"Glinda, dear, would you pass those rolls?"

Glinda took the platter in front of her and handed it across the table to her mother.

"Here's the butter, love," her father said, handing the dish over and leaning in to peck Lady Upland on the cheek.

"Stop it," Lady Upland said, fighting a smile as she took the butter. He leaned in further, nuzzling her face, and she swatted at him lightly. "Knock it off, you old fool."

Glinda giggled, and her father kicked his leg a little to nudge her with his toes. "What are you laughing at?"

Ama looked up from her knitting and winked at Glinda.

The Upland family settled down and dug into their food. It was just barely noon on the Saturday before Lurlinemas, and it was the first time Glinda had the chance to sit down and eat with her parents since break started. She knew she should be enjoying herself, but she kept glancing anxiously out the window. The sky was too dark for midday, and the wind was picking up steadily. There would be a storm tonight, she was sure. The thought made her shiver.

"So Glinda, tell us more about your friends at Shiz," her father said, drawing Glinda out of her worries. "We've barely had the chance to hear anything."

"Oh. Well…" Glinda thought for a moment. "I…well, I met a few ladies right away and we got a long for a while, but we…ended up drifting apart." It was as good an answer as any, since there was no way Glinda was going to tell her parents about how she'd become a social outcast at school.

"How come?" Lady Upland asked.

Glinda waved her hand. "I suppose that's just how university is."

"And what about that boy you told us about?" Her father asked, narrowing his eyes. Lady Upland perked up.

"Oh yes. The Winkie prince. Fiyero was his name, right?"

Glinda giggled at the scowl on her father's face. "Don't worry," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "He's just a friend."

"But I thought…"

"We didn't quite work out. But it's alright, Mother. We're still good friends. He hangs out with Elphie and I, and a few other boys."

"Elphie?" Her mother questioned.

"E-Elphaba," Glinda corrected herself, feeling heat rush to her cheeks. "My roommate."

This time Ama didn't look up from her knitting, but Glinda swore she saw the old woman smirk.

"You're friends now?" Lord Upland asked. "Last we heard she was causing you a bit of trouble."

The thought was so strange, it took Glinda a moment to respond. And to think, she thought to herself, I was so convinced I hated her. "It was a little rough at the beginning of the semester. But we're okay now." More than okay. This time, she was certain Ama was fighting back a grin.

"That's good," her mother said. "And it's good you're still friends with that Fiyero. Messy breakups just cause unnecessary problems. But what about those girls you used to hang out with? Are you still on decent terms with them?"

Glinda picked up her glass and swirled the ice around. "I, uh, don't see them around often anymore." If only. "But I was never cruel to them." Except for in self-defense. "I think we'd still get along well, if we ever saw each other." Okay, now that was a downright lie.

"Of course you would," her father said, beaming. "Who wouldn't get along with our little Glinda?"

She ducked her head, both to hide her blush and to blink away the sting in her eyes before her parents noticed.

"I think it's time for pudding," Ama declared, setting her needles and yarn down in the basket next to her chair. "Want to help me get the bowls, duckie?"

"Sure," Glinda said, all too eager to escape the dining room. She followed Ama Clutch into the kitchen, wiping her eyes as soon as the door shut behind her. She would have been embarrassed if her parents saw her close to tears, but with just Ama in the room, she didn't really mind.

Elphaba sat in the window, staring at the last golden streaks of sunlight on the horizon. By this hour most of the sky was dark and getting darker. Pretty soon she wouldn't be able to see Peric flying toward the grounds, even if he were there.

Three days at the most, Peric had told her. Yet here she was, the sun disappearing at the end of the fourth day. She knew she shouldn't be worried—he was more than capable of taking care of himself—but she couldn't help but imagine every terrible thing that could have happened. Peric could have been injured, or caught by the Gale Force. He could have been followed to Dr. Dillamond, or a trap could have been set up.

What would happen if someone got a hold of her letter? What if that someone was the Wizard? Elphaba squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to picture green and gold clad soldiers marching up the road to the castle.

Stop, she told herself. She had left nothing out of the letter because she knew she could trust Peric. At the very least, he would destroy it before he was caught. And he won't be caught. The Bird was tough and resourceful, more so than anyone she knew. He would be okay.

Exhaling heavily, she pushed herself up from the windowsill and began to pace. She had been back and forth all day, staring outside, then pacing around the room, then staring, then pacing. It was a bitter cycle, and she knew it wasn't helping anything. Still, as her bare feet padded against the cold floor, turning sharply every few paces, she could feel her mind settle the tiniest bit. At the very least, perhaps she would wear herself out enough to sleep tonight.

