Chapter 1

The street was lined with narrow redbrick houses that sat like a row of cramped, uneven teeth. Galinda Arduenna stood before the twenty-second house. Most of her belongings had been brought over by various friends with cars, so she came with just a duffle bag and a few boxes.

Fiyero greeted her outside, and they ferried the boxes to her new room. She would be sharing her room with another person that she didn't know, but Fiyero knew them and she trusted his judgement. Truthfully, she would put up with just about anything for an inner-city apartment at only a hundred and ten a week.

"Still like Tenna Bloom?" Fiyero asked. He plucked two teabags from a pile of boxes stacked beside the kettle.

Galinda preferred Gillikin rose blends these days. "Tenna Bloom sounds good." She sat at the kitchen counter.

"I can help you sort out your stuff if you want. Elphaba won't be back till six, so we have time."

"I think I'll enjoy this for now," Galinda said, accepting her cup of tea. Tenna Bloom reminded her of highschool; late study sessions at Fiyero's house; Frottican macaroons; the two hour bus rides from school to her parent's farm. She let her eye wander over the room. "So, where are my charming new roommates?"

"Elphaba is at work. Boq is suffering at his parent's house. Crope has rehearsals." Fiyero leaned forward on the counter and gave her an easy smile. "How have you been?"

"Okay," Galinda said. Fiyero lifted a brow. "What?"

"'Okay' isn't a Galinda answer. That's the answer of a girl with drama in her life."

"Excuse me?" Galinda said, faking offense. "What exactly is a Galinda answer?"

"Filling me in with every detail of the last six months, at least." Galinda scoffed. She did love to talk about herself. "Seriously, what's wrong?" Fiyero asked.

"Not now," She said. Fiyero was exasperated, but she didn't care. "Tell me more about Elphaba, since I'll be sleeping with her."

He didn't tell her much, truth be told. He threw out a few words - bookish, quiet, secluded, antsy - but every time, he said it wasn't quite right. She was an enigma, apparently. "You'll find out," He said finally, frustrated. "She's weird, but you'll like her."

They finished up their tea and got to sorting out the room. It was a spacious room. Elphaba's arrangement was spartan at best. A table, a chest of draws mostly left empty, a wardrobe that was built into the wall. The bed was barricaded with books. "You weren't kidding with the bookish thing," Galinda remarked.

"Oh, you can say that again," Fiyero said. "That's all they do. Read and study."

"So fun."

Fiyero finished twisting a bolt into the right leg of Galinda's dismantled bed. "When Elphaba is in a good mood, if you're lucky, she'll write music."

Galinda surveyed the room in light of this new information. "Can't see any instruments. Does she play?"

"Not sure, but their voice is godly." Galinda gave him a funny look. "No, I'm serious. I cried the first time I heard them sing. It was a spiritual experience."

"Interesting," Galinda murmured. She focused on the planks of wood she was attempting to connect.

"You know," Fiyero grunted, hefting a box into the room, "For a poor student you have a lot of stuff."

"You know my family."

"I sure do." Fiyero scoured the nearby walls for a power socket. "Never would have thought farmers could be so scummy and middle class."

"That's them," Galinda muttered. She hung the last of her dresses in her portion of the wardrobe. Which was most of it. Elphaba had all of fifteen articles of clothing, and most of them were t-shirts and jeans. "Not very fashionable, is she?"

"Crope and Tibbett are the fashionable ones. They do drag at a local gay bar on the weekends, and they always get costumes from productions they do."

Galinda cast a look over her shoulder. "Tibbett?"

"There," Fiyero sighed. Her lamp came to life. "There's a power socket by that corner. I'll bring in an extension cord." Fiyero rubbed at his cheek and stared at Galinda's confused look. "Tibbett. He's Crope's boyfriend. He may as well be another roommate with how often he's here. You'll like him." Fiyero glanced around the room. "Anything else?"

"I think I'm good."

"Wifi password is on the fridge."

