(A/N: Well, usually I start these thingy magig's off by apologizing for the wait, but LOOK OUT cause you actually did not have to wait that long! This chapter is rather confusing and angsty and stuff. It is a bit important though for the following chapters. Thanks for all the reviews! Speakign or reviews...Pernicia, are you still there? I miss your reviews! :( I was even rather reluctant to post this without you reviewing, because you usually review....oh well, ANYHU, here is the next chapter and yes, it is a little .... weird, but review anyway! Lol)

The next morning Elphaba woke up early. She reached a hand out cautiously and felt Fiyero's soft skin under her gentle fingertips. She let her fingers drift to his lips, but she didn't touch them. She waited for his breath to tickle her skin, slowly and rhythmically to confirm that he was asleep. She knew it was early and that everyone was asleep because it was silent except for a few birds singing. She slowly crawled out of the tent. She always felt like she was going to fall if she took one more step. She always felt like there was a ditch in front of her and she just couldn't see it. She always felt like there was a wall or closed door in front of her. She wanted to see so badly. She felt the soft lush grass beneath her hands and knees as she crawled out. She slowly stood up. Who knows, there might have been something above her to hit her on the head. She walked forward slow as possible, just in case she ran into another tent. She wanted to pretend like she didn't know where she was going. She wanted to pretend that she was just...going for a walk. But she wasn't, she knew where she was going. Though, honestly, she didn't know why she was going there. There seemed to be a voice in her head telling her what to do, she followed it for even more unkown reasons.

North, just keep going North, straight ahead!

It guided her to Morrible's tent, which was just beyond the closest tree to the campsite. The voice had a relaxing, caring tone. It told her where the other tents were so she wouldn't run into them.

Careful now child, there is a tent in front of you, go to your right!

Soon Elphaba found herself trusting the voice. And the voice grinned as it realized it had gained the trust of the foolish girl.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Elphaba felt the rough bark of a tree under her soft hand. She stepped forward, and felt the roots under her bare foot. She walked forward, her heart beating fast and faster as she realized Morrible's tent was close...and getting closer...

Yes, closer! Keep coming...closer...closer!

The voice soon became ragged and louder as it got more excited, more anxious. The cycler in Elphaba's heart pedaled faster and faster. She soon heard her own breathing becoming ragged as well as she got closer...

****************

Fiyero opened his eyes, looking straight up at the fabric ceiling of the tent. He rolled over to see if Elphaba was awake, but she wasn't there. He turned to his other side.

"Elphaba?" he asked the vacancy. The emptiness laughed cruelly at him as his panic rose. Where was she? She wouldn't have gone anywhere by herself, would she? Where would she have gone? Fiyero quickly walked outside and looked around, but the he didn't see her. He went to Galinda's tent first, but she wasn't there. He back pedaled to James' tent, she wasn't there either. He checked on Nessa and Fredrick's tent then, but she wasn't there either. There was nowhere else she could've gone! Fiyero racked his hands over his face in vain as he tried to think of where she---no. Fiyero fearfully looked up in the direction of Morrible's tent. He saw a soft light coming from within it, and then he saw Elphaba vanish inside the tent. Fear was like a sheet wrapping around him, tying his limbs together as he began to run to Elphaba.

*************

Elphaba felt the fabric of the tent brush against her leg and she stopped in front of the tent.

Come in!

The voice urged her forward, pulling her in with its claws. She felt the voice wrap around her. Suddenly, the voice was not as warm as it had first been. It did not relax her, but frightened her. It was impatient as it snatched at her arm and wrist and tugged her forward. This time Elphaba was compelled to follow by fear. She did not find this voice so trustworthy anymore. She let her fingers slide through the flaps of the tent and she ducked in carefully.

Pick up the book and give it to me.

Elphaba looked around, but she couldn't see. Where is it? She asked in her head. The voice heard her, and for some reason she wasn't surprised. Did it frighten her that she wasn't surprised?

To your right!

It hissed impatiently yet coaxingly. Elphaba turned to her right, her hands groping in the darkness that was actually light for this book. She felt her hands land on the plush leather binding of a thick voluminous book. Her fingertips danced around the carved in letters on the book, trying to make out what the book said.

