grass.

Merlin's apprentice remained on the ground for a few minutes. When he finally had the guts to look up, he did. Again, his eyes widened. It turned out the path he ran on took him right to the lighthouse and lighthouse keeper's house, if there was a keeper. They looked a lot spookier up close.

The keeper's house, besides only a single light on the front porch, was pitch black. A similar situation went on with the lighthouse. The beacon was the only light. The rest of the lighthouse was black.

Tracey slowly stood up and grabbed hold of his injured arm. His eyes landed on the keeper's house. Something about it intrigued him, even though he was so deathly afraid. Tracey had his ninja star, so at least he had a weapon in case he was attacked. "Oh, Makenna, where are you?" he mumbled, but he went ahead and built up his confidence.

His legs jiggled under him, but he stumbled to the keeper's house. Tracey's boots touched the front deck's stairs, and they creaked under him as he climbed. He came within reach of the front door and peered up to the single light he saw.

It was a lantern, and it swayed gently in the breeze. Bumps were heard behind the door, but Tracey bravely knocked on it.

As soon as he did, another blast of wind hammered him, and the lantern's light went out.

The door creaked open on its own.

Tracey stared into the dark house and took deep breaths to calm himself down. He had bad vibes about the place.

Merlin's apprentice stayed brave. "Hello?" he asked. "Is anyone home? Listen, I'm sorry I intruded, but I was wondering if you could spare me some water?" Without another word, the young man stepped into the house.

The front door closed behind him, and he quickly peered back to it. "Now it's pitch black!" he whimpered. Tracey hated, hated the dark. He tried to use his magic again to create a light, but, of course, nothing happened.

After a bit, his eyes adjusted to the dark. He saw a staircase on his right that had a string of flowers wrapped around its outside railing. For being a haunted house, the keeper's house actually didn't look that bad.

Tracey took a few steps forward and nervously called, "Hello? I-I just want some water." He accidentally hit a table leaning against the wall. It almost tipped, but he saved it at the last second. He continued his exploration.

Tracey was forced to stop when he heard a weird sound–a static sound. "He-Hello?" he repeated. He stepped into a new room–the living room. It was beyond creepy.

The young fairy passed an armchair. He glanced at it but regretted his decision immediately and took a few steps back. A few, old-timing dolls sat in the armchair. Tracey knew what it meant when there were dolls in a haunted house. Things were about to get real.

The dolls seemed to stare at him. Tracey refused to touch them, so he just let them be. He noticed the static sound was getting louder. He soon found the source behind it. It was a TV–a TV with a static screen. Okay, now that was just weird. Why was a TV on in an old, run down house? How did it still work?

Tracey did not want to find out, but something forced him to approach the TV. He stared into the screen and knocked on it. It continued to be static. "Okay," said Merlin's apprentice. He turned away from the TV but gasped at what he saw in front of him. "Oh, gosh!"

One of the dolls he saw on the armchair had suddenly been moved. It sat on the coffee table and stared straight into his eyes.

Tracey had a panic attack. What on Earth moved that doll? He quickly moved out of its way, but he couldn't help to feel it was watching him. Tracey had to get out of that living room. All the paranormal activity started after he saw the dolls.

The sound of a door slamming shut was heard from the second story, and Tracey lightly screamed. He dove out of the living room and leaped into another room–the kitchen. It didn't look that bad, either, but it didn't mean it wasn't creepy. The kitchen's table was set with white plates that had flowers on them, silverware, glasses, and a basket of bread. There also was a sliding door that led outside.

Even though the bread looked delicious, Tracey stopped himself from eating it. He checked the glasses to see if there was water in them, but it turned out they were empty.

The young fairy whimpered. A few tears dripped down his cheeks. He was so thirsty. Just when he was beginning to leave the kitchen and step into another room, he again yelled, "Oh, gosh!"

The doll! It was the same doll that had been moved from the armchair to the coffee table! It now sat in the doorframe that led to another room, not the living room.

Tracey did not approach it. It was too weird. Instead, he dove behind the kitchen's countertop and pressed his back up against it. "What is with this freaking doll?" shouted the Apprentice Fairy. He couldn't help himself; he was so scared and thirsty.

