Makenna soon leaped to her feet and shuffled to the dress box Tracey had given her to put her dress in. She picked it up and stared at it, sighing.
Raeven landed on her shoulder.
Makenna pulled the lid of the box off and reached inside, grabbing her beautiful, blue dress.
She changed into it, and Raeven commented, "You look beautiful in that dress, Makenna," when he saw her.
Makenna smiled feebly. She turned on some music from her boom box and plopped down in a rolling chair. Makenna rolled it to her mirror and went straight to work.
She took her hair out of the high ponytail, grabbed her curling iron, and turned it on. With it, Makenna curled her hair. She only burned herself once.
While she curled it, Raeven went through her lipstick tubes and found a light pink one. He pushed it to Makenna and nudged her with his claw.
She peered down at him and the tube, and Raeven nodded.
Makenna soon finished curling her hair and picked up the lipstick. She puckered her lips after putting it on and admired herself in the mirror.
Next, she applied a base to her pale complexion. Then, to complete the ensemble, she put on a slight blush. Makenna also considered adding mascara, but then she thought that would be too much.
When she finally finished changing, she stood from her makeup table and twirled before Raeven, asking, "Well, Raeven, how do I look?"
"You look beautiful," Raeven admitted. "Absolutely beautiful. I love the curls."
"Thank you," Makenna feebly said. With one hand, she reached for her curls and placed her other hand on her bare neck. "If only I had my necklace."
Raeven flew into her arms and told her, "Don't worry, Makenna, you'll get your necklace back. I promise. Right now, let's focus on going to the dance and getting your third transformation."
Makenna gulped and admitted, "I'm a little nervous, Raeven."
"Don't be. I'm right here." Raeven crawled onto her shoulder and pecked her cheek.
Makenna reached for it and said, "Thank you, Raeven. Well, let's go ahead and head back downstairs." She shuffled over to her closet and opened it. Makenna reached inside and dug around. She pulled out a purse and slipped it over her head. Opening it, she nodded at Raeven, and he nodded back.
Flapping his wings, he hopped off Makenna's shoulder and flew into the purse.
"Are you going to be okay in there, Raeven?" Makenna inquired.
"I will be," he said back. "No worries. Let's head back downstairs now."
"Right." Makenna shuffled over to her door and opened it, stepping back into the hallway.
Downstairs, Tracey tried to stand, but Mrs. Delling pushed him back down. Caleb was upstairs in his room working on a science project, and Makenna was coming down the stairs.
Tracey, fighting Mrs. Delling, begged, "Let me go, Mrs. Delling, please!"
"I can't, Tracey. You've got to sit still."
Tracey fought harder. "I don't want to sit still! I want to live my life!"
Makenna reached the bottom of the stairs and cleared her throat.
Hearing her, Tracey and Mrs. Delling stopped fighting and turned their heads. Their eyes landed on Makenna.
Tracey's eyes widened. "Makenna,"
Mrs. Delling stammered, "You look gorgeous. Where did you get that dress? It's beautiful."
"Tracey made it for me," Makenna answered. "He made it with a magic paintbrush."
"A magic paintbrush?" Mrs. Delling unconvincingly asked. "Sure."
Tracey continued to stare at Makenna, immobilized. He couldn't even speak. However, in his mind, he asked himself, "Wait, I made that?"
"You did, Tracey," Gina told him. She landed on his head. "You really don't remember?"
Tracey shook his head no.
Makenna soon approached him and said, "Thank you, Tracey. Thank you so much for the dress. It's beautiful. Well?" She twirled. "How do I look?"
"Beautiful," Tracey finally replied. "So, I made you that dress?"
Makenna stopped twirling, "Yeah." She met Tracey's eyes. "Don't you remember? You made it to Merlin's Cave with a magic paintbrush."
"I did?" Tracey looked very confused.
Still resting on his head, Gina leaned down and peered into his face, asking, "Hello, Tracey? Are you in there?" She dug her claws into his mass of black hair.
Tracey stared into outer space.
Makenna leaned toward him and asked, "You really don't remember making this dress for me?"
"Remember?" questioned Merlin's apprentice. "I remember an enormous wave and storm, but was everything after that merely a dream?"
Both Makenna and Mrs. Delling stared at him. Why was Tracey acting so weird?
Gina peered into his face again.
Raeven soon poked out from Makenna's purse and asked, "What's going on? What's wrong with Tracey?"
Through telepathy, Gina told Makenna, "His pupils are dilated. I think he's dizzy."
"It's his wings," Makenna mumbled. "His wings are really hurting him now. Tracey..." She took his shoulders. "I'm going to lie you back down."
"No," he protested. "I have to go to that dance with you, Makenna. Let me up."
Gina hopped off his head and landed on the back of the couch.
"No!" Makenna snapped at Tracey. "You are not going, Trace! Forget it. You are way too sick. Don't worry, Raeven will look after me." She lay Tracey down, and he closed his eyes.
"Raeven?" Mrs. Delling soon asked, glancing at Makenna. "You're taking that bat with you? Why?"
"He just wants to come along, Mom," Makenna said in a slightly heated voice. "I don't see anything wrong with that." Patting Raeven's head, she continued. "All right. I'm going to head outside. Peter will be here soon."
"Very well," spoke Mrs. Delling. She faced her daughter and took her shoulders. "Have fun, Makenna. Wait here for a moment. I want to give you something."
"Give me something?" Makenna questioned. "Give me what?"
Mrs. Delling didn't answer. She removed her hands from Makenna and slipped away.
Makenna and Raeven patiently waited for her to return.
