Chapter 2

"Well, maybe you aren't as socially inept as I thought. You just might have a chance to be. . . dare I say it. . . POPULAR!" Fae said with a squeal, rolling onto her bed.

"Popular? Please. I'll never be popular," declared Ali. "Popularity is not in my genes. Well, except for my father, but he changed. And besides, why would you want to be popular? You have to be friends with all these... happy people!"

"You know, being depressed all the time isn't such a wonderful thing either. I mean, what fun is it to go around always thing despondent thoughts? I mean, people aren't as bad or as dull as you think. Just look at Amirio."

"Amirio is an exception to the rule. And he's the first person I've met in a long time who wasn't slightly dull or boring or a person who wanted to use me to get something. No, most people are like that, not like Amirio. And besides, we talked to him for five minutes. We hardly know him!"

"I saw the way you looked at him. Don't try to trick me with that little line. You just wait! My bet is my the end of tonight you will start to like him, and I mean LIKE LIKE."

"No. Never. I will never, ever like Amirio," Ali stated decidedly.

"Those emerald green eyes don't hide your thought. I may be blonde, but when it comes to love, I am not ignorant. But you think what you will," Fae said, rolling her eyes at her cousin.

"Please, let's choose a new subject," asked Ali, obviously uncomfortable.

"Fine. You aren't wearing that dress whn my friends come over at seven, are you?"

"Friends? That is when the class meeting is! And, you didn't meet anyone else but Amirio, remember?

"Unlike you, I didn't live cooped up in a castle my whole life. I do have friends besides you," Fae said with a laugh. "and no one attends the class meeting. Its just, well. . . ."

"Mandatory? It's essential to knowing how things work here at Shiz! I am going," said Ali pointedly.

"Good for you. It is so. . . admirable. But I'm not."

"Fine then! I'll go with Amirio," stated Ali, visibly annoyed.

"Fine! Now if you will excuse me, I have more important things to do than sit here and debate with you about the Ozian Nerd Fest!" and with that she picked up her make up bag and waltzed into the bathroom.

"Fine!" shouted Ali. With that, she opened the door, and slammed it behind her. She headed off to the boy's dormatoires, determined to find Amirio.

Fae looked in the mirror for the fifth time. 7:01. Good, the girls were arriving fashionably late. That was always a must. There was a knock at the door. She gave a glance around the room to make sure that all of Ali's were hidden from view, then opened the door. "Yepa, Zariel!" she said with a ear deafing squeal.

"Fae!" They said with the customary hair flip. Fae returned the friends common greeting. She motioned for them to come in and showed them to the sitting area.

"So, how was your trip?" Fae asked.

"It was decent. Unfortunately though, not all of us can come and go by bubble like you. You are really the luckiest girl in all of Oz!" said Yepa, twirling her brown hair around her finger.

"Well, now I think we are all lucky. Just look at how popular all three of us are. There are people who would envy to have our status!" replied Zariel. "Speaking of that, have you seen that new girl, Ali?"

Fae swallowed hard. She couldn't lie and say she didn't know her. What was she going to do?

"Is she not the most hideous thing that you have ever seen? I saw her in the hall on the way up. She was on the way to the meeting, so that definatly means she's a nerd!" said Yepa, obviously enjoying slaughtering the girl.

"I know," continued Zariel. "She is going to be fun to tease this year. I don't know her yet, and I already can sense that she is going to be an outcast and a bookworm!"

This was all Fae could stand. Definatly she stood up. "That girl that you are discussing as if she was less than human is my cousin and best friend! I would greatly appreciate it if you would stop discussing her as if she was less than human! And, if that's they way you feel about her, then I recommend that you take your things and leave," and with that violent speech she made for her bedroom door, locking it behind her.

She heard Yepa telling Zariel, 'I always knew that she would be an odd one. The only reason I was her friend is because she is Glinda the Good's daughter,' then the sound of the door closing. "Curse you, Ali," she muttered under her breath.

