Peter Nelson was beyond jealous. How dare Tracey replace his position as the top student in Mr. Gheesling's Spanish class! On their way to 2nd Period, Geometry, he angrily asked Tracey, "Where did you learn to speak like that, Ninja Boy? Talk, or I'll make you talk!" Bruce wasn't with him. His class was on the other side of the building.
Peter and Tracey stopped, and Tracey slightly smiled before answering, "Sensei Merlin. He taught me Spanish, French, German, and Italian. He says that it's crucial for a fairy to learn numerous languages."
Peter stared at him. He obviously didn't believe him when he openly told him he was a fairy.
Glaring, Peter lifted his hands and snatched Tracey's shirt collar. He shoved him against some lockers and yelled, "I have had it with you! Are you trying to prove that you're better than me?"
"No," Tracey whimpered.
"You're supposed to be blending in!" Peter shook Tracey's collar.
"I am blending in," he argued.
"By speaking fluent Spanish and singing a song in Italian?" asked Peter.
Tracey gulped. "Sorry, Peter," he choked, "but that was just how Merlin taught me."
"You're a disgrace to this world!" Peter shook his shirt collar again. "Say it straight to my face! 'I am a disgrace to this world!'"
Tracey slightly glared. Inhaling, he looked Peter in the eyes, shook his head, and said, "No, I'm not. I am a miracle. You can pick on me all you want, Peter, but you will always fail to get rid of me. I will get Makenna away from you, and you can't stop me. I'm not a saucy boy. You are."
A fire burned in Peter's eyes. He jerked Tracey off the lockers and shoved him into another line of them—the lockers on the other side of the hallway.
Tracey slammed against them and fell to the ground, whispering, "Ow!" He rubbed his head and glanced up at Peter. He tried getting up, but Peter stomped on his hand. Tracey yelled and fell to the ground again.
"I'm warning you, Ninja Boy!" Peter shouted, rubbing his shoe against Tracey's knuckles. "If you embarrass me like that again, then you will be dead! I can assure you! So, if you want to live, I suggest you shut your big mouth and keep it shut! You will not come between Makenna and me! Go find another girl, but she's mine!" He removed his shoe from Tracey's hand and turned on his heel. He marched forward and left him lying on the ground.
While Peter walked away, the 2nd Period's late bell rang, and Tracey jumped. However, he remained on the ground for a few more moments and tried to recover from his fall. Then, massaging the hand Peter had stepped on, he struggled to his feet and watched as he became smaller and smaller. "I don't like him," Tracey mumbled, dropping his hand from his other one.
He pulled his wings apart under his shirt and tried to flap them, but they hit the wall, and Tracey failed to lift himself into the air. He groaned and reached for his hand again. He wanted to fly, but he couldn't.
Tracey inhaled, then exhaled. Afterward, he marched forward after Peter and made another failed attempt at flying. Ugh, could this school day be over already?
***
2nd Period for Makenna was Gym with Jessica. They were going to play basketball.
Makenna liked basketball. She always ran down the court, took the rebound, and dribbled the ball to her team's basket. However, Makenna didn't feel like participating that day. There was too much swirling around in her brain. All she could think about was Tracey. Makenna felt like a terrible friend, leaving him with Peter when she knew he hated him. She just hoped that Peter wasn't bullying him. Tracey didn't deserve to be bullied.
Another thing on her mind was herself. Since Makenna was now a full-fledged fairy, she didn't know if school would ever be the same. Not surprisingly, Jimmy Carter was also in her gym class, which made her day worse. Even better, Makenna had been put on the same team as him. The coach, Lulu, had broken the class up into four teams. While two teams went against each other, the other two sat on the sideline and waited for their turn to play.
During her team's game, Makenna was a zombie. She stood there and didn't move a muscle. She wore a red penny, as did her team members. All of them, except Makenna, hurried down the court and tried to steal the ball from the other team.
Jessica, who had also been put on Makenna's team, succeeded in stealing the ball, and she started to dribble.
"Yeah, Jessica!" Coach Lulu cheered from the sideline. "Take it down!"
Jessica dribbled the ball down the court toward her team's basket and yelled, "Makenna!" She passed the ball to Makenna, who stood in an area where she had an open shot.
However, she didn't bother to catch the ball. Makenna sighed, let it brush off her fingertips, and examined it as it went out.
Coach Lulu blew her whistle and pointed her hand down the court at the other team's basket. "White ball!" she announced.
The opposing team high-fived with each other.
Jessica glared at her friend, "Makenna!" and placed her hands on her hips.
Makenna again sighed. Throughout the rest of the game, she continued to stand and think about Tracey, Merlin, Merlin's Island, and the Octopus Man.
Toward the end of the game, she once again heard a wise female voice in her head. "Makenna."
Makenna gasped. "It's you." She searched the gym for the source of the voice. "Where are you?"
"Makenna," repeated the voice, "tonight is the night. Tonight, you will meet me in your dreams."
Again, Makenna gasped. "My dreams?" She clenched her fists.
"Yes," spoke the voice.
"Hold on a second!" Makenna yelped. "Are you… Selene?"
"I am," answered the voice.
"Selene?" Makenna said. "You mean Selene, as in the wisest, oldest fairy in the world?" She paid no attention to her surroundings. She listened to the wise voice communicating with her through telepathy.
"Well," Selene replied, "I wouldn't exactly call me wise, but I am very old."
Unfortunately, just before she could tell Makenna something more, a "Look out!" was heard before her.
"Huh?" Makenna asked. She snapped out of her doze and yelped when she saw the basketball approaching her. It hit her in the tummy, and Makenna flew into the ground. "Ooof!" she yelled. She landed on her back and closed her eyes. Her fake glasses were knocked off her face and landed beside her.
Gasps came from around the Metamorphic Fairy, and she heard Coach Lulu and Jessica shouting, "Makenna!"
Sudden vigorous stomping hurried toward her.
Makenna soon sat. She opened her eyes and rubbed the back of her head. However, she tensed when she saw a young hand hovering before her. Whose hand was it, though?
Makenna moved her eyes away from the hand and peered up at its owner. She gasped.
Before Makenna, leaning over her and offering his hand to her… was Jimmy Carter. Jimmy Carter! What?
He smiled and continued to hold his hand out to Makenna.
For a moment, Makenna stared. She couldn't believe it. Was Jimmy Carter seriously offering to help her up?
Jimmy continued to smile, but he did not say a word.
After a bit, Makenna cracked a small smile and took Jimmy's hand. He pulled her up, and it wasn't long before the two Ninth Graders faced one another. Makenna rubbed her hip and crossed her arms.
Jimmy saluted at her. "Hi. You all right?"
Makenna saw that he actually had nice teeth. Every tooth was white, and each one seemed to sparkle. "Yeah," she answered, nodding. "Thank you, Jimmy."
"No problem," he chuckled. His voice cracked. "I don't like it when girls get hurt. Especially"—he gave another chortle—"ones allergic to nuts. Are you sure you're okay?"
Nodding, Makenna again said, "Yeah." She still couldn't believe this was Jimmy Carter she was looking at.
"Cool," he uttered, flashing his beautiful teeth. "Let's rock the rest of the game, shall we?"
"Yeah," chuckled Makenna. "Let's." Jimmy soon left her, and Makenna watched him go. She was in shock. Jessica, too.
She and Makenna observed as Jimmy headed up the court and stopped at the other end.
They then exchanged glances and mouthed, Was that Jimmy Carter?