A/N: Here doth lie another quite short chapter. Nevertheless I had so much fun writing it! I just love getting lost in Elphie's world.

SHADES OF VERMILION

Elphaba Thropp woke up lying on top of her plain bed sheets beneath a snarl of black hair. The book she had been reading the previous night had folded beneath her palm, equalling her loss of page and the rip of three consecutive pages. She sighed, pushed the book away from her and sat up, noticing that she'd fallen asleep in her day clothes. Her skirt had become tangled above her knees and she quickly pulled it back down to her ankles, making sure to cover the emerald shade of her skin. Looking over at her roommate, Elphaba saw that Glinda was still sound asleep, her blonde hair tied up in a neat knot and a personalised pink sleeping mask with GALINDA UPLAND stitched into the fabric covering her eyes. GAlinda - Elphaba noted. She always mispronounced the name. Not that she cared.

The sun was already bright outside, the orange shades casting amber shadows against the dorm room walls. Elphaba looked around at the four walls. Galinda's were covered with various framed posters of ball gowns, shoes and a number of famous Ozmopolitan designer's autographs. Her own section was plain, a stack of books wobbling on the side of her desk. She had been living there for just over a week and hadn't thought to bring anything to decorate her room with. It hadn't been a necessity and Elphaba hadn't know that she would be rooming with Galinda Arduenna Upland. The sudden change in circumstances had been most unfortunate for the both of them. Elphaba scowled and mooched into the bathroom. It smelt like bath salts and what Elphaba imagined the colour pink to smell like. It smelt like Galinda. She slammed the door loud enough to wake her sleeping roommate.

Not long later, Elphaba left the bathroom. It hadn't taken her long to re-braid her hair and brush her teeth. Trying to avoid the full-length mirror had been a struggle but she had managed to focus her eyes on her black hair rather than her green skin. She hated that Galinda had propped up two more mirrors around the room - one opposite the small window and the other at a right angle in the corner. It made it harder to avoid her reflection. And how many mirrors did the girl need?

When Elphaba opened the door to the bedroom, Galinda was sat on the edge of her bed and had changed into a pale blue dress that cut just above her knee.

"Not showering today?" Elphaba asked, watching the floor move under her feet as she crossed to her side of the room.

"Oh, Elphaba, you must know by now that I'm a night-time shower-er. Do you not?"

"I wasn't sure I should be paying that much attention."

Galinda frowned, a small v shaping between her knitted eyes. She stood up and walked to the bathroom, turning to Elphaba before she shut the door. "I'm going to brush my teeth and apply my makeup, now, Elphaba. Please take note." She shut the door before Elphaba rolled her eyes and threw herself back down on the bed. She couldn't win with her - either she paid too much attention or too little and it infuriated Elphaba more than it should. Without another thought on the matter, she left the room and headed to her one-on-one sorcery class.


"I want you to invite your roommate to join in with these classes, Ms. Thropp."

"You what?" Elphaba's jaw did a cliché drop as she stared at the gray-haired tutor sat opposite her, "That really won't be possible, Madame."

"And why not?"

"Because. My roommate, she's - well - she's, you know."

"I'm afraid I don't, Ms. Thropp," Madame Morrible leant forward, her elbows resting on the vintage desk beneath her, "You'll have to explain further. What exactly is your roommate?"

"Well, she's nothing, not really. It's just, we spend so much time together already I was rather hoping these classes could just stay between the two of us."

"That is the thing, Elphaba, you two do not spend enough time together. In fact, I've heard that Ms. Upland spends more time in the grounds than in her room."

"That isn't my problem!" Elphaba stood up and pushed her chair from beneath her, marching to the end of the room and back again.

"Elphaba, would you please seat yourself?"

"I shan't! You told me these classes were private!"

"Sometimes one must go back on one's words, Ms. Thropp."

Elphaba glared at her tutor. How was she supposed to trust people when people acted in such dishonest manners? She should have known the classes were too good to be true. After nine days of one-to-one sessions, Elphaba had finally felt like she was capable of something. She had finally found a purpose. If Galinda began participating in the classes, all of that would fizzle out. Galinda brought out the worst in her. Galinda made Elphaba turn shades of vermilion, and Elphaba was green, for crying out loud.

"Okay, fine," Elphaba slammed her palms down on the desk and met Madame Morrible's eyes with her own, "I quit."

"Don't be ridiculous, Elphaba."

"I'm not being ridiculous, I'm being candid."

"Oh, Miss. Elphaba."

"Stop saying my name! It really isn't that interesting a name. You just don't need to say it out loud as much as you do."

"Elphaba -"

Elphaba groaned loudly and clumped across the room again, her heavy black boots hitting the floor.

"Please just think about it, you two could really be quite something together."

"And you don't think I could be quite something on my own?" Elphaba genuinely asked, "Madame, I disagree! I apologise, however I think I was making progress quite well on my own."

"Try it, please. One session together tomorrow. Your talent is most resplendent and I can only think that together, yours and Ms. Upland's could be quite... lavish. I would also like to add that this would be most beneficial to your social skills, or lack thereof."

Elphaba sighed and shrugged her shoulders. There was really no getting out of this one.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I won't repeat myself."

Madame Morrible threw back her head and let out a squawk of high-pitched laughter.

"You really are something, Miss. Elphaba. Now, shoo. Don't forget to remind Galinda that I expect you both in here tomorrow at nine sharpish."

"I have to tell her? Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"

"I don't kid. Now get out of here! I'll see you both tomorrow."

Elphaba left the room feeling defeated. She hunched her shoulders and walked through the corridors with her head down, focusing on the tiles beneath her rather than the comments coming from the other students. Once she reached her room, she threw the door open with exaggerated ferocity to see Galinda sat on the floor, her head bent forward and a tumble of blonde, gentle curls falling across her face. Elphaba acknowledged her roommate warily. It was much too quiet. She walked over to her bed and grabbed the two books for the next class from her desk. Galinda hadn't moved or taken notice of Elphaba since she'd stormed through the door. It was when Elphaba looked slightly closer that she noticed a puddle of tears beneath the blonde's eyelashes. She looked around the room awkwardly. Had she to say something? Had she to say nothing? She clutched her books to her chest.

"You know, the floor really isn't that interesting."

Galinda sniffed, disregarding Elphaba's comment by turning her head the opposite way. Elphaba stood stiffly for a moment, only her eyes darting from side to side. She sighed silently, dropped her books onto her bed and walked back out of the room.

"AH! Oh, sweet Oz, my eyes!"

"The devil! The devil is here!"

"Inbred munchkin spawn returns!"

Elphaba grimaced, picking up her pace and treading louder to quieten the remarks made by the three cackling girls stood in the corridor. She made her way to the cafeteria, picked up a bottle of water and walked speedily back to her room. Galinda hadn't moved.

Elphaba walked over to her blonde roommate and handed her the bottle of water. Galinda's head moved a fraction and she hesitated before taking the water from her, but she took it with a meek thanks.

"Madame Morrible asked me to invite, or rather, she told me to tell you to be at her sorcery class tomorrow at nine," Elphaba said.

"What?" Galinda wiped her eyes and looked up, "I thought those sessions were private?"

"So did I, actually," Elphaba shrugged, "Feel better."

She picked up her books and made her way back to the class she had supposed to be at ten minutes ago. She hadn't known why Galinda was crying and had felt it too prying to ask, but having her roommate silent was different. Elphaba thought she preferred it when Galinda was being, well, Galinda.