Elphaba and Galinda sat on opposite benches, waiting for class to start. Each was surrounded by their group, refusing to acknowledge there were other students in the classroom. The babble of conversation filled the classroom. Elphaba was doing a scan of Galinda's bench. There were a few slightly familiar faces, nobody she knew extremely well. Nessa didn't sit on either bench, yet stayed a bit closer to Elphaba's side.
"Now, class, settle down!" Dr. Dillamond entered the classroom with a stack of papers tucked under one Goat arm. "I have read your most recent essays, and I am amazed to report some progress! Although, some of us still tend to favor form over content," Elphaba drifted away from the mini-lecture about essay writing momentarily as she saw a slightly shorter boy sitting on Galinda's bench. That's the boy Nessa was making Doe eyes at, Elphaba thought as he passed papers around the classroom. He pledges allegiance to Galinda. No, stop it, Elphaba! She scolded. This is not a war. It's a rivalry. Which is like a war. Almost.
"Miss G-h-h-linda," Dr. Dillamond struggled to form the 'a' as he gave her paper back. It sounded like 'Glinda'. Elphaba snickered to herself. She respected and quite liked Dr. Dillamond a lot, but the idea of Galinda going through life as 'Glinda' was impossibly hilarious.
"It's Ga-linda, with a 'Ga'," she said disdainfully, practically turning up her nose at the Goat.
"Oh, yes, of course," Dr. Dillamond apologized, and then tried again. "Miss G-h-h-h-h-linda."
"I don't see what the problem is," Galinda said. "Every other professor seems to be able to pronounce my name!"
"Maybe perfecting the pronunciation of your precious name is not the sole focus of Dr. Dillamond's life. Maybe he's not like every other professor. Maybe some of us are different." Elphaba said pointedly to Galinda. There were several gasps at Elphaba's comment. Galinda took it rather smoothly, though.
"Well, it seems the artichoke is steamed," she said smoothly. More outbursts.
"I'd be hard pressed to find an artichoke with fewer brains than you," Elphaba said. The class got even more rowdy, expecting at least a verbal, if not physical, fight from the two enemies.
"Now, class! Class!" Dr. Dillamond pawed one hoof for attention. "Miss Elphaba has a point. Well, doubtless you've noticed I am the sole Animal on the faculty. Ah, a token Goat if it were, but it wasn't always this way." Dr. Dillamond became reminiscent. "Oh, dear students, how I wish you could have known this place as it once was…When one would walk these halls and hear and Antelope explicating a sonnet…Or, or a wildebeest teaching philosophics, can you see, students, what has been lost!" Not a single person spoke, but most were too busy imaging how Shiz would have smelled, even if there was a greater variety of talented Animals on the staff. "How our dear Oz is becoming less and less…well, competent. Now, what set this in motion?!" He addressed the class with a question after wallowing in memories for a little while.
"From what I read, it began with the Great Drought," Elphaba said without looking up.
"Precisely!" Dr. Dillamond said. "Food grew scarce, and people grew hungry." Somebody slipped a scrap of paper on top of Elphaba's notes. She unfolded it, and read the hurried scrawl. Nice job with that question, Elfaba. -Deverig. Elphaba glanced back on her bench. A boy with bronze colored hair smiled nervously. Oh, please. Is he trying to flirt?! Elphaba thought, a strange panic rising at the thought. She turned back to the note and replied: You're just glad you didn't have to answer it yourself. -ElPHaba. Elphaba folded the paper and passed it back, upset that Deverig spelled her name wrong. She turned her attention back to the lecture.
"And the question came, whom to blame?" Dr. Dillamond had circled the point on his timeline labled 'The Great Drought' several times. "Can anyone tell me what is meant by the term…'scapeGoat'?"
Elphaba raised her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw the bronze-haired boy raise his hand too, but he put it down again quickly. Dr. Dillamond sighed. "Someone besides Miss Elphaba?" He turned to Galinda's bench. Surprisingly to Elphaba, Galinda had her hand raised. "Ah! Miss G-h-h-h-linda!" Galinda put her hand down angrily.
"It's Ga-linda! With a 'GA'!" she said, flaring up at another mispronunciation. "And I don't see why you can't just teach us history instead of always harping on the past!" Elphaba rolled her eyes. History is the past, idiotic ditz, Elphaba thought. Dr. Dillamond tried hard not to break out laughing.
"Well, ah, perhaps these questions I've prepared…" Dr. Dillamond flipped his chalkboard over, then froze.
'Animals should be seen and not heard,' the class read silently. The message was written in red paint that looked disturbingly like blood.
"Who is responsible for this?" Dr. Dillamond addressed the class. Elphaba got a new definition of the term 'Silence is deafening'. "I am waiting for an answer!" Elphaba glared at Galinda. Was this her idea of a sick joke? Galinda didn't notice. She just stared at the blackboard in a strange, indifferent shock. Dr. Dillamond was silent for a moment. "Very well. That will be all for today," He said. The students sat there, not believing what he had said. "You heard me! Class DISMISSED!" Students began to file out of the hall, muttering about what just happened. Elphaba stayed and looked at the chalkboard.
"Elphaba?" A few of her friends (Deverig included) and Nessa stayed behind.
"You go ahead." She waved them off. She needed to talk to Dr. Dillamond. "Animals should be seen and not heard?" Elphaba read the words off the chalkboard as if they would go away. Dr. Dillamond flinched to hear them aloud.
