Selene waited for a while before communicating with Makenna in her dreams. If she did that, she, too, would have to fall asleep. However, it was hard to sleep when your hands were full of a really sick fairy. There was also a lot of noise outside. Soon after Makenna left, a group of people came to the end of Kiawah Island to have a cookout and admire both the shipwreck and the sunset.
Before the group looked at the boat, Selene quickly closed the hatch, locked the door to the lower deck, and pulled shades down over the portholes. Then, she turned off the lights. Now, from the outside, the boat looked deserted again.
In the lower deck, Selene sauntered over to Tracey and whispered, "All right, Tracey, let's figure out what's wrong with you." She carefully dragged him out of the front berth and over to the berth Makenna had been resting on, where it would be easier to work on him. Tracey had woken up, due to the noise, but not much. His wings, which had lost their shine, hung limply behind him. He was very pale. Even his clothes had turned pale, and his right arm was back in a sling.
Selene set him down on the new, couch-like berth and put a pillow under his head. She then tossed a blanket over him. Before searching for the problem, Selene rested her hand on the towel over Tracey's forehead. "Your towel's pretty dry," she said. "I'm going to re-soak it for you." She took the towel off and left him for a bit. Selene stopped at a bucket of water resting on the boat's wooden table and soaked the towel.
While Selene worked, Tracey weakly lifted his head and asked, "Where's Makenna?"
"Shh," she told him. "She'll be back tomorrow. I must keep you overnight to determine what's wrong with you."
"I want to go home," Tracey mumbled. "I want to see Gina."
"I know." Selene removed the towel from the bucket and started squeezing the water out. "You're going home tomorrow."
However, Tracey didn't want to wait that long. He wanted to go home now. He had had enough of Makenna's world of bullies. Weakly reaching for the mask he wore, he pulled it off and tossed it onto the front berth. Immediately, he started having trouble breathing, and his skin, wings, and clothes grew even paler. Nonetheless, Tracey being Tracey, refused to lie down on the job. He pulled off his blanket and tried to get up, but couldn't. He just rolled off the berth and fell. His face and arm hit the rug on the boat floor, and Tracey flinched.
Selene heard the thump and whirled around, gasping in surprise. "Tracey! What are you doing?" She finished squeezing the water out of the towel and hurried to him.
"I want to go home," whimpered Tracey. He attempted to stand but only fell again. "Gina. I miss her. I want to see her." He breathed heavily on the ground and tried to lift his wings, but failed. Coughing, for the third time, he yelled, "I want to go home! I don't belong here!"
Selene pressed her finger up against his lips and whispered, "Shh. I know how you feel, my dear, but you can't go home yet. Here." She took him by his uninjured arm and lugged him to his feet. Selene dragged Tracey back to the berth and helped him lie down. She pulled the blanket over him and added, "Just sleep. You need to sleep." She picked up the mask he had pulled off and put it back over his nose and mouth.
Tracey started to relax. The sleeping potion in the mask began to seep into his body. He stopped thrashing and breathed deeply.
While he fell asleep, Selene put the towel over his forehead. Then, she got straight to work. She felt him up and down, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. However, the Octopus Man's curse was a complicated one. It wasn't easy to find.
The group of people having the cookout at the end of Kiawah Island was a noisy bunch. A lot of chatter was happening, and a few members drank wine and beer.
Peter Nelson was a member of the group. The gathering was a celebration of his Aunt Mimi's fiftieth birthday. She was the sister of Liana, Peter's mother. She decided to have a little family reunion at the end of Kiawah Island for her birthday. Peter had not yet told his father about Tracey being the fairy he had seen seven years before, but he would tell him sometime during the party.
Peter seemed like a nice guy when together with family and friends. He and Bruce, there together, removed their shoes and wandered down the beach's end, picking up seashells.
Behind Peter, his family members were together and chatting. A few chairs, tables, and a grill had been set up. The whiff of hamburger patties invaded the air, and a few of the family members' mouths watered, especially two of Peter's youngest cousins, Jane and Elizabeth. Both were sisters, and both were seven years old. They chased each other around the beach with fairy dolls, laughing and having fun.
