Tears burned at Selky's eyes as she flew through the night sky. Where did that come from? She'd never lost her temper like that before. Again the image of Elphaba's hurt face flashed through her mind. More tears. The harsh wind was twisting her curly hair into a nest of thorny black brambles, but she couldn't bring herself to care. What in Oz had she just done? How irreversible was the damage? Surely Elphaba must hate her now. Sweet Oz if Elphaba knew Glinda and Fiyero would surely know within moments. What had she done?
More tears blurred the teenager's vision. It didn't matter. There was nothing to run into so high in the air and she didn't care where the broom took her. All she needed was to get away. Unfortunately Selky was wrong about one thing; there was something to run into up in the air. That something was an impressive, mountainous thunderstorm. A blaze of brilliant lighting was what first alerted the young runaway to the approaching weather system. With a shriek loud enough to rival Glinda Selky directed the broom downwards, weaving around the mass of enormous gray clouds. Ever since her parents were killed by a lightning storm conjured by Madame Morrible she was deathly afraid of them.
Wildly searching for shelter Selky dipped into a forest. A slash of lightning struck nearby and the force of its explosive impact knocked the broom askew. Terrified and soaking wet she landed in a slick pile of damp leaves beside one of those enormous rock piles you'd find in the woods. A cave loomed behind the frightened teenager, large enough for her to fit comfortably inside. Selky weighed the risks; entering what was possibly a wild animal's lair or facing the storm. Another crash of thunder made the decision for her. She launched herself into the darkness.
***
"Any sign of her?" Elphaba demanded of Chistery. She was soaked from pacing on the exposed balcony.
"The flying Monkeys of the Gale Force have not spotted Miss Selky," the primate told her sadly, shaking off his green and gold uniform. "But we will keep looking."
"Good," the green girl sighed, waving him off.
"Elphie come inside!" Glinda insisted from the warm interior of the Emerald Palace. "It won't do Selky any good if you catch a cold." Relenting to her friend's logic the worried witch marched inside.
"Where is she?" Elphaba demanded, slumping into a chair. "I should be out there looking for her!"
"Fiyero and half the Gale Force are already turning Oz upside down," the blonde pointed out, squeezing into the chair beside her one time roommate. "It's not right for Oz's ruler to be risking her neck too."
"It was my fault though," the green woman insisted. "I was the one trying to be something Selky could never accept me as. I was the one who set her off." Tears strained at her voice.
"Don't you dare blame this on yourself," Glinda grumbled. "Selky was worked up and she went off on you. I'm sure she didn't mean half the things she said." There was no response as Elphaba set her jaw and refused to succumb to her emotions. "You've been a great mother to her." A moment of tense silence rolled over them.
"That's it," Elphaba snapped, getting to her feet in a whirl of black fabric. "I'm going after her on the broom."
***
Selky soon realized that the cave went further back than she thought. She crawled deeper into the moss lined enfolds of the darkness, afraid of the lightning sparking outside. "Hello?" A voice echoed towards her from further into the cave. The teenager halted.
"Who's there?" she called, her voice unusually timid.
"Just an old hermit," the voice replied sadly. "Come on over; it's mighty cold without a fire." Warily the young girl crept forward. Soon she saw the glow of a small campfire. Beside it sat a kind looking old man. His thin hair was white and jolly looking wrinkles creased his weathered face. Despite the smile there was a deep sadness in his eyes. "Welcome," he said gently, gesturing for her to join him.
Selky inched closer to the fire, her eyes guarded. She held the broom ready to be used as a weapon. "Who are you?"
"Oscar Greentown," the man replied.
"That's an interesting name," the girl noted, settling down across the fire from him. "Why are you out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"I don't have anywhere else to go," Oscar explained. "And I've done some terrible things. Returning to the rest of the world just isn't an option." Suddenly Selky felt a whole lot in common with this odd stranger. "So why is a pretty young thing like you way out here?"
"I ran away from home," the weary teenager admitted. "I had a big fight with my...someone I love very much. I doubt she'll ever speak to me again; I said some horrible things."
"She'll forgive you," Oscar assured her. "It couldn't have been that bad."
"Oh it was," Selky assured him sadly.
"Whatever you did it couldn't compare to my biggest mistake," the old man told her. A dark shadow passed through his eyes. Though curiosity burned at her brain Selky resisted the urge to ask. Silence filled the small room and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to shiver. "Here" Oscar tossed her a blanket-sized shred of some strange fabric. Gratefully the teenager wrapped it around her cold body.
"What did this come from?" she asked before rudeness or convention could hinder her natural curiosity.
"I used to travel by balloon as a traveling salesman," the old man explained. "I was trying to get home in the old thing when it crashed in this forest. I salvaged what I could and decided to become a hermit."
"Couldn't you be a hermit in a more hospitable place?"
"No," Oscar sighed. "I was exiled from Oz. Lord knows what Glinda the Good would do if knew I hadn't left."
"Glinda exiled you?" The gears were ticking in Selky's head. Her brow furrowed. "Why would she do that?"
"Well for one thing I oppressed the people of Oz for longer than I care to remember," he said quietly, regretfully. "And for another I killed her best friend, who just happened to be my own daughter." Here sobs leaked through his carefully composed mask.
"Sweet Oz!" Selky exclaimed, leaping up and almost hitting her head on the roof of the cave. "You're the Wizard of Oz!"
Yep the Wizard of Oz is back and he's bringing with him drama and a whole lot of potential for cliffhangers (goody goody)…you guys must hate me