North Beach was packed this evening. Many people were taking walks down toward the end, and many others, children mostly, were swimming in the ocean, totally unaware of the Octopus Man's presence. They weren't in trouble though. The Octopus Man wasn't targeting them, he was targeting Makenna and Tracey. Since it was later in the afternoon now, the temperature slowly started to drop. When children came out of the ocean, their parents approached them and gave them a few towels. Then, they took them by their small hands and tugged them forward. Makenna Delling and Peter Nelson soon arrived at North Beach's bike rack, and Makenna hopped off the bike's handlebars. She put her hands together and watched as Peter slipped his bike into one of the bike rack's slots.
While he was locking it up, she brought her bouquet of flowers to her nose and sniffed them. "Ah." Peter said after locking up his bike, "There we go." He smacked his hands together and turned to Makenna, "We're here, Makenna, and I don't see Ninja Boy anywhere." He searched the area to make sure Tracey was nowhere to be seen which he wasn't. Peter whooped and leaped into the air. Makenna smirked. She felt Tracey's aura. He was very close. Although, Peter had no idea. "Yeah!" he yelled, and he held his fist over his head, "We win!" Quickly dropping his hand, he grabbed Makenna by the arm, "Hurry, Makenna!" and pulled her and himself onto North Beach's boardwalk. Together, they scurried down it, and Peter added, "Let's hurry to the end of the beach before Ninja Boy arrives! If we get lucky, instead of him, we may see horses on the beach!" He knew Makenna liked horses. On Seabrook Island, horse riding was actually pretty popular. There were trails spread out all over the island, and some of them even took riders to North Beach and let them ride on it! Every so often, if people were out at the right time, whether it was early morning or late afternoon, they would able to witness the beach rides! Seabrook Island truly was a marvelous place.

Makenna and Peter continued to scurry down the boardwalk, and they were drawing near the end of it and closer to the beach.
Makenna was the next one to whoop, and she laughed, "Yes! Horses!" She really did like horses, and she loved seeing them on the beach! She and chunky Peter soon reached the end of the boardwalk, and they together took off their shoes and socks. They tossed them onto North Beach's sand, where they joined other shoes, and hooked hands. Peter had a firm grip on Makenna's hand, but she didn't mind. She was in love. She and Peter together peered out to the Atlantic Ocean, and a whiff of seawater invaded their nostrils. They closed their eyes and let the sea breeze massage their faces. "Isn't this wonderful, Makenna?" Peter asked the Metamorphic Fairy.
"It is," she replied, and she took in another whiff of seawater.
"It's just you and me." Peter told her, and Makenna nodded, "For now at least. By the time Ninja Boy gets here, we'll already be at the end of the beach." Makenna wondered why he didn't like Tracey, but she didn't bother to ask.

Suddenly, she smiled.
A new voice chimed in, and it asked, "Well, you guys finally made it huh?"
"Huh?!" Peter yelped. His and Makenna's eyes fluttered open, and they together peered ahead. "What the?!" yelled Peter. There was Tracey! He had appeared from out of nowhere, and he was standing in front of them! His hand was resting on his hip, and he was smiling at Peter and Makenna.
His wings were hidden in his ninja-style, tunic-like shirt again, and he winked, asking, "Surprised?"
"How in the name of?!" Peter yelped, "Where did you come from?! You weren't here just a second ago!" He glared at Tracey, and Makenna chuckled.
Turning away, she covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, "Keep in mind, Peter, he's a ninja."
"I've actually been here for about twenty minutes now." Tracey told Peter, and Peter's jaw dropped to the ground, "I occupied myself by studying seashells."
"But I didn't even see you pass us!" Peter yelled at him, "And you were behind us the whole time!"
"Was I?" asked Tracey, "Hm." He lifted his hand and rubbed his chin. Makenna chuckled again. "Well, it appears to me," Tracey explained to Peter, "that you were too busy chitchatting with Miss Delling there and you didn't see me pass you. Keep in mind, Peter that I'm a ninja."
"OOHH!" Peter yelled. He turned red. He was super jealous. "Well I'm a ninja too!" he yelled at Tracey, "Here, I'll prove it! Watch this, Makenna! Watch and learn!"
"Uh, Peter?" asked Makenna. She reached for his shoulder. Peter ignored her.
He stood in front of Tracey and lifted his fists, telling him, "Put up your dukes, baby! Let's do this the hard way! Me breaking your jaw will be nothing but an accident!"
"Peter!" Makenna again repeated. She reached for his shoulder again, but Peter pushed her off. "Please," she begged, "you don't have to do this to impress me." Peter, who was still threatening Tracey with his fists, started to bounce up and down.
The fairy smiled and shook his head. "Nice boys don't fight," he calmly told Peter, and with that, he turned and started to march away from him. Makenna snorted, and Peter glanced at her. He glared. No!
No way was Makenna going to choose Ninja Boy over him! "Go!" he shouted at Tracey, and Tracey turned to him, "Leave us alone! Go find another girl to hit on but not mine!"
"I'd prefer not to." Tracey told him, "I'm not stealing Makenna away from you, Peter. I'm just trying to protect her."
"She doesn't need any protection!" Peter shouted, and he pointed at himself, "I'm all the protection she needs! Just leave us be!" Tracey crossed his arms. "I'm not leaving," he spoke, "You can't make me. I'm not your slave. Nor is Makenna."
"Fine!" barked Peter, and he threatened Tracey with his fists again, "You can come with us, but you better keep your distance!"
"Cool." Tracey said, and he held up his hands, "Thank you, Pete." He glanced at Makenna, and she blushed. Lifting her hand, she chuckled flirtingly and put her finger up against her teeth.
Peter noticed this, and steam blew out of his nostrils. "Let's go, Makenna," he growled, and he forcibly grabbed her arm. He started to drag her down the beach, and Tracey followed.
He kept his distance just like Peter had said, and gagging, he mumbled, "I don't like him," and passed a little girl who had just gotten out of the ocean and was heading toward her family.

