Thank you Zerousy and Sakura Liesel for the reviews, Lord knows that I need them. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Theodora (deceased), Evanora (deceased), the Wizard of Oz (missing), or Dorothy (home)

Evan POV

I paced in the hospital's front room. None of the rescue men like to leave someone alone until they are certain whether or not someone made it through.

Their worry was transmitted to me. This was my first rescue since my dad dragged me along hoping I would want to be a rescue man like him.

I didn't want to go but when my father called me over to that basket that had a small pale hand sticking out of it and told me to hold it, I knew it was right to have come.

That girl, Tiana, with her white hair and blue eyes, that seemed to pierce my very soul, seemed worth the horrible trip.

The strange part was that we'd been told there was no hot air ballons up since we started the twister watch. So, where did she come from?

She couldn't be from Colorado, Utah, Idaho, or Montana. I'd believe Nebraska but I doubted it.

The weather channel said that a couple of funnel clouds had started in Kanas and quickly crossed into Colorado and then Wyoming. Maybe she got picked up in Kanas while riding around in a hot air balloon, but wouldn't there have been someone else in there?

A doctor came out and everyone stood up, "Which one of you is the parent?"

My father came forward, "None of us ma'am, we're just the team that rescued her."

The doctor looked at a clipboard and sighed, "Well, the little miss-"

"Tiana, ma'am," I interrupted.

"Excuse me," she said putting her hands on her hips. I looked down at my shoelaces, the entire team was staring at me. ME! I'm only the fifteen year old who's going along for the ride because of his father.

"B-before she blacked out she said her name was Tiana, ma'am," I stammered, the words seemed jumbled together to me as I hurried to spit them out.

"Well, Tiana," she emphasized the name, "came here with a broken rib," the whole team shook their heads, "but as we went to reset it, the unbelivable happened."

We looked at her, urging her to say something, "The bone had reset itself and had already healed!" Everyone looked at each other in disbelief. "We thought something was wrong with the machine so we wheeled her into another room and we got the same results."

"How's that possible," Derek, the leader of the team, asked.

"Either she jumped out of a comic book, or something's going on that none of us could possibly comprehend." The doctor said turning to look at a nurse.

"Doctor Thompson, she's awake, but none us can understand what she wants. She keeps talking about a stronghold and a place where there are flying monkies," the nurse said with a puzzled expression on her face.

Victor laughed, "Sounds like that lady from the news, what was her name? Dorothy Gale, I think. She talked about while she was in her house in the tornado she dreamed about a place called, Oz, where there was a Wicked Witch of the West who had flying monkies. Strangest thing I ever heard." He had voiced my thoughts and everyone agreed with it.

My father stepped forward, "Look Doc, can we see her, we never leave someone who we rescued until we are sure they have everything they need." The doctor looked at the clipboard as if it might have some answers and the nurse cleared her throat, "And she's asking about someone named Evan."

Everyone looked at me and I looked at nurse wide-eyed, "Me? Why's she asking about me?"

"If you were there when she blacked out it's normal that she'd ask for you," Dr. Thompson said looking at her clipboard. All the boys that were with their fathers glared at me as if they thought one of them was supposed to be in my situation, being asked about by a pretty girl.

The doc sighed, "Fine, but only in pairs, the rooms not big enough for all of you." She turned to me. "Since you are being asked for you and your father can come in first." I noticed my "friends" were glaring at me in hatred.

I felt nervous as Dr. Thompson guided my father upstairs. She motioned for us to wait outside and she went inside, "Hello, I'm Dr. Thompson and-"

"Is Evan here?" A sweet voice asked. I heard that voice and thought of bells, then I heard the grating voice of Dr. Thompson answer, "Yes, but you have other visitors as well. So he and his father will only be here for five minutes, or until I get back with the next set of visitors." She walked out and nodded us inside and walked away.

Father and I looked at eachother before walking forward. The room was sterile white with blue curtains. Tiana sat in a chair in a white dress that obviously wasn't a hospital gown.

It came up to just below her neck and was decorated with swan feathers. Her voice sounded like a harp that time as she spoke, "I thank you for helping me out of the basket, it was an uncomfortable situation."

"I bet," were the only words I could choke out. She gave me a smile that sent my heart skipping in place. My father started asking her if she needed anything and if the hospital was treating her well.

Tiana seemed to find it amusing until father asked where she lived, "I live in Oz, in the dark forest, at the old," she paused and frowned, "I don't remember the old stronghold's name, fancy that!" She gave us a broad smile that showed perfect white teeth.

Father went back to asking her questions and each time she answered her smile grew even broader. After a while the nurse stuck her head in and made a coughing noise as she gestured for me and father.

We said our good-byes to Tiana and her smile seemed to turn to an instant frown. As we walked out I saw Victor and his son Trevor walk into the room. Trevor had a smirk on his face as we walked past eachother. What was that about?

Tiana POV

The boys from the rescue team came and went, eachone tried to impress me with their sons accomplishments and their sons made the excuse that it was hot in the room so they took off their jackets and their first shirts revealing white workout shirts that revealed their abs and biceps.

But they all looked at me with a want that confused me. I'm pretty good at reading emotions, but I couldn't understand what was going on in their minds. I seen that look on many of the Winkies that walked around the stronghold and still couldn't identify it.

None of the boys stayed for more than five minutes except one he stayed for ten. He was the son of Derek, Julian. He asked me my age.

"Fifteen," I replied without hesitation. I had answered every question for the past three minutes and I had studied his face within that time and yet I still couldn't find what his face hid from me.

Julian nodded and continued with asking questions. At one point his father left the room and this made me nervous. Every fiber in my being screamed at me to run and that this wasn't right.

He walked over to me and was about to whisper something in my ear when Dr. Thompson came in and said that visiting hours were over. I couldn't supress the relief that washed over me.

When Julian was close to the door I motioned the doctor over to me. She came, like one of mother's flying monkies, coming when summoned, "Please, I don't want anyone else to come and visit me except Evan and his father." I realized I didn't know the man's name, but Dr. Thompson nodded and then left writing something on her clipboard.

I straightened out my white dress that fooled the doctor and the parents that it was a simple hospital gown. I remembered finding the dress design in one of my mother's old books. I stood walked over to the bed, laid down, and curled up.

A storm over head caused a little girl to run down a long hallway in an old, crumbling stronghold. Everytime lightning flashed and thunder rumbled the girl whimpered. She ran toward her mother's empty room. "Mother, mother," she cried into the night.

More thunder rumbled and she flung herself onto the floor and crawled under the bed. Crying more and more at each lightning flash and each rumble of thunder. Until she heard the woods groan and the stomps of boots. The girl squirmed out from underneath the bed and looked up at her mother.

Everyone saw her mother as a green-skinned, hooked-nose Wicked Witch of the West, but the girl saw her from before she was the Wicked Witch of the West. Someone who was beautiful. The two sat together in the darkness as the storm continued to rage on outside, in the world they wouldn't go out to until morning.