Ash was the only one who didn't sleep that night, even though Merlin tried to convince him that he needed the rest.
Ash didn't think he did. He felt wide-awake after drinking his Cappuccino Wing Slushy.
When the fire was extinguished, billions of stars became visible in the somewhat cloudy but warm sky. Merlin snored from his sleeping bag while Makenna, Tracey, and their animal friends just silently breathed.
Ash rested on his back in his sleeping bag, hands behind his head, and stared at the billions of stars. He almost fell asleep a couple of times, but kept himself awake with another sip from his Cappuccino.
When midnight came, Harmony appeared over him and nudged Ash's head with her nose.
He looked her in the eyes. "What's up, Harmony?" He always let Harmony sleep a bit before he started his training. "Are you ready?" continued the Wizard Fairy.
Harmony nodded and excitedly bounced up and down in the sand.
Ash chuckled—"All right. All right. Shh"—and sat. He grabbed his shield and sword case and equipped them on his back. Once ready, he stood and brushed himself down. Ash pushed Harmony away from his sleeping bag and patted her cheek. "Good girl, Harmony. Come on. Let's go." He sipped his Cappuccino cup again and set it down beside his sleeping bag.
Ash pulled Harmony's reins off her head and gave them a slight tug. Together, they started to leave the campsite. Momentarily, though, they stopped, and Ash peered back at everybody sleeping. Merlin's "extremely important parcel" rested beside the extinguished fire, and Ash cracked a small smile, seeing it.
Harmony nudged him again, and Ash patted her. He pulled her away from camp and down the beach.
Back at it, Makenna woke from a nightmare. She gasped and shot to a sitting position. Raeven fell when she did that.
Sweat fountained down Makenna's face, and she took deep breaths.
"It's okay, Makenna," Raeven spoke. "It was just a bad dream."
Makenna ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah, I know. Ugh, I hate these things!" She reached for her head and shook it. "I know it sounds dumb, Raeven, but it felt so real." Her eyes rolled over to Ash's sleeping bag, and her eyes widened when she saw it was empty. "Oh no!" Makenna spoke in a low voice. "Ash!"
Her voice woke Silvey. The fairy dog lifted her head and glanced at her.
Raeven popped up to Makenna's shoulder and went with her and Silvey over to where Tracey slept.
"Tracey," Makenna whispered. Kneeling, she took his shoulder and gently shook it. "Tracey. Wake up."
"Hm?" sleepily asked Merlin's apprentice. "Sure. Whatever you say, Makenn." Rolling over, he instantly fell asleep again.
Makenna huffed. "Fine," she whispered, "I guess I'll find Ash myself."
As she said that, the full moon poked out from behind a cloud, and its rays scanned the beach. They slowly moved up to the camp.
The rays struck Makenna, and the mysterious necklace shimmered, as well as the cut on her finger.
Makenna looked up at the moon, staring at it like a zombie.
"Makenna?" Raeven asked. "Hello?" He waved his wing before her face, but the fairy did not wake up. She continued to stare at the moon, and it wasn't long until she stepped toward it and the ocean.
"Makenna!" Raeven pulled on her hair, but Makenna still headed toward the water.
When Silvey realized that she and Raeven weren't able to drag Makenna away from the sea alone, she hurried to Tracey and started to bark. Silvey hopped around him and barked in his face.
Finally, Tracey woke and sat, asking, "What, Silvey? What?" His eye then rolled over to Makenna's sleeping bag, and he gasped when he saw it was empty. "Oh no."
Still barking, Silvey ran after Makenna, who drew closer to the water and called for Tracey to follow. However, it was too late.
Raeven leaped off Makenna's shoulder, and she dove into the reef from a sandbar.
Tracey kicked his sleeping bag off and leaped to his feet. Clutching his arm in the sling, he sprinted down the beach toward where Makenna dove, in just his bare feet.
Further down the beach, Ash and Harmony had just gone around the point.
Ash heard Silvey's barking over the wind and asked, "What the—?" He and Harmony turned. "Harmony, that's Silvey. Something's going on at camp."
Harmony gulped.
She and Ash next heard Tracey over the wind—"Makenna!"—and both of them gasped.
"Makenna!" Ash soon said. "Oh no. Harmony, let's go!"
Harmony nodded and turned on a serious face.
Ash slipped her reins over her neck and head and approached her left side. He mounted her and urged her to a gallop.
Harmony sprinted down the beach toward the camp. While she ran, Ash's long sideburns flowed out behind him.
