"How did you do that? That was incredible!" Mary Alice was so shocked that she dropped her lead rope.
"I just stayed calm and talked to him. Master Merlin taught me that you need to be cool, calm, and collected around a horse. I call it the Ninja Technique." Tracey then realized what he just said. "Oops."
"Wait, Master Merlin?" Leah questioned.
Snap. Tracey was in a spot. He scratched the back of his head as he tried to come up with an excuse. "See, Merlin is the name of one of my teachers. He has a great admiration for horses." That wasn't entirely a lie. Merlin was his teacher, but he died not so long ago. At least the excuse was enough to convince the girls.
The next thing on the agenda was for them to put out halters and groom the horses. Tracey knew how to do that, but Mary Alice still wanted Leah to assist him.
The first ones to get groomed were Haddie, Bullet, and Chance.
Leah grabbed a groom box for her and Tracey and led him into Haddie's stall. Smiling, she said, "All right, Tracey. It's time to teach you about the different kinds of brushes."
"Don't worry, Leah, I know what to do," Tracey explained. Kneeling to the box, he pulled out a circular brush. "First is the curry comb. With it, you brush the horse's hair in a circular fashion." Tracey did just that. He started on Haddie's right side, since it was the side furthest from the wall. Just like he said, he circularly brushed her hair.
Leah couldn't help but smile. "Wow. You're pretty impressive, Tracey. What comes after the curry comb?"
"The hard brush."
"And then?"
"The soft brush."
"And then?"
"The comb."
"And what comes last?"
"The hoof pick."
"The heck, dude? I don't think you need a mentor." Leah started to leave, but Tracey stopped her.
"Wait. I don't want to be alone."
"Oh, of course." At his request, Leah returned. She and Tracey worked together to make Haddie spick and span.
After a moment of silence, Leah inhaled. "Can I ask you something, Tracey?"
"Sure. What's up?" Tracey was working on Haddie's hooves. He held the hoof pick in his right hand and lifted Haddie's left back leg.
Leah was over on the other side, finishing up combing Haddie's tail. She thought for a moment and then asked, "Who are you?"
"Me? I'm Tracey."
"Pfft! I know you're Tracey, but who are you?"
Tracey shrugged. "No one important."
"I highly doubt that," Leah admitted.
Tracey remained calm, even though the child was starting to get on his nerves. "I'm traveling from far away. Let's just say that."
"How far are we talking?"
"Far. Okay?" Tracey finished up Haddie's hooves and wasted no time moving on to the next horse.
Left behind, Leah sighed. She put Haddie's halter on and stepped out to the barn's main room.
There was Tracey. He stood before Monkey's stall, looking upset. He hugged the hoof pick to his chest and closed his eyes, as images of Emilee and Jesse flashed through his brain.
Leah stopped beside him and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I just want to be left alone for a bit."
Leah prepared to speak again, but Stacie ruined the moment. "Whoo-hoo! Selfie time, Maddie!" She had Maddie's head poking out of her stall and was holding her phone before her.
"Wait! Don't forget me!" said Corrine. She closed up Chance's stall and quickly joined her friend. The two girls made goofy faces as they took selfie after selfie.
Seeing them, Tracey felt even more alone. With hope he would lift his spirits, he ducked into Monkey's stall.
Monkey didn't move at the sight of him. He let Tracey brush him and pick out his feet.
At that time, a few of the campers started showing up. The first two were a little girl and her older brother. Both of them had tan skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. The little girl's hair was held up in a ponytail. On the other hand, her brother's hair was a fuzzy mess. Both children wore T-shirts with a pair of riding pants. The little boy looked to be about nine years old, and the girl, six.
Mary Alice greeted them, just as Mrs. Connie came in for the day.
Mrs. Connie was a slightly plump lady with medium-length brown hair and blue eyes. She looked to be in her early forties.
Tracey remembered her. After all, it was Mrs. Connie who asked for his help that week.
She leaned toward the two children and said, "Hi, Antonio and Maria!"
