The moment Nessa entered her office the next day, she could tell right away that something wasn't right. She wasn't entirely sure what it was, but something was indeed off.

"What is it?" the brunette muttered as she wheeled over to her desk, her eyes scanning the area. They soon fell on the empty space where the music box had been, and Nessa inhaled sharply. After a few minutes of frantic searching, the brunette had to face the fact that it was indeed gone, and she did her best to remain calm.

"Fiyero!"

The Vinkan came running in a few moments later, startled by the Eminence's tone. "What is it?"

"I can't find it!"

"Find what?"

"The music box! It always sits on my desk, and now it's gone!"

Fiyero raised an eyebrow; he didn't entirely appreciate being summoned for this. "Calm down; maybe you just misplaced it—"

"I do not misplace things!" Nessa shot back angrily. "That music box is important to me; it belonged to our mother. Now either help me find it, or find someone who will!"


It was the sound of Galinda's phone going off that drew Elphaba from where she had been reading. The green woman looked up at the blonde, who was still asleep.

"Galinda," the Munchkin called, but the blonde remained asleep.

Her phone rang again, and Elphaba made a face before standing, going over to where the Frottican was.

"Galinda, wake up."

Her roommate merely giggled at something in her dream before rolling over.

Elphaba rolled her eyes before she made herself corporeal long enough to lift one end of the blonde's mattress, dumping her onto the floor.

Galinda let out a shriek as she was rudely awakened by the action and she glared at the offender. "What was that for?!"

"Your phone is ringing."

"So you dumped me onto the floor?"

"Well, I did call your name twice, but that didn't work."

Galinda scowled at her before turning her attention to her still ringing phone. She picked it up, holding it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Galinda, listen, I'm sorry if I woke you, but we have a problem."

"Boq, it's only eight in the morning."

"Nessarose found out about the missing music box, and she is freaking out. You have to return it!"

Galinda frowned; she had not expected Nessarose to discover that so quickly. Perhaps it meant more than she had realized…

"I can't… not right now."

"Galinda—"

"Look, just buy me whatever time you can, okay? I promise I'll bring it back soon."

The Munchkin on the other end sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"That makes two of us…" The blonde hung up with a sigh, prompting her verdant companion to raise an eyebrow.

"Sounds like someone is in trouble," Elphaba commented.

"Nessarose discovered the missing music box, and she's apparently taking it harder than I anticipated…"

"You should have known better than to steal from her…"

"I did it to help you!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "All right, well, you have to return it."

"Wha—but it's yours!"

"We don't know that for sure—"

"Elphaba, I saw your face when you held that box; some part of your memory returned. That music box is yours, and if Nessarose is hiding something, then you have a right to know."

Elphaba sighed. "You really are determined, aren't you?"

"I thought I made that perfectly clear before; you seem to be the one who keeps forgetting."

The green woman rolled her eyes. "All right, so you're not going to return the music box. What do you plan to do then?"

Galinda shrugged. "I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

"Why am I not surprised?"

The blonde shot her a look. "I'm making this up as I go, all right?"

"Obviously."


As it turned out, Galinda didn't have much of a plan; life continued on normally (as normally as it could) for the next two weeks. The Frottican continued to work at Boq's farm, and was constantly subjected to his nervous musings about Nessarose figuring out that he had helped in the disappearance of the music box. However, despite that, the Munchkin began to provide the blonde with building supplies such as extra wood and bricks that he had lying about; Galinda had faced the fact that she did need to actually begin working on the granary sometime.

The Frottican had to admit she hadn't given much more thought to her plans for the granary; she had been busy trying to furnish her new home with what she believed to be necessities. She now had a small refrigerator, a coffee maker, and a camping stove.

"I'm beginning to wonder if you really came here to fix the place up, or just to find a cheap place to live," Elphaba commented one day.

"My intention is the same as when I arrived."

"You're hanging a picture of a scenic view of the Emerald City at night."