Harmony headed toward a driftwood log, and sand blew up under her hooves.
Seeing the log, Ash leaned forward and got into a two-point position.
Harmony pulled her front legs up under her chest and jumped over the log. She landed on the other side and continued galloping.
At Merlin's camp, Tracey, Silvey, and Raeven hurried down the sandbar and stopped where Makenna dove into the deeper water. They glanced out at the reef and waited for some kind of movement.
Horse hooves were soon heard, and all three of them looked over their shoulders.
Harmony and Ash trotted up to Tracey, Silvey, and Raeven.
"Ash," Tracey calmly said.
Ash nodded. "Yes. What's going on?"
Tracey approached Harmony's side and peered up at him. "It's Makenna. Raeven explained that she went all zombie-like when she saw the moon and dove into the bay. She hasn't returned to the surface yet."
"Zombie-like?" Ash dismounted Harmony and patted her cheek, pulling her to the edge of the water.
Tracey followed.
The two teenagers met eyes, and Tracey said, "Yes. Something's going on with her, Ash. Makenna's been acting strange ever since she returned from checking out the boat." Suddenly, from out of nowhere beside him, a hand flew out of the reef and grabbed his ankle. Tracey yelped and ripped it free.
"What?" Ash inquired. He, Tracey, Silvey, and Raeven looked at the area the hand came from.
There was Makenna.
She floated in the deep water in her trance-like state and told the two boys, "You guys have to come in. Coutarine Island is wonderful at night."
Ash's eyes widened, as did Harmony's.
"Especially you, Tracey," Makenna added. "I just found a perfect underwater paradise where we can live forever. You love the ocean. It's perfect."
Tracey didn't fall for that. Closing his eyes, he calmly told Makenna, "I know what you mean, but the last place I want to be is in another trance."
"Come on," Makenna begged. "You know you want to come swimming with me, Tracey. Why don't we swim to the Bermuda Triangle together?"
Tracey shook his head no and glanced at Ash. "Ash, you have to pull her out."
Ash pointed at himself. "Me? Why?"
"Don't be dumb," Tracey said. "Please?"
Ash sighed.
The moon's rays continued to scan Makenna, and she stared desperately at Tracey. Finally, Ash stepped before Tracey and kneeled to the Metamorphic Fairy. "Don't worry, Makenna. We won't disappoint you." He offered Makenna his hand. "Take my hand, and you can lead us to the underwater paradise."
Tracey nervously bit his lip while he watched.
At first, it looked like Makena would give in. She took Ash's gloved hand and smiled at him.
"Okay?" he friendlily asked, and Makenna bobbed her head. "All right," Ash included. He began to pull, but as he did, he finally noticed the cut on Makenna's finger. "Makenna, what happened to your finger?"
Makenna didn't answer. Before he knew it, she smacked Ash with her magic and jerked his hand, throwing him over her head.
Ash yelled and flew through the air. He crashed into the water, and droplets spewed up from where he landed.
Tracey's jaw dropped to the ground, as did Harmony's, and he retreated from Makenna.
She chuckled and focused back on him.
Tracey frightfully reached for his pointy ears and asked, "Sensei?" in a worried tone. He turned on his heel and hurried toward the camp.
Raeven and Silvey stayed with Makenna, but Harmony hurried to the edge of the sandbar and studied the area where Ash landed. She leaped into the ocean and landed with a splash.
"Harmony!" Raeven yelled.
Harmony kicked her legs and swam toward her master. She made it to where Ash crashed and ducked her head underwater.
Raeven and Silvey nervously watched from the sandbar.
Harmony vanished for about a minute or two, but then she burst her head out of the water. Between her teeth, she held the back of Ash's tunic.
Soaking wet, Ash coughed and tried to recover from the throw.
Harmony hurriedly escorted him back to the sandbar. She dragged herself out of the water where Silvey and Raeven waited and dropped him, and Ash landed on his front. Harmony pulled his sword and shield off and patted his back with her nose. She let Ash have his cough.
He reached for his chest and closed his eyes. When he managed to cough most of the seawater out, he flopped down on his back in the sand and held his arms out to his sides, taking deep breaths.
Harmony continued to comfort him.
Raeven, who rested on Silvey's back, turned and glared at spell-struck Makenna, yelling, "Makenna, what is wrong with you? You hurt him!"
Makenna was in too much of a trance to realize what she just did and begged, "Come to the Bermuda Triangle with me," again.
End of Act II: Coutarine Island!
Current Word Count: 55,308