Oz Victorious

Chapter One: No Rest for the Wicked

Holding her newborn daughter in her arms, Holly gazed at the child's unusual green skin, black nails, and small tuft of black hair. Outside, the night's sky was black and filled with millions of glistening stars, though they seemed numb to the events beneath them. Wrapped in a blue blanket, the little girl's weak, tired eyes gazed lovingly at her mother's.

"What's wrong with her?" the king asked, taken back by the green flesh on the daughter he helped bring into the world. "Why is she green?"

"David," Holly sharply replied, stroking her daughter's hair. "Ssh." Turning back to her beloved child, the woman let her tired eyes bask in the unfamiliar beauty before her. "She's our daughter...and she's perfect. Her name..." David crouched down beside his wife, staring at the child, trying to let himself love her. "...Victoria," the two harmonically answered.

"Katrina," Holly said, holding the little bundle in her loving arms as she entered her older daughter's room. "Meet your new baby sister...Victoria." Carefully exposing the child to her sister, the woman waited for a responce from the five-year-old.

"...Why is she green?" little Trina asked, confused and awestruck by what was before her. "Is she sick?"

"No, angel," David replied, bending down on his knee and putting his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "She's absolutely fine."

Trina gazed at her new little sister; fixated on her green skin. "Is it okay if I love her?" she asked. Holly and David nodded, and watched as Katrina kissed the baby on her forehead. Tori giggled, stretching her tiny green hand out to her sister. Holly and David looked at one another, and smiled.

Years passed by, and with them came cruelty, fear, hatred, and pain...But love, comfort, goodness, and dreams followed not too far behind. Tori, now a thirteen-year-old, had come to accept her unusual appearance, fighting the insults and cruelty of those around her. Katrina, Holly, and David never stopped encouraging her to think of herself as beautiful. Above all, though, Tori's heart was filled with kindness. "All the goodness inside you...it doesn't matter unless you share it," she said one day, glancing down at her green fingers under the table. Holly hugged her daughter. "I made you something, Mommy," the girl said. "With my magic." Pulling a small box out of her pocket, young Victoria handed her mother the gift.

Smiling, Holly opened the box, and saw the beautiful emerald ring inside. "Tori," the woman gasped. "It's beautiful."

"It's a promise ring," the teenager replied. "If you wear it, it means we'll always love each other." Holly smiled as she fought back tears, seeing the scared little girl inside her youngest daughter, and how she never let her fear of the world turn into hatred.

"I'll always love you, angel," the woman warmly replied before putting on the ring. "And there's one more person coming into your heart." Excited, Victoria leaned forward, her eyes widened. "We're adopting your aunt's daughter, Jadeyn."

"Jade's coming to live with us?" Tori excitedly replied, her green lips forming an innocent, overjoyed smile. "That's great, that's wonderful!" At the same time, the young witch felt sorrow for her lost aunt.

Within days, Jadeyn arrived, clad in a black dress, contrasting Tori's redish-pink outfit, and Trina's white dress. Tori welcomed her cousin with open arms; not something Jade was used to. "Welcome!" Tori cried out. "We're so glad you're here."

"Thank you," Jade replied, her voice almost entirely lacking in emotion. Accrediting this to the recent death of the girl's mother, Tori took a seat, offering the same to Jade. The dark-haired girl sat down, throwing out her pink and blue-dyed locks.

"So, how was your trip over here?" Trina asked.

"Long," Jade answered. "It's nice to finally settle in. Nights on the road are always terrible."

"You're home now," Tori replied, her voice upbeat and welcoming as she put her hand on Jade's shoulder. "You'll be like our sister." Jade smiled a tearful smile, and hugged her new sister. Trina walked over to the two, and joined the embrace.

That night, darkness descended on the emerald-hued city of Los Angeles. Holly and David, after arranging a bedroom for the newest member of their family, went off to bed, leaving the three sisters alone.

"Would either of you like a drink of water?" the dark-haired girl asked.

"Yes, please," Trina answered.

"Um, no, thank you," Tori stuttered, looking up for a brief instant. Jade departed into the kitchen, leaving Tori and Trina.

"There's no reason to be afraid," Trina declared, trying to keep her voice hushed.

