This is my first fanfiction ever!!! Bring in as many suggestions as possible. I own nothing but the plot!!! (And maybe a couple other things, such as an added character here and there).


Chapter 1


Elphie   

Fiyero and I took off at a run, leaving Oz behind forever. I looked over my shoulder for one last glance at Glinda and felt a bout of guilt at her sweet face that was full of sorrow. When we were far out of sight, I finally stopped to check our surroundings. We were in the Forest, close to the Emerald City, but far enough away to get our bearings. Identical rows of houses were on either side of us, each of them with a different color roof to determine that person's social standings in Oz. Green represented the richest of the rich, like those who live in Emerald City, while blue represented the lowest, the Munchkins. We currently stood near a small house with a blue tiled roof and no glass in its windows. I felt it was safe to talk here, and let go of Fiyero's hand.   

"I hate having Glinda thinking we're dead," I whispered, turning away from Fiyero. He took my chin and tilted it up into his gorgeous face. His eyes shone with unshed tears. I reached up and gently stroked his wet cheek. I hated seeing him in pain. His pain hurt me more than my own, more than he would ever know.     

"Elphie...you know we can't." Before unbearable emotion could overtake me, I quickly shook my head and grabbed my spellbook, the Grimmerie, from his other hand that dangled loosely by his side. I had found it at the sight of my 'melting' shortly after everyone had left. Glinda had probably put it there, since she was the last one with it. Then I crouched low to the ground, like I had practiced dozens of times. The tattered spellbook lay on the yellow brick, dingy and unattractive campared to its bright and manicured surroundings.     

"There has to be something I can do to help her. She looked so miserable when we left. I just want her to be happy. You would at least want that for her, right?" I didn't bother to wait for an answer.     

Ignoring his protests, I closed my eyes and concentrated on what I wanted. My green hands were a blur as they tore open the book and flipped through the pages faster than thought possible. My mind processed the garbled unknown language of its own accord, and I began to chant words I never even understood. The chant grew faster and faster, emphasizing my eagerness to end the unconrollable, unknown, and mystical process. My guesters grew wilder and increasingly dramatic, with my arms even spinning around like pinwheels over my head and around my hunched, skinny body. Fiyero watched me with a sort of strange, yet frightened, facination. Lightning sparked around my cape, nearly setting it on fire, but I knew I would not burn. Colors snaked in and out of my vision: reds, blues, purples, and yellows blending together in unnamable combinations that vanished before I fully registered them.   

Finally, the spell was complete. Hand in hand, we left the Forest and sped off to the glistening sea in the distance. That same evening, we made camp by the shore. While Fiyero started a fire, I carefully studied the map of Oz in the glowing sunset. We were at a beach close to what used to be Nessarose's castle. I judged the distance between there and the sea, wondering if I could fly my broom that far. Fieyro did say we weren't allowed to tell her we were alive, but, I mused, what if we were not the ones to tell her?    

A sudden spark and crackle from the pile of wood signaled Fiyero was successful in starting the fire. I shuffled toward the warmth, still deep in thought. I barely noticed when the sun finally set, leaving a deep purple tinge to the navy blue sky. Stars began to appear when Fiyero at last couldn't stand the silence anymore and started to say something, but the look on my face quieted him once more. It wasn't until he finally dropped off to sleep that a thought struck me: poor Boq, now made into a tin man, in Emerald City, who happened to have connections with Glinda, and ideas began to dimly stir in the back of my mind. I grabbed my broomstick and without a second thought, quietly took off. Knowing this would anger my fiance if I didn't tell him anything, I left a note for him. However, the very next morning, Fiyero's cry of aungish could be heard all over Oz. 


Glinda 

"Oh!" I stumbled, nearly falling to the ground in a faceplant at the sound of pure and tortured agony coming from a distance. The voice sounded awfully familiar, and I kept coming to the most impossible conclusion, the one that made sense. Madame Morrible's adopted daughter, Lexi, gave me the most curious look. Madame Morrible knew that one day she would need a succesor in rule, so she adopted Lexi several weeks after she was born.  

"Is something wrong, Your Goodness?" A troubled look crossed her heart-shaped face, genuine concern appearing in her bright green eyes. Lexi is my advisor, and to many major events with me, such as today's event, Glinda and Lexi Apperciation Day, or GLAD for short. I find it nice of the Ozians and Denzians to create a whole day sepecifically to be nice to us. After all, we hadn't done much, except perhaps announce the death of Elphaba, or as they called her, the Wicked Witch of the West.

"No, everything is fine," I replied, still confused about the recent occurence. For what seemed like the thousandth time, I searched the empty skies, somehow hoping that if I simply thought of her, my one good, true close friend, she would appear and make everything all right again.

Lexi had long since accepted this unusual behavior and said nothing. Everyone was still in doubt whether the Wicked Witch of the West was really gone, but after giving the Ozians my story, most everyone had accpeted it and moved on by the next morning. Yet I had my doubts, and kept searching, for the good of my people, everyone had assumed. One dark, ominous thought remained: It just couldn't be possible for a sorcerer, good or evil, to be melted by water, could it?   

I marched onto the stage, madly waving my hand like a queen. My golden crown glinted in the sunlight and glowing smile shone. All thoughts of Elphie quickly faded as I scanned the crowd of people, stalling for time. My husband should be here any minute now, I thought. I knew I sould be concerned, but then, I felt the strangest sensation, almost as if my emotions were put into hyperdrive, and had gotten scrambled in the washing machine. I stepped up to the emerald podium and set up my notecards. Fifty pairs of eyes locked on my face, and tensions rose. Nobody had the slightest clue on what I had to say. This assembly had been kept top secret until the day before, and even then, very few details were given out. I didn't even know what the planned project was.

"Friends, family, and strangers," I beamed at my devoted audience. "Lexi and I appreciate all the love and support we recieve from each and every one of you, and in return, we have decided to open up a new project that is entirely top secret until my advisor gives me permission to discuss it. For now, please enjoy the wonderful refreshments provided and anticipate the wonderful gift we have planned for the Land of Oz." 

As I finished my detail-lacking speech, a sqeaky, rhythmitic, clanking sound could be heard. Clank! Clank! Shock crossed everyone's faces as they took in Boq's appearance. He was made entirely of tin. In his hand was a black, pointed hat. Everyone gasped, including me. I thought he would never show up.

"Glinda, my love. Come here and I'll show you why I showed up late to the ceremony." Boq called. He held out his hand: an offer. I took it, and we fled to a private place where we could talk. We went to the Emerald City, a familiar landmark and an easy place to meet.


Fiyero

My beloved Fiyero,

I have gone to find a way to make Glinda happy again, because I can't stand risking another mistake with my sorcery, like with Boq. I've lost too much to take any chances with my magic that are to any degree doubtful.

I am so sorry, please forgive me,       

Elphaba

Over and over I read this letter in my frantic search for Elphaba. I was now sprinting over a narrow wooden bridge that had rotted in some places. In the distance I could see the Emerald City. After what seemed like hours of tearing through brambles and broken branches, the city finally looked closer than it had that morning. I stopped to catch my breath and was leaning against a tree when he noticed a familiar-looking broom; Elphaba was near.  I hid behind a bush near the bridge and waited for Elphaba to come out of her hiding place. The minutes ticked by. Finally, she came out from behind a tree, looked quickly around, then started to board her broomstick. I jumped out from his bush and yelled, startling her.

