How much Makenna wanted to hurry to Tracey, she couldn't because she had to escort Jessica to shore and pick up the "extremely important parcel." She also had to let her family know that she was okay.
Makenna and Jessica waited until Folly Beach became free of the surfing meet and a good number of people before they went in. By the time they managed to, it was almost dark, and Makenna was starving.
Jessica picked up the two halves of her surfboard and tucked them under her arm, while Makenna grabbed her own board. She offered her hand to Jessica, and Jessica took it. Immediately, blue magic outlined her, and Jessica lifted off the rock.
Raeven hovered beside her and comforted her.
Makenna's parents and Caleb waited on the beach for Makenna and Jessica's return.
Makenna soared it and searched for her family.
Mr. and Mrs. Delling rested in their chairs in the last light of day, and Caleb sat before them, distracting himself with the sand. Mr. McKevlin had left, but Makenna would see him again. Did she win that invitational to Australia?
Makenna's family members soon sensed she was coming and lifted their heads.
Caleb smiled at the sight of his sister flying toward them as a Crystal Metamorphic Fairy. He and Makenna shared similar facial features, and both of them had brown hair.
Caleb soon pushed himself to his knees. He lifted his hand and waved Makenna over. "Makenna! Makenna, over here!"
Makenna saw him and nodded. She hurried to her family and yelled, "I can't stay, guys! Here!" She gently set Jessica down on the sand. "Take Jessica to a doctor. She's hurt her wrist. I, on the other hand, have to return to Tracey."
"Makenna, wait!" Caleb yelled. "We have news for you!" He tried grabbing her, but Makenna snatched her wrist away.
"Not now, Caleb! Tracey is in danger! I have to get to him before the Octopus Man does! Hugs! Kisses!" She quickly gave each of her family members a hug and a kiss, then hurried to the parcel resting beside her beach chair. Makenna landed beside it and dropped her surfboard. She reached down and picked up the parcel with both hands.
"Makenna, stop!" Mrs. Delling said, but Makenna went ahead and flapped her wings, lifting into the sky again.
"Love you, Mom, Dad, Caleb, and Jessica! See you!" Just like that, she took off and soared in the direction of Seabrook Island. She left her family and friends behind, even Raeven.
They groaned and watched her fly away. Soon, though, all heads turned to Raeven, and his jaw dropped.
"What's up?" he asked. The others gave him a look that said they wanted him to fly after Makenna. "Aw, but I haven't gotten my fruit yet!" groaned the Megabat.
"Raeven!" sternly snapped Mrs. Delling, pointing in the direction Makenna flew in.
"Okay! Okay! Relax! I'm going!" chirped Raeven. He flapped his own wings and took off after Makenna.
Mr. Delling shook his head and admitted, "We're going to have to put that girl in a bubble. She can't sit still long enough for us to tell her that she's going to Australia."
Raeven tried his best to keep up with Makenna, but it wasn't easy because she flew so fast. "Makenna!" he gasped, flying near her. "Oh, my gosh! Slow down! My little wings can't handle strenuous flying."
"Raeven!" Makenna glared at him. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, my gosh, you're fast!" gasped Raeven. "Phew! Makenna, please, you're exhausted. You need to call it a day."
"I'm fine," growled Makenna. "I need to get to Tracey, Raeven, so get off my back!"
"But the flight to Merlin's Island is so far from here," Raeven groaned. "I don't know if you'll make it."
"I'm fine!" Makenna growled again.
"Oh, my gosh, my little wings," repeated Raeven, falling onto Makenna's shoulder pad. "Seriously, Makenn, why don't I just get Ash again and let him teleport us to Merlin's Island?"
"Not happening!" Makenna fought. "I don't need a so-called Scottish warrior helping me, Raeven! I can do this myself! I'm flying to Merlin's Island, and if you don't want to come, fine! But I'm going!" She flew like Superman, and Raeven heaved on her shoulder.
He finally flapped his aching wings and hopped off Makenna's shoulder, but a sudden gush of wind blew him away from her, and Raeven nearly crashed into a tree. He sighed and shook his head.
Raeven then noticed something about the tree. Its trunk glowed a green color.