Tracey started to cry. He slid his back down the cabinets and buried his face in his knees.

Pouncing was heard from behind the countertop. That startled Tracey even more. What on Earth did the pouncing belong to?

He rubbed his eyes and unburied his face from his knees. His entire face turned white when he saw the same exact stalker doll sitting in front of him. Yelping, Tracey leaped to his feet and sprinted into the little den. He had to get out of there. To the spirits, he said, "Ta-Take it easy. I-I'm sorry I intruded. I'm getting out of here right now." After he said that, he next heard footsteps.

The same doll appeared in the little den's doorframe.

Another door slammed shut.

It was all over. Tracey was going to die. When he turned to run away, he tripped over another table. Both it and he fell. The only thing on the table was an old timing picture of a bride and groom. It crashed into the rug but didn't crack. Tracey's leg became caught in the table's legs when he fell, and he couldn't shake it off.

The footsteps drew closer.

Tears streamed down the petrified fairy's face, and he mumbled, "I'm going to die." He peered behind him, because he heard another static sound. Sure enough, it was another static TV.

Tracey jerked his head back in the direction of the little den's doorframe, where the doll still sat.

A dark shadow appeared behind it.

Merlin's apprentice breathed heavily. "I'm sorry!" he shouted. "Please spare me!"

Things took a twist there. The dark shadow stepped over the doll into the haunted room and shone a flashlight on Merlin's apprentice.

"Ahhh!!!" he screamed.

"Ahhh!!!" the figure screamed back. It turned out it was only an old woman who looked to be maybe in her sixties. She fell onto the floor, with the flashlight still shining on Tracey.

The doll moved again.

Tracey tried to make a run for it, but he couldn't get far, because his leg was still caught in the table. By then, he was sobbing.

The woman, who wore her white hair in a bun and red glasses, soon realized he was trapped, and she slowly rose to her feet. She was a pretty, old woman. She slowly started to approach the young fairy.

He saw her approaching, and another wave of fear washed over him. "Please don't kill me!" he begged. Tracey cried harder. "Please don't kill me."

The woman stopped over him and kneeled.

Tracey felt her presence. He covered himself with his arms and tightly shut his eyes.

The woman, though, didn't steal his soul. She, instead, grabbed hold of the table he was stuck in and pulled the legs off his own leg.

"Huh?" Tracey asked when he felt he was free. Unburying his face, he met the mysterious woman's eyes and jumped. He didn't even think about thanking her. He just wanted to get the heck out of there.

The young man grabbed his ninja star and scurried to his feet. He hurried towards another door and prepared to open it, but he stopped midway. Peering over his shoulder, he saw the woman had stood up, and she looked slightly disappointed. She already really liked him.

Tracey started to have an internal conflict with himself. He felt terrible just leaving the woman without saying thank you.

The fairy sighed and shook his head. Finally, he let go of the doorknob and came within reach of the woman.

She had turned around and was getting ready to enter the kitchen when she heard him, and she stopped dead on her tracks.

Tracey stopped in front of her and shakily said, "Tha-Thank you for freeing me."

The woman couldn't help but to smile. She faced young Tracey and shone her light again on him, to see him better. After a bit, she spoke in a sweet voice, "Do you have a name?"

"Tra-Tracey," Tracey choked out. "I'm so sorry I intruded, ma'am."

"Oh, you didn't intrude. It's just not every day a teenager visits us. Come, come, why don't you take a seat?" The woman pointed him towards a couch that sat in front of the static TV, but Tracey refused to sit down.

"Wait a minute," he nervously spoke, and he pointed at the TV. "What's with all these TVs with static screens?"

"There was this terrible storm that blew in earlier," the woman explained in her kind voice. "It knocked out the power and TV cable. We were watching the news when it happened, and I guess we forgot to turn off the TVs. I was making dinner, so I had a clear view of each TV whenever I turned."

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Tracey still didn't know if he could trust the old woman. The doll now sat in front of the static TV, and he pointed at it. "What about that doll?"

