"Hey Curyn." Selky's oddly neutral greeting instantly alerted her roommate that something was up.

"Hello Selky," Curyn replied, looking up from her mirror where she was meticulously applying makeup. Actually the stuff she used had once belonged to Glinda; the strawberry blonde found it stuffed into the back corner of a drawer in the dresser. "Do you need something?" Selky beat around the bush.

"What do you think of Loxin."

"He's kinda quiet," Curyn responded, sensing nothing amiss. "But alright I guess. Not many people talk to him." Suddenly the blonde realized what such a question must mean. "You like him don't you?"

"Maybe."

"Yes," Curyn pressed. "You do. Now why were you asking me about him?" Unlike her roommate she did not like to avoid issues.

"Well Zamzam thought that maybe it would help my chances if you could…um…give me a makeover." The last few words came out in a garbled rush but Curyn somehow managed to decipher them.

"Why don't you ask Glinda to do it?" the strawberry blonde inquired incredulously. "I would kill to have her do my hair and makeup. She's a legend."

"But I wanted you to do it," Selky pressed, bouncing down onto her bed. "You're my fr…roommate."

"No."

"Why not?"

"You shouldn't change yourself for a boy. If he doesn't like you for you than he was never yours to have in the first place."

"I think that's an excuse."

"Maybe it is."

"Maybe you think that your prissy little popular friends will be appalled to discover that you associated with the temperamental underdog. Maybe you're afraid of that because you can't stand on your own."

"Maybe you're right."

"There's no maybe," she snorted, irately storming into the bathroom. In truth the angry teenager was more upset with herself than Curyn. She'd exposed herself, let on that she wanted her roommate's help, and been denied. It was like a slap in the face.

***

A vicious thunderstorm curled itself around Shiz University, wrapping the campus in swathes of thick gray cloud. Lightning shrieked outside the windows of Crage Hall and Selky shook in her bed. For some reason storms were worse when she was trapped inside; caged like some beast waiting for the slaughter. As a hammer of thunder shook the sky she couldn't help but give out a tiny yelp of pure terror. Determined not to let her roommate see this undignified episode Selky turned towards the wall, bit her lip, curled into a ball, and scrunched her eyes shut. It did no good, the shudders continued to rip through her. Stop being such a wimp, she chastened herself. Only babies are afraid of lightning. It's just a storm. However her rationalizations didn't help much when a bolt of crackling power split the sky in two.

Curyn was jolted awake by an explosive thunderclap. When her heart recovered from the startle she was surprised to see Selky shaking like a leaf. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine!" The stubborn teenager didn't even turn to face her roommate. "It's just cold that's all." Though there was a slight chill in the air it didn't excuse her trembling.

"You don't look fine."

"Well that's none of your business." More lightning plagued the dorm room, eliciting a boatload of whimpers from Selky. An old memory enlightened Curyn's puzzled brain. See that girl over there? That's Selky Fallorn; she's an orphan. Word is her parents were killed in a deadly lightning storm conjured by the wicked witch. For a moment the blonde deliberated. The friendship between the two girls, for there was still an inkling of trust despite their falling out, was new enough that it lacked boundaries. It was unsure to either roommate what was and was not acceptable. Still Curyn felt as if she had to do something.

Selky was shocked stiff when she felt her roommate crawl into bed beside her. She froze, momentarily distracted from the crashing cacophony outside. This temporary comfort only lasted for a minute though and seconds later she was again cringing at the flashes and resounding booms that followed. Curyn's arm snaked around her friend's side, gentle and comforting. Slowly the tightly wound fear in Selky's gut began to dissipate. "Thank you," she whispered. Another bridge crossed.

***

Selky was practicing with her sword, perfecting the all important form, when Elphaba knocked on the door. "Come in!" the teenager called, setting the weapon in its velvet lined case on her dresser. Upon catching sight of the green woman Selky's face fell.

"We need to talk," Elphaba explained softly, though it was clear that her daughter already understood. "I know you don't want to bring that night up again. I don't want to either but it's necessary."

"I know." The raven haired girl looked down and shuffled her feet. "I'm sorry for what I said. It was totally out of line and very, very stupid. I'm so grateful for what you and Fiyero have done for me; I shouldn't even have considered such notions."

"Selky I want to know the truth," Elphaba said softly, moving further into the room. "You know I think of you as my daughter, but if you'd rather our relationship be a distanced one…" Here her voice choked with pain. "I just want you to be happy in this new life; you've been through so much already." The green witch sat on her daughter's bed, gripping the headboard as if she needed support.

"I am happy," Selky told Elphaba truthfully. "And you and Fiyero are…well you're definitely much more than mentors. You're a part of my family and I love you both dearly but it's been less than a year and I'm eighteen. It's gonna take some time for me to…adjust." She hesitated. "But I want you two to be my new parents; I really do." As if to emphasize this point Selky wrapped her arms fiercely around the green witch. At that exact moment a shriek that could only belong to one person echoed through the palace.

Just to be clear there is no Gelphie-esque romance going on between Curyn and Selky…I just wanted to clear things up in case anyone was wondering (I am NOT a Gelphie fan)…anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter

Ooh it's the return of suspenceville…or cliffeville…whichever you prefer…DUH DUH DUH DUH!!