Disclaimer, the usual.

As it was the last day of school things went buy for at a snail's pace. Though, dorothy had an odd feeling, a tingling at the back of her neck. Dorothy was anxious as it was now only a few weeks until the wedding, until the blue moon festival. And waiting to leave became rather boring. However, when they finally left the school, they started a rather odd conversation.

"so, you guys didn't hear it from me, but apparently we're getting a new classmate at the beginning of next school year." Alex said.

"you saw the registration papers?" dorothy asked.

"I saw the new file, Uncle Alexander moved it from his desk before I could go snooping, he put it in the same cabinet that our files are under, so you can only assume." Alex said shrugging.

"I see, ace, Betsy, Trot, Ellie, Donna, Kelly, Annabella?" dorothy asked.

"I know it's true, I've seen it as well." Donna said.

"I think it'd be great having a new face around, someone who isn't snickering at you two all the time." Aislynn said smiling.

When they got back to the farmhouse dorothy was shocked to find it empty, with a note on the table written by her aunt and uncle saying they were already waiting for them in emerald city. When they departed for it, dorothy was even more shocked to find her uncle bill, her uncle ned, her aunt Melinda, and her cousin Zeb happily waiting for them, and had to sit down.

"short version?" Madeline asked appearing in the room.

"if you could Maddie." Dorothy said nodding.

"the earthquakes in California were really beginning to take a toll on their town, so they figured, they had enough money saved up, commission a new ranch here, get the proper insurances, move back home rather than try to keep repairing the damages." Madeline said smiling.

"interesting." Alex said walking over to zeb and extending a hand.

"they've taken to it rather well." Ozma said smiling.

"well, if Emily has no problems with this place and finds it normal, then why shouldn't we?" Bill asked.

"Most people, and by most, I mean everyone who's ever been involved with us, with maybe the exception of Jon Foreman, have not taken well to their first trip." Aislynn said shrugging.

"dorothy, you alright?" Zeb asked.

"what? Yes, I'm fine, I'm just, shocked." Dorothy said, the scepter pinging in agreement.

"what's that?" Zeb asked pointing to the scepter.

"our scepter, dorothy has title of both princess and protector of Oz, I'm more or less along for the ride." Alex said smiling.

"it answers to both of them, against all known laws of magic." Glinda said walking over.

"looks pretty." Was all zeb could say.

"It can be, but it's also quite dangerous as well, many people have tried to take control of it, take over Oz, and destroy me, I've been lucky thus far." Dorothy said sighing.

"what?" Auntie Melinda asked worriedly.

"yes, I've led quite an energetic life, ever since a tornado dropped me down in the munchkin city, which is a few days journey by foot in the east." Dorothy said recounting the day in her head.

"you'll have to show us around at some point." Ned said.

"I will uncle ned, after you guys have been settled in." Dorothy said.

"Glinda? You in here? Oh, who's your friend?" Elena asked coming in and looking at zeb.

"Elena, this is my cousin, Zebediah Hugson, zeb, this is Elena, she's one of my other friends, actually how many people have you guys met yet?" Dorothy asked curiously.

"scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Ozma, Glinda, Locasta, and Brianna thus far, I don't know where the china princess, Marshall Mallow, Wiser, or Tugg have gotten off to, and the other girls are down at the café." Glinda said sighing.

"is it good? Cheap?" Zeb asked.

"Zeb, we don't use money in Oz, not since Ozma abolished it, but if you want to start a collection, here's a copper coin I found in one my books before Madeline brought you here." Glinda said flinging it at him.

He caught it with almost expert precision and looked it over.

"interesting, on one side there's the symbol that obviously represents Oz, and the other, looks to be a castle." Zeb said.

"this city, from the outside." Ozma said pulling out a large gold coin from her pocket.

The gold coin was about 3 times the size of the copper, about the size of a half dollar coin from Kansas.

"the makeshift presses my grandfather cobbled together are in the cellar." Aislynn said.

"ace, I thought I told you to tell me when you were going exploring." Dorothy said finally managing to adjust to the situation.

"you wouldn't have approved, I found many interesting things in the cellar." Aislynn said preparing to list them off.

Meanwhile, At Shiz university.

