Glinda collapsed onto her bed and looked around the room, admiring her work. Boxes and bags covered her floor, most of them stuffed full and wrestled shut already. Glinda bounced up and down for a moment, barely able to contain her excitement.
"Knock, knock." Ama nudged the door open and walked in. She was carrying a tray of tea and cookies, and her knitting bag hung from her elbow. Her eyes widened a little as she surveyed the room. "Glinda, dear, you do realize that your train doesn't leave for another five days, right?"
The blonde giggled. "I'm just excited, Ama."
"I can see that." She placed the tray on the table by the bed and sat down. "And what, exactly, do you plan on wearing for the rest of break?"
Glinda pointed to her closet, where she had picked and laid out five outfits.
"Of course," Ama said, pulling out her needles. "How silly of me. Though I have to say, duckie, I'm surprised. When you left last summer, you waited until the night before to pack. And then you begged me and everyone else you could find to help you."
The blonde shrugged. "Like I said, I'm excited. I want to get back to Shiz. That's all." She finished with another shrug, turning her head away to hide her blush.
Ama clucked her tongue, giving her a knowing look. "Yes. I'm sure that's all."
Glinda blinked rapidly and cleared her throat. "Uh, anyway…what are you knitting, Ama?"
But the old woman simply shook her head, biting back a chuckle. "It's a surprise. Now eat those cookies, before they cool off."
She giggled again. "Yes, ma'am."
The next five days passed slowly, each one beginning with Glinda putting on a new outfit and packing the old one away. She followed Ama Clutch around the house, helping with chores and keeping her company. She went out with her friends once more, giggling the afternoon away at a café in town. She had one last dinner with her parents, where they told her how proud they were and how much they would miss her.
And finally, finally, she woke up one morning and pulled the last outfit out of her closet.
Her parents were waiting as she practically skipped down the stairs an hour later, holding her last bag to her chest.
"Are you sure you have everything?" her father asked.
"It's all in the carriage," she answered, turning to hug her mother.
"We'll miss you, darling," her mother said.
"I'll miss you, too," Glinda said, standing on her toes to wrap her arms around her father. "I'll write to you soon."
Lord Upland kissed her on the cheek. "We can't wait. Now go on, before that carriage leaves you behind."
Glinda giggled and gave them one last wave goodbye before hurrying out the door to the carriage. Ama was holding the door open for her. "Come on, come on, duckie," she said, ushering her inside the carriage with a grin. "These old bones can't take much more of this cold."
Despite her excitement, the ride to the train station was much too short for Glinda. She and Ama talked and laughed all the way up until they were standing on the platform, Glinda's bags already loaded onto the train.
Ama pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "Be good, duckie," she said. Then she pulled back and pushed something thick and black into Glinda's hands.
"What's this?" the blonde asked, looking down.
"Well," Ama said, a hint of playfulness in her voice, "From what I've heard, your Elphie won't accept things bought for her. So I made something instead."
Glinda unfolded the object. It was a scarf, warm and fluffy and clearly hand knit. She remembered the yarn and needles Ama had carried around for the past couple of weeks and smiled.
"Thank you, Ama."
"You be good to that one," Ama Clutch said seriously. "The two of you have something special, you know. Don't let that slip away."
Glinda blushed furiously and clutched the scarf to her chest. Ama smiled and pulled her close to kiss her forehead again. "Have a good semester, Glinda. And don't forget to write!"
"I won't," Glinda promised. Ama gave her hand a squeeze and nudged her toward the train. Glinda let her go and stepped onboard, making her way to her car. Once she sat down she leaned forward to look out the window. The train whistle blared and she could feel it start to inch forward, but then she caught of Ama.
The old woman raised her hand and gave a little wave, winking as she did so. Glinda grinned and waved back, blowing her a kiss.
She settled back in her seat as the train pulled out of the station and began picking up speed. The scarf was still in her hands. She looked down at it. She could almost see the love and tenderness Ama had put into the knitting. It smelled like her, too.
Your Elphie, Ama had said. The thought made Glinda blush madly again, and she pulled the scarf closer. The words were impossibly sweet, and they left a pleasant feeling in her chest and stomach whenever she thought them. So she closed her eyes and repeated them, over and over again, as her train sped through Gillikin, taking her back to Shiz University.