"You are making a stupid mistake!" I shouted. "Think about how afraid everyone is going to be. Think about how this is going to mean being in hiding again, always trying to avoid capture. Most importantly, think about us. Don't you care about our saftey? Don't care about living in peace, and being happy? Or does that not matter to you anymore?" Elphaba bit her lip, hesitating for several minutes, before answering.

"Of course I care about all of that, my sweet. It's just that, we all depend on Glinda's happiness in order to survive. I'm sure you know that. If Glinda is happy, Boq is happy, because he loves her. If Boq is happy, Nessa's spirit is happy, for she adores him. Nessarose, dead or alive, as long as she smiles, I shall smile too. You absolutely live to see me happy, and if I'm happy, you're happy. Isn't that right? So, you see, in order for this world to function, we all need our precious Glinda to stay her normal, bubbly self."

"Well, when you put it that way...Go ahead. Do your thing. I won't interrupt you." Elphaba nodded, then took off into the late morning clouds, her cape flowing behind her. I watched until she was a mere black splotch in the sky, then set off for the Emerald City at a run, hoping I wasn't too late to do what I needed to do.

I approached the city gates. Two gaurds shouted after me. Obviously, they had heard about my involvment with Elphaba and I am now a fugitive too. I ignorred them and leaped at the gates and began to climb over the Emerald City border. The gate poles were slippery, and I began to slide back to the ground. The gaurds made a grab for my legs, but missed by inches. A sudden flash of black and green, and I was suddenly lifted over the gate and onto the ground.

Before I could fully comprehend what had just happened, I discovered a crowd of Denzians making way for somebody. Intrigued, I stepped foward to blend with the taller Denzians, a difficult feat for someone my height. I noticed Glinda at once, followed closely behind the one he knew was the true traitor: Lexi Morrible. Her eyes skeptically darted in a different direction every few moments, never focusing on one single thing too long. They passed the throng of people quickly.

"Are you sure about this?" Glinda asked someone. A too-familiar voice answered back quietly. I was surprised to see a ring on Glinda's finger, but even more surprised to see whom she had married to: Boq, an old school friend of mine. We had been close, but it looks like I had missed a lot in the past few weeks. I regret not going to the wedding, even though I never knew about it and was apparantly never invited.

"Why wouldn't I be sure? I can't doubt what's in my heart." He gently caressed Glinda's cheek, then motioned her to follow him. At this, Lexi responded to some unseen signal and headed toward Glinda's castle sneakily, as if she was trying not to be seen. Without thinking, I followed her. Since I had the uncanny ability to be totally silent even when running at full speed, Lexi did not notice her pursuit, but she did not slow down. I continued to stay several feet behind her so she couldn't see my shadow. Suddenly, she stopped, and I nearly ran into her, but managed to keep my balance.

"May I ask why you are following me, Fiyero?" Lexi asked without turning around. I crowed to the sky, a signal Elphaba had taught me to use when I was in danger. Lexi's eyes widened as she took in the unmistakable image of the Wicked Witch of the West on her broom, the one everyone thought was dead.

"Security!" Lexi shouted. "Security! The Wickedness has returned!" Guards rushed around her at once, but they were too late. We were already in the air, rising rapidly away from the city.


Chapter 2


Elphie

"Who is that girl?" I asked Fiyero when we were safely off the ground, ignoring the cries of "Security!" below me. I was used to it.

"She is one of the most manipulative spy one could ever come across. I crossed paths with her while we were apart for so long. She tried to convince me that she was on my side, but then she mentioned Madame Morrible and their plans with the Wizard...I knew something was up. Let's just say she doesn't take no for an answer lightly."

I listened to all of this in silence while searching for a safe place to land. We were at least a thousand feet in the air, the castle still visible, looming over Oz like a giant green plant. I could barely make out Glinda's shimmering bubble, far below us, looking like a shiny bouncy ball. I lowered my broom at once.

"Wait, what are you doing? Where are we going?" Fiyero asked anxiously. I didn't answer him. Glinda's pink puffy dress slowly came into view as we got closer to the ground. I concentrated deeply on getting close enough to see her, but for us not to be seen. At last, I could hear what she was saying to the unknown girl below her.

"I'll go out and find the Wicked Witch myself, Lexi. I need to finish her off! She's the one who's manipulated me into thinking she was so good all throughout my late school years. Its so hard to believe we were even friends, and now look at what she's become. I almost feel sorry for her, because I understand her."

She sounds fairly convincing, I thought to myself. I almost believed her myself. However, Lexi still looked somewhat doubtful.

"Are you sure that you want to go out on your own? I can come with you."

"No! I mean, that's fine. I'll have my bubble to protect me."

Her bubble began to rise, and when she came into view of me, her mouth opened into a horrified look of disbelief. I put my finger to my lips to signal Glinda to be quiet, even though we were hundreds of feet in the air. She let out a tiny squeak of surprise.

"Elphie! What...? How...?" Glinda breathlessly tried to gather her thoughts, struggling to take in what lay right in front of her.

"Now you know the truth. I need you to come with me. That girl down there is going to betray you. In fact, she already has minipulated you into thinking Madame Morrible is equally safe behind bars as the Ozians think I'm safe up in the air. Fiyero told me all about her and I need you to believe me about all of this. I'm not making it up."

There was a long pause while Glinda processed all of this. I glanced at Fiyero, but he just shrugged his shoulders. Suddenly, she pulled out her wand on me and sent me a signal so fast I couldn't understand it. There was no need to. Lexi had joined the party. Apparantly, she had gotten the flying monkeys under control, for she had a whole fleet behind her, not including the one she was riding, which was about the size of a full grown lion.

"Oh, good, Glinda. You have her cornered. Let me take over for you," Lexi said in a sweet voice that even Glinda hopefully deeply mistrusted. Suddenly, I understood the quick signal she had sent me before and I quickly popped Glinda's bubble and made a grab for her.

"You will never catch me alive!" I cackled, "Unless you want to see this pretty girl again, you'll let me fly free! Do you understand?"

Lexi appeared unconcerned. In fact, she looked quite bored. She muttered something to the monkeys, and they fanned out into a new formation at once, as if she were master and they were her slaves.

" An empty threat is all I heard. You would never hurt her, she's too innocent. In fact, she's not even your enemy. She is your friend, from what I gathered of her reaction to your supposed death. Oh, you can deny it all you want, but I see the truth is in your eyes, and unless you can find a way to convince me you're on my side, say gododbye to your lovely broom."

Lexi pulled out a wand that looked just like the one Glinda had lost so long ago. She spotted recognition in my eyes, and spoke again.

"Ah! I found this wand somewhere in a little college called Shiz, or something like that. Have you ever been there? It has many useful hiding places. How do you think I came to know Fiyero? Who do you think made the Cowardly Lion into a coward? Who might have possibly given Madame Morrible the idea to work with the Wizard? How did the Wizard get a hold of the Exlir of Life? I planned these things all my life, and now I get to rise up into the world and take the title that is open to me: The Wicked Witch of the East!"

