Seven years earlier

        A small island filled with vegetation stood in the Atlantic Ocean near the beaches of Seabrook Island. Numerous coastal trees overlooked the ocean, and the tropical island had a jungle and volcano. It was late afternoon. The sun was setting on the horizon, and the branches of the palm trees waved goodnight to it. Two bottlenose dolphins leaped out of the water, and the rays of the setting sun scanned them. They dove back in and swam toward the island.

Deep in the island's jungle stood a cave that groaned. Inside, it was cool and dark. At its mouth was an entrance hallway. It led to a vast room in the cave's heart. In that room lived Merlin the Great, the most powerful wizard in the world and most likely the oldest. The cave was his home, and all his belongings were in its heart.

Merlin the Great paced back and forth with his hand at his chin. He was concerned about something. His eyes said it all. They flashed with worry and tiredness. His long, nighttime-patterned, blue cloak trailed to the ground, and his long, white beard hung down to his thighs. His blue wizard hat, also nighttime patterned, stood tall on his head, and he ran his aging fingers through his beard. For once, the old wizard needed help. He was losing control of his powers; if he lost all of them, all the magic concealed deep in Earth's core would go extinct.

Merlin didn't want that to happen. He needed the help of a fairy known as a Metamorphic Fairy but couldn't do it without the assistance of his apprentice, Tracey, a ten-year-old Apprentice Fairy. He called for him from where he paced and impatiently waited.

After five minutes, a child fairy appeared at the entrance of another hallway that fed off the cave's heart. Tracey had the size and appearance of an average ten-year-old boy. The only difference was that he had wings and pointy ears. He wore a dark green, jinbei-like shirt, a black sash, black shorts, and dark purple shoes. He had short, black hair and mesmerizing golden brown eyes. His wings were relatively large and translucent. His upper and lower wings were light green and purple. They glittered with purple and green fairy dust.

Tracey hurried to Merlin. Once he reached him, he fell to one knee and calmly asked, "Yes, my liege?" Lifting his head, he met Merlin's eyes.

"My boy," the elderly wizard said, "it has come to the point that we must find a Metamorphic Fairy. Please rise."

Tracey did. He knew what was going on with Merlin's powers but didn't think it'd get so bad that they'd have to seek a Metamorphic Fairy.

Remaining calm, Tracey followed Merlin the Great to the room's heart, where a table sat. Resting on the face of the table in a line were three enchanted necklaces. Each one had a silver loop but different pendants. Green butterfly wings served as the pendant of the first necklace. For the second one, its pendant was a red fairy, and finally, the pendant for the third one was a blue horse head. That was the one Merlin wanted.

Picking it up, he showed it to his apprentice and explained, "Tracey, this is a Metamorphic Necklace. It will show us where we can find the perfect Metamorphic Fairy. If you would do the honors, please." He handed the necklace to Tracey.

He started to protest. "But, sir. Metamorphic Fairies are extremely rare. They may even be extinct by now."

"Extinct?" Merlin asked. "You don't even know what that means." He slowly approached the child fairy and rested his hand on his shoulder. "Whatever. I understand your concern, son, but it doesn't hurt to try."

He had a good point, although Tracey expected nothing less from the most powerful wizard in the world. He nodded understandingly, and Merlin clutched his shoulder. Then he took a step back and gave Tracey space.

The young fairy peered up at the ceiling and flapped his wings. After each flap, there was a blast of fairy dust. With the necklace clutched in his left hand, Tracey picked himself off the ground and started to climb. As he rose, his wings gave off a trail of purple and green fairy dust.

Merlin watched him from below.

Tracey stopped his climb midway to the ceiling. Now hovering, he held the necklace out, which floated from his grasp. Like Tracey, it also hovered.

Merlin's apprentice started circling the necklace over and over. As he did, he recited the spell Merlin taught him about finding a Metamorphic Fairy: "Necklace, oh necklace, find a fairy capable of saving my master. Necklace, oh necklace, find the Metamorphic Fairy willing to sacrifice and show true metamorphosis."

Right after reciting the spell, the necklace glowed faintly blue.

Tracey stopped circling it and stooped down to Merlin. Soon hovering beside him, he crossed his arms and said, "It's searching." Flying forward, he blinked. "Remarkable."

Blue light strings escaped the necklace and went toward the wizard and his apprentice, circling them. They waited a bit, and then the strings of blue lights hovered before Merlin and twirled like mad. It was almost as if they were having a spaz attack.

Grinning, Merlin announced, "It's found something!"

"No way!" Tracey said, landing. "Impossible!" Metamorphic Fairies were so rare! This was pure luck!

From the twirling lights appeared an image. It showed a little girl, maybe seven years old, and with her was her little brother, who was about four. The little girl, like her brother, had short, brown hair. They looked remarkably alike. The only difference was that the little girl had beautiful blue eyes, and her brother had mesmerizing, deep brown eyes.

The little girl was adorable. She wore a silky blue dress and flats on her feet. On her back, she wore a pair of costume Tinkerbell wings. In her hand, she held a Tinkerbell doll.

