Song: "Broken Wings" - Kristóf Krasznai

        It was warm. Bright, early morning sunshine shone down on Merlin's Island. It was Thursday morning. The storm had passed. The Atlantic Ocean was still rough, but they morning was warm and beautiful. Makenna Delling had slept a total of fourteen hours, from 7 in the evening to 9 in the morning. She had been washed up onto Merlin's Island, just like how her surfboard had been washed up on it. She rested on her back on the sand, and her arm was back in its V-position from before. Makenna stirred. She coughed and slowly opened her eyes. However, she was blinded by the sunshine, and she was forced to close them again. Makenna was still a fairy, but her form was gradually starting to grow paler and paler. Finally, she opened her eyes one more time, and they adjusted to the sunshine.
The Metamorphic Fairy groaned. "Ugh," she spoke. She was aching all over. Makenna Delling, who was shaking, struggled to a sitting position. She was totally shaken up. She never wanted to face a storm like that again. It took her a minute or two to recognize her surroundings. When she did, she gasped and whispered, "Merlin's Island. We made it. We actually made it. Here we are." She shook her head, "Wait, is it already Thursday?" Makenna soon heard a squawk. It was Gina. She was unhurt by the storm. She fluttered to the Metamorphic Fairy and landed next to her, seeming to smile slightly. She folded her wings and looked Makenna in the eyes. "Gina." Makenna muttered, "It's you. We made it. Somehow we made it to Merlin's Island." Next, she reached for her bare neck, and she gasped when she realized that she no longer had her necklace. Makenna looked down, and her eyes widened, "My necklace! What happened to my necklace?!" It took her a while to remember exactly what had happened. However, eventually, she did. Makenna remembered the storm, she remembered the Octopus Man, and she remembered letting her necklace go because she had to save Tracey. At the thought of him, she turned blue. "Tracey!" Makenna shouted, and she leaped to her feet, "Oh no! Where is he?!" Gina flapped her wings and hovered next to her. Even she didn't know where Tracey was. She and Makenna searched the beach. There was no sign of Merlin's apprentice. No sign of him at all. Makenna started to freak out. "Please!" she begged, and she reached for her lips, "Don't tell me he's gone! Don't tell me he's turned into ash!"
"Calm down." Gina told her through telepathy, "I'm sure he's here. Let's just look for him."
Gulping, Makenna shakily said, "O-okay. Le-lead the way, Gi-Gina." Gina flew right and down the beach, and Makenna followed her, except she was walking since her wings were exhausted. While she followed the bird, she begged, "P-Please don't be dead, Tracey." She started sweating, she was so scared. Gina remained calm though. She was little more comfortable hanging around Makenna now because she saved her during the storm.

She led Makenna down the sandy beach and called for Tracey, although she received no answer. She and Makenna sauntered for just a little bit longer. Then, Makenna stopped, for she saw something up ahead. She rubbed her eyes and looked more thoroughly.
She gasped. "Tracey!" she yelled. Immediately, she flapped her wings, lifted into the sky, and hurried down the beach. Indeed, it was Tracey she had seen. It was him. He was still alive! He had not turned into ash! However, he was totally out of sorts. He was resting unconscious on his side, with his right arm bent and head tilted down. His wings were resting on top of one another, but they were a mess! The Octopus Man had totally broken them. He was missing half his left wing and a giant tear was in his right one. Also, small bones that had once held the wings together were visible. Luckily though, wings didn't bleed, so he wasn't losing any blood. Makenna flew closer to him and again yelled, "Tracey!" Gina was following her from behind. Makenna reached Merlin's apprentice. She landed and kneeled to him, "Tracey." She took his shoulder and started to shake it, "Wake up. Wake up please." Tracey didn't. He was as still as a rock. He was almost completely white again. Gina soon landed next to Makenna's ankle, and she whimpered. The Metamorphic Fairy sighed with relief when she saw that Tracey was still breathing, "He's still breathing. Thank God. Oh." She squeezed Tracey's shoulder and peered back to his broken wings, "His wings. I have to go get Merlin. Gina, please. Let me go get him. You watch over Tracey."
Gina nodded. "I will, Makenna," she said, "I'll keep him company. You've got to hurry though! His wings are broken!"
"I know!" Makenna whimpered, and tears rolled down her cheeks, "Oh, this is all my fault! Tracey loves his wings! I don't know if he'll ever be able to fly again! Merlin said that there is no cure for broken wings! Oh! I might as well just commit suicide."
She felt absolutely awful right now. "Don't, Makenna." Gina told her, "Don't commit suicide, please. We can help him. You just need to get Merlin." Makenna nodded.
She patted Gina on the head and muttered, "Thank you, Gina." After patting her, she next patted Tracey's shoulder and added, "I'll be right back." Makenna stood up and turned toward the island's jungle. Opening her massive wings, she flapped them and lifted into the sky, hurrying into the jungle.
Behind, through tern squawks, Gina called, "I'll just wait here!"