"I know," Tori replied. "I don't want to talk about this now. It's Jade's first night; let's make it nice for her." Jade soon returned, holding two glasses of water. Tori settled herself atop the couch.

"Thanks," Trina said, taking her drink.

"So, Jade," Tori said, setting her green hands on her lap. "How do you like it in Los Angeles?"

"It's nice," Jade answered. "Pretty. You guys've lived here all your lives?"

"Yep," Trina happily answered. "We've never really left the city walls. What's Seattle like?"

"Not nearly as beautiful as here," the dark-haired young woman responded, looking out the window at the emerald buildings surrounding the castle. "It's quiet. Mostly metal buildings. The people there aren't as friendly as they are here."

"Sorry, Jade," Victoria said, putting her hand on Jade's knee. "People can be cruel. We'll make you feel at home here. Everyone will."

Jade smiled. "Thanks...sis," she said, her voice growing warm.

As the hours passed, the three sisters continued talking, laughing, and learning with one another. Come midnight, Trina bid the two goodnight, and went off to bed. Jade set her water on the table, then turned to her green cousin. "Tori," she began, her voice more serious and almost grave in nature. "How can you stay so happy and upbeat?"

"What do you mean?" Tori asked, caught off guard.

"I've seen the way people look at you...the way they treat you," Jadeyn answered, staring into Victoria's green eyes. "They're not kind to you...why do you keep treating them so much better than they treat you?"

Tori moved herself to the edge of her seat, took Jade's hands, and looked her straight in the eyes. "Because it's the right thing to do," she answered. "Everyone deserves a chance, and just because they haven't given me one yet, doesn't mean I should give up on them. They'll come around. It just takes time."

"How much time are you willing to give them?" the young woman persisted. "How many chances are you going to give them?"

"...As many as they need," Tori answered, her voice trembling as a massive lump began forming in her throat.

"How many do you really have to give?" Jade argued, sending the room into silence. "I can tell your heart hurts from all this." The dark-haired young woman lifted Tori's green hand into the air. "You know there's no reason for them to hate you...why do you let them?"

"I do everything I can to show them I'm good," Victoria answered. "They just need time, I said."

"What if they don't want to accept you?" Jade finally asked. "What if they know everything about you, but they still choose to hate you? You know how they are."

"...Just forget about it, Jade," Tori answered, fighting back the burning, searing tears wanting to form in her eyes. "Let me tuck you in tonight." The two stood up, joined hands at Tori's request, and walked up the stairs to Jadeyn's new room. Gently pulling the covers up to the dark-haired girl's neck, Tori lightly ran her fingers through Jade's long hair. "You're home now," the green-skinned girl whispered, her kind eyes gazing into Jade's.

"Thank you," Jadeyn whispered, her eyes growing heavy. Bidding her new sister goodnight, Tori stood up, but felt a hand grab hers. Turning around, the girl saw Jade holding onto her with a serious expression cast upon her face. "I know it's hard on you...but, please, tell me a bedtime story...tell me what the people are like to you, Tori. I want to know. Maybe I can help you with them...Please."

With a deep, almost hurt sigh, Victoria took a seat on the side of Jade's bed. "...They call me a freak," the brunette confessed, staring at the floor. "Some kids laugh at me, others say I'm...that I'm ugly. Some people run away from me. I've been called monster...frog, grass-face. I used to cry when I was a kid. It hurt to cry...but I didn't know how to handle it. Then, one day, my mother sat me down, and told me how to handle it. She told me that the people who made fun of me...just didn't understand who I really was; that they needed time. She told me that I was beautiful on the inside."

"What about the outside?" Jade asked. Tori bit her lip. "Did she ever tell you that you were beautiful on the outside?" The green-skinned girl shook her head.

"Sometimes I think they'd change me if they could," Tori admitted.

"Would you?" the dark-haired young woman persisted, her voice strong.

Tori shook her head. "No," she answered, unable to look away from the floor.

"Neither would I," Jade replied, taking Tori's green hand tightly in her own. "That's what friendship is." The green girl smiled, feeling her heart grow lighter. "Thank you, Jade," she said.

"You're welcome, sis," the dark-haired girl replied.