In less than five minutes, the island was back to normal. Makenna rested on her back with eyes closed and arms extended, Tracey on his front. Gina stood beside his head and patted it with her wing.

Suddenly, Makenna shot to an upright position and lifted her hand. "Is everyone alive?"

Tracey coughed. "Barely," he feebly said.

Gina nudged his head.

"Whoo-wee," Makenna said. She squeezed water out of her long, brown hair. "That was some kind of fun. Are you okay, little necklace?" She reached for her necklace pendant and sighed when she felt it. For a bit, she stared at her necklace and blue fingernails. She then jumped to her feet and turned to Tracey, who struggled to his hands and knees.

"Tracey, are you all right?" Makenna grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet.

He swayed the second he stood and closed his eyes, falling forward.

Makenna caught him. "Tracey! Take it easy, dude! You need to rest!"

Gina hurried to the young apprentice and rubbed against his cheek. She and Makenna helped Tracey onto the sand and waited for the color to return to his face.

Makenna sat on a rock and faced the meadow while Gina stayed with her friend. As Makenna sat, tears streamed down her cheeks. In a choked voice, she said, "I was too weak. Thanks to me, the Octopus Man nearly had Tracey." She glanced at her hands. "I can't defeat him like this." She frustratingly clenched her fist, and her fingernails turned purple.

Makenna leaped to her feet, rubbed her eyes, and furrowed her eyebrows. "I have to find Caleb! I have to learn to fly to earn my second transformation!" She remembered Caleb explaining her second transformation was her Soon to Be a Crystal Metamorphic Fairy transformation.

Now desperate, Makenna peered into the gorgeous blue sky. She could do it. She clenched her fists. "Come on, wings!" Makenna bent her knees and didn't take her eyes off the sky. She glared, jumped, and boom! Her wings flapped, and she shot into the sky. As she climbed, she held her right arm straight out and clenched her fist and teeth. However, she immediately lost control. Makenna was thrown all over and yelled.

Gina saw her and squawked. She turned to Tracey, whose color was almost back, and hurried to his shoulder. With her beak, she grabbed his shirt sleeve and pulled.

Tracey struggled to a sitting position and reached for his head, rubbing it. Opening his eyes, he dropped his hand and glanced at Gina. "Gina, what is it?"

Gina let go of his sleeve and pointed her beak into the sky.

Tracey looked with her. At the sight of Makenna attempting to fly, he whispered, "She's flying. Well, sort of."

Makenna called to her wings, "Wings, go left!" but her wings pulled her to the right. Makenna yelled. She fell toward the beach, shouting, "Help!" but her wings caught her before she hit the ground. They gently put her down on the sand on her backside.

"Oh!" frustrated Makenna complained. "I was so close, too!"

"Well done, Makenna," Tracey said from where he sat.

Makenna heard him. "Huh?" Her eyes landed on him. "Tracey!" She hopped up. "You're all right!" Hurrying to him, she kneeled and started hammering him with questions: "What did you see? Did he get you? Did you see the Octopus Man? Was he really half an octopus? How did you escape?"

"Shush!" said the young ninja. His head hurt, and he reached for it. "What are you talking about, Makenna? What 'Octopus Man'?"

"Oh," Makenna gloomily said. "I guess you didn't see him?" She jumped. "No, nothing! There is no Octopus Man! We, um"—she thought for a moment—"just escaped a mighty storm in the Atlantic. It was so bad that there was even a whirlpool!"

"Whirlpool?" Tracey asked. "What whirlpool? What storm?"

"Hold on," Makenna said, pointing at him. "You really don't remember?"

"Is that a bad thing?" asked Tracey.

Makenna hesitated. She forced a smile. "No! No! That's fine! I meant to ask you, um, can we continue our journey to find my brother?"

"Oh," Tracey said. He nodded, and Makenna took him by the arm, helping him stand. "Right. We're looking for 'Where the water meets your wings,' right?"

Nervously, Makenna said, "Yes, yes we are. After we find Caleb, Tracey, Merlin wants us to return to his cave so he can give me the scoop on why I'm a fairy, and we can return home. Caleb and I have to return home. We have school tomorrow."

"Right," Tracey said. He shook his head. "You're a Metamorphic Fairy, Makenna. I want to congratulate you on that flight you just did."

