Four years later

        The wheels of the blue and red bicycles skimmed the ground as Makenna and Caleb biked through Seabrook Island. Makenna, now eleven years old, was in the lead, and Caleb, now eight, was left behind.

Makenna laughed and let the summer breeze rush through her hair. Her necklace, the one with the blue horse head pendant, waved with it.

Makenna felt like a brand-new person. Not so long ago, she had won a surfing competition on Folly Beach and a trophy for her ballet group during a dance recital, so she was in an excellent mood. She thought about starting horseback riding since there was a stable on Seabrook Island, but decided she didn't want to max out her mother's credit card.

Now that she was older, Makenna was starting to grow out of fairies, but she still liked them slightly. She had now focused her attention more on American Girl dolls, especially Isabelle, who was also a dancer. Makenna, however, was unaware that behind her back, Caleb had been doing some fairy research. She was also unaware that she was a fairy.

She and Caleb were biking to the crab dock near the Creek Watch Villas condos and the Seabrook Island water tower and fire station. They rode on Seabrook Island Rd., and many trees surrounded them.

After biking for a couple more minutes, Makenna and Caleb reached the turn for the fire station and water tower. It was a four-lane road. They turned left, and the water tower and station came into view. They were on the children's rights. Soon, they escaped the trees, and now the marsh was on either side. It was low tide, and crabs poked out from their holes in the marsh and crawled about.

After a bit, the two siblings passed the station and water tower. They followed the road toward a straight path, and condos stood on either side of them. Soon, the road narrowed, and they peddled through two cones. They were officially on the path leading them to the crab dock. To their left was more marshland, and to their right was the estuary that led to the ocean.

Makenna and Caleb continued to follow the path. They passed a bench and soon came upon a bridge on their right. Beside the bridge was a bike rack.

When they were before it, Makenna and Caleb stopped their bikes and hopped off them, parking them on the bike rack. Aside from the rack, the path continued and disappeared into another cluster of trees.

The siblings now saw they were the only ones at the crab dock. They hurried onto the bridge and peered at the busy crabs over the railing. Their nostrils picked up the scent of the estuary's sand.

After examining it, they continued down the bridge and stepped onto a sandy path, following it to the crab dock on their right. Before them was a nature observation deck. It looked like a tree house since it was made from wood, but it wasn't in a tree. People had to climb a flight of stairs to reach the top of the observation deck, and from the top of it, they had a beautiful view of Seabrook Island's marshland and North Beach. From there, their ears picked up the sounds of North Beach's waves slapping the shoreline. North Beach looked far away from the overlook, but it wasn't.

Just past the observation deck was the crab dock. Makenna and Caleb went there first. Like the observation deck, the crab dock was made from wood and hovered over the estuary. Lots of crab nets and cages were tied to the dock. Makenna and Caleb always liked pulling up the cages and nets to see if crabs were in them.

Soon stepping onto the crab dock, the two siblings trekked down it, and Caleb stopped, resting his elbows on the dock's railing.

Makenna did the same.

They examined the estuary, and Makenna propped up her head, asking, "Beautiful, isn't it?" to Caleb.

He nodded and sighed.

Makenna mimicked. She left him after a bit and took a steel ramp down to the lower dock. When she reached it, she sat cross-legged and ran her fingertips through the warm water. She always liked doing that. It was her way of feeling relaxed. Makenna always felt good when she was at and on the crab dock.

Her eyes caught the rope of a crab net, and she took it, starting to pull. The net was heavy. As she pulled, Makenna closed her eyes and said, "Heave! Heave!" She finally dragged the net onto the dock and sighed, opening her eyes. She studied the net and smiled when she saw three crabs in it.

Makenna was preparing to throw the net back into the estuary when Caleb's voice from behind startled her. "Are there any crabs?"

Makenna gasped and chucked the cage into the water. Whirling around, she saw Caleb standing before her and announced, "Caleb! Don't do that!" She placed her hand on her heart. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Caleb apologized. He grabbed Makenna by the wrist and pulled her up. "Makenna, please! I'm ready to go to the observation deck!"

He tugged on Makenna's wrist, and she said, "Okay!" ripping her wrist free. "Lead the way, Caleb."

Caleb grinned and led her to the stairs of the observation deck. Once they reached them, he said, "Hurry, Makenna!" and grabbed the wooden railing, starting to climb.

Behind, Makenna rolled her eyes. "Brothers." Then she grabbed the railing and started to climb. As she climbed, her necklace pendant began to glow faintly. Makenna overlooked that, though. However, she did notice that the back of her right hand started to turn blue as if from frostbite. "What the—?" Makenna stopped and picked up her hand. She held it close and studied it. "What's going on?"

Caleb, who now stood on the observation deck's overlook, peered down at her. "What's the holdup, Makenn?"

Makenna dropped her hand, stuck it in the back pocket of her jean shorts, and said, "Nothing, Caleb! I'm coming!" And she was. As she continued to scale the stairs, she tried to figure out what was wrong with her hand. It made no sense. Why had it turned blue? Makenna was perplexed, but she kept on trekking up the stairs.

Soon reaching the observation deck's overlook, wind gushed through her hair, and the scent of the ocean, picked up by the breeze, invaded her nose. She joined Caleb at the deck's railing and peered over it, smiling. There was the ocean. It was across the marsh, and a Great Blue Heron flew toward it.

Makenna sighed. After a bit, she twisted her body, and her eyes landed on a long, wooden bench directly behind her and Caleb. Makenna nodded and approached the bench, plopping down on it.

