AN: I am back from the abyss of life which reared its ugly head. I apologize for the lack of updates and I hope the word count on this one makes up for it.

I will be back on my usual update schedule. Every Saturday, folks. SATURDAY.

Thank you for the reviews, they keep me going!

And without further ado, Chapter 10.

The pair's ears perked up at the sound of a metal contraption, a clock of some sort with knobs and levers, some of which were hidden from plain sight. It's eyes were beady and small; if not observing closely enough, they would have mistaken its eyes for simple screws.

Tick tick

The only sound was the resounding echo of metal hitting metal and heavy footsteps padding the hall and the trilling sound of its gears, creaking and snapping themselves back into place.

Tick Tick Tick tut tick

"The creepy thing." Galinda muttered quietly.

Hastily, Galinda groped for Elphaba's forearm and drew her closer. Elphaba looked at the blonde with a questioning glance. This quandary in this moment's time seemed to transform into something more ominous.

"Elphie, I'm hungry. Would you want to eat breakfast at the café?" Galinda asked with a sickly sweet tone. Course her aim was only centered on getting as far as possible from Morrible's tick tock slave.

"I think a Carrot cake sounds great, don't you think?" The blonde asked with even tones, but this, in itself was far from the normalcy in the situation.

Without waiting for a reply, Galinda pulled Elphaba's forearm (surprisingly toned) and started dragging the green girl behind her. Albeit reluctantly leveling her dominance for once, Elphaba followed.

"Glinda, darling" Elphaba said in a calm manner before adding, "what the hell was that stunt you pulled back there?" she hissed into the blonde's ear.

They found a table near the foyer, with a window overlooking the campus. Galinda stared outside; making sure that the metal thing was not following them.

"Grommetik." She said, acting oblivious to the term of endearment the green girl had used.

An eyebrow shot up slowly, somehow cynically, urging the blonde to continue whatever this train of thought of hers brought her to.

Galinda rolled her eyes; Elphaba was smart and intelligent, yes, but the verdant girl could be somewhat dense. "Morrible's spy." Galinda replied simply.

"Glinda, really! All that snick snack sneaking because of Morrible's 'spy'?" Elphaba made sure she'd emphasized the word.

The blonde knitted her brows together. "It's Galinda! With a 'gah'. I wouldn't have done it if I deemed the whole 'spy' thing innocent, Elphaba!"

"Oh yes, I apologize, Miss GAHlinda. Seeing your friend act peculiar because of a so called 'spy' isn't alarming at all!" Elphaba said as she stood up, her hands raised above her head, a sign of her frustration.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't cause a scene! SIT DOWN."

Friend? Had she really used the F word? Galinda had realized a moment too late that her voice might've been a wee bit tiny bit louder than she had expected it to be.

The lights inside the café began to flicker; the howling of the wind became more pronounced and green flecks began to sprout from the tips of Elphaba's fingers.

Green eyes glazed over, "No one, absolutely no one tells me what to do!" The brunette's voice boomed, her feet seemingly convinced where it would want to lead her and she had every intention of following it, thus, Elphaba made a beeline for the door.

The students and professors inside the café turned their heads to look at the commotion just as the glass shattered.

T'was so scandalous that no one dare say a word, or move for that matter.

Galinda didn't say anything for a moment. "Please excuse me," she said weakly before following suit.

The street of Shiz were quiet, a sign that most of the students were still seeking refuge under the sheets.

One fellow could be seen sitting near the fountain, which could be found at the very center of Shiz University. The boy wore a green knit cap with matching green wear, a tie consisting of varying neutral tones: from white transforming into black, his tunic reached a few inches under his knees and a smile plastered on his face. He would not and could not help it if his mind had added Galinda Upland and all her shining radiance to its train of thought.

"Master Boq!"

He looked up and searched for the owner of the disembodied voice.

"Boq, dear boy! Get your eyes out of your arse, I' m right in front of you!"

Boq examined his surroundings once more, "Where are you? I can't s—"

He was cut off by a hand that covered his mouth, muffling the next of his words. By the strong and disgusting 'man' scent, it would have been none other than.. "Avaric." Boq said simply.

