Chapter 2

Elphie was woken only a few hours later from a dream in which she'd been riding a broomstick and looking for Fiyero. The Wizard had been laughing at her from a tall tower in Emerald City. She had been about to knock down the tower with her bare hands when she felt someone gently shaking her awake. She opened her eyes to see Jeremy bending over her. She could hear movement behind him.

"We've got to open the store now, Miss Elphaba. But you could go into Dad's room if you want to sleep some more."

"All right," she said, knowing full well she wouldn't get any more sleep. She stood up, flicked her fingers at the cot, and it disappeared. Jeremy blinked a few times, staring at the space where the bed had been, and led her up the staircase to a door on the left.

"It's just in there," he said. "I'll come bring you some breakfast in a few hours, okay?" he made to close the door.

"Wait! Jeremy…why are you doing this? Why are you being so nice to me? You don't know me at all. And…" She put out her hands, flickering from emerald to forest green in the dim lamplight, and shrugged. "Well, look at me."

Jeremy looked surprised at the question. "Well, you're a person, aren't you? You haven't done anything wrong that I can see. Why wouldn't I be nice to you? You're not a bad witch, are you?" he asked.

Elphie smiled sadly. "I try not to be." She said. Jeremy smiled back at her, and then closed the door.

He reminded me of Glinda for a moment. She thought to herself. She could hear Glinda talking to that stupid little farm girl that had taken Nessa's shoes. "Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?" What had her name been…Dorothy. That was it. Dorothy…and her little dog, too…

Sitting down on the unmade bed, she took a look at her surroundings. There were some hand-drawn pictures on the walls of a group of people standing in front of a little cottage, or a man kneading a piece of dough, all signed by Jeremy. Elphie giggled at his childish attempt to draw his father's unruly mane of hair.

As her eyes roved about the room, they came to rest on a small portrait by the bedside. It was a picture of Jeremy's father and a woman holding a baby. They both looked like they couldn't be happier, and even the baby had a big smile on its face.

Could that be Jeremy's mother? She wondered. Her eyes were the same shade of dark chocolate brown as his. Her hair was a light brown with some natural honey-blonde highlights. The painting was so realistic it looked as though someone had captured a moment in time. It seemed like such a perfect moment…Elphie wished she had been a part of it.

All of a sudden she felt the tears come. She grabbed the hem of her cloak and fell over, sobbing senselessly into it. It was only when she had finished, rubbing her face to try to relieve the stinging, that she realized that she didn't know why she was crying. Maybe it was because she'd had to leave her best friend thinking she was dead...or that all of Oz had thought she was evil, and scorned her for her green skin...and now she had lost Fiyero.

Maybe, she thought. Maybe it was...everything.

"No good deed…"

Just then there was a knock on the door, and a head peeked in.

"Hello? Oh, my!" The woman said, catching sight of Elphaba's face. She had dark hair and glasses. "Ummm…I brought you some breakfast, if you want it."

"Oh, uh, sure," Elphie said. The woman came in holding a tray of food.

"My name's Cinderella," she said kindly, setting the tray on the bed in front of Elphie. "And you will be Elphaba, if Jeremy got your name right." Elphie nodded.

"Elphie," she said, shrugging. Then she winced slightly. It was Glinda who had given her that nickname. She had thought it too perky at the time, but…now it was all she had.

"Elphie, then." Cinderella looked curiously. "Do you mind if I ask you about- I-I mean, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but-"

"I was born green." Elphie said abruptly, closing the topic for conversation.

"Oh…well, I must say, green is most certainly your color." Elphie looked up at her and managed a little half-smile, pushing a small lock of raven hair off of her face.

"If you want to come downstairs in a little while, maybe Jeremy will teach you how to make bread."

"Thanks…I might."

Cinderella closed the door, and Elphie set to the food with vigor.