Weeks went by before they were able to meet again. Exams were drawing near; Elphaba and Glinda spent afternoons fiercely studying in the library or their dorm, quizzing each other on various concepts. The time was drawing nearer for them to have to declare their studies. Glinda found herself wavering between architecture and sorcery; the former because she loved it, the latter because Morrible gave her a look every time she was in class.

One cold weekday two days before exams were scheduled to start, Morrible stopped her after class, a hand on her arm. Glinda gazed down at the brightly painted talons clutching her forearm, repressing the urge to shudder. Morrible's nails were blood red, and Glinda found herself wondering if they'd been magicked to look that way.

"Miss Galinda," Morrible said. "Might I talk to you?"

Glinda didn't correct her on the pronunciation. If she did she knew she'd have to explain why she'd done it, and bringing up Doctor Dillamond in front of Morrible wasn't something she was keen on.

"Of course, Madame," Glinda said. She fidgeted with the collar of her dress. Madame Morrible waited until the other students had left the classroom to fully turn her attention to Glinda, who felt scrutinized under her intense gaze.

"Now, my dear," she said. "Have you given any thought to what subject you plan on declaring next semester?"

"Not much, Madame," Glinda lied. Madame Morrible hmphed.

"I find that hard to believe from one as bright as yourself," she said. "Though I suspect in someone so driven you may find yourself torn between two subjects, if that's right?"

Glinda kept her face carefully controlled. "I just want to weigh my options, Madame."

"You seemed incredibly keen on sorcery when you entered my seminar, I can hardly believe that's changed. And of course, there's the matter of your roommate…"

"What of her?" Glinda said, praying the fear wouldn't make her voice tremble.

"If you choose sorcery, there is a chance I can assign you a new roommate, one whose interests line up with yours more," she said.

Glinda swallowed. The last thing she wanted was to be separated from Elphaba, even now—especially now, with all they had yet to uncover. She knew if they were separated that would only be the beginning of it, that Morrible would find a way to further keep them from each other.

"Of course, I don't expect you to decide right now," Morrible added, and Glinda blinked. Wasn't that exactly what she had been insinuating? "You don't officially declare until after exams, anyway. But I do expect an answer by then, Miss Glinda," she said, and before Glinda had time to process, Morrible had let go of her arm and swept out of the room like she couldn't be bothered.

It took Glinda a minute to register that Madame Morrible had addressed her by her new name, and she hurried off to her dorm as quickly as she could, not wanting to spend another second in that classroom any longer.

Elphaba was in the dorm when Glinda returned, head bent low over a book. She barely looked up when Glinda came through the room, scribbling madly on a sheet of parchment.

"Elphie?" Glinda asked. "Elphie, can I talk to you?"

Elphaba looked up from her notes, frowning. "Can it wait?"

But then she took in the distressed look on Glinda's face, the way she was breathing heavily, and Elphaba motioned for her to sit.

"It's Morrible," Glinda said, the words coming out in a rush. She told Elphaba of what Morrible had said about her studying sorcery, about separating them, even about her using Glinda's new name. Elphaba's frown deepened.

"She didn't try anything, did she?"

"No, she didn't," Glinda said. "But I… I don't know what to do. I mean there's no guarantee she'll separate us if I study sorcery, but… I don't know what she'll do if I say I'm studying architecture. I don't know if she'll let me, and I know, I know how ridiculous that sounds—"

"No, it doesn't," Elphaba cut her off. Glinda twisted her hands together. How she wished, she wished that Elphaba would gather her in her arms, tell her it was all going to be okay.

But she didn't. And it wasn't.

"Glinda…" Elphaba said after a minute, "I hate to say it, but it might be for the best—if you take sorcery. Hear me out," she added at the look on Glinda's face. "If you want to be involved—truly involved—then we'll need sorcery. We'll need that skill, since none of us have it."

"But you can do magic," Glinda cut in. "I've seen you."

Elphaba shook her head. "Not like you. Not like someone with proper training. And that way… that way you could keep an eye on Morrible, be in her good graces."

Glinda chewed on her lower lip. Much as she hated to admit it, Elphaba was right. She knew that, deep down. Sorcery was the best option.

It just wasn't what she wanted.

But then again, neither was being apart from Elphaba, and that was "for the best," too.

"I know it's not fair," Elphaba said after a minute, and Glinda didn't know whether she was talking about their situation or sorcery or the whole thing.

She didn't ask. She just pulled out her sorcery books and read through spells, filling her head with magic and spells and wanting.


