Ronda's raft rested on its side in the sand, and luckily it was unharmed. Tracey soon sat up, and he reached for his head, shaking it. His temporary, dust-like, diamond-shaped wings disappeared from his back, so now he was wingless all over again. Gina rested on her front with her wings outstretched, and she sprayed water out of her beak. Ugh, she ached all over. It had been quite a day for her and Tracey. Merlin soon stood up, and he, Raeven, and Harmony started to approach them. Gina noticed them, and she seemed to smile. Getting up, she hopped over to Tracey and nudged him. 

The closer Merlin, Harmony, and Raeven came, Merlin recognized the boy and tern sitting on the sand, and his jaw fell open. Merlin started to stutter, "Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh." Tracey rubbed his head. Afterwards, he finally looked up, and his eyes landed on Merlin. His jaw also fell open. Merlin stopped, and he, Harmony, and Raeven stared. 

Tracey soon peered back to the raft, and then he looked forward to his master again. "Sensei?" he asked in a soft voice. All Merlin could do was just nod. There was a moment of silence between the two magical beings, and then Tracey yelled, "Sensei!" He leaped to his feet and hurried to Merlin. Tracey threw himself into a hug and repeated, "Sensei!" Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he hugged Merlin so tightly, he could hardly breathe. 

After a bit though, he returned his hug. "My apprentice," he spoke, "You're here. You've finally made it." Raeven landed on the sand and sauntered over to Gina. The two avian creatures met eyes and nodded at one another. Harmony stood bewildered. She seemed a bit disappointed that Ash wasn't with Merlin's apprentice. Seeming to sigh, she glanced to the left, and her eyes landed on Coutarine Island's jungle. Merlin and Tracey soon let each other go, and Merlin placed his hands on each of his apprentice's cheeks, "Look at you. You're growing every day, my young apprentice. When was the last time I saw you again?" 

Tracey lifted his hand and took one of Merlin's, answering, "It's been a month, Sensei. A whole month. I sure hope your mission has gone well. Here." Tracey let go of Merlin's hand, and he next took him by the arms. 

        Tracey helped sit him down on a driftwood log, and he glanced into his blue eyes. 

Merlin nodded, "It has been a wonderful time here on Coutarine Island, Tracey. My mission was a complete success. Thank you so much for giving me a little time to attempt it. Of course though, silly me, I forgot some of my most important supplies back home." He thumped himself on the head and then reached for his beard, scratching it.

"Makenna and I retrieved your package," explained Tracey, "but Makenna is holding onto it now, so I don't exactly have it with me. Is that okay, Sensei?" 

Merlin chuckled. "Of course it is, young Tracey," said he, "It didn't affect me too much, but there were times when the supplies I misplaced would've come in handy with my mission." 

Nodding understandingly, Tracey couldn't help but to ask, "What was your mission, sir? I've been asking myself this question the entire month you've been gone." 

Merlin smiled and placed his hand on his apprentice's shoulder, "Let's just say I had to help a certain somebody prepare for you and Makenna's arrival." 

Tracey nodded understandingly, and then after a bit, he asked, "Who? Was it the wizard we're supposed to seek out?"

 Merlin nodded yes and answered, "Exactly, young one. He's all ready for you. Ash will lead you to him tomorrow morning. Right now, all we can do is wait for him and Makenna."

"I have one more question," spoke Tracey. His eyes landed on Merlin's sunglasses which had not been knocked off his face because he protected them, "Why are you wearing a pair of sunglasses?"

"Oh!" Merlin spoke, finally realizing he still had the sunglasses on. "No reason! No reason!" he added with, and lifting his hand, he pulled the sunglasses off. They disappeared in a blast of light, and the wizard sighed a breath of relief. He and Tracey met eyes again, and they shared a small laugh. It was good to hear Tracey laughing again. Gina again landed on his head, and she laughed with the apprentice and his master.

        On the other side of Coutarine Island, where Makenna and Ash were, they had finally made it to Aluna's village section. It was nestled in the center of a huge cluster of ferns in which a river flowed through it due to tidal pools. It also was in a bit of a hilly area so there were lots of ups and downs. A teeny tiny windmill also made Aluna's village section its home. There were really cute but tiny wooden and brick houses, and the largest house was another mushroom house, except this one was huge. The mushroom house was where Evelyn lived. Aside from the beautiful lifestyle the Aluna Village sprites lived, they also were prepared for anything. Since they lived on a tropical island in the warm Atlantic Ocean, a hurricane or tropical storm could happen any time. So, in case this happened, they had another section of the village section up in a tree where they knew they'd be safe. The sprites were prepared for anything. 

