DISCLAIMER: in the first chap...

DRAWING LIIR

Strong lines had been drawn upon the off-white paper. They outlined big eyes, staring straight ahead. Smudges and delicate brushes had been added, filling the clear orbs of undefined color. With great care, delicate fingers had gripped the pencil and complemented the eyes… Eyelashes, eyebrows, the soft curve that hinted at a nose. The drawing took form and depth and, looking upon it, it would be possible to believe that they could belong to a real person; that they could see and be seen.

But they were wrong.

Long, green fingers pulled the paper as the hand fisted, crumpling the thin material. Another hand joined in, as if to make sure that the sheet had been properly crushed. Without ceremony, or even a second thought, the twisted form was then thrown off to the side. It fell easily to the floor, joining the innumerous other paper balls that had been similarly discarded.

Sigh.

Three long hours had passed since Elphaba had sat on her bed, back against the wall, and had started drawing. Each attempt had shown improvement. Each new drawing had had a little more depth, a little more reality. In the end, though, they had all brought her nothing but disappointment. Because, no matter how close they each seemed to come to the real eyes, the sketches were never like the real deal.

Eyes she had never really seen, but longed to preserve.

Memory seemed to fail her a little more each day and she needed to remember.

Frustrated and utterly tired, the green girl allowed her head to fall back. It hit the wall's hard surface with a thud and a momentaneous amount of pain. Silently, Elphaba closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

She did not sob, did not cry.

She just stayed there, unmoving, as she willed her breaking heart to settle. Wishing for things led to nothing but heartache and she had suffered too much already.

Click.

The door to her room opened slowly and Galinda waltzed in. She had a bright smile on her lips that soon fell, when her roommate came into view. Carefully, the blond girl closed the door behind her and approached Elphaba. The green girl, dressed simply in black, showed no sign of having noticed her friend's entrance.

Galinda took in the sea of paper littering the floor and the empty pad on the other girl's lap. Still without speaking, the fair skinned girl bent down and retrieved one of the discarded balls. She pulled at the edges, smoothing the wrinkled material with her thumbs.

Soulful eyes stared back at her.

There was something familiar about them, but she failed to recognize why. Besides, the eyes seemed to belong to a child. She wondered… Another discarded ball revealed the same eyes. With them still in hand, Galinda sat beside her roommate and scooted closer, until their shoulders touched.

"Elphie?" There were confusion and curiosity and apprehension all crammed into that one single word.

Elphaba's hand remained limp on her lap, but her face shifted sideways, a lock of midnight dark hair falling onto her eyes. Now open, they met Galinda's gaze in silent sorrow. She offered her friend no answer, though.

"What are you doing, Elphie?" No response. "Who are you trying to draw?" She insisted, extremely worried about her friend's sudden frailty, when she had been the stronger of them both not a week before.

"Liir." Longing laced that single name so completely that deep sympathy overwhelmed the blonde. "I think I'm starting to forget how he would look like."

"Oh, Elphie." Galinda laced her arms around the other girl's thin waist and leaned her head onto her shoulder, hugging her dearly. "It's about that vision you had, isn't it? Someone you lost?"

Elphaba clutched her roommate's arms as they circled her frame, giving all the answer Galinda needed to know.

"Is it possible to loose something you'll never have?" her voice sounded coarse, as if unused for some time. Galinda nodded and though she didn't see the gesture, Elphaba felt it.

"Course. You loose the hope of possibility."

No wiser words could have been spoken and again, the green student marveled at her seemingly airhead of a friend. She was much smarter than anyone gave her credit for.

"Who is it, Elphie?"

"My son…"

"Maybe you'll still have him."

"No." Small shake of the head. "I can't."

"Why?"

"Because, to keep his father safe… I have to be as far away from him as possible." A whisper, barely audible.

"But, Elphie… maybe there is another way to keep him safe?"

"There isn't." She said the words with finality.

A long pause settled between them. Then, unable to hold it in anymore, Galinda tentatively asked, "Who is the father, Elphie?"

"Lynn, I can't…"

Nothing else was said; nothing else could be said. The two friends just sat there, embracing, content in the moment.

In that, they lost a bit the track of time, but gathered that a considerable amount of it had passed, for darkness had claimed the skies and a slight chill had managed to settle within the room. They both wouldn't have noticed it, though, if reality hadn't demanded to be brought back in.

Knock.

Again, the noise resounded against the walls, finally succeeding in catching the girls' attention. Galinda got up to answer the door, throwing Elphaba a questioning gaze over her shoulder. Green shoulders shrugged back at her.

