Please note that this chapter has been rewritten. The first third will be almost identical, but after that, there has been extensive changes and numerous additions.
These alterations will make continuity of characters and character back-story more correct and easier to follow. Please, tell me what you think of the changes, I would really like your constructive criticism here.
"Look. The potion will only work for a short while- an hour or so. Stay here until it wears off, then go to your lessons. I'm going to tell your next teacher not to expect you, alright? Oh, and just a word of warning. Keep away from water. That pigmentation is the same mineral which made the real Witch of the West green. As it happens, the stuff reacts violently with water. I've used less than she had in her skin at any one time, but it will still probably burn or irritate your skin if you splash yourself. So try and keep your face dry. You'll be normal soon."
There was a scream of hinges, and then Phoenix was gone.
Phoenix flung the bathroom door open with such force that it ricocheted off the concrete wall.
It was the end of lunch break. The warning bell had just sounded, and Rose the new girl had not been seen by anyone since she had run out of the Ash classroom, her skin newly re-pigmented. That had been over two hours ago.
Phoenix hammered on the locked cubical door. Understandably, the response she received was a half choked "Go away!", but it was undeniably from Rose.
"You know, you could have done the decency of actually turning up for class on your first day. I don't know what things are like where you were, but here, students are actually expected to attend their lessons." Phoenix called fiercely.
"Go Away!" Rose yelled, by way of polite response. "Don't talk about what I'm expected to do, just look at me, I don't suppose that's what convention dictates you normally do to someone on their first day."
"Oh, don't bring that up again. So what, you had a prank played on you, who cares? I told your teacher you'd be in the class. Not that I'd normally care about something like that, but you made me look like a right fool. Now, open up, you're not even green anymore- that stuff only stays in the system one hour, I should know, I tested it on my brother."
The metal bolt slid back from inside the cubical, and the door swung open. Rose stood in the empty space, her face still damp with tears, her eyes now narrowed in anger.
"Oh, so this 'isn't green anymore', I suppose, then. I think you should go back to school."
Phoenix was unable to speak for several moments. "I told you not to get your face wet…" she said weakly. Even under the green of Rose's new pigmentation, her flesh was visibly red and sore.
With a snap, the cubical door closed in Phoenix's face. A crack and then two thumps signalled that Rose has pulled down the toilet seat cover, sat on it and placed her feet on the rim. The awkward silence lasted for several minutes. Finally Phoenix, who was now sitting on the floor as well, one foot jammed against the main door of the bathroom to ensure they weren't disturbed, spoke up.
"Maybe if you had tried to be more civil this wouldn't have happened to you." She said, slowly, with caution. She wasn't being spiteful, just honest. "You know what they say about people making their minds up about someone in the first 5 minutes of seeing them? Well, I have to say, you're not very skilled at this whole 'first impressions' thing."
"Maybe I'm not," Rose replied solemnly. "But I've never had the opportunity to practice. I've never been new before when everyone else has settled in. I thought that if I behave the way I normally do, then it won't matter. People would understand that's who I was and then get on with their lives."
"What, so you think that a new family struts into our little village and no one would be interested?"
"Well, yes."
Phoenix gave a snort of disbelief. "I'd like to see that last school you came from!" she said, shaking her head in amused disbelief.
"I doubt you would, actually." Rose's reply came steadily and slowly, barely more then a whisper.
"No? Why?"
"Because you seem to have a particular attachment to knowing people. In somewhere like the Emerald City, you simply don't know anyone."
Phoenix gave another snort of indignation. "Not knowing anyone? Emerald City, the biggest city in Oz? No wonder you're such a failure here."
The lamps gave an uncontrolled burst of flame then extinguished themselves. Phoenix hastily ran to the wall and shut the gas valve off as Rose began her tirade.
"You don't understand anything. Do you know what it is like, in a city so large as Emerald City? Well, do you? This whole village wouldn't make up so much as a speck compared to the Emerald City. The schools there are factories. So large, there's nothing human left inside them. I was in Emerald West, it is well known as being the largest of the Emerald schools. Notorious even. Several thousand children go in; several thousand identical copies go out. You can't even begin to understand what that means."
"Well, maybe I can't." Phoenix replied defensively.
"Well, I can! Four to five hundred kids in one year. Ten to twelve forms in most year groups. I had forty other people in most lessons. I shared classes with at least two hundred other students. How can you know people then? You spend an hour or two in the same room every week, but then what? Sure, people have their close friends, and sure, some forms actually know most of everyone in that form. I had the privilege of being one of those few to have a natural high standing in a form like that. I watched over that year as the form banded together, and set itself against this outcast from the class. Just a small little thing, her only crime was that she had been raised by a couple of Animals after her parents died. The girl committed suicide before the year was out. After that, I learnt what no school should ever teach; I learnt not to be a victim. I asserted my power and made sure that I could not could not be targeted; I learnt how to make sure others knew that I had control. In other words, I became cruel. I closed off my heart, and any emotion for anyone else. I became a ringleader, the most powerful girl in school; others flocked around me, for some semblance of status or protection from other bullies or even their own insignificance. When I came here, to Elmsglade, I just planned to get a firm foot holding early on so I wasn't targeted as 'the new student', and get a feel and understanding for the type of people there were here. To single out the person with the popular status, and see if they would be a threat. Not to any planes of popularity, but as a threat to me, as a person. I learnt to fight fire with fire, Phoenix. I didn't learn not to strike a match in a dry forest."
