A/N: I confess to have been avoiding this chapter because I really didn't want to have to deal with this issue, but it is an important part of her character, so I have bitten the veritable bullet. I apologize, the following is totally unplanned and unedited. Well the others were unedited, but I at least re-read them before I posted. I'll stop delaying now.
Thank you again to LillyFae and Elphieispopular for your continued review support, I appreciate it muchly.
I'm also apologizing for this particular chapter, it's dark and violent and wholly unpleasant.

Teeth 6: Water

Elphaba dug her heels into the slippery bank, gritted her teeth and felt the fear stiffen her skinny form. No screaming, she instructed herself, certainly no crying. The mud was loose and without friction. She was perilously close to being veritably flung into the lake, a fate she desperately wanted to avoid. This was not being helped by Frex. The man had his 15-year-old daughter by her hair and was leaning his significantly heavier weight against it. A few more clock-ticks and the green girl would crash into the water. An event that would be to her significant detriment.

Her teeth sank deeper into her lip drawing blood and she closed her eyes hard, just as her feet slipped another few inches closer to the dangerous water. Inspiration hit her suddenly, though the execution would be difficult as she'd have to shift her weight forward. Slowly she leant forward while positioning her weight into her feet which, oh sweet Oz, were temporarily stopped by a rock buried in the shore of the lake.

Frex hit her with one hand when she bit him. He hit her hard. So hard the girl fell. That was her undoing. The diabolical man seemed pleased with the unfortunate event he had barbarically initiated. He didn't look back, not even once, not even when she screamed in the most horrifying pain he's ever heard. As far as he was concerned a problem had been solved and he was morally blameless. The monstrosity he was alleged to have sired had simply fell when he was playing a loving game with her. Unfortunately, Frex himself couldn't swim and so was unable to save her. He would garner sympathy wherever he went. One daughter tragically, he scoffed, disposed of, no, deceased and the other permanently disabled. The elder one's death was beautifully tragic to garner sympathy, and Nessa was tragically beautiful. He was pleased with his summarization of the situation.

Elphaba screamed. Her green face was contorted in unimaginable agony. The pain was so intense she was struggling to drag herself from the treacherous water. Her bottom lip was practically mangled from her attacks on it, so she switched to her upper lip as she continued her fight against what she was sure was soon to be death. Her one thought that retained any clarity through the haze of the torture she was undergoing was to curse her luck that the lake near their house was salt. The salt mines in Munchkinland had contaminated most of the water there and even the rain had a high sodium content. Salt burned her skin, a side-effect of the unusual green hue. Fresh water was fine. She vaguely recalled being bathed in it as a very young child in Quadling country.

10 clock-ticks later, Elphaba was still unsuccessful in freeing herself from the instrument of unfathomable pain. She was very quickly giving up. The pain was clouding her thought and stripping the salt was stripping the skin from her body. Where she had bitten herself was once again bleeding. This was it. The dizzying pain had sapped her strength nearly completely. With one final effort she let out the last scream she thought she would ever make. A clock-tick passed with no response. With a sigh she slackened all the muscles still holding her semi-upright above the surface of the water.

Boq had not really spoken to Elphaba since they were 10-years-old and he had done a marvellous job at being a right cad. Not that he knew the word back then. The girl had seen fit to teach it to him during one of the few times he had interacted with her since. The Munchkinlander had certainly never heard his aquaitance, former acquaintance, scream. She was far too stoic to reveal such emotion, such vulnerability. Certainly not in such a violent way. The girl hated conflict. Even so, he immediately recognized the blood-curdling scream that tore the sky in two as being hers. He ran towards the sound as fast as his legs could carry him, trying not to think of what horrible situation he would find her in.

The weakened young woman's chin had just dropped into the water when Boq came upon her. He surprised himself with his reflexes and strong stomach when he was able to keep moving while still examining the injuries she was in the process of sustaining. The lake was turning crimson s her skin blistered and peeled all over her body. He jumped into the water and was forced to take a moment to consider how to get the girl, who was significantly taller than he, out of the water. His first priority was to make sure she could breathe. As soon as he lifted her shoulders, thus removing her mouth from the lake, he realized that despite being taller, Elphaba was lighter than he. Keeping his grip under her shoulders he dragged the unconscious young woman from the lake and right up onto the grass away from the mud, lest she slide back in.

The immediate threat dealt with he paused, considering what to do next. He realized his mother might help. Elphaba's house was closer, but after what he'd seen when she was 10, there was no way he was going there.

15 clock-ticks later, Boq and his mother returned to the prone form of Elphaba with healing ointments and a plain black dress not saturated in the toxic salt water. It wasn't long before the poultices were covering her skin, and her mangled lips. They seemed to take effect rather quickly. One of the few positive attributes of her skin, Boq guessed. By the end of it, the girl was once again conscious. She thanked them profusely but knew she would have to return home.

Frex was exceedingly disappointed when Elphaba walked in the door. His solution? He threw her by her neck into her room and locked the door. Her response? To bite herself.

She could still taste the salt.

A/N: I'm sorry! But Boq is redeemed! So, salt-water effects her, fresh does not. I'm not even sure what to make of this chapter so, I'm just going to leave this here. Sidenote: Go check out LillyFae, she's awesome!