"You were the one that ruined my life!" I croaked. "Well, now this is to end. Why did you do this? What sort of thing has planted in your head to cause all of this nonsense that has happened, and is still happening?"

For the first time, Lexi hesitated. Her wand arm lowered and the confidence melted away like ice in the sun. She had her wand pointed at me, but her arm was shaking. She was losing the the will to fight. Her head fell foward, and at last she burst into tears. Glinda conjured another bubble and started to float toward her, but I shook my head and slowly glided to her myself.



Glinda

"Oh, I am about to lose my patience, something I never do," I said ominously and turned a page in the spellbook I had bought recently at the Denzian General Supply Store for quite a bargain; spellbooks are hard to come by. "I need the will to wait an eternity for anything, anyo-" The sudden arrival of Elphaba and Lexi cut me off.

"What are you doing?" asked Elphaba. I quickly closed my book and hastily put into my travel bag. Lexi watched me suspiciously. I stared innocently back at her, wondering why she was doubing our trust.

"N-n-nothing." I stammered. "Now, what have you two agreed on?"

"I am taking you with me, little girl, and unless you go quietly, there will be serious consequences. Lexi is taking over as the Wicked Witch of the East, and we will be working together in peace. Any questions?" I shook my head. Elphaba swiftly popped my bubble and grabbed me by the wrist before I could fall. One of my shoes fell, and I sadly watched it fall all the way down into the Emerald City, sparkling in the afternoon sun.

"Come on, Fiyero. Let's go."

They flew for miles and miles, and my wrist began to hurt. Lexi followed close behind, so the evil charade had to continue for Elphaba. At long last, we arrived at the West Castle, Elphaba's new residence. Lexi turned in the opposite direction as soon as she was sure that Elphaba followed through with the entire agreed plan.

I rubbed my sore wrist and entered the castle, looking about my gloomy surroundings. Cobwebs dangled from the ceiling and drifted in the gentle breeze coming from the door. Dust gathered in corners, enough to build another castle. The brick walls were chipped and cracked in many places; some bricks were even missing. Dead spiders occasionally fell from the celing into my hair, which I quickly brushed away.

"This place could use some sprucing up," I said as Fiyero stumbled inside, unsuccessfully trying to keep his footing on the uneven ground.

"Ouch! Jeez, can't you at least have the courtesy to fix the place up a bit?" Elphaba rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She briskly started walking down the long main hallway, not bothering to check to see if Fiyero and I had decided to follow her. We glanced at each another, then rushed to keep up. The hallway seemed to be endless, and the two of us were breathless by the time we reached the dining room at the very end of the hall.

"Oh, Wizard," Elphaba called, "Come and fix dinner for three please. I know I should be going through the motions of being "evil" and all, but you know these two." As she spoke, the Wizard came out, dressed as a butler, but with a few modifications. Instead of black and white, he bore blue and teal with green pinstripes and sequened gloves. Despite his ridiculous appearance, he seemed very much the same. I made a note to give him fashion advice later.

"What shall I be serving you three?" the Wizard asked.

"The usual, I suppose. That should be enough to impress them, despite the appearance of this dump." The Wizard bowed, and left the room. Fiyero collapsed into a chair, which creaked threateningly.I sat down more gently, getting the idea that this horrible castle is what it appears: very old and uncared for. Elphaba randomly started flipping through her spellbook and silently read the spells in her head to practice the pronounciation of the words. After about twenty minutes, Elphaba suddenly slammed her book shut and sat up in her chair.

"Wait! That's it! Lexi wants me to work with her so we can get closer! Once she has me in her trap, she will spring it and send me to my doom! I need to find a way to get her to think I trust her, then when she needs me the most, I will leave her to fix the problem. It's the most brilliant plan ever!" Fiyero and I gave each other knowing looks, then looked away quickly. I looked down at the floor, trying to avoid eye conact with everybody.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea, Elphie? You should probably think this through. Look what happened in the past. You can't just ignore that. I can tell this is going to go wrong if you don't look before you leap. Elphaba, I have done such a thing before, and I regretted it bitterly. I still feel guilty for what I've done, and possibly will for the rest of my life. Will you at least think this through for me, your friend." Before Elphaba could respond, the Wizard entered with a large silver platter filled with fruit, bread, and wine. We feasted eagerly while the Wizard stiffly stood in a corner, waiting for us to finish our meal. After the platter was completely empty, the Wizard swooped in and took the platter away, but not before Elphaba tipped him for the night.

"What happened to him?" Fiyero asked, looking repulsed at his uncanny loyalty and obedience. He started to stand up, but I whispered for him to sit back down. Fiyero didn't listen, but whispered back to me, and we left the room, leaving Elphaba alone with her thoughts.


Fiyero

"What do you want?" asked Glinda. She had an odd mixture of guilt and irritation on her face that amused me slightly, and couldn't help but chuckle a little at her expression, which further annoyed her.

"What is your problem?" Glinda's anger flared like a torch never lit before, it surprised me, leaving me at a loss for words. I shook his head, clearing it, but then Glinda continued.

"How could you be so selfish, to want to leave like that, and leave Elphie all alone in there? Don't you know how rude and thoughtless that is?" Glinda stode toward him and made to shove him into the wall, but I already had backed into the cracked, dusty bricks so far a few were poking me unpleasantly. Instead she pointed at me in accusation.

"Woah, Glinda, what is with you? You never get angry or lose your patience like this. I think Elphaba's influence is rubbling off on you. Try to be careful, she may not be evil, but there is something about her that keeps her out of the 'good' category. Besides, I had a reason for pulling you out here. I think you should let Elphie go through with the plan. It sounds good to me. She's a different person, and will make her own mistakes. I think it will be impossible for her to make that kind of mistake, even though her sense of right and wrong may differ a little from yours, if you know what I mean." The door opened, and Glinda squealed in fright, and skittered into the corner. It was Elphaba. The demanding look on her face sent chills down my back. It made her look like a witch for once.

"What is going here? You two have been gone for quite awhile. Glinda, don't scream like that. I still need my hearing, you know." Glinda blushed furiously and giggled an apology that could barely be heard.

"We just were having a private discussion about your plan. I was all for it, but as you may aready know, Glinda here doesn't seem to agree. Whatever you decide, I'll back you up on it, my love." I swooped to Elphaba's side and kissed her on the cheek. Under all the green, Elphaba turned slightly pink.

"Hey! Look, you're blushing Elphie! I was right, pink DOES go with green!" Glinda's comment made her blush even more, further complimenting the green skin.

"Aw, you look cute when you change colors," I cooed, enjoying myself. Elphaba ducked behind her hat and muttered something unintelligentable to everyone else. Glinda gave him a look, but I just shrugged my shoulders. Glinda walked over to Elphaba and said something to her that I couldn't hear. Elphaba suddenly laughed and put her hat back on, the pink in her face growing with increasing laughter. Her happy eyes sparkled at me, and my heart swooped upward happily.