Galinda made her bed and unpacked the rest of her belongings, then settled in to finish her homework. Her new housemates trickled in and out, from what she heard downstairs.

Boq was the first to greet her. He knocked and entered gingerly. He had a polite kind of smile. He was short and stocky, and his features were very soft. His hair was dark and wavy. He was the image of a Munchkinlander. "Galinda, right?" His voice was deeper than she anticipated.

"Galinda Arduenna."

"Of course," He said. "It's nice to meet you! I hope the room is okay."

"It's nice. Plenty of space. I was expecting something smaller."

Boq's smile dampened. "I apologize for Elphaba in advance. She can be… temperamental, but she means well. She'll warm up to you once you've been here a while."

Galinda wasn't sure how to respond. Fiyero hadn't mentioned anything of the sort. "I'll keep that in mind, I guess?"

"Yes." Boq moved as if to leave, but hesitated at the door. "Lunch will be in an hour."

He was so awkward, she replied belatedly; "Thank you, Boq." He left quickly.

Crope and Tibbett came in later, like a whirlwind through her room. One jumped onto Elphaba's bed while the other perched on the side of Galinda's, both unannounced.

The one on Elphaba's bed was already talking; "Wow, your hair is so pretty."

"I have a wig like yours, but it doesn't shine as well. The real thing is always better. Is it dyed? It doesn't look dyed."

The one on her bed was touching her hair. She floundered briefly, and then laughed in a kind of confused, huffy way. "It's not dyed, no. You're Crope and Tibbett?" She gently pried her hair from his hand.

"We are! I'm Crope," The one on her bed said. "Thats Tibbs. We're just across the hall. Feel free to say hi anytime, okay?"

Both Crope and Tibbett were good looking and slight. Tibbett had cropped black hair where Cropes was dyed platinum blonde, falling over his shoulders artfully. They had golden skin - though she could see a little Gillikin in Tibbett's nose and his fairness - and she was thrown off. She thought they might be from the Kingdom of Ix, but could just as likely be from Ev.

"Thanks," She said, unsure of how to proceed. Crope simpered and hugged her tight around the waist. Tibbett did the same. She was flustered by the time they had left.

Boq made everyone elaborate toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch. Elphaba was still absent. "When does she get back?" Galinda asked.

"Who knows?" Boq grumbled. "The public library closes at six, so then, perhaps. If she doesn't talk whatever girls are on duty into letting her stay overtime."

"Has she done that before?"

"Yes," Fiyero said. "She can be very persuasive."

"Elphaba is a living contradiction. Rude, but charming. Terrible, but compassionate. Intelligent, but absentminded."

"Green, but hot!" Tibbett added. Crope and Fiyero giggled along with him, Boq looking on awkwardly. Galinda looked around the table.

"Green?"

The boys stopped laughing. They looked at each other. They heard the front door open and slam shut. "Oh, that must be her now," Galinda said, getting up from the couch. The young men around her were staring at her and the door with wide eyes. "Is something wrong?"

She came in voice first. "Everybody out of the kitchen. I haven't eaten since twelve o'clock yesterday and the food at Ruby's tastes like ass. Oh. Hello."

Galinda stared silently for a long moment. "Are you an actress, or…?"

"Not make up," Fiyero said stiffly. Galinda looked from him to Elphaba uncomprehendingly. Then it clicked.

"Holy shit," Galinda said. She slapped a hand over her mouth. She was actually green. A cool, jade green. Not make up. She was genuinely green. "You're green," Galinda pointed out helpfully, because she was green.

"Wow, really?" Elphaba glared at the boys. "You could have told her, you know." They shrugged and looked away guiltily.

"Wait. They did a program on you when you were a kid, didn't they?" Galinda said, staring at Elphaba, her mouth agape. "Oh my god. You're the green baby."

"My greatest achievement," Elphaba remarked, stepping further into the room. She stood a foot from Galinda, looking her over. "You're quite tall. Galinda Arduenna, right? Welcome." She pushed past Galinda and began to climb the stairs. "Boq, make me one of those sandwiches."