Maria smiled, but Antonio merely scoffed. He crossed his arms and turned his head away from the adult.
Mrs. Connie brushed off the rude remark. She held a roll of tape and a Sharpie out to the siblings, saying, "Why don't you guys make your nametags, and then Miss Mary Alice will show you where to put your stuff." She rose back to her feet, and her eyes landed on Tracey, who had just finished with Monkey. "Yes, Tracey! You made it!" She gestured him over. It wasn't long until he stood with Mrs. Connie, Maria, and Antonio.
Mrs. Connie placed her hand on his shoulder, saying to the children, "This is Tracey. He's one of our newest helpers for the week."
Nervous, Tracey lifted his hand and gave it a quick flick.
"Hi, Tracey!" Maria cheerfully spoke, "I'm Maria!"
Tracey already liked her, but he wasn't sure about Antonio.
Instead of introducing himself, he picked up a handful of sawdust and chucked it in Tracey's face!
"Tonio!" his mother shouted. A pretty lady, she hurried to her child and grabbed his arm, pulling him away. "I'm sorry about his behavior, Mrs. Connie. Tonio, what do you say to Mr. Tracey?"
"I'm sorry," Tonio spat out. He didn't sound sorry.
Tracey coughed on the sawdust. It also got into his eyes, so he couldn't see. Seriously, why was there always one human who wanted to bully him? He tried to find his way to the exit, but then again, he couldn't see. Therefore, Tracey stumbled around the barn and held his hands out.
Mrs. Connie, who hid her anger behind a calm voice, yelled at Leah, "Leah, Tracey can't see! Can you take him to the sink?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Leah said, but Tracey shouted:
"No! I've got it!"
"But, Tracey—" Leah started.
"I've got it!" Tracey stumbled out of the barn.
Behind, Mrs. Connie crossed her arms and said to Tonio, "As for you, Tonio, we need to have a little chat."
***
Tracey relied on his fairy instincts to find a safe place to hide so he could wash out his eyes. He stumbled behind the building's corner, which was before the paddock. The paddock was a small area with a cluster of trees. Horses that were usually going to be ridden in lessons went in there vs. the pasture, so they were easier to catch.
Where Tracey was, he stood on some hoses. He created a giant drop of water which he held over him. Tracey let it drop onto his head. The force with which it did knocked him to the ground and pushed his bangs before his eyes. Only a few seconds later, his entire body glowed green and purple.
The magic faded, but Tracey was no longer a human. He was a merman. As a merman, he was even more handsome than he already was. Unlike his fairy transformation when his hair grew shorter, as a merman, it grew longer. He wore a gold seaweed circlet around his forehead, gold gauntlets, and a green and gold sash that stretched from his right shoulder down to his left hip. On his upper left arm was a tattoo-like whale design. His tail was green with gold splotches.
He kept on creating drops of water that he splashed into his face. After a few more tries, he could finally see again, but his mouth still tasted like sawdust.
The last thing Tracey created was a towel. He used it to rub down his tail and hair. He talked to himself while he did so. "Every time! Every time I try to become friends with humans, they bully me all over again! Please, why can't at least someone like me?" Just thinking about that, he started to feel emotional.
Tracey sniffed, but tried his best not to cry. That would not help the drying process. However, he couldn't help himself. The fear he felt over Emilee, Jesse, and the horse camp overwhelmed him. How could he survive the week with someone like Tonio lurking?
"Every time," Tracey repeated in a choked voice. A few tears ran down his cheeks. He tried to get rid of them by shaking his head.
Tracey couldn't let his fear steal the joy from his life. He agreed to help with the camp that week, not only to free the alicorn but also to get his mind off everything happening to him. He was still trying to get used to the fact that he was a claxton, one of the most feared magical beings in the Magic World. He wished he had Merlin, but he didn't. Merlin was dead, and most likely Emilee and Jesse were, too.
Tracey was all alone in the world. At that point, how could horse camp help him? That was something he would figure out later.