Tracey went back outside to Wentworth Street, unaware that Emilee and Jesse watched him a short distance away. He stopped on the sidewalk across from the Grace Cathedral Church and pulled his Cougar ID out of his back pocket. At the College of Charleston (COFC), a Cougar ID was a must. It got students into the dining halls, events, basketball games, etc.
Tracey stared at his embarrassing photo and tried to make up his mind. At the time he took it, he had no idea what a camera did, so his photo looked more like a mugshot than a Cougar ID. He tightened his grip on it and clenched his teeth. Then, shaking his head, Tracey tossed the ID onto the sidewalk.
Emilee and Jesse saw that and yelled, "Tracey!" at the same time.
However, Tracey had already disappeared through ninja speed.
Emilee and Jesse hurried to the ID, and Emilee picked it up. She handed it to Jesse, saying, "Get Tracey checked in. I'm going to talk to him."
"How do you know where he went?" asked Jesse.
"Trust me," said Emilee. "I know how to speak 'Tracey.'"
***
Tracey returned to the Waterfront Park. It was a well-known park in Downtown Charleston that took on the form of a giant T, at least the first part of it. At the Waterfront Park, people could wade in its two fountains, take a stroll along the Charleston Harbor, or relax on some swings. Also, if they were lucky, they might even have seen the cruise ship.
The park was a lively place that day, since it was still summer vacation, but Tracey knew a place where there wasn't as much foot traffic. It was the area where he dragged himself out of the ocean and onto land, an additional walkway at the end of Waterfront's Right Section, which looked like a rectangle with a triangle at its head. To get there, Tracey strolled down a sidewalk that passed the Pineapple Fountain as well as the City Gallery.
Finally, he reached the sandy path at the Park's exit. Just as he predicted, there was almost no foot traffic. Everybody was either wading in the fountains or taking pictures of the cruise ship and the harbor. Tracey stood behind a line of cordgrass, examining Fort Sumter, Castle Pinckney, and the ocean. Warm wind blasted through his hair, which momentarily caused his pointy ears to reveal themselves.
Being near the ocean, though, caused Tracey's hair to change colors. Instead of pure black, it was now light brown with black streaks, a sign that he was starting to take up his claxton form again, because he was near his true home.
Tracey was just getting ready to push his way through the marsh grass when he heard a familiar voice yelling at him from behind. "Tracey, wait!"
Emilee. She hurried to Tracey, who turned to look at her, and asked, "What do you think you're doing?"
"What does it look like?" Tracey said. "I'm returning to the ocean. I don't want to live in a suite full of human bullies. Why didn't you and Jesse put me in an apartment instead?"
"Because if you're going to live on land, you need to learn how to befriend humans," was Emilee's answer. "Tracey, please. I know you have bad memories from Makenna's school, but not every human is bad. In fact, there is just as much good in the world as there is evil. Jesse and I put you in McConnell because we heard they have an amazing staff and wonderful students. They would never bully you. Please, son. Just give College of Charleston a chance."
"I'm sorry, Emilee, but I don't belong here," said Tracey. "The Human World doesn't need a claxton in their school system."
"Tracey…" but Emilee got no further.
Tracey ran through the marsh grass and dove into the Charleston Harbor. As soon as he had his tail again, he sliced through the water like a knife. For a second, he poked his head out to glance at Emilee one last time. Afterward, he dove back underwater.
***
"Wait a minute! You're Tracey's dad?" Candice asked Jesse. After checking Tracey in, Jesse started bringing his things up to his suite. Sure enough, Candice and Luna were two of his suitemates. The rest of the suitemates, including Tracey's roommate, weren't there.
Jesse nodded at Candice's question. "I am. Please forgive him, girls. He's just really shy." He, Luna, and Candice stood in the suite's lounge room. It had a couch, a kitchen sink, a table, and a refrigerator.
Luna spoke after Jesse. "And afraid of water."
"Yeah, why is he afraid of water?" Candice wanted to know.
"Afraid? Pfft! He's not afraid! It's his nerves talking!" Oh, Jesse hated lying. However, it would be nice if at least one or two of Tracey's suitemates knew his true identity, so they could watch over him and keep him out of trouble.
"Does he always dress like a ninja?" was Candice's next question.
"It definitely is his style," Jesse said. "It's hard to explain, girls."
Candice and Luna gave him a suspicious look. Candice crossed her arms, and Luna placed her hands on her hips.
