Chapter 16

The ballroom was completely empty, leaving Emily alone with Fausto. Fausto smiled as he looked down at her, and stroked her face gently. He whispered the words "I love you" in her ear. She looked up and smiled, but as they were about to finally embrace and kiss, a dark cloud surrounded Fausto.

"Fausto!" Emily screamed as she reached for him. But in his place stood another man, whose face she couldn't make out.

"You will be mine" He said in a dark, yet strangely seducing voice. He came forward and grabbed Emily.

"No…Fausto!" She tried to scream, but could not find her voice.

"You already belong to me!" He drew her further in, and it seemed the harder she fought, the closer she was drawn in. She finally found her voice and let out the loudest scream she could let out.

"Emily…Emily….Emily!" She heard her name from a distance, but couldn't find the source. The seducing voice came back.

"You can't stay away from me for forever, you will come to me"

"EMILY!"

Emily woke up with a start. Melinda was standing over her, with a look of shock.

"Umm, I heard you screaming from the hall, are you alright?"

Emily sighed with relief. It was a dream. Just a dream. But then why did it feel so real? And that voice.

"I must've been having a bad dream. Sorry…." Emily then reached for neck. Her necklace was gone.

"Wait..my necklace!" She exclaimed, and looked around her frantically.

"Hold on, I have it right here" Melinda said and handed over Emily's necklace. "I found it on the floor, almost stepped on it! Really, you should keep better care of it"

"But. I didn't…" Emily began to say as she put it back on. Of course, Melinda interrupted.

"Well, if you're quite finished sleeping now, I have your clothing for your tour…oh look at you, you didn't even change out of your dress…and your hair!"

Emily took Melinda's hands and looked at her in the eye. "I will do it myself, thank you"

Melinda stepped back "Hmph, very well, be ready in 10 minutes, Fausto is waiting for you downstairs"

Emily then remembered last night with Fausto. She remembered dancing, and the party. But she didn't remember coming back up here. Emily finally got the strength to drag herself out of bed and put on the clothing Melinda had brought her. The clothing was simple enough, a green skirt and a white cami tank top. She quickly got dressed and began to brush out her hair. As she looked in the mirror, she stopped and put her brush down.

"I still can't believe I'm actually here…that this is all real…Is this all a dream?" She took a hair from her head, and plucked it out. "Ouch..well, I guess not" She finished her hair and stepped out of her room. She looked down the hall to the right, which seemed to never end. She then looked to her left and saw the same.

"Ugh, which way was it…" She started to the right. As she wandered down the hall, she couldn't help but admire the emerald columns around her, the pictures on the wall, peeking around in other rooms.

Beyond My Wildest Dreams– (Emily)
(author's note: For those who have never seen "Little Mermaid" on Broadway, you might not recognize this song. Please download this song somewhere, some how. It is a great song! This song just really reflects someone in another world, not completely unlike they're own, but still so very foreign to them. Like Ariel in the human world, Emily's in this unknown world. And both have gone to different worlds and found love. And I'll stop there, because that's about where the similarities will end. Sorry.)

Oh! Just look, It's like I'm in a storybook , Oh! It's bliss, I dreamed that it would be somewhat- but not like this!
Look over there, Oh my god, How very odd, And what might they be? Something splendid, maybe!
Look over here, Could you bust? Isn't it just bedazzling, dazing, utterly amazing! Gazing 'round, it's like, to die! Just seeing it feels so good, I'd scream if I only could!

I'd hoped and wished and wanted so to be here. Wished and prayed and planned it to a "t". Prayed and wow! Just look - it's really me here! Walking around, strange as it seems, somewhere beyond my wildest dreams!

I'd hoped and wished and wondered what I'd do here. Wished and prayed
and pictured what I'd see. Prayed and wow! My prayers are coming true here!
Look at it all, look how it gleams. Lovely beyond my wildest dreams...

Emily finally found the right hallway, leading to the entrance of the palace. As she got closer, she saw Fausto standing at the door, talking to a guard. She stopped in her tracks and quickly hid behind the nearest column, so he could not see her. And, as if on cue, Fausto looked back as if hearing something, and then went back to talking.

Look - it's him! So handsome and refined and slim. Sweet, sincere, magnificent from head to toe, and oh...

I'd hoped and wished my life would feel enchanted. Wished and prayed the fates would hear my plea. Prayed and wow, my prayers are more than granted…

Look at it all, hall after hall, perfect as you could please here! Marvels galore, and even more, Gee, did I mention *he's* here? And if - who knows? - all of it goes
past even these extremes. Just look at me and you will see someone beyond her wildest dreams!

"Oh, Emily!" Emily looked behind her to see Melinda. "There you are, I mean, I did say 10 minutes didn't I?"

"Yes, sorry, this place is so…overwhelming"

Emily looked over at Fausto, who had turned towards her direction and grinned.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to come" He said as he came over and guided her to the doors. "Come the carriage is here."

The morning quickly turned into evening, as time seemed to fly by as Fausto guided Emily around the city, pointing out landmarks and such. Emily didn't hear much of what he was saying, as irresistible as his voice was, she just couldn't pay attention. There was so much going on around her. Being a farm girl, there weren't any cities around her, so this would mark her first time being in one. There were so many people, all of them seemed like they were in a hurry, walking with purpose. The buildings were huge, towering over any silo she had ever seen.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Fausto asked sincerely.