        Makenna and Ash of course had to shrink down again in order to easily access the village section without squashing the sprites' houses. 

Ash shrank first, and once shrunk, he waved his hand at Makenna Delling and joyfully announced, "Let's go! You're going to love this place, Makenna!" Lowering his hand, he used it to pull one fern apart and stepped into a small tunnel in which hanging ferns acted as its walls. It was pretty sick actually (sick in a good way). On the other side of the tunnel was Aluna's village section. Makenna could feel her excitement bubbling inside her like fresh lava waiting to explode out of the mouth of an active volcano, and she prepared to step into the tunnel next. However, before she even could, she heard a small sound behind her! Becoming confused, the Metamorphic Fairy slowly turned, and her eyes widened when she saw Silvey standing in front of her! Silvey! She had also shrunk down in order to enter the village, so apparently, Silvey could use magic too. Of course though, she was a fairy dog. This moment here was a pretty cute moment between her and Makenna. 

The two met eyes, and Makenna nervously acted out the Coutarine Island wave, "Aluna, Silvey. Ash was right. You did follow us. Do you want to go in first?" She stepped off to the side and gestured with her hand for Silvey to wander into the tunnel before her. She didn't though! Silvey refused to move from her spot! Makenna tried again, "Go on, Silvey. Don't worry, I'm sure nobody will hurt you in there." Silvey didn't want to go in alone though. 

She and Makenna soon heard the voice of Ash from the other side of the tunnel, "Are ya coming, Makenna?" and Makenna turned, yelling back,

"Just give me a minute Ash! I'll be right there! I promise!" She faced Silvey again, "Come on, Silvey. I know you're nervous around other fairies, but I promise you everything will be okay." Silvey though still refused to go alone. She and Makenna stared into each other's eyes for a little bit longer, and finally, the fairy dog built up her confidence. She felt that she could trust Makenna. Something told her that she loved dogs, unlike some fairies who threw them out at six months old after beating them constantly. With the sound of crashing waves in the background, Silvey skipped over to Makenna and plopped down on her backside in front of her. She smiled again, and Makenna blushed. She could not get over how adorable Silvey was! She soon lifted her feeler and wrapped it around the young fairy's wrist again. Makenna smiled too. She was starting to get used to it. "Do you want to go in together?" she soon asked the fairy dog, "Is that why you don't want to move?" Understanding her, Silvey quickly nodded. Makenna chuckled, "All right then. Just to let you know, this is my first time seeing Aluna's village section up close, so you may have to show me around. I happen to still be a pretty new fairy. The human world is nothing like the world you're used to living in."

        With Silvey's feeler wrapped around her, Makenna pulled apart the fern Ash pulled, and both she and the fairy dog stepped into the tunnel. Immediately after they entered, Silvey hid behind Makenna's legs and stuck close to her. 

The Metamorphic Fairy peered down on her and again repeated, "Don't worry, Silvey. It's okay." Silvey remained hidden though. She and Makenna soon came upon Ash, and Makenna waved, calling, "Ash!" Ash had Crusader drawn again, and he seemed to be talking with it. When he heard Makenna's voice, he nodded and put it up. 

Ash turned, and his eyes landed on the fairy and fairy dog, "Hello, Makenna Delling, and ho, ho!" He moved his attention over to Silvey, "Silvey's with you! What do you know, Makenna?" He chuckled and hopped up and down again, "She really does like you! Why don't you show her the village section, Silvey my girl?" Silvey gestured sure with her head and peered up to Makenna. She let her wrist go and trotted in front of her. Silvey stopped halfway down the tunnel, and she barked for Makenna to catch up. She nervously glanced at Ash, and he nodded, gesturing at the dog. Finally, Makenna gave in. She flapped her crystal wings and lifted into the air again. Young Makenna soared over to the dog and asked, "Are you ready, Silvey? Do you think you can take me to Evelyn's house?" Silvey excitedly jumped up and down. Makenna soon peered over to Ash, and she asked, "Are you going to come with us, Ash?"