She soon did, holding Makenna's phone and offering it to her. "Here's your phone, Makenna, just in case you need to call either me or your dad."
Makenna took the phone and said, "Thank you, Mom."
"No problem. Use it wisely. Again, Makenna, have a good time at the dance. I'll take care of Tracey and ensure your dad doesn't distract him again."
"No," Tracey protested. "No, I'm going."
Makenna studied him and said, "No, you're not, Tracey. Forget it. Mom." She and Mrs. Delling met eyes. "Ask Caleb for help if you need it. Remember, he's the fairy expert."
Smiling feebly, Michelle nodded and said, "Will do. See you later, Makenna."
"See you later, Mom." One last time, Makenna glanced down at Tracey and grasped his shoulder. "I'll be back, Tracey. You concentrate on resting. Are you ready, Raeven?"
"Ready," he answered.
Makenna slipped her phone into her purse and turned on her heel. She marched toward the front door, and Mrs. Delling listened as it opened and slammed back shut.
Soon after Makenna vanished, she glanced at the staircase and called, "Caleb! Caleb!"
Caleb soon appeared at the top of the staircase. "You called, Mom?"
"Yes, dear," Michelle answered. "Do you think you can help me with this fairy?" She pointed at Tracey. "Makenna says you're the fairy expert."
"Sure." Caleb waved, "I'll be right down."
***
Makenna waited for Peter at the Gator Pond. She bent her knees, pulled them close, and examined her reflection. She thought she saw something in it: a faint, blue glow.
Makenna leaned toward it and asked, "What is that?"
"What's what?" inquired Raeven. He poked his head out of Makenna's purse.
"That," she answered, pointing at the glow in the water.
Raeven, too, looked at it and said, "Ooh, what a strange little firefly. I've never seen something like that."
"Same here," Makenna said. "Hm." She pulled her hair behind her right, pointy ear. "I'm curious. I wonder what it is." Very slowly, she lifted her hand and reached for it.
Raeven watched, intrigued.
Makenna's hand slipped into the warm water, and she moved it toward the glow, which had now turned into a spinning ball of blue magic. Makenna lifted her other hand and slipped it into the water as well. She stopped her hands momentarily from picking it up. Then, taking a deep breath, Makenna scooped up the ball of light.
The second she did, blue magic outlined her. The image of Jenkins Point and the Gator Pond faded, replaced by the vast expanse of the ocean.
Makenna gasped and searched her surroundings. She didn't move; only the images did.
Makenna hovered in an environment similar to the one Tracey dreamed about. It was dark.
All around her, Makenna heard splashing, and from the ocean before her, leaped out watery, mermaid-like figures. It appeared they were running from someone—but who?
Something flew through Makenna and went toward them. It was the Octopus Man. The Octopus Man had flown through her.
He pointed his massive trident at the ocean and mermaids, and from the points of it escaped yellow strings of magic. They flew into the sea and came into contact with the water. It bubbled and turned yellowish. Poison. The Octopus Man was poisoning the ocean.
Makenna watched the action in fright and loudly asked, "What is this? Raeven! Raeven, get me out of here!" She saw that the mermaids had stopped running, and all of them gripped their throats.
From out of nowhere, a blast of light appeared beside Makenna, and a ball of light appeared beside her. It flew toward the Octopus Man. When it reached him, the ball's light expanded and took on the form of a fairy-like figure.
Makenna watched as she held out her hands and attacked the Octopus Man. Very faintly, Makenna saw fins on the backs of the fairy's legs. "What is this?" she repeated. A beam of light flew by her head, and her eyes widened. "Who are you?" she yelled at the fairy-like figure.
There was another splash—a massive one—and the same humanoid, Kraken-like alien creature that Tracey had seen appeared before Makenna.
She screamed at the sight of it. "What is that thing?"
Behind her, the blue, fairy-like figure attacked the Octopus Man without any hesitation.
Before Makenna, the Kraken roared and dove for her.
She screamed again and fell backward in reality. Her head almost hit the Gator Pond's bench.
The premonition faded. Sights and smells of Seabrook Island returned. However, Makenna thought she heard hissing laughter all around her.
She turned her head and tried to find the source of the laughter, but her eyes widened.
Standing behind the bench, smiling at her, was Peter Nelson.
"Peter Nelson!" Makenna gasped.
"Hey, Makenna," he said, waving. "Are you ready?"
Makenna, who breathed heavily, quickly asked him, "What was that thing?"
"What was what?" Peter questioned.
Makenna paused before saying, "Nothing. Ye-Yeah, I-I'm ready to go, Pe-Pete." Still, she gulped. She could not get the premonition out of her head.
Makenna shakily stood and picked up her purse. Raeven had ducked inside it again, and for once, he was quiet.
Peter offered Makenna his hand, and she took it. "Why do you look so freaked out?" he wondered.
"No-Nothing. I'm just super excited about this dance."
"Good. Well, then, we should get there as soon as possible. Um..." Peter searched the area. "Where is your little friend? I swear, he totally ruined the pep rally today! Well, where is he?"
Makenna gulped. "He-He's staying behind. He decided not to come."
Peter Nelson smirked and then sneered, saying, "Perfect."
Makenna gulped again. Yep, Peter was definitely up to something. However, she decided not to break up with him yet—only because she had to go to the dance and, duh, because he was Peter Nelson. He was the hottest guy in her entire school, although Makenna had to admit that Tracey was pretty good-looking, too. Besides, this would be her last chance to earn her third transformation. If she didn't earn it tonight, then she would be a dead fairy by the next day.
Peter helped Makenna into his car, but she shook and stared at the ground the entire time.
If only Tracey weren't ill.