"Oh, Glinda, I had forgotten about that! What a silly reason to change your name!" I finally understood; they were talking about the day Glinda changed her name in outrage at what happened to Dr. Dillamond, when in reality, she was tongue-tied around him. I started to laugh along, my vibrating tenor voice echoing off the ancient walls.

"It's still hard to believe that not so long ago, everyone called you Galinda," I said much later, after everyone had calmed down. Glinda smiled knowingly at me, but then she was suddenly serious.

"Let's not sick to the past too much, okay? Appearances can be misleading, I'm sure you and Elphaba know that more than I do." Elphaba gave a confused glance at Fiyero, and her expression mirrored his. Glinda's eyes flashed with anger, then slowly returned back to normal. None of it made any sense to me, and I made my way toward Glinda to talk to her. Elphaba cautiously followed him.

"Is there something wrong we should know about? You've been a lose cannon lately and that is quite scary. Don't hold this in, Glinda. Let all your problems out." Glinda gritted her teeth, crossed her arms, and shook her head stubbornly, her curls gently bringing a sweet scent of strawberries and roses. Elphaba grabbed her arm softly, in a friendly sort of way.

"I'm here for you, Glinda. Please talk about what is troubling you,"

"That's just it! There's nothing to talk about, because you both already know about this! Remember when I last saw you, then that farm girl poured water on you and 'melted' you? I thought you two were dead! How could you do this to me? Of course, there was some part of me that knew you might still be alive, but that was silly of me to think it at the time. It turns out I was right all along, and would you look at that, I was lied to. You lied to me. Liars!"

Elphaba suddenly reached into her bag and pulled out her spellbook, frantically flipping through the pages. Before Glinda could say anything more, she started reading a spell from the Grimmerie.

"Atchu namu echu ere atchu namu etchu ere, namel atchu namel erche, magret tere tara techu,"

"What's happening?" Glinda asked, frightened. Slowly she calmed down and her emotions were back to normal. She didn;t look angry, instead, she appeared grateful, and back to her normal self. Glinda sat down on the dusty floor. She looked around, looking confused. Satisfied, Elphaba set off to her room, and led the way to where we would be sleeping for the night. Glinda kept giving me a puzzled expression every few moments, but I decided not to give her the whole story of Elphaba's attempt to help her earlier. Sometimes some things are best left alone.


Chapter 3


Elphie

Just when I thought I could settle back into my old routine, things changed again the very next morning after breakfast. I was giving the Wizard his morning tip when I heard the doorbell ring at the front door. The sound echoed errily throughout the castle, giving unpleasant chills down my spine. I wrapped my shawl tighter around me and went to see who was my visitor. With some difficulty, I managed to open the heavy door, and it slowly creaked open. There stood Lexi on the doorstep, and I remembered my plan. She smiled at the sight of me, and stepped in, uninvited of course. Lexi is not one of the most polite people one would come across. The door slammed shut behind her as she stowed her wand back into her bag.

"Awful morning it is, right Elphaba?" Lexi asked. She briskly started down the hallway, and I noticed the Wizard standing nearby. I sent him a 'code red, hide the others' signal I had never used before, but had trained him to recognize immedietly, given there if were to be an emergency, I thought this was necessary. The Wizard nodded and sped off to obey my order. Fortunately, this went unnoticed by the Wicked Witch of the East.

"I love what you've done with the place," Lexi commented. I said nothing, just nodded and kept a fake smile plastered to my face in order to hide my panicking. She looked around, occasionally commenting on the drab paintings and unkeptness of the general place Eventually though, she fell silent and simply walked with me. About halfway down the hall, however, she began to get impatient.

"How long is this stupid hallway?" Lexi demanded.

"This is why I have my broom with me at all times," I responded, already losing interest in the conversation.

She noticed my sudden boredom, and said nothing for the rest of the walk to my bedroom. I lit the candle on the nightsand by my bed and motioned for Lexi to sit down. She obeyed without question. I was about to set my plan into action when the Wizard walked in with a note in his hand. I carefully opened it, and recognized Glinda's handwriting.

Look before you leap there's a chance you might fall if you don't. Many people think, that's not true, then there are dire consequences because they didn't listen.

I swiftly scanned the note and handed it back to the Wizard in the same minute. He bowed out of the doorway before Lexi could suspect anything. Glinda seemed persistent with getting her point across, so I decided to think it over. It seemed really mean to build her trust then take it away at the last second. It appeared to make more sense to find out what her eventual plans were, and if they contridicted mine, then I could follow through with my original plan. But if not...I tried not to think about that.

"So, what was that about? It seemed important enough to hide from me. Do spill the details, what's going on?"

She leaned foward in earnest, and I knew I couldn't simply tell her the truth, yet it looked unavoidable now. I thought back to last night, and skipped through the events backwards, starting at when I reversed the enchantment I put on Glinda I thought would help her. I rewound our conversation all the way back to when I convinced Glinda to talk when she stubbornly wouldn't, and an idea popped in my head.

"Well, now that we're working together, I think we both need to be honest with each other, so what I think will work best here is if you tell me what you're planning to do out on your own in Oz."

I gently spoke each word, not trying to sound forceful, but not extremely weak either. I could tell I was breaking down her defenses. Her confident air swirled into doubt and uncertaincy, and she didn't seem quite as sure of herself as usual, but she didn't answer. She quickly stood up, then crossed the room in seconds. She pressed her hand on a certain brick on the wall, and a door suddenly revealed itself. Lexi turned the handle, and the door slowly swung open, almost as if it didn't wish to be opened. A dark tunnel loomed ahead on the other side of my bedroom, and I hesitantly headed through it, the door slamming shut behind me.

"Lexi, are you there? Hello? Why won't this door open?" I felt through my surroundings, trying to find the handle. All I felt was smooth stone bricks and cobwebs with still-living spiders crawling up my arms. I ignored them and kept blindly searching for the door, when I tripped over a root and went tumbling though the air. The fall seemed endless, and I was sure everyone in Oz could hear my surprised and terrified scream slice the air in two.


Glinda

"I'm telling you! I wasn't turned into a scarecrow! That was a disguise so I could meet Elphaba undetected!" I shook my head, listening to a faint sound that grew louder every moment: a drawn out scream of terror, getting increasingly closer by the second.

"Fiyero...what's that noise?" A second later, the low ceiling opened out to admit a falling Elphaba into the cramped prision. She immedietly stood up and brushed herself off, glaring up at the closed trapdoor.

"You're going to regret messing with me, Lexi!" she cried, shaking a fist at the indifferent ceiling. Suddenly, she just realized she wasn't alone and swiftly backed into the wall in a defensive crouch, a force of habit.

"What the..?" Fiyero gazed at the trapdoor and mentally measured the height of the area, then realizing it was still too high, he sighed and sat on the ground, scratching cartoons on the wall with a stick he had found. I rolled my eyes at his inconsiderate nature.

"What happened? How did you get here?" I asked Elphaba, who had now straightened up and looked unhurt from the recent fall.

"Lexi tricked me, the bastard. I was almost ready to trust her too! By the way, I got your message. There's really no need for it anymore, we can't trust her. There is one thing we can do, though, to give us an advantage." I leaned foward in earnest, Fiyero dropped his stick. Elphaba smiled at both of us, and took a deep breath. The suspense was so high strung it was almost painful.