Peter tried his best to make sure Makenna didn't look back at the ninja-like fairy. He led her down the beach, and every once in a while, they would stop and peer out at the ocean. Tracey was behind them, further away, and he was stumbling down the beach since he wasn't used to walking.
At one point he tripped and almost fell, but he caught himself by waving his arms. "Whoa." Tracey said, and sweat trickled down his temples.
From where they were standing, Peter watched the young fairy struggling, and he asked Makenna, "What's his problem? It's like he's never walked before."
"Oh, that's just Tracey being Tracey." Makenna lied, and she waved her hand, "He likes to play that game a lot. He does it all the time on the waves. Why don't we just continue down the beach?"
"Sure," said Peter, and he took her hand. Makenna blushed as he led her forward. While they were walking, Peter told the young Metamorphic Fairy, "Did you hear, Makenna, that over the weekend, a boat washed up in the shallow waters just off of Kiawah Island?"
"Really?" Makenna asked. She gasped. The shipwreck! The shipwreck the voice she heard that day mentioned! "What kind of boat was it?" was Makenna's next question.
"Ah," said Peter. He thought about this for a moment, "They say it was a sailboat."
"A sailboat?" inquired Makenna, "Oh wow, can we go see it? I want to check it out."
"Sure," spoke Peter, and he tugged on her hand, "I was going to take you down to the end of the beach anyway. You know, it's feeding time for the dolphins, and we can see them best from the end."
"I know, Peter." Makenna said with a nod, "I watch the dolphins quite a lot. Remember, I've lived here for fourteen years. Most likely, I'm going to continue to live here until I graduate. Which reminds me." She and Peter stopped, and Makenna released her hand. Turning to her crush, she asked him, "What do you want to do after you graduate?"
"Not sure." Peter admitted, and he peered out to the ocean again, "I'm thinking about going into astrocartography and becoming an astrocartographer."
"An astrocartographer, really?" Makenna asked him, "So you like maps and celestial objects?"
"I do." Peter admitted, and he nodded, "I've always been into maps and celestial objects. What about you, Makenna? What are your plans after high school?"
"I haven't thought that far yet," said Makenna, and she pressed her hand up against her chest, "I'm only in Ninth Grade, Peter."
"Ah." Peter spoke, "And what about Ninja Boy over there?" He and Makenna turned toward Tracey who had tripped over a log, and he fell onto his front.
He huffed, and Makenna chuckled. "He's not sure either, Peter," she told Peter, "Hm?" Over the sound of the evening wind, she heard a whiny! A horse whiny! Makenna gasped and so did Peter. "Oh wow, Peter!" Makenna yelped, and she peered back down the beach, in the direction of the boardwalk, "Look!" She pointed forward and Peter peered in the direction she was pointing in.
He smiled. "There you go, Makenna," he said, and he smirked. Noticing that they were staring at something, Tracey got up on his knees, and while he was smacking sand off his hands, he turned his head and peered behind him.
His mouth dropped open, and he whispered, "Wow."

