Makenna was out for a few hours, but that wasn't all bad because she was exhausted. When she finally woke up, she saw Selene's smiling face looking down at her. "Selene!" Makenna gasped. She shot to a sitting position, and a blanket dropped onto her lap. Her wings drooped behind her, and she met eyes with Selene, asking, "Where am I?" in a groggy voice. Her eyes rotated everywhere. She finally realized she was inside the wrecked sailboat.
Despite the boat being thirty-seven feet long, the inside was fairly large but slightly cramped. Makenna could tell the boat was old, but Selene had done a good job fixing it.
The boat's ceiling hatch was open for fresh air, but not the door leading to the lower deck. A kettle of tea rested on the boat's stove, and the open hatch sucked the steam out. It was warm in the boat but not too warm. The temperature was just right.
While she examined it, Makenna said, "Whoa."
Selene soon left her, and Makenna watched as she picked up a cup of water. Then, returning to her, she offered it and said, "Come on now. Drink up."
Makenna saw that she wore a nurse's cap over her head. "Thank you," she softly spoke. She accepted the cup and took a sip from it. She couldn't believe she was looking at Selene. She really was real. Makenna was overwhelmed. Another fairy. It truly was another fairy!
Selene again smiled. "Ah, throughout my 8,000 years of living, I have never met another fairy as exceptional as you, Miss Delling."
Makenna's eyes widened. Was Selene seriously 8,000 years old? That would make her even older than Merlin! Not bothering to ask, she took another sip from the cup.
Selene chuckled and added, "No, I take that back." Her wand, now a wooden cane, was clutched tightly in her hand, and she took a few steps away from Makenna. "Your friend is pretty exceptional, too." She chuckled again.
Selene reminded Makenna of Yoda. With her blanket still covering her knees, she put down the cup and pulled them close, staring at her. Finally, she asked, "Did you save us, Selene?"
"I wouldn't necessarily say 'save,'" Selene answered, stopping at the steaming tea kettle. "But I did assist you. The Octopus Man is bad news, Miss Delling. Weak. You're too weak."
"Weak?" Makenna asked. There was a pinch of anger in her voice. "What do you mean by 'weak'? Aren't I now a Level 2 Metamorphic Fairy?"
Selene hoped her prissy little attitude wasn't booting up again. "Yes, you are, Makenna," she told her. Propping her cane against the wall, she picked up the tea kettle and poured herself a cup. "However, it doesn't mean you're strong enough to defeat the Octopus Man and save your friend. He needs you, and you need him."
Makenna gulped. In a low voice, she asked Selene, who had just sipped her cup of tea, "Where is he? Where's Tracey?"
"Ah," chuckled the wise, fairy godmother-like fairy, "our little friend. Merlin's apprentice." She set the cup down and pointed her hand toward the boat's bow. "He's right there."
Makenna turned her head and gasped.
There was Tracey. At the sailboat's bow was the front berth, and he rested on it with a blanket on top of him, a pillow under his head, and a cold towel over his forehead. Built-in fans sprayed cool air over him. He wore a fairy oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, which only magical beings could wear.
At the sight of her friend, Makenna quickly pulled the blanket off her legs and swung them over the side of the couch-like berth she was on. She jumped to her feet and hurried toward Tracey, her wings slapping against the backs of her legs. She stopped before Tracey and whimpered, "Oh, Tracey, I'm so sorry." Makenna rubbed his forehead and saw that he was asleep. "Selene," she inquired, "did you put him under another magic coma?"
Selene shook her head. "Magic coma, no. I did not, Makenna. The mask he's wearing is providing him with magic. He's lost too much magic. Extra magic is also basically a sleeping potion, so it's helping him sleep. Basically, he's sedated."
"But what's wrong with him?" Makenna yelped. She took her hand away from Tracey's forehead. "Why is he so ill? He's my friend! He—"
Selene held up her hand as a gesture for her to shut up, and Makenna did. She picked up her cup of tea with her eyes closed and took another sip from it. "Ah," Selene spoke, lowering the cup. "Don't worry, my dear. He'll be fine. You got him here right on time. I haven't yet figured out what's wrong with him, but it's stripped him of a lot of magic. Losing magic is like losing blood. If you lose too much, you die. Not to mention, he's lost over 70% of his magic. It's strange, though; he's usually a very healthy fairy."
"But what's causing him to lose magic?" asked Makenna. "Is it a spell? A curse? His arm injury? What is it, Selene, what?"
"I don't know yet," admitted Selene. "But I'm sure it has to do something with the Octopus Man. Miss Delling, I know how you feel about him, but do you think I can keep him here overnight?"
"Overnight?" Makenna nervously asked. She didn't want to leave her friend. He was her friend!
"Just for tonight," Selene explained. "If I keep him, it'll allow me to figure out what's wrong with him. When I figure it out, I promise to tell you when I visit you tonight in your dreams. You can pick him up tomorrow after school, and then I was hoping you could take him back to Merlin's Island. He'll be in good hands. I promise. I like helping others. When I was a young fairy, maybe 1,000 years old, I worked as a nurse fairy, so this is nothing new. Please, Makenna, I can help him, and I will help him."