Makenna scoffed. "That wasn't flight. That was Pretty Girl Falling Out of the Sky, Episode 20."

"Well," said Tracey, "you still did something, right?"

Makenna shrugged. "I guess so." She glanced at her wings and turned back to Tracey. "Well, are we ready?"

"Yeah," Tracey said. "I suppose." His eyes left Makenna, and he stared at the Atlantic Ocean, not blinking. He looked like a zombie.

Makenna soon waved her hand before Tracey's face. "Whoo-hoo. Tracey." She knocked on his forehead. "Are you in there? Uh, Tracey, it's time for you to return to reality."

Tracey snapped out of his doze and reached for his head again. "I'm sorry, Makenna. I don't know what's going on."

"You may have swallowed too much seawater," she said. "As soon as we find my brother, I will escort you back to Merlin's Cave so he can look at you. You may just be drained of power. Can you fly?"

"Uh, I think so." Tracey slowly lifted his wings and flapped them. Makenna did not let go of his arm. Tracey lifted into the sky after several wing flaps, but balancing himself out took a little time.

When he finally did, Makenna let go of his arm. "All right. Come on, let's find 'Where the water meets your wings.'"

"'Where the water meets your wings,'" Tracey thoughtfully repeated after her. "I wonder if that means Merlindial Falls."

Makenna gasped. "So, you know where to go?"

Tracey crossed his arms. "I do, but I'm not going to tell you."

"Huh?" Makenna asked. She felt anger boiling inside of her again. She glared, placed her hands on her hips, and snapped, "Why not, Ninja Boy?"

"First of all, because you need to be more polite," Tracey seriously said.

Gina, who hovered beside him, nodded and blew Makenna another raspberry.

She lost her glare and lowered her hands. "I'm sorry."

"That's better," said Tracey. "Now, Makenna, if you want to find your brother, you must listen to your fairy instincts. They'll take you to him."

"My fairy instincts?" Makenna inquired. "What do you mean 'fairy instincts', Ninja Boy?"

"My name is Tracey," he feebly said, "and I would appreciate it if you showed me a little more respect. I'm not the one being tested for true metamorphosis, Makenna—you are. I'm just guiding you, but this is your journey."

Makenna opened her mouth to argue back, but then she backed out. She didn't want to push him. Tracey had been beaten up already. Inhaling, she said, "Fine," in an angry voice and turned toward the meadow, closing her eyes. "My fairy instincts."

While Makenna waited for her instincts to kick in and tell her where to go, Tracey focused his attention back on the ocean and sighed.

Gina hovered before his face and peered into his golden-brown eyes, which looked slightly glassy. She was perturbed.

Suddenly, there was a blast of wind, and Makenna's hair waved against it. Her eyes were still closed. "Wait a minute," she said, turning toward the island's jungle. "I'm getting something. I'm getting something! It's getting warmer." She gasped and opened her eyes. Hurrying toward the jungle, she stopped, turned to Tracey, and pointed at it. "This way! We go this way!"

Tracey turned his head and glanced at her. He nodded and said, "Good job, Makenna."

Makenna chuckled and turned on her heel. "Follow me." With that, she took off at a run, and Tracey followed.

Gina nervously chased her friend.

The two fairies soon entered the jungle and hurried through it. Well, Makenna hurried, but Tracey took his time.

As Makenna ran, she said, "Don't worry, Caleb, we're coming!" Suddenly, she gasped. "His aura! I can feel his aura! We must be getting close!"

"Makenna!" Tracey weakly called to her. He held out his hand. "Please slow down!"

"I can't, Tracey!" said Makenna. "My brother is counting on me to rescue him! How about you speed up? You're the ninja!"

"Makenna," said Tracey. He sunk closer to the ground, and his face turned pale again. He closed his eyes.

"Stop!" Makenna shouted. She stopped and held up her hand to signal for Tracey to stop.

He accidentally crashed into Makenna's back and knocked her to the ground. "Oh!" said the young ninja. He reached for his lips. "I'm so sorry, Makenna! My clumsiness got in the way again!"

"Oh, Tracey," Makenna said. She stood and brushed herself down. "Don't worry, you're not clumsy. You're just a little tired."

