To keep herself occupied, she cleaned the thick coat of dust off of everything until only the floor was left. She scanned the room for something to clean the floor with. Her eyes fell on the broom in the corner. The one that the old crone had given her.

What was it that the lady had said to her?

"Take this, for it is your destiny…. Beware the company you keep… they just might kill you"

But what did that mean? That she was meant to be some sort of maid in a bad household? Elphaba smirked at the thought as she grabbed the broom from out of its corner. It was probably just one of the mental patients at the mauntry making mindless 'revelations'. Elphaba thought to herself.

Just as she was about to sweep the broom across the floor, it seemed to tug away from her. Elphaba looked at the broom for a moment and shrugged. She tried again. This time, the broom wrenched from her grasp and set itself gently against the wall. Elphaba stared in shock. Perhaps it's just weighted oddly…She tried to convince herself. She marched over to the broom, gritting her teeth.

"C'mere you!" She growled. To her surprise, the broom obeyed, planting itself in her outstretched hand.

"Enchanted broom? For what?" She asked aloud. As if to answer her, the broom levitated, taking her with it. It took a moment for her to realize that her feet weren't touching the ground anymore.

"Sweet Oz," she whispered under her breath. The possibilities…She thought.

"If you would be so kind, I'd appreciate if you put me down now." She told the broom. It made a loop around the room before dumping her (not exactly gently) on the bedroll and putting itself back in the corner.

"Oh, a funny one, are you?"

The broom shook- with amusement?- in the corner.

"Yeah, laugh it up while you can. You might accidentally tumble into the stove." Elphaba said with a smile. The broom stopped shaking. "That's better."

She sighed. She doubted that she could get the enchanted broom to sweep the floor. She'd have to get a more obedient broom. She shook her head.

Bored once more, she decided to take another look at Kumbricia's Book; she hadn't paid it much mind lately. She reached for the old trunk and unlatched it. It sprung open and she picked up the old book. At this point, she knew what she had to do to get it to 'work its magic'. She turned to the third page.

She didn't flinch as the blue-green light consumed her, and she wasn't surprised when she found herself falling into darkness. After a few moments, she wasn't in control of herself anymore.

Kumbricia, the yellow-eyed girl, sat nervously in a large stable. Her eyes darted every which way. A moment later, the large barn door slid open, revealing the girl Lurline holding a sack. She walked in and, using all of her effort, closed the door behind her. She wiped her forehead and set the bag down before Kumbricia.

"What's this?" Asked Kumbricia in small, but clear voice.

"Food." Lurline responded a she set out the contents of the bag.

Kumbricia looked shocked. "T-thank you"

Lurline just shrugged. "You can stay here if you want."

Kumbricia furrowed her brow. "In the stable?"

"No, silly! In the estates! I mean, sure, we have to find a excuse for you to stay, but - " She gasped as if she'd just come up with a brilliant idea. "Do you like horses?"

"They're alright…"

"Great! I remember my parents talking about having to get a new stable-hand. Apparently the old one didn't get along very well with Lymbret. That's our biggest stallion. He's quite moody and possessive of his herd." She explained. "You could fill the space. They're desperate. They'll hire anyone willing to work with Lymbret."

"You're sure they'd hire a girl to work on the stables?"

Lurline thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it… probably not. Maybe you could work as a maid instead…no, we have plenty of those…Or you could cut your hair and disguise yourself as a boy." She suggested. "You'd be paid and fed, get a nice room in the house, and get lessons with me and the other children. My parents want everyone here educated, not just us nobles."

Kumbricia bit her lip and looked helplessly at a lock of her wavy, brown hair. "Okay. I guess a haircut is a fair price for a job, home, and education…"

Lurline squealed with excitement. "Yay! I'll have a friend within the estates that isn't a conceited pain-in-the-rump."

Kumbricia smiled behind the biscuit she was nibbling. A friend would be nice… She thought.

Elphaba woke from her dream. She found herself leaning against the trunk. She shielded her eyes. The sun was high in the sky, as it normally was in the late afternoon. She stretched her limbs, which were stiff from her awkward sleeping position against the trunk, but didn't move from her spot on the ground. After all, she'd finished her chores for the day and looked into another dream from the book. What else was there to do but laze around and wait for the dreaded meeting?

Elphaba heard a rustling in the corner. The broom was shaking again.

"What do you want?"

The broom zipped across the room, back and forth, looping about before stopping dead in front of Elphaba. She took hold of it and it pulled her to her feet.

"Thanks…?"

It shook in response. It began to tug away in Elphaba's grasp, so she let go. It thrust itself back into her hand and shook again.

"What do you want from me?"

It floated higher into the air, bringing her along. It moved around the room, slowly. Elphaba's arms started to get tired.

"Wait a clock-tick." She told the broom. It stopped, but didn't lower itself. With strength and grace, she swung one leg over the handle and sat. When she was more comfortable, the broom moved again. It circled the room once, slowly, then, picked up speed for the next round as she got used to flying. It didn't go around a third time. Instead, it stopped just below the skylight and hovered, turning itself so that Elphaba could look outside.

