Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Elphaba and Galinda entered the History Building and took off their raincoats, hanging them on pegs inside the coat room. They made their way up to Doctor Dillamond's office, nodding politely to professors and students who were just getting out of tutoring sessions and were on their way back to their apartments and dorm rooms. When they arrived outside of Doctor Dillamond's classroom, Elphaba paused, listening for the usual humming that indicated that the old Goat was still at work.
"It's too quiet," Elphaba whispered to Galinda, who had her eyes open wide with fear. "I'm going to go in. You can stay out here if you want, though."
"No, don't leave me out here alone," Galinda whispered frantically. "I'm going in with you."
The girls opened the door to the classroom, relieved to see that nothing was amiss. Doctor Dillamond had left his usual stack of textbooks on his desk and a pile of folders had been neatly set on the front row of desks. Elphaba made her way to the office door, which was slightly cracked open, a small amount of light spilling out into the classroom.
"Doctor Dillamond?" Elphaba called loudly, but there was silence, except for the barely detectable whir of clockwork. Elphaba stepped forward and reached out for the handle of the door, curling her fingers around the cold metal, and slowly opening it. She looked back at Galinda, who was nervously biting her fingernails, and stepped inside, her mouth dropping open when she saw Doctor Dillamond on the floor, his throat slit, and a small, mechanical creature she had never seen before standing beside him, a blade-like extension covered in red blood.
Elphaba's boot made a small creaking noise on the wood floor and the creature turned towards her, small red eyes burning without emotion in its head. It whirred loudly and darted towards, blade raised, until Galinda stepped in, screaming when she saw the thing heading towards Elphaba. The thing swerved out of the door, disappearing into the darkness.
Tears streamed down Galinda's face when she saw Doctor Dillamond laying on the floor, blood congealed around his neck and a startled expression frozen on his face. Elphaba quickly took Galinda into her arms and the blonde buried her face in the green girl's shoulder.
Five minutes after Galinda had screamed, a crowd of professors and students rushed through the classroom and into the office, the girls screaming when they saw the still body of Doctor Dillamond and the professors quickly ushering the students out of the room. One professor, a younger man with a full head of hair and a cleanly shaven face, took Elphaba and Galinda out of the office, through the classroom, and into another empty classroom, offering them both glasses of water. Elphaba took one of the glasses, setting it down on the table, and thanked the man.
"Is there anything else I can get you?" he asked, a look of worry on his face as Galinda continued to sob into Elphaba's shoulder.
"Just… make sure that whoever killed Doctor Dillamond is caught and punished," Elphaba growled, her eyes flashing angrily.
He looked at her suspiciously. "Did you see something when you went in there?" he asked.
She hesitated, but only for a moment, a moment so short that the professor didn't notice at all. "No," she said. "We were in our dorm room, and I had just come back from getting some extra work from Doctor Dillamond when we saw that the light in his study was still on. He had told me that he would be retiring just after I left, and I thought it suspicious that he had forgotten to turn the light off. I told Galinda here that I was going to go check on him, and she offered to go with me. It was very quiet when we entered the classroom, but nothing looked out of place. We entered his office, and there he was, just as you saw him. That was when Galinda screamed."
"I'm very sorry that you had to see such a traumatizing sight," he said. "I will talk to Madame Morrible and ensure that you have the rest of your week's classes off to recover."
"Thank you," Elphaba said. "Would you mind if I escorted my roommate back to our room. The sight seems to have thrown her into hysterics and I fear that if I don't get her calmed down soon, she'll pass out."
He nodded, stepping back a bit. "Ah… of course. I'll alert Madame Morrible of the situation and tell her where you've gone. I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name?"
"Elphaba," she said. "Elphaba Thropp. And this is Galinda Upland. Thank you, sir, now we'll be on our way."
She stood up and put a supporting arm around Galinda's shoulders, hooking her hand under her arm to keep her from falling down. Galinda leaned on Elphaba all the way back to her dorm room. When they got there, Elphaba sat Galinda down on the bed and rushed to the bathroom, getting a glass of water for the upset girl.
"Come on, Galinda, snap out of it," Elphaba said, handing the glass of water to Galinda, who took a small sip and continued to sob. "Look, Galinda, I have to talk to you before Madame Morrible gets here to question us. You mustn't tell her anything about that clockwork creature, do you understand me? Galinda, I need you to answer me, please, Galinda."
Galinda continued to sob, so Elphaba wrenched the glass of water out of her hand and dumped it over her head, which quickly got her attention. "I-I've left m-my coat… in the c-cloakroom," she hiccupped.
"Someone will bring them to us," Elphaba said, glad that it had stopped raining in time for them to make the walk back to their room. "Now listen to me. I have a bad feeling about that clockwork creature and Madame Morrible. You must promise not to tell her about it, do you understand."
"Y-yes," Galinda whispered, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping her eyes with it, not caring that she was ruining her makeup.
