Claxton

Chapter Thirty-Six: Darkness Unfolds

        Peter's dad, Cody, was patiently waiting in his car, but he was starting to grow bored.
"I'm so bored," he said, and yawning, he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, "Where is that fairy?" He groaned and turned his head to the right. Next to him, sitting on the passenger seat, was a bazooka-like machine. Mr. Nelson added with, "I want to try my new Anti-Fairy Escape Bazooka." Again, he groaned.

For a little bit longer, Mr. Nelson waited with his arm dangling out the open window, but then, from outside, he heard flapping. The rays of the setting sun scanned his car, and gasping, Mr. Nelson shot straight up and pulled off his sunglasses. Rubbing his nose, he peered out the windshield and saw that a figure was flying toward Makenna's school and his car. It was Gina! She had made it! She was soaring on the air currents, and she had a desperate look on her face. She was moving very quickly. Tracey was getting worse and worse by the second. Time was running out. She and Caleb had to make this rescue quick so they could get him a doctor.

Tracey was semiconscious. He had not opened his eyes since he left Caleb's room. His clothes had turned pale again. Caleb was holding him in his arms, and he rested his palm on his forehead. Tracey moaned. Sweat fountained down his face and soaked him even more than he already was.
Caleb told him, "Hang in there, Tracey. You've got to. You can do it. I know you can do it. Don't worry, we just made it to Makenna's school. Tracey!" He grabbed his chin and shook it, "Stay with us! Please stay with us! Gina." He glanced into Gina's eyes, "He's getting worse! We've got to move!" Gina twisted her neck and peered back to him. Though she was worried, she tried to add a little light to the situation.
She chuckled and told Tracey and Caleb through telepathy, "Attention passengers riding Gina Air, we will soon be landing at Johns Island High School. Please collect all your valuables and wings before dismounting the aircraft. Thank you." She again chuckled, "Well, how do you two like my pilot impersonation? Are y'all ready to jump?" Caleb wanted to make a dramatic entrance, like how Tracey usually did, so he decided that both he and Merlin's apprentice would leap from Gina's back, return to their normal heights, and at the same time, land in front of the school's front doors. Caleb considered that to be a dramatic entrance. He really just wanted to try his new powers.
He again glanced into Gina's eyes, and he told her, "In just a sec, Gina. I've never jumped from a bird before."

From his car, Mr. Nelson had grown super, super excited. He had a really good feeling about this bird coming toward the school. He remembered Peter mentioned that Tracey had a pet tern. He quickly reached into the back seat of his car and pulled out another pair of binoculars except these binoculars were special, high-tech binoculars, his own invention, which could zoom in and out on things, kind of similar to Luke's binoculars in Star Wars.
After pulling out the binoculars, Mr. Nelson next grabbed his bazooka and loaded it. "This is it!" he announced in an excited voice. He took a few deep breaths, and when he was ready, he opened the door to his car and climbed out. He stumbled but managed to catch himself. Mr. Nelson closed the car door with his shoe and peered into the sky, in the direction of Gina. He put the strap of the bazooka over his head and let it dangle. He then lifted the special binoculars and put them to his eyes. With them, Cody zoomed in on Gina and pressed a button on top that zoomed in on her back and made the picture clear. He held his breath, and his eyes widened. There he was! There was Tracey! Cody recognized him instantly by his green and purple. He gasped. "There he is!" he cried out, "It's him! I've found him! Holy guacamole!" He whooped.

Mr. Nelson's binoculars next zoomed in on Caleb. He held Tracey by the hand, and he had outlined him in orange magic that would allow him to fly momentarily unless Caleb let his hand go. It was the same spell Makenna had performed on Tracey back on Merlin's Island and the same spell Tracey had performed on her when she was just learning how to fly. Caleb, Gina, and Tracey were totally unaware of Cody Nelson spying on them.
He was still studying Caleb through the binoculars, and he asked, "Who is that other boy? Is he another fairy? Oh boy!" His face brightened, "What a prize! Another real fairy! Oh man, it's my lucky day!" Cody lowered the binoculars and set them down next to his ankle. Standing back up, he next took the strap of the bazooka off his shoulder and held it up to Gina. "Come on, a little closer," he said, and he took aim, "That's it. That's it. Wait for it. Wait for it, Cody. You don't want the bird. You want Tracey."