Further away from Coutarine Island, on the island where Tracey and Gina had been escorted, dark clouds still hovered, but the sun's rays shone through them. The island was small, and almost nothing inhabited it. Since it was in the Human World, not the Magic World, it wasn't tropical like Merlin's Island or Coutarine Island. It looked like some of the barrier islands surrounding Charleston. The sand wasn't fluffy, and there weren't coconut palms. It was also more challenging to determine the sandbar and the deeper water. It was still an island, though. Ronda's raft rested on its side in the sand, unharmed.
Gina was the first to wake. She peeped up from behind a dune and shook sand off her feathers. She then searched her surroundings. She and Tracey were in the middle of nowhere. Only the ocean surrounded the island: no boats, no other islands, and not even land. There were mosquitoes on it, though.
A few buzzed by Gina's head, but she shooed them away with her wing.
Her eyes landed on Tracey, who rested unconscious on his front beside the raft. "Tracey!" Gina flapped her wings and quickly flew to him. As soon as she landed, she smacked him repeatedly in the face and chanted, "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"
"I'm awake!" Tracey yelped. He leaped to his feet and held his hands out like he was about to karate chop someone. Sand covered him from his face down, and he had a cut under his right eye. Glancing at Gina, he clutched his injured arm and asked, "Where are we?"
"In the middle of nowhere," Gina replied. "We're stuck on an island, and the sun is beginning to set." She and Tracey looked at the sun. Sure enough, it was setting.
"Well, it looks like we're here until morning," Tracey said. His tummy rumbled. "Oh, I'm so hungry. Do you want something to eat, Gin?"
Gina landed on his shoulder and nodded.
Tracey took her over to Ronda's raft and said, "Watch this, Gina. This is a new spell Sensei taught me." He brought his hands to his chest and used his magic to pull Ronda's raft out of the sand. He turned it right-side up and set it down. "Now we don't have to worry about breaking it if it falls too hard," he explained. "It also means we have easy access to the rations." Just saying the word caused his tummy to rumble again.
Tracey hurried to the raft and hopped aboard.
Gina flapped off his shoulder and landed on the tiller.
Tracey knelt to the compartment and grabbed the latch. He pulled it up and peered inside. His jaw fell open, though, when he saw the compartment was empty. "Oh no! It's empty!"
"Empty?" asked Gina. She hopped off the tiller and flew to Tracey, landing beside the compartment. They peered into it, and Gina's own jaw dropped. "The storm must've stripped them off!"
Tracey moaned. "But I'm so hungry." Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he fell onto his tummy. "Is there at least water?"
Gina jumped into the compartment and searched it. "I don't see anything. I think we're totally stripped of rations, Trace."
Tracey moaned again. "Oh, I'd give anything for a piece of bread and a small glass of water."
"Hey, I've got an idea!" Gina fluttered out of the compartment and hovered before her friend's face. "Why don't you use your magic to make more food and water? I mean, look at what you just did with the raft."
"Ah, that's a great idea." Tracey immediately stopped crying and sat. "Thank you, Gina." At least he was remaining calm.
"My pleasure," Gina said.
Tracey turned to the rough ocean and opened his hands. Flicking them, he waited for piles of food and water to appear, but only smoke escaped his palms. "Oh no," Tracey groaned in a choked voice. "It's no use, Gina. I used my last spell. I'm out of fairy dust. The storm stripped me of my fairy dust." He started to cry again.
Gina opened her beak, but was forced to stay quiet and back up because Tracey lost his calmness.
He stormed to the ocean and shouted at the black clouds on the horizon, "Curses, you storm! Now, thanks to you, Gina and I are going to starve, rot, and die on this barbaric island!" He lifted his foot and prepared to kick the ocean, but before he could, one of the crashing waves swamped him.
Gina took a deep breath and built up her confidence.
Opening her wings, she soared to Tracey, who still stood but was now soaking wet. "Tracey, listen to me. Calm down. I have another idea. Why don't we sail back to Coutarine Island?"
"Why?" Tracey shouted. "I am perfectly fine here!" He yelled so loudly that he accidentally sprayed Gina with spit.