"Tell her that you saw me go in, and you went in yourself, then screamed when you saw Doctor Dillamond on the floor, do you understand?" Elphaba asked, getting a nod from Galinda. "If she asks for any more details, tell her that I turned you away from the scene before you could really take anything. Say that you just saw a lot of blood and a stricken look on Doctor Dillamond's face, okay?"
"D-Doctor Dillamond," Galinda whispered, tears still streaming down her face, leaving long trails of black makeup. "P-poor Doctor D-Dillamond."
"Oh, my sweet, everything is going to be okay," Elphaba whispered, gathering the sobbing girl into her arms. "I really wish that you hadn't been dragged into this. Someone must have found out about Doctor Dillamond's work and must have not liked it. Galinda, it's going to be okay. Soon, you'll forget the whole seen and all you'll remember is that Doctor Dillamond died in his office. Shhh, it's going to be okay."
There was a knock at the door and Elphaba looked ominously at Galinda. "Remember," she whispered, "you just saw a lot of blood and stricken look on his face before I turned you away."
She went to the door and waited for another knock before opening it, standing aside so Madame Morrible could come in. The large woman glanced around the room before focusing in on the sobbing form of Galinda, who had collapsed on her bed.
"Professor Theo told me that you two girls had gone back to your room, mainly because Miss Galinda was traumatized by the sight she saw in Doctor Dillamond's office," the Headmistress said, sending Galinda into a new round of sobs at Doctor Dillamond's name.
"Yes, Madame, she isn't coping very well with the scene she saw," Elphaba said. "Would you mind if I closed the door? Galinda would like some privacy so as not to broadcast her emotional state to all of Crage Hall."
"Yes, yes, of course," Madame Morrible said, looking through a stack of books on Elphaba's desk. "Professor Theo said that you had been with Doctor Dillamond just before this happened?"
"Yes, Madame," Elphaba said, not giving anymore than was asked for.
"Would you care to give me details? It might help determine his cause of death," Madame Morrible said.
"I had just come back from getting some extra work from him and I saw the light on in his study, which I thought was unusual because he said he was going to retire only a few minutes after I left and he always turns the light out. I told Galinda that I was going to check on him, and she said that she would come with me. When we got there, all of the lights were on and Doctor Dillamond was on the floor."
"Miss Galinda, could you calm down enough so I could ask you some questions?" Madame Morrible asked, and the blonde stopped sobbing and turned to Madame Morrible. "What did you see when you went into Doctor Dillamond's office?"
"W-well, I saw M-Miss Elphaba go in, and… and I w-went in, and th-there he was, with… with… with b-blood all around him and a… a stricken look on his f-face. And then Elphaba t-turned m-me away s-so I c-couldn't s-see anymore."
"And who was the girl that screamed?" Madame Morrible asked.
"That was Galinda, Madame," Elphaba said.
"Miss Elphaba, could you describe the scene in detail to me?" Madame Morrible asked.
"Would you mind if we went into the parlor and discussed this?" Elphaba asked, glancing at Galinda, who was beginning to look queasy.
Madame Morrible nodded, also looking at Galinda. "Yes, I suppose."
They sat down in the parlor and Elphaba began her description. "The first thing I saw when I stepped into the room was broken glass at the table Doctor Dillamond had been working at. I believe he was working on an extra powerful magnifying glass that could help see things that the naked eye had never seen before, even assisted by a magnifying glass."
"Yes, continue," Madame Morrible said, nodding.
"And then I saw Doctor Dillamond himself," Elphaba said. "He had a large cut on his neck, something had severed his main artery, and I believe it was quite recent because the blood was just beginning to dry. I wouldn't know such things, though, they aren't really relevant to the field I am going into."
"Of course, Miss Elphaba, now continue with the description," Madame Morrible said, waving her hand impatiently.
"I'm trying to remember," Elphaba said. "One tries to forget such scenes quickly, you know. Ah, yes, the look on his face. It was a look of surprise. His mouth was slightly open, like he was going to say something, and his eyes were open, as well, glassy, like shined beads. Blood matted his fur, so I couldn't really see his expression beyond that. I think one of his horns had hit the table, his left one was cracked. And that's all I can really remember."
"Now, were you the first ones at the scene?" Madame Morrible asked. "Did you see anyone or anything else?"
Elphaba shook her head. "No, Madame, why do you ask? Have you caught someone with a bloodied knife or a guilty conscience?"
Madame Morrible shook her head. "No, it's just Professor Theo said that you asked him to catch whoever had murdered Doctor Dillamond and I thought that you might have seen something."
"Oh, that," Elphaba said. "Well, I thought it such an odd place for someone to get such a deep wound just from a piece of glass that I automatically assumed it a murder. Of course, I wouldn't know because I am not trained in that area."
"I see," Madame Morrible said. "And who entered the room first, you or Miss Galinda?"