Tracey lowered his head and grabbed his arm. He strangely looked depressed.

Makenna tried to maintain a positive attitude. Clearing her throat, she pointed forward. "Check it out!"

Tracey lifted his head and nodded at what he saw before them. "Yep. That's Merlindial Falls."

Gina hovered beside his face and glanced forward with him.

Before the two fairies, feeding into a river pool and hidden between some trees, was a beautiful, seventy-foot-tall, roaring waterfall. Birds soared near the top, and a couple stopped and peered down at the two fairies.

At the sight of the waterfall, Makenna said, "Whoa! Look at that thing! It's huge!"

"Yeah," Tracey said. "This is another place I like to visit."

"Amazing," said Makenna, open-mouthed, "but wait." She took a step forward, closer to the waterfall. "What did Merlin mean by 'Where the water meets your wings'?"

Tracey closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and huffed. He knew the answer, but there was no way he would give it away. Makenna had to figure it out herself. However, after thinking, he decided to give her a clue. After all, the riddle was a little tricky to figure out.

Tracey sighed. He cleared his throat and said, "Makenna, think about it. 'Where the water meets your wings.'"

Makenna turned her head.

Tracey lifted his hand and pointed at the pool the waterfall fed into. "Check out that pool." Makenna did. "Now," added Tracey, next pointing at a line of rocks just left of the waterfall, "check out that line of rocks over there. Doesn't it look like they're taking the form of a path?"

"Hmm," said Makenna thoughtfully. She tapped her chin. "This is a roughie toughie. Hmm, wait a minute!" She examined the rocks more carefully. "They do, Tracey!"

"Correct," Tracey said. "What can that tell you about 'Where the water meets your wings'?"

Makenna thought for a bit longer. Then she gasped and said, "The waterfall! Of course! The waterfall is the answer!"

"Are you sure about that?" asked Tracey. "Are you sure there's nothing more to the riddle? To where the 'Water meets your wings'?"

"I'm sure," Makenna said. "This has to be the place. Don't worry, Caleb, I'm coming!" With that, she hopped over a ledge and jogged down a hill toward the line of rocks.

While watching her, Tracey turned to Gina and winked.

Gina winked back. She then backed up, and Tracey hurried after Makenna. Gina soared into a tree and landed on a branch, folding her wings. She patiently watched the two fairies.

Tracey soon caught up with Makenna.

She leaped over the pile of rocks and headed toward the waterfall's rock face. "Caleb. I know he's here." She stopped and turned to Tracey, pointing at the waterfall. "He's behind that waterfall, isn't he, Tracey?"

Tracey closed his eyes and shrugged. "What do you think, Makenna? Remember, this is your journey—not mine."

"Well," Makenna said, "I'm not sure, but something's telling me behind the waterfall is where we need to go."

"It's your fairy instincts," Tracey told her. "You're learning to use them, Makenna. Trust them."

Makenna soon reached the waterfall's rock face and peered up, gulping. That was a pretty steep rock face. It reminded her of the rock face in Ice Age. She gulped again. Then she creased her brows and cracked her fingers.

Tracey flew up the rock face. Stopping, he glanced down at her. "Well, are you coming?"

"Just give me a minute!" Makenna called. "Don't rush me!" She shivered. "I'm gonna die."

"No, you're not!" Tracey called. He somehow had heard her whisper that. "You have three choices, Makenna. Are you going to fly, climb, or chicken out?"

Makenna glared. "Don't you dare call me a chicken!"

"Well, excuse me," Tracey said, "but I don't have all day."

"Shut your mouth, Ninja Boy!" Makenna yelled. "And keep it shut!"

Tracey landed on a ledge and sat, dangling his legs. He crossed his arms and shook his head. "I'll never understand girls."

While she studied the rock face, Makenna said, "Oh, this is crazy. Crazy, crazy, crazy." She jumped and grabbed the rock face, beginning to climb.

From where he sat, Tracey propped up his head and watched.

Makenna climbed slowly and carefully. She grunted when she grabbed a small ledge. Every once in a while, she peered down. At the sight of the drop, she whimpered and shook with fear. Makenna climbed to the left of Merlindial Falls, and its water sprayed on her. Thirty feet up, she stopped and hugged the rock face as hard as possible.