Peter's father stood barefoot in the warm Atlantic seawater at the very end of Kiawah Island. He took a few photos of the shipwreck against the backdrop of the sunset. He actually was a pretty good photographer. After snapping a few pictures, he pulled out binoculars and searched the sky.
Peter and Bruce were further away from him, still picking up shells. While they added to their collections, they didn't speak.
Peter stuck shells in a bucket he had. Moving his eyes away from the sand, he lifted his head and peered at the shipwrecked sailboat instead.
"How long do you think that sailboat will stay there?" he finally asked Bruce.
"Who knows?" Bruce answered, scooping up a couple of sand dollars. "It could be there for days, weeks, months, years! One never knows about these things. Pete, watch out!"
Peter's hand had almost hit a dead jellyfish that had washed up during high tide. He looked down and saw the pink, squishy body of the sea creature and gasped, quickly pulling his hand away from it. "Well, that's not something you see every day, eh, Bruce?" Peter poked the jellyfish's body with another shell. "Just like how it's not often we see someone collapse during a school activity."
"Do you think he's okay?" Bruce asked. "Makenna looked pretty freaked out."
Peter scoffed. "Okay? I don't mind him not being okay. As long as it keeps him away from Makenna and me, I don't care. That boy's nothing but a smart aleck anyway."
"Yeah." Bruce scoffed. "Who needs him? He deserved that after replacing your position as top student in class and somehow covering you in paint."
"Jerk," mumbled Peter. He gasped, "Oh yeah!" remembering that he had something "special" to tell his father. "I just remembered! I have to tell my father something, Bruce. I'll be right back."
"What?" Bruce asked his friend.
Peter hesitated. Then, shrugging, he said, "Just something important."
"Oh. Okay then. I'll keep your shells for you." Bruce reached forward and picked up Peter's bucket of shells.
He thanked him and stood, brushing sand off his pants. "You'll save some of those for me, right?" he inquired, jogging toward his father, who still searched the sky with his binoculars.
Peter soon reached his father and stopped beside him, waving. However, Cody didn't see him.
He stood on his tiptoes and yelled, "Oh, I see something! I see something! Aw, man, it's just a pelican."
Birds soared across the sky and headed for Bird Island to settle for the night.
Mr. Nelson saw something else. "No wait! There's something else!" He pushed past Peter and said, "Excuse me," then looked at the sky again.
Peter stared at him.
Mr. Nelson passed him again and returned to the tip of Kiawah Island. He mumbled, "Let's see, if fairies can get away fast, then maybe I should set up a trap. What kind of trap, though? Hm."
Peter approached him from behind. "Hi, Dad."
Mr. Nelson heard him and gasped, dropping the binoculars to the ground. "Whoa!" Quickly, he whirled around, and his eyes landed on Peter. He squinted. "Peter!"
Peter nodded. "Yeah, it's Peter. I have to talk to you about something I saw today."
"Oh?" Mr. Nelson rubbed his nose. "All right. Does this have something to do with the boy taken to the hospital?"
Hesitating, Peter answered, "Sort of. Yes."
"What's up?" Mr. Nelson turned and put the binoculars to his eyes again. He walked forward, and Peter followed.
He started the explanation off slowly. "Well, I noticed something about him when he collapsed and was carried away. Something quite unusual."
"Mm-hm." Mr. Nelson wasn't really listening. His eyes were on the sky.
Peter sighed. He knew his father wasn't listening, but he continued explaining. "He wears a lot of green and purple. The shades of green and purple are similar to those of the green and purple in the photo you got of that so-called fairy's wings you saw seven years ago."
"Mm-hm," repeated Mr. Nelson.
Peter rolled his eyes. "Dad," he slowly spoke, smiling, "it's him."
"Him?" asked his father, who still wasn't paying attention.
Peter nodded. "Yeah. I saw him. I saw him shoot a spell with my two own eyes. He's the fairy you're searching for."
"Fairy?" Mr. Nelson yelped. He dropped the binoculars into the ocean and whirled around to face his son. "Hold on. Can you repeat that, please?"
Peter snickered. "Sure. Dad, Tracey's the fairy you saw seven years ago. The boy carried off to the hospital today is a fairy."
"You found him?" Mr. Nelson grinned.