"Miss Elphaba, don't worry about me, go enjoy your friends." Dr. Dillamond implored, nervously cleaning up a few forgotten essays.
"That's all right, they won't miss me this once." Elphaba sat down on one of the benches again. "Would you like to share my lunch?" Elphaba unwrapped a sandwich. Dr. Dillamond's ears twitched at the sound of crinkling paper.
"Why…thank you. How kind," He took the seat next to her. Elphaba was about to offer him half the sandwich when he took the paper and began chewing on it contentedly. Still, Elphaba could tell the Goat was troubled. He set down the paper after a few bites.
"I seem to have lost my appetite…" He trailed off, trying not to look at his chalkboard.
"You shouldn't let ignorant statements like that bother you," Elphaba said. "I try not to, and I'll help you find-"
"Oh, Miss Elphaba, if only it were just a matter of words on a chalkboard..." Dr. Dillamond shook his head. "But the things one hears these days!" He scooted closer to Elphaba. "Dreadful things! I've heard of an Ox, a professor from Quox, no longer permitted to teach! Who has lost all powers of speech!"
"What?" Elphaba said suddenly. Animals always talked, why did this Ox suddenly…stop?
"Yes! And an Owl in Munchkin Rock! A vicar, with a thriving flock, forbidden to preach! Now, he only can screech!" Dr. Dillamond checked to see if they were still alone. "Only rumors, but still, enough to give pause to anyone with paws… Something bad is happening in Oz." Dr. Dillamond got up and started pacing slightly. Elphaba's jaw dropped. This wasn't right! They had the Wizard, he kept Oz wonderful.
"Something bad…happening in Oz?" Elphaba had to make sure she had heard right. Why hadn't she learned of this before now? This was serious!
"Under the surface," Dr. Dillamond said as if reading her mind. "Behind the scenes, something ba-a-a-a-d…" Dr. Dillamond started, then clasped his throat with his hooves. He started coughing, trying to clear up whatever it was that made him bleat like that. "Bad," he corrected himself as if he had never made a sound like that.
"Dr. Dillamond, are you all right?" Elphaba stood up, also understanding the severity of an Animal making its natural sounds. "Shall I fetch you a glass of water?" She headed to the door, but Dr. Dillamond stopped her.
"Oh, no, no, no," he said, hoof still at his throat. "I don't know what came over me," he tried to laugh, but it sounded fake.
"So you're saying that there are Animals who have somehow forgotten how to speak?" Elphaba rejoined her teacher. "Why haven't we heard about it? We need to raise awareness! My friends and I can organize a rally or-"
"No! No! We can't draw too much attention to ourselves, otherwise the person or people causing this will come down on us! They may keep many other Animals quiet," Dr. Dillamond leaned in to tell her this, like it was a big secret. "But I for one will never let them silence me!" The door opened, and somebody entered the room, and Dr. Dillamond looked up. "Ah, Madame Morrible!"
"Are you all right, Doctor? I heard there was some kind of disturberance in class!" Madame Morrible bustled in, then noticed Elphaba. "Miss Elphaba, you're still here?" She turned her back to the chalkboard she hadn't noticed yet. Dr. Dillamond took the opportunity to flip it back over. "I would have thought you would have been on your way to my seminar by now." Elphaba gulped. She did have the seminar right after Dr. Dillamond's class today.
"Yes, Madame, I would be…" Dr. Dillamond was making motions behind Madame Morrible's back. Elphaba immediately got the message: Be quiet! Don't say anything! Didn't Dr. Dillamond just say to never be silent?
"But…?" Madame Morrible pressed. Elphaba looked away. "I hope I haven't misplaced my trust in you…Magic is a demanderating mistress, and if one's ambition is to meet the Wizard…" That settled it. Elphaba had to stay quiet. "I think not everybody sees my point." Madame Morrible glanced at Dr. Dillamond, then left. Elphaba turned to her teacher.
"I have to go," Elphaba was about to follow her, when and idea struck her. "Dr. Dillamond, if something bad is happening to the Animals, someone's got to tell the Wizard. He'll make it right. That's why we have a Wizard. So nothing bad…"
"I hope you're right," Dr. Dillamond said dryly.
"Nothing all that bad…" They said together, laughing off the severity of the situation. It was only rumors, nothing…
"Nothing truly ba-a-a-a-ad…" Dr. Dillamond added, but bleated again. All frivolous judgments disappeared like smoke in the wind. "Sorry," he whispered, barely daring to truly speak. "Bad," He looked Elphaba in the eyes, begging her not to say anything, yet still too afraid of his own voice to tell her outright. Sadly, Elphaba nodded slightly, and the professor left for some rest.
"It couldn't happen here in Oz…." She voiced to the empty room, trying to believe it couldn't and never would.
I messed up some of Dr. Dillamond's lines because the only clip I could find with the classroom scene had poor audio. If someone would be willing to send me an offical script, I would give them candy. Or a hug. Whichever they wanted ;). School started again, so bear with me for a little while as I write in class. Also, my all-containing USB drive is lost away from me, so any stories I had on that are Missing in Action, which slows updates. I'm sorry I'm letting you guys down , (crying). Reviews are happy, so send them and I will respond to all that I can. And Fiyero is coming! Hold your Horses! It's his song next… -LostOzian