The woman glanced at it and chuckled, "Oh, that doll. Little Angelina." She passed Tracey and pointed her flashlight's light into the main living room. "Hiro, were you playing with this young man here? You gave him quite a scare. Remember, we don't scare guests."

"Hiro?" asked Tracey. He saw the old woman's foot tapping.

"Hiro, come here, boy," she said.

The pouncing was heard again. From the living room, out stepped a beautiful Rough Collie dog. He playfully barked and jogged over to the stalker doll, picking it up.

Tracey and the woman watched as he started running around the room.

The woman ran her fingers through her white hair. "Hiro absolutely loves guests, and that doll is his favorite toy. Whenever a guest visits, he always drops it in front of them, with hope they will eventually throw it for him. We are very blessed to have a dog like him."

Hiro dropped his toy in front of her, and his tail wagged.

Leaning down, the woman picked it up and threw it into the kitchen.

The dog chased after it.

Hearing him slide on the floor startled Tracey. It was still pretty dark and spooky in the house. "We?" he shakily asked the old woman.

She smiled, "Oh," and shuffled over to a random door in the hallway.

Tracey followed her because she had the light.

The woman knocked on the door and asked, "Jesse, have you fixed the power yet?"

Tracey jumped when he heard a mysterious, yet spooky voice behind the door. "Almost. Just give me a few more seconds." It creaked open.

Tracey yelped when he saw a shadowy face in the doorway. He took off at a sprint and slid behind the little den's couch to hide.

"What was that?" asked the shadowy figure behind the door. He flipped up a switch in the room he was in, and suddenly, all the lights in the house turned on, and the TVs came back. It turned very bright.

The light blinded Tracey. He frightfully closed his eyes and clutched his injured arm.

The woman laughed when she saw the lights and TVs on again. "Jesse, you did it! We have power and TV again!" She switched off her flashlight and opened the door all the way.

Out stepped an older man, who wore a pair of glasses like her and also looked very friendly. Chuckling, he brought his hand to his lips and said, "I did. Now, Emilee, what was that yell I heard?"

"Oh, Jesse!" she announced. "We have a guest! I think the storm shipwrecked him onto this island. The poor thing's scared half to death, though. Hiro tried to play with him, but it didn't exactly work. Right, Hiro?"

Hiro appeared next to her, with the doll in his mouth, and his tail started to wag. He set the doll down in front of Emilee and pushed it in between her legs with his nose.

Jesse searched the area and asked, "Is that so? Where is this guest?"

Emilee replied by lifting her hand and pointing at the couch Tracey supposedly hid behind.

Except, he wasn't there anymore. Instead, he had opened a window and was attempting to climb outside to the dark area. It was way too dark for him, though. On top of that, the house's little den section rested right on top of a hill. If Tracey climbed out, then he would fall and seriously injure himself.

The kind, older couple pulled him back in before he could commit his own suicide.

The old man grabbed hold of his arms.

Tracey yelled when he felt him tugging him back through the window. "Let me go!" he cried out. He ripped his arms free.

Merlin's apprentice sprinted to a closet and threw open the door. He dove inside and slammed it shut. Tracey not only was scared because of all the weird things happening, but also because he was trapped in a house with humans. After the year before, Peter Nelson scarred him for life. The young fairy found it very difficult to trust humans now.

Outside the closet, Jesse peered down on Hiro and asked him, "Hiro, what on Earth did you do to him?"

Hiro shrugged and plopped down on his belly. He rolled around on the carpet.

His owners watched as he played with his doll.

Emilee soon noticed something red on Jesse's left hand, the hand he used to hold Tracey's left arm, and pointed at it. "Jesse, what's on your hand? Is that blood?"

"Wha-What do you mean, dear?" questioned Jesse. He picked up his hand. His eyes widened when he saw the stain. "Oh, my gosh! That kid is hurt! No wonder he's scared! Emilee, go get the First-Aid kit. I'm going to try to get him out of the closet."

Emilee nodded and saluted at him. "Aye, aye, captain, or in this case, lighthouse keeper." She turned on her heel and marched out of the little den.