It says Remedy Spells

Something inside Elphaba told her that the voice was lying. Something just wasn't clicking as her fingertips traced a very definite 'G'. She frowned and traced the 'G' again. There was no G in Remedy or Spells.

"Elphaba, stop!" she heard a different voice now. Was this one in her head as well? It sounded louder, much less personal. It was a male's voice, and it was out of breath as though from running. It seemed desperate, shocked, scared; anxious. Why was he telling her to stop? She paused.

Pay no attention to him, just give me the book!

The voice was panicked now, distracting her. Which voice should she focus on? Which voice was the real distraction? The first voice had been so nice in leading her here, and making sure she didn't run into anything or trip. But where was exactly the 'here' that it had lead her to? But as time irked on, the voice had become less inviting, more forceful. This other voice didn't seem bad...it seemed familiar actually come to think of it...so did the first voice...but why couldn't she remember? What had happened to her own voice...?

Morrible watched the girl battling with all the voices in her head. She might have laughed aloud and just waited for the girl to go mad, but she needed her to be sane for the later part of her plan. She wasn't concerned that the prince was coming to 'foil her plans', because caught frankly, he wasn't 'foiling' anything at all, his coming was all part of the plan actually. But nobody could know that. She needed to convince both him and the girl that her plan had been foiled, that his really wasn't just a small part of her much larger plan that would take place later today. So she put the girl under a simple spell she had memorized, it was the only one she knew, to put voices in her head, read her thoughts. She pretended as though she was going to curse the girl or kill her or something equally terrifying.

"Elphaba! Don't give it to her!" Fiyero yelled, almost there now. Elphaba was confused. Was that her name? Elphaba? She tried to remember if it was or not. And why was he trying to stop her from giving to the book to the voice? Why didn't she want her to give it to her? She soon gave up on these unanswerable questions and returned her attention to the book, ignoring his voice. So many voices! They would be the end of her for sure. She traced the 'G' again. You're lying, she thought venomously, why? I thought you were on my side. Wait, were there sides now?

Of course I'm on your side child, I led you to me didn't I? Give me the book and I can give you your sight back. Give it to me and you won't be blind any longer. He's trying to stop you from getting what you want. Don't listen to him, he doesn't want you to be happy, he's trying to sabotage us.

So she and this voice were an 'us' now? They were on the same side and this other voice evidently wasn't. Was she working with this voice? Were they good people? She didn't know, but she wanted her sight back, and something inside her knew that the only way she would ever get it back was if she gave this voice the book. Where are you? she asked.

Fiyero burst into the tent just as Elphaba was about to hand the book to Morrible. He pulled Elphaba back away from Morrible who was staring hungrily at the book in Elphaba's outstretched hands. He grabbed the book out of Elphaba's hand and threw it across the tent. She struggled in his grasp desperately, even though she sensed the comfortable familiarity of his arms. Why was she struggling when she liked this feeling?

Kill him!

What?! Elphaba screamed in her mind, she didn't want to kill him. She loved him! Wait, who was 'him'? What was going on? These voices...? His voice? Why did she love him? Was that her voice just then? Elphaba screamed out in desperation, feeling as though the last strands of sanity were slipping from her mind. She grabbed her head and kept struggling to get out of his grasp. She fell to her knees, screaming as unimaginable stabs of pain struck her head.

Fiyero fell to his knees beside her, holding her tightly. He saw Morrible whispering things, but he couldn't understand what she was saying. Her eyes were trained on Elphaba, intensely as she muttered and hissed this foreign language that was obviously causing Elphaba a lot of pain. He made the connection.

"Stop!" Fiyero yelled at Morrible. Morrible ignored him. But she took heed to his message. She knew she had to stop soon, or the girl would go mad and she couldn't have that happening. She just had to make sure of one more thing....

Do you know where you are?!

"No!" Elphaba screamed aloud, as well as in her mind. She screamed louder in agony as she felt as though someone had stuck needles into her head. She jerked erratically in Fiyero's arms.

"Elphaba, what's wrong?!" Fiyero cried in desperation.

Do you know where you are now dearie?

It was as though the mask the voice had hid behind had been dropped and Elphaba realized who this voice belonged to. Morrible.

That's right dearie. Now you know where to find me.

And with that, Morrible undid the spell with satisfaction.