"I need you guys to spy on her for me. Now, here is what we're going to do." We listened intently to Elphaba's whispered plans, nodding and making suggestions every now and then. Fiyero did most of the talking, though. I think he understood Elphaba's powers more than I did, though I knew about it longer than him.

It was nearly midnight when the plan was official, and even then, I was still unsure of myself as I went over the complicated flying patterns Fiyero produced for Elphaba, and the complex spells everyone was depending on me to have perfected by morning. Instead of falling asleep, I remained awake and wondered what Boq was doing right now, and if he was worried about me and where I was. It seemed hours later when I finally fell asleep, leaving troubled thoughts for another day.

It seemed only moments later when I suddenly sat up and snapped out of the strange dream I was having. I was back at the Ozdust Ballroom, dancing with Fiyero. He gently held me like a gentlemen. We swung in time with the music, a soft ballad about true love in Emerald City on a warm evening in summer. As we danced, we talked a little. One part of the dream stood out clearly, though.

"Glinda, I would like to ask you something," Fiyero said as they turned again. I briskly glanced around the ballroom; we were alone.

"Go on," I said softly, cuddling closer to him. I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment.

"You know how you're married to Boq, right?"

I nodded against his chest. "Well, why did you marry him? Don't you still love me?"

Suddenly, the dream turned out to be a nightmare. I pulled away from Fiyero, and started for the exit. The door was locked. An elevator dinged behind me, and I took off running again. Fiyero's footsteps were following close behind me.

"You can't run from the truth!" he yelled after me as I ran on and on down an endless hallway, with posters on the dimly lit walls alternating beween the faces of Boq and Fiyero, constantly asking me, "You love me, right? Don't you?"

I shook my head and tried to forget about the nightmare as Elphaba came over to her and quietly sat down with her spellbook, intently concentrating on the ancient language. I took this time to observe her carefully. It may have just been my imagination, but did those dark eyes lose the slightest of their usual spark? Did her carefully composed expression lose a bit of that calm? As I studied her concentrating face, I bagan to wonder what she was thinking. I was about to ask when Elphaba suddenly slammed the book shut and stood up. Her tall frame towered over me and her long cloak sweeped around her body in one fluid motion from her shoulders to her ankles, leaving nothing but her high, pointed boots exposed to the weak lighting of the room. She hurriedly apporached the exit, and I followed her without thinking. She came out into a hallway I had never seen before, but I didn't stop to look around, for Elphaba was already far ahead. Desperately, I ran after her, and nearly ran into her suddenly stockstill form.

"What do you want? I'm very busy right now, as you can see." Elphaba crouched over her spells and started muttering words under her breath. I stepped back a little and decided to watch the spectacle. A purple and pink glow began to engulf my vision, the color of a new dawn. Then it faded to a golden amber before disappearing completely.

"I thought you could use an outfit change, since complications arose, making you unable to change this morning." Elpaba explained as I twirled around in my new sunshine dress, admiring the multiple shades of yellow and orange blending with white gingham checks faded just enough not to overwhelm the person viewing the bright colors. My shoes were no longer heels, but dusky orange ballet flats with white buckles. My hair was newly brushed and shampooed, the scent of vanilla was captured in her bouncy, shining curls.

"Thank you, Elphie. I greatly appreciate it." Suddenly, the dream came back to me in a flash, and remembered this was the outfit I was wearing in the dream. Elphaba seemed to notice the change in my expression, and stepped foward. I stepped back, unwilling to talk. She stepped toward me again, and I finally decided to give in and talk.


Fiyero

I woke up with a start, and realized at once that I was alone again. I stayed calm, though, and located the door, discovered it was unlocked, and opened it. Moments later, I was loping down the hallway, exploring. On my way, I came across a grand piano, and wondered if it was still in good condition. I gingerly brushed the dust off the keys before settling down to play a piece I had composed for myself a long time ago. As I reached the last few measures, I decided to dediate the piece to my lovely fiance, the only girl I ever loved. At last, the song came to a close, and the last note seemed to hand in the air and echoed throughout the castle, concluding the retold tale of love through music and a passion for the piano. I stood up and kept walking, my arms swinging casually by my sides. My worn leather shoes occasionally kicked up dust as I shuffled on the uneven ground, hinting at the fact that this ancient hideaway must be older than one could ever imagine. My thoughts were inturrupted when I saw a golden light ahead of him, and raced ahead to find out its cause. The light faded before I had gotten anywhere near it. I refused to be discouraged, and continued to charge foward, almost tripping over the broken stone beneath me. I came to a sudden halt, though, at the sound of Glinda's voice.

"Well, the dream was quite odd, but the point is I can't decide between the two of them. It's like trying to choose which arm you want cut off,"
she was saying as I ducked into the shadows. I leaped into a nearby closet before Elphaba's sweeping gaze could meet with my curious stare.

"Oh, I see. Did anything else in the dream stand out besides the posters and the hallway?" I heard Elphaba asked. Silence. Glinda probably just shook her head, I thought. I couldn;t stand not being able to see what was going on. Slowly, I turned the knob and burst out of the closet, and in the same moment, rounded the corner to surprise them. Elphaba rolled her eyes, while Glinda looked surprised and started to hand back Elphaba her big volume of spells and potions. Elphaba motioned her to wait, and stepped toward me. She smiled sweetly, and my heart skipped a beat in its rhythamitic thumping and rattling in my chest.

"Fiyero, my darling. What are you doing here? Don't you remember the plan was for you to stay until I came to get you?" She lovingly caressed my cheek, and I trembled in delight, but managed to keep my composure and not start a random makeout session in front of Glinda. I saw, behind me, the sweet girl give me a long, sad look of longing before turning away. I ignored her, though I desired to rush to her side and comfort her at once. I resisted, though. Elphaba was waiting for an answer from me.

"I was looking for you because I didn't know where you went. Remember what happened last time you went off on your own, and look where we are now, in a bigger mess than a single on of us can handle on our own." I explained.

I looked over at Glinda in that moment, and noticed she was wearing an entirely new outfit. I gave her a puzzled look, but she simply smiled and pointed at Elphaba, then the spellbook she was holding. I understood, and nodded affirmitavely toward her. Elphaba ignored the exchange and went to take the book back from Glinda.

"Enough of these distractions. Let's see what this broom can really do..."
She clutched tighter at her duffle bag, now bulky with the enormous spellbook, and took off into the air, smoothly gliding toward the exit and out of sight. I stared after her for a long time, then quickly gathered control. Glinda smiled uncertainly at me, then looked away again. Her eyes seemed faraway and distracted.

"Glinda? We should probably get going. Set up the radio communications so Elphaba can contact us in case there's an emergency," I suggested. I could hardly stand seeing her like this. Perhaps all she needs is a little distraction.

She suddenly snapped out of the trance and took off for the radio tower at once, leaving me alone for the second time that morning. Not to be outdone, I jogged through the castle in search of the Wizard, wondering if he ever had any freetime when Elphie wasn't busy ordering him around. After about an hour, I finally located him up in the north tower that faced toward the Emerald City, quietly sketching on a notepad. I could see the morning was quickly turning into afternoon after a brief check at the window.