Makenna zoomed through the jungle, and she frightfully searched the area yelling, "Merlin?! Merlin, where are you?! Tracey needs help!" There was no answer. Makenna didn't even remember where Merlin's Cave was! She was already lost on this island! She flew toward a few clusters of trees, and as she flew, she cursed under her breath. Normally she didn't curse, but she was super stressed out and super worried. She knew how much Tracey loved his wings, and she didn't want him to never be able to fly again! Freaked out Makenna searched the jungle and shouted, "Merlin! Merlin!" over and over again. Finally, she found it! She found Merlin's Cave! Merlin the Great himself was standing in front of it, looking pretty tired, and he was staring into space. Seeing him, Makenna said, "Oh thank God! Merlin!" She landed in front of him and tried to remain calm, but it was impossible, "Merlin, I need your help! It's Tracey!"
Merlin finally noticed and recognized her, and he jumped, saying, "Makenna Delling! You're back! Whoa!" He scanned Makenna's new fairy form up and down, "Congratulations, my dear, you're now a Soon to Be a Crystal Metamorphic Fairy! I knew you would be one when you came back, and I was right!"
"Thank you, Merlin," Makenna spoke, "but I'm not interested in my new transformation. I need your help! It's Tracey! On our way here, we were attacked by the Octopus Man, and he..."
"You look beautiful as a Level 2 Metamorphic Fairy, Makenna." Merlin interrupted. He took her shoulders, "Let me get you inside so I can make you a nice cup of hot tea. You look stressed." Removing his hands from her shoulders he next grabbed her by the wrist and started pulling her into the cave.
Makenna fought him and yelled, "No, Merlin, you're going the wrong way! Tracey's hurt! He's also really sick! I'm way beyond stressed!" Merlin didn't listen. He paid her no attention. He continued to drag her. Makenna's stress went up another level. She finally shouted, "LET GO!" and lifted her free hand. With it, she slapped Merlin across the cheek! He immediately let go and stumbled backwards, reaching for his cheek. Makenna leaned up against the cave's wall and took deep breaths.
Merlin glared at her and snapped, "How dare you slap the most powerful wizard in the world! You're going to pay for my new face! You're..."
"SHUT UP!!" Makenna shouted at him.
She sounded like Jack and Rose in Titanic when they yelled, "SHUT UP!!" at the man in the hallway after barely escaping death from the freezing water.

Merlin jumped at Makenna's remark and backed away from her.
The young fairy yelled, "Merlin! Tracey's wings are broken!"
"Broken?!" Merlin yelped, "What do you mean 'broken?!'" He was finally starting to listen, "What have you done to my apprentice, Makenna?!"
"I'm an amateur!" she shouted in a choked voice, "An amateur! I failed to protect him! On our way here, we were attacked by the Octopus Man, and a giant wave crashed down on Tracey's wings and broke them! He's unconscious! He's also really sick! He's been stripped of too much magic! The Octopus Man has cursed him!"
"Cursed him?!" Merlin's eyes widened with fear, "Broken wings?! We've got to hurry, Makenna! Broken wings are a fairy emergency! They're very, very painful, and if not treated right away, the fairy could die! Broken wings is the worst thing that can happen to a fairy. Tracey's mom died of broken wings. We're not going to lose him too! Stay here, Makenna, and I'm going to go get the stretcher. When I come back, you're going to lead me to him, right?"
"Right." Makenna whimpered, and she watched as Merlin turned on his heel and hurried down the corridor. When he disappeared, in frustration, she yelled and closed her eyes. Makenna fell to her knees and shouted, "I hate myself!" as loud as she could, "I'm so stupid! And it's all because I'm crazy about Peter Nelson!" She covered her face with her hands and fell onto her front. Her blue fingernails turned a lighter shade of blue, a sign that Makenna too was getting drained of magic.

Back on Merlin's Island's beach, Gina patiently waited for Makenna to return. Her eyes suddenly caught a shine of something very unusual toward the end of the beach. Gina narrowed her eyes and stared at it. What was that shine? She thought about investigating, but then she glanced at Tracey. Should Gina investigate the shine or should she stay here with her friend? She wouldn't be gone for long. She was very curious about that shine.
Suddenly, from it she thought she saw a flash of light. What is that? Gina asked in her head. She finally couldn't help herself. She had to find out what that shine was! Turning to Tracey, in her language, she told him, "I'll be right back." With a flap of her wings, she lifted off the ground and flew in the direction of the shine. Tracey was left behind. Gina didn't mean to leave him; she was just super curious. She narrowed her eyes the closer she got to the shine. Finally, she reached it, and in shock her mouth dropped open. Believe it or not, but she was looking down on Makenna's surfboard! It was her surfboard! Gina landed, and she slowly approached it, sniffing it up and down. "What's this?" she asked herself. Chuckling, she hopped to each side of the board and pecked at it. Gina had made quite the discovery!

However, soon, her moment of discovery was ruined.
From the sky, she heard a screech, and then, she heard the screech of another animal! "Coming in hot!" it shouted, "What are you doing invading my treasure?! I found it first!" Gina peered into the sky, and her eyes widened when she saw that falling from it, was Raeven, the same, young bat who had freaked Makenna out and slept next to her that night she and Tracey dragged Merlin out of the dark depths of the cave! It was him!
He was coming in hot. "Uh, uh." Gina said when she saw him.
She turned to fly away, but from the sky in his language, Raeven shouted, "Look out! Ah! I just saw the most horrific thing!" Gina lifted into the sky, but she was too late. Raeven crashed right into her, and both avian creatures went toppling to the ground! Gina went sliding face-first in the sand, and Raeven crashed into the side of Makena's surfboard, upside-down, and fell. His head was buried in the sand. For a moment, the two creatures didn't move. Then, Gina stood up and shook sand off her feathers.
She shivered, and turning to Raeven, she shouted, "Raeven!" in tern squawks. Quickly, she hurried to where he was buried and grabbed hold of his neck. Gina tugged on it, and Raeven's head emerged from the sand.
As it was emerging, he spoke, literally spoke, in English! Raeven was a talking bat! "Oh, Sam heck," he dizzily spoke, "What a nightmare, Gina. I thought I just saw Merlin's apprentice with broken wings." Gina gulped and didn't speak. Raeven's vision started to clear, and his eyes landed on unconscious Tracey further down the beach. "Ah!" he shouted, and he ferociously flapped his own, long black wings, "I did! Oh, this is awful, terrible, horrifying! Young Tracey loves his wings!" Unlike him, Gina couldn't speak in English. She could only communicate in tern language, but Raeven easily understood her.
Gina told him, "Raeven, calm down. Yeah, Tracey's wings are broken, but don't worry. Makenna Delling went to go get Merlin. She should be back soon."
"Makenna Delling?!" Raeven gasped. He reached for his heart, "Oh my heart. Cupid has struck a bullseye." He fell onto Makenna's surfboard, "I knew that fairy was a very kind-hearted soul. She's so beautiful, I can't go on." He was talking in English this entire time. However, Gina understood him.
She focused her attention on Makenna's surfboard and asked Raeven, in her language, "What do you think this unusual object is? Perhaps the Octopus Man sent it here?" She slowly approached the surfboard, "Do you think it's edible?"
"Oh absolutely." Raeven spoke, and seeming to smile, he slid off Makenna's surfboard, "I'm sure it tastes just like chicken. Watch this." Gina did. Raeven slowly turned to Makenna's surfboard, and he licked his lips. Then, opening his mouth, he leaped into the sky and bit down on Makenna's surfboard with his small, sharp teeth. Immediately, he flinched. "AHH!!" Raeven shouted, and he quickly took his teeth away from the surfboard, "This stupid object is as hard as a rock!" Gina gasped.