Trotting down the beach, jogging in a graceful, beautiful manner, were four horses! Two of them were brown, another one was black, and the final one, a paint, was brown and white. All four horses were enormous, and they all carried riders on their backs. The riders had really good control of the horses. When they reached the area where Tracey, Makenna, and Peter were, they slowed down to a walk and came toward them.
Makenna, Peter, and Tracey quickly moved out of their way. "Wow." Makenna squealed while she watched the horses pass her and Peter, "So cool." The tails and manes of the horses blew in the cool, afternoon sea breeze, and they huffed as they walked. All four were behaving very well.
Peter Nelson took Makenna's shoulder, and he told her, "Well, there you go, Makenna," and he and Makenna watched as the horses continued to mosey on down the beach, "You got to see some horses."
"Amazing," chuckled Makenna, "I love watching beach rides." She was having so much fun. She grinned, "Hey, Pete!" and pushed on his shoulder, "I'll race you to the end of the sandbar!" She pointed out toward a sandbar that went far out into the Atlantic Ocean, and a few people were fishing and hanging out at the end of it. It was low tide.
Makenna hurried toward the sandbar, and behind, Peter announced, "Oh no you don't!" and he followed Makenna. Together, they leaped onto the sandbar and started down toward the end of it. While they were running, they were laughing and joking.
Tracey got up from where he had fallen, and he said, "Hm," as he watched the two scurry down the sandbar. Through ninja speed, he appeared on it and hurried toward Makenna and Peter, although he was tripping a lot.

Makenna and Peter soon reached the end of the sandbar, and they together leaped into the Atlantic Ocean, with their clothes on, and started to play. They went waist-deep in the water and playfully splashed each other. Makenna laughed and turned her head away as seawater sprayed onto her neck. A fisherman, who was fishing further away from them, smiled at them and cast his line. Then, he turned his head and peered over his shoulder. Tracey passed him, and stopping, he nervously waved at the fisherman. He nodded at him. Tracey next went to the end of the sandbar, and plopping down on his backside, he stuck his arms behind him and dug his palms into the sand. He stared out at the Atlantic Ocean, and his eyes landed on the horizon. He froze. He didn't even blink. He just stared at the horizon. He was slowly going back into a trance-like state. The sirens started to sing in his head again. Tracey's eyes drooped. He suddenly felt very tired.

Fourteen-year-old Makenna Delling and seventeen-year-old Peter Nelson continued to splash and have fun in the ocean. After about fifteen minutes, they stopped and took a rest. They were still waist heigh in the warm water. They were both at peace with themselves. It was so peaceful in the ocean. To Makenna, this afternoon was one of the most romantic afternoons she'd ever had. She loved it.
Looking at Peter, she asked him, "So, Peter, be honest, do you think I'm pretty?" She grabbed ahold of her high ponytail and started to massage it. She waited for Peter's answer.
"Makenna," he said, and he picked up her hand, "I think you're beautiful. I have never seen a girl as beautiful as you before."
"Would you do anything for me?" she asked him, and she tightened her grip on his hand, "You would never do anything to harm me, right?"
"No!" Peter said in a quick, slightly sarcastic voice, "Of course not, Makenna!" However, when he turned away and peered out to the ocean again, he smirked.
"Thank you, Peter." Makenna said, and she and Peter hugged, "It has been an amazing afternoon, and I do apologize about my friend."
"It's all right, Makenna," he voiced, and he and Makenna disconnected, "As long as he doesn't bother us, he'll be okay." Makenna next focused her attention on Tracey, and she saw that he was staring out at the ocean. He wasn't moving a muscle. He had slipped into another trance. In his head, the sirens sang in beautiful, creepy voices. Tracey saw them.
They were waving for him to come to sea, and all of them were chuckling. "I'm here, my loves," he said in a low, trance-like voice, "I'm ready." He stood up. The sirens continued to wave for him to come to sea. Tracey stepped toward the ocean. He stopped, and the Octopus Man's trident reappeared on his arm. Makenna and Peter were continuing to wade in the water, and they listened as a flock of seagulls and pelicans soared over them and communicated with one another. They were heading toward Bird Island, a small island across from Seabrook Island, where they would stay for the night. Children, who were also playing in the ocean, pointed up to the birds and waved at them. Peter sighed.
It was so peaceful. "This is nice," he said to Makenna, and agreeing with him, the fairy smiled and nodded.