Jesse took a few moments to think about what he could do to get Tracey out of the closet. After five minutes, something came to mind. He picked up the TV remote and turned off the little den's TV. Setting it down on another coffee table, he nudged Hiro.

They approached the closet Tracey hid in. Jesse friendlily knocked on the door and told him, "Please, kid, you don't have to be scared. We're not going to hurt you. Why don't you come out?"

"No!" Tracey choked out on the inside of the closet. "I don't trust humans! Leave me alone!"

"Trust humans?" Jesse confusingly asked. "What do you mean?" Suddenly, he gasped. "Oh, my gosh."

Emilee soon reentered the room, carrying a First-Aid kit, and she sat down next to her husband.

"Emilee, guess what?" he spoke.

"What?" she asked as she set the kit down and opened it. She peered into her husband's face.

Hiro stopped playing with his toy and curiously sniffed the inside of the First-Aid kit.

Emilee pushed his face away, so she could see Jesse better.

He pointed at the closet and whispered, "I think this kid may be a fairy."

"A fairy?" questioned Emilee. "Se-Seriously?"

Jesse nodded, "Yes. Just now, he said he doesn't trust humans. I don't know what it is, but something about him tells me he's a fairy."

Emilee couldn't help but to smile. "That's amazing. Guys, let me through."

Hiro and Jesse moved off to the side to let her through.

Emilee sat cross-legged in front of the closet and gently knocked on it. "Tracey, I promise you can trust us. We only want to help you. You obviously have been through a lot today. Please."

Tracey glanced at her through a crack in the closet and took deep breaths.

On the outside of the door, Emilee snapped her fingers and said, "I have an idea. Jesse and Hiro, leave the room for a moment."

They nodded and shuffled into the main living room.

Behind, Emilee shut the First-Aid kit and tossed it onto the couch. She went into the kitchen and prepared a dinner plate for Tracey. Food almost always worked with trying to have something or someone come out of hiding. She put a huge chunk of lasagna on the plate, as well as a piece of bread from the basket Tracey saw earlier. The last thing she did was she poured him a glass of ice cold water.

Emilee took the meal over to the closet and set it down, explaining, "There's food and water here, in case you're hungry. This is my specialty–homemade lasagna. It's very tasty. I'm just going to leave it out." As soon as Emilee set down the plate, she shuffled over to where Hiro and Jesse hid and joined them.

They waited and watched the closet.

Ten minutes passed. Emilee rested on the floor, and Jesse paced back and forth.

Hiro played with his toy again.

Tracey finally decided to come out. He was so hungry and thirsty. Slowly, he opened the closet's doors, and his eyes landed on the plate of lasagna. "Mmm, food," he whispered, cracking a small smile.

"Jesse!" Emilee whispered when she saw him. "He's coming out!"

"Really?" Jesse asked. He stopped pacing and shuffled over to her.

Emilee pointed at Tracey.

He stopped at the plate of lasagna and reached for the glass of water. "Water!" he whispered. The young fairy picked up the glass and gulped it down in one sip. "Oh that's refreshing." He still was really thirsty, though.

Hiro decided to try to play with him again. He picked up his toy and trotted by his owners.

"Hiro!" they whispered.

Tracey saw Hiro approaching and gasped. He didn’t like the sight of the doll in his mouth. He thought about hiding in the closet again, but then he changed his mind.

Hiro sat in front of him and wagged his tail. He looked pretty cute with the doll in his mouth. Dropping it, he plopped down on his belly and licked Tracey’s cheek.

Hiro’s warm tongue helped the young man calm down. Smiling feebly, he lifted his hand and ruffled the fur on his head.

Jesse and Emilee sighed with relief when they saw he didn’t look as afraid anymore. They tried one more time to make friends.

Emilee picked up the First-Aid kit she had set down on the couch and handed it to Jesse. She nodded, and he nodded back. Emilee had to find a way to distract Tracey so Jesse could take care of his arm.

They slowly came within reach of him.

Chuckling, Emilee placed her hands on her hips. “Well, would you look at that? Hiro really likes you, young man.” Bending down, she stretched her arm across her knee. “Do you like dogs?”