She rubbed her face with her claws and explained, "Because at least on Coutarine Island, there are coconuts, bananas, pineapples, berries, and fresh drinking water. Not to mention you also will be able to stock up on fairy dust in the Magic World."
Tracey seemed to get angrier and angrier. "I am not going back!" he yelled at Gina. "You can't make me, Gina! I am going to sail to the Bermuda Triangle and join my parents!"
"But the Octopus Man will kill you!" Gina tried to tell him again.
Tracey whirled around. "As long as he hooks me up with my parents, I don't care! If you're so scared, Gina, leave! I don't need you to be my bodyguard! This is something I must do alone! You, Makenna, and Ash have no part with this! Makenna and Ash didn't lose their parents to the sea! They have no idea what it feels like!"
Gina calmed herself. "You're wrong, Trace," she elucidated. "Thankfully, Makenna hasn't lost her parents to the sea, but Ash has. You don't know, but he's going through a much harder time than you. You never knew your parents. Ash knew them for seven years. On top of that, he also lost his home and a sister. You were an only child. Ash was forced to leave Scotland because of a feud, and he has memories of it. You don't have memories of your home because you were so young when it was destroyed. So you see, Tracey, you're wrong."
Tracey seemed a bit hurt by the story, but he quickly shook it off. "Maybe, but you, Makenna, and Ash still have no part in this mission. I am still going to the Triangle." Glaring at the ocean one last time, he turned on his heel and headed toward Ronda's raft.
Petrified, Gina squawked, "Tracey, no!" She grabbed his sleeve and tried to pull him back. "You can't defeat the Octopus Man alone! No one can succeed in something alone!"
"Let go!" Without thinking, Tracey lifted his hand and swatted Gina off his shoulder.
She squawked and fell into the sand. "Tracey!" she yelped again, but Tracey didn't listen.
He flushed the idea of spending the night on the island down the toilet and pushed Ronda's raft back into the ocean. This was his mission, and his mission alone! The Octopus Man cursed him, not Gina, not Makenna, not Ash.
Once Ronda's raft hit the ocean, Tracey climbed on and steered it over the waves. He lifted the main sail and opened it. Tracey may have been hungry and thirsty, but that wasn't going to stop him from venturing to the Triangle. If he died along the way, fine. He didn't think he deserved to live.
Tracey felt the wind blast the sail, but then he heard something behind him and peered back at the island.
Gina flew toward him, repeatedly calling his name.
Tracey didn't let her catch up. He was only trying to protect her. Saluting goodbye, he steered the raft forward, and it shot through the ocean as fast as a bullet.
Poor Gina was left behind.
She reached her claws in the direction Ronda's raft disappeared and begged, "Tracey! Come back!"
Tracey didn't.
Gina tried making up her mind. Seeing the island as Coutarine Island, she glanced at it, then looked in the direction Tracey had vanished a few times. Finally, she settled on the island. Tracey may have ditched her, but that didn't mean he could stop her from getting help.
Gina soared in the opposite direction of Tracey's vanishing point. She had to get Makenna and Ash before it was too late.
She flew as fast as she could toward Coutarine Island.
The ocean jumped to life, and a wave pushed her tail feathers, causing Gina to move faster.
She glanced at the assisting ocean and seemed to smile. It wasn't long until she became serious again, though.
While Gina flew, she told herself, "I am not going to let Tracey kill himself. He can't beat the Octopus Man alone. He needs his friends." Then, just like that, she vanished, too.
***
Coutarine Island grew dark as the sun set, but that was fine because it was gorgeous at sunset.
Makenna and Ash escorted Alice and her family members to the beach, where they discovered that Alice's family's boat had drifted into the reef during the storm.
Ash had whipped up a plate of haggis in the cave, so he ate it while he, Makenna, Alice, and her family members studied the boat.
"Our boat!" Alice's father groaned. "It's drifting out to sea! How did this happen?"
Ash swallowed a bite of his haggis and answered, "Well, Number One: ya didn't pull it far enough up on the beach. Number Two: ya didn't tie it off or anchor it. Haggis?" He picked up his haggis with his fork and offered it to Alice's father.