"Isn't it pretty?" Galinda admired, taking a step back.

"Galinda."

"Hey, fixing this place up isn't going to be easy, and if I must be forced to live here, then I intend to make it comfortable and homey."

The Munchkin rolled her eyes. "I didn't realize living here was so terrible."

"Well, we can't all be dead and require very little."

"You say that as if you're complaining."

Galinda sighed, turning towards her roommate. "Elphaba, you know what I meant."

The green woman was silent for a bit before saying, "We share this space, you know. You could at least check with me before you start hanging things."

The blonde smiled slightly. "I suppose that's only fair. What would you like to have on the walls?"

Elphaba paused in thought for a bit before saying, "A map of Oz."

Galinda nodded. "I think I have one at my home in Frottica." She pulled her phone from her pocket, beginning to dial her parents' number. "I'll ask my mother to send it here."

"You don't have a mailbox," Elphaba pointed out. "Or an address, for that matter."

Galinda scowled at her. "I'll have her send it to the post office then."

"Do you have a box there?"

"Yes I do, for your information."

A pause, in which Elphaba noticed Galinda had yet to press the call button.

"You don't have one, do you?" she said with a slight grin.

Galinda flushed, shoving her phone back in her pocket. "Shush yourself." She went to grab her purse, starting for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To the post office…" Galinda ignored the green woman laughing as she closed the door, walking to her car and starting it up.

Elphaba heard the blonde drive away, and she shook her head. She didn't mean to give Galinda a hard time, but the Frottican made it rather easy sometimes. Still, it was in an endearing way, and Elphaba found herself growing a bit fond of the blonde. She was good company at least, after all the time the green woman had spent alone.

There was the sound of the door opening, and Elphaba was about to make a comment about the blonde forgetting something when she realized that those footsteps sounded far too heavy to belong to Galinda. The green woman turned, making sure she wasn't visible, and her gaze fell on a familiar man, the one who had been here the first day to show Galinda the granary. What was his name… something Skarr…

The man looked around the room before heading upstairs, and the green woman followed, wondering what he was up to. He looked around the upper floor, his gaze falling on the music box beside the mattress. He moved over to it, stooping down to pick it up.

"You're still here, aren't you?" he said, turning around. He pulled something from his pocket, and as he set it down, Elphaba realized it was a crystal. It trembled a bit before sliding across the floor, stopping at her feet. The green woman suddenly found herself unable to move, and she could feel energy being forced into her, making her visible.

"Hello Elphaba."

"How do you know about me?"

"You don't remember me; that's to be expected."

Something in Elphaba's memory struggled to surface, but trying to focus on it only yielded blurred pictures.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Many things, but there is no point in telling you." He looked around the room again. "Your blonde friend has really spruced this place up, hasn't she?"

"You leave Galinda alone."

"Please, Elphaba, I have no intention of harming her. I merely want her out so I can reduce this place to the pile of rubble it should be; let's see you haunt that." Master Skarr looked down at the music box in his hands. "This little trinket certainly seems important to both you and Miss Nessarose… it would be a shame to destroy it. However, if I chose something that had meaning only to you, for example…" He pulled a wood carving of a sparrow from his pocket, and Elphaba's eyes widened slightly. "You remember this, don't you?"

"Look, Fabala, it's a bird. You have to be gentle with it…"

That voice… she knew who it belonged to… the green woman wracked her brain, desperately searching for a face to match.

"I see it's a bit fuzzy." Master Skarr set the figure on the floor before lifting his foot, and Elphaba realized a moment too late what he meant to do.

"No!"

Master Skarr brought his foot down, splintering the wood and crushing the sparrow. Elphaba let out a cry, surprised as she felt a searing pain shoot through her.

"It hurts you, doesn't it? Having something of yours destroyed."

"N-no," Elphaba growled through gritted teeth.

Master Skarr shook his head. "You're stubborn, just like your mother was."

