Finally, everybody made it outside to the school's courtyard. At the same time, Peter and Mr. Nelson also appeared, dragged by more officers.
Police cars, all with flashing lights, and bewildered teenagers and faculty filled the school's parking lot. Among the crowds of teenagers were Jimmy Carter and Jessica. Makenna's eyes landed on them.
Once in the courtyard, Officer Hobbs called for additional police assistance and asked them to help him with Tracey. He gently set him down in the courtyard, on his back, and other officers surrounded him.
People peered over to the cluster of police officers. No one looked at Makenna, as most people's eyes were on the two criminals, Peter being the most notable.
He tried to break free from the officers holding him. Makenna heard him yell, "Let me go! There are some fairies in there!"
"What fairies?" a teenage girl asked.
Peter's eyes caught Makenna and Caleb, and he said, "There they are!" pointing at them.
Heads turned to Makenna and Caleb, and gasps exploded within the crowd.
Jessica yelled, "What? You're actually a fairy, Makenna?"
Jimmy folded his arms, a slight smirk on his face.
Makenna chuckled nervously and waved at everybody. "Hey, everyone."
While everyone was frozen with astonishment, Peter broke free from the officers holding him and sprinted toward Makenna, Caleb, and the crowd surrounding Tracey. Officers went after him.
Mr. Nelson stayed behind. He soon realized the truth, and his eyes widened. "Peter. Peter's the main criminal here. He used me as bait to help him succeed in murdering Makenna! Aw, man!" He closed his eyes. "What have I gotten myself into?"
Peter ran right by Makenna, Caleb, and Tracey, trying to escape into the woods.
"Oh no, you don't!" Makenna said, lifting into the sky and chasing after Peter.
Jessica and Jimmy just stared at her.
In the crowd surrounding Tracey, the officers had taken the sheet off his chest and were trying to wake him.
Before long, one officer stepped out of the crowd and approached Officer Camden, asking, "Is there an ambulance coming?"
"Don't worry," said Camden. "There's one en route right now. They should be here soon."
"Well, I hope so," said the new officer. "We're running out of time."
"I know," calmly spoke Camden. "Lilly..." He turned to Officer Jordan.
"Yes, sir?" she asked.
"Can you follow the other officers into the woods?" Camden said. "Most likely, the suspect will try to lose them in an overgrown section of it. I know you're good with navigation. Do you think you could do that for me?"
Officer Jordan nodded. "I will, sir. I know you have to stay on line with the dispatcher, so you can't chase the suspect. I will navigate my way through the woods and take the route Makenna took. If she needs help, I'll help her."
Officer Camden smiled at her. "Thank you. You're a true fighter, Lilly. Now go."
Jordan reached for her belt and removed a flashlight. Since the sun had gone down, nighttime was quickly settling over Johns Island.
Jordan held her flashlight tightly and put her brown hair up in a bun. She adjusted her hat and focused on the woods, smiling slyly. She then took off, and Officer Camden watched from behind.
Peter managed to reach the woods without being caught by the officers. He hurried through an overgrown section and checked behind him, sneering. He continued to rush through the woods. At one point, he tripped, but managed to catch himself.
Peter soon reached a small creek in an open area of the woods. Since the sun had set, it was dark, but his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. He prepared to cross the creek, but from out of nowhere, a blast of wind hit him and threw him back. He crashed onto the woods' floor, his head barely missing a log.
Peter quickly sat and focused forward.
A blue blur appeared before him—Makenna, furious as ever, with Raeven on her shoulder. She stomped toward Peter.
He leaped to his feet and tried to run. However, before he escaped, Makenna lifted her fist and punched him in the nose.
Yelling, Peter grabbed his nose and fell to the ground. Blood stained his hand. He soon released his nose, and his eyes widened when he saw the blood. "Spare me! Give me a chance!" he begged Makenna.
"What about Tracey?" Makenna spat. "Did you give him a chance, you two-faced phony? Huh? I trusted you, Peter! I seriously thought you were the nicest guy in the world, and what do I hear? I hear you've been bullying Tracey and have been plotting to kill me all along! What kind of person does that? You're a criminal, Peter! Thanks to your bullying, Tracey is dying!"
Peter again grabbed his bloody nose. Reaching forward, he shoved Makenna's chest and knocked her down.
Raeven snarled and prepared to attack, but Makenna stopped him by holding up her hand.
Peter approached her and admitted, "I don't care if that scum Tracey dies, Makenna! I hope he dies! If it weren't for him, then my plan would've succeeded!"
"You're disgusting!" Makenna shot Peter a deathly glare. "You're a totally lame excuse for oxygen, Peter! I'm not going to let you escape! You're going to pay for what you did to Tracey!" She jumped up and prepared a spell.
Peter dodged it, though, when she shot it. He knocked Makenna down again and sprinted.