Tracey nodded. “I do, ma’am. It’s just, the dogs look quite different here vs. the dogs where I’m from.”

“I understand,” Emilee spoke. She knew for sure, now, that Tracey was a fairy. She even noticed his pointy ears.

Jesse plopped down next to the young man’s injured arm and quietly opened the First-Aid kit.

Emilee picked up Hiro’s toy and offered it to Tracey. “Do you want to throw it for him? I think he’d like that.”

“Sure,” spoke Merlin’s apprentice. He took the toy out of her hand. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Emilee watched as he drew back his arm and tossed the doll forward. It landed in the kitchen.

Hiro immediately chased after it.

Both Emilee and Tracey chuckled.

Tracey finally calmed down. He plopped down on his backside and relaxed his shoulders.

Emilee peered into his golden brown eyes and admitted, “You’re quite calm, young man.”

“Thanks. I learned how to be calm from my teacher. He told me calmness is the way of the ninja.”

Emilee lost her smile when Tracey said that. “Your teacher? Don’t you have parents?”

He upsettingly shook his head and answered, “No, ma’am. They died when I was only a year old. I never knew them. Sensei said my realm was destroyed, and that was how they died.”

“Your realm?” Emilee questioned.

Tracey opened his mouth to speak, but he wasn’t able to because Jesse grabbed hold of his arm, and a searing pain engulfed it. “Ow!” yelled the young man. He tried to rip his arm free, but Jesse held it tightly.

“I know it hurts,” he said, “but we need to take care of this arm of yours, kid.”

“Trust him,” gently said Emilee. “Before we retired, he was a doctor.”

Jesse jabbed his fingers into Tracey’s arm, to feel for a broken bone.

It hurt so much that Merlin’s apprentice started to cry again.

“Just don’t look at it,” Emilee continued. “Look, here’s Hiro coming to comfort you.”

Sure enough, Hiro entered the room from the kitchen and plopped down next to Tracey.

Emilee finally built up her confidence. Right now, the orphan fairy needed the comfort of an adult. The woman shakily lifted her hand and took his own.

Tracey felt her and jumped. He calmed down when he and Emilee met eyes. He felt something warm inside. They stared at each other for the longest time.

Emilee gently pulled some of Tracey’s hair out his face and admitted, “You remind me so much of our son.”

Tracey became nervous. “Is that a good thing?”

“Yes,” Emilee whispered. “You know,–” She cleared her throat and scratched her nose, “it’s pretty late, and the sea is still recovering from that storm. Wou-Would you like to spend the night here?”

“Are you serious?” Tracey felt a pinch of excitement in his system. The ocean saved him.

“Of course,” said Emilee. “We can give you our son’s room.”

Jesse looked up from Tracey’s arm and took a deep breath. “Um, Emilee, can I speak with you in the kitchen? Alone?” He rubbed his hands together.

“Sure,” his wife answered.

Jesse nodded and stood up. He glanced down on Tracey and politely asked, “Do you think you can wait here for us? We’ll be right back.”

“Yes, sir,” Tracey calmly spoke.

“Thanks,” spoke Jesse. “Until I come back, try not to move your arm around a lot. I still need to confirm if it’s broken or not.”

“Yes, sir,” Tracey repeated. He watched as Jesse took Emilee by her hand and helped her to her feet.

They ventured into the kitchen and left the young fairy alone with Hiro.

Jesse led Emilee to the corner of the kitchen, where Tracey couldn’t hear, and double checked to make sure he wasn’t listening.

“What’s wrong?” Emilee asked.

Jesse inhaled and faced her. “Emilee, I know where this is going. We just met the kid. We know nothing about him. You’re jumping to conclusions way too fast.”

Emilee puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and crossed her arms. “We can’t just kick him out and make him sleep in that ghost town.”

“I understand,” Jesse whispered. “The thing is, we need to learn a little more about him before we reach beyond the limits of just letting him sleep here.”

