Andy first dropped Makenna and Tracey off at school since Makenna's school was closer than Caleb's. Soon after dropping them off, he said, "Good luck," to the two fairies, and then, to Tracey, "Rock in Gym class today, Trace. I want to hear all about it tonight."
"Thank you, sir," Tracey politely said, although he didn't know what Gym class was.
Mr. Delling soon left the two teens. While he drove away, he called, "Give me a shout if you need a quick getaway, Trace my man!"
"Of course," Tracey mumbled. He watched until Mr. Delling's car vanished from sight.
Makenna soon tugged his arm. "Well, here we are, Tracey." She pointed at her school building. "Welcome to human school, not fairy school."
Tracey heard the laughing of other teenagers.
Nervously gulping, he turned, and his eyes widened at what he saw. Teenagers surrounded him and Makenna, and they were dressed as either mathletes or athletes. Tracey was one of the few students not wearing a mathlete or athlete costume. Immediately, he became very shy. None of those teenagers had wings. Tracey was the only person at Makenna's school with wings.
Makenna noticed his shyness. "Don't be shy, Tracey," she said, taking his shoulder. "I'm going to ensure you're taken care of today. You're older than me, so you'd be at a higher grade than me. You'd be a junior since you're seventeen, and your birthday is in November."
"Right," Tracey said, nodding. "A junior. Do you know another junior who can help me today, Makenn?"
Makenna nodded. "I do, Trace. Here, follow me and try to blend in." She and Tracey marched toward the school building.
Stumbling, Tracey shyly searched the area and examined the other teens. He soon asked Makenna, "Makenna, do you have any advice for me about the first day of human school?"
"I sure do!" Makenna laughed. She smacked Tracey's back and knocked the breaths clean out of him.
Gasping, he reached into the left cut of his tunic-like shirt and grabbed his side. He tried to catch his breath. Why had Makenna hit him like that?
"First things first!" Makenna lifted her finger and closed one eye. "You have to be a pusher!"
"A pusher?" asked Tracey. Could he do that? He was Tracey.
"Yeah," said Makenna. "If you want to blend in, Trace, you must let go of being a nudger. You must be firm and tough."
Tracey gulped. Were human schools always this aggressive? He chuckled nervously. "Yeah. All right, Makenna. I can be firm and tough." He wasn't sure, though.
"That's my boy!" Makenna spoke. She smacked Tracey's back again, and he flinched, for she had struck his wings.
"Ow," he whispered. "Watch the wings, Makenna. I still have them, you know."
"Oh, sorry, Tracey," Makenna uttered, although she didn't sound sorry.
Tracey slightly glared at her, but he soon said, "Who's the person who's going to help me out today?"
Makenna smiled. "You'll see," she chuckled. "You'll like him."
Tracey furrowed his eyebrows. He had a feeling inside him that wasn't exactly fuzzy.
Makenna led Tracey closer to the school and waved at a few students.
"Why's everybody dressed up?" Tracey inquired.
Makenna glanced at him. "It's because it's Spirit Week. Today is Mathlete vs. Athlete Day."
"Spirit Week?" said Tracey. "What's Spirit Week?"
"It's a week when we show off our school spirit," explained Makenna. "The student government runs it. During Spirit Week, we can dress up according to the day's theme and attend school activities. At the end of the week, on Friday, there is a huge formal dance known as the Spirit Week Dance."
"Hm," thoughtfully spoke Tracey. "Interesting."
He and Makenna continued walking for a little longer. Then they stopped and studied the school.
A blonde-headed girl was not far from them, reading from a Kindle, dressed as a mathlete. Looking up, her big, green eyes landed on Tracey. She gasped at the sight of him. "OMG! I have found Romeo!" Hearts appeared in her eyes, and she slipped her Kindle into her book bag. Then, she put her hands together and hurried to Makenna and Tracey.
Makenna smiled when she recognized her. "Hey, Natalie."
Natalie pushed her aside to get to Tracey. "Let's lose this accessory." She approached and leaned toward him. "Hi. Are you a new student? I'd be glad to show you around."
Tracey stared at her.
Makenna soon came in. She took Tracey's wrist and said, "Sorry, Natalie, but he's with me. Come along, Tracey." She pulled Tracey toward the school's entrance and left Natalie behind.
Natalie fell to her knees and yelled, "No!" into the sky. "Romeo! Romeo! Wherefore art, though, Romeo? Come back!"
Makenna stopped Tracey at the school's front door. "I apologize about her. That was Natalie. She… well, she…" Makenna headed for the front door but stopped suddenly and covered her cheeks. "Ugh."
"What is it?" Tracey asked, stopping beside Makenna.
Groaning, she mumbled, "Why is he always here before me?"
Jimmy Carter stood before them with his gang. His eyes landed on Makenna, and he smirked, crossing his arms. Then, he and his gang started to approach her.