Back on North Beach's main beach, the horses were returning from Seabrook Island's end, and they were gracefully trotting down the sand. Two horses threw their heads, but the riders calmed them down. Where Makenna and Peter were hanging out, still waist-height in the water, Makenna's beautiful, blue eyes shifted over to the sun, and she gasped. Her eyes widened, and she quickly lost her smile. The sun was setting! Sunset! Oh snap, Makenna forgot all about the Sunset Delay spell!
Glancing at Peter Nelson, she told him in a slightly panicked voice, "The sun is setting."
"Yeah." Peter dreamily said. He edged closer to her and also studied the setting sun, "Isn't it beautiful?"
"I have to return to the beach!" Makenna yelped. She started to freak out.
"What?" Peter asked, "Uh, okay." He and Makenna started to hurry through the ocean, back in the direction of the sandbar, but suddenly, the current picked up and started to push them, slowing them down.
Makenna tripped and fell into the ocean, but she quickly stood up. "Oh no!" she yelled at Peter, "The current! It's too strong!"
"Hey, it's okay. We'll make it. See?" Peter spoke, but he was so confused right now.
Makenna next glanced at Tracey, who was now standing at the very edge of the sandbar, and she yelled at him, "Tracey! Tracey!" Tracey heard her. Immediately, he woke up and asked, "What? What happened to me?" The mark of the Octopus Man vanished. Argh! Again, he was so close!
"Tracey!" Makenna shouted at the ninja. She pointed at the sun, and Tracey peered out at her.
His golden-brown eyes landed on the setting sun, and he gasped, "Sunset! Not good! Not good at all!"
"Tracey!" Makenna shouted again. Suddenly, her hair was pulled out of the high ponytail, and it plopped down over her shoulders.
Makenna yelped. She moved faster. "Uh, so, Makenna," Peter confusingly said, "To distract you, why don't we change the subject? Like, um, are you excited about the dance? There's supposed to be a lot of fun activities during it." Makenna didn't have time to carry on a conversation.
She was too busy freaking out. "I have to go home!" she told Peter.
"With Ninja Boy?" he asked, and he gagged.
"Yes, with Ninja Boy!" Makenna yelled.
"Why don't you let me take you home?" Peter asked her.
"No thank you!"

From the edge of the sandbar, Tracey called to Makenna, "Hurry, Makenna! You can make it!" Makenna could feel her wings trying to pop out of her back, and she screamed. Finally, she and Peter made it back to the sandbar, and Makenna scurried out of the ocean.
She hurried to Tracey, and he told her, "Come on, Makenna, let's hurry!" Everybody on the sandbar, including the children in the ocean, was staring at them. Makenna tried to apologize to Peter, but Tracey yelled at her, "Go, Makenna!" and he pushed her back. Makenna's necklace pendant glowed up, and sparkles escaped it and circled her feet. Over her bare feet reappeared her blue ballet slippers. Makenna and Tracey moved as fast as they could, although Tracey was still tripping. Makenna grabbed his arm and helped him. Soon, they jumped onto North Beach's main beach, and they headed toward Seabrook Island's end, where they were sure it was the emptiest place on the beach. They had to get out of sight of humans! However, the Octopus Man had found them.

Suddenly, from the channel in between Seabrook and Kiawah Island, shot out tentacle-like ropes of water, and they wrapped around Tracey's ankles and knocked him down onto his front!
Makenna turned. "TRACEY!" she shouted when she saw the watery ropes, "The Octopus Man! He's found us!" She hurried toward Tracey, "Let him go! Tracey!" Throwing her bouquet of flowers onto the sand, she dove forward and grabbed Tracey's hand, starting to pull.
"Makenna, please!" Tracey begged.
"I've got you, Tracey!" she shouted, and she grabbed his other hand, "I've got you! Don't let go!" Her short, silky, light blue dress that had the transparent, off-the-shoulder sleeves replaced her blue and white top and denim skirt. The only thing Makenna was missing now were her wings.

The Octopus Man's refused to let her release Tracey. Therefore, he jerked both his ankles and Makenna at the same time, and they together yelled. Before the two fairies knew it, both of them, yes, both of them were jerked into the channel by the Octopus Man's pull and went splashing! Both of them were now literally underwater!