"Wizard?" He looked up and closed his notepad. Before standing up, he set down his drawing pencil on the windowsill. It rolled onto the floor with a clatter. He ignored it.

"Yes? Is she gone?" I nodded. The Wizard sighed in relief. Apparantly, Elphaba has tortured him in her free time away from saving the oppressed animals. A lazy grin slowly spread over his face, giving the odd impression that he really obeyed Elphaba's harsh commands for his own personal, crazy reasons.

"Hey, do you have a real name?" I asked suddenly, then cursed myself for being so impulsive. The once Great Wizard of Oz sat down in surprise, and nearly knocked over a set of paints innocently sitting on the windowsill. Red, green and purple paint splashed onto the floor in little drops, giving a little life to the dull and colorless scheme of the cramped room.

"If I do, I can't remember, moreover, I don't wish to. Its not important anymore, and frankly, it has been too long since I have been called D-I mean by my real name," he confessed quietly.

I didn't press the matter further, and just said nothing for a while. I thought back to two days ago, back when I thought it was still possible to be a free man. I skipped foward through the memories, and stopped on the moment when he overheard Glinda's conversation with Elphaba shortly before. I began to ponder her troubles, and wondered if she knew who was right for her. As Glinda's face appeared in my mind, paired with Boq's, my thoughts suddenly turned to Boq, now made into a strange man made of tin and without a heart.

"What is on your mind, my boy?" the Wizard asked loudly, startling me and causing me to upset the paints all over the floor.

The colors blended into a midnight black and swirled grimly around my feet, giving the impression I was surrounded by tar. I glanced up, and saw Elphaba at the window facing in the opposite direction, reciting a spell under her breath. I heard a squeak of shock come from the window; Elphaba had turned around and noticed the scene before her. She gritted her teeth in fustration and zoomed off again, her hair blowing behind her in the wind. The Wizard gave a confused look at me, but said nothing. He leaned back in his chair and twiddled his thumbs peacefully, lost in thought. Annoyed with his unassuming air, I stormed off and took the stairs two at a time, each time when I hit the ground, I imagined the Wizard's face under my feet. I finally reached the bottom, but before I took another step, I ran into Glinda.

"Oh! Fancy seeing you all the way over here. What are you doing so far away from the radio tower?" I quizzed her.

"I lost connection with her, so I came looking for you. What was going on up there? I heard a squeal, and also a crash just before that. Is someone hurt?" Glinda looked worried, her lip trembling slightly.

She silently probed him for an answer as if she could read his mind, or predict it like a psychic medium of the far off lands I had been told of in stories as a child. I gave her a reassuring smile in return of her questions, which seemed to comfort her. I have always been a little amused by Glina's constantly changing mood, it changed by the hour, sometimes by the minute. I knew her intentions were well-meant, however, and I forgave her for that.

"I'd better go then," Glinda mumbled, and she pushed past me, to probably find her way back to the radio tower and reconnect with Elphaba. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes were downcast, avoiding eye contact with me. I had never seen her so upset before, not even a couple nights ago, despite the fact that it was mostly anger. I started to say something, but Glinda just shook her head and took off at a run, leaving nothing behind but confusion and a touch of concern. I sprinted after her, hoping to fix everything before it al fell apart.


Chapter 4


Elphie

"Sometimes I wonder why I even bother doing things like this," I muttered under my breath. The early afternoon sun shone like a beacon on my cape, and I began to swelter within minutes under the heavy black fabric. Still, I did not go through the trouble of removing the cape, and simply scanned my surroundings, waiting. I adjusted the radio ear piece so it would not fall again.

"Elphie, I really need you. Please come here," Glinda whispered.

I immedietly dived down toward the castle, searching for the radio tower, where I knew Glinda would be waiting. I saw a flash of blonde, and angled my broom south east, soaring at over a thousand feet above the highest point of the castle. I slowly glided downward to my destination. I eventually came close enough to clearly see Glinda's desperate wave to get my attention, her expression anxious. ot bothering to be polite, I zoomed through the window and nearly ran her over, and laughed at her startled reaction. I dismounted my broom and leaned it against the wall.

"What is you need Glinda? I'm here. You sounded pretty upset." Glinda crossed the room to close the door. For good measure, she locked it.

Then she turned to me, a myrid of emotions playing across her face. Sadness, confusion, hopelessness, longing, desperation...they flickered and fought with one another, each trying to be the dominant player. Finally, she sat on the floor and sighed.

"I just don't know...how to tell him..I still need the both of them, I'm sure..." her voice trailed off. I took off my cape, and it fluttered to the floor in a heap of black silk, and sat down next to her.

"Don't worry about it, things will work out," I assured her, although I wasn't too sure of it myself. I started to braid her hair, something I know that always cheers her up. She consented to my silent request, and settled in for the wait.

"So, you really are at crossroads in life. Glinda, I think you are having a mid-life crisis too early. You need to relax. You have been way too stressed lately," I twisted the left side of her hair into a french braid, took a hair tie from around her wrist, and tightened the hold on her braid.

"Well, I don''t think you would remain calm either in a situation like this, Elphie. You aren't even as calm of a person as I am, and I think you would be acing the same way, just on a much higher scale. Aren't you aware of that?" I suddenly stopped in mid-braid. Glinda turned around to look at me. Memories bubbled into my awareness, of all the times I had tried to help the people I loved, and the results. I thought bak to the time I had lost control and stuggled to save Fiyero from punishment, even death.

"No, I had actually forgotten," I admitted.

I twisted my fingers together in my lap over and over. After a few moments of silence, Glinda turned around again, and I finished the other braid. Glinda stood up when I had finished, and shook the braids out, making her curls even bouncier and more tightly curled. She came behind me to braid my hair, but she weaved a more complez pattern that would seem inpossible to take dow, but I had the technique Glinda had taught me. After she finished styling my hair, I flipped my headseveral times upside down and right side up until my normally straight hair became slightly wazy, cascading past my shoulders to the middle of my back. I looked down at what I was wearing: my usual black dress, complete with a silver spiderweb pattern that had faded in the sunlight over time.

"Well, would you look at that. If we were still in school, you could be popular," Glinda commented.

We both burst into sudden laughter, and could not stop for what seemed like a long time. I cleared my throat, gaining control of my giggles and saving myself from a sideache later.

"I can see that cheered you up pretty quickly. I must be going now. Take care, Glinda."

We hugged for a minute, then I grabbed my cape and broom and was in the air in mere moments. I noticed that it was already late afternoon, soon the sun would set and then our nightime portion of the plan would need to engage. Tonight is when the real action would take place. I let my thoughts wander, and randomly thought of Nessarose. My breath caught in my throat, and came out in a hiss as I remembered arriving at where the house had fallen, and crying over and empty space of ground. I allowed a tear to escape, then furiously shook my head and started flying toward where I hoped the magical shoes had fallen when the farm girl left our country. Miles and miles of desert lay out before me, revealing an immense span of dunes and mountains made of nothing but sand and rock. I dismounted my broom and began to explore. I wandered around, trying to remember where that wretched Dorothy was when I cast the spell at Nessa's shoes to make them fall to the ground in relation to the rest of Oz. I took a step toward an oddly shaped mountain, and it all came to me in sudden clarity. I sprinted toward the rock formation in excitement and exhileration. I found the shoes laying a foot apart behind the large rock, dully glinting in the sunlight. I snached them and held them up in triumph.