"It was I," Elphaba said. "But I was in Galinda's view the whole time. Not long after Galinda screamed did a crowd of professors and students rush into the room. I hope no one messed up the scene so the coroner could examine poor Doctor Dillamond without anyone messing anything up."
"The professors got it blocked off in time, I'm sure," Madame Morrible said, standing up. "Well, thank you for your time. The whole school will have the rest of the week's classes off due to the untimely tragedy. We do have to fill in a professor's spot, as well, considering Doctor Dillamond's death."
"Then he is most surely dead?" Elphaba asked curiously.
"Unfortunately," Madame Morrible said. "Mourning garbs will be the required uniform for the next three days. On the third day, a memorial service will be held and the new professor will be introduced."
"Do you already have someone in mind, then?" Elphaba asked.
"Yes, I think I do," Madame Morrible said with a small smile. "Now hurry on up and get into bed. The next few days will be quite tiring for you and Miss Galinda, I'm sure, due to all of the questions your fellow classmates will be asking you."
She opened the door and the clockwork creature Elphaba and Galinda had seen in Doctor Dillamond's office whirred inside, stopping in front of Madame Morrible. Elphaba's eyes widened when she saw it.
"Is something wrong, Miss Elphaba?" Madame Morrible asked.
"No," Elphaba whispered. "I've just never seen one such as this creature before. What is it?"
Madame Morrible looked disappointed. "It is a tiktok creature," Madame Morrible said. "It is made of screws, bolts, cogs, and metal. Actually, it is a fairly new invention from the Emerald City."
"Oh, I see," Elphaba murmured, knitting her brows together as she started to think. "Well, I suppose I will be seeing you soon, then, Madame Morrible."
"Yes, soon," the Headmistress said, turning on her heel and heading out the door. As soon as Madame Morrible had left, Elphaba slammed the door shut, turned the lock, drew the chain across, and bolted the door shut. She could almost swear she still heard a whirring outside the door.
Running to the balcony doors, she locked them as well, pulling out one of her sorcery books and blackening the windows, making them as hard as steel, and making the handles unable to turn from the outside. She closed and locked the windows, drawing the curtains across and looked at Galinda breathlessly.
"Elphaba, what's wrong?" Galinda asked. She had calmed down considerably since Madame Morrible had left.
"That woman… had the nerve to bring that… that… that thing here to our dorm room!" Elphaba exploded. "That clockwork creature was in our parlor! And she had the nerve to bring it here! Galinda, I don't want you going out by yourself. That creature saw you and if it killed Doctor Dillamond, which I greatly suspect it did, then it will not hesitate to come after the two of us. Keep Fiyero, or Boq, or even ShenShen and Pfannee with you at all times if I am not with you. And always tell someone else where you're going before you leave the room."
"Do you really think that is necessary?" Galinda asked.
"Please, Galinda, promise me," Elphaba begged. "If not for you own safety, then for my sake. Tell everyone that I'm being a paranoid mother hen, I don't care. But please, don't go out by yourself, and whatever you do, don't tell anyone about that clockwork creature."
"Fine, but only because you insist," Galinda said. "I really don't see what the point is, though. If that thing wants to kill me, it'll kill me whether I'm with people or not. It probably won't hesitate to kill the people I'm with."
"Just as long as you promise those things," Elphaba sighed in relief. "Now, Madame Morrible said required uniform for the next three days is mourning garb, so you're going to have to wear all black. I'm just warning you."
For once, Galinda didn't complain. She quickly got ready for bed and snuggled under the covers. Elphaba didn't bother to stay up reading that night, but instead, waited for the stroke of one o'clock in the morning and headed over to Doctor Dillamond's office under the cover of night. She started at every sound and quickly made her way into the building and up to the study.
Some black ropes had roped off the area, but she quickly ducked underneath them, entering the study. She chanted a spell and a small orb of light appeared that only she would be able to see. Hurrying, she gathered papers, books, and research materials, stowing them in her satchel quickly.
As she hurried back, she imagined the sound of the tiktok creature behind her and sprinted to her dorm room, locking the door behind her and throwing a series of spells at it so no one would be able to get in from the outside unless they were proficient in magic and spell work.
Pulling up a loose floorboard, Elphaba hid all of Doctor Dillamond's work in the small, hollowed out space, covering it with a pink throw rug Galinda had decorated the room with. Changing into a nightdress, she collapsed on her bed, but didn't sleep the whole night. Instead, she listened to the sounds outside of her room, imagining the soulless red eyes searching for a way inside the room to kill her in her sleep.
I got so freaked out when I wrote this chapter, I kept looking around for this little metal creature that wanted to kill me. Heh, I really freak myself out. Well, hope you liked it. Special thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter:
moodified
ghostly bender
Thank to the other who have reviewed previous chapters, and thank you to all of my readers. Now, please continue to review. That's what that little green button is for. Click, type up a review, and then click submit! ;) Thank you all again!
ReallObsessiveWriter
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