"Nurse Daae? Could you help me with something?"

"Of course, Miss Glinda. What seems to be the problem?"

"It's Elphie. She's overworking herself and I'm getting worried."

"How so?"

"She just rereads Dr. Dillamond's notes, over and over again. She's hardly sleeping or eating, and even her schoolwork has dipped. It's scaring me, quite frankly."

"My dear, I imagine this is her way of mourning. It will pass."

"You're sure?"

"If it does not, come to me."

"Thank you, Miss Daae."

"No trouble at all, Miss Glinda."

After dinner, Glinda and Elphaba walked to their dormitory together.

"Tch! Well isn't that just stupid!" Elphaba looked up from her book at her girlfriend's remark. Someone had apparently taken green paint from an art room, and painted 'BITCH' in large letters on their door. Elphaba merely rolled her eyes and entered, stopping short. She was frozen in shock. In the middle of their room was a small piece of something, but it was unidentifiable due to the mass of insects covering it. Elphaba slowly backed out, but Glinda had to see, and rushed in. In the next second, she tore down the hall, screaming bloody murder. Elphaba slowly walked to Madame Morrible's rooms.

"Yes? Shouldn't you be abed, Miss Elphaba?"

"Can't." Her eyes were vacant.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Bugs."

"Really, such a bright girl as you, afraid of a little bug…" Morrible marched to their room and flung the door wide. She then hurriedly closed the door and stared at Elphaba.

"Bugs." Elphaba repeated. Madame Morrible quickly straightened herself and took charge.

"Right. I will get an exterminator in here as soon as I can. Do you have anyone you can room with for the night?"

"Nessarose and Nanny."

"Good. Do have any idea where Miss Galinda could have gone?"

"It's Glinda, now, Madame. Likely with Shenshen and Pfanee." She slowly walked to Nessa's room, as if in a dream.

"Fabala? Whatever is wrong, dear?"

"Bugs."

"What do you mean, 'bugs'?"

"In our room. So many of them." Nanny ushered her in and settled blankets on a make-shift bed, but she couldn't sleep. She would close her eyes and see the writhing, squirming mass in the room, or feel them crawling all over her. She brushed and swatted at herself so much, Nessarose began to worry.

"Elphie? What's wrong, what are you doing?"

"It's nothing, Nessa. Just an overactive imagination."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. Go to sleep." Elphaba wasn't normally so squeamish, but the image was fused into her brain. She closed her eyes, determined to go to sleep. A wisp of hair touched her face and she shrieked, certain the bugs had spread to the entire building.

"Elphie?!" Nessarose struggled to sit up, but Elphaba just watched, breathing hard. Nanny burst in, worry etched into her face. After propping Nessa up, she felt Elphaba's forehead and got her a glass of water.

"What happened, girls?" She asked softly.

"I think Elphie might be having a fit." Nessa whispered.

"It's not a fit, nothing's wrong. Just my imagination."

"Your imagination is wrong?"

"No, I just keep seeing the bugs…" She repressed a shudder.

"What bugs? You never did explain."

"Someone put something edible in our room at sometime today. When we got back, it was covered in bugs. Dozens of them, possibly a hundred." She hunched her shoulders, ashamed of her cowardice. "Madame Morrible will get an exterminator, so there's no reason to get upset." She helped Nessa lie down, then returned to her own 'bed'. Nanny began to sing a song the girls hadn't heard since Shell was born.

"'If only, if only' The woodpecker sighs, 'the bark on the tree was as soft as the skies.' The wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, he cries to the moon, 'If only, if only.'" Nanny sang the familiar lullaby over and over, until Elphaba drifted to sleep.