Jesse sighed. He felt like he could trust the girls. They looked eager to become Tracey's first college friends. Bringing his hand to his forehead, he took a deep breath. "Girls, what if I told you that—I don't know. Tracey is a merman?"
Candice and Luna stared at him, but not even two minutes later, they burst out laughing.
"A merman? Oh, that's a good one!" Luna laughed.
"You're funny, Mr. Freeburg!" said Candice. "There is no way that the boy of my dreams is a fish freak!"
Jesse expected that, but still felt embarrassed by his question. He didn't want to think about the kind of reaction he would get if he went as far as saying that Tracey was the heir to the throne of claxtons, as well as something else, something that would be revealed when the time was right.
***
Tracey swam to Castle Pinckney, an overgrown fortress in the Charleston Harbor that local people were forbidden to go to. It was a popular home for terns and seagulls. At least there, Tracey was able to think.
By using ninja speed, he managed to find his way to the top of the fort. Up there, he was well hidden from people behind its protective walls.
Tracey rested his back on Castle Pinckney's flag and pulled his knees close. Wind blasted his hair, and he closed his eyes. The birds left him alone. After all, they felt they could trust the mysterious stranger. That was because Tracey used to have a friend tern named Gina, whom he saved from a broken wing when he was little on Merlin's Island. Unfortunately, she went with her flock to explore the world, so he wasn't sure if he would see her again.
Tracey missed Gina. He missed Makenna and Merlin. He never knew that trying to be a human would be so difficult. And now that he was twenty, how long would it be before his father called him back to Atlantica for his coronation? Tracey was not ready to become king and did not think he ever would. He pulled grass out of the sand as troubling thoughts continued to bombard him. On the third clump of grass, though, he heard a voice in his head. Somebody was communicating with him telepathically.
"Tracey."
"Chief Wave?" Tracey asked.
The Chief Wave it was. He was the wisest, oldest wave in the Magic World, whose duty was to watch over the water-based magical beings. Magic brought him to life and gave him powers. "Tracey, why do you fear the world of humans?" he asked the young merman.
"Chief Wave, do you not recall that when I tried to blend in at Makenna's school, the only piece of knowledge that was left with me that day is that all humans are bullies?"
"You need to stop making excuses," the Chief Wave said. "That may have been the reason why you left Makenna's school, but College of Charleston is different. The real thing you fear is yourself." At that line, a blue light flashed before Tracey, revealing a holographic image of an enormous wave: the Chief Wave himself. He floated before Tracey, seeming to stare into his soul.
"Myself?" Tracey asked. "Why?"
"Because you're a claxton. Why else?" Now that he mentioned it, the Chief Wave had a point.
Tracey clenched his teeth as gruesome images of him spelling the school and pulling all students and faculty to Davy Jones's Locker overtook his brain. He shook his head as an attempt to get rid of it.
"Come with me, son," said the Chief Wave. "I want to show you something." With that, he metamorphosed into the watery form of a seagull and floated beside Tracey's head. He gestured with his wing for him to follow him.
Tracey did, and tried his best to ignore some of the island seagulls' confused faces when they saw the watery version of themselves.
The Chief Wave took Tracey to a crack in Castle Pinckney's wall. Looking through it, they had a clear view of Waterfront Park, Downtown Charleston, and the Cooper River Bridge.
A few seagulls also joined in on the adventure. They landed on top of the fortress's wall and continued to stare at the mysterious watery version of their own kind. The Chief Wave shooed them away, but the seagulls didn't move. Finally, he had no choice but to ignore them.
Glancing at Tracey, he said, "Tracey, you are a prince, but you're not just a prince of the water. You are also a prince of the land, because your mother was a fairy. The College of Charleston needs someone to look up to, someone they can rely on. In a way, the city is your kingdom. As a prince, you need to look after it. At least until it is time for your coronation."
Tracey couldn't speak. A prince. He was not a prince, but one of the most feared mythical creatures in both human and magical mythology.
"Sooner or later, kid, you're going to need to make a choice," the Chief Wave explained. "To either return to Atlantica and lose your legs forever, or remain on land. Emilee and Jesse know this. That was why they enrolled you. If you spend time with people who are also trying to find their self-identity, you'll find out where you truly belong. That is the whole point of college."
"Emilee and Jesse are just trying to help me," Tracey said in a soft voice.