Underwater, Makenna did not give up. She continued to pull on Tracey. She refused to let the Octopus Man take him. Suddenly, there was a pinch of pain coming from her back, and Makenna yelled underwater as she felt her tiny, sky-blue wings pop out of her back! It was official! She was officially a fairy again! However, Makenna wasn't focused on cheering right now, even though she knew she had her wings back. She was focusing on rescuing Tracey and getting both him and herself out of there. Closing her eyes, she flapped her wings as hard as she could and tugged on Merlin's apprentice, but the watery ropes tugged him back and toward the ocean instead. A game of tug-of-war had begun between Makenna and the Octopus Man, but Makenna did not give up. Tracey's own wings soon popped out of his back, and he looked over his shoulder at them. Then, turning his head, he focused back on Makenna. She was starting to run out of air. She drooped, her wings stopped flapping, and she started to sink. Tracey quickly opened his palm and shot a spell out of it. It hit the tentacle-like, watery ropes, and they seemed to screech. They released Tracey, and he quickly swam to Makenna, grabbing her. He tried to swim to the surface, but the Octopus Man created a powerful current that pulled him down instead of up, and Tracey found it impossible to swim up. He and Makenna were drawing near the tentacle-like ropes again. Tracey put up a good fight against the current, but then, he too started to run out of air. Like Makenna, he drooped and started to sink. He closed his eyes, and his wings fell limply behind his back.

However, just before the two fairies could drown and get carried away to the Bermuda Triangle by the Octopus Man, they were rescued! Suddenly, from out of nowhere, appeared a massive, underwater whirlpool, and it slammed into them! They were pushed up toward the surface, and both of them yelled underwater. Behind the whirlpool pushing them, in the water and in front of the Octopus Man's tentacle-like ropes, glowing purple, was a figure of another fairy! It was a female fairy. Who was she though, and why had she saved Makenna and Tracey?

Fourteen-year-old Makenna Delling and seventeen-year-old Tracey were shoved out of the ocean, and they barely escaped a large wave picked up by the Octopus Man. They went soaring through the sky, toward Jenkins Point, and both of them were choking and coughing water out of their lungs. They were thrown far, far away from the channel and far, far away from the Octopus Man's grasp. They reached Jenkins Point super, super fast. Before they knew it, within less than a minute, they were falling from the sky, toward Makenna's front lawn, and Makenna was screaming. She knew she was going to be splattered all over the place when she hit the ground! However, again, Makenna thought wrong.

Suddenly, behind her, appeared a large, blue bubble, and she fell into it, asking,
"Huh?" The bubble bounced her, and soon, Makenna was sitting on it. Tracey was the next one to fall into the bubble. He landed next to Makenna, and she yelped as both she and he bounced and front-flipped off the bubble. They landed on their backs with their arms extended on the lawn, and both fairies groaned. The bubble popped. Pop, and blue sparkles showered down on Makenna and Tracey.

Makenna was the first one to sit up. She coughed and inhaled breaths of air. She never wanted to experience something like that again! She was totally shaken up. That was too close! The Octopus Man had them! He had them, but then, all of a sudden, he didn't have them. Makenna wondered how that was so. When she managed to control her breathing, she turned her head toward Tracey and called, "Tracey!" Tracey soon sat up, and he too, was shaken up.
All color had drained from his face again, and he turned toward Makenna, asking her, "What was that thing?!"
"The Octopus Man." Makenna explained, and she shivered, "It was the Octopus Man, Tracey."
"Octopus Man?!" he yelped, "What Octopus Man, Makenna?! What are you hiding from me?!" Makenna hesitated.

However, before she could answer, she heard the front door of her house opening, and she gasped when she heard the voice of her mother,
"Makenna!" Makenna and Tracey together turned their heads toward the front door of the house, and Tracey's wings popped straight up as if they were frightened. At the front door of her house, Makenna's mother, father, younger brother, and dog had appeared, and all of them were staring down at her and Tracey. "Makenna!" repeated her mother.
She sprinted down the front steps, followed closer by Mr. Delling, Caleb, and Tony, and Makenna screamed, "EEE!" at the tops of her lungs, "I AM SO DONE FOR!! I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE WE WERE BACK HOME! EEE!!" Mrs. Delling soon reached the bottom of the staircase, and she hurried toward her daughter. She stopped in front of her, and her jaw dropped to the ground when she saw Makenna's fairy form. "Wait, Mom!" shouted her daughter, and she quickly held her hand out to her, "I can explain!"
"Uh." Michelle mumbled. She fell to the ground and landed on her back, fainting. Both Makenna and Tracey stared down at her. They blinked. Soon, Mr. Delling stopped in front of Makenna, and his jaw also dropped to the ground at the sight of Makenna's fairy form. There was silence. Dead silence. The cicadas started to sing. Then, Makenna faced her father and chuckled nervously.
She held her arms out to her sides and apprehensively sang, "Ta daa." Mr. Delling fainted as well, and he landed next to his wife. Makenna dropped her arms and silently peered down on both her parents. Soon, both she and Tracey stood up, and they hustled over to Caleb and Tony who were standing further away from the fainted parents. Soon standing on either side of them, all four of them stared down at Mr. and Mrs. Delling.