"Oh, no. I am not taking you out in broad day light."

The broom lowered itself so that her feet were touching the ground again, removed itself from her grasp, and went to 'sulk' in the corner.

"Maybe tonight." She said. "If you're good." She smiled wryly. Who knew that I'd go from having human friends to talking to brooms? Speaking of friends…She reached into her cloak and pulled out the looking glass Turtle Heart had made for her. She wiped the dust off of it and stared into it.

"Shiz." She said. Her reflection faded to reveal the courtyard at Shiz. At a table, Glinda, Boq, Fiyero, Crope, and Tibbett gathered to eat lunch. Glinda and Boq sat next to each other, holding hands and blushing. Elphaba guessed that Crope and Tibbett were poking fun at them as a couple. Fiyero was absorbed in a book, scribbling things down in his notebook. He smiled every so often when Crope or Tibbett made a funny comment, but stayed focused on his book. Elphaba noticed an unusually large pile of books and notebooks at Fiyero's feet. Hmm… maybe it's a project, she thought. She smiled to see her friends having fun. Even if it is just some fantasy from a mirror, Elphaba told herself. Or maybe…Could this actually be happening? She turned her gaze back on Glinda and Boq. No, no. This is definitely my imagination.

When Elphaba thought that she had seen enough, she put down the looking glass. She was getting a bit anxious. Malky hadn't returned yet and the meeting was still hours away. She fidgeted for a bit, hoping that someone would come to the door. She hated that she wasn't able to do anything. She tried to think of something that she could do to help the Resistance. She had already found the green girl, obviously. She didn't know any other Resistance members, so she couldn't help Naytala spread the word about the meeting, and Malky was already taking care of getting the Animals. The only thing left that she could think of was the Grimmerie. She had it in her possession, yes, but they needed to know how it worked and how to read it. She had been told that she had wonderfully powerful magic abilities. Perhaps now was the time that she could finally put them to use without hurting anyone.

She studied the cover of the Grimmerie, still unsure of what she wanted to do with it. She opened it to a table of contents of some sort. It was written in a strange language that was wispy, but bold. She'd never seen anything like it before, but somehow, she understood some of it. In fact, she understood almost all of it. Apparently the Grimmerie was not only a spell book, but a giant, all-encompassing textbook of magic. She scanned the topics: Introduction to Magic for Extraordinary Mages, Types of Magic, The Sight, The Anatomy of a Spell, Writing Spells, Hiding Magic, Curses, Potions… The list seemed infinite. She turned to the first topic (Introduction to Magic for Extraordinary Mages) and did what she liked to do most: read.

She was studying The Anatomy of a Spell when Malky came back. He jumped through the cracked window landing silently.

"How was 'work'?" Elphaba asked, still reading.

"Exhausting." He replied.

"Then sleep. We still have that meeting to go to tonight."

Malky groaned. He jumped into Elphaba's lap, surprising her, and curled up. He fell asleep, with her unconsciously scratching his ears. She was still concentrated on the Grimmerie.

A few hours later, Naytala burst through the front door. Elphaba looked up. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I swear, there are Gale Force officers watching every last rat-hole in the Emerald City. I can't imagine how that Cat managed to get any Animals to safety."

At the mention of him, Malky stirred. Elphaba flinched. He'd been so still that she didn't remember that he was even there. He stretched and jumped from her lap to greet Naytala. Even as a Cat, he enjoyed attention like any kitten.

"What's that you've got there?" Naytala asked as she played with Malky.

"Grimmerie." She answered laconically, lazily turning a page.

"What! You can read it? How?"

Elphaba shrugged. "I don't know myself. I just can."

"Could I see it?" Naytala asked hesitantly. Elphaba held up one finger to tell her to wait a moment as she finished her section (Writing Spells). She closed the book and handed it to Naytala.

She opened the book and gazed at the strange lettering. "Hmm… hiding spells… That could use brushing up on…"

"So, you can read it too? What's the big deal then? I thought you said it was rare that anyone could read this."

"It is. It's only powerful mages that can read it, and only a few at that. I guess we're just lucky." Naytala wasn't really paying attention. She was skimming through the book.

"So do you think the Wizard could read it?"

"No. He's a fraud. A damn fraud." She said, looking up. She closed the book and handed it back to Elphaba. "Keep it here. Study it. We need mages in the Resistance."

"How many do we have?"

Naytala sighed. "As of now, two. Have you taken lessons in sorcery?"

"Not exactly. I don't like magic."

"Then learn to like it. From now on, I'll be tutoring you in magic. Uncontrolled magic can destroy you."

Elphaba cringed at the familiar words. "Yeah. I know."

