4 Chapter 4

4 The bag had looked golden when Azmina was wearing it. But as Willa put it on, it changed color until it blended with her silvery tones. Willa

slipped the apple inside. The bulge of the apple almost completely disappeared. And the bag was so light, Willa couldn't even tell she was wearing it. She wished her schoolbag worked the same way! Willa could see Naomi and Azmina watching her. She was nervous about being in charge of the apple, but she felt excited, too. Willa flapped her wings, sending silver glitter fluttering around her. "Okay, let's go!" she called. "We'll follow the river until we find the waterfall." Together, the three Glitter Dragons rose through the shimmering air and up above the treetops, their glitter settling on the glade's force field like twinkling snow. Clouds began to gather, and it soon started to rain. But Willa had always liked the rain.

The big, silvery drops tinkled out strange melodies and kept her cool as they sped along. When Willa had first tried flying, she'd found it very hard. She kept crashing into things! Then she discovered that if she imagined she were swimming through the air, it was easier. She especially loved diving through the sky, adding fancy twists as she whooshed down. It was like jumping from the highest diving board at the pool.

But the best part about flying, Willa decided, was that Naomi and Azmina were there with her. Azmina had started making up a silly song as she flew along. She had a really nice voice, rich and strong. Hearing her sing made Willa feel less worried about the quest ahead of them. Then Naomi joined in with the singing, too. Naomi was a terrible singer, but she didn't care. She sang as loudly as she could until Azmina had to stop because she was laughing so hard. Willa grinned at her friends. It was good to be one of the Dragon Girls! But when Willa looked down, her good spirits dropped. Below them stretched the river, and it had even more gray swirls than before. Azmina and Naomi noticed the murky water, too. Azmina's usually bright smile faded. Naomi stopped singing. "We'd better hurry!" Soon Willa could hear falling water. It was getting louder and louder. And sure enough, when

she looked up the river, she could see magnificent turquoise water spilling over the cliff and crashing onto the rocks below. "The waterfall!" yelled Willa. "The bird we're looking for must live nearby." "Nice work!" Azmina yelled back. Together, the Dragon Girls swooped down toward the waterfall. They hovered in front of the tumbling water, the bright drops spraying into the air. It was very loud! Willa was gazing at the sheets of falling water when she spotted something: "There's a cave back there!" she called to the others. She'd always loved stories about secret caves hidden behind waterfalls. "Maybe that's where the Worrying Waterfall Bird lives."

"How will we fly through all that water?" asked Naomi. "Won't it crush us?" "I bet we can slip around the side of the waterfall. We'll hardly even get wet," said Willa. Azmina looked relieved. "I'm not wild about water—especially crashing, cold water! I like being warm and dry." "We'll go together," decided Willa.