Makenna sighed and lowered her head. "All right, Selene."
"You need to get some rest, too," Selene elucidated. "You're exhausted. The new transformation and Octopus Man have also taken a toll on you. Go home, Makenna. Go home and sleep on it. I will take good care of Tracey. I promise."
Makenna still didn't want to leave her friend, but she knew Selene was right. She was exhausted, and a bruise had appeared on her head from where she had hit it when she slammed down on the sand.
Makenna turned to Tracey again and said, "Thank you, my friend. I'll be back." Leaning forward, she kissed him on the forehead and patted his shoulder. She backed away from him, and Selene moved out of her way.
Makenna headed toward the boat's back door and, reaching it, unlatched it. She climbed up the ladder and pushed it open.
Outside was revealed. It was sunset, and the sun's rays blanketed the clouds, which made it even more attractive.
Before Makenna climbed outside to the boat's stern, a hand clasped her wrist and stopped her. Makenna peered over her shoulder and saw that Selene was the one holding her.
"Be careful going home, my dear," she said.
"I will." Makenna released her wrist. "Thank you, Selene." She peered back at Tracey one last time. "Goodbye, Tracey. You'll be okay. I promise. You're going home tomorrow."
"I'll keep you updated on him," Selene comfortably spoke.
Makenna feebly smiled. Then, nodding, she climbed onto the boat's deck, and Selene closed the door behind her.
***
Makenna stood alone on the deck. She held her arms out to her sides and lifted her massive wings. Makenna then tiptoed to the boat's bow and stepped over the torn sail. She stopped at the front and peered forward to the ocean and dark clouds hovering on its horizon.
While Makenna stood there, she tried to think of how to help Tracey. If Selene was working on him that night, he needed somebody there to comfort him. Who, though? It couldn't be Makenna. She had to go home and get some rest. Besides, Selene would be visiting her that night in her dreams.
Makenna thought for a moment. Who could comfort Tracey? After a bit, she thought of it!
Gasping, Makenna snapped her fingers. "Of course!" She opened her wings and flapped them. Makenna lifted off the sailboat and acted out her flying pose. She was nervous but believed she could do it.
With her teeth clenched together, Makenna flew toward the ocean and started to fly in circles. While she flew, she reached for her head and begged through telepathy, "Gina. Gina, please. Hear me. I have failed to protect Tracey from the Octopus Man. He needs you. He's fallen very ill. Please, Gina, please." She waited for Gina's response but asked herself, "How can she?" Gina was a bird. Makenna doubted she was a magical being. Momentarily, she stopped and hovered. Then, Makenna tried again. "Gina, please."
Makenna's cry for Gina went to Merlin's Island. It was quiet there. All the critters were settling down for the night except Gina. She stood at the edge of the cliff that could be accessed by Tracey's secret exit from his room and stared at the ocean with her wings folded. Since Tracey left, Gina had been waiting for him on the cliff. She was getting ready to settle down when she heard Makenna's voice.
"Gina."
Gina's beak dropped when she recognized the voice. The wind rushed through her feathers, and a trail of flower petals blew by her.
"Gina, please," Makenna said. "Tracey needs you. He's fallen very ill."
Gina seemed to gasp.
"He wants you there for him," Makenna added. "Selene's keeping him overnight at the shipwreck on Kiawah Island. Gina, I'm begging you."
Gina stepped back from where she rested and began communicating with Makenna through telepathy. "What's wrong with him? What do you mean, 'Tracey has fallen very ill'?"
"He just has!" Makenna said. "Gina, please go to him!"
"Right." Gina nodded and flapped her wings, lifting into the sky. "But I'll have to tell Merlin where I'm going."
"How's Merlin doing?" asked Makenna. "Is he holding up?"
"He's in bed a lot," Gina explained, "but he is. I just have to fly to him and tell him where I'm going."
"I understand," Makenna said. "Please hurry." She lowered her voice. "I'm talking to a bird."
Gina scoffed. "I heard that." She and Makenna finished their telepathic conversation, and Gina wasted no time. She flapped her wings and soared into the secret passageway.
Makenna still floated over the channel and mumbled, "Stubborn bird," under her breath before smiling. "I did it, though! I communicated with somebody through telepathy! So cool! Don't worry, Tracey." She turned toward the sailboat and immediately became serious again. "Gina is coming." With that, she flapped her wings and headed for Seabrook Island.
***
From the outside, the shipwrecked sailboat looked empty. However, it wasn't.
Selene peeped through a lower deck porthole and watched Makenna fly away, whispering, "Go, little fairy, go." When Makenna vanished, she removed her face from the porthole and turned to Tracey. He was still sleeping, not moving a muscle, and his knee stuck up under his blanket.
Selene slowly approached him and reached forward, taking the towel off his forehead. With her other hand, she felt it and sighed. "Oh, poor dear. You've still got a high fever. Hang in there, though." She placed the towel over Tracey's forehead again and reached for another blanket. "I'm going to figure out what's wrong with you. I promise. Then, tomorrow, Makenna will take you home."
Selene picked up the blanket and tossed it over Tracey's first blanket. She gently pushed his knee down and whispered, "You're going to be okay."