The soon to be Margreave of Tenmeadows wore a light blue pair of trousers, his sandy brown hair slicked back in the most stylish and charming of ways. His face, Boq noted, was free of blemishes and bore a look of unbridled radiance looking more radiant and smooth than even the most flawless of porcelain.

Slowly, Avaric retracted his hand from the boy's mouth.

"Master Boq, old chum! Are you up for fetching breakfast? I'm rather famished." The blonds voice was gruff, though not exactly husky.

The confused Munchkinlander looked perplexed by the sudden term of endearment Avaric had used on him. Surely a high classed to-be Margreave would not spend his days with a simple Munchkin, would he? Well, save for Elphaba Thropp, she was simply not a simple Munchkin, dear oz no.

"Me?" Boq queried.

A thick but styled eyebrow rose, "Who else? Besides," Avaric paused and turned his back to Boq, walking towards Suicide Canal, "you owe me stories of our beloved Heir Apparent."

A click of sudden realization hit him like a house.

So this is what it's about. Elphaba.

A few meters away from Boq, Avaric turned his head and tilted it to one side. "You comin'?"

Hesitantly, the Munchkin stood up and brushed off any debris or dirt from his tunic. "Coming" he replied as he caught up with Avaric.

An hour's worth of studying time was used on storytelling banter between a Munchkinlander and a Gillikinese.

"Pray tell," Avaric said before sipping his tea, "What captures Elphaba's heart so?"

Boq put his hand under his chin, thinking. "Are you sure you'd want to go down that broken road, mate?" He asked. "Well, even if you are, I ,myself, wouldn't exactly know. I've known her only during our toddler years."

Avaric weighed his choices and settled, with bullish certainty, on his first choice. "I'm sure, but can't you—"

The Munchkin interrupted him, "In lieu of asking me, why not ask Master Fiyero? I've heard some rumours here and there about a sprouting love."

Eyes wide with shock, "They're involved?" Avaric said full of disdain. He knew the Winkie was on campus and was sweet on the Heiress, but him and Elphaba? It couldn't be, could it?

The blond stood up ( without finishing his meal, Boq notes) "She can do much better." He grumbled as he walked away from Boq.

The Munchkin however, stood his ground— or rather, sat his ground. He quaffed his lemonade and motioned for an Animal waiter (the only one inside the bistro) and stared at the table. "Apparently so, she could've dated you." He grunted.

Despite Boq's stature, he was quite charming. He had a myriad of wonderful traits a woman (or a man) would love if they overlooked his height. Albeit he is charming, one Galinda Upland could not help but look past him and thus, he tries his hardest to catch her eye, not realizing that a certain red head was quite taken with him, one Milla Rithes.

Earlier that morning, (with Boq sittin by the fountain with Avaric towering over him) a couple of girls stared out the window.

"That one looks…" A brunette muttered, "hideous."

"Pfannee! No need to be so.. so..rude" Milla defended, knowing which boy her 'friend' was referring to.

The brunette shot her a glare, "Milla, dearie. I am not rude, simply… I am stating the obvious. Wouldn't you agree, Shen? That the shorter one is rather..less handsome than the Margreave?"

Do we see the same things? Or are there things you wish not to be seen, dear Pfannee?

One of the girls with hair the color of ginger gave a quick nod, Pfannee's yes-man, ShenShen of the Minkos clan.

Pfannee, she was a control freak in every aspect. Secretly, she was also a Kleptomaniac (though she dare not admit it). Her hair had a rich auburn color, thanks to the myriad of hair products and creams supplied by her father.

Shrinking from the intensity of the brunette's glare, Milla mumbled a barely audible "sorry."

With Pfannee's superiority complex satisfied, she smirked at the quivering red head before her.

"Now, let us go greet and welcome Master Tenmeadows, shall we?"

"Of course." Milla and ShenShen replied, somewhat mechanically for the former.

Elphaba sidestepped the path that led to the library, passing by the Shiz fountain. Not bothering to look around her, lest she sees someone who makes eye contact with her.

Twit. The annoying little pompous blonde. That's what she is. No one tells me what to do. I AM MY OWN BOSS. I AM MY OWN QUEEN. I will not take orders from a blonde goddess!

What?

ELPHABA STOP IT.