Galinda watched her go. She slowly looked at Fiyero. He stared back, his face blank.

"She's green."

"I know."

Galinda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We're talking about this later," She said, and then she followed Elphaba up the stairs.

She found Elphaba on her bed, wrestling off a pair of ungainly leather boots. She managed to tug one off just as she noticed Galinda in the doorway. Galinda sat on her own bed, watching as Elphaba yanked off the other.

Elphaba was unattractive. Her face was long and gaunt, and she had a constant grimace. But she had good cheekbones, and the cut of her jaw was handsome. Her lashes were thick, like the straight dark hair that framed her face. Her hair was beautiful. It hadn't been dyed before - Galinda could tell right away - and someone had taught Elphaba what products to use. She had never seen hair quite so healthy looking.

"You can stare all day if you like, but I'd rather you simply spoke your mind," Elphaba said. Galinda blinked. Elphaba was looking at her expectantly. "About the skin. I suppose you're wondering if it's contagious, or at least how it came to be."

"Actually, I was looking at your hair. It's lovely. I'm something of an expert," Galinda joked, tossing her head, "So if you ever need help styling it, ask away."

Elphaba squinted at her. "I'll keep that in mind," She said slowly.

"How did it come to be?"

"What?"

"The skin."

"Birth defect," Elphaba said. "In other words, who knows. It has no irregularities, other than its hue, and a severe allergy to water. I have no real rules, except that you aren't excessively untidy and that you don't hose the place down."

"I don't intend to," Galinda muttered. "Water? That's seriously the most inconvenient allergy ever. What does it do?"

"Burns," Elphaba said, meeting Galinda's eye. "Like acid."

"That's terrifying."

"Can be. Keep the place dry."

"Elphie and I are childhood friends," Boq said as he pushed half scrambled eggs around a skillet the next morning. "She's a Munchkinlander, you know – she's in line as the Eminent Thropp, which would matter if they still ruled that way – but much of her childhood was in Quadling country. Of course, we were friends while she was still in Munchkinland," Boq said hurriedly. "I was not raised in the Quads."

Galinda stared at him. "She's royalty? I thought the name was a coincidence, or that she was a distant relative."

"Not really royalty, Munchkinland doesn't work that way - but it doesn't matter. Her grandfather died recently, and an heir is yet to be announced. The greenness..." He turned to give her a look. "Everyone in her family but her younger siblings have been cut off. Her mother disgraced the family. You should have seen the press on it. Munchkinland was in an uproar."

"Strange she didn't mention it," Galinda said. Boq smiled.

"Elphaba isn't the type to bring up her family heritage as a positive; or at all, really."

"What type is Elphaba?"

Boq considered this as he snapped off the heat on the stovetop. He eventually shrugged his shoulder. "The alien type? I don't know."

An alien seemed accurate.

"I met her during our first year of university," Fiyero told Galinda. "We both study international relations. Our first class, and she was right off, lecturing the lecturer on why the Wizard's Court is a faulty system of leadership, and all the ways in which it has shattered the economy of Oz." Fiyero spoke fondly. Very fondly.

"Are you smitten? With a girl?" Galinda said. "Though, you are both from royal lines."

"Elphaba isn't a girl," Fiyero dismissed, "And I'm not smitten. I swore I was in love with her last year, but it passed. They're just so interesting. You'll see."

"Doubt it. I think she's weird," Galinda said. She sounded so pretentious she felt embarrassed a moment later.

"That's how it starts, then a week later you're making their toasted sandwiches and listening avidly to their theories on the significance of the Kumbric Witch."

"Elphie. How do you describe Elphie." Crope was beating together soft butter and sugar in a massive mixing bowl. The whole kitchen was warm with the oven's heat. "He's a mystery, really."

"He?"

"Elphie doesn't have any preferred pronouns. Secretly, I think he likes it that me and Tibbs use male ones. Mixes it up a little, you know? Fiyero sometimes uses neutral pronouns, but most default to feminine."