The Chief Wave nodded. "Exactly." He shooed a few more seagulls away before he next metamorphosed into a watery version of a human man.
That came as a complete shock to the seagulls. Their dark eyes widened, and they quickly took off in flight. A few of their feathers got in Tracey's hair, but he paid them no attention. Instead, he and the Chief Wave met eyes. There was a moment of silence between them until Tracey finally made up his mind.
Gulping, he gave the Chief Wave a slow nod.
He placed his watery hand on his shoulder, saying, "That's my boy," before Tracey once again turned into a merman.
***
The Sun was setting. Finally, Waterfront Park was calming down.
Parents picked up their tired children and carried them toward their cars.
Emilee, though, never left the park. Not even after Tracey ditched her. She hoped and prayed that he would return to her and Jesse, but was starting to have doubts. All she and Jesse wanted was for Tracey to figure out who and where he was meant to be.
A few tears ran down Emilee's cheeks while she examined their first family photo. It was on Seabrook Island, soon after she and Jesse asked Tracey to be their son. They looked so happy. Emilee would never forget the smile that beamed across Tracey's face on that special day.
Sighing, Emilee slipped the photo back into her purse. Brokenhearted, she stood from the bench. "I miss him already." Emilee sniffed, but concluded that Tracey would never return.
Nevertheless, just before she left, Emilee saw something out of the corner of her eye. In the rays of the setting sun, a figure walked toward her from the walkway Tracey used as his escape route.
It took Emilee a minute to recognize him. When she did, her purse dropped from her hand. Was she indeed looking at who she thought it was? Yes. Tracey. He had returned.
Under the sunset, he and Emilee approached one another.
Emilee, who tried to hold back tears, reached up and rested her palms on either side of Tracey's face. Finally, she pulled him into a tight hug, and Tracey returned it.
Above them and up in the sky fluttered a flock of seagulls. It was the perfect end to Tracey's first time at college.
***
Tracey and Emilee returned to McConnell Hall, where Jesse, Luna, and Candice helped finish moving him in. Tracey's room was Room 308B. His roommate wasn't going to move in until a little later, but he went ahead and got ready for him. Emilee and Jesse fixed his bed while he hung up his clothes.
In the meantime, Candice tried to work out a way for Luna not to swoon every time she saw Tracey. It was a grueling task for her and left her quite embarrassed. Luna just laughed it off.
Eventually, once everything was unpacked, Tracey, Luna, and Candice went downstairs to see Emilee and Jesse off. The RA checked them out, as well as the cart they used to carry Tracey's things. Once that was finished, Tracey gave his adopted parents an enormous goodbye hug.
"Remember, no spelling the young ladies," Jesse whispered in his ear.
He, Tracey, and Emilee giggled.
Letting go, the couple gave Tracey's cheeks quick pinches and told him that everything would be okay.
Tracey had a feeling it would be. As Emilee and Jesse left, he thought about what the Chief Wave told him on Castle Pinckney.
"'If you spend time with people who are also trying to find their self-identity, you'll find out where you truly belong. That is the whole point of college.'"
He let those words sink in and used them to his advantage to hang out with Luna and Candice, much to Candice's embarrassment.
***
Tracey, though, was unaware that he was being watched by the Octopus Man. He lived in a dark cave far out in the Atlantic Ocean, where he constantly spied on the young claxton.
The Octopus Man looked just as his title suggested. He was half man and half octopus, with glowing blue eyes, who had a pet he could call his own.
Watching Tracey from his bubble TV, which he created with the power of his trident, he spoke in a booming voice, "I will not let that claxton live on land. He belongs in the ocean, with me, and I am going to make it happen."
Right after he said that, a smaller figure appeared from within the "pit of shadows," and he frightfully held his hand out to the Octopus Man. The figure looked like a merperson.
Poseidon did not appreciate his presence, so to show how upset he was, he pointed his trident at the figure. "Give up," he boomed. "The boy is mine. Go, my pet! Unleash your power, and show him who the true king is!"
Frightened, the merperson-like figure swam back, right as a huge monster appeared before Poseidon. However, because it was so dark, it was hard to see what it looked like.
A huge, gaping mouth filled with razor-sharp fangs was not hard to see at all, and that was what the monster threatened the enemy with. As the mouth fell closer, the merperson-like figure held his hand out to the monster, allowing himself to be swallowed by Poseidon's darkness—by the Curse of the Sea.