Suddenly, over the sound of the wind from the jungle, she heard, "Gina!" It was Merlin.
He and Makenna were returning to the beach. "Merlin?" asked the tern.
"Gina!" repeated the voice of Merlin.
From where he was standing, Raeven suddenly started to shake, as if from fear, "Oh snap! It's him! It's Merlin the Great! Please!" His claws grabbed hold of the side of Makenna's surfboard, and Raeven started to dangle upside-down. He added with, "Spare me! I've done nothing wrong!" Raeven didn't really have a good relationship with Merlin. He got on his nerves a lot. He was actually a little scared of him. Who can blame him; a lot of old fellas were creepy, eh? Raeven wrapped his wings around his body and became as still as a rock.
Standing on the outside, Gina knocked on his wings and told him, "Don't worry, Raeven, Merlin's not coming for you. He's coming for Tracey."
"Uh huh." Raeven sarcastically spoke, "Yeah right." He did not come out from behind his wings.
"Trust me," was Gina's next line. She turned and opened her wings, "I have to go now, Raeven, but I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Whatever you say, Miss Tern."

"Merlin!" Gina called. She quickly lifted into the air and returned to Tracey, landing next to him, "Here! Here!" Gina faced the jungle and flapped her wings, continuing to screech, "We're here!"

Where Raeven was hanging, he moved his wings slightly apart and peered out of them with one eye.
Under his breath, he sarcastically whispered, "That bird's crazy, thinking that she has a good relationship with the most powerful wizard in the world. Terns don't understand anything. They're numb from the head down." He covered himself with his wings again.

Unlike him, Gina actually did have a good relationship with Merlin, mostly because her best friend was his apprentice. Makenna was the first one to emerge from the jungle. She pulled apart some ferns and peered out to the beach. She wasn't flying. She was on the ground.
Her beautiful, blue eyes widened when she saw Tracey and Gina screeching next to him. "Here, Merlin!" she yelled, and she waved into the jungle, "They're right here!" She flapped her wings and flew out of the ferns. Soon, she was hovering over the beach, and she peered back into the jungle. Merlin was the next one to emerge from it. He appeared from behind another line of ferns, and he was rolling a stretcher that he always kept in his cave, just in case there was an emergency. It wasn't at all as fancy as stretchers used by paramedics or doctors, since he made it himself, but it was still a stretcher.

Where Raeven was hanging, for the second time, he peeked out, and his eyes landed on Merlin and the stretcher.
"A stretcher," he said to himself, "How convenient. I wonder if he'll bring it over here so I can give him a good beating on his head." Shutting up, Raeven hid in his wings again.

Makenna Delling hurried to Tracey, and she landed next to him.
"Don't worry, Tracey," she whispered, "Merlin's here. You're going to be taken back to his cave. You're going to be okay." Gina stared at her out the corners of her eyes. Did Makenna really care about Tracey? She thought she didn't, but now, she wasn't sure. She still had her doubts about her, especially since she betrayed her friend.

"Is that Makenna Delling?" Raeven asked who had heard her voice. He again sneaked a peek outside his cave, and at the sight of Makenna, he blushed, "It is!" and he pulled his wings close to him.

Makenna and Gina were forced to soon back up because Merlin had reached them.
His eyes widened when he saw how pale Tracey was and at the sight of his wings. "Oh, my gosh," he whimpered, "That's serious. Makenna, you've got to help me out here."
"Yes, sir." Makenna said in a tired voice, and she nodded, yawning. For some reason, she felt so tired right now. However, she helped Merlin. With Makenna's help and a little bit magic, Merlin was able to drag Tracey off the beach and lug him onto the stretcher without bumping his wings too much. With him, he had also brought another fairy oxygen mask, and he put it over his apprentice's nose and mouth. Merlin was actually a pretty good doctor. Well he did, when he was much younger, work in a fairy hospital before moving to this island, so he knew what he was doing. He had dealt with broken wings before; there was no way he couldn't do it again! Once Merlin had Tracey on the stretcher, Makenna watched as he next tossed some ropes over him and tied him down. The journey through the jungle would be quick and a little bumpy, and Merlin didn't want Tracey to fall. When he finished tying him down, ready, he told Makenna to grab hold of the other end of the stretcher, and she did. Then, he pulled up the wheels. It would be hard to roll a stretcher through a jungle. They had to carry it, just like how the soldiers did during the Vietnam War. Makenna again was freaking out. Oh, this was all her fault, or she thought it was. The Octopus Man was too strong, and she was too weak.
Merlin soon peered into her flushed face and said, "Let's move him." Peering behind him, he pulled on the stretcher's head and headed toward the jungle, followed closely by Makenna. Gina flew next to the stretcher, and every once in a while, she would glance into Tracey's face and then back in the direction of Makenna's surfboard and Raeven. It wasn't long until she, Merlin, and Makenna disappeared in the jungle.

