The day was finally starting to wake up a bit more. Coutarine Island was first, and then Emilee and Jesse's island.
Tracey woke on the floor of Sky's room, a blanket over him, and tried to think back to what he saw overnight. He thought he saw a ghost, and then everything turned white. Hiro had left the room, and the door to the hallway was wide open.
Tracey's nostrils picked up the scent of bacon in the kitchen, and he couldn't help but lick his lips. He leaped to his feet and took the sling off his arm. It felt better today.
Tracey rubbed sleep from his eyes and held his ninja star at the ready when he stepped into the hallway, in case there were any ghosts. Finding the stairs, he took them into the hallway beside the kitchen. When he reached the bottom, he heard murmuring. Emilee and Jesse had gotten up before him and were chit-chatting.
Emilee made her husband an omelet for breakfast and said, "Here you go, sweet grass."
Jesse hid behind a newspaper, then dropped it when he saw the omelet. "Thank you, Emilee." He set the newspaper in the chair beside him and stuffed his napkin into his shirt. "Ah, my extra cheesy spinach omelet. One of the best meals anyone can have in the morning."
Tracey didn't step into the kitchen at first, only because he was still a little nervous around humans. He hid behind a wall and silently peered into it.
The couple didn't notice him.
Emilee walked past Jesse and patted his shoulder. "You need to eat every last bit, sweet grass, so you can have the energy you need for you know what."
As soon as she said that, Jesse's face dropped. "I know, Emilee, but look at me." He set his silverware down and put his hand on his head of gray hair. "My hair's all grayed up, and I get these aches and pains in my back. I'm growing old. I don't know if I want a party this year."
Emilee gasped. "Orlando Jesse Freeburg! How could you say that? We're not going one birthday without a party! Right, Hiro?"
Hiro looked up from sipping water.
Jesse sighed gloomily. "I know, but still. If you'll excuse me. I need to relieve myself of my old man water. You also have a guest standing in the hallway."
Wait, how did he know that Tracey was in the hallway? Did he see him?
Jesse rose from his seat and shuffled toward the nearest bathroom.
Once he vanished, Emilee chuckled and placed her hand on her hip, peering in the direction where Tracey hid. "You can come out, Tracey."
Tracey gulped. He then built up his confidence and stepped into the kitchen.
At the sight of him, Emilee smiled, and Hiro hurried to his side. "Good morning," Emilee soon said. "Did you sleep well?"
"I guess." Tracey shrugged and froze. He had a feeling that if he told her he saw a ghost, she wouldn't believe him.
Emilee had set up a seat for him in the kitchen and sauntered to it. "That's good. Don't be shy. Sit."
Hiro used his nose to push Tracey toward the seat.
He had no choice but to comply. Nervously sitting, he placed his hands in his lap. The last time he had a meal with someone, he made a fool of himself. Images of that night at Makenna's house clouded his brain. He had to act as humanely as possible. He couldn't let Emilee and Jesse know his true identity.
Emilee shuffled to the refrigerator and opened it. "What would you like to drink? We have orange juice, apple juice, grape juice, tomato juice, and milk."
"Um, or-orange juice, please," Tracey stuttered.
Emilee nodded and pulled out the carton. With it in hand, she started for Tracey.
He couldn't help but ask once she got there, "So, um, what's the deal with Mr. Jesse today, ma'am?"
"Just call me Emilee," she said, speaking in a friendly tone. She began carefully pouring the orange juice into his glass. "Oh, you know. He's all depressed about turning sixty-six today. He thinks he's too old for birthday parties." After serving Tracey his drink, she screwed the top back on the carton and set it down where he could reach it. Next, she picked up his plate and approached the stove.
"Sixty-six?" asked Tracey, grinning. "Oh, he has years ahead of him! My master is 1,004, and he's still juggling, riding around on a unicycle, and befriending pretty girls."
Emilee's eyes widened. "1,004? Um, humans don't live that long, young man."
That time, Tracey's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked, slapping his palms on the table. "Boy, do I have my human years wrong."
Emilee sighed and finally decided to ask him something she meant to ask the night before. "Tracey, I have a question for you. Well, a few questions." She pulled some eggs onto his plate, then added bacon and a croissant. She returned to him and set it down.
Tracey feebly smiled. "All right. Hit me, and thank you for the food."
Emilee nodded and pulled out the seat beside him. Sitting, she offered him her hand, and he took it. The two met eyes, and Emilee took a deep breath. "Dear child, do you have a family? Anyone else besides your teacher?"
"I have friends," Tracey answered. Just at the thought of Gina, Makenna, and Ash, his face dropped.
"That's not the same," Emilee said. "I mean, do you have someone who never leaves you?"
Tracey thought for a moment. "Hm. Well, Sensei did leave for a month to deal with that business on Coutarine Island. He told me to stay behind and train."
Emilee nodded to show she understood. Her next question was a little more personal. "Ha-Have people been nice to you?"
Tracey froze. "Um, no. Not exactly."
"What do you mean by 'not exactly'?"
Tracey released Emilee's hand and sat back in his seat. He didn't want to tell her, but something inside told him he could trust her. "There was this really mean guy last year. Peter Nelson, I think, was his name. All I remember is getting slammed against some lockers, punched at the pep rally, and getting caught in a net. When I woke up, I was in the ICU."
Emilee's jaw dropped. "ICU? Oh, my God." That was all she asked him on the topic because he was getting uneasy. Her final question was a clarification question. Taking Tracey's hand again, she took a deep breath. "Tracey, are-are you a fairy?"
The second she mentioned 'fairy', Tracey felt something, an aura. He refused to tell her the truth that time. "No. No, I'm not. That's crazy. Fairies don't exist."
Emilee saw that he was upset. "I-I'm sorry. Did I offend you? I asked you because you have a fairy's attributes. Just a second ago, you said that your master was 1,004 and that you've got your human years wrong. That's more than enough proof!"
Tracey turned mean all of a sudden. Standing from the table, he said in a loud voice, "I'm not a fairy, all right? All of that is gibberish—fairytales! If this is all you're going to ask while I'm here, then I might as well leave! Thank you for the hospitality, but I have a mission! I have to get to the Bermuda Triangle, and you can't stop me!"
"The Bermuda—?" Emilee gasped. "No! Tracey, wait! The Bermuda Triangle has Hell written all over it!"
Tracey, though, stormed out of the kitchen and hurried to the laundry room, where he found his apprentice uniform. Quickly changing, he crumpled up Sky's pajamas and threw them into a laundry basket. As he pulled on his boots, the black mark of Poseidon's trident reappeared on his arm.
When Tracey looked up, he saw Emilee.
She stood in the room's doorway, sadness on her face. "Tracey, stop!" she begged. "You don't want to go to the Bermuda Triangle! The Bermuda Triangle is Hell!"
Without meeting her eyes, Tracey shoved by her and hurried toward the haunted house's front door. He pushed Emilee so hard that she fell.
There definitely is something going on with him, she concluded. He definitely is a magical being of some sort. I have to stop him from traveling to the Bermuda Triangle.
Tracey threw open the front door and jumped onto the lawn. Outside, unlike Coutarine Island, it was cloudy.
Tracey sprinted down the path to the ghost town and beach. Stopping for a bit, he glanced back at Emilee and Jesse's house one last time. He then took off again.
Emilee appeared in the doorway, holding his shuriken, which he dropped when he pushed her. "Tracey!" she yelled, and her eyes landed on the path.