"I did," Peter included. "He's real. You really did see a real fairy seven years ago."
"I knew it!" Mr. Nelson yelped. "Eee!" He jumped ten feet in the air, pulled his hands together, and started to dance. "We've found him, we've found him, we've found him! Now all we have to do is catch him!"
"That's right," Peter agreed. "I'll help you get him, Dad. I know how to speak Makenna."
"We're going to be famous!" yelled Cody. He danced some more. "A real fairy!"
Jane and Elizabeth soon approached them and tugged Mr. Nelson's arm. "Uncle Cody, Uncle Cody! Can you play with us?"
Mr. Nelson giggled. "Of course." He took each little girl by one of their small hands and led them toward the rest of the family.
Peter Nelson was left behind, smiling evilly.
Bruce soon approached his friend. He chuckled and focused on Mr. Nelson, who dragged the two girls down the beach. "Aw, they're so adorable at that age."
Peter scoffed and turned toward the shipwreck again. He nudged his friend and asked, "Hey, Bruce, do you want to get closer to that shipwreck?"
"Closer?" Bruce questioned, studying the wreck himself. "Sure."
It was low tide, allowing them to access the wreck. "I want to see it up close," Peter told his friend. He drew his iPhone 6 from his pocket. "I'd like to get a few pics."
"I'll get a few pics, too," said Bruce, drawing his own phone. He and Peter glanced at the family gathering. They were too involved in conversation. They wouldn't notice the two boys traveling to the shipwreck. It didn't matter, though, because they'd be back as quick as a flash.
When they were ready, they turned to each other and nodded.
Peter clenched his fist. "Let's go."
"Yes," Bruce said. "Let's."
Chuckling, Peter and Bruce jogged into the ocean and headed toward the wreck. The deeper they got in the water, the harder it was to run. Soon, they walked, and the water went up to their knees.
Within just a few more moments, Bruce and Peter reached the shipwreck. In the rays of the setting sun, they looked up at it and scanned the barnacles on its hull.
"Whoo-wee," Peter said. "This is one fancy boat. It's huge!"
"Do you think anyone's inside?" Bruce questioned.
"Ah, for crying out loud," said Pete, "it's a shipwreck! Do you really think people would be inside?"
Bruce shook his head.
After a bit, Peter leaned into his ear and whispered, "Let's see if we can find a way to get onto the deck."
Bruce smiled. "All right. Sounds good to me. We can probably get better pictures on the boat itself."
Pete snickered and gave him orders. "Let's circle it. Call me if you find a way to get onto the deck."
"And you'll call me if you find a way, right?" Bruce wanted to know.
"Of course," his friend responded. "All right, let's go." They went their separate ways and started searching the boat.
Further away from them, two watery figures of mermaids leaped out of the ocean, creating small splashes, and headed toward the shipwreck.
***
Selene was nervous. She heard Bruce and Peter outside the sailboat. They splashed through the water, constantly thumping the boat.
Selene gulped and tried to think of something to do. She thought and thought and thought. Then, she got it.
Selene rested her hand on Tracey's shoulder. "I'll be right back."
Suddenly, Tracey started to twitch. He got another massive headache, but was too weak to grab his head.
Selene saw that, and her eyes widened. "What's wrong, Tracey?" Her eyes rolled down to his left arm, and she gasped when the mark of the Octopus Man appeared on it again. The closer the mermaids got to him, the brighter the mark glowed.
Selene gasped again. "Of course! The Octopus Man! The Octopus Man has cursed him! Oh no." She felt the presence of the approaching mermaids. Selene quickly devised a plan to drag Peter, Bruce, and them away from the sailboat. Before leaving Tracey, she rubbed his head and said, "Don't worry, I'll be right back. You're going to be okay. You're not going to be taken away." With that, she held her cane over her head and turned it back into a wand. Then, she turned herself into a ghost-like figure and sank through the bottom of the boat.
Further away from the boat in the ocean, Selene floated, surrounded by a light green bubble. She kicked her legs and swam forward. Since it was sunset, the ocean bed was getting dark. However, Selene's eyes caught a rock resting on it, and she smiled. She swam down to the rock, and her bubble sat on it. Selene cleared her throat and prepared to put her plan into action.