On the beach, Raeven opened his wings and flapped them, letting go of the surfboard.
As he was rising into the sky, he told himself, "I shall go after her!" and lifting his right claw, he puffed out his chest and tried to look as buff as possible. Raeven took a few, deep breaths. Then, when he was ready, he gave his wings a hard flap and soared in the direction the stretcher had disappeared in. He made sure to fly high so he wouldn't be seen easily, especially by Merlin, his "best" friend.

Merlin the Great moved very quickly through the jungle. He was so fast that Makenna was forced to jog.
Merlin told her, "Watch your step," for a log had come into view. He stepped over it, and so did Makenna. "Hang on, my young apprentice." Merlin said to Tracey, "We're almost at the cave." Unbelievably, Tracey had actually woken up. However, he was super dizzy, due to lack of magic, and due to the pain in his broken wings. He had a searing headache.
The mark of the Octopus Man had reappeared on his arm, and it had not disappeared. "Master," whimpered the young fairy, and he peered up to Merlin, "My wings. They hurt."
"I know." Merlin comfortably spoke, "I'm going to fix you up though. Keep in mind that I used to work in a fairy hospital when I was much younger."
Tracey hated to ask this next question, but he had to confirm, "Master, are my wings broken?" Merlin lost his words very fast. He knew Tracey would be brokenhearted if he told him that yes, his wings were broken. He didn't want to tell him right now though. He went mute.
Makenna came in for him, "You're going to be okay, Trace. Your wings are just pretty banged up. Just close your eyes and go to sleep."
"No, no." Merlin spoke, and he glanced into Makenna's face and then Tracey's, "That's not how it works. You've got to stay conscious, Tracey. Don't fall asleep. Makenna, the thing with trauma victims is that you've got to try your best to keep them conscious. If they fall asleep, they could lapse into a coma." He focused in on Tracey again, "You've got to stay conscious, Tracey." Tracey was already pretty much asleep. His eyes were barely open.
He next weakly glanced at Makenna and whimpered, "Makenna. You totally just turned against me. I thought you were my friend."
"I am." Makenna told him, "Trust me." Tracey didn't trust her. Makenna had broken the Circle of Trust. He knew she wasn't really his friend.
This had all just been a game. "Secrets," calmly but weakly spoke the seventeen-year-old fairy, "are just like poison, Makenna. Remember that. You've never been honest to me. It was all a lie. Until you start telling the truth, I don't trust you nor your world of humans. You lied here. My wings are broken, aren't they?" He could feel his heart snapping in two.
Makenna sighed sadly, "They are, Tracey, but I promise you will be able to fly again. We just have to get you to Merlin's Cave." Gina decided to comfort her friend. She landed on Tracey's chest, extended her wings, and cuddled up to him. She had broken her wing once, so she knew how Tracey felt. Very slowly, he lifted his hand and placed it on her.
Smiling feebly, Tracey petted her and whispered, "At least I still have you, Gina. This reminds me of the day when I found you with a broken wing." Gina seemed to chuckle.
She softly dug her claws into Tracey's tunic-like shirt and told him, "Yeah. We both have something to relate to now." Makenna also feebly smiled when she saw how much the two friends loved each other. If only she had a bird friend. If only Gina liked her. However, she didn't. She liked Tracey.

Merlin's apprentice finally couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't stay conscious. He just couldn't.
It wasn't long until he closed his eyes, and his head drooped to the left. "Stay conscious!" Merlin yelled at him, "Makenna, move faster!"

Makenna, Merlin, and Gina finally reached Merlin's Cave. Makenna's arms were killing her. She had forgotten how far away the cave was from the beach. Luckily, she was able to take a break here. Since they were now in a cave, they were able to roll the stretcher and not worry about vines getting caught in its wheels.
Merlin put down the wheels and told Makenna, "Okay, you can let go now, Makenna. I've got him from here."
"Is he going to be okay?" Makenna asked him. She let go of her end of the stretcher and shivered, wrapping her arms around her body. She had forgotten how cold it was in here. Makenna's eyes next landed on Tracey's broken, torn wings, and she clenched her teeth. "Oh, that looks painful," she whispered to herself. She watched as Merlin lifted his hand and waved it.
Suddenly, in front of him appeared two, wool blankets. "Here, Makenna," he spoke. He tossed one blanket to Makenna, and she caught it, thanking him. She landed and wrapped herself in the blanket, immediately warming up. Merlin put the next blanket over Tracey, even though he was used to the cold, and Gina laid on the blanket instead of the apprentice's shirt. "Stay with us, Tracey." Merlin said to his nearly unconscious apprentice, "You're going to be just fine." With that phrase, he quickly rolled the stretcher down the familiar, torch-lit corridor, and Makenna followed him.
"They hurt." Tracey mumbled, and he reached for his wings, but Merlin stopped him by grabbing his hand,
"Hold on, kid." He and Makenna continued down the passageway.