She and her brother were playing tag. The little girl tried flying but fell in the grass. Fortunately, she was unharmed by the fall.

She grabbed her brother's wrist and pulled him down on the grass to join her. Together, they lay on their backs and peered up at the clouds that were making images. The little girl pointed at them, and her brother chuckled.

Tracey peered over Merlin's shoulder. Once the image ended and the lights vanished, he said, "She's perfect!" He jumped into the sky and acted out a midair cartwheel. "Master Merlin, we've solved all our problems!" He started to tap dance on air. "I can't wait to see what her fairy self will look like! I can't wait! Oh, this is so exciting!"

Scoffing, Merlin crossed his arms. "Tracey, get in control of your wings. Perhaps she is the perfect fairy, but she has not come of age."

Tracey stopped dancing. "Come of age? What do you mean, Master?" He landed and placed his hands on his hips.

"My child," Merlin explained, "if you don't recall, Metamorphic Fairies grow into their fairy halves. When they reach their teen years, they undergo a series of changes or a metamorphosis. Depending on the fairy, they will get their real wings at fourteen or sixteen. We have to wait a while before she becomes a full-fledged fairy."

"But she is a fairy, right?" Tracey asked.

"Yes," said Merlin, crossing his arms, "she is. She's a Metamorphic Fairy, to be exact, and she is destined to save us. We just have to be patient."

"Patient?" Tracey asked. "Are you sure you want to wait that long, Master? Maybe we could ask the necklace to find another Metamorphic Fairy who has come of age?" He reached for the still-floating necklace, but Merlin stopped him from grabbing it.

"No. No one else, Tracey. She's the one we need. I can hang on."

"Are you sure?" asked Tracey.

Merlin nodded. "Yes, my child. I understand we'll have to wait another seven to nine years, but I will take that risk. This girl is special. I can feel it."

Tracey sighed. Well, Merlin was Merlin the Great. He wouldn't let the world down. The ten-year-old apprentice furrowed his eyebrows. "Very well, Master. If you are willing to take the risk, I am, too! I'll train extra hard for these next seven to nine years!" He clenched his fist. "You can count on it!"

Merlin sighed and said, "Spoken like a true apprentice. I can always count on you, Tracey, but we must find this girl before you start training. I want you to ask the necklace for her name and address."

Understanding, Tracey dipped his head and flew to the necklace. He closed his eyes and, through telepathy, asked it for the little girl's name and address. Telepathy was the only way a fairy could communicate with enchanted necklaces.

The necklace answered Tracey's questions, and out loud, he said, "Master Merlin, her name is Makenna Delling, and she's seven years old. She lives on Jenkins Point Rd. located at Seabrook Island in Charleston, South Carolina. She lives with her younger brother, Caleb, her parents, and a beagle puppy named Tony." Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy flowing through his body. "What is this? The necklace says she's the perfect fairy to seek out Selene. We just have to wait until she becomes a full-fledged one. Well, that's all the necklace has to say." He opened his eyes and grabbed the necklace. Then he peered down on Merlin.

"Well done, Tracey!" he complimented.

Blushing, Tracey chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

Merlin continued: "However, she won't grow properly without that necklace. That necklace will also prove that she is a Metamorphic Fairy. Tracey, I want you to fly to Seabrook Island, find this fairy, and deliver the necklace to her. You remember the Shrinking Spell, right?"

Tracey nodded. "Yes, Master."

"Good," said Merlin, "because that spell will help you get into the house. Remember, if she is a Metamorphic Fairy, she will get her real wings no matter what, but for it to be a successful metamorphosis, she has to have that necklace. Understand?"

"I do, sir," said Tracey, "and I won't let you down."

He landed before Merlin, who said, "I know you won't, my young apprentice. You're Tracey. Good luck."

"Thank you," Tracey said. "Good luck to you, too, Master." He and Merlin shared a hug.

Once they disconnected, Merlin said, "Now go, my young apprentice. Be careful."

"I will, sir," said Tracey. "Nighttime is a perfect time to fly because everybody's asleep." He slipped the necklace into his pocket and clenched his fist. "Right! I'll find this girl! See you soon, Master!"

Merlin smiled. "See you soon, Tracey."

Tracey turned toward the corridor to the cave's exit and opened his wings. Flapping them, he lifted into the air and waved goodbye to Merlin. Then he took a deep breath and zipped out of the room into the corridor.

Back in the cave's heart, Merlin watched him disappear in the shadows. "Good luck, my young apprentice."

As Tracey flew down the corridor, he looked earnest and held his arms to his sides. Soon exiting the mouth of the cave, he landed and slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out the necklace. Though he knew how to get to Seabrook Island, he still needed the necklace to take him to Makenna. He remembered the spell Merlin taught him about finding fairies and clenched his fists, becoming even more serious than he already was. A blast of wind massaged his scalp, and a ring of purple and green fairy dust surrounded Merlin's apprentice.