Lady Cassandra had kept her word, and she had made a list of demands that had to be met, or at least attempted to be met. At first Madame Morrible was enthused to see Cassandra, but she was not pleased with getting a list as opposed to a hello. Now, Madame morrible was by no means beautiful, if you put them side by side, you'd say that she and Cassandra were likely the same age. She had her white hair tied in a very tight ball on the back of her head. She was wearing way too much make which made her face appear white as snow. But otherwise, her she was old, wrinkled, and looking at her face and the way her lips were puckered and pursed, you'd get reminded of carp.

"this is a hefty list of demands, I know a few of them I can meet, but you know Glinda told me not to meddle in anymore Ozian affairs." Morrible said reading the list over again and again.

"but you'll still attempt to meet most of them and I will be content if you accomplish even 90% of my demands." Cassandra said.

"I mean, we have the abandoned wing, hasn't been used since the witch of the west blew through." Morrible said.

"I will take care of that, if you just agree to meet most of the demands." Cassandra said pouring herself a cup of tea.

"we are desperate for some more teachers, things have fallen into quite a disarray since the end of the wizard's time." Morrible said sighing.

"yet you have plenty of students, more than what this school can really handle, but there is one more request, the one relating to the jester, Rose garrison, and her daughters, the jester has to guard a vault, the only people who know what's in it, are myself, Roquat, the jester, and Rose, and I will tell you that what's in there really is dangerous when you take everything into account, if the vault has to be open I want your word that you will not try to meddle with it." Cassandra said.

"believe me, I have no intentions on ever going back to south-stairs, you have my word." Morrible said.

"good, now, what say you?" Cassandra asked.

Madame morrible looked over the list of demands and took up the quill pen on her desk.

"you have that ink of yours the special one, the one none of us ever approved of?" Morrible asked curiously.

"so, you'll do it then?" Cassandra asked waving her hand causing a sapphire inkwell to appear.

"I agree to try and meet your terms, but who is this last one on the list, he is the only who's name I've not heard whispered on the wind." Morrible asked.

"nice lad, bit of a trouble maker, they likely won't come for the next term, but the term after, given them the options, I can be patient, Glinda fully intends on enrolling her younger sister, as a bit of a pet project so to speak." Cassandra said summoning a quill pen that matched the inkwell in color.

Morrible nodded and pulled out a blank sheet of parchment from her desk. Setting it in front of her on the desk. Lady Cassandra dipper her pen in the sapphire ink and began writing a form of contract. The ink was enchanted and once two people came to an agreement and piece of paper was signed with it, a spell would bind them to that commitment. Morrible was desperate to try and put things right, now that she was powerless. She had no intentions on seeking power again, as that had landed her in a place she hated. She didn't like how much she'd have to do with these terms, but the alternative was keep begging. Signing the contract, she sighed and sat down.

"tell your sister and cousin they'll start working next term, you can have your original quarters back." Morrible said sighing.

Cassandra smiled and waited for the ink to dry, rolling up the parchment when it was. She knew Glinda wasn't going to be too pleased, but she made a note to return once the package reached emerald city.

Meanwhile back at the emerald city.

"and that's all I'm really going to explain for now." Dorothy said, having just told a condensed history of everything she's done while in Oz.

"I must say it's quite interesting, but for some reason its nots too surprising." Bill said.

"I'm shocked at how well you guys adjusted to it." dorothy said turning to him.

"well, they weren't exactly, completely out of the know about it." Em said in a teasing tone.

"exactly how much did you tell them?" ellie asked curiously.

"enough for them to not be surprised by anything." Em responded.

"how much was that?" Aislynn asked.

"a brief rundown, she said dorothy would likely explain the rest." Zeb said taking a letter from his pocket and handing it to her.

Aislynn read it over before passing it to dorothy. It explained that they for the most part lived double lives going back and forth, the one thing that bothered the majority of them, was that none of the four were surprised at the sudden revelation that magic does actually exist in some places. She didn't want to question it either though. Bill, Ned, Melinda, and Zeb had never told anyone the contents of the letters, not even to their friends from town. Mainly because they didn't want to be accused of being crazy. However, dorothy knew that this would likely lead to an interesting time.

This chapter started its life while I was in a state of writers block, a few more of my older ideas will be used in the future, others wont, and some things I teased in either previous stories or in rather early chapters will occur as well.