"Why didn't you?"

"Just not my impression of him," Crope said. "Maybe it's just because I like boys. I really, really like Elphie," Crope said with a smirk. "So does Tibbs, of course!" Crope said quickly, in response to the face Galinda made. "It's too bad Elphaba won't grace our bedroom."

"I can't tell if you're joking."

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Crope said breezily. He began spooning neat blobs of dough onto a tray. He laughed at Galinda's expression. "I'm teasing you. I'm gay, baby, and Elphie is no man, no matter how hard I pray otherwise. He'll grow on you. You'll see."

"That's what everyone keeps saying," Galinda murmured to herself.

Elphaba was weird. She was an antisocial green person that was allergic to water, so perhaps Galinda should have seen that coming. She had expected to have to settle into her room, but she rather found herself settling into Elphaba and the space they shared.

Elphaba had a schedule. It was an obvious one. She woke up at five thirty on school days and eleven on weekends. She slept for exactly seven and a half hours. She read before bed and after waking up. She made food whenever she decided she was done reading – this depended on the book and was surprisingly sporadic. Her working hours were always the same and the times she left for classes was down to the minute. She returned at wild, unpredictable hours, though; whatever order Elphaba had for her journeys home, Galinda couldn't see it.

Galinda didn't get Elphaba. Elphaba never directly impeded her life, but there was still something about her that grated on Galinda. She thought, for a second, it may have been the skin, but immediately disregarded this idea in fear of it being true. Everyone else was indifferent to the greenness, and she was at least as nice as them. She thought it may have been the weird way Elphaba had of baring herself. She was usually in some uncomfortable position, and there was an unnatural stillness to her.

Maybe it was the way Elphaba seemed completely indifferent to her existence.

It was four thirty on a Saturday, which meant Elphaba would be going to work. Galinda peered at her roommate as she wrapped an old scarf around her neck. Galinda closed her laptop. Elphaba was distracted by the sound. "Where do you work?" Galinda asked.

Elphaba turned to look at her with narrowed eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Maybe I just want to know," Galinda said. Elphaba huffed out a laugh at that. Galinda eyed her with irritation. "It's a simple question."

"I work at a teahouse on the mainstreet."

"Ruby's?"

Elphaba raised a brow. "Yes."

"It's just outside my university building," Galinda said with a little smile. "Our schedules meet up, you know. Maybe I'll drop in and see you."

"Do what you want," Elphaba replied vaguely. She moved toward the door impatiently. Galinda called an indignant farewell to her as she left.

Galinda left for her own lecture an hour or so later. She wasn't very close to anyone in her second, and managed to slip out alone after without anyone asking to get a coffee or whatever. She was on a mission. She had half an hour till her last lecture.

Galinda didn't think Elphaba expected her to actually go to Ruby's, but she did. Elphaba was visibly surprised when she noticed Galinda at the counter. Galinda liked that look. It was a nice change from her token stoicism.

"Hey," She said with a little smile. She probably looked smug as hell.

"Hello," Elphaba said slowly. "Uh. What can I get you?"

"Got any recommendations?"

Elphaba seemed to become a little easier being given a set task. She pulled out a tea chart. "What are you looking for? Something calming, or caffeinated, or…?"

"Caffeinated. Definitely. I've had two lectures already today, and a third one in half an hour." Elphaba gave her something approaching a sympathetic smile. She suggested a few black teas. Galinda picked one at random. When she drank tea it was herbal or mineral - she preferred coffee.

Galinda perched herself on one of the red upholstered couches and gave the shop a proper inspection. The owner had stayed obnoxiously true to their establishment's name; everything was red, or orange, or pink, and everything was Northern Bears rosewood and Nest Fallows timber. Elphaba was the most refreshing thing in the store.

Elphaba placed the tea on the low table at her knees. "Will that be all?"

"Any decent food here?"

"The chips are digestible. The sandwiches are…" Elphaba paused. "The chips are okay."