"Who is it?" Asked Galinda rather sweetly.

"Madame Morrible."

A frown settled upon the beautiful girl's features. She was quick to hide it with a wide, if fake, smile before swinging the oak door open.

"What can we do for you today, Madame?"

"I wish to speak to your roommate, Miss Upland. And, I would appreciate it if you managed to make yourself scarce in the meantime." A pointed look accompanied the older woman's harsh words.

Galinda turned sideways, allowing the headmistress to enter at the same time as she stood with her face out of the woman's sight.

Want me to stay?

A small shake of the head and a barely there smile assured the blonde that she could, in fact, leave. Galinda ascented.

Morrible waited for the door to click shut behind her before searching for her student's gaze. The girl remained slumped against the wall, an almost defeated air about her. The incredibly dark eyes set upon her pale green face, however, showed no emotion at all. The slightly overweight woman was caught a bit by surprise at the control Miss Thropp seemed to demonstrate; completely out of character for the hot headed student.

The prolonged silence and intense scrutiny, which would have rendered most students to babbling idiots, showed no ability to shake Elphaba. She remained quiet, not volunteering a single word, until Morrible herself spoke.

"Miss Thropp, I would like to discuss your sudden change in regards to your academics." A dark eyebrow rose in question, but no other response was offered. "You dropped out of History and my Sorcery Seminar…" Morrible paused to give her last two words the dramatic effect she wanted them to carry. "… And you have taken an unexpected interest in Art."

"Is there a problem with my choices, Madame?" Elphaba asked innocently, trying desperately to hold the hatred within her heart from spilling onto her words.

"When you started attending Shiz, I wrote to the Wizard… The Wonderful Wizard of Oz about you and your incredible talent. During our seminar together you have shown great promise and even greater enthusiasm. Why this unexpected change of heart?" Morrible leaned forward slightly. "Don't you want to meet the Wizard? Do good things with your talent?"

"Curse."

Pause.

It was definitely not the reaction she had been aiming for.

"What?"

"Madame Morrible." Elphaba's firm voice and sure words contrasted starkly with her depressive pose. "The great Wizard –" considerable lengths were exercised to say the title without an ounce of sarcasm. "– will do himself much good by finding someone more suitable than myself." The woman's overly made-up face tried to protest. A raised green hand stopped any words from flowing. "As for magic. I don't want to have anymore to do with it. I find that my time is my better spent by pursuing other interests. My father will, without a doubt, agree with my decision."

The shizmistress couldn't fault the girl's manners, but she refused to let the subject be so easily dropped.

"Stopping your training is not a good idea, Miss Thropp. You don't have the necessary control over your powers to prevent unpleasant accidents. Have you considered that?"

Elphaba didn't respond, but didn't concede defeat, either. Resolute eyes stared at the woman before her. Morrible took advantage of the girl's silence and continued.

"I can understand your hesitancy and even your apprehension in meeting such a powerful man as the Wizard, but you are a strong young woman. I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to overcome such fear."

Elphaba finally moved, rising slowly from the bed. Her long hair, unusually loose, cascaded down her back, making her seem so very young. Her deep, sad eyes, though, spoke of a hard life and made her appear infinitively older than her looks.

Those were old eyes, pondered Morrible.

Had they always been that way?

"I thank you, Madame, for your time, your concern and your patience and I won't be wasting anymore of it. My decision is final."

Madame Morrible considered arguing further, but only for a millisecond, then stopped. The determined set of Elphaba's jaw and the unwavering stare of her piercing eyes left very little room for argument. The older woman could see that changing her mind would require more than a few well placed words.

She was a woman who knew which battles were worth fighting to win the war.

Faking defeat, she nodded and turned to leave. At the door, she chanced a glance Miss Thropp's way. The girl was on her knees, picking up the many paper balls scattered around. Her hair, long as it was, covered her sight completely like a curtain and Morrible took the opportunity to glance around. She hadn't really noticed the mess before.

Once more, she checked the girl, still seemingly unaware of the scrutiny she was under. Then, Morrible opened the door and before slipping out, bend quickly to retrieve one of the crumpled papers, which lay resting near her feet. Ball in hand, she slipped out of the room and proceeded to her own quarters.

Galinda, never having gone very far to begin with, popped out from behind a pillar, which had been shrouded in shadows since the sun had departed. With unexpected clever eyes, she followed the headmistress retreating form, a surge of determination swelling within her chest.

Elphie may not have wanted help or protection – she hadn't even told Galinda all of her vision – but she had the strangest feeling that she might need it, someone to look over her.

And the blonde girl would make sure she got it.

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