"Yes! Victory! At long last, they are mine! Take that, Dorothy!" I shouted to the skies. It wasn't until I put them on that I realized I had no idea how to use them.

"Oh great," I muttered. The shoes are about as useless to me as they were to the farm girl. I pulled them off and chucked them as far as I could away from me. Then, with my boots back on, I mounted my broom and rose eastward into the darkening sky. I began to worry about Fiyero, and wondered what he was doing right now.

"Elphie, are you going to give the signal?" I nearly fell off my broom in surprise at hearing Glinda's voice. I had forgotten we had a means of communication.

"Y-yeah, just give me a minute. I was checking something." I stuttered in reply.

I sent a few spark in the air from my wand, knowing that it could be seen for miles around, including our current target of investigation. Nessa's, or should I say, Lexi's, castle slowly came into view as I circled toward the ground in order to land properly. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I knew we were in way over our heads doing this. I tried not to let that bother me. Instead, I brushed myself off from the shaky landing and stealthily made my way toward the castle looming over me


Glinda

"Fiyero, weren't you assigned to be at the castle too?" I questioned Fiyero, who was leaning against the wall in a corner. He shrugged his shoulders and pulled up a chair to sit in.

"Elphie is picking me up later I guess. Unless she forgot."

"I'll ask her right now about that," I responded.

"Do whatever you want, I'll be right over here," Fiyero replied, leaning back in his chair.

Unfortunately, he leaned too far back and started to fall to the ground, but completed the backflip in a matter of moments, safely landing on his feet. The chair, however, was not so lucky, and toppled to the floor. I smiled at his charm, but remembering the dream, I twisted around in the swiveling office chair back to the radio. All around a large needle were different labels that represented specific frequncies. Instead of numbers, however, there were abbreviations and names. Next to the radio was a television. I came across one that said LEXI and curiously turned the dial. What happened next took my breath away out of shock.

"Loro, I want you to grab her as hard as you can when you see her, then bring her to me. Lando can warn you when she arrives. He'll be right over here at the front entrance, remember that. I'll be in my bedroom if you two need me."

As I carefully observed where Lexi's bedroom happened to be located, I remembered Elphaba and twisted the knob to the label WWOTW.

"Elphie, take a different route. They are planning to ambush you at the front entrance." In response to my advice, the witch adjusted her flight to land on the roof, and started to look for another way in.

"You know, I wonder if you could tune into other people?" Fiyero wondered, but I already had switched to the channel to Boq. He was running around in the desert, calling my name over and over. I changed the channel to Lexi before I could watch anymore. We watched in silence as she paced back and forth in her room, cursing Elphaba to the high heavens. She punctuated her sentences by striding to the window, struggling to calm herself, and not succeeding.

"Well, it looks like she won't be leaving that room for awhile" Fiyero commented, and turned the knob back to WWOTW.

"Look at what Elphaba's doing, Fiyero!" I cried out, pointing at the screen. He leaned closer in earnest.

Elphaba's cape was blowing in a wild wind that surrounded only her, and a bright light flashed in streakes that could only be described as magical lightning. Her black hair whipped around her fiercly concentrating face, but she seemed not to notice it. She seemed to be reading a spell, and I leaned in further to hear what she was saying.

"Eleka eleka nahmen atum nahmen eleka atum atum eleka eleka atum nahme nahmen atum atum eleka nahmen atum."

With a last burst of light, all was silent. Elphaba panted for breath for a minute or two. Then she started down a random hallway, an unknown portion of the East Castle.

"Isn't she close to the front entrance?" Fiyero asked. Her stride lengthened as she reached her intended destination.

"Careful Elphaba! They might-" The flying monkeys Lexi had spoken to earlier were now wingless, and speachless, and were presently running about on all four limbs, chattering for their master. Suddenly, Elphaba glanced behind her, and the screen went black. I started in horror for what seemed like an eternity before I numbly took my own spellbook out and started to clumsily leaf through it for a teleportation spell.

"Come with me," I said to Fiyero. They linked hands, and I began the spell. Momens later, they were inside the castle. Elphaba was gone, no signs to tell if she disappered or was captured.

"Where is she?" Fiyero growled.

"Maybe she got caught," I called back to him. I had gone ahead to search for clues of her wherabouts. Fiyero groaned in fustration and kicked the nearest wall. The wall shook, and turned, revealing a secret passage.

"Well, would you look at that? I'll check it out-"

"Not without me you aren't!" I interjected.

"All right, fine. Come with me, then! Just be careful. I don't want Elphaba getting mad at me for letting you get hurt. It's my job to keep you safe when she's not around. She told me herself once. I guess she really trusts me, and I don't want that trust to be questioned. Understand?" I rolled my eyes.

"Stop being so paranoid, Fiyero. She won't get mad at you, and it won't be your fault if I get hurt. I don't want you to worry, and neither does Elphaba, I bet. I'll be fine. Now, why don't we see if Elphaba is on the other side of this tunnel or not? I sure hope she is, or else we came all this way for nothing," I crossed my arms and stared into the darkness. Fiyero took my hand, and together we set off into the unknown. I felt my fingers tingle at his touch, and tried to tell myself that it's perfectly normal to have sweaty palms when you hold hands with someone. After a while though, Fiyero suddenly let go and I heard wipe his hands on his trousers. My face flamed with embarrassment, and I coughed inconspicously.

"Wow, um...that was, um..." Fiyero cleared his throat and tried again.
"Glinda, your hands were shaking. Did I do something?" I shook my head, but then remembered it was dark and he couldn't see me.

"No, no, you didn't do anything. I'm just...scared that we might never find Elphie," I invented, hoping to distract him. It worked; we had started walking again. Fiyero seemed to get the mesage and didn't hold my hand again, though I secretly wished he would, just once more.

"Don't worry Glinda, we'll find her."

"Unless she doesn't want to be found," I whispered in the dark. Fiyero didn't answer, and just continued blindly stumbing his way through the tunnel. After a time, I started thinking about Boq again. I hoped that he was safe, happy, and not like the last time I saw him, all sad and hopelessly desperate. I thought of the party at the Ozdust, and my thoughts unexpectedly whirled to Nessarose, her chair, and her shoes.

"Her shoes..."

"What?" I turned towad his voice; I hadn't realized I had spoken aloud.

"I was thinking about Nessa's shoes. The ones she wore when she..." I choked, unable to finish my sentence. It was too upsetting to think about, the shadow of the house, the look on her face when she saw it, and for some reason, Madame Morrible happened to be there at the moment.