She flapped her wings and chased him.
Raeven decided to stay behind and wait for the police.
Since Makenna was a fairy and could use magic, Peter didn't get far. She appeared before him and released another blast of wind, which threw him back again. She then decided to try her dragon trick. Just before she released the dragon, though, Makenna heard sirens in the distance, ambulance sirens. They were gradually getting closer. Makenna knew that was the ambulance coming to her school.
She focused back on Peter and shouted, "This is for Tracey!" Makenna closed her eyes and clenched her fists, releasing her dragon. Its form at that time resembled a Chinese dragon.
It roared and circled Makenna from her heels up.
Her long, warrior-styled hair waved, and she held her wand over her head. Makenna pointed it forward and ordered her dragon to attack Peter.
Roaring, it soared toward him, and Peter asked, "Uh?"
The dragon's nose met his tummy and tossed him backward. He hugged its nose. The dragon slammed him onto the dirt and knocked him out. It roared one last time. Then, it vanished, just like before, and turned into blue sparkles that rained down.
Soon after, Makenna heard Officer Jordan. "Makenna!"
She recognized the accent immediately. "Officer Jordan!" Makenna whirled around, and a flashlight shone on her.
Officer Jordan stood before her and gripped her knees, out of breath. "Whew," she gasped. "Running. Sorry, Makenna, but Officer Camden asked me to help. Whew." She stood up straight. "Are you all right?"
Makenna nodded. "Yes, ma'am." She and Jordan approached one another and began a conversation. Makenna explained what she had done to Peter and how she had caught up with him.
After she did, Officer Jordan stepped away and spoke into her radio.
While she did, Makenna listened to the sirens. They were very close now. After a bit, instead of loud wails, they were short, quick ones. The ambulance must've just reached Makenna's school. She had to hurry back to Tracey, but at the same time, she didn't want to fly off and leave Officer Jordan alone with Peter Nelson. She feared that he would wake up and attack her. Makenna decided to wait until she finished her call and more police assistance came.
As she waited, Peter woke up behind her. He shook his head and sat, gripping his bloody nose. His eyes landed on Makenna, and he glared. He quietly reached forward and picked up a rock resting further away from him. With it in hand, Peter slowly started to approach Makenna's back. He held the rock up to her head and prepared to strike.
Officer Jordan soon wrapped up her conversation over the radio and turned toward Makenna. Her eyes landed on Peter approaching her with the rock, and she gasped, yelling, "Makenna, watch out!" into her radio by mistake. Lowering it, she put it up.
Officer Jordan hurried to Makenna and flung herself between her and Peter. "Hey!" she yelled, grabbing his wrist and stopping him. "I don't think we need this, sir, yeah?" She took the rock out of Peter's hand and tossed it onto the ground. "You're just getting yourself into even more trouble," Officer Jordan elucidated. "Any reason why, sir?" She removed a pair of handcuffs from her back pocket and slipped them over Peter's wrists.
"Man, you're ridiculous," he said, jiggling in place.
"Ridiculous or not," Jordan said, "I'm still merely doing my job. I've sworn to protect citizens from nuisances like you, Mr. Nelson. You know you've committed a crime, and you should also know that running from your problems isn't going to make them better."
Peter gritted his teeth and spat in Officer Jordan's face. He jerked her wrists as an attempt to stop her from putting the handcuffs on.
Makenna gasped.
Officer Jordan remained calm, though. She put Peter in cuffs and rubbed the spit from her cheek. "Thank you for that gift, sir. I was getting a little hot. Makenna..." Jordan glanced at her. "I've got him. You should probably return to your friend. I believe the medics just arrived. You did well tonight, young lady, but let the police handle this from here, yeah?" Other flashlights appeared in the distance, the other officers.
"But, Officer Jordan," Makenna protested.
"I'll be fine," she said, locking the cuffs around Peter's wrists. "Don't worry about me. The other officers are coming. Now go on."
Makenna was nervous about her safety, but then her eyes caught the flashlights coming toward her and Jordan. Makenna ensured those flashlights belonged to Officer Jordan's partners.
When she was sure they did, she nodded and voiced, "Thank you. I owe you, Officer Jordan." Makenna flapped her crystal wings and lifted into the air. She stopped momentarily and double-checked that the flashlights belonged to other officers.
They did. The other cops—the ones who had followed Peter into the woods—had finally found him.
Where was Raeven? He wasn't with the officers. Makenna wondered that, but then she thought that maybe he had gone in search of help.
With that in mind, she waved down at Officer Jordan. "Bye, Officer Jordan! Thank you!" Makenna stuck her nose up when Peter growled at her.
Without looking back, Makenna took off, and Peter, Officer Jordan, and the other cops watched as she flew away.
Jordan waved and said, "Bye," back.