"Right. So today at the meeting, do not, do not, reveal that you are green in front of everyone. We have codenames and wear hoods and masks for a reason, and seeing as you're green, you have more reason to keep hidden. I already know too much about you and some members might have a problem with your skin color. Pull Master aside or wait until after the meeting is over to tell him. If he addresses you about it in front of everyone, lie." Naytala instructed. "Do you understand, Fae?"

"Yes." She said, gravely. "I have one question though: is 'Naytala' just a codename?"

Naytala glared at her. "It's who I am. That's all you need to know. Come on. It's time to leave."

Elphaba stood. "Malky, you ready? Let's go!"

Malky appeared out of under the kitchen table. "You have mice." He stated as he followed them out.

For the second time that day, they entered the Resistance headquarters. It was much more crowded than it had been the last time there was a meeting, and fairly loud. The Master stepped up to the podium and the room fell silent.

"Brethren, I have some unfortunate news." Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"The Wizard has initiated his plan to put the Animals in cages until they forget how to speak. He's starting with the Emerald City, locking the gates. Now, Animals who reside here are being forced into cages. Only when they become animals again will they be released." The clamor among the audience grew louder and more urgent. "Our headquarters will become a haven to any Animals who need to hide. We can smuggle them out of the city, and maybe even Oz, a few at a time. In the meantime, we need to find some way to stall the Wizard. We need to create some chaos so big that it will completely draw his attention away from the Animals, but that won't affect how we function. Are there any ideas?"

"Bomb the palace!" A voice shouted.

"Burn the gates down!" Shouted another.

"Poison the food that goes into the palace!"

"Send threatening letters!"

"Give up…"

"Kill the Captain of the Guard!"

"No! Kill the Wizard!"

"QUIET!" The Master's voice boomed over the shouts. " Many of these ideas are good. I will deliberate with some of the head members and come back to you." He motioned for the head members to come up. Naytala grabbed Elphaba's arm and dragged her up with her, leaving Malky to tend to his Animal friends. Two more members went up to the podium. Master looked quizzically at Elphaba, then led them through a door. The door led to a barren hallway. He nodded to the two mysterious members, the opened another door. He, Naytala, and Elphaba walked in. The other members closed the door behind them and stayed in the hall.

"What do we do?" He asked, his voice strained.

"Stall, like you said." Naytala said, fairly gently.

"I…I know, but how? Everything's going so much faster than we thought…"

"Don't worry so much. We'll think of something."

Elphaba cleared her throat.

"Oh. This is Fae, as you know. She has something to tell you."

Elphaba shot her an 'oh-thanks-a-lot' look and took a deep breath.

"I'm the green girl."

"You're not serious." He turned to look at Naytala for confirmation. She nodded.

"And she's a mage."

"So you've been in the Emerald Palace and you have the Grimmerie!"

"I - "

"Yes, to both, but we should probably keep any mention of the Grimmerie within this little group. It's too valuable to lose to some careless mistake, which are becoming increasingly common among the Resistance." Naytala cut in. The Master nodded. Now, Elphaba was wondering who was actually in charge of this operation. Naytala seemed to be the brain behind the Master's voice.

"Those mistakes are going to cost us our lives." The Master mused.

"What kind of mistakes?" Elphaba inquired.

"They're not big mistakes, if that's what you're thinking. I mean, we haven't been caught for them yet…" Naytala answered. "It's mostly little things, like, talking a bit loud about our plans or not watching behind them to see if they're being followed when they come here. Some of the less patient members have been arrested for treason. I say good riddance."

"They won't talk?"

Naytala grinned wryly. "If they even try to tell anyone about the Resistance, their tongues will swell up until they either suffocate or stop trying to talk."

"I'm still not too fond of magic." The Master said to her. "It's powerful, yes, but when used against us, it's deadly."

Elphaba thought about this for a moment. "So why not kill the Wizard's Sorceress?" She asked.

"Who would that be?" The Master and Naytala asked together.

"Madame Morrible."

"Isn't she the Press Secretary?" The Master furrowed his brow.

"Yes, but she's also probably the most powerful sorceress in Oz. She has been for decades." How could they not know that? She wondered.

Naytala and the Master looked at each other, and seemed to come to a silent understanding. The Master smiled and they all stood up to leave.

"Fae, could you get a schedule of any big upcoming events that the Wizard has scheduled? There needs to be a crowd, and obviously, our dear Press Secretary needs to be in attendance. Give it time, though. We can't rush into anything; we need more training. After our next meeting, come back to this room with Naytala."

Elphaba nodded as they walked back to the main hall. Naytala tapped her shoulder.

"Congratulations." Naytala whispered. " You're the first member besides me, of course, that's been allowed to return there to discuss any plans for this organization. Before you know it, you might have a fake title to go with that codename."

Elphaba shrugged. "I think 'Your Greenness' may suffice." Elphaba said sarcastically as they pushed their way back into the fidgety crowd. The Master stepped back up to the podium and smiled mischievously down upon them.

"We, my friends," he started, "have a plan."