"Wait a minute, you don't think that she had anything to do with this, do you?" Fiyero and I had come on agreement to never say Morrible's name out loud, even when we were alone. Fiyero was silent for a few minutes. I looked ahead of us and saw we were close to the light at the other end. It was light enough to see his face, so I was able to tell that he was thinking of an answer. He never got the chance, because, in that moment, the door handle shook, as if it was being unlocked by somebody on the other side. It shuddered again, and was still. I sighed in relief. It did not last long. The handle shook again, and slowly, ever so carefully, began to turn.


Fiyero

"Glinda, get behind me," I whispered to her. She obeyed at once, her face pale with fright. I adjusted my posture into a defensive position and held my fists in front of my chest. The door creaked open, and I saw a boot and part of a cape come through the crack. Suddenly, the door swung all the way open, revealing our dear friend Elphaba. linda, however, wasn't prepared for her unexpected entrance.

"Aaaaaaah!" I heard her run to the side, cowering in a shaking heap of sunshine colors and curled blonde hair. I was surprised to see she was holding up a wand in front of her.

"Relax, Glinda, it's me,"

Glinda started laughing and crying at the same time, and rushed up to her. They embraced at once, with Glinda blubbering into her dress half the time. I laughed and joined them. I bent down and kissed Elphaba's hand out of respect, and Glinda, getting the message, stepped aside to give us a moment. She quietly waited a short distance away.

"Fiyero, my sweetheart. Why did you follow me? I can do this on my own. Really, are you doubting my abilities already? My love, you don't need to worry so much. Try not to think so much, life is better that way." Elphaba took my hands and smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. Suddenly, I didn't care that Glinda was watching anymore. I grabbed her fiercely and kissed her. Elphaba was surprised, but responded immedietly. She blindly groped at my shoulders and held me tighter in vicelike grasp, but I didn't mind. She pulled away slightly after several minutes, panting for breath. I gave her the moment she needed.

"You didn't answer my question," she accused breathlessly, lazily pointing at me. The grin stretched wider on my face.

"Elphie, my darling, I followed you because we thought you've been captured. Is that true?" A look of alarm spread across her face.

"Fiyero, of course its not true! I had to destroy the radio connection completely so that Lexi wouldn't suspect anything. Even though we are against one another, it doesn't mean she's still on your side."

"I see. Well, I'd better get going then. Sorry to bother you. Let's go, Glinda," I spun on my heel to face her.

"Oh so you have finally noticed me, huh?" She put her hand on her hips, clearly annoyed. "I'm important again! Big deal! Now we can all-" Elphaba cut her off.

"Glinda! Enough! Of course we knew you were there! My goodness, what has gotten into you?" Elphaba's incredible honesty amazed me at times, but at others she goes too far.

"Elphie..." I cautioned. She shook her head and sighed. I said my murmured goodbyes and motioned for Glinda to follow me.

Glinda followed me closely out the door with hardly a last glance at Elphaba. Without another word, she magically transported us back to the other castle. We reappeared in the main hallway and as s

Hey, does anyone think the chapters should be longer? They look a little short to me.

^ Yes. Many of these 'chapters' could easily be merged into one.

I cannot provide a proper critique of the piece at present, but there are a couple of points that immediately strike out at me scanning over the text quickly:

1. In places your prose appears unintentionally hyperbolic. The second line provides a good example; '...spasmed in pain at her sweet face that was full of sorrow'. I would restrain myself a little if attempting to achieve drama because such descriptions can easily be read as ridiculous. Sorry to be blunt, but I had to mention it.

2. There are also points where the narrative mode shifts between first person and third person with little rhyme or reason. If you wish to write this from the perspective of the characters, then keep it from their point of view. A text should not jump from first person (i.e. experienced through the 'eyes' of a character) to an omniscient mode of narration (i.e. writing from the perspective of an uncorporeal observer 'overlooking' the scene, as it were).

I chose to make Elphaba the sole character in first person because in the musical, all the events revolved around her somehow, making her a principle character. There is a reason why I switch points of view, take a closer look a how the events relate to one another, and you can find a pattern as to when I switch characters. Oh, I was thinking about changing some things anyway, so a few hyperboles will have to go. I didn't know they were an issue. I've had people read my writing before, and I never heard that sort of comment. Oh, well, you can't please everyone. That is my style of writing. I like to home in as many deails as I can to really bring in the reader. I write whatever first comes to mind, then I just let myself go, which is proably why there is a little too much of some things and no enough of others. Hope this clears up your speculation.

I understand the intent well enough, but as I said, no narrative should ever change between first and third person. Such inconsistency in mode of narration simply is not acceptable. If you wish to achieve the end of a narrative where Elphaba is the primary character focus, but wish to cut to other characters in the style of an omniscient narration to capture scope, you effectively have two sensible courses of action you could choose:

1. Use a first-person narrative for all of the characters that are in focus. This may, however, create confusion if it is not made clear who is narrating.

2. Use limited third-person narration for all the characters (i.e. share their experience closely, but refer to them as seperate entities from the reader). This is the path I would personally choose to achieve this end.

In regard to your sometimes over-the-top language, if you intentionally write in as detailed a fashion as possible, I will have to be very blunt in my advice in regard to that:

Don't do it.

And believe me, you will find plenty of experienced writers and English teachers who would concur. This is not a question of 'individual style'. Rather it is a question of avoiding what is informally known in the literary world as 'purple prose'. If one writes in an overly-descriptive fashion, it very often bogs down the narrative and prevents the piece from taking a reasonable pace. The manner in which many writers achieve solid imagery while avoiding potential pacing issues is through use of dynamic verbs instead of modifiers. I reiterate that this is not a case of 'you can't please everyone'. It is objective advice from an A2 English student who used to believe as you do that description was integral to advanced writing. If writing truly was all about 'style', then there would not logically be any need for it to be taught in the educational system. You must understand that not everything in life is subjective. If there is a flaw in one's writing habits, it is better to take heed and iron it out. As I am only about two years your senior, I would not be suprised if you see little reason to take particularly keen attention to my comments. As such I would strongly recommend that you consult a qualified English teacher on the matter, preferably one who specialises in more advanced fields of teaching.

On that note, this is probably going to take longer to fix than I thought. I'm probably not oing to be able to add anything until after spring break by the looks of things. On the other hand, its not like this thing is going to get published as a book, so I wasn't exactly treating it as one. I will be needing patience, and having you checking often for the updates I make o see if I'm fixing things properly.

I just recently fixed what you pointed out random person. Anything else, or is that all?

One general point would be, as you mentioned earlier, that many of these 'chapters' are very short, some of which consist of only a handful of paragraphs. If you plan to upload this to a fanfiction site, I would merge a few of these 'chapters' and simply have them divided as different sections of a single chapter. That way it reads more like a proper story.

Oh, okay. Good idea. I have been trying to make them longer, but one can only do so much.

Oh my god!!!! What the hell is happening to my fanfiction??? I keep updating it and it won't update! Help!!!!!!!!

Hey, is there a word limit on here or something? I can't seem to be able to add any more on here. I have tried updating it, but it doesn't do anything! Help, I've gotten so far on this thing and I don't want to lose it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I am soo sorry, but this thread is going to have to get buried. I put this fanfiction onto a new thread and if you would like to see more updates in the future, you'll have to go there. I was unable to fix this thing, there's probably a bug on it or something.