Chapter 31

"Izzy! Izzy!" Elphaba called out for the young woman, her voice echoing off the space. The space she'd dropped into was white and plain. The green woman had expected to find activity of some sort – a construct that the young woman had made to fall into – something akin to a dream. Instead there was just nothing.

"This can't be good," Elphaba muttered to herself.

"Izzy! Izzy!" She called out again, an echo her only response. The green woman wondered if she did the spell wrong or if maybe this was the body's response to a medical issue. She'd never heard of something like this happening medically, but then again, she wasn't a trained medical doctor. The curing spells that they had been taught were for easily diagnosed conditions – broken bones, a cold, a stab wound, a gunshot – not whatever this was.

Elphaba started to move around, calling out, hoping to stumble onto something, anything. Her time was short before Zara would have to pull her back out. Heaving a sigh, Elphaba tried to think – was there a spell that Izzy could have used that wiped her mind? Why was everything blank? Was her mind not functioning? How could she reach the young woman?

"You don't have to come back to me, but you need to come back for Derya! She confused and hurt! She loves you and wants you back! I can take you to her! If for no one else than her, come back with me!" It was the only thing that she could think of to reach Izzy. Suddenly the ground beneath her shook and cracked apart. Colors shot up through the cracks and Elphaba dodged the beams, unsure if they could hurt her. Suddenly, she was blinded by the light and the green woman covered her eyes as the ground gave way under her feet.

Elphaba fell for what seemed to be forever before landing smack onto a soft surface – the air was sucked out of her lungs. Gasping for air, she let her eyes adjust. She was in the bedroom that Izzy was staying in, while visiting the Vinkus. Well, truth be told, she wasn't visiting. She and Derya could probably never go back to the Emerald City. They were not understood there, like they were in the Vinkus. The sounds of sobbing broke her thoughts and Elphaba looked around to find Izzy balled up in the large armchair in the corner of the room.

On her feet in a hurry, Elphaba moved to the girl and scooped her up into her arms. Sitting down where Izzy had been moments before, the elder woman held onto her. She kissed her best friend's daughter on the head and whispered words of comfort.

"Izzy how did you get here?" Elphaba asked after a few minutes, knowing she was running out of time.

"I don't know. I was just so upset and then the next thing I knew I was here, and I don't know how to get out," Izzy explained.

"What upset you? Why have you been hiding from Derya and Semir?" The green woman was concerned but also confused because the girl seemed fine at dinner.

"I can't be me. I can't go home. My friends would never understand. If Shiz reopens, there's no way that they'll understand. I can never step into my mother's shoes or be by Bart's side as he leads Oz. I don't even know if Mom and Dad actually love me for me. They don't send letters or come and visit. Every day, there's this weight on my chest and it feels like its squeezing the life out of me," Izzy admitted. Elphaba pulled her close.

"Come back with me. Even if things can never go back to normal, you can create a new normal. You are surrounded by people who love you. We want to help you and we want to be there for you. I know Derya can't think of life without you," the green woman reassured her.

"What happens when that changes? When I'm no longer the person she loves? I'll be alone and an outcast," Izzy shook her head. Elphaba knew that she was almost out of time. She could feel Zara's presence.

"You will go on. I did. I had years where no one loved me, simply because of my skin color. There will be someone there to catch you, no matter what. As long as you have family in the Vinkus, you will always have a home. Now we must go. If you do not come with me, I'm not sure I can pull you out. I cannot go back to Derya empty handed," Elphaba pleaded. Izzy nodded and the green woman called out to her daughter. Zara was able to grab on and the two were lifted off the chair. They went up and up, suddenly shattering a ceiling that neither one knew was there. Izzy disappeared and before Elphaba could figure out what had happened, she was back in her own body.

"Mom, are you ok?" Zara asked. Elphaba could feel Fiyero's hands on her shoulders.

"I think so. Izzy and I got separated. Can you wake her?" Her mother wanted to know.

"Miss Izzy, please wake up," Kelebek used her wing and gently shook her.

"I definitely think that this was magic, unintentional but magic, nonetheless," Elphaba said. Kelebek tried again to wake Izzy.

"Come on little one, please wake up," the Griffin pleaded.

To Be Continued…