At the sight of it, he gagged. "No, thank you."
Makenna glanced over to him and Ash.
"Why not?" Ash asked. "It is a bonnie meal. Has some of the best ingredients."
His last sentence caught Alice's father's interest. "Really?" He took Ash's fork and bit into the piece of haggis. "Mmm," he said while he chewed. "That's actually not bad. What's in it, Ash?"
Smiling, Ash lifted his hand and counted on his fingers. "The main ingredients are a sheep's heart, liver, lungs, stomach casing, and suet, which is minced with onions, oatmeal, salt, and spices."
Immediately after he listed the ingredients, Alice's father gagged again, and he spat out the piece of haggis.
Makenna and Alice chuckled and covered their mouths. While they chortled, the boat drifted closer to the line.
Alice finally let go of her laugh and shook her head. She pointed at the boat and asked her family, "Guys, what about the boat?"
No one answered. They were still too busy laughing over her dad's taste test of the haggis. If no one would pay attention, she decided that she should be the one to fetch the boat.
Alice sauntered to the rough ocean and prepared to dive in, but before she could, somebody grabbed her arms and pulled her back: her father.
He dragged her toward her family and asked, "What are you doing, cupcake?"
"I want to swim out to the boat and pull it back in," Alice answered.
Her father turned her over to Mable and sternly said, "Oh no, you don't! The ocean is still rough from that storm. You'll be pulled out to sea along with the boat if you try swimming."
Alice's mother tightened her grip on her daughter. "Then what do you suppose we do?"
"Hm," answered Alice's father, crossing his arms, "it looks like we're stuck here."
Mable gasped. "What? Oh no!" She, her husband, and Alice approached their other family members and discussed what they should do. They seemed to have forgotten they were hanging out with two magical beings.
If it would get the humans off Coutarine Island, Makenna and Ash decided to fetch their boat.
They nodded at one another and approached the ocean.
Makenna took Raeven off her shoulder and set him on a rock. "Stay here, Raeven. We won't be long."
Raeven waved his wing and wished her luck.
Makenna soon joined Ash at the water's edge and asked him, "Are you ready?"
Ash feebly bobbed his head and answered, "Makenna, I was born ready."
Concerned, Makenna peered into his face. It looked like Ash was getting tired again. She concluded that the Crusha Fruit hadn't completely healed him from his concussion. Oh, where was Silvey with Merlin?
Despite still being injured, Ash remained strong.
Makenna chose to swim because she wanted a little more time with her new transformation. The cape disappeared from around her shoulders, and she dove into the ocean before Alice and her family members saw her. When she came to the surface, she saw that Ash was still on the beach and gave him a confused look. "What are you doing, Ash?"
"I'm not going to fly or swim," he explained. "I can't do either of them. The ocean is too rough, and I'm not a Merfairy like ya. If I try to fly, the wind will blow me all over."
"Then what are you going to do?" Makenna impatiently inquired. "I can't haul this boat in alone, Ash."
Ash flicked his hand. "I know ya can't. Instead of swimming and flying, I'm going to run out to the boat in the traditional Highland fairy way. My sister and I did this when we were little. I'm going to caber toss my way across the reef."
"Caber toss?" Makenna asked. "Really?" Her face brightened. "You mean, caber toss like what you do in the Games?"
Ash nodded. "Correct, love. Don't worry, though. My sister taught me a spell that will help. We practiced this before the Games. It's one of my best memories of her."
Makenna was very, very interested. She no longer regretted being friends with a Scottish Wizard Fairy.
Sparkles appeared at Ash's fingertips, and he flicked his hands forward.
Makenna watched, amazed.
From the sparkles emerged a 19-foot-long caber, and it plopped down on the sand.
After creating the log, Ash closed his eyes and rubbed his hands together. He blew more sparkles out of them. They circled the log and made it light enough to float.
Once Ash ensured everything was ready, he leaned down and picked up the caber. He balanced it on his shoulder and neck, locking his fingers and sliding them under its rounded base.