Caleb remained at the observation deck's railing.

Once comfortable, Makenna pulled her right hand out of her back pocket and held it to her face. It was the strangest thing. Her hand no longer glowed.

Makenna stared at it and asked, "What the heck?"

Caleb soon approached her. Standing before her, he asked, "What are you staring at?"

Makenna peered into his eyes, scoffed, and closed her own. She stood on the bench and said, "Nothing. I'm just fine."

Caleb chuckled. He could smell sarcasm a mile away. He crossed his arms and said, "Oh, come on, Makenna. You can talk to me. I'm your brother, remember?"

Makenna wasn't listening to him. Instead, she stared at the ocean again and asked, "You know what, Caleb? Sometimes, I wish that I could fly." She sighed. "Join the birds, migrate, and travel everywhere. That would be fun."

Smiling, Caleb sat on the bench and glanced at his sister. "Actually, Makenna, as crazy as this sounds, sometimes I can't help but feel like you can fly. It's just"—he shrugged—"you have this magical aura that surrounds you and that necklace pendant."

Makenna glimpsed at him.

Caleb pointed at her necklace. "Don't get me wrong, Makenn—sometimes I feel that magical aura, too."

Makenna stared at him. She blinked. Then she laughed, closed her eyes, and placed her hand to her lips. "Oh, Caleb, you never change, do you? I can't fly. I'm not a fairy." She started to pace back and forth on the bench.

Clearing his throat, Caleb said, "Well, um, actually, Makenna—you see, I've been doing some research, and well, um, I think it's safe to say that you may be—"

He didn't get to finish because suddenly, Makenna's foot hit a piece of wood sticking up on the bench. She lost her balance and waved her arms.

Gasping, Caleb reached for her and shouted, "Makenna!" but he was too late.

Makenna fell backward, over the observation deck's railing, and screamed, "Help!" as she started to fall toward the sandy path at the base of the deck.

"Oh no!" Caleb yelled from the observation deck's bench.

As Makenna fell, she closed her eyes and tried to enjoy her last breaths. She was going to be splattered all over the sandy path! No, Makenna was too young to die!

However, just before she could hit the ground, her necklace pendant glowed up, and a sudden, green blur, which came from nowhere, caught her and carried her to the bridge.

From the observation deck, Caleb didn't waste any time. He jumped to his feet, sprinted down the stairs, and yelled, "Makenna!"

Once over the bridge, the mysterious, green blur turned into a mysterious figure covered in green magic.

Makenna's necklace pendant took her to the ground and gently set her down. The young girl landed on her back, and her eyes were still closed.

Caleb soon reached the bridge, out of breath, and he gasped at the sight of the mysterious figure hovering over his sister.

It turned to him and saluted.

Speechless, Caleb saluted back and said in a low voice, "Thank you. Thank you for saving my sister."

The mysterious figure nodded and turned on its heel, bending its knees.

Caleb watched as it shot into the sky with the help of its wings, yes, its wings, and disappeared in a blast of green dust. Dust rained down, and Caleb peered up at it. That caused dust to land on his eyebrows, and more dust rained down on Makenna, who had still not opened her eyes.

After a bit, Caleb shook the dust off his eyebrows and glanced at his sister, yelling, "Makenna!" Rushing to her side, he kneeled and grabbed her shoulders, starting to shake them. "Wake up, Makenna! Please! Makenna!"

Makenna didn't stir.

Caleb tried again. "Makenna!"

There, Makenna finally stirred and opened her eyes, looking up. At the sight of Caleb hovering over her, she smiled and said, "Caleb. Caleb, you saved me."

"Uhh," Caleb stammered. He didn't know what to say. How would he explain to Makenna that he just saw what he thought was a fairy? A real fairy?

Before he knew it, though, suddenly, Makenna jumped up and fell into his arms. "Thank you, Caleb! Thank you! You're the best brother a sister could ask for!"

Caleb gasped, "No, Makenna!" and pushed her off. "I didn't save you!"

"What?" Makenna confusingly asked. She peered into her brother's eyes. "Then who did? How come I'm not splattered all over the crab dock?"

"Makenna," he whispered, taking her shoulders, "it was a fairy. He saved you. Makenna, that necklace you wear is magical. It summoned him. You don't even realize it, but you, too, are a fairy."

There was a pause in the conversation. The crickets began to chirp.

Makenna scoffed, clearly not believing Caleb, and stood. "You know, you're disgusting, Caleb." Turning on her heel, she headed toward their bicycles.

Caleb followed and called, "I'm serious, Makenna! The Tooth Fairy must've left some magic in that necklace pendant! Remember when you first got it, and it glowed up? I'm not kidding, sis! You're a fairy! You're a Metamorphic Fairy!"

Makenna threw back her hand and yelled, "Just shut up, Caleb!"

Caleb jumped. He stopped and watched as Makenna hopped onto her bike and peddled away.

"I'm going home, and you better not mention this nonsense to anyone!" With that said, she vanished into the cluster of trees the path led to and left Caleb behind.

Shrugging, he said, "Well, that went well," and headed toward his own bike. He knew Makenna wasn't going to believe him.

Reaching his bike, he peered into the cluster of trees that Makenna disappeared in and folded his arms. "Just wait, Makenna. Soon, you will start going through the changes of a Metamorphic Fairy. Soon, you will grow your wings. Then you will fly to me and never shut me out again." He chuckled. "Your metamorphosis has begun."