The green woman froze at the mention of her mother, and an image of a woman with long, dark coffee colored hair came to her.

"No matter; the longer you and Miss Galinda hold out, the more pain you both will be in."

"I-I'll tell her… about this… and you…"

"You won't remember any of this, Elphaba; after all, ignorance is bliss." Master Skarr picked up the crystal, and the green woman felt her strength rapidly leaving her. Though she struggled to remain conscious, it was a losing battle, and the last thing she saw was the music box sitting in front of her, the haunting melody accompanying her into the darkness.


"All right, Miss Smart Ass, I called my parents and they're sending the map to the post office, where I do have a box now," Galinda announced upon entering the granary.

There was no reply.

"Elphaba?" Galinda's brow furrowed as she looked around the room, but there was no sign of the green woman. The blonde made her way up the stairs, but the Munchkin didn't seem to be there either. "If you're planning some sort of prank to scare me, I don't appreciate it." The Frottican looked around to see if anything appeared amiss, but everything was as she had left it. The only thing that had moved was the music box; it was now sitting by the stairs, the lid open.

"Elphaba?" she called again, picking the box up.

"Glin…"

The voice was soft and weak, and for a moment or two, Galinda wasn't entirely sure if she'd actually heard anything.

"Elphaba? Is that you?"

There was no response, and the blonde felt a sense of fear begin to settle over her. Something wasn't right… Galinda quickly moved to switch on the lamp before looking around again, her heart pounding in her chest.

Slowly, the green woman came into view, and Galinda saw her lying at the top of the stairs.

"Elphaba!" The Frottican rushed to her side, kneeling beside her. "Are you all right?"

"No; I'm dead, remember?"

Galinda scowled. "Why were you just lying there? I must have walked right through you!"

"How rude."

"What happened?"

After a few more moments (during which Elphaba could feel her energy slowly returning), the Munchkin sat up. "I don't remember…"

That was troubling, to say the least. "You don't recall how you ended up lying at the top of the stairs?"

Elphaba shook her head. "No… the last thing I remember was you leaving… and then it's blank…"

Galinda frowned; something had to have happened while she was gone.

The green woman let out a sigh before disappearing.

"Elphaba—"

"I'm sorry… I'm exhausted… I can't…" Her voice was fading out, and soon it was gone. The lamp suddenly went out, and when the blonde went to investigate, she found that the light bulb was dead. Whatever had happened to Elphaba had been enough to drain all the energy she had; even all the energy from the light bulb couldn't sustain her.

"I'm sorry, Elphaba…" Galinda said aloud, unsure if the green woman could hear her. "I'll find out what happened… I promise."


Galinda did not see Elphaba for the next few days; whatever had transpired while she was gone had taken quite a toll on the green woman. The blonde was concerned, of course, but there was nothing she could do except leave her lamp on and replace the bulb when it burnt out.

As the week came to an end, Galinda headed back to the post office, finding that her package had arrived. After heading back home (and picking up more light bulbs just in case), the blonde opened the tube, extracting the map and unrolling it. The blonde looked around, finally deciding to put it on the wall above her drafting table. However, dealing with the rather large paper was more difficult than hanging the picture had been, and she found herself struggling to hold the sides up, seeing as they had an inclination to roll in on themselves.

"Oh, you fool thing," the blonde growled.

One side of the map was suddenly flat against the wall, and Galinda stared before hearing, "I don't see how you ever managed on your own."

"Elphaba…?"

"Unless you have other specters in your life, yes."

The blonde smiled as the green woman appeared, holding the map up. "You're all right…"

Elphaba glanced at her, knowing that if she could blush, she would be. "I don't see why you were so worried, blondie. It's not like anything else can happen to me."

Galinda didn't reply, instead just grateful to finally see the green woman again.

The Munchkin looked back at the wall, surprised she could feel scrutinized even in her spectral form. "Now hurry up before I lose what energy I have and this falls again."