Emilee protested. “But doesn’t he remind you of Sky? Not letting him stay here is like kicking our own son out of the house. Every child deserves a family. Can you at least give him a chance for a few days? At least until the ocean settles down? In a few days, we can learn who he is, who his teacher is, and where he’s from. Please, doll. Just give him a chance. He’s hurt.” She turned on her puppy face.

Jesse thought about that for a few moments. Closing his eyes, he took his elbow and scratched his chin.

Emilee anxiously waited for his response.

Finally making up his mind, Jesse opened his eyes and placed his hand on his hip. “All right. He can stay.”

“Yes!” Emilee silently cheered. She lifted her fist and excitedly leaped into the air.

Jesse continued: “But only until the ocean settles down.”

“Oh,” spoke Emilee. “All right. Deal.” She nervously nodded, and she and Jesse shook hands. Deep inside, Emilee wished for the ocean to never settle down–that it would stay rough forever. She wished that somewhere in the near future, she and Jesse would have a new son.

***

Speaking of families, all the way back on Coutarine Island, Alice and her family members were stuck on it for the night. Even though they had their boat back, like the ocean around the island Tracey was on, it was too rough for sailing or boating, unless someone was a mermaid, merman, or Merfairy. At least the family came prepared, in case they were ever stranded.

They gave the magical beings their space, because they knew they needed to take care of Ash.

After a few stable hours, he started slipping in and out of consciousness again. There definitely was something more than a concussion going on with him.

Dr. Snugglekins found that out.

Another arrow of guilt stabbed Makenna’s heart. Why did she let the moon turn her into a monster? How would she explain to Merlin that Tracey sailed beyond the reef again? Why was it always her fault? She needed a change–a metamorphosis that would turn her into a better person–a metamorphosis that would help her feel like she deserved the Merfairy transformation. Right now, she didn’t think she did.

The orange rays of the sunset washed over Coutarine Island, and a warm breeze tickled the treetops.

Makenna felt mighty comfortable when she stepped back into Merlin’s camp without any humans following her. It, luckily, hadn’t been destroyed during the storm, but there were a few branches and leaves in the sand.

Dr. Snugglekins, Merlin, and Selene helped Ash back over to the hammock in the shade where Harmony waited.

She looked very upset that she had failed to keep him still.

The three adults gently set Ash down in the hammock.

Dr. Snugglekins immediately got to work on him.

Selene tossed a blanket over him and plopped down in a chair on his right side. She took his hand and patted it. “You’re doing great, Ash.”

Makenna almost didn’t want to watch. The guilt was killing her. Just how badly hurt was Ash? That was up to Dr. Snugglekins.

He took the young man’s shoulder and gave it a small shake. “Ash, open your eyes for me.”

Ash didn’t. He was too tired to open his eyes.

Dr. Snugglekins continued to shake his shoulder. “Ash. Ash, can you squeeze your master’s fingers for me?” He grew worried when Ash didn’t respond. He didn’t squeeze Selene’s fingers. The doctor tried again. “Squeeze your master’s fingers for me, kid.”

That time, Ash did respond. His squeeze was weak, but it was still a squeeze.

Selene and Dr. Snugglekins sighed a breath of relief.

“Good boy,” said Dr. Snugglekins. “Can you open your eyes for me now?”

Ash still didn’t. He could not open his eyes, no matter how hard he tried.

Dr. Snugglekins finally was given no other choice. He used his fingers to pull up Ash’s eyelids and shone a penlight in his pupils. “Yep, he definitely has a concussion. His pupils are dilated.”

Makenna lightly screamed. She chewed on her nails, which changed from blue to black. Black was a sign of fear.

Dr. Snugglekins let Ash’s eyelids go and next placed his palm to his forehead. “He has a bit of a temperature, too. I don’t think the concussion is causing it, though.”

“Then what is?” Selene nervously asked. She moved her hand up to Ash’s arm and comfortably rubbed it.

Dr. Snugglekins removed his hand and explained in a calm voice, “It looks to me he’s used a lot of magic today. He’s gone into magetical shock.”

“Magetical shock?” Makenna gasped. That happened to Tracey, too.