Where Alice and her conversing family members were, Alice fell out of the circle and landed on her back. Sitting, she turned to Makenna and Ash, and her eyes widened when she saw Ash with the caber. "Whoa!" she gasped.
Ash ran forward a few steps in the ocean and tossed the caber.
Makenna, Raeven, and Alice observed as it flipped and landed before Ash and the boat. It didn't sink, thanks to the spell he put on it.
"Bullseye!" Ash shouted. "Did ya see that, Breena? I did it!"
Makenna couldn't help but clap. That was phenomenal! She had never seen a caber toss up close.
Ash hopped aboard the floating log and kept his balance, ready for his next spell. Like with the last Special Spell, he brought his hands together and crouched down. Ash danced a little wiggle as he stood. He high-fived the air with each of his hands, and mirages of other hands surrounded his own. Finally, he clapped his palms and pointed at the log. At his command, the log glowed, and duplicates of it appeared on the ocean's surface. Each duplicate floated. In the end, the logs formed a bridge stretching from the beach to the boat.
Ash smiled and lifted his hand, waving at Makenna.
Still amazed, she waved back.
Ash soon lowered his hand and began his trek toward the boat. He hopped from caber to caber, keeping his balance.
Makenna dove underwater and flapped her wings. As she swam, she thought about the spell Ash performed and asked herself if one day she would be able to do the same.
Back on the beach, Alice hurried to her family and tried to dive into the circle again. She grabbed her father's arm and pulled on it. "Father! Father! Ash just did something amazing!"
No one listened. They merely pushed Alice back out, and she again landed on her back.
She huffed and glared at her family members. Eventually, she stood and brushed herself down, approaching the edge of the water. Her eyes landed on Ash, who still hopped from log to log.
Whimpering, Alice shook her head. "So cool."
Makenna soon poked her head out of the ocean and shook off the water droplets. Her eyes, too, landed on Ash. He was now halfway to the boat, but he looked like he enjoyed crossing the cabers.
He cartwheeled to the next one and yelled, "Yoo-hoo! I'm having so much fun!"
Makenna laughed. It was nice to see Ash himself again.
He reached the boat before her because she was so focused on watching him. Ash flipped onto its deck and landed perfectly. As soon as he landed, he lifted his hands and announced, "Now that is what I'm calling a solution! Wizard Fairy, one! Humans, none! Even better, I got myself a new weapon! Eh, Crusader?" Reaching back, he drew his sword and slipped its blade into the ocean.
Crusader's tip touched the tip of the caber closest to the boat. As soon as it did, the blade shimmered, as well as the log, and it disintegrated into energy. The energy lifted out of the ocean, and Crusader's blade sucked it in. The rest of the cabers disappeared in a blast of green and blue sparkles. It wasn't long until the reef was empty.
With his sword still in his hand, Ash scooted to the boat's stern and said, "Wow, look at this thing." He approached the wheel and gripped it.
Ash's blue eyes soon rolled to a pile of orange life jackets. Curious, he set Crusader down and approached them, pulling out the largest jacket. He tried it on, but it was a little big for him. The jacket sagged.
Just as Ash was beginning to pull it off, there was a voice behind him. "What are you doing with that life jacket?"
Gasping, Ash picked up Crusader and whirled around. Turned out the voice was only Makenna.
"Makenna!" Ash said, dropping his weapon. "You made it!"
"Yeah, I made it, and were you seriously about to stab me?"
"Oh." Ash lowered his sword. "Sorry. You just startled me."
"Sure," Makenna spoke. She flapped her wings and hopped onto the boat to join him. "Ash, you need to take that life jacket off. You look ridiculous."
"Oh," said Ash, "so these are life jackets. I was wondering." He pulled his jacket off and tossed it onto the pile. "Sorry, Makenn. Now let's see. How are we going to drag this boat onto the beach?" He and Makenna couldn't drive it because Alice's father had the key.
Bewildered Ash brought his finger to his bare chin and scratched it.
"Hm," thoughtfully spoke Makenna. She led Ash to the boat's bow, and they looked down at a latch. Makenna plopped down on her knees and opened a compartment, similar to the one Tracey had on Ronda's raft. The compartment contained a long rope.