Soon, they reached the heart of the cave, and Makenna gasped at the sight of the familiar, dome-shaped room. She had forgotten how awesome it was.
She tried to follow Merlin into another corridor, but he stopped her and calmly said, "You'll have to wait here, Makenna. I'll come get you once I treat Tracey's wings and get him comfortable. I promise. Broken wings are serious. I hope you understand."
"Yes, Merlin." Makenna said, "Don't worry, I'll wait here for a thousand years if I have to."
She backed away from Merlin and tightened the blanket around her body. "Thank you," spoke Merlin the Great. He pointed in the direction of a table that rested on the other end of the room, "They're some snacks and drinks over there if you get hungry. I'll be back soon, Makenna. This time, do you actually want to say goodbye to him?"
"I do." Makenna answered. She approached Tracey's right side, and Gina watched as she lifted her hand and took his shoulder. "I'll see you soon, my friend." Makenna told him, "You'll be okay. Gina's right next to you. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I know you love your wings."

She, Merlin, and Gina didn't see him, but Raeven, who had flown in after them, was hanging upside-down from the ceiling and spying on them. He couldn't help himself. Miss Delling fascinated him. Unlike Gina, he actually liked her. He watched as Makenna backed away from Tracey, and Merlin rolled the stretcher into an empty corridor and disappeared in the shadows.
Under his breath, he mumbled, "I sure hope that fairy's learned her lesson," and he fixed his eyes on the Level 2 Metamorphic Fairy, Makenna Delling.

Makenna waited for she didn't know how long in the heart of Merlin's Cave. A long time. She grabbed herself a snack and drink and sunk into a chair. She ate her snack in silence. She felt like she was waiting in the waiting room of the ER in a hospital. Well, she basically was. While she waited there, she thought about Tracey, thought about Peter Nelson, and thought about Selene's warning. There was just way too much going on in her head right now. Makenna hated it. If only she wasn't a Metamorphic Fairy in the first place! The entire time she waited, Raeven hung out at the ceiling. He thought about soaring down and saying hello to the fairy, but he knew she would scream if he did. He concluded that maybe it was just best he hung out at the ceiling. Although, he didn't know. Makenna looked like she needed the company of somebody. Raeven took the risk. Unwrapping his wings around him, he extended them and soared down to Makenna. He landed on the arm of the chair she was sitting in.
In bat language, he said, "Hello."

Makenna heard him. She lowered her snack and slowly turned her head. Her eyes landed on Raeven, and they widened. The bat lifted his wing and waved hello.
After a bit, Makenna shouted, "BAT!!" and she fell out of the chair, "SHOO!!" She waved Raeven away, "GO AWAY!! YOU'RE DISGUSTING!! I HATE YOU!!" Raeven was hurt by her remark. He knew this would be Makenna's reaction. Tears seemed to appear in his eyes, and he whimpered.

However, just before he could fly away, suddenly, the voice of Merlin the Great was heard,
"Miss Delling, he likes you. No need to be frightened." Both Makenna and Raeven jerked their heads in the direction of Merlin the Great's voice.
He had just reappeared at the mouth of the corridor he disappeared, empty-handed, after a little more than two hours, and he started approaching the fairy and bat.

"Oh snap." Raeven said in his language, and he backed up on the arm of the chair, "He's coming! He's coming! Yikes!" Quickly, he leaped off the chair's arm and threw himself into Makenna's face. He wrapped his wings around her neck and started to shiver. "Do something!" he shouted.
"AHHH!!!" Makenna screamed, "ITS ON ME!! IT'S ON ME!! I'M GONNA DIE!!"
"Makenna!" shouted Merlin, "Calm down! Raeven only likes you!" Still hugging Makenna's neck, Raeven peered into her eyes and opened his mouth.
Suddenly, he spoke to her! Literally spoke to her! In English! "Hi, I'm Raeven," he said, "And yes, I do find you fascinating, Makenna."
"AHHH!!" Makenna screamed again, and she smacked the bat off her neck and sent him sprawling to the rocky ground, "IT TALKS!! IT'S AS CREEPY AS REEPICHEEP!!"
"Reepicheep?" Raeven asked, and he struggled to his feet, "Of course I talk, Miss Delling. All animals here are magical. Do you have a problem with that?"
"SHUT UP!!" Makenna shouted, "GO AWAY, YOU BAT! GO AWAY!" Raeven again whimpered.
Then he said,
"Fine," and he prepared to fly away, but he stopped suddenly and whirled back around to Makenna, "But what if that old man does something nasty to you?!" He pointed at Merlin, "What if he throws you into the Glazed Doughnut Swamp?! What if he..."
"SHOO!!" screamed Makenna, "I HATE BATS!!"
"Well!" Raeven scoffed, "To each their own." Scoffing again, he opened his wings and lifted into the air.

Merlin watched as he flew away. Not Makenna though. She was too busy cowering on the floor of the cave.
"Oh please, Makenna." Merlin told her, "He's just a bat!"
"He's not just a bat!" Makenna yelled, and she wrapped her blanket around her, "He's a bat that talks! I knew it! I've gone insane! We're working for Disney Channel now!"
"Accept creatures for who they are, Makenna." Merlin calmly told her, "I don't think you've learned that lesson yet. I came here to talk to you about Tracey, but if you're too freaked out about bats, then I don't see the point. Bats are everywhere in this cave. It's a cave."
"No, no, Merlin!" Makenna quickly spoke. She stood up and tried to remain calm, "I want to know about Tracey. Well? How is he?" Merlin opened his mouth and started, "Well, he, he..."
"Is wonderful," suddenly interrupted the voice of Raeven. He had suddenly come back. He hovered upside-down next to Merlin's face and added, "beautiful, handsome...punctual!"
"Shush, Raeven!" Merlin snapped at him. He shooed Raeven away, "This is serious! My young apprentice has broken his wings!"
"Broken his wings?!" Raeven gasped. He immediately started to freak out, "Oh no, so the rumors are true! Oh, that poor kid! He loves his wings! They're his most prized possession! They're..."
Merlin lifted his hand and grabbed Raeven by the muzzle, stopping him from babbling on,
"Silence, Raeven, silence." Makenna was shaking. Seriously, how could a bat talk?! It was a bat!
What if Gina talked too?! "Don't worry, Makenna." Merlin said when she saw her blue face, and he released Raeven's muzzle which he massaged it, "Tracey's going to be just fine. His magic level should be back at base level tomorrow. I give you my word. However, he is still under a curse. You were right. The Octopus Man has cursed him. As long as you make sure he doesn't get too close to water, for the time being, he'll be fine."

