It was nearly midnight when Elphaba trudged up the stairs to her shared dorm room, leaving progressively lighter muddy prints behind her. Midnight was her favorite time of day, as oxymoronic as it sounded. It was the only time that the campus really shut down and she could achieve any amount of peace. Academically, the past few weeks had been very strenuous and the pressure was finally catching up with Elphaba, good student that she was. Unable to escape from the over-stimulus of college life during the day, she'd taken to walking late, relishing in the relative solitude the darkness provided.
She knew Glinda would worry if she realized her roommate had been wandering the streets - alone - at night, so her usual cover story was a late study session, but Elphaba assumed that wouldn't last long. Glinda was far more perceptive than she let on – a strong advantage when she put it to use. Elphaba almost hoped Glinda would call her bluff sooner than later. Lying was never something she'd been especially fond of, and she liked it least of all with regards to Glinda.
But she knew that having someone in on the secret of her excursions would ruin them. Having someone worrying about her at home the whole time meant being tied down – the freedom her nighttime walks provided would be irretrievably lost.
Elphaba sighed upon arriving at her door. Back to reality… she thought, somewhat remorsefully. Assuming Glinda would be long asleep when she returned, Elphaba turned the key in the handle gently, unlocking the door with a soft snick. She winced as she pushed the door, knowing it squeaked when opened. She slid through as soon as the gap was wide enough to admit her slender frame and then shut it again. Out of habit, Elphaba glanced over at Glinda's bed on the way to her own and exhaled softly when she saw her roommate.
Glinda had never been a calm sleeper.
She always managed to kick and twist, more often than not leaving herself completely uncovered with her blankets on the ground. Tonight was such a night. The sheets were partially wadded down at the foot of the bed and partially spilling over onto the floor. Glinda herself was curled into a tight ball in the center of the mattress, shivering slightly from the cold. Elphaba smiled quietly in an attempt at concealing a chuckle. She approached the bed and took the covers from its foot, stretching them back over her roommate's sleeping form. Glinda responded instinctively to the warmth almost immediately and stretched back out with a barely audible sigh. Elphaba's smile was now nearly enough to split her face. What was it about sleeping people that made them infinitely more endearing?
She turned to go back to her own bed but found that Glinda had already started to toss and turn again. She kicked out and left herself already halfway exposed with one leg splayed off the edge of the bed. Before she could think about it any longer, Elphaba peeled back the blankets and slipped into bed next to her roommate.
"Elphie…" Glinda whispered, and the subject of her mumblings froze, hoping she hadn't woken her sleeping friend. But when Glinda made no other signs of having recognized the figure before her, Elphaba relaxed – she was only dreaming. She pulled the covers over both of them and took special care to tuck them tightly around the blonde's shoulders, hoping that perhaps with a little help they would stay in place longer. She huddled a little closer, listening to the even breathing of the girl beside her and relaxed into a contented sleep.
All of this Elphaba remembered in a flash of just a few seconds. From the dew on the grass outside and the creak of the door to the gentle give of the mattress and the quiet breathing against her, it was all as vivid as it had been years ago, perhaps even more so, having been embellished slightly from frequent mental voyages to this brief space of time.
It was nearly midnight when she pulled herself from her musings and refocused on the present. It was still her favorite time of day, and more than ever it provided the only peace she was afforded lately. The Emerald City slept quietly, secure in the undisputable knowledge that the Wicked Witch was long gone, leaving them in the loving care of Glinda the Good. The incident was rarely thought of already, a nearly forgotten blip on the radar. Besides, such tales were better left for the reassuring light of day.
Well aware of the irony, the Witch hovered high above the city, leveling her broom beside a fairly expansive third-story window. She peered in cautiously, even though she knew the sole occupant of the room would be long asleep, and her breath caught in her throat at what she saw.
Glinda had never been a calm sleeper.
Now, as so often before, she lay curled on her side, quaking slightly from the cold with all her expensive linens abandoned at the foot of the bed, doing nothing to help her situation. How many times in the past had Elphaba rescued her friend from such a situation, tucking her in neatly with a light kiss to the temple or a comforting rub on the back just for good measure? Centuries ago, it seemed, yet at the same time, only yesterday.
By the same token, Glinda herself was no more than fifteen feet away, yet she couldn't have been farther. Guards surely waited just on the other side of the door, ready for any potential disturbance. And maids were no doubt housed in nearby rooms, easily woken for any nighttime needs their mistress might have. No, it was much too risky.
Yet Elphaba was already at the window, working on the latch.
The catch came free with such little protest that the green witch felt almost as if she'd been expected. Almost. The pane slid upwards slowly, groaning in protest from years of disuse. When the space was just wide enough for her to slip through, Elphaba admitted herself quietly through the window, leaning her broom carefully against the wall beside it.
She padded silently across the room, taking in all the details around her, knowing the chances of another such visit were slim and none. When she reached the bed, she almost didn't know what to do with herself. Elphaba wanted so desperately to shake her friend awake and tell her everything, but she knew also that it was impossible. If someone, anyone, even Glinda, knew that she was alive, it would ruin everything, even the false security afforded by her small home on the outskirts of Oz.
But she almost hoped Glinda would call her bluff sooner or later. Elphaba had never been especially fond of lying, most of all with regards to Glinda.
Elphaba shook her head to clear it of her foolish musing. She had come in here for one reason only, and she had to do it and get out before she got caught. She spread the thick comforter over her friend, taking special care to tuck it in around Glinda's shoulders and knowing she wouldn't be there to keep the blankets in place. Not this time.
When Glinda stretched out predictably into a more comfortable position, Elphaba smiled and brushed a few wayward strands of blond hair out of Glinda's face with the backs of her fingers, unable to stop herself. She let her fingertips linger momentarily against her friend's face. An action once so ordinary was now a treasured moment. What was it about sleeping people that made them so much more endearing?
Glinda shifted slightly at the touch. "Elphie…" she whispered, and Elphaba almost forgot how perilous her situation was. The voice wasn't calm and contented as before, it was frightened and pleading, choked out around a sob. Elphaba felt herself swallowing hard against a lump in her own throat and allowed herself to smooth back the golden curls again, hoping to impart some sort of comfort through her touch.
She missed being Elphie. She knew when Glinda created that nickname she had also created a second person. Her more carefree counterpart, the girl who let herself smile and laugh and feel.
Pulling her hand away was like lifting a great weight, and she had to tear herself away. Elphaba knew her nighttime trips to the city often did more harm than good. She knew she needed to just forget and move on, but she didn't want to forget. More than anything, she wanted to stay to make sure Glinda was warm and safe, but she could feel herself reverting back to Elphie, feeling again. It was a dangerous trend. Before she could think about it anymore, the Witch snatched her broom and flew out the window, not even taking the time required to shut it again.