Something clicked in Makenna's brain. Why didn't she think of this before? She pulled the rope out of the compartment and offered it to Ash.
Gasping, he said, "Perfect!" and accepted it. His accent really kicked in with that word. He tossed the rope over his shoulder and gripped his sword with both hands. Before long, it glowed a bright, green color and changed its form from a sword to his crossbow.
Makenna soon knew what his plan was and smiled. She and Ash worked together to pull the rest of the rope out of the compartment. Makenna tied one end of it to the boat's railing and gave Ash a thumbs-up.
He nodded and waved his hands before him in the "Aluna" way. His glowing, blue arrow appeared between them. Ash pulled it out of the sky and tied his end of the rope to its cresting. Once he did, he placed the arrow in his crossbow and prepared for his shot. He cast a spell on the rope before he released it, so it would automatically grow longer until it hit something and stopped. Ash soon felt a pat on his shoulder— Makenna. He peered back at her.
"You've got this," Makenna encouraged.
Smiling weakly, Ash thanked her. He aimed his crossbow toward a palm tree on the beach. Ash took a deep breath, and then he pulled the trigger. His arrow shot out of the crossbow and traveled to the beach. The spell he cast on the rope also became effective. It magically grew longer and longer.
Alice saw the arrow and immediately dove out of its way. She watched open-mouthed.
Ash's arrow slammed the tip of the trunk of the palm tree he aimed for and knocked a coconut down, but the arrow stayed. Thanks to the crossbow he had, his shot was successful.
Once Alice was sure she was safe, she hurried to the fallen coconut and picked it up.
Back on the boat, Ash lowered his crossbow and beamed at Makenna. "Ta-daa!"
The boat no longer drifted; it stayed put.
"Wow!" spoke Makenna. "Impressive!" Oh, how she wished she could handle weapons as well as Ash. Step One of their plan was complete; it was now time for Step Two.
The fairies parted ways. Makenna dove back into the ocean, and Ash caber-tossed his way back to the beach. He was pretty tired when he got there, but went ahead and grabbed the rope that was attached to his arrow, which was stuck in the palm. The sun was coming out again.
Ash glanced at Alice's family's boat and waited for Makenna's signal.
She came to the surface at the bow of the boat and lifted her hand. Makenna waved, and sparkles escaped her fingertips. She sent a message to Ash and hopped out of the ocean, grabbing the boat's railing.
Ash got Makenna's message. With his remaining strength, he pulled on the rope that held the boat.
At it, Makenna flapped her wings as hard as she could and pulled on the railing. The boat was heavy, though. It didn't move very fast. The fairies didn't give up, though. They pulled for about five minutes. It was a little too much work for Ash, though.
The sun poked out from behind a cloud, and the rays hit him. Right when they did, his head exploded into searing pain, and his hands slipped from the rope. Falling forward, he flopped onto the sand and groaned.
Alice gasped. "Ash!" She accidentally dropped the coconut she held on her toe. For a bit, she froze. Then she yelled and grabbed her foot.
Where Makenna was, she saw the rope no longer being pulled and asked, "Huh? Ash?" She peered over her shoulder, and her eyes widened when she saw him lying on the sand. "Ash!" Before she could fly to him, she heard a screech in the sky. "What the—?" Makenna inquired.
The screech grew louder, and then the form of a bird appeared. "Gina!" Makenna yelped.
Gina, it was. She had returned to Coutarine Island in a relatively quick amount of time thanks to the ocean escorting her.
Her deep brown eyes landed on Makenna, and she hurried to her. "Makenna!" Gina yelled. "I found you!"
Makenna released the boat's railing, and she and Gina hovered.
The sight of Makenna's new transformation blew the tern's mind, and she added, "Whoa! Look at you! You've done it, Miss Delling! You've become a Merfairy!"
"Never mind that," Makenna seriously spoke. "Where's Tracey? Why isn't he with you?"
Gina frightfully shook her head. "Oh, Makenna, he took Ronda's raft and crossed the reef! He's headed for the Bermuda Triangle!"