Emily nodded "I am, this place is so beautiful…and green" She added and smiled.

"Yes, green it is" Fausto replied. Fausto then turned directly to her. "Emily?"

"Yes?" Emily answered. By the way Fausto's voice had changed, it sounded like an important question was about to be brought up.

"Emily, I won't lie. I've enjoyed your company, and I wanted to...let you know that…" Fausto seemed to get choked on the words. "I'd… I'd love for you to consider staying here, in Oz."

Emily laughed. "But where else would I go?"

"Back to your star"

Emily stopped laughing. Home. Kansas. The Farm. Dorothy. "Fausto, I don't know how the whole traveling between worlds thing works. I came here by chance and…" Emily noticed Fausto face saddening. She took his hand and held it. "I will stay here with you, as long as I can. I promise."

Fausto leaned over and whispered. "Thank you" which he then followed with a kiss on her cheek.

Later that night

Back at the castle, it was getting late. Everyone had already returned to their rooms for the night. Everyone except Glinda, who had once again shut herself up in her secret room. She sat at a desk, flipping through the Grimmerie, trying to comprehend it. "Why? Why can't I read it? Am I not powerful enough? Not experienced enough? No that's not possible; Elphie didn't start that much sooner than me…Then why?" She mumbled to herself. She shut the book and turned away from it. "This is getting ridiculous…almost 20 years and I haven't been able to understand anything out of that thing"

My Immortal– (Glinda)

Author's note: I know its not a very "Glinda-fied" song, but just look at these lyrics, they completely describe her every feeling right now. I guess if we put it up a couple octaves, it'll be a Glinda song. Also I didn't put the entire song in, because the chorus repeats 3 or 4 times, and the chorus is not the part of the song I want to focus on.

I'm so tired of being here, Suppressed by all my childish fears, And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave, 'Cause your presence still lingers here And it won't leave me alone.

These wounds won't seem to heal, This pain is just too real, There's just too much that time cannot erase.

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears, When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears, And I held your hand through all of these years, But you still have all of me.

You used to captivate me, By your resonating light, Now I'm bound by the life you left behind. Your face it haunts, My once pleasant dreams, Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me.

These wounds won't seem to heal. This pain is just too real. There's just too much that time cannot erase.

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone, But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along.

Glinda sat in silence and took out a small box from underneath the desk. Inside were the two bottles of the wizards green elixir, and an old "Wizomania" postcard. Glinda pulled it out and smiled. She remembered that first fateful day in the Emerald City with Elphaba. She turned the postcard over. On the back, in Elphaba's elegant handwriting was the message "Two Best Friends, One Short Day. Thanks for the Best Time of my Life- Elphie"

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears, When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears, And I held your hand through all of these years, But you still have all of me.

"Glinda, you need to stop all this nonsense." Nalia said as she came down the small staircase. "You told me you had cleared this junk out and made a real study"

Glinda smirked "I put a desk in, therefore it qualifies as a study." She said as she put the postcard on top of the desk.

"Look, it's been 20 years, for goodness' sake you need to get over this!" Nalia exclaimed and held up Elphaba's broom. "This is no longer a magical broom Glinda, its just a normal broom, we might as well give it to the servants to clean. It would at least be used!"

Glinda snatched away the broom. "Stop it, just please…you don't understand"

"But I do understand! Everyone goes through this Glinda; everyone loses someone they cared about. But they get over it! They don't build personal little shrines to them!"

Glinda looked at Nalia and sighed. "This is no shrine. Nalia, if it wasn't for Elphaba, neither one of us would be who we are right now. I would've never been accepted into sorcery class, and neither would've you! I'd still be Galinda Upland, and we'd still be in the Upper Uplands sipping tea everyday and be nothing but popular!"

Nalia fired back. "Elphaba had nothing to do with it. You and I always had talent. No matter what, one way or another we would have gotten into that sorcery class. And I believe that if it hadn't been for Elphaba's whole "Wicked" escapade we would have been better off!"

Glinda shook her head. "Stop, just…stop. This conversation is over"

Nalia then added; "But just remember, if Elphaba had not been in the way, you would've had the man of your dreams. Instead of that dreary whats-his-name husband you had before he ran off into the Great Sandy Waste."

Glinda glared at Nalia "You are to never speak of Willheard as if he ran away from me and threw away his life. He was a good man, and was more than you have ever had Nalia, so I suggest you back off!" Nalia stepped away from Glinda, her expression was mixed between anger and shock.

"I'm sorry" She said quickly and headed back up the stairs.

Glinda sighed and looked around the study. "They'll never bring us down." She whispered and headed up the stairs. She closed the door gently behind her, and then looked around to make sure there were no witnesses. She then waved her wand, and the door magically disappeared. She then walked away. From down the hallway however, Melinda was hiding behind a column. She walked towards where the door had once been and put her hand on the wall. Nothing. She knocked on the wall. Still nothing.

"Are you looking for something Melinda?" Nalia's voice came from behind her. "Oh um, no, just coming to get a drink, goodnight!" Melinda then walked away as quickly as possible. Nalia stood and stared at the wall. She smiled slowly and walked away.