On his ledge, Tracey stood and crossed his arms. "Are you having fun, Makenna?"

Makenna opened her eyes. "Don't distract me! I'm almost there!"

"You know," said Tracey, "you have something on your back called wings. Why don't you use them?"

"Because I can't!" Makenna whimpered. "I can't fly like you!"

"You're wrong," said Tracey. "You can fly. You just don't believe that you can."

"Aw, shut up!" Makenna yelled. She closed her eyes again, and her sweaty hands started to slip. "This is a lot of fun. I've always loved rock climbing on steep rock faces without equipment. It's one of my favorite hobbies!" Her hands slipped, though, and she screamed as she fell back toward the pile of rocks.

Tracey gasped and shouted, "Makenna!" Quickly, he lifted into the sky and held his arms out to his sides, zipping after her.

Makenna continued to fall, and she yelled at her wings, "Wings, please! Do something!"

Her wings did nothing.

Makenna screamed some more. However, Tracey appeared from under her before she hit the rocks and caught her in his arms. "Ahhh!" Makenna yelled. She wrapped her arms around Tracey's neck.

He focused on the waterfall and flew toward it. "Hold on tight!"

Makenna hugged his neck harder.

Tracey's eyes glowed green, and he flew toward the roaring waterfall.

"What are you doing?" Makenna shouted. "Are you crazy?" She closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest. Suddenly, though, the waterfall split in two and created a path. Behind it, a ledge and cave were revealed.

Tracey flew Makenna through the waterfall and landed in the cave, setting her down. Next, he appeared at the edge of the ledge with ninja speed.

"Tracey, no!" Makenna said, holding out her hand.

Tracey lifted his hands and announced, "Tracey! Pupil of Merlin the Great!" He held his hands to the waterfall, and green and purple sparkles escaped them. They circled the waterfall from top to bottom, and Tracey acted out a backflip, landing on his feet. He threw magical green and purple throwing stars into the sky, and all of them, along with the sparkles, circled the waterfall like boomerangs.

Before Makenna knew it, the waterfall's flow stopped. She gasped and watched as a giant ball of green and purple light hovered before Tracey.

He extended his arms, and the ball vanished. Now, he and Makenna were on the ledge in the cave where the waterfall used to be.

Tracey smiled feebly at his work but then closed his eyes and fell forward.

"Tracey!" Makenna yelled. She hopped up and hurried to him, catching him before he fell over the ledge. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Tracey replied, standing.

"That was amazing!" Makenna told him. "How did you do that?"

"That's called a Sojourning Spell," replied the young ninja. "It allows anything to stop for a temporary amount of time. One day, you, too, will be able to use it."

"Whoa," Makenna said. She peered over the ledge to the magnificent jungle and ocean view. Then, turning to Tracey, she said, "Thank you, Tracey. Thank you for saving me."

"Aw, don't mention it," Tracey said. "I like to help others. Anyways"—he turned to the cave and extended his arms—"welcome to the back of Merlindial Falls. While you look around, I think I will rest."

"Yeah," Makenna said, nodding. "You do that, Tracey. You need the rest."

Tracey thanked her and headed toward the cave's wall. Pressing his back against it, he closed his eyes and sank to the ground. He buried his face in his arms.

From where she stood, Makenna watched him. "Oh, Tracey." Before long, she explored the cavern, and as she explored, she cupped her hands around her mouth and called, "Caleb! Caleb! Where are you?" Her voice echoed. "Caleb!" Makenna called again.

Nothing.

Makenna felt tears burning behind her eyes. Approaching Tracey, she said, "I don't understand, Tracey. We're at 'Where the water meets your wings,' but where is Caleb? Merlin said this would be the only place we'd find him."

Tracey unburied his head and turned it toward a small pool at the other end of the cave. A waterfall poured into it.

Makenna peeked in the direction of the pool and asked. "Hm? Hold on." She left Tracey. On her way to the pool, she stopped occasionally and placed her ear on the cave's back wall.

Tracey watched her.

Makenna soon stopped at the pool and carefully studied the waterfall. She turned her head, and her eyes landed on the back wall. Then, she peered back at the pool and waterfall.