"The Bermuda Triangle?"
"Yes, Miss Delling. I tried to stop him, but he refused to turn back around. The curse is too strong. If Tracey reaches the Bermuda Triangle before you, the Octopus Man will kill him! You and Ash have to move fast!" Gina sounded like she was having a panic attack.
Rubbing her temples, Makenna told her, "Try not to worry, Gina. Ash and I will, but here's the thing. We don't have a raft or sailboat to sail on. Ash can't fly. He also has a concussion, and I don't know if I can fly to the Bermuda Triangle in one go."
Gina ferociously flapped her wings and yelled, "Then ask Merlin for help! Please, Makenna! Tracey can't die! We have to save him! We have to defeat Poseidon! Don't you remember how you felt last year when the paramedics had to revive him?"
Just hearing that, a flashback crossed Makenna's mind. She saw the changing room in the auditorium of her school, where she and the police officers found Tracey unresponsive with Caleb. She then saw her school's courtyard, where the paramedics performed CPR and used a defibrillator on him. The trauma of that day still haunted her, and it was all her fault, just like how Ash's concussion was her fault, too.
Still hovering, Makenna's wings drooped slightly, and she lowered her head.
Gina calmed herself and inhaled. "Listen, fairytales don't happen as they do in the movies, Miss Delling. Magic doesn't solve everything. Just like humans and animals, fairies are living, breathing beings. Tracey can't defeat the Octopus Man alone—not in his condition. He needs you, Makenna. After everything he's done for you, you're just going to shut him out? As his friend, I know he's scared, but he's too shy to admit it. The Curse of Poseidon is something you and he must break together. Last year, he pulled through with those broken wings because you worked together. You can do it again. There's something else Tracey's too shy to admit, Miss Delling. He loves you."
"He-He does?" Makenna felt herself blush.
"And I know you love him back," continued Gina, "but you're too shy to admit it, too."
Makenna blushed harder. She shook her head and lied, "No-No, I don't! We're just friends, Gina! Just friends!"
"Uh-huh," Gina said.
Makenna continued to blush. "Enough, Gina! Ash and I need to pull this boat in so the humans can get off the island. Once they're gone, I'll seek out Merlin and ask him for help." Passing the tern, she grabbed the boat's railing again and pulled.
Gina decided to help when she saw her struggling. She flapped over to the rope and snatched it with her claws. She and Makenna flapped their wings and pulled.
Back where Ash was, Alice recovered from the coconut hitting her toe and jogged to him. She gripped his shoulder and shook it. "Ash, please! Get up! Makenna needs you!"
At her touch, Ash slowly got up.
Alice backed away, and her back hit the trunk of another palm tree.
The sunlight really hurt Ash's head, but he pulled the rope again.
That time around, Alice scurried before him and grabbed the rope as well.
Noticing her, Ash asked, "Huh?" When he saw that Alice was helping, he smiled a bit. Right now, the three teens and Gina were trying to pull the boat in. The remaining adults were too cool to assist them.
They merely watched Makenna, Ash, Alice, and Gina. Before long, though, they began to change their minds.
Raeven lifted off his rock and approached the rope that marked about midway to the boat. Clutching it with his own claws, he, too, jerked on it.
The boat moved a bit more, but it was still far off the beach.
Makenna sweated from where she pulled. She glanced at Gina and ordered, "Heave! Heave!"
After eight minutes of pulling, the rest of Alice's family members got into a single-file line behind Ash and gripped the rope.
Ash and Alice glanced over their shoulders and grinned. All of them pulling still wasn't enough, though. They managed to get the boat close to the beach, but the undertow prevented them from dragging it ashore.
The team needed one more pair of hands. Just before they gave up, Silvey leaped out of the jungle and sprinted to the humans and the fairy.
"Silvey!" Ash exclaimed. Wind rushed through his hair and Silvey's fur, blowing Ash's sideburns off his long, pointy ears.
Uncle Bret, Alice's uncle who stood behind him, noticed them, and his jaw dropped.