Raeven smiled a bit and turned toward Makenna.
She stopped to hover. While she did, she took deep breaths and tried to figure out where she was. It was dark now, so she had trouble seeing.
Lifting her hand, Makenna thoughtfully scratched her head.
At the tree, Raeven flew back and forth and called, "Makenna! Makenna! Look, look, look!"
Makenna tried her best not to listen, so Raeven tried again.
"Makenna!"
Makenna narrowed her eyes and snarled. Raeven was so annoying at times. She whirled around and shouted, "Shut up, Raeven!" but when she saw the glowing tree trunk, she gasped, and her eyes widened. Officially curious, Makenna approached Raeven. "Raeven," Makenna said, gesturing at the trunk, "the-the-the trunk! Don't you see it glowing?"
"I do, Makenn," Raeven replied.
"What is this?" asked Makenna, gesturing at the trunk again. She and Raeven approached it, and the glow shone on their faces.
Makenna glanced at Raeven, waiting for his answer.
"Makenna," he eventually said, facing the trunk, "this is quite a strange phenomenon. Do you think it can help us? Why don't you get a little closer?"
Makenna gave him a funny look, but went ahead and did as he asked. She held her guard as she flapped her wings and slowly approached the light.
Raeven watched her and whispered under his breath, "Thank you, Ash and Tracey."
Makenna soon hovered before the tree's trunk and tucked the "extremely important parcel" under one arm. With her other hand, she reached for the glow. However, she stopped an inch away from it. Wait, she had a bad feeling.
Raeven snuck up on her and said, "Sorry, Makenna. Hold your breath." Then, just like that, he lifted his feet and shoved Makenna's back.
She yelled as she fell into the portal and vanished without a trace.
On the other end of it, Raeven nodded. He then dove into the portal and vanished, too. Right when he did, the portal disappeared, and all was silent once again.
***
Makenna felt as though she were traveling through a wormhole. She flew through a long tunnel, still yelling.
Before long, the tunnel's setting changed to a watery one. All around Makenna, the portal's walls glowed different shades of blue. Bubbles danced around her.
Raeven appeared behind Makenna, and his head became caught in one bubble. He smiled and said, "Ooh," but then the bubble popped, and he groaned.
Shadows of ocean animals soared by him and Makenna, but they weren't real, just mere mirages.
Soon, though, the setting faded to black, and then the rocky walls of a cave appeared.
Makenna yelped and landed hard on the ground. The second she did, she blacked out, and the parcel escaped her grasp, sliding toward a wall.
Raeven flew out of the portal after her and landed on her tummy. The portal vanished behind him.
Raeven soon shook his head and peered into Makenna's face. "Makenna!" he yelled, shaking her tunic. "Makenna!"
Makenna didn't stir, but at least she and Raeven had reached Merlin's Cave on Merlin's Island.
Footsteps soon sounded, and Raeven looked up. His eyes widened. He hopped off Makenna's tunic and glanced in the direction from which the footsteps came. Raeven shivered and wrapped his wings around himself.
Further away from him and Makenna, standing in the shadows of the cave, was the figure of a young man. He approached Makenna and nodded at Raeven, who smiled.
The figure reached down and picked Makenna up in his arms.
She breathed steadily, looking like she was having a good dream.
The figure carried her to a dark room, and Raeven excitedly followed. Once inside, he set her down on a bed, and Makenna's head bumped a pillow.
She soon lay on her back, her left hand on her tummy, and continued to breathe steadily.
Raeven plopped down beside her and watched the figure. He couldn't see him that well because all the lights in the room had been turned out for the night. It was also dark outside, so no rays of sun shone through the room's cracks.
The figure set a stuffed dog down near Makenna and picked up her hand. He placed it on the dog, threw a blanket over her, and left for the night.
Morning eventually found Merlin's Island. Compared with other tropical islands, it had the appearance of Fiji, the Cook Islands, and Hawaii combined. The Hawaiian touch came from its volcano, which rested in its heart. Its cave was where Merlin's Cave was.
