Alice waved the handkerchief faithfully before Elphaba grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a wall. Dorothy was there, too.
"Oh no! She got you, too!" Dorothy cried.
"I am perfectly fine, thank you. Elphaba means us no harm," Alice said in a bossy tone. What was this girl's problem?
"But, Glinda told me that she's evil," Dorothy told Alice.
"Glinda would do anything to please the people," Elphaba scoffed, "I'm here to get you three home."
"Three?" Alice questioned.
"The other girl. Sarah. She has to get home, too," Elphaba said.
"Right, of course," Alice concurred, "then shall we save her?"
"I'm right here," Sarah said, stepping out of the tall bushes, "but I can't go with you. I have to save my brother Toby."
"Jareth has him, doesn't he?" Elphaba sighed.
"Yes," Sarah said with equal despair.
"That means I cannot interfere. Best of luck," Elphaba told Sarah. Sarah nodded and took off in another direction, further into the labyrinth. Elphaba turned back to Alice and Dorothy, "you can get home with the simple click of your heels," she told Dorothy.
"What?" Dorothy squeaked.
"Glinda was going to make you go through some long winded journey with those three guys. In the end though, it comes down to those shoes. Alice looked down at the ruby slippers.
"What a pretty color," Alice commented. Elphaba made a disapproving noise.
"They were originally pure white. My sister Nessa's shoes. Don't know how they changed color," Elphaba told them, "anyway, just click your heels together three times and say 'there's no place like home'. Keep repeating that until it works." Dorothy didn't question her this time and did exactly what she was told. In a matter of seconds, Dorothy was gone.
"That's peculiar," Alice said, "I feel as if I should be getting somewhere."
"You are. The eighth square," Elphaba told her.
"I will still be a queen?" Alice asked hopefully.
"Yes, of course, but there will also be a time blip once you are crowned. This will take you home," Elphaba said, "take this though. It'll make sure you never forget the labyrinth of Wonderland, Oz." She picked a rose from the rosebush. It was half white, half red.
"Thank you," Alice said politely as she pocketed it.
"You're welcome. Now go on. You have a crown to wear."
Alice still gets to be a queen! Her dream of an adventure has been and will continue to be fulfilled!