Silvey leaped before Alice and used her teeth to clutch the rope.
"Whoa!" Alice shouted. "What in the name of—? What on earth is that?"
Nobody answered her yet. They were too focused on the boat.
Closing their eyes, they pulled as hard as they could.
On Ash's side of the rope, he was the one who yelled, "Heave! Heave!"
On Makenna's side, it was she. "Heave! Heave!"
A few more minutes of jerking and pulling passed until the team finally dragged the boat onto the beach. Immediately, they let go and massaged their sore hands.
Ash didn't stay standing for much longer. He fell onto the sand on his behind.
Where Makenna hovered, she cheered and lifted her fist. "Yeah!"
Ignoring her, Silvey jogged to Ash and sat. Her ears stood straight up, and she licked his cheek. Her feelers wrapped around his arm, and she hugged it.
Ash feebly lifted his hand and patted her on her scalp in between her ears. "Thank you, Sil. Am pure done in—sorry."
Silvey understood Scottish slang and responded to him, "I don't blame you. You've been working yourself too much today. You need to call it quits and rest. Here, let me lead you somewhere where you can lie down."
Raeven flapped to Makenna and threw himself into her arms. They hugged, while Alice and her family watched, intrigued, as Silvey urged Ash to his feet with a touch of her nose. Her feelers remained wrapped around his arm, and she led him to a shady area on the beach where the sand wasn't trashed. Gently pushing Ash down, the fairy dog licked his cheek one last time and crawled under his arm. As soon as she was comfortable, she rested her chin on her front paws and sighed.
Alice and her family members brought their hands to their chests and said, "Aww," simultaneously.
Makenna released Raeven and said, "Whoo-wee!" as she placed her hands on her hips. "Now that's what I'm calling a workout! Just wait, Raeven and Gina, these muscles will take me to the All-American Wrestling Club! Well, humans, there you go! If it weren't for the help of Ash and me, your boat would probably be floating in the ocean by now! Right, Ash? Ash?"
Ash didn't answer.
Makenna landed on the beach and searched for him. She heard Alice and her family members say, "Aww."
"Huh?" Makenna looked forward, and her eyes caught Ash lying on his side with Silvey under his arm. Makenna's jaw fell, and she stepped back. "Silvey," she mumbled. Her wings flapped slowly, and then they dropped.
Gina landed on Makenna's shoulder and stared gloomily into her face.
Raeven noticed they were upset and questioned, "What's wrong?" Then he, too, noticed Silvey and immediately freaked out. "Oh my! You've been replaced, Miss Delling!" The Megabat smacked his claws to his face. "I told you we couldn't trust that fairy dog!"
Makenna felt like she had just been betrayed. Clutching her arm, she sighed and turned on her heel.
Gina rubbed against her cheek and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Makenna gently lifted off the ground and flew to a hanging palm tree. Landing on the trunk, she sighed. "And here I thought I was going to get a new dog. "Her fingernails changed to a darker shade of blue.
Gina puffed out her feathers and lifted her claw, tapping Makenna's cheek. "You know, Makenn, we could always chase after Tracey and let Ash take it easy."
"I can't," Makenna spoke in a choked voice. "Not yet. One of us has to stay here and seek out the so-called Wizard Fairy Selene assigned to us. Even if I could, I don't have a map to the Bermuda Triangle."
Further away from her, Gina, and Raeven, the bushes in the jungle rustled.
Alice and her family members hugged each other and nervously watched them.
From the jungle stepped out Merlin the Great, Selene, and Dr. Snugglekins.
Dr. Snugglekins, now the size of a regular man, pulled sticks and leaves out of his hair and said, "Man, I'll tell you, that jungle is one heck of a jungle! I thought we'd never get out. The second we got lost, I… Oh snap." He stopped his sentence midway because his eyes landed on Alice and her family members staring. Dr. Snugglekins chuckled nervously. "How are y'all doing this fine afternoon? I'm just going to… yeah." He started toward Silvey and Ash.
Behind, Selene and Merlin puffed out their cheeks and pointed after him.
The humans watched every move they made. Finally, they exchanged confused looks.