The six of them managed to find a quiet moment during exams, choosing to meet on campus down by the Suicide Canal. Elphaba figured it was cold enough they wouldn't be bothered, though she secretly still worried someone would be listening in.

They settled on blankets the boys had brought, ate cheese and bread and a Vinkan wine Crope and Tibbett had nicked from the kitchens. The wine was rich and heady, and Fiyero spent a good ten minutes extolling its virtues.

Glinda was laughing and hanging on his every word, and Elphaba found her cheeks heating up, though she didn't know if it was from jealousy or the wine.

She's not yours, she chided herself. Glinda didn't belong to her, what did it matter if she flirted slightly with Fiyero? Elphaba was the one who had set those boundaries in the first place.

"So," Boq said, startling her out of her reverie. "How are everyone's exams coming?"

"Oh please, can we not?" Crope asked, lolling in the grass. "I came here because Fiyero promised there would be no exam talk, and I won't stand for it."

"Fine," Boq said, scowling good-naturedly. "Elphaba? Any news?"

"You're the one who was supposed to be looking, Boq," she said.

"If I remember correctly, you're the one who said we should all be looking—"

"Oh, stop bickering you two, you're like an old married couple," Tibbett said pleasantly. Boq's cheeks flushed pink, and Elphaba cackled.

"I did bring the research," Boq said, once the group had regained their composure. He pulled two pages out of his bag, pages that had clearly been folded and re folded, so thin Elphaba could see the ink through the back of the parchment. "As for the rest of it… has anyone had time to look?"

"No," Elphaba said. "Exams. Morrible's been watching the library closely, too, I don't know if I'll be able to get in." She took the pages from Boq's hands and turned them over, frowning. Dillamond's scrawl was difficult to make out, but she could catch a few words here and there. "This can't be it," she said. "We need to find the rest of it. Who's staying over break?" she asked, looking at each of them.

"Elphaba, no one's thinking about break right now, we're all too tied up with exams," Crope whined. She fixed him with a glare.

"I don't know about you but that's all I'm thinking about," Fiyero said. "And I'll be here over break."

"Not going home to see Sarima?" Boq asked. Fiyero blushed.

"Who's Sarima?" Glinda asked, and Elphaba pretended not to hear the slight note of jealousy in her voice.

"My wife," Fiyero muttered, and the group fell over themselves in exclamation. "We've been betrothed since we were children. It's all political, arranged."

"Why aren't you going home to see her?" Glinda asked. Fiyero shrugged, wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Politically, the Vinkus is… not doing well. They don't want me to return at the moment, think it isn't safe," he said.

"Mm," Elphaba grunted in agreement, and the entire group shifted their focus to her.

"What about you, Elphaba?" Fiyero asked. "You're the Thropp Third Descending, right?"

Elphaba fixed him with a steely glare. "Not by choice. And I'm rescinding my title; it's going to my brother, Shell. Oz knows what he'll do with it, but better him than me. And with Nessa's condition…"

"Wait, you have siblings?" Crope cut in.

"Shell and Nessa, yes. Nessa may come here, Father hasn't decided yet. Shell is my younger brother."

"And are they…?" Boq's voice trailed off.

"They're both perfectly normal colors, yes, though Nessa…" Elphaba blew out through her teeth. "Nessa was born without arms. She's not weak," she added, before the group could express pity. "On the contrary, her faith is stronger than anyone, except perhaps father's. She's devout."

"And you aren't?" Fiyero asked. She looked at him, the seriousness in his eyes.

"Why should I be? I have no soul."

"Oh Elphie, you know that's not true," Glinda said, and Crope let out a laugh.

"Elphie?"

Elphaba scowled. "Can we get back to the matter at hand?" she said sourly, and the rest of them knew they weren't getting any more information out of her, at least not then. "Where should we start looking for Dillamond's research? And which of you are staying over break?"

Glinda, Fiyero, and Crope raised their hands. Elphaba felt a sinking in the pit of her stomach at the sight of Glinda's raised hand, but she swallowed it down.

"You aren't staying, Boq?" she asked.

He frowned. "I can't, I need to go home. The harvest wasn't so… it wasn't good, this year, and they need all the help they can get."

Elphaba nodded. "Tibbett?"

"Alas, I cannot stay. But I can get information at home—my father is a palace security adviser. I'll have my ears out for everything." At that, he wiggled his ears, and Crope fell over laughing. Elphaba found a small smile teasing at the corners of her mouth.

"So it's settled, then," she said. "Once exams are finished, we begin."