"Cursed him?!" Raeven shouted, "Oh, this is terrible! Not only does Merlin's apprentice have broken wings; he's cursed! That's even worse than being spelled!" He started to fly in circles. Merlin ignored him.
He focused his attention on Makenna. "What about his wings?" she shakily asked, "Will he ever be able to fly again?" Here, Merlin lost his train of thought.
How would he explain this to her? "Uh oh," said Raeven, and he stopped to hover, "He's gone mute. Awkward silence. What can that mean? Hmm."
Again, Merlin ignored him, and in a soft voice, he told Makenna, "Here's the thing, Makenna. The structure of the Metamorphic Fairy wings and Apprentice Fairy wings are very different. Since your half human, your wings are like arms and legs. If they break, they heal. However, Tracey is a pure magical being. His wings are much more fragile than yours." Makenna gulped. She could feel tears burning in the corners of her eyes again.
Taking a deep breath, she asked Merlin, "So you're saying that no, he'll never be able to fly again?"
Merlin went mute again. "The tension," was Raeven's next words. He shivered, "The tension is building. It's sending chills up my spine."
After a bit, Merlin slowly nodded at Makenna and explained, "Yes. From this point on, Tracey is a crippled fairy. Unless he somehow earns a new transformation, his wings are dead. They will never heal. That's just how pure fairy wings, not half fairy and half human wings work."
"But he loves his wings!" Makenna yelled, "There has to be something we can do!"
"We can do nothing," whispered Merlin, "I'm sorry, Makenna. All we can do now is just teach him how to walk. His wings are busted. He's never going to be able to fly again. You can go see him now if you want to. He's in his room, and Gina is keeping him company. Then, you should probably start heading home. I know you have a dance to get ready for."
"But what if I don't want to?" Makenna asked.
"You have to go home, Makenna." Merlin told her, "Your family is worried. You understand right? Don't worry, Tracey's safe here." Makenna sighed, "Okay, Merlin," and dropping her blanket, she flapped her wings and lifted into the air, "I'll go see him. He's never going to forgive me though."
"Don't worry, he will." There was certainty in Merlin's voice, "Tracey's Tracey, Makenna. He never stays mad for long. Trust me. I've raised him since he was a baby."
"Thank you, Merlin." Makenna spoke. She managed to give a feeble smile, "I sure hope your right. Well, see you later." With a flap of her large, now paler wings, she soared into the corridor and disappeared in a blast of fairy dust.

Behind, Raeven tried to fly after her, but Merlin said, "Na hah, hah," and he grabbed him by the foot, "You're staying here, Raeven." Raeven blinked but didn't say anything. He peered in the direction of the corridor Makenna disappeared in.

Tracey's room was quiet. When Makenna entered it, she was surprised by the silence. She remembered this room. She remembered how much she loved it. Makenna landed gently on the ground, trying her best to ignore the cold, and she stumbled in the direction of Tracey's bed. Gina was sleeping at the foot of it, and she was breathing silently. Tracey was resting on his side with his eyes closed. Makenna approached him.
Sensing her, Tracey very slowly opened his eyes, and he smiled feebly at the Metamorphic Fairy, "Hey, Makenna." Makenna was nervous he would yell at her or something like that, but he didn't. He just smiled. Makenna sat down next to him, and her wings dropped. She and Tracey met eyes. There was silence between the two fairies.
Then, Makenna spoke, "I'm so sorry, Tracey. Thanks to my foolishness, your wings are broken."
"It's okay," said Tracey, although deep inside he was crying, "I had a feeling that something like this would eventually happen to me." He thought back to seven years ago when he had that premonition looking at the North Beach pool and saw himself being hammered by the enormous wave in the ocean. Most of the times, premonitions did come true, and Tracey's had. Next to him, Makenna sniffed and rubbed her nose. "Go home, Makenna." Tracey told her, "Please. Don't worry about me. I'm home now. Besides, you have a dance to get ready for."
"I don't think I deserve to go to that dance." Makenna softly spoke, and she closed her eyes, "I'm such a rotten fourteen-year-old. Besides, I don't even have a dress." She took a deep breath.