"Not this time," he explained, "I have a few things I need to take care first, but I'll see you at Evelyn's house. I promise. Trust Silvey. She'll make sure you don't get lost." 

Makenna nodded, "Okay. Thank you, Ash. See you soon." Ash chuckled, and Makenna watched as he jogged away from her. Momentarily though, he stopped and turned back around. After staring at the Metamorphic Fairy for a few minutes, young Ash lifted his hand and waved at her. He then turned and jogged away again. Makenna was left alone with just Silvey. She stopped to hover and asked her, "Will you please lead me to Evelyn's house, Silvey?" Silvey nodded, and Makenna watched as she trotted in the direction of the fern cave's exit. Following her, she landed next to Silvey at the exit and noticed that she actually seemed a bit sad! The fairy dog's head was lowered, and she sighed. "Silvey? What's wrong?" Makenna soon asked. She kneeled and scratched her behind the ear. Silvey though refused to tell her. She lifted her head and shook it, feebly smiling. Makenna watched as she trotted forward into the village section and got up from the ground. 

        She went after her, and the second Makenna entered Aluna's village section, she smiled. It was adorable! Makenna immediately knew she was really in the fairy world when she saw it. Everything was much more peaceful here than in the real world. 

She followed Silvey and tried to take everything in. "Wow." Makenna whispered. She examined the village's ferny wall and then peered up to the sky from the ceiling gap. Her eyes landed on a huge tree. Something about it intrigued her, and momentarily, the young, Metamorphic Fairy stared at it. However, her thoughts were interrupted when suddenly, her phone started to ring. This startled both her and Silvey, and Silvey jumped like a cat. Sprites stared at the Metamorphic Fairy. She growled, "Stupid phone," and reached into the pocket of her tunic. From it, Makenna drew her cell phone, and she checked the collar ID. Her mother was calling her. Slightly smiling, she pressed Answer and brought the phone to her ear, "Hey, Mom." She pulled it away though when she learned she was on speaker. 

"Oooh," whispered the sprites, and they started to slowly approach Makenna. They didn't have cell phones on Coutarine Island, so this was very knew to them. Even Silvey was interested. Makenna didn't notice the approaching sprites. 

She listened to her mother who asked, "Where are you?" on the other line, "Are you all right?! You've been gone for 24 hours, 19 minutes and 33 seconds!" 

Makenna waved her hand and answered, "I'm fine, Mom! Don't worry!" She finally noticed the sprites and Silvey creeping up on her, but she carried on with her conversation, "I'm sorry I've been gone so long, but things have been crazy here! I'm on Coutarine Island with Tracey."

"Coutarine Island?!" Mrs. Delling asked on the other line, "I thought you were just going to Merlin's Island!"

"I did," explained Makenna, "but Tracey and I were given a package to deliver to Merlin here on Coutarine Island yesterday. I just stopped at Merlin's Island to pick him up."

"Oh, Makenna," her mother groaned, "Where exactly are you? How far are you from Seabrook? Don't tell me you're all the way in the Cook Islands!"

"To be honest," Makenna admitted, "I'm surprised I'm not. This island is absolutely gorgeous! It's like a combination of all the tropical islands in the world, not just Fiji and the Cook Islands! Fret not, Mom. I'm not far from Seabrook Island. I promise I'll be home soon, in the next day or so."

"You better be!" Makenna's mother actually sounded pretty serious, "Makenna Angelia Delling, you also better make sure that boy Tracey is always with you! Take some pictures of Coutarine Island while you're out there so we can see it, and make sure you're changing your underwear every day!"

"Mom!" Makenna's entire face turned red. The sprites and Silvey heard what Mrs. Delling said, and all of them burst out laughing. Silvey got down on the ground and started to roll. Makenna puffed out her cheeks and glared at them. 

Mrs. Delling continued to babble over the phone, "Do you have your toothbrush, clean underwear, and bras?"

"Mom! Okay! I'm hanging up!" 

Mrs. Delling heard the laughing on Makenna's line, and she added with, "Oh, what's all that laughing? Are those your friends? Should I send them some baby pictures? Oh, I can share the one when you thought the toilet was a coral reef and you snorkeled in it!"