Tracey shivered. "Who's that?"
"Jimmy Carter," Makenna explained. "He's nothing but a royal pain in the butt."
Jimmy, like Tracey, wasn't dressed as either a mathlete or an athlete. He continued to approach the two fairies.
Tracey immediately stepped before Makenna, and his big, golden-brown eyes stared Jimmy down.
He stopped before them and chuckled at the sight of Tracey. "Oh, what do you know?" Jimmy asked in a mean tone. "Fairy Girl now has a bodyguard. So, you must be the ninja she mentioned yesterday. Are you a fairy, too? Can I call you Fairy Boy?"
"Well, actually," Tracey chuckled, "I am a—" Makenna stomped on his foot, and Tracey flinched. "Ow! I mean—who are you supposed to be? My name is Tracey, and I'm new here."
"Seriously?" Jimmy chuckled. "Tracey? That's a girl's name."
Tracey's cheeks flushed.
"My name is Jimmy Carter, and Makenna and I are very good friends," Jimmy continued. He smirked at Makenna. "Aren't we, Fairy Girl?" He stepped closer to Makenna, but Tracey pushed his chest back.
"Scram. You're not friends. I can sense it. I suggest you leave us be, you saucy boy."
"Saucy?" asked Jimmy. His cheeks flushed. "Why? I'm having so much fun. Here, why don't we do a trade, Ninja Boy?"
"Trade?" Tracey inquired.
Jimmy shrugged, "Yeah," and gestured at Makenna. "Fairy Girl for—" he slipped his hand into his backpack's side pocket and pulled out a bag of nuts—"this bag of nuts." Jimmy held the nuts up to Tracey's face.
"Nuts?" he asked. "Really? That's it?"
"Yeah," answered Jimmy. "What's wrong? Too much? Makenna, what do you say?" Heading toward Makenna, he shoved Tracey and almost knocked him down. However, he managed to regain balance, but just barely.
Jimmy stopped before Makenna and showed her the bag of nuts.
Makenna stared at them. Suddenly, a flash of fear washed across her face. "Wait," she nervously spoke, stepping back. "Are those nuts?"
Jimmy nodded. "They are."
Tracey observed Makenna's fearful face. Why did she look so scared?
Makenna gasped. "Nuts!" She quickly leaped back from the bag and held her hand up to Jimmy. "Get them away from me, Jimmy! Get those nuts out of my sight! Now!"
"Huh?" Jimmy and Tracey asked.
"Why?" Jimmy questioned.
"Get them away from me!" Makenna repeated. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Sobbing, she sank to her knees. "Please, Jimmy! Please! I'm begging you! Nuts are my worst enemy!"
"What do you mean, Fairy Girl?" was Jimmy's next question. He dropped the bag of nuts and stepped back. "Are you allergic to nuts?"
"Yes!" Makenna shouted. More tears streamed down her cheeks. "I am highly allergic to nuts, Jimmy! I've had an anaphylactic reaction to nuts before, and I don't want another one! It was not fun! Get them away from me!"
Jimmy quickly slipped the bag of nuts back into his backpack. "Sheesh, Delling," he spoke, shaking his head, "you're so dramatic. They're just nuts."
"I don't care!" Makenna choked out. "They're still nuts! Get out of here, Jimmy! Get out of here now!" Her tears fell like fountains.
Tracey noticed her distress and stumbled to her. Grabbing Makenna's arms, he lugged her to her feet and hugged her. "Shh, Makenna," he comfortably spoke. "Shh. I promise he won't do that again. If he does, I'll stop him. I promise. I don't want you to have an anaphylactic reaction."
Jimmy gagged at the sight of them hugging. Placing his hands on his hips, he shook his head. "You two disgust me. You better disconnect before Peter Nelson sees you." He turned to walk away. "See you later, Fairy Girl."
Makenna and Tracey watched as he waved and rejoined his gang.
Makenna, still hugging Tracey, felt him rub the back of her head. "Thank God," she whispered. "Thank God. Thank God. That was way too close. Sorry, Tracey." She had calmed down a bit. Tears stopped falling from her sockets.
Tracey soon removed his hand and rubbed tears from Makenna's cheeks. "I didn't know you were allergic to nuts, Makenna. Why didn't you tell me? I could've stopped him and sent him flying off the face of the Earth."
"I don't like to talk about it," Makenna whimpered. Disconnecting, she took his hand. "I find it foolish to be allergic to and scared of nuts."
"You're not the only one, Makenna," Tracey explained. "There are plenty of people out there allergic to nuts. You're not alone."
"Are you allergic to anything?" Makenna questioned.
Tracey hesitated. "Well, no, but I know what people are like when they have allergies. I've done lots of research about the two. Allergies were a main lesson Sensei Merlin taught me back on Merlin's Island. He said it was crucial to know about them and their effects on both fairies and people."