Phoenix was speechless. It wasn't just what she said that particularly frightened her most- though it shocked her deeply, but the ferocity and sheer coldness of the way she said it which seemed to remove all remaining warmth from the room.
"Did- did you know her? That girl, the one who…" Phoenix asked tentatively after a short silence.
Rose gave a hollow laugh. "No. I don't even remember her name. Just that she was weak. I made a point afterwards not to care anymore." The two girls remained in silence again for several more minutes.
"I'm just not used to this. To people knowing who everyone is. To people actually sitting silently in class and listening." Rose began, unexpectedly. Phoenix regarded the cubical door with curiosity.
"Yes, well, 'tis the convention in schools, now a days." She gave a sigh, and then continued. "We need to get back to class. They always take a register every lesson, and if you're absent too many times, they tell your parents. I'm already on the verge of a detention, but if they tell my mum, then I'm done for."
"You can go then, that's fine. I can't go out in this state, but thanks for coming back and talking to me." Rose said softly.
A smile slipped slyly onto Phoenix's face. "No. I'm sorry, but I can't do that. You see, technically, your little adjustment of pigmentation is my fault, I can be held responsible for it. Which means leaving you here would be highly unethical; it would go against all morals that this great and mighty (and I do agree, somewhat tiny) school has taught me. Miss Rose, I am so sorry to have to inform you of this, but now that I'm here, the only way I can leave this rather dark bathroom now is if you leave with me."
"And how am I supposed to do that, I'm green." Came Rose's slightly gurgled answer, as if her chin were resting on her chest.
"It just so happens that I have figured out why you are still this refreshing colour. I can't do anything to reverse it, but I can promise you that you will wake up tomorrow your normal peachy self."
"And that would be coming from the same person who told me that it would wear off in just one hour?" Rose said lightly, one eyebrow raised. She heard a slight chuckle.
"That would be coming from the very person who developed and brewed the potion."
"Oh, right," came Rose's sarcastic answer. "Then can you please suggest how I can go out again whilst my skin is still deluding itself that I'm the Witch of the West? That's social suicide. I might be hopeless at first impressions, but what sort of impression would I make now? Everyone was already staring at me when I wasn't green."
"You forget one small detail, my pretty."
"Oh yes? And what's that?"
"You will have to figure out exactly which half of the stares are for you."
Rose started as the bold on the door slid back of its own accord, and creaked open to reveal Phoenix leaning against the opposite wall casually, her arms clasped behind her flaming red hair, contrasting garishly with her newly greenified skin tone.
"Two green girls won't attract twice the attention, and people will easily accept your skin tone if they see mine like this too. Don't forget, I'm well known as the practical joker. People will be wondering exactly what we did to each other, did you strike first and I retaliated, or did I decide to 'test' you and you got the better of me? No one will think you're weird or unusual if you stick with me, my presence alone usually signals trouble. People will probably give you a lot of respect for apparently getting one over me, but also for being willing to go around like this. Come on." Phoenix extended an emerald hand. Rose took it and uncurled herself from her sitting position.
"But, won't you just return to normal in an hour?" Rose said curiously. Phoenix broke into a slightly reminiscent smile. "No, that's the thing. The reason you're still green now? I'm the only other person that would have the same reaction. One of the ingredients I use to attach the green colouring to the normal pigmentation only works because of natural energy in the body, the energy of being a living person. Normally, the amount I use would stop working after an hour, but very rarely someone has an unnaturally large amount of 'other' energy in them, and it feeds off that for longer. Someone like me, and apparently, like you as well. Someone with an innate talent for sorcery."
Phoenix then led Rose out of the bathroom, the confident witch leading the hesitant witch, out of their solitude and through the unknown crowd of lesser mortals, revelling in the amused stares and murmured whispers which passed them. Phoenix gave a wave to her school friends, and the students laughed as if she had told a joke. She looked to Rose encouragingly, and it was the first time Phoenix saw her smile.
A/N- Just before you start pondering about that, no, there will be no same-sex parings, and no, Rose and Phoenix are not going to get together. This is just a story about friendship, make of it what you will. I just thought that that would be a touching end. Next chapter, Phoenix walks Rose home, prepare to meet both mothers.
Questions, comments? Please ask!
To reviews of both chapters 3 and the previous chapter 4:
Maureen, good to hear from you again. Glad to hear from you again, very pleased to see your review. You probably read my reply on the original chapter 4, but this fanfiction is very much musical based. There have been varying opinions, but this story is going on the opinion (as you noticed) that Elphaba was allergic to water in the Musical.
ChocolatStar: good to see your reviews again, I always look forward so your chunky reviews- though I think you might have a problem reviewing this new chapter 4, I don't know. Next chapter, Phoenix is walking Rose home, and as well as meeting Glinda, previously 'The Good' (she's given that up now), you will also catch a glimpse of Phoenix's mum- no, no green skin, but she's quite a woman.
Dadadada: I think you already know the answer, but I will explain exactly how later in the story.
ClarkeWithAnE: hey, this time I've updated twice. I know, you were probably expecting a new chapter, but her, this one is now more complex, and you can understand Rose further. Next 'section' will reflect the 'secrets' scene in Wicked (after the Ozdust Ball), and you will find out some interesting information about Phoenix's past- and her name.
Elphabathedelirious32: Well, does a rewritten update count? I hope you continue to enjoy this story- check out my Wicked forum (via my profile page) for info about expected update times. Thanks for the review.