The ocean around the island, on the beaches, and in the coves was sparkly, clear, and blue. Aside from the water, Merlin's Island also had fluffy, white sand beaches and an extensive tropical jungle. Only magical beings could see Merlin's Island and access it, though, because a force field surrounded it. When Makenna woke that morning, she would have to adjust to her surroundings.
During the night, Raeven had slept with her. He crawled out from under Makenna's blanket and stretched his wings, yawning. "Oh, what a night."
The room looked like an ordinary guest room. The only difference was that it was in a cave vs. in a house. A dresser was beside Makenna. She had not performed the Sunset Delay Spell, so she still had her wings.
Morning sunshine shone through the cracks in the guest room's walls and blanketed Makenna's face. She scrunched it up and lifted her left hand, protecting it.
Finally, Makenna blinked and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Raeven.
He hovered over her face and waved his paw, saying, "Hi! Good morning!"
"Huh?" Makenna sleepily asked. "Raeven?"
Raeven moved aside while she sat.
Makenna pushed herself up onto her butt and scrutinized the area. Hm, there was something about it that seemed familiar.
Makenna lowered her head, and her eyes landed on the stuffed dog she held. "Where am I?" she asked, dropping the animal and swinging her legs off the side of the bed. "How did I get here?" Her eyes landed on her dresser, widening when she saw that a plate of food rested on it. Makenna reached for it, but held back. She still had to remember where she was.
Raeven hovered beside her ear and said, "Makenna, I knew you wouldn't make it last night, so I ended up dragging you here from the ocean. You passed out before I could even say, 'We're almost there!'"
"There?" questioned Makenna, looking at him. "Where? Are you meaning to tell me, Raeven, that we're here? Here at Merlin's Island?"
"How would you feel if I answered yes?" Raeven wanted to know.
Makenna felt a pinch of excitement. She hopped off the bed and lowered her head, clenching her fist. "Yes!" she whispered. Lowering her fist, she peered up at the dome-shaped ceiling, and her eyes rotated. "Tracey!" Makenna continued. "Tracey, Raeven! I can finally see Tracey again!" She approached the plate of food and picked up a biscuit. "Do you think he served me breakfast?"
"Well, knowing Tracey," Raeven answered, "I'm sure he did. Go ahead, Makenna. Have some breakfast, and then we'll search for him."
Makenna didn't want breakfast, though, even though she was starving; she wanted to see Tracey. "But I want to see him now," she complained.
Raeven shook his head—"No"—and pointed at the plate. "Eat first, Makenna. Come on. Chop, chop."
"Since when did you become my mother?" Makenna wondered. She finally sighed and ate her breakfast, finishing in merely five minutes. "All right, Raeven, I'm ready." Makenna burped and reached for her lips. "Excuse me."
Raeven chuckled.
Makenna then suddenly shivered. "Oh goodness." She covered herself with her arms. "I forgot how cold it's in here, Raeven! Gosh!" Goosebumps prickled on her arms, and she rubbed them.
Raeven next gestured forward and said, "I think Tracey got you something warm to wear, Miss Delling."
"Huh?" asked Makenna. "What are you talking about, Raeven?" Continuing to rub her arms, she peered forward, and her eyes landed on a chair that sat before her, further away. Resting on it was a wool, blue coat.
Makenna's eyes widened, and her mouth hung open. She approached the coat and muttered, "Wow." Releasing her arms, she reached for it and picked it up. Makenna held it to her face and announced, "It's a coat! Oh, that Tracey! He's such a sweetheart."
The coat had a fascinating appearance, including a blue, cape-like feature that hung from the back.
Makenna dropped her wings and slipped the coat on. She tucked her wings into it. Makenna then buttoned the coat and immediately warmed up.
Raeven lifted off her bed. He soared to Makenna and studied the coat. "Nice. That coat looks good on you, Makenn. I love the cape-like feature. Tracey really knows how to make his coats. All right..." He dropped onto her shoulder. "Are you ready to search for him?"
Makenna vigorously nodded. "Yes! Whoopee!" She closed her eyes and lifted her hand. "Hang on, Tracey, because Makenna Delling, the best Metamorphic Fairy in the universe, is coming to your rescue!"
Raeven rolled his eyes. "All right, don't overdo it."