As Ali ran to the boy's dormitories, she was saddened by Fae's comments about her. She wasn't a nerd, was she? She cleared her thoughts of that as she searched for Amirio's room.

"Aran… Nissa… Kiamo… Winkie… Tiggular… Shell…. Terubetha!"

She started to knock, but just before her hand reached the door, she stopped. She barely knew him! Yet, how did she feel so close to him, not knowing much about him? Is this really what Fae meant? Did she know that she liked this boy before she even realized it? "You can't think about such things, Ali!" she silently scolded herself. She then moved her hand, and rapped on the door.

She heard movement inside the room, and suddenly the door opened a crack. She saw the fair-skinned boy at the door, with a shock of dark, chesnut-colored hair. His blue-gray eyes pierced through her as he stared out of the small space in between the wall and the door. He was of an average height, just a bit shorter than Ali, but not by much.

"Who are you?" he asked tentativly.

"It's Ali. You met me earlier this afternoon, remember? I was shoved into you. You also met my cousin," she blurt out, with a few stutters in the mix.

"Oh, Ali! Come in, please!" he said as he opened the door.

Ali stepped in timidly, looking around at the room. It was messy and disorganized, a sharp contrast to her own.

"So, Ali, have a seat. Why'd you come?" inquired Amirio.

"Just to come and chat. Is that so wrong?" stated Ali, so nervous that the slightest thing would set her off.

"No, no, just wondering. So, how are you enjoying Shiz so far?" asked Amirio, slightly uncomfortable, but more at ease than Ali.

"It's quite nice. I must admit, it is very different from home, but it's lovely," said Ali, becoming more comfortable with Amirio as she chatted with him.

"You find this quite different fromt the Emerald City? I find them to be quite similar," asked Amirio, with a quizzical look on his face.

"Oh, no…" said Ali, trying to find a way to cover up her mistake. "It's just different from staying in the palace," she stammered, praying that he would not ask her more about that.

"Oh, I suppose life in the palace would be quite different from life on the outside."

They continued their small talk for quite a while, until Ali looked at her watch.

"Amirio! We have to go! We'll miss the class meeting!" yelled Ali, standing up quickly and brushing herself off.

"Do we really need to go? I rather like just talking with you," he said to his newfound friend.

"Well…"

"There will be other class meetings. There will not be another today. I know, lets go for a walk!" exclaimed Amirio, anxious to get out of his room and to see some of the town.

"I guess a walk wouldn't be so bad…"

"Good! Let's go!" shouted Amirio, as he ran to open the door for his friend, just as a true gentleman would.

"All right, all right, I'm coming, I'm coming!" laughed Ali as she walked out the door being held open for her.

"So…" she said as she walked down the stairs with Amirio in front of her, "what did your parents do?"

"My father is a palace guard, my mother is a cook, also in the palace. That's how they met, actually. And everyone knows who your parents are…"

"Of course!" she giggled, thinking of how everyone also knew who her real parents were. "Ah, fresh air!" Ali said as they walked out the door.

"You like the outdoors too? I always have. I just love the crisp cool air. It's so.., invigorating."

"Me too. Mountain air is the best though. It's so clean and pure," said Ali, careful not to give away her secret.

They walked around the surrounding town, just looking at the world around them, and not speaking. Amirio slowly started sliding his hand into Ali's. Jolts of energy burst up her arm as she curled her fingers around his. It felt so right, and so... secure.

They walked, hand in hand, for another long while, before they started heading back towards the girls' domatories. Amirio escorted Ali to her room. They stood outside the door, not quite what sure to say to each other.

"Thank you for the lovely evening," said Ali to Amirio, a blush starting to creap into her cheeks.

"You're welcome. Um, I also had a lot of fun," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I guess this is good night then," she said, hiding that she didn't want the evening to end.

"I guess so. Good night, Ali."

"Good night, Amirio." Ali then walked through the door, to her roomates barrage of questions.