Chapter 14

          “How dare you reprimand me like that?” Gwen yelled, her voice sounding like a teapot about to whistle.

“Gwendolyn Sephora Keeper of Nocotee!” the dragon’s voice grumbled like the sound of a volcano about to erupt.  Immediately Gwen froze.  A minute ticked by.  Two.  Three.  After five heart wrenching minutes of nothing but grueling silence Gwen took a step back.  She had the look of anger in her hazel eyes, the green around her pupil soon began to overtake the brownish tint in her glaring eyes.

“You have been proven unworthy Gwendolyn Sephora.  Unworthy of the title of The Keeper’s Daughter.” The Keeper’s voice boomed, rattling my ears like wind chimes. 

            My heart had crashed through the ground at what The Keeper told Gwendolyn, and that’s when I knew I needed to step in.  No matter the risk.  I grabbed onto the edge of the leaf trying to make a graceful and casual entrance, however that wasn’t going to happen.  As I pulled myself up onto the leaf I crawled closer to the tip of the leaf, planning to slide down without a problem.  I sat down and scooted closer to sliding down, but the moment I prepared to slide, the leaf’s stem broke.  I felt as if my life had flashed before my eyes as I found myself on the ground wrapped up in the oak leaf.  I felt like a humiliated leafwich. 

            The dragon’s eyes quickly went from glaring at Gwendolyn to staring directly at me.  Aw shoot, I thought as I scrambled to get to my feet but my feet punctured the leaf and I went from being a leafwich to wearing a leaf diaper. 

“Annabelle?” the dragon called to me, his voice not cracking once,

“Y-yes?” I stuttered.

“We need your help,” The Keeper whispered before scooping me up in his wing and holding me up until we were nose to nose.