Tracey stood and approached her. He stepped into the pool and asked, "What is it, Makenna?"

She fixed her eyes on the waterfall and said, "Hm," glancing at her wings. "'Where the water meets your wings.'" Makenna gasped. "I get it now!" She entered the pool, joined Tracey, and headed toward the waterfall. The two fairies soon stood on either side of it.

Makenna cupped her hands and stuck them under the waterfall. The water poured on them, and she smiled when she felt its warmth. Removing her hands, she smiled and turned to Tracey. He nodded, and Makenna returned it. "I feel good about this, Tracey. Let's hook hands."

"Right," he said. He and Makenna hooked hands and turned their backs to the waterfall, wrapping their arms and bodies around it.

They closed their eyes, and Makenna asked, "Are you ready, Tracey?"

"I am," he said. He and Makenna stepped back and stuck their wings under the waterfall. The water poured down on them.

Before long, Makenna heard rumbling from the cave's back wall. Opening her eyes, she asked, "Huh?"

The cave's wall split in two, and the two pieces slid away from each other, revealing a secret tunnel.

Makenna and Tracey's wings glowed, and Makenna said, "Tracey, look! It's working! Yes!" She lowered her head. "For once, I am doing things right!"

"Amazing, Makenna!" Tracey said. "You just performed your first real spell; even more, it was a Converging Spell!"

"A Converging Spell?"

"Yeah," Tracey explained. "A Converging Spell is a spell in which two or more fairies combine their magic to help attack an opponent or open secret passageways. I'm amazed you did it. Converging Spells for Metamorphic Fairies usually can't be performed unless the fairy is a Crystal Metamorphic Fairy."

"I knew I could do it," Makenna said. "I knew I could perform my first spell." She and Tracey unhooked their hands and stepped out of the pool. They focused their attention on the splitting walls. It wasn't long until they stopped moving, and the tunnel was open.

Makenna grinned. Tears reappeared in her eyes. "Caleb." She didn't waste any time. She hurried into the tunnel, and Tracey followed.

However, he looked exhausted when he entered the cave and placed his palm on the wall. He took deep breaths, and all the color drained from his face again.

Makenna headed toward the center of the small tunnel. "Caleb! Caleb!"

"Makenna?" asked a familiar voice. "Is that you?"

"Caleb!" Makenna shouted, turning her head. There he was! There was Caleb!

He sat on a small, rocky loft, a lantern beside him, and wrote in a journal. Behind him was a sleeping bag and a plate of food.

Makenna again shouted, "Caleb!" She hurried to the loft.

"Oh, Makenna!" he said. Tears also appeared in his eyes. He put down his journal and jumped from the loft, landing on his feet. Once he landed, he sprinted to Makenna. "Big Sister!"

The two siblings reached each other, and Makenna picked up her brother, hugging him as tightly as she could. "Caleb!" Tears ran down her cheeks. "You're all right! You're all right! I was so worried about you!" She twirled him in a circle.

"Makenna," he said, "you don't have to do what Mom does."

"Oh, Caleb!" Makenna said. Her tiny wings sparkled with a sudden blast of blue fairy dust as she twirled.

Tracey watched the reunion with a small smile.

Makenna soon put Caleb down. Kneeling to him, she took his shoulders. "Are you hurt? How long have you been in here?"

"Makenna," said Caleb, blushing, "I'm fine. You don't need to treat me like a six-year-old."

"Oh, Caleb," Makenna said. She hugged him again.

Caleb closed his eyes and whimpered, "Big Sister, I missed you."

Tracey soon approached the two and crossed his arms. "Well, are you happy, Makenna?"

Makenna nodded. "I am, Tracey. This has made my day! I'm just glad my brother's all right."

Tracey placed his hands on his hips and winked at Caleb, who winked back.

After he and Makenna hugged, he approached the ninja and placed his hands behind him. "Thank you, Tracey, for getting my sister here safely."

"No problem, sport," Tracey told him. He ruffled Caleb's hair.

Caleb held his fist up to Tracey, and Tracey mimicked. The two boys pounded their fists and brought back their hands. "Whoosh!"

Caleb chuckled. He turned to Makenna and said, "Wow, Makenna!" His eyes sparkled. "You're a fairy! A full-fledged fairy!"