Her restlessness continued well into the night, long after the daylight was gone and Nessa had come by to bid her fresh dreams. Maybe, she thought hours later as she collapsed, fully clothed, into her bed, Just maybe he'll be here when I wake up.

All Glinda wanted to do was sleep, but with the storm raging just outside her window, it was impossible.

Normally by this point, she would have managed to bury herself far enough into her covers that she could ignore the storm long enough for her exhaustion to take her. But tonight was especially bad. Thunder shook her entire room, rattling the furniture. Every time she risked opening her eyes, lightning split the sky, momentarily blinding her. Rain pelted her window, hammering against the glass and echoing in her ears. It was too much, and that was without seeing the wind bending trees over and snapping branches, or the rain slowly forming rivers through the ground, washing away the edges of the road…

Glinda whimpered and curled up tighter, throwing her arms up to cradle her head.

"Duckie?"

The door creaked open slowly and a warm light shone into the room. Ama Clutch crept softly to the bed and set her candle down on the nightstand. "Oh, sweetheart." She put a hand on the blanket, trying to still Glinda's shivering form. "It's alright. Come here."

Glinda kept her eyes closed and her teeth clenched. She barely noticed anything but the scream of thunder and rain. She hardly even registered Ama's hands on her, pulling her out of the blanket and onto her lap.

"You know, duckie, if you weren't the size of a Munchkin I wouldn't be able to do this."

The blonde tried to chuckle, but it came out as a half-choked sob. Ama held her closer. "It's okay, Glinda. You're safe here."

"I-It's not here I'm w-worried about," Glinda managed to get out.

Ama stroked her hair back and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "That was a long time ago, sweetie."

"I'm sorry," she whimpered.

"You don't need to apologize," Ama said gently. "How about we talk about something else, hm?"

"Like what?"

"Like how you snuck yourself an extra spoonful of pudding at lunch today. Don't think I didn't see you."

This time she managed a half-giggle, half-hiccup. "I deserved it. I was upset."

"Upset because you were lying to your parents?"

Glinda sighed. "It wasn't lying."

"But you weren't being entirely honest, either."

"No…"

Ama leaned back far enough to look at Glinda. "Come on, duckie. Tell me, what's really going on with your friends?"

Glinda sniffed. "They're not my friends. They're rude and shallow and self-centered. Even when we did get along Pfannee only thought of herself, and Milla had no thoughts other than how other people saw her, and Shenshen had absolutely no mind of her own, always following the others around no matter how awful they were acting!" She took a breath. "But then…I was no different."

Ama Clutch rubbed her back in slow, even strokes, waiting for her to go on. Glinda wrapped her arms around her waist and leaned into the comforting hand.

"But then…I don't really know what happened. Pfannee and the others became too cruel to Elphaba, and I…I felt bad. So I did something nice for her, and she did something nice for me, and…"

Ama sensed her hesitancy. "The two of you became friends, eventually. I'm guessing the other girls didn't like that?"

Glinda shook her head. "I'd seen them be awful to Elphaba. But I never thought…I never imagined they could be so cruel…I used to be the most popular girl in our class, Ama. I know that shouldn't matter, but I liked it. I liked people liking me. But now…now they all hate me."

"Because you became friends with Elphaba?"

She blinked. "I…yes. Yes, because I'm friends with her." She leaned back, looking up at Ama. "Do you realize how stupid that is?" She laughed, as if realizing for the first time. "It's so stupid! They hate me because I'm friends with someone!"

Ama raised her eyebrows, but her lips quirked up into a smile.

"If they only knew," Glinda continued, calming back down. "If they only knew how wonderful she was. How caring and loyal. How gentle she can be, if you let her. Even before we really got to know each other, she was kind to me. She—" Thunder crashed again, rattling the glass in her window. Glinda drew a sharp breath. "She's the only one who knows," she finished quietly.

"You told her?"

"Well, not really…" Glinda closed her eyes. She had started trembling again, but Ama wrapped her in a hug and held her tight. "It was storming one night, and we were sort of starting to act civil toward each other. I thought she would laugh at me, tease me mercilessly. But she didn't. She…she actually understood."

"Does she know why?"

The blonde tensed. She could feel the rain pelting her, the mud clinging to her, swallowing her as the weight on top of her pinned her to the ground. Lightning flashed, and she could hear her parents yelling, screaming for someone to help …

"N-No," she said, snapping back to the present. "No. I mean, she's brilliant. She's probably figured something out by now, but I never told her."

Ama rubbed her back again. "Do you ever plan on telling her?"

Glinda stared out the window. She missed Elphaba now more than ever. "I don't know," she answered softly. "But if I ever did tell anyone, it would be her. I miss her so much, Ama."

Ama Clutch smoothed her hair back. "I know, duckie. I know."