The Cooks found a coral reef where they could anchor the catamaran. It was located close to the Kate.
Tracey recognized the reef. His eyes filled with curiosity while he watched Rush drop the anchor. The way the chain moved intrigued him and seemed to pull him under a trance. He had never seen a boat anchor. Who needed a boat on Merlin's and Coutarine Island when fairies could fly?
Mr. Cook glanced at Tracey and asked, "What is it, Tracey?"
"Sorry, sir. It's just that I've never seen a boat anchor. It-It's beautiful," Tracey admitted.
Staring, Rush let out a low sigh and focused back on the anchor.
Tracey tapped Mr. Cook's shoulder and calmly said, "Excuse me, sir, but do you think I could go snorkeling with you?"
"Why? You nearly drowned a few minutes ago!"
Tracey shook his head and corrected, "No, I didn't, sir. You jerked me out of the water, which caused the seawater to fill my throat and nose. Please. I can take you to where I saw the Kate."
"Ya sure, kid?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
The look Tracey gave Mr. Cook finally allowed him to tag along, as long as he stayed out of trouble.
Tracey had never snorkeled before, though, so he didn't know how to prepare.
The Cooks helped him. They worked together to fit him with flippers and asked if he wanted to change into a bathing suit, but Tracey protested. He didn't want them to notice the scars on his back.
As the family finished with his flippers, Rush handed Tracey a snorkel mask.
Holding it in both hands, he examined it and confusedly asked, "What am I supposed to do with this?"
Wearing his own flippers, Rush passed him and sarcastically answered, "You wear it. It helps you breathe underwater. The goggles go over your eyes, and the tube goes in your mouth."
Tracey gulped at the sight of the tube, because memories of being in the ICU attached to a ventilator at Coutarine's Fairy Hospital invaded his mind. "But what if I can already breathe underwater?" he shakily asked Rush.
Mr. Cook chortled and brought his hand to his lips. "Oh, Tracey, you're hilarious. Every human wishes they could breathe underwater, but it's just not possible. Sorry, kid."
Um, Tracey thought, I'm not exactly human, sir.Well, technically I am; I'm just a special human. A fairy, to be exact. He didn't say that out loud and slipped on the snorkel mask. He would have to find a way to sneak away from the Cooks while they were snorkeling because of Alexandria and Gene.
To Tracey, the flippers felt strange. He felt like a duck. It was weird to see his toes, since he almost always kept his feet covered.
The Cooks' youngest children couldn't go swimming because they were too small, so the grandparents and uncles watched over them while Tracey, Mr. Cook, Mrs. Cook, and Sawyer went for a dip.
Tracey was the first in the water, but only because he tripped over one of his flippers. When he came to the surface, he spat water like a spout and pulled hair out of his face.
Tracey yelped when he heard Mr. Cook yell, "Cannonball!" and he cannonballed off the catamaran.
Tracey flapped his flippers and quickly swam out of the way so he wouldn't be crushed.
Mrs. Cook and Sawyer jumped in after Rush, laughing as they playfully started to splash each other.
Tracey almost managed to sneak away, but then Rush ruined everything: "Oi, Trace! So, where's the Kate?"
"Oh, um," Tracey stuttered, "it's this way." He clumsily kicked his flippers and started forward.
The Cooks followed. Right now, there was little current and wind, so swimming wasn't hard. The ocean was so still—it almost looked like glass.
Before reaching the Kate, the Cooks did a little snorkeling since they were over a reef.
Tracey curiously watched them put on their goggles, put their tubes in their mouths, and stick their heads underwater. Good, they were distracted. Right now was the perfect time to leave.
Because they helped him swim faster, Tracey kept his flippers on his feet, but held his goggles and tube in his hand. He refused to put the tube in his mouth after experiencing the ventilator. When everything was set, he dove like a dolphin underwater. His flippers emerged from the surface, then vanished as he swam deeper.
The swim down was mysterious. Tracey knew he was on an adventure. He hid behind a rock on the bottom of the reef and gripped it with both hands, peering up at the Cooks, who continued to swim. They were nearing the edge of the reef—the location where he saw the Kate.
When Tracey swam out from behind the rock, he pressed his tummy on the reef's sand and slithered across it like a snake. Shoals of different-colored fish danced by his head, and a few moray eels swam parallel with him on either side. While they watched him with their blue, intimidating eyes, they didn't attack Tracey.
As soon as he reached the end of the reef, the eels scattered, and he held his breath while he peered over the edge into the deep blue waters of the Atlantic. The Kate waited patiently for him to visit. Though she was only a blur, Tracey knew she was there. "I can do this. I can do this," he whispered to himself. A shiver ran down his spine. Honestly, the ocean looked creepy the deeper he went. Could Tracey make the swim? Did his merfairy powers work when he was wingless? What if the pressure was too much? What if he got trapped and never returned to the surface? No! Tracey couldn't let his negative emotions control his actions. He had to do this. The fate of the Human and Magic Worlds rested on his shoulders. It was his job as Merlin's apprentice to prevent The Mincing from destroying everything.
Inhaling, Tracey examined the surface one last time to ensure the Cooks hadn't seen him. They hadn't. They were exploring the reef elsewhere. It would be a while before they found the ship. Hopefully, they wouldn't notice he was gone.
Tracey took one more deep breath, and then, with a kick of his flippers, slithered off the edge of the reef and started down toward the Kate.