Magetical shock happened when a fairy used a lot of magic. Magic was a lot like blood. A fairy died if they lost too much of it. Loss of magic came from many different scenarios: wounds, spells, and even when they performed a spell themselves. Fairies had to be very careful about it. Magetical shock could happen at any time. It was most common in underage fairies, because they couldn’t use as much magic as adult fairies.

For the most part, the disease could be treated without going to the hospital. Fairies had the technology to cure it. However, the technology was required to be provided by a doctor. Now two of Makenna’s friends had gone into magetical shock. Was she next? Just the thought of that horrified her more.

Dr. Snugglekins rubbed his nose and faced Selene and Merlin, explaining, “This is what I’m going to do. I’m going to put him on artificial magic for the night, so his magic level can return to base level, and clean the wound on his head. In the morning, I’ll come back and see how he did during the night. Does that sound good?”

Makenna gulped. She hated to ask this. “Dr. Snugglekins, are you... are you going to take him to the hospital?”

Dr. Snugglekins faced her and smiled. “No, my dear. You gave him that Crusha Fruit right on time. However,–” He lost his smile, “he is right on the line of a hospital visit. If he shows no signs of improvement by morning, then I will have to call EFMS to come take him to one. I hope you understand. If that happens, the hospital’s staff would do a CAT scan of his head to see what exactly is going on in his brain.”

Makenna gulped again. “So you’re saying… He’s hurt pretty bad?”

“It looks that way, yes.” Dr. Snugglekins calmly answered. “This is nothing fatal, though. We just have to stabilize his magic during the night.”

That was enough for Makenna. Tears appeared in her eyes, and she retreated back a few steps. “Thank you, Doc. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She was such an awful fairy.

Makenna refused to watch Dr. Snugglekins put Ash on artificial magic, so she just flapped her wings and took off in flight. “I knew it!” she choked out. “This is Tracey all over again!”

Merlin heard her and glanced in her direction.

Makenna plopped down in front of the island’s reef. The water looked like orange Fanta, due to the setting sun. Makenna picked up the mysterious necklace she found in the reef. “Oh, Tracey,” she whispered, “where are you?” The young fairy closed her eyes and hugged the necklace to her chest.

The only way how Dr. Snugglekins could get Ash’s magic back was if he put a fairy oxygen mask on him. That would provide him with artificial magic and extra oxygen. Ash needed them both.

Dr. Snugglekins pulled everything he needed out of his bag and nodded.

Selene nervously chewed her nails, while Merlin headed in the direction of Makenna.

Harmony and Silvey stayed behind and comforted her.

Dr. Snugglekins gently slipped Ash’s hat off and moved the mask towards his nose and mouth. “You’re okay, Ash. This is just going to help your magic level return to base level. It’s not going to hurt.”

Ash moved his head away when the mask got close to his face.

“Please, Ash,” Dr. Snugglekins begged.

Selene tightly squeezed her apprentice’s hand. “Ash, remember what your sister would say. ‘You can pull through anything, no matter how tough things get.’” She could tell he was scared. She kept speaking comforting words, and eventually Dr. Snugglekins got the mask over Ash’s nose and mouth.

“Good boy. Well done. You’re doing very well.” While he adjusted the mask, he glanced at Selene. “You all right, Selene?”

Selene cringed. It was heartbreaking to see her baby boy be put on an oxygen mask. She felt as any parent would to see their child in pain. Ash had gotten a few concussions before,–one in the Highlands and one while training with her–but this one was the worst. He never was put on the line of a hospital visit before. No, it was not a really fun thing to watch.

Selene refused to leave her apprentice’s side. She reached behind her back and drew a pair of blue, rectangular glasses from out of nowhere. Selene nervously rubbed them on her dress.

After adjusting the mask, Dr. Snugglekins shifted over to Ash’s head. He gently moved it from side to side. He brought his finger to his chin and glanced at his legs.

Ash bent his knees.

Dr. Snugglekins asked, “Do you think you can do me a favor and cross your left leg over your right?” He wanted to double check to make sure the brain injury hadn’t damaged Ash’s hearing and if he would respond. He was really contemplating whether or not to send him to a hospital. That’s how close he was on the line.