Nessa had accepted by now that the music box was gone, a fact that was weighing heavily on her mind. Fiyero had tried to console her of course, but there was little he could do; he understood why it had meant so much to the brunette.

"Do you need anything else?" Fiyero asked one night as darkness settled over Oz, marking the end of another day.

Nessa shook her head. "No… thank you, Fiyero."

The Vinkan gave her a smile and a slight bow before he left the room, and the Eminent Thropp turned her attention to her intercom, pushing the button.

"Boq, bring in my tea please."

"Right away, Your Eminence."

A few minutes later, the Munchkin entered, carrying a tray that held a teapot and a teacup, as well as a small plate of cookies. Nessa raised an eyebrow at the sight, and Boq flushed slightly.

"You've seemed down lately… so I baked you some cookies…" he explained.

"Oh… thank you." The brunette poured herself some tea before she picked up the cup with a sigh.

"Do… do you need anything else?" Boq asked.

Nessa was about to reply when she noticed his eyes flashing towards the empty space on her desk… actually, now that she thought about it, he had been acting rather nervous ever since the music box went missing.

"Actually, I'd like to ask you something," the brunette replied, lowering her cup. "As I'm sure you've heard, something of mine was taken a while ago… you wouldn't have happened to have seen something the night it went missing, did you?"

Boq could feel his face growing hot. She had figured it out! He had warned Galinda this would happen! "I… I don't recall…" he said weakly.

Nessa's eyes narrowed a bit. "I wouldn't advise lying to me. I'm going to ask you again, and keep in mind that this will be the last time: did you see what happened to my music box?"


"So I went to the library and picked up a few books on the history of Munchkin architecture."

"I would have thought an architecture major such as yourself would already know."

Galinda gave her roommate a look. "I don't know everything."

"Well that's obvious."

"And to think I picked up a few books for you," the Frottican said, pulling three books out of her bag.

The green woman paused, looking at the blonde. "Oh?"

"Ah, changed your tone now, didn't you?"

Elphaba did her best to remain indifferent, despite the fact that she was having trouble believing Galinda was continuing to watch out for her; still, after everything that had happened, she supposed she shouldn't really be surprised.

"Well, what did you get?"

"No, you have to apologize first."

"Sorry."

Galinda made a face. "That was hardly genuine."

"You didn't say I had to mean it."

"Elphaba!"

"What?"

The Frottican shook her head. "You're terrible."

"Hence why I remain here to haunt this place and anyone who enters."

Galinda rolled her eyes. "I had no idea ghosts could be so dramatic."

"Can I have my books now?"

"You haven't earned them."

Elphaba made a face before disappearing, and Galinda soon felt a tug at the books in her hands.

"No, Elphaba, stop it!" she said, pulling the books away, only to feel it again. "Elphaba!"

The green woman suddenly appeared, making herself corporeal so she could get a firm grasp on the books, but at that moment, Galinda decided to tackle her. The Munchkin was so surprised that she disappeared again, and the blonde landed on the mattress.

"You should know better blondie," the green woman said, soon reappearing, though the incident had taken her by surprise. She had never been touched in her corporeal state… she had forgotten what it felt like to even be touched by another person.

"Yes, well, you were being difficult," the blonde replied, sitting up and recalling how it had felt to touch the Munchkin. Not as cold as she had expected… Galinda stood up and held the books out to her roommate. "I suppose you can have these."

Elphaba took them before sitting down and setting them on the floor, looking at the covers.

"I bought them second hand… so they might not be in the best shape… but they're yours to keep…"

"Thank you…"

There was a sudden knock at the door, and Elphaba disappeared as Galinda made her way downstairs, opening the door and revealing Fiyero.

"Fiyero—"

"I'm not here to socialize," the Vinkan said, his expression not entirely happy. "You need to come with me."

Galinda could feel her stomach sinking. "What is this about?"

"The Eminent Thropp has requested to speak to you."

Galinda had a feeling it wasn't a friendly request in the slightest.