"I will not tolerate such unnatural thoughts in my family. I took you in when Frexpar could barely keep you alive. Remember that." Oscar Diggs' voice rung inside her head. She was too deep in her stupor to realize she had bumped into someone.

"Oh dearie, watch where you're going." A voice quipped, the figure's voice laced with venom and ice.

Elphaba snapped her head upwards to look at the mammoth of a human being before her. "Madame, I apologize. I was not—"

"Yes, yes," Morrible waved her statement off, "You were not looking where you were going. Now, have you seen Miss Galinda?"

At the mention of her friend/roommate's name, Elphaba feels something trickle down her nose. As she looks at Morrible, she sees the woman's usually stoic demeanor change, somewhat atleast.

"Miss Thropp? Are you alright, dearie?" She asked, her concern full of pretense.

"I am quite fine, Madame."

"Your nose says otherwise. Come, let me bring you to the infirmary." Morrible cooed, clutching her nonexistent heart.

"What—" Elphaba stated before bringing her hands up to her nose. As she pulled her fingers back to analyze them, they came away red. Covered with blood. Blood was dripping from her nose, and she had only felt it when Morrible sa—

"Come now," The headmistress said, "other students might see you, it would just be shocking, wouldn't it?"

For the second time that day, she followed as someone dragged her.

"Yes, Madame" she breathed. Her vision swirling, zooming in and out of focus. Everything around her seemed to come together like a big blur. Her mouth had gone dry and her throat felt like it was being constricted and coiled. Verdant knees began to buckle and a distant sound of "bairn bee ayt?" or "Miss Elphaba wake up" or something of the like flew past her hearing.

Even the large figure of the headmistress looked like an inky shadow to Elphaba, her forehead collecting little beads of sweat and a cold heat had began to roam just below her skin.

Thankfully, Avaric had been walking past when he caught sight of a familiar green blur bump into the fish-faced Morrible.

Oz, her face is caked with make-up. He absentmindedly grimaced.

He was them talking and decided to stay where he stood. That is, of course, until he saw unwelcome red make appearance on smooth jade skin. Blood.

He saw the headmistress grab her by the shoulders and lead her back into Crage Hall. He saw how her eyes unfocused and how her once radiant skin turned a sickly green color. This was not good. He mused and soon, his feet had taken him right next to the figure going in and out of consciousness right before her eyes shut tight.

"Elphaba, wake up!" He said.

Darkness, everything was dark.

Moments ago she had been wandering Shiz Green, and now, when had Shiz Green become black?

E..lpha…ba

Elphabaa

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

Why, we've met before; despite your reluctance.

"What?"

Oh I don't know, a few meetings here and then. But never mind that.

"Who are you?"

I've told you before, child. Perhaps this spell has a flaw, you may not and will not remember anything that happens in my dream sphere.

"Your? I demand to know your name, coward!"

The voice cackled, and it echoed through the dark abyss, which Elphaba had concluded: might have been the darker part of her mind. Had she gone insane? Did her unsaid feelings cause this?

Oh hush, as I said previously, we've met before.

"How?"

Another cackle rung inside the darkness before the voice began humming an eerie song. T'was alluring, familiar, and repulsing all at once.

Why we've met before, once upon a dream.

And once again, the voice hummed. Adding a few words every now and then. Elphaba tried moving, but her hands, feet, muscles and every part of her would just not allow.

Elphaba would not speak, she had grown tired of this voice's game. Suddenly, as fast as the figure started humming, it stopped just as abruptly.

Oz, it said is deaf and blind. It does not see our suffering, instead, it treats us all like imbeciles. Your father and I had a long standing rift, and child, I'm afraid I'd have to use you as a means to get my revenge. He flew nearer my flame, you see. But he should have shunned the light to avoid me, to avoid death.

He left me for dead, and now, I shall subversively expose the foul stench of Oscar Diggs.

Elphaba took a shaky breath, "What.." she tested the waters, "What if like you, I've been long dead?"

Dearie, tut tut. Don't say such nonsense. Fair Farren. I daresay my magic can't bear this any longer.

"Wait!"

And just as fast as it had come, it was gone.

The figure coughed, it had regained strength somewhat, but still not completely.

One day soon, it will.

One day soon, it will have the power it craves for, the power to have Oscar bow down it's feet.

The power of vengeance.