Makenna nodded. "Yes, I am, Caleb. I'm sorry I didn't believe you before."

"Aw, don't worry," said Caleb. "It's not every day that a fourteen-year-old girl pops wings. Speaking of wings..." He examined Makenna's wings. "Can you fly yet?"

"Not yet," Tracey answered, "but we're working on it. Aren't we, Makenna?"

"Yeah." Makenna nodded. "Get this, Caleb, he forced me to drop off the ledge at the end of his secret tunnel in his room."

"Really?" Caleb asked. "Awesome!"

"Ah," Tracey said, "it was more she was frightened by a flock of bats, and she jumped off the cliff to escape them."

Makenna blushed and furrowed her brows. "You stay out of this, Tracey. But anyway, Caleb..." She turned to Caleb again. "On the beach, I managed to fly a bit, although I looked more like a kite flying out of control. Hm." She clenched her fist and stared at it. "I was so close, too. Tracey!" She glanced at Tracey, who asked:

"Yes, Makenna?"

Makenna held her fist out to him. "I'm ready to try flying again!"

"Whoa, really?" Caleb questioned. "After what Tracey did to you?"

"I may not be able to do it," Makenna said, "but I must try. I have to attempt to become a Level 2 and Level 3 fairy. So..." She focused on Tracey's pale face. "Please, Tracey?"

"Very well," Tracey said. "We'll give it another go." He turned on his heel and marched away from Caleb and Makenna. He lost his balance but was able to catch himself.

As Makenna and Caleb followed, Caleb asked Makenna, "Are you sure about this, Makenna?"

"I am," Makenna replied. "I can't be a chicken forever."

"Well, I supposed," Caleb said, shrugging. "And don't worry, Tracey will catch you if you fall."

"Yeah," said Makenna, "but I'm sure he's getting tired of saving me all the time. I'm a useless fairy."

Caleb gasped. "Makenna!" He and Makenna stopped, and Caleb added, "Don't say things like that! You're not a useless fairy. You need a little practice—that's all. In addition, you need to believe in yourself. Do you know why Tracey's been pressuring you to fly lately?"

Makenna hesitated and shut her mouth.

Caleb continued with, "It's because he believes you can do it. He knows you can spread your wings and fly. He does not doubt you. Trust me, Makenna. Tracey is a very trustworthy fairy. He's very nice. He's not trying to get rid of you. He's helping you understand how blessed you are to be a fairy."

"And how do you know him so well?" Makenna wondered.

Caleb closed his eyes. "It's because I met him long ago."

"Do what?" Makenna asked, shocked. "How could you have met him?"

"Well," Caleb explained, "when we were younger—do you remember when you fell off the observation deck at the crab dock and thought I saved you?"

Makenna thought back. She remembered that day. "Yes."

"Well," continued Caleb, "the truth is, I wasn't the one who saved you. It was Tracey. He appeared from nowhere, posing as only a green blur, and caught you. He flew you over to the bridge, and then, that necklace you wear dropped you gently on the ground."

Makenna reached for her necklace. "Oh," she said, "and I didn't believe you when you mentioned that the ninja-like fairy rescued me."

"That is correct," Caleb said with a nod.

"Oh, Caleb," said Makenna, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Caleb giggled. "Another thing is... Don't think of this kidnapping and stashing me away behind Merlindial Falls as a bad thing. I agreed to do it. Yesterday, when you left for North Beach, I met Tracey in person, and he very kindly asked me to help him have the Metamorphic Fairy, you, come to Merlin's Island. Kidnapping me was the only thing he could do."

"I understand," said Makenna. "And here I am at Merlin's Island. Hey." She took Caleb's shoulder. "You're not half bad, Caleb."

Caleb blushed. He and Makenna hugged.

As they hugged, Tracey turned to them and asked, "Well, are you coming or not? Chop, chop."

"Huh?" asked Makenna and Caleb. They let go and glanced at one another, chuckling.

Then, Makenna lifted her hand and waved. "Don't worry, Tracey, we're on our way!" She and Caleb approached Tracey.

All three of them lined up and turned on their serious faces. They marched toward the cave's ledge; Makenna was in the middle of the line, Tracey on the left, and Caleb on the right. Something epic was about to go down.