The young Apprentice Fairy did not want to go to the hospital, so he went ahead and crossed his left leg over his right.

Dr. Snugglekins couldn’t help but to smile when he saw that. “Good job.” He next took care of Ash’s wound. He cleaned his bloodied, bruised temple and put a cotton bandage on it. After doing that, he gently wrapped his head with another bandage.

Ash flinched the whole time he worked on his head.

The last thing Dr. Snugglekins did was he gave Selene some medicine. “He should be fine now. Just give him one of these pills after every meal. They’ll help his brain heal.”

“Thanks,” Selene spoke, taking the medicine out of his hand.

Dr. Snugglekins continued: “Also make sure he doesn’t push himself too hard for about a week. I’ll come back tomorrow morning and see how he did during the night. Oh, would you look at that.” The screen of his wristwatch started to glow. “I’ve got another call. It looks like one of Hula Village’s sprites is in labor.” He started on his way.

Behind, Selene called, “Doc?”

“Hm?” asked Dr. Snugglekins. He turned to face her and placed his hand on his hips.

Selene approached him. “Ash is supposed to do something very important tomorrow. He’s going to play Teacher. Do you think he’ll be all right to do that?”

“What exactly is he doing?” questioned Dr. Snugglekins.

Selene peeped over her shoulder, to make sure Makenna wasn’t listening.

She wasn’t.

Once she made sure of that, Selene gestured for Dr. Snugglekins to approach her. She whispered into his ear.

Afterwards, Dr. Snugglekins patted her shoulder and said, “We’ll see.”

***

Makenna Delling didn’t say goodbye to the doctor. Instead, she sat by the water and frustratingly tossed broken sticks and handfuls of sand in it.

Raeven and Gina rested on each of her shoulders.

“Uh oh,” Raeven said when he saw Merlin approaching from behind. “Insane wizard at 7:00.”

Gina nudged him with her wing, to say he was being rude.

Merlin didn’t mind.

Makenna noticed him out of the corner of her eyes and sighed. She tossed another stick into the ocean and placed her hands in her lap.

Merlin sat down next to her.

They stared at the Fanta-colored water. There was a moment of silence between the two. Makenna was too shy to speak to Merlin.

He broke the silence by saying, “It’s beautiful,” while watching the waves at the line crash.

Makenna corrected him. “It’s empty.”

Merlin knew she was talking about Tracey. He knew he sailed beyond the reef again. “Don’t worry about my apprentice. I feel he is in a very safe place right now. You don’t need to worry about Ash either. He’s going to be fine.”

Makenna lowered her head.

Merlin read her mind. “Makenna, listen to me,” he continued. “It’s not your fault. Things happen unexpectedly. You couldn’t control your magic.”

“But I seriously hurt him,” Makenna choked out. “Ash isn’t the only one I hurt, Merlin. I hurt Tracey, too. Thanks to me, he’ll probably never talk to me again.” She reached for her horse head-shaped necklace pendant. “I don’t deserve this transformation.”

Merlin shook his head and turned on his wise self. “No. You think you don’t deserve this transformation. But you do.” He pulled a strand of hair out of the teenager’s face and looked her straight in her big, blue eyes. “Look inside yourself, Makenna. Deep down lies the answer to why you do deserve to be a Merfairy. Trust your fairy instincts. They will always get you where you’re going. You’re not special, Makenna, because you’re a fairy. You’re special because you're Makenna.”

Makenna’s mouth gaped open. That was one of the nicest things someone ever told her.

Merlin patted her cheek.

Makenna watched as he stood up and headed towards the camp’s picnic table to start dinner.

Raeven burst out crying. He wrapped his wings around Miss Delling’s neck. “That was so beautiful!”

Makenna patted his back. “Thanks, Raeven. I just wish I knew where Tracey was.”

Gina rubbed her cheek feathers on her own cheek. She seemed to purr. “Everything’s going to be okay, Makenn. You’ll see Tracey again. I promise.”

Makenna nodded. She turned her head and glanced back at Ash. “Hang on, Ash. You’re going to be just fine.”