"Ugh!" Makenna shouted, "That's it! I'm out!" The sprites and Silvey laughed even louder. Makenna hung up, and she stuffed her phone back into her pocket. 

        She stormed forward to escape the laughter and accidentally ran into Ash. He and Makenna had both gone in the same direction, so it only made sense that would run into each other again. 

As soon as they did, Ash said, "Oh, hey, Makenna." 

Makenna placed her hands on her hips and sighed, saying, "Ash, hi." There was a moment of silence between the two, and then Ash asked,

"So um, why did ya think the toilet was a coral reef?" Makenna blushed again. Ugh, he heard too?! 

"That's none of your beeswax!" she shouted. Lifting her hands, Makenna shoved Ash's chest and knocked him to the ground, "Forget it! Let's just find Evelyn. Mom has to learn to stop treating me like a baby, Ash! She must understand that I'm a lady now!" Makenna marched forward towards the heart of Aluna. 

Silvey and Ash followed her, and Ash cracked a chortle. "Lady," he said in a low voice.

        Ash, Makenna, and Silvey soon made it to Aluna's heart, and they together headed for the mushroom house. Makenna had still not noticed that Tracey was missing. She stole a teeny bucket of minnows from a fellow villager and chowed down on them while they marched.  Ash soon explained, "Hear me out, Makenna, because I'm only going to mention this once. Evelyn is kind of bad-tempered, so it's best ya let me do the talking."

"Sure." Makenna spoke. She stuffed half a minnow into her mouth and chewed. At her heel, Silvey confusingly peered up to her.

"Also," Ash continued, "she's kind of a perfectionist, so don't be knocking things over when you get in there! Got it?" Here, his eyes finally landed on the bucket Makenna held, "Where did you get that bucket?" Makenna glanced at him and smiled, pointing behind her to the villager she stole the bucket from. Ash reached forward and quickly took out of her hand. He stumbled over to the villager and returned the minnows, "Sir, Sir, are these yours?" The sprite lifted his hands and took the bucket. Ash then returned to Makenna and said, "First things first, Makenna, I'm going to have to teach you some manners."

"I'm sorry," said Makenna, "but I have the urge for seafood. Right-zo, Ash-zo? Come on, let's go see Evelyn." She licked her lips and pushed Ash off to the side with her hip. He stumbled but regained balance. Makenna swayed and hummed while she walked. Silvey left her and approached Ash. 

Together, they watched the Metamorphic Fairy, and Ash couldn't help but to say, "There's something fishy going on with her." Silvey nodded with agreement.

        While Makenna, Ash, and Silvey continued their adventure for Evelyn, Tracey had an adventure of his own. On the other side of the beach Merlin settled into that he sailed to, he sat on the trunk of a hanging palm tree with Gina and admired the sunset. He had changed into the outfit he wore the year before during his journey with Makenna. Not that he didn't like his training uniform – it was just getting a little stinky. Besides, he thought this outfit was a lot cooler. This outfit really made him feel like a ninja. He now was dressed in: a green, ninja style, tunic-like shirt that was green on the outside but purple on the inside, a brown belt, brown, long pants, wristbands, and black boots. The outfit made Tracey look even more ninja-like, and that was why he liked it so much. In his hand, he held a spyglass because he hoped to see a pod of dolphins feeding. A gentle, tropical breeze massaged his scalp, and he rubbed Gina with his free hand. Tracey lifted his spyglass and put it to his eye. He checked the reef again for dolphins, but disappointingly, there were none in sight. Instead of dolphins though, Tracey saw something else! He saw a boat! A boat! 

On the horizon appeared the figure of a huge Cruiser yacht! "What's that?" asked the wounded ninja. Gina looked up, and her eyes also landed on the yacht. "What does it want out there?" Tracey continued. Gina shrugged and hopped onto his shoulder. Tracey wanted to get a closer look at the incoming vessel. He hopped off the palm tree and landed on the fluffy, white sand. Gina almost fell, but Tracey caught her. He jogged closer to the water and leaped onto a few rocks that led out to the reef. The young fairy climbed each rock and jumped to the next one. When he reached the last rock, he waved his arms to keep balance and brought the spyglass to his eye again. The yacht appeared to be creeping closer and closer. Tracey didn't understand. Like Merlin's Island, Coutarine Island was supposed to be protected by a magic barrier that didn't let any humans see or touch its warm, clear waters. Something was wrong. "I don't understand," calmly spoke the fairy, and he lowered the spyglass, glancing at Gina, "No humans or non-magical beings should be able to get close to Coutarine Island, unless something's wrong with the barrier." Tracey wanted to get an even closer look at the boat. He scratched Gina under the chin, and she cuddled up to him. Tracey pushed the inner tube of his spyglass in and attached it to his belt. Gina jumped off his shoulder and started to hover. 