For a moment, Tracey stared at her.
Then, he asked, "A dress? Hmm." His eyes left Makenna and landed on the dresser next to his bed instead. On it, rested a green and purple paintbrush, since Tracey also liked to paint. He reached for it and picked it up. He examined the paintbrush up and down and took a deep breath. Then, he feebly nodded and struggled to his knees.
Tracey pulled the covers of the bed off him and swung his legs over the side of it. "What are you doing, Tracey?" Makenna worriedly asked him. Tracey tried getting up, but he groaned in pain, closed his eyes, and sat back down. Makenna took his shoulder and added, "You're hurt. You've got to lie down."
"I'm fine," mumbled Tracey. He opened his eyes and took Makenna's hand, pushing himself to a standing position. Then, once standing, with the paintbrush clenched tightly in his hand, he headed toward one of the walls of his room. Tracey stopped in front of it and examined it up and down.
Makenna joined him and again asked, "What are you doing?"
"Blue's your favorite color right, Makenna?" questioned Tracey. He rubbed his beardless chin.
Makenna nodded, "Yeah," and she took his arm, "Why? Tracey please. You've got to lie down."
Tracey released himself and weakly said, "Not until I make sure you're all ready for the dance. Dances are fun. I don't want you to be able to not go all because you don't have a dress."
Makenna was really confused, "What are you talking about, Tracey?"
"Watch this," he told her, and he gestured her back, "But step back." Makenna did. For a little bit longer, Tracey examined the wall up and down. Then, he lifted the paintbrush, and the tip of it touched it. Makenna gasped when suddenly, the wall burst into magic, blue sparkles! On it, Tracey suddenly painted a picture of a beautiful, light blue dress! He pressed the tip of the paintbrush up to the dress's center and pulled it, literally pulled it out of the wall!
"Whoa!" Makenna gasped, amazed, "A magic paintbrush! Holy smokes! How did you do that?!"
"Close your eyes, Makenna." Tracey told her. Makenna smiled and did. Tracey next ordered the paintbrush to take the dress to Makenna. It did, and suddenly, the dress flung itself on top of the Metamorphic Fairy and caused her to glow!
She asked, "Tracey, what's happening?!" and held her hand in front of her face to block out the shine. When the magic left her, Makenna looked down, and she gasped. Her wings had gone poof! She was now taking the form of a human again! Makenna was also wearing the dress! It looked so beautiful on her. The hem of the dress touched the floor of the cave, and the Metamorphic Fairy ran her hand down its silky surface. In her ears, she wore beautiful, sparkly, silver earrings, and around her wrist, she wore a sparkly, silver bracelet. Makenna was openmouthed in astonishment. Tracey had created a dress for her to wear to the dance! With the paintbrush still in his hand, he pointed it to a mirror in the corner of his room and told Makenna, "Look at yourself in the mirror. See if you like it. I believe that would be appropriate to wear to a school dance."

Still openmouthed, Makenna stumbled over toward the mirror in Tracey's room. While she was heading toward it, he went over to his bed and sat back down. Tracey took deep breaths, and sweat trickled down his temples. He flinched and peered back to his wings.
At the sight of them he gasped and whimpered, "No." He knew his wings were broken, but he didn't think they were this bad! He turned back around and stared blankly at the floor of his room.

Before long, Makenna approached him, grinning, and Tracey looked up at her.
"Oh, Tracey," spoke the Metamorphic Fairy, "It's perfect. Thank you so much."
Tracey forced a smile. "I want you to go to that dance, Makenna," he told her, "I know I've become nothing but a burden to you so I want to make it up to you. Here, why don't I pack that dress up for you?" Makenna smiled at him. Tracey was so kind. He lifted the magic paintbrush again, and this time, he painted a picture of a dress box on the ground and again touched the tip of the brush to the box's center.
He pulled it up and out of the floor, and Makenna's eyes widened. "So cool," she said in a small voice. The box went over to Makenna, and she again glowed up. When she finished glowing, she no longer wore the dress. She was back in her Level 2 fairy form, and the box was resting in her hands. Makenna pulled up the lid of it, and she peered inside. There was her dress. The dress Tracey had created for her. Makenna closed the lid and gently set the box down on the ground, again saying, "Thank you, Tracey." She and Tracey shared a hug.

When they let go, Makenna took Merlin's apprentice by the shoulders and told him,
"Now you just focus on getting better, okay?"
"Okay." Tracey whimpered. Closing his eyes, he flinched and grabbed hold of the edge of the bed. He sniffed. Makenna helped him lie down, and she pulled the covers over him.
Tucking him in, she said, "You've done enough for me, my friend. It's time you took a break."
"But my wings," whispered Tracey, "My wings. My wings."
"Do they hurt?" Makenna asked him, "Want me to go get Merlin?"
"Yes please." Tracey answered, "Please, Makenna. Sensei is like my father."
"All right. I'll be right back. Again, thank you so much for the dress, Tracey. I'm so sorry about your wings, but I can promise you that something wonderful will come out of this. Gina's right there. She's here for you, and so am I. I'll go get Merlin. You just take it easy, okay?" Makenna picked up the box with the dress in it and hurried in the direction of Tracey's room's exit.

She went into the hallway, and just to her luck she ran right into Merlin!
He was coming down the hallway, with Raeven next to him, and he waved at Makenna, "Hey, Makenna!"
"Uh, hi." Makenna stammered.
"Miss Makenna!" shouted Raeven. He soared toward the fairy, and she yelled, quickly diving out of the way. She landed on her front on the ground. Raeven stopped and floated in midair. "Why does she reject me?!" he shouted, and he turned toward Makenna. Merlin quickly grabbed him and dragged him out of the sky. He patted Raeven on the head, and he seemed to purr. A pat was enough to shut him up.
Merlin focused his attention on Makenna who just stood up, and he asked her, "Is there something I can help you with, my dear?"
"Yes, sir." Makenna shakily said, and she shivered at the sight of Merlin patting Raeven, "It's Tracey. His wings are hurting him. He asked me to come get you."
"I was coming anyways." Merlin told her, "I know he's hurting, so I'm bringing him some pain medicines. Sorry about, Raeven, he just wanted to come along. He wanted to see you again."
"But he's a bat!" Makenna shouted. She retreated away from the bat, but her back hit the wall of the cave. Her eyes widened. She thought being half fairy was weird.

Makenna wanted to go home.
"Merlin," she asked, "can I please go home now?"
"You're ready?" Merlin questioned.
Makenna nodded, "Yes," and she pressed her back up against the wall, "Just get me out of here." Her eyes were fixed on Raeven. Merlin, who still patted him, said, "All right," and he let the bat go, "Makenna, I'd rather you get teleported back home rather than flying over the ocean. Just because of the Octopus Man. However, I don't know if I can do it. It looks like you need to perform the Teleporting Spell."
"Me?" Makenna asked, and taking her back off the wall, she set her dress box down next to her left ankle, "Why me?"
"You're the only one here who still has enough magic to perform a spell." Merlin answered, "It has to be you."

