So, here is the second installment of my story. I'm sorry about the delay, but please bear with me. School is very hectic, and I am stressed to the max. Luckily, I can use writing as an escape...when I find time. Just remember, reviews make my day!

Irish-Aire: Thanks so much for the encouragement! You have no idea how much it means to me.

ClarkeWithAnE: How ever can I express my graditution for the kind words? Haha. Glinda moment. Thanks for the constructive criticism as well; I will definitely keep it in mind.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wicked, or any of the canon characters. They belong to Gregory MacGuire and Stephen Schwartz.

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"The Witch has come back to haunt us!" the woman cried, "See her green skin?"

"I'm n-no-not her!" Ayenna stuttered in response to the accusing finger pointed at her.

The woman's screaming and proclamation had attracted a crowd that all gazed at Ayenna with the same fear and hatred as the first woman.

Suddenly, a young man pushed through the crowd and took Ayenna by the arm.

"Don't panic," he told the crowd, "She is not the Witch. The Witch is dead, remember?"

"But she has green skin," shouted someone from the throng.

"Just an unfortunate coincidence in her birth, I'm sure. Now if you don't mind, we are going to go," he said, using his grip on her arm to pull her away from the people.

The crowd still didn't seem convinced, but nevertheless, they parted to let the young man and her through. The people seemed to have respect for the boy. He continued to pull her down the street until they came to a small house, green of course. He opened the door and gestured for her to enter. When she did, he shut the door closed behind her.

Ayenna looked around the dim room they had just entered. It was lit mainly with candles, and the walls were a burnt red color. After all the green of the buildings, the red was a welcome change. The room also housed a small, comfortable looking sofa and various other chairs.

"Sit down, sit down," the young man said, pointing to the sofa.

Ayenna sat down, finding the chair even more comfortable than it had looked. She looked up expectantly at the boy, waiting to find out why she had been brought here.

However, the boy said nothing. Instead, he left the living room and went into the adjacent kitchen. "Would you like something to eat?" he asked.

Ayenna considered. She hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast that morning, and it was already late afternoon. "Yes, please," she said.

He reentered the living room with a loaf of bread and a tub of Oz Best Butter. He buttered a piece of the bread and handed it to her. She gratefully accepted it and bit into it with a gusto.

"So," he said, sitting down himself, "I am Dhert. Who are you, and how do you come to be in the Emerald City?"

"My name is Ayenna," she said as soon as she had swallowed her bite of bread, "I never knew my parents. I don't even know if they are still alive. I was left at an orphanage not too far from here when I was just a baby. Today is my sixteenth birthday so I got to leave the orphanage. I decided to come here and try to find a job."

"Oh. I'm sorry about your parents," Dhert said.

"It's ok. It's not your fault. Besides, how can I miss someone I never met?" Ayenna said with a smile.

"I hate to bring this up, but can you tell me about your...," he gestured to her skin.

"Oh. That. You were right, it was just a coincidence of my birth as far as I can tell. I'm not evil or anything."

"Well, of course. I just wondered. It's not all that often that you see people with green skin. Just realize that you may have difficulty getting any kind of job anywhere in Oz because of it. People tend to be overly leery of anyone who makes them think of the Wicked Witch," Dhert told her.

"Yes, well, I've never expected my life to be easy," Ayenna said with a hint of bitterness.

"Look, my father owns the Emerald City Gazette. I work for him. If I recommended you, I'm sure he'd give you a job. I mean, if you want it."

"Really? That would be great!" Ayenna cried, excited.

He grinned, happy at her eagerness, "Well, I'll let him know about you the next time I see him. He will be back in two days. Right now he is down in Munchkin Rock doing a story on the annual Big Small Folk Festival. You're welcome to stay here until then, though."

Ayenna felt she had to put her foot down at this point, "No, that's fine. I'm sure I can find somewhere to stay."

He glanced at the state of her clothes and suitcases and looked slightly incredulous.

"Don't worry about me, I have enough money," she said, "Really." she added in response to another unconvinced look from him.

"Well, ok. But please don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it," he told her.

"I won't," she promised, while vowing silently to never ask help from him if she could avoid it, "Well, I suppose I should be going. I need to find lodgings, and this is a big city."

"Let me at least write down the name of a decent inn for you," he offered.

"Ok," she said gratefully.

A few moments later, she gathered her bags again, and left the house with a slip of paper clutched in one green hand. As she glimpsed her skin, she remembered the uproar it had caused earlier and determined to make herself as small as possible and stay out of everyones way. Of course, this was much easier said than done in a town as large as the Emerald City. Ayenna found herself staring at the ground excessively to keep people from seeing her face. She was so absorbed with this that she quite failed to see where she was going and ended up in a throng of people, munchkins, and animals cheering wildly. Almost all of them were wearing pink (with the exception of the animals, who were mostly waving pink flags and posters) so bright it caused dots to float across her vision for several seconds every time her eyes encountered it. It took her a few moments to realize what it was they were so enthusiastic about. She finally looked forward where a temporary stage had been constructed and hung with pink garland. On it was a beautiful blonde lady who appeared to be about twenty-five, though she was most certainly at least ten years older. Ayenna gasped. She knew who the lady was; was there anyone in Oz who didn't? She was Glinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, the Good Witch of the North who was the ruler of all of Oz. She was wearing a large, puffy gown, that was, surprisingly, pink. A matching pink crown sat atop her golden curls and she was holding a silver, star-capped wand. She appeared to be attempting to make a speech, but the cheering crowd wouldn't be quiet long enough to let her get out more than a couple of words.

After several minutes, the multitude finally quieted enough for her to talk.

"Fellow Ozians," she exclaimed loftily, "I have come here today to tell you about the new anti-pollution campaign I have started to keep our buildings sparkling gree--" Glinda stopped suddenly as her eyes landed on Ayenna and grew wider and wider, "Sweet Oz! Can it be…Elphaba?"

The crowd all looked at Ayenna. She saw fear and hatred in many of their eyes.

"Elphie? Is that you?" Glinda asked again. Her voice was very soft, but it could still be heard because the roaring people had all gone completely silent.