        Merlin's young apprentice turned around and hopped across the rocks again. As soon as his boots hit the sand, he hurried around the point to the section of the beach Merlin claimed and stumbled upon Ronda's raft. Merlin had fallen asleep on the sand as well as Raeven and Harmony. The raft's paddle rested next to the great wizard. As quiet as a mouse, Tracey crept over to him and reached for it. Merlin shuffled in his sleep. Tracey's eyes widened, and he froze. 

"Oh, Mamma, Mamma!" Merlin spoke in his sleep, "Come here! Somebody's stolen my raft!" He turned onto his side and started to snore. Tracey sighed with relief. Before long, he picked up the paddle, and to make sure Merlin, Harmony, and Raeven were really asleep, he yelled. They didn't stir. 

Tracey's coast was clear. "Are you ready, Gina?" he whispered at Gina, and she nodded. Tracey led her over to the raft and pulled her out of the air, setting her down on its wood. She stepped back a few feet and gave him space. Tracey gently pushed the raft into the bay and climbed aboard. With the paddle in his hands, he started to paddle in the reef and out to sea. Gina hung out at the bow and took in a whiff of tropical air. It tasted so good. Tracey soon set the paddle down and grabbed the main sail's rope. Lifting it, he gave the rope a tug, and the sail flapped open. This was it. Tracey had to be brave. With his free hand, he grabbed hold of the throttle and sailed out towards a point. He made it in a fairly quick amount of time because he was so good at sailing. As soon as Tracey made it to the point at the end of the bay, he lowered the main sail and tied its rope to the branch of another hanging palm tree. Gina stayed on the raft to act as a guard while her friend used that branch to drag himself onto the point. 

        Tracey dove behind a cluster of ferns and peered out to the approaching yacht again. It was still kind of far away, but at least he could see it a bit better now. The yacht was colored all white with black windows and two stories tall. It was quite big. Tracey had never seen a boat as big as it before. He's never even seen a cruise ship. He unhooked his spyglass from his belt and pulled it open. Tracey brought it to his eye and checked the yacht again. He moved the lens back and forth from each of its decks. There were people aboard it. It was a family. A few family members pointed at Coutarine Island, while another one drove closer towards the point Tracey hid at. They could see it! But how?! Something was definitely wrong with the barrier. A pinch of fear invaded Tracey's insides. The yacht soon stopped fairly close to his hiding place but still far away enough for the family to not notice Ronda's raft, and the engine was turned off. Somebody dropped an anchor into the ocean, and the yacht stayed in place. 

The young, ninja-like fairy lowered the spyglass and pulled half his body out from the ferns, "Why isn't the barrier working? Oh no. Makenna, where are you?" He heard a small sound next to him and pulled his body back into the ferns. Turning his head, his eyes landed on Gina curiously peering up to him. "Gina." Tracey whispered, "Gina, why aren't you staying with the raft?" Gina didn't answer. She instead hopped over to Tracey and leaped back onto his shoulder. He feebly smiled, "I understand. You want to make sure I'm okay." Gina nodded and rubbed up against his cheek. She really loved him. Tracey built up his confidence and decided to check out the yacht again. He pulled half his body out of the ferns for the second time and put the spyglass to his eye. This time, he checked out the family more thoroughly. There were a total of nine people, and only one person was another teenager. She looked to be around Makenna's age. She had long, curly brown hair and deep brown eyes. Her skin was tan, and she was dressed in surfing shorts and a bikini top. She hung out at the bow of the boat writing in a journal – the bow was closest to Tracey's hiding place. Her family members, all dressed in bathing suits and hats, drank beer and wine and laughed about stupid things. Tracey shook his head and told Gina, "Look at them, Gina. They make me sick. We've got to find a way to drag them away from Coutarine Island. But how? Hmm."