While he and Makenna chitchatted, Raeven focused his attention on Makenna's dress box and curiously examined it. As quiet as a mouse he sunk to the ground and landed, approaching the box.
He sniffed it up and down and seemed to smile. "What are the words to the Teleporting Spell?" Makenna asked Merlin. She picked up her dress box which it was strange. Raeven seemed to have vanished! He was no longer in the corridor!
"Do you want to say goodbye to Tracey first?" Merlin questioned Makenna.
"I already did." Makenna lied, and she waved her hand, "Come on, sir, chop, chop! What are the words to the Teleporting Spell?"
"Whammy, zammy, kazami." Merlin answered.
He looked Makenna in the eyes, and she asked, "Whammy, zammy, kazami?" Suddenly, right after she spoke that, a bright flash of light appeared in front of her, and Makenna gasped. She hugged her dress box close to her chest and glowed up. "Ahh!" she yelled.
"That's it, Makenna!" Merlin told her, "You just performed the Teleporting Spell!" In a bright blast of blue light, Makenna vanished! She went poof into midair! It was dead silent.

Only Merlin the Great was left behind in the corridor.
"Whoa," he admitted, "Impressive. What do you think, Raeven? Raeven?" Raeven didn't answer. Merlin searched the area. "Raeven!" he called, "Oh no!" He slapped his hands to his temples, "He didn't! Ugh! Makenna's not going to be happy!" Merlin dropped his hands from his temples and sighed, "Oh well, at least it's quiet now. This will make things much easier. Yeah." Nodding, the wise, old wizard ran his fingertips through his long beard and headed toward Tracey's room.

Merlin soon found himself standing in the doorway of his pupil's room entrance. He took a deep breath and reached up, taking off his hat. Then, he stumbled in the direction of Tracey's bed, but like Makenna, he was starting slow down. He too was turning pale, and when magical beings turned pale, it usually meant they were dying. Merlin knew he was dying, but he decided to not let it get to him. Right now, he wasn't worried about dying. He actually didn't mind dying; he just didn't want Tracey to. He was way too young to die. He was only seventeen.

Merlin stopped at his bed, and his eyes landed on Gina fast asleep. Chuckling feebly, Merlin reached over and gently picked her up. Gina didn't stir. She was out like a light. She was exhausted. Merlin the Great held her in his arms and started stroking her. Then, he sat on his apprentice's bed and peered into his face. Tracey's fairy instincts told him his master was sitting next to him.
Barely conscious, he half opened his eyes and met Merlin's, softly saying, "Master."
"It's me, Tracey." Merlin told him, "You're here. You're home, and you're safe. I need to give you some medicine that will help with the pain and help you fall asleep. First things first, my young apprentice, can you try to not lie on your wings?" Tracey nodded but didn't say a word. He closed his eyes and turned onto his side. Gently setting Gina back down on the bed, Merlin picked up a cup of water resting on Tracey's nightstand and attempted to help him take some medicine, drugs that would help with the pain and help him sleep, but because he had lost his appetite, he refused. Tracey refused to take the medicine. This made Merlin really worried. "Tracey please," he begged, "You've got to take these medicines to help with the pain." He attempted to give Tracey the medicine again, but he again refused. He moaned and brought the back of his hand to his forehead. Merlin finally just gave up. "All right, that's it," he spoke, and he backed away from Tracey's bed, "If you're going to refuse to take the medicine, Tracey, then I'm going to call the Coutarine Fairy Hospital."
"No!" Tracey begged, "I don't need a hospital!" He hated hospitals. "I'm fine, Merlin," he added, "I don't need to go to the Coutarine Fairy Hospital."

Coutarine was the name of another magical island, similar to Merlin's Island, that was close to it and which was inhabited by fairy sprites. Sprites were just really small fairies. Sprites were Tinkerbell-sized fairies, about three inches tall, and they were unable to grow taller. They lived in the trees and fairy villages of Coutarine Island, and yes, there was a fairy hospital on it. Coutarine Island was a beautiful island. It was surrounded by sparkling, clear blue, South Pacific-like waters, and the vegetation on it was just amazing. Unlike Merlin's Island though, it didn't have a volcano. Every once in a while, Merlin the Great took vacations to Coutarine Island and left Tracey in charge of the cave.

Tracey had never been to the island, since he's basically been isolated from the world his entire life. However, he always wanted to visit it, but he didn't want to visit it right now just to go to a fairy hospital. He did not want to go to the hospital. Tracey attempted to get up again, to prove to Merlin that he was all right, but he wasn't, and this time, a searing pain engulfed every inch of his broken wings. He started to fall, but Merlin caught him and dragged him back into bed. He again tried to give him the medicine, but Tracey still refused.
After that third attempt, Merlin said, "I understand, son. There's a lot going on in your mind now, between your wings and Makenna betraying you. We'll try again later. I'll keep the medicine by your bed though. However, if you don't feel better tomorrow and still refuse, then I will have to call the hospital." He set the cup of water and pills down on Tracey's nightstand. Then, he put his hand to his forehead and added, "Hm, maybe that's the reason why you're refusing. You have a fever. Stay here, kid, and I'm going to go get a towel for your forehead. Keep in mind that Gina is right here. I'll be right back. I promise." Merlin took his hand away from his apprentice's forehead and sighed sadly, leaving the room.

Tracey and Gina were left behind, and the mark of the Octopus Man had still not vanished from Tracey's arm. It looked like he had a tattoo. He tightly clenched his teeth and reached back to his wings.