"She's not feeling to well. I'm sure she doesn't want you to catch anything."
"Plus the fact that you're not really here." Dorothy added, sarcastically smiling like Glinda.
Glinda choked, and dragged Dorothy to one side, watching as the High Chancellor walked off the greet the other guests of the party.
"Dorothy, you shouldn't say such things." Glinda said, pouting, still staring after High Chancellor Sutler.
"Glinda. I don't know what's happening to me." Dorothy stammered, placing a hand on her forehead. "I really don't feel so good."
Glinda snapped her head back to stare at Dorothy. "What?"
"It's like, waking up, after a really long sleep. You sort of forget where you are, but things seem to come to you, memories of the night before. Do you know what I mean?"
"Sort of dearie. Sort of. Now, where is dear old Crowy? I told him to be here by 3pm and it's already 3:15pm!" Glinda exclaimed.
Dorothy rolled her eyes at the scarecrow's nickname and made to move away from the fashionably popular witch, but was stopped when Glinda drove her arm around hers, linking them both together.
"Oh that country hick! When I lay my eyes on him- Oh! There he is! My, doesn't he look terrible Dorothy? He looks as though he's seen a ghost. Come, we'll go talk to him."
Dorothy looked up, and indeed, the scarecrow had wandered hopelessly into the ballroom, surprised at the sight of a party going on in his own palace. Glinda dragged her over and forced her to curtsy.
"Your Eminence." Glinda purred sweetly.
"Hey." Dorothy chuckled, watching the Scarecrow bow so deeply his head almost touched the floor.
His head snapped up. "Dorothy?"
Dorothy grinned. "That would be my name."
He stood up, staring at her. He witched his glance to Glinda who shrugged. "She's slowly becoming herself. Give it a bit more time and she'll just be like her old self."
Dorothy cackled. "Oh Glinda, you slay me! My old self? I doubt it. You people knew me when I was ten. I'm nearly eighteen. A lot of things could have happened in those eight years. Mainly puberty. And the trauma of being in a mental hospital. Ha-ha."
Dorothy grinned like a Cheshire cat. But she paused as something dawned on her. Her face turned deadly white.
"Dorothy, I must speak with you alone." The scarecrow muttered, taking her hand in his, and led her out of the ballroom and to her room. She didn't protest, but followed him, trembling all over.
They stood, facing each other in Dorothy's room.
"I spoke with Doctor Jones." The scarecrow said cautiously.
Dorothy snapped to attention. "What?"
"Glinda sent me. I meant only to find out more about what happened to you, but Doctor Jones found me. I know what happened to you. I'm so sorry. No-one should ever have to go through that."
Dorothy stared at the floor. "I've already explained this to Glinda, but I'm becoming more and more awake the longer I stay here. It's as though I've been asleep for a long time. You know when that happens, you wake up, and you almost don't remember what happened to you. But a few seconds later you remember everything. For those few seconds that you don't know anything, that moment between waking and realising. It's bliss. It's absolute bliss. There's never a more perfect moment than forgetting about the horrible deeds you have done."
"Dorothy, he raped you, he beat you. You never did a thing-"
Dorothy's eyes blazed. "Exactly. I never did a thing. I didn't stop him. I should have. A damned virgin, sworn by Catholic law never to have sex until I was married, and my innocence was taken by my doctor! I hate him! How could he do that to me? I wanted him to make it all better. To make the dreams stop. I was beginning to think that Oz was made up. I wanted his assurance that everything would go. I hugged him for god's sake!"
"Dorothy-"
"No! Let me speak, god dammit! I gave into him. I allowed him to book those sessions. He'd talk to me about Oz and how it couldn't be real, and I sipped it up like sweet milk and honey! God damn him." She sighed, brushing a hand through her hair and said softly, "God damn him."
"He's dead now. I have killed him." The scarecrow said.
"Good riddance to bad rubbish." She paused. "How did you find out?"
"A tape. It showed him raping you."
"Trust him to leave evidence lying around. Men are so predictable. Bastard. I bet he only kept it to masturbate to."
The scarecrow rushed forward, entwining her in his arms. "Dorothy, you don't know how glad I am. You'll be as right as rain in no time. We'll be so happy, you and me."
He hugged her, after placing a kiss on her lips, ignoring the stiffened body in his arms.
"E-excuse me?"
The scarecrow pulled back, blushing, if that was possible. "I have quite loved you for some time now Dorothy. Ever since I first saw you, in fact. I thought you had feelings for me too. Just before you left, "I think I'm going to miss you most of all." I just assumed-"
"Now look here you big bag of hay, I don't have 'feelings' for any man. Listen to me. You're a scarecrow. You're not human. You're made out of dried grass and material for god's sake! How can I love you like that? I love you as a friend, but what you're asking, it's crazy. You're asking me to love you psychically. How can I? Think of the biological terms. Sure, this is Oz, and Oz is full of magic, but magic has it's limitations. I'm sorry Scarecrow. I just don't love you like that!"
Dorothy pulled herself out of his arms.
"But Dorothy-"
"No Scarecrow. This is just going to fast for me. There will never be any chance between us. I'm not that sort of girl."
She left the room as quickly as she could, leaving the King standing in her bedroom, tears soaking his burlap head.