Finally, Caleb shrugged and glanced at each fairy, asking,
"Well, they handled that rather well, aye?" Suddenly, he burst into a grin, "Who wants to go inside and watch some TV?! I call dibs on the couch!"
"Oh, I do!" Makenna yelled, and she clapped her hands together.
"All right then!" laughed Caleb, and he turned toward the front door of his and Makenna's house, "Race you inside, Makenna!"
He hurried toward the front steps, and following him, Makenna yelled, "Oh no you don't! You got the couch last time, Caleb!" She wasn't flying; she was running. Both she and Caleb sprinted up the front steps of their house and disappeared inside. Tracey, Tony, and fainted Mr. and Mrs. Delling were left behind.

Tony and Tracey peered into each other's eyes.
Tracey waved at the dog. "Hi," he nervously spoke. Tony shuffled over to him, and Tracey gulped. He watched as the dog started to circle him and sniff him up and down. "My name is Tracey," he told him, "I'm a fairy." Tony stopped in front of him and politely sat down. His tail began to wag, and he was panting. Tracey focused his attention on the fainted parents and said, "Well, I guess I should make sure they're okay." Flapping his wings, he lifted off the ground and flew to Mr. and Mrs. Delling. He landed next to them and kneeled. Grabbing ahold of Mrs. Delling's shoulder, he shook it and begged, "Ma'am, please wake up. Makenna didn't mean to make you faint."
"Oh, Makenna." Mrs. Delling finally mumbled, "I just had the strangest dream. You were a fairy, and..." Here, Tracey sat on his heels and rested his hands on his thighs. Mrs. Delling sat up and rubbed her forehead, continuing, "there was another one. He looked like a ninja. He..." She cut off and opened her eyes. At the sight of Tracey sitting in front of her, her mouth dropped to the ground again. Tracey waved his fingers at her. "Hi," he said, "I just wanted to make sure you and your husband were all right. It's kind of my job."
"AHHH!!!" Mrs. Delling screamed. Her entire face turned blue, and she jumped to her feet. "MAKENNA!!" she shouted. Mrs. Delling didn't waste any time. She sprinted by Tracey and hurried to the staircase, grabbing its railing.
She sprinted up the stairs, and behind, Tracey glanced at Tony and asked, "Was it something I said?" Tony sighed. Mr. Delling soon woke up, and he too sat up. He gasped at the sight of Tracey. Quickly, the ninja-like fairy held his hands out to him and begged, "Please don't faint again!"

Mrs. Delling, Michelle, sprinted into the Delling household, and quickly, she slammed the door shut. She was having a panic attack. She was breathing heavily.
She couldn't believe what she just saw! "Makenna!" she shouted, and she hurried toward the living room where she heard the TV running, "Would you please explain to me why there is a fairy in our front yard?!" She dashed into the living room and found Makenna and Caleb sitting together on the couch. Makenna was wrapped in a fluffy, blue blanket, and Caleb held a remote in his hand. He was flipping through the channels of the TV, but at the sound of his mother's voice, he froze and lowered the remote.
"Aw come on, Mom!" Makenna snapped at her mother, and she turned toward Mrs. Delling who was shaking like crazy, "Caleb and I were just getting ready to watch America's Funniest Home Videos!"
"Not happening!" Michelle shouted. She snatched the TV remote out of Caleb's hand and turned off the TV. Then, throwing it onto the couch, she whirled around to Makenna and yelled, "You are in so much trouble, young lady! How dare you sneak out! You're a liar!"
"Uh, Mom." Makenna snootily said, and she fluffed her hair, "I think the correct term you're looking for is a 'flier.' Get it? Ha, ha." She nudged Caleb in the ribs with her elbow. "Okay, that was bad, wasn't it?"
"It really was." Caleb admitted, "You stink at jokes, sis."