"Chips it is," Galinda said. She patted the couch beside her. "Come join me when you're free. And make it two servings, on me."

Elphaba squinted at her again. "I have work."

"Nobody comes in here, Elphaba."

Elphaba sighed, but went off to put in the order. She came back with the chips and stayed, sitting beside Galinda stiffly. "You have me, but just for a bit." She must have been really bored.

Galinda plucked a chip from one of the bowls daintily. She took a bite. It was mediocre. She smiled at Elphaba. "Tell me about yourself."

"Yeah, I don't really do that."

"I've noticed. But I'm living with you, so I would appreciate a little insight."

"You know everything you need to," Elphaba said with a hardness to her voice. "If that changes at any point, I will provide the relevant information."

"God, you're hard to talk to," Galinda muttered. Elphaba laughed. "This is serious! I sleep beside you. I need to know what's going on with you. For like, trust reasons."

"You don't need to trust me, though for the record, I don't plan on shaving your eyebrows, or whatever it is you're scaring yourself with."

"If you shave my eyebrows I will… do things. To your books."

"Oh, I'm terrified."

"Whatever," Galinda said. Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Can I at least tell you about me?"

"You're asking me to listen to you talk about yourself?"

"Well, when you put it like that," Galinda said with faux sheepishness. "I just meant to introduce myself properly." She wanted to talk about herself.

Elphaba stared at her, then her eyebrows pinched in consideration. She sighed and dug into her chips. "God, I'm bored and this should be entertaining. Go for it."

"Okay! Well, I'm from Frottica. I grew up on a farm a couple of hours out of town. A cattle farm. My parents are both Gillikin. I don't have any siblings, but my parents always had staff around - maids and cleaners - and they were kind of like extended family."

"Servants," Elphaba acknowledged. "You must be well off."

"My parents are, but since I graduated I've been forced into responsibility. That was two years ago. I think I've done okay for myself."

"You certainly spend enough," Elphaba said.

"I value quality."

"I bet you do."

Galinda became defensive. "I make my own money. I'll use it as I like."

"Right," Elphaba said. She looked restless. "Is this little self fest over, or can I go back to work?"

"Now wait," Galinda said, touching Elphaba's arm. Elphaba became abruptly still. "Can I just ask some questions? You don't have to answer them if you really don't want to."

Elphaba stared away for a second, then looked at her and nodded. Galinda smiled wide. Elphaba settled back on the couch.

"So. What's your favourite colour?"

Elphaba looked at her like she was a child. "Grey."

"Food?"

"Lentil curry. Are you writing an online dating profile for me?"

Galinda flashed her least genuine smile. "Fine. You're from Munchkinland, yes?"

"That's right." Galinda held her eye expectantly. Elphaba continued warily: "I was born in Munchkinland and lived there until I was maybe seven or eight. Then my family moved to Quadling Country on account of one of my father's whims of faith."

"He was a missionary?"

"A preacher," Elphaba said. "He took the missions upon himself, and therefore had no funding or support. Stupid man."

"He sounds very dedicated," Galinda said politely. Elphaba smiled at her slidingly.

"Oh yes, to the extreme detriment of all those around him. I suppose it was bold of him. Noble or whatever." Elphaba looked away. "I did like Quadling Country, actually, but he could have been smarter about it."

She seemed uncomfortable, so Galinda said, "I don't know much about the Quads."

"No one who hasn't been there does," Elphaba said, lighter now. "So much of what people know is misinformed. But it would be too much to say all that now. I should get back to work."

Elphaba seemed to have drawn back into her odd stoicism. She had actually opened up for a second there, and Galinda felt heartened by it. She left Elphaba go, satisfied.

She finished her tea and gave up on her chips, then decided to start toward her class. She went up to the counter. Elphaba glanced up from a book, confused. "I'm going to class now. Thanks for the tea and the talk."

"You paid for it," Elphaba said, back into her book. Galinda began to leave. "Good luck with your lecture."

Galinda smiled and pushed out onto the street.