"Oh, Tracey," Makenna said in a flirty, somewhat jealous voice, "I wish Merlin were my teacher."
Tracey smiled. "Maybe one day, he will be. It's all right, Makenna. I'll make sure nothing happens to you. It's kind of my job." He and Makenna closed their eyes and hugged again.
However, Peter Nelson stepped into the scene and witnessed them hugging. He was dressed as an athlete: tennis shoes, running shorts, and a blue T-shirt with a Clemson paw.
Peter froze at the sight of Makenna and Tracey. Eventually, he rolled his eyes, sighed, and counted, "One. Two."
Makenna and Tracey turned their heads, and their eyes landed on Peter.
He glared. "Two and a half."
Makenna and Tracey disconnected, and Tracey cleared his throat.
"Thank you," Peter said. He approached Makenna and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Tracey.
The two boys met eyes, and immediately, they gagged.
"Ugh!" said Tracey.
Peter glared. "You!" He and Tracey threatened each other with their fists.
"Peter Nelson!" Makenna yelled when she, too, recognized Peter. She blushed and immediately started to work on her hair.
"What are you doing here, Ninja Boy?" Peter demanded.
"What are you doing here?" Tracey asked back. His wings tingled under his ninja-style, green and purple, tunic-like shirt. "How did you find us?"
"I saw you hugging each other," Peter angrily explained. "And, Ninja Boy, if I see that again, you'll take a trip to the ER! What are you doing at our school?"
Tracey opened his mouth to speak, but Makenna beat him because she feared he would give away their secret. "Peter, he's a transfer student. He came from another high school. This is his first time at this school."
"What grade is he?" asked Peter.
"11th," Makenna explained. "Just like you. I'm glad I found you, or you found us. Tracey needs to spend the day with you, go to all your classes, and see what 11th Grade is all about."
"WHOA, WHAT?" the two boys shouted.
"No way!" said Peter.
"You're crazy, Makenna!" Tracey uttered back. "He'll kill me!"
Peter cracked his knuckles. "You bet I will! And when I do kill you, Ninja Boy, I'm going to drop you off a cliff into the ocean!"
"Boys," Makenna calmly spoke, putting her hands together, "can you try not to kill each other? I mean, just for today. After today, you can chase each other to your heart's content. Okay?" She put her hands behind her back. "Okay." She nervously smiled at each boy.
Peter and Tracey dramatically sighed. They shook hands to say they had a deal, but while shaking, they gave each other the evil death glare.
Tracey tightened his grip on Peter's hand and burned it slightly with his magic.
Peter flinched and pulled away. "Ow! What was that? Something just burned my hand!" He dropped his book bag and examined his hand.
Tracey huffed, closed his eyes, and turned away. Opening one eye, it glowed green. One of his magic ninja stars appeared in midair. Tracey grabbed it and threw it behind Peter.
His star sank into the courtyard's concrete. A vine appeared from it. It crept toward Peter and wrapped around his ankle, pulling him to the ground.
"What in the name of—?" Peter asked, studying the vine. "Where did this vine come from?"
Makenna glared at Tracey. "Tracey!" she whispered.
Tracey glanced at her. "You told me to be a pusher," he whispered back.
"Release him!" Makenna demanded. She pointed at Peter, who tugged the vine.
Tracey rolled his eyes. "As you wish." He waved his hand, and the vine around Peter's ankle loosened and dropped to the ground.
Quickly, Peter pulled it off and jumped to his feet. "What the—?" he grumbled. "That was so weird!"
"Are we all ready now?" asked Makenna, crossing her arms. "You guys aren't going to kill each other yet, right?"
Peter dramatically sighed. "Not yet," he growled, glaring at Tracey.
The bell for homeroom rang.
Tracey jumped and peered into the sky. "What was that?"
"That was the bell for homeroom," Makenna elucidated. "It means the new school day is beginning. After homeroom, you go to 1st Period. Peter will take you to his homeroom, Tracey. He'll take care of you today. I promise."
"Yeah," growled Peter, cracking his knuckles again. "I'm going to take really good care of you, Ninja Boy. You can count on it."
Tracey gulped.
Makenna next told him, "One more thing, Tracey, please, try your best to blend in. Remember, you must be a pusher, not a nudger." She waved. "I'll see you later at lunch. You can count on it." Makenna began walking away.
"Makenna, wait!" Tracey called. He held his hand out to her.
Makenna stopped and turned back to him and Peter. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Just follow Peter, Trace! I promise he's going to take care of you!"
"But, Makenna!" Tracey protested.
Makenna again waved and turned on her heel. She sauntered into her school's front building, and Tracey, Merlin's apprentice, was left alone with Peter Nelson.
They met eyes, and Tracey saw Peter still glaring and cracking his knuckles. "Oh, help me," he whimpered.