        He pushed his spyglass's tube in and prepared to attach it to his belt again, but suddenly, it slipped from his hand and fell! Tracey gasped. The spyglass rolled off the rocky point and bounced onto a rock with a thud. Tracey quickly hid in the ferns and pulled them apart with his hands. On the yacht, the girl sitting at the bow heard the thud, and she peered up from her journal. She placed both it and her pen down and crawled to the very edge of the bow. Her hands gripped the railing, and she glanced in the direction of the point. Tracey immediately pulled the ferns in front of his face so she wouldn't see him. His heart beat like the thumping of a rabbit's foot in his chest, and sweat fountained down his face. He waited for the coast to clear so he could grab his spyglass. The next time he peered out the ferns, he noticed the girl had picked up her journal again and was writing in it. Tracey's coast was finally clear. 

He nervously whispered, "O-kay," and gently and quietly pulled his entire body out from his hiding place, crawling to the edge of the rocky point. Tracey gripped it with both hands, and his eyes landed on his spyglass still resting on the rock. He could do this. Tracey believed he could. After a bit, he let go with one hand and stretched it down towards his spyglass. Though he couldn't reach it from here, he could still use his magic to have it come to him. Ugh, it was times like these that Tracey really wished he still had his wings. "Almost got it," he spoke after a bit. Unfortunately though, Tracey's luck soon ran dry. Just before he could cast a spell, suddenly, the rocks under his other hand broke, and both he and Gina tumbled down the rocky front of the point! Tracey slightly yelled, and Gina quietly screeched. They together crashed into the ocean, and the sound caught the girl's attention again. Her family members didn't hear the crash though because they were too busy laughing and drinking. She glanced in the direction of the point again, and her eyes caught rocks tumbling down its walls. 

        Tracey soon came to surface, and he inhaled breaths of air. Gina popped out of the water next, and Tracey glanced at her, "Gina! Are you okay?" He gently pulled Gina out of the ocean and set her down on the rock his spyglass rested on. She shook out her head and held her wings out to let them dry. "Let's um," Tracey added with, "not try to spy from this point again, all right?" Just before the Octopus Man could pull him away, he grabbed the rock with his right hand, and his eyes rolled down to his left arm. His upper arm was bleeding. He had gotten a pretty nasty gash from the fall. Tracey really wished he still had his wings now. He just wasn't use to walking! He groaned while he examined his cut, "Why is it always me?" and rubbed his eye. He waited until he recovered from his fall before he grabbed his spyglass. When he did, his eyes landed on the yacht, and he froze when he saw the teenage girl was looking in his direction! Oh no, he was spotted! The teenage girl gasped, and she rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing anything. She wasn't. Tracey wasted no time. He gestured Gina back to the raft and dove underwater with his spyglass attached to his belt. The entire time he swam, he clutched his arm and tried his best to not pollute the sea with his own blood. Blood meant sharks, and Tracey most certainly did not want to get eaten by a shark! 

        Back on the yacht, the young girl was filled with excitement and questions. "Mom! Mom!" she shouted, and she frantically searched the area where Tracey used to be, "Come quickly! I think I just saw a merman!"

 Her mother dropped her wine glass and asked, "A what?"

"A merman!" announced the girl.

"Oh, Alice honestly," her father spoke next while he chewed on a Twix bar, "you should know that there are no such things as mermaids and mermen, just like there are no such things as fairies!"

"But, Daddy!" Alice argued, "I know what I saw! I saw a boy floating in the water!"

        Tracey soon returned to Ronda's raft, and he dragged himself onto it. Gina was waiting for him next to the main sail. 

Plopping down on his backside, Merlin's young apprentice glanced at her and said, "Hey, Gina. I think we should wait until it gets dark before we sail back in." He peered down on his wounded arm again and gulped. He couldn't let anybody see what had happened to him. If Merlin found out he went to the ocean without permission, he would be in so much trouble, and Tracey hated being in trouble. Gina watched as he used his magic to create a rag he could tie around his arm. She helped him with it. As soon as Tracey finished treating his wound, he pulled his sleeve down and tried his best to hide it. When he was sure he was okay, he grabbed Gina and pulled her into a hug, again asking, "Oh, Makenna, where are you? I need you."