He said, "Find Makenna Delling!" and the necklace's pendant started to glow. It ascended toward the canopy, and Tracey added, "All right, necklace, now take me to her." The ring of fairy dust surrounding him disappeared, and he followed the necklace to the top of the canopy. Soon over the treetops, he said, "Whoa!" when he saw the sunset. "What a beautiful sunset!" The rays of the setting sun scanned him up and down, and Tracey sighed. Then, his eyes rolled over to the island's volcano, and he waved goodbye. He liked that volcano. After waving, he followed the necklace and left a green and purple fairy dust trail behind.

Before long, Tracey flew across the ocean near the water's surface. He peered back at the island and now flew backward. The island became smaller by the second.

Dolphins jumped out and joined the fairy as he flew, clicking at him.

A pink light covered the sky, but Tracey didn't mind that it was getting dark only because, like bats, fairies could see just as well in the dark as they could during daytime.

Tracey peered back at the island one last time. An ocean breeze rushed through his hair. He flew for a very long time, but who cared? Tracey loved his wings. He loved having the gift of flight. In his opinion, it was the greatest thing ever.

When Tracey landed on a rock to rest, the moon was already high in the sky. Its rays scanned the ocean's surface. Tracey twisted his head, and his eyes fell upon a large, dark figure before him, further away. He gasped. That was Seabrook Island! He was almost there! Yes!

Excited, the young fairy opened his wings and picked himself off the ground, holding out his arms. He flew forward, and Seabrook Island kept getting closer. Soon, Tracey no longer saw a silhouette on the water but a small island covered in trees. He was almost at the mainland! His wings began to ache—he'd been flying so long—but that didn't stop Tracey.

He followed the necklace to North Beach, Seabrook Island's main beach, and landed on the sand. Immediately, he collapsed to his knees and tried to catch his breath. He had to give his wings a break. Besides the small waves crashing onto the shore, the beach was quiet and empty. All the humans were at home sleeping. That gave Tracey time to rest.

He stood and studied the creepy beach when his wings felt better. There was the crack of a stick. Gasping, Tracey twisted his head toward the noise and dropped his wings behind him. There was nothing before him. He may have just been hearing things.

When he felt comfortable, he glanced at the necklace and said, "Now, necklace, take me to Makenna's house."

The necklace seemed to nod. It turned and started floating away.

Tracey jogged after it, and his wings banged against his legs as he did.

The necklace took him to a long boardwalk from the beach to a parking lot. Tracey continued to jog, but because his eyes were focused on the necklace and not really on the boardwalk, his foot slipped, and he fell onto the sand-covered footpath.

The necklace stopped and waited for him to recover from his fall.

When Tracey did, he stood and noticed grains of sand sticking to his wings. The sand made his wings look ugly, and Tracey didn't like that. Therefore, he lifted his wings and flapped them as fast as possible, the sand flying off. When he was sure they were clean, Tracey stopped flapping and sighed, dropping them again. Then he chased after the necklace but tripped a lot because he wasn't used to walking.

He soon found himself on an even longer stretch of boardwalk. Trees surrounded him on his left side, bushes on his right.

Astonished, the young fairy said, "Whoa," and peered behind him toward the beach. Then he turned on his heel and focused ahead on the necklace's light, hustling after it.

Tracey soon reached the end of the long stretch of the boardwalk. He gasped when he saw a road before him. Across the road, the boardwalk continued.

"Holy smokes, how long is this boardwalk?" Tracey asked, lifting his wings and flapping. As he rose, he heard the necklace chirping at him through telepathy, and it soon floated over to him. Ten-year-old Tracey glanced at it and bobbed his head up and down. Then he extended his arms and chased after the necklace once again.

In just a few more seconds, the boardwalk ended, and Merlin's apprentice saw that he hovered over a large but empty parking lot and the North Beach pool. The North Beach pool was concealed inside a gate, and the front of the pool area was attached to a small building.

Tracey locked his eyes on the pool for a few minutes and didn't move.

The necklace soon hovered before his face. Through telepathy, it said, "Snap out of it, Tracey! Fly! Fly! You have a mission!"

"Huh?" Tracey asked. He finally blinked and snapped out of his doze, gasping, remembering his mission. "Oh! Right! I'm sorry, necklace." He shook his head and added, "Take me to Makenna Delling."

"That's better," said the necklace. It floated forward, and Tracey cautiously followed it. As he flew, he peered back at the pool and tried to figure out what happened to him back there. It was bizarre. For a second, he felt like his usual apprentice self, but then, at the sight of the pool, he felt a great pain in his heart, and a blurry vision of him being hammered by an enormous wave on the Atlantic Ocean during a storm invaded his mind. He sure hoped it wasn't a sign. Fairies were known for having an extraordinary power that sometimes predicted future events and their fate.

After seeing that image, Tracey couldn't help but feel like something tragic would happen to him in the future. But what? He tried not to be bothered by the premonition and flapped his powerful yet fragile wings harder, but he started to sink to the ground because they were exhausted.

The necklace saw him losing altitude and stooped down, yelling encouragement.

Tracey's wings were tired, but he wouldn't let that stop him. He was A: a fairy on a mission, and B: a fairy who didn't want to disappoint Merlin the Great. Therefore, he remained strong and continued his flight.