Hello everyone. :-) It's a new chapter, which means new reviewss...? Please? I have noticed the depressingly low amount of reviews (only one, but thank you very much anyway, Leanne) and I'm updating because I want more reviews? Yes, I know. Major review addiction here. So why don't you help an authoress out here... just press that tiny little button and say 'Hi'? I'll give ya virtual cookies if you do. :-)

Thank you very much, Leanne, for beta'ing this. Best beta anyone could wish for.


As she lay in semi-consciousness that night in her bed, Elphaba came to conclusion that the previous afternoon had been a completely lucky, chanced, fortunate misunderstanding. Joanne (and Maureen, who had finally deigned to speak to her once again after their initial offense when Elphaba had decided to talk to Nessa instead of them) on the other hand was adamant that Elphaba was finally getting recognized in the world, and it wasn't any misunderstanding- fortunate or not. Maureen agreed, but with a different reasoning. She said that Elphaba's line of caring for Nessarose and taking all her father's shit was over-Karma always paid- and that it was the world's realization of this that made that afternoon happen. She firmly believed that Elphaba was going to 'make good' this time- for real, much to the cynical, skeptical disbelief of Elphaba and the grudging agreement of Joanne. But to Elphaba, the debate of who's theory of what made the afternoon really didn't matter to her anymore. Whether it was fate, karma, Lurline or the Unnamed God, she was thankful either way. That afternoon had been brilliant; far better than any other afternoon she ever had, or will have. With the exception of…

She wouldn't go into that now. She'd promised both Joanne and Maureen that Shiz would be a fresh start. No more moping for what was lost and what was left. And Elphaba had full intentions of keeping her promise. She had to put her past behind her and look to the future if she was going to meet the Wizard, and meeting the Wizard was exactly what her intentions for the future were.

Elphaba turned over in her bed, unconsciously snuggling further into her bed. The sheets were warm and clean, and the bed softer by far than what the Quadlings used. Accompanying her father and Nessarose on preaching excursions to Quadling Country was decidedly uncomfortable, and Elphaba still heard the phantom squelching in her boots every time she took a step. Sleeping arrangements was worse, as the only beds the red-skinned people had to offer were ones of straw or linen. Nessarose quickly claimed the linen bed, leaving her father with the straw and Elphaba with the dirt. Admittedly, Elphaba's Shiz bed wasn't the best one the school had to offer, seeing as Frexspar had made no forward comment as to Elphaba's attending Shiz- unlike her sister. The school had no idea that Elphaba would be coming, thus no preparation for the green girl whatsoever. She was already staying in a girl's private (said girl had been adamant about branding noisily (and painfully) in her brain in the first five minutes of sharing rooms with Elphaba) suite, and sleeping on a bed less 'elegant' to the other girl's. It wasn't as if Elphaba minded this; she was quite sure she didn't want a bed that frilly and pink anyway.

"You could meet the Wizard, Elphaba! Does this not count for at least something? I don't see why you have to be such a downer and a pessimist all the time."

"Jo, we've been over this. Only if I follow instructions and make good. I told you I could make good!"

"I've never doubted it for a moment, Fabala."

"Your tone says differently."

"Elphieeee, why can't you just be happy for once? I'm always happy!"

"Reen, happiness isn't flirting with everything that has a pulse. That is…. flirtatious and downright reckless."

"Well, hmmpf. I think you should try it. It'll do you good. You're way too straight-backed and serious for anything fun."

"Fun? And your definition of fun would be-"

"Oh, Pookie. Don't get like that! You know I only want the best for Elph-"

"Then stop corrupting the poor girl!"

"I'm not!"

"Then what are you doing? You don't realize what you're-"

"Pookie-"

"No. You can't keep-"

"Stop interrupting me, Pookie! Now, Elphaba dear, you need to loosen up. I'm thinking a night at that Philosophy club..."

"Absolutely not! I won't allow it!"

"Joanne, you're not her Nanny. Elphie can go if she wants to, right Elphie? Elphie? Elphaba….?"

"She's asleep, Mo. Shh."

"Well, yes. Fresh dreams, Elphie, then."


The next morning dawned bright and early for Elphaba. The sky was clear with very few clouds floating serenely on the horizon- an ideal day to read outside, perhaps under the shelter of a tree. Her roommate –a bubbly and seeming harmless blonde girl named Galinda (with a GAH) from Frottica, the Uplands of Gillikin- was still fast asleep under her fluffy pink duvet, meaning Elphaba had the bathroom and most of the dorm to herself as long as she kept marginally quiet so as not to wake her highness up. She pushed back the grey blanket and got to her feet, walking to the bathroom, green feet padding on the wooden floor silently. Elphaba entered the bathroom and undressed swiftly and stepped into the shower, reveling in the warmth of the water cascading down her back. Shower time was one of Elphie's favorite times of the day because even back on Colwen Grounds, she was often one of the first up. The house was silent at this hour, and apparently, so were the dorms. This was quite a nice thing for Elphaba to bear in mind for the rest of the morning.

Presently, Elphie's mind began to drain of thought, with only a few stray things floating foggily through her head. An especially good thought was being duty-free for two days before classes start courtesy of Morrible looking after Nessa instead of her. As much as a hassle and spectacle she'd put up when Morrible had tried to take Nessa away, now she saw that it was actually rather beneficial to her if it meant more time to study. The headshiztress had said after all that she'd need the top grades to actually meet the wizard. She was calmly mulling over the multiple possibilities of spending her glorious free study time at Shiz when Galinda woke up and decided to use the bathroom to begin (what Elphaba learned later to be) her daily, two-and-a-half-hour morning beauty routine.