"Enough!" Michelle shouted at them, and she reached for her head. Then, lowering her hands, she pointed at Makenna and started to chew her out again, "Thanks to your unacceptable, childish act today, young lady, I thought I saw a ninja-like fairy out in the lawn and wings on your own back too!"
"Which you did," a sudden, calm voice spoke from behind.
"Huh?!" Mrs. Delling shouted. She whirled around, and there was Tracey! He was standing in front of her, with his arms crossed, and another one of his ninja stars was clutched tightly in his left hand. He looked very serious.
Tony and Mr. Delling were standing on either side of him, and Mr. Delling pointed at the ninja asking, "Isn't he cool, Michelle? He rushed Tony and me in here in the blink of an eye! It's true! Everything Caleb explained to us is true! He's the ninja-like fairy!" Tracey nodded, and so did Caleb.
Michelle's eyes bounced from Makenna to Tracey and Mr. Delling, and back to Makenna. "What the heck?" she asked. Makenna sighed.
It was time for her to fess up. "Mom," she spoke, and she hopped off the back of the couch, with the blanket still wrapped around her body, "it's time for me to fess up. Excuse me." She cleared her throat, "I need to explain and show this with real panache!" and faced freaked out Mrs. Delling who was sweating, "Mom, it is true. I am a fairy. Look." She peered down on her blanket and grabbed ahold of it, sighing. Tugging on the blanket, she pulled it off and let it drop to the ground. Her fairy form was revealed.
Mrs. Delling's eyes widened. "AHHH!!" she screamed, and she slapped her hands over her mouth.
"Wait." Makenna told her, and she held out her hand, "It gets better. Watch this." She took a deep breath and lowered her head, closing her eyes. "Come on, wings," she whispered, and she clenched her fists, "Work." Slowly, her tiny wings began to flap, and with each flap, blue fairy dust escaped them. Makenna could feel her feet lifting from the floor, and she gasped. Opening her eyes, she peered down and saw that the floor was getting smaller and smaller. "Whoa," she whispered, and her necklace pendant began to glow, "Wow, I'm getting better at this."
Her head touched the ceiling of the living room, and below, Mrs. Delling again screamed, "AHHH!!" Mr. Delling covered his ears, and Tony groaned. Lifting his front paw, he put it on the top of his head.

Makenna, who was still hovering at the ceiling, soon realized how much fun it was to fly again.
With her hand, she gestured down at Tracey and told him, "Tracey, join me! Let's put on a show for Mom!"
"Sure," said Tracey, and he feebly smiled, "I'm down for that, Makenn. Excuse me, Mr. Delling?" He turned to Mr. Delling who was grinning and held his ninja star out to him. "Will you please hold onto this for me?" asked Merlin's apprentice, "I don't want it to get dusty."
"Su-sure." Mr. Delling stammered, and he took the star out of Tracey's hand. His eyes brightened at the sight of it. "So cool," he whispered, and he examined the star up and down, "I can't believe I'm holding an actual shuriken! Even better, it was held in the hands of a real fairy!"
Tracey chuckled. "Take good care of it now," he told Mr. Delling, and Mr. Delling saluted.
"Yes, sir!" he announced. Tracey again tittered.
Then, turning his body, he focused his attention on impatient Makenna Delling hovering at the ceiling and told her, "I'm coming, Makenna. I'm coming." He flapped his wings, which they gave off a blast of green and purple fairy dust, and Mrs. Delling gasped when he too lifted into the sky. Merlin's apprentice joined Makenna at the ceiling, and he asked her, "Ready, Makenna?" in a calm voice.
"Ready, Trace." Makenna answered. She chuckled, but Tracey just nodded.

Together, he and Makenna acted out their flying poses and started to soar around the living room.
Makenna's eyes widened. "Oh my!" she announced, grinning, "I forgot how much fun this is!"
"Yeah, Makenna!" Caleb cheered at her from below, "You're getting better at flying! Go Makenna! Go Makenna! Rock the world!"
"Thank you, thank you!" conceitedly spoke the Metamorphic Fairy, and she acted out a midair bow. Afterward, she and Tracey playfully started to circle one another, and they peered into each other's eyes. They were having so much fun. Makenna especially. Below, Mr. Delling watched amazed, but Mrs. Delling was still in shock. "Eee!!" she yelped, and she reached for her head, "My daughter is flying! She's flying!"
"That's because she's a fairy." Tracey explained to her. He had stopped soaring and was now hovering at the ceiling, with Makenna zooming all around him, and his eyes landed on Mrs. Delling.
She asked, "How in the name of pickles is she a fairy though?!" and she fell to her knees.
"She was always a fairy, Mom." Caleb told her, "But you didn't believe me when I told you. Makenna is what people call a Metamorphic Fairy."
"That is correct." Tracey tiredly spoke, and he dropped gently to the ground. He landed in front of Mrs. Delling, and his wings fell limply behind his back.
"It's a long story." Caleb admitted, "We need to sit down to discuss it."
He, Tracey, and Mrs. Delling peered up at Makenna who was still zooming around the room like a maniac. "This is so much fun!" she announced, and she acted out a midair cartwheel. For a few moments, there was silence.
Then, Mrs. Delling finally shook her head and said, "Fine!" Caleb and Tracey focused their attention on her. "We'll discuss it at dinner."