After a good bit of screaming, shrieking, multiple threats to go to Morrible for a room change and a little-less-than-healthy deal of hysteria, Elphaba finally persuaded Galinda to calm down. The blonde had been shocked and (frankly put) disgusted that she had seen the artichoke (that being her current skin-based nick name here) having a shower. Elphaba at this point had cut her relaxing shower short and hastily clothed herself again when Galinda began shrieking. She now stood with her hands on her hips looking down at the Gillikinese girl sitting cross-legged on her bed. Galinda was now drying her –Elphaba highly suspected fake- tears, and sniffing dramatically. "Why didn't you lock the door, artichoke?" Galinda was saying, tossing her hair. Even when she's 'crying' she's still as much of a blonde bitch as ever. Elphaba thought bitterly.

"Well, I'm sorry I scarred you, your royal highness. I'm terribly sorry that you will never be as innocent as you were only half an hour ago." As if you couldn't have knocked on the door like any other normal person. The sarcasm in Elphaba's voice was palpable. She highly suspected the blonde wasn't exactly that innocent either, the rumors floating around the school…. Not that Elphaba cared for such trivial and petty things as rumors. She loathed such things! It was just that she'd heard one of the girls -Pfannee was it? - in the corridors talking about said matter in a not-too-quiet voice. Honestly, she hadn't actually tried to remember it; she just heard it and it stuck in her head! Surely she was not to blame for overhearing it.

The blonde flustered at this. "Well, next time, lock the bathroom door when you use it." Elphaba nodded noiselessly but scowled at the blonde, biting back a retort. She scrutinized her before turning her head away to face the wall.

"So may I finally wash the shampoo out of my hair, or do you still require my presence?"


When Elphaba finally sat outside with her new school textbooks, it was well past noon and the sun was travelling steadily across the sky to sink in the west. She bit an apple and read, green fingers splayed across the crisp new pages as brown eyes tore down and across the pages. She had skipped lunch in favor of visiting Nessarose- as part of her deal with Frexspar and genuine sisterly love for her. She now ate her apple, taking enthusiastic chomps out of the fruit until all was left was the thin, brown core- which she ate as well, spitting out the seeds. Then, she was reading her Life Sciences book, and getting more and more hyped up about it as she read. Growing up with her unionist father, she had been woefully ignorant of the Animals' cause and the things happening to them, but now she was glad that she new. What a fascinating cause! It was certainly more captivating and motivating than the one for the Unnamed God that had enraptured both Frex and Nessarose so.

She was so captivated by the book even that she didn't hear someone calling her name.

"Miss Elphie? Miss Elphie Thropp? Sweet Lurline, I never thought I'd see you again!" Elphaba's head snapped up at the sound of her childhood nickname. Only three people called her that- her mother being among the three. Melena hadn't called her that for years. She glared at the trespasser with her usual biting retort ready on her tongue.

"Elphie?" She repeated incredulously. "Miss Elphie? Why, no one has called me 'Elphie' in years!" Not no one. "Who do you think you are anyway, barging up to me and my books? Disrupting the peace? Master Boq, you make more noise than I have ever heard in my life!"

"Oh, but Miss Elphie, you must remember me! I'm Boq…. Boq Chopper, Boq from Nest Hardings? The only town in few miles of Colwen Grounds? Come now, you must remember me!"

"No, I'm sorry to say I don't, Master Boq Chopper." Elphie scowled at him.

"We used to play together, back in the play pen. Don't tell me you don't remember… You, me, your sister, Nessa… the one in a wheelchair! Miss Elphie, don't tell me you don't remember that."

"Childhood memories are vague and misty, so I suppose I can't say for certain." But she broke her scowl and smiled wanly. "Of course I remember, Master Boq. You, Nessa and I building a brick castle while all the other children played kickball. You were the only child in Nest Hardings who would dare touch us 'Thropp freaks'."

"Oh, don't be such a pessimist! You were always a pessimist- even as a child. You were the most cynical of all of us. Nessarose and your father disapproved mightily, if I remember correctly."

Elphie's face darkened yet again as she stiffened. "Master Boq, I beg you to stop talking now."

"Why ever so, Elphie?" She turned her chin up a fraction in distaste as Boq used her name without it's customary title, but said nothing. Boq, as blithe and oblivious as ever, saw nothing either. "You were fine just a minute ago- it couldn't be the childhood memories. I never expected you of all people to get nostalgic and teary of it. You didn't seem like the sentimental one either."

"I'm not."

"Well, you're not acting like it now."

"Well, I'm not getting teary-eyed about past childhood memories, Boq! I'm not getting teary-eyed at all! If anything, you digging up childhood memories like picking an old scab wound turned scar at the most makes me cringe," She was bullying him unnecessarily, and they both knew it. "Besides, whether or not I was teary-eyed has nothing to do with the memories of embarrassing baby moments in the slightest."

"What is it, then, Miss Elphie?" She relaxed at hearing the formality.

"It's for me to know, and you not to find out, Master Boq," She replied finally, giving him the ghost of a smile. Boq smiled back knowing he was again in her good favor.

"Well, it's good to know you haven't lost your spunk. I admired that in you."

"My what?"