"Thank you, Mom," said Caleb, and hopping off the couch, he approached Tracey and tapped his arm, "So I'm guessing you're going to let Tracey stay?" Mrs. Delling opened her mouth to speak, but Makenna Delling beat her to it.
Suddenly, she landed choppily next to Tracey, and she put her hands together, "Oh please, Mom. Please let Tracey stay. He's quite formal you know. He has perfect manners! Right, Tracey?"
She nudged Tracey's shoulder. "Huh?" he asked, and he glanced at Makenna, "Oh yes!" He fixed his eyes on Michelle Delling, "Mrs. Delling, I've never had a chance to experience a formal dinner with a family before. There's a lot of room for personal growth here. Please let me stay. For tonight at least. I'm really tired. I'll go back to Merlin's Island tomorrow if you decide to kick me out."
"Right," sarcastically spoke Mrs. Delling, and she stood up, "Merlin's Island. Very well, you can stay here tonight, Tracey."
"Yes!" whispered the three kids, and they high-fived with each other.
"But only," Mrs. Delling added, and Tracey peered into her eyes, "if you don't gain up on Makenna! I'm not so sure I want her to hang around another so-called fairy. Especially," She shivered, "a ninja-like fairy. I'll be watching you, Tracey. If you get too close to her, then you will be..." She moved her finger across her throat, "cheeee!"
"Oh, Mom." Makenna said, and she took Tracey's arm, "Tracey's not like that. He's a sweetheart. However, to be honest, I'd totally choose Peter Nelson over him!"
"Peter Nelson?!" her mother yelped, and she stepped away from Makenna, Tracey, and Caleb, "Who in the name of is Peter Nelson?!" Makenna Delling, realizing that she had just opened her big mouth, closed her eyes.
Tracey glanced at her. "You blew it," he told her.
"I know I did," said Makenna, and she released his arm.
"You have some explaining to do, young lady!" Mrs. Delling snapped at her, "Don't think that stupid face can fool me! You snuck out to hang out with a boy, didn't you, when you clearly said you were going to do your homework!"
"Uh, Mom." Makenna snootily said, "I think you're forgetting something."
"What?!" snapped Mrs. Delling.
She glared at her daughter who smiled arrogantly. "I'm Makenna Delling," said she. Tracey and Caleb silently chortled.

"Heads up!" the voice of Mr. Delling suddenly shouted. He had accidentally thrown Tracey's ninja star, and it was heading straight toward Merlin's apprentice!
He said, "Oh snap!" and quickly, he acted out a backflip and dodged the star. He landed on his feet and caught the star that had come toward him again. Everybody was staring at him. Even Tony.
"Did you see that?" Mr. Delling squeaked, and he pointed at Tracey, "He totally just dodged that star with a backflip! So cool!"
"Can you do a backflip, Dad?" Makenna asked him, and she placed her hand on her hip.
Mr. Delling chuckled. "Makenna, Makenna," he spoke, and he crossed his arms, "Keep in mind that I was on the gymnastics team when I was in high school. Of course, I can do a backflip. Watch and learn." Uncrossing his arms, he backed away from Makenna, Mrs. Delling, Caleb, and Tracey and announced, "Shananzo!" He attempted to do a backflip, but halfway through, he went crashing to the ground and landed on his face.

Makenna gasped. Tracey, Caleb, and Mrs. Delling did too.
"Oh, my God!" Makenna yelled, "Are you all right, Dad?"
Mr. Delling, who was shaking on the ground, mumbled, "Uh, define 'all right?'" and Tony hurried to his side. He started to lick his cheek. Mrs. Delling, Makenna, Tracey, and Caleb all exchanged glances, and all together, they shrugged.