For Elphaba, the last few days of break seemed to pass in a series of moments, all seemingly unrelated, stringed together to form her last week at the Colwen Grounds.
One such moment was the night Peric returned with Dillamond's reply, three days before the green girl was supposed to leave.
"Fae? Before you read that…"
Elphaba set the letter down on her desk and turned toward him. "Yes?"
The Bird ducked his head a little, folding and unfolding his wings. "Remember when I told you I had originally planned to spend Lurlinemas in the Emerald City?"
The green girl sat on the edge of her bed, trying to decipher the tone of his voice. "Yes," she said slowly.
Peric lifted one leg and scratched the stone windowsill beneath him. "Well, I…I talked a lot with Dillamond last night. And I…I think it's time I go there."
Elphaba closed her eyes and breathed in. "What are you going to do there?"
He clicked his beak softly, but offered no reply. Elphaba screwed her eyes shut tighter. "And the letters?"
"Dillamond figured it out. He said to just work on this for now, and he'll send you another letter after you're back at Shiz."
Her throat tightened, but she swallowed hard and forced herself to open her eyes. "When are you leaving?"
"Tonight." He jumped up from the window and glided over to perch at the foot of her bed. He craned his neck down and nipped at her braid. "I won't make any promises, Fae, but I think we'll see each other again."
"Oh, so you're not trying to get rid of me." The teasing in her voice was forced, but they both pretended not to notice.
"Take care of yourself, Fae. Since I won't be around to claw anyone's eyes out for you."
She gave a weak laugh. "Yeah. You too. Watch out for those steel traps."
He shook his head and went back to the window. He unfolded his wings to take off, but then looked back over his shoulder. Elphaba met his beady, intelligent eyes, but neither of them spoke. After a few seconds, he turned away and leapt off the windowsill, taking off into the night.
Elphaba turned away from the window, her eyes falling to the unopened letter on her desk. She strode over and tore it open. Just as he promised, Dillamond had written back with answers and explanations and references to all of her questions. Elphaba sank into her desk chair and reached for a pen. At the very least, Dr. Dillamond's research would always be there for her to turn to.
Frexspar packed a bag the night before Elphaba's last day at the grounds, announcing that he was off to give a sermon and wouldn't be back for a few days. He didn't meet Elphaba's eyes as he said it, nor did he tell her goodbye. He simply kissed Nessa's forehead and went on his way.
"Elphaba?" Nessa had asked uncertainly, but the green girl merely shrugged.
"Father and I aren't ones for emotional goodbyes, anyway," she said casually. Yet she couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to be missed.
She and Nessa returned to the back porch, eating lunch together one last time.
"So is this where you tell me how much you'll miss me?" Elphaba asked, the corner of her mouth lifted into a smirk.
"Probably not," Nessa said, concentrating on her sandwich. "But I'll tell you to try not to wreak any havoc."
"Well one of us has to cause some sort of commotion," Elphaba replied, grinning. "And since you're a public figure now, I suppose the responsibility falls to me."
Nessa rolled her eyes. "You're going to give me a bad reputation long before I even become the Eminent. I guess my only hope is that Miss Glinda can keep you reigned in."
Elphaba felt her cheeks burn, but she smirked even wider as she replied. "Maybe I'll just have to corrupt Glinda, then, and she can wreak havoc with me."
Nessa let out a short laugh. "Shiz would be in for it, then. If she's managed to turn you into a somewhat civilized person at school, I can only imagine the trouble you two can cause if she teams up with you."
You're going to need allies, Dillamond had said. Elphaba kept blushing dark green, but the only thing Nessa noticed was that she seemed quite pleased.
The day she left the Colwen Grounds, she ate a quiet brunch with Nessa and the Eminent. They both walked her out to the waiting carriage where Viko, the driver that brought her here, tipped his hat and greeted her with a smile.
Nessa gave a brief, stoic goodbye, and she made Elphaba promise to write. Then she wheeled herself back inside, her head tilted in prayer or sadness—Elphaba couldn't tell.
The Eminent Thropp was still there, to Elphaba's vague surprise. He cleared his throat and stepped forward, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small bag and toss it to her. She looked down in surprise. It was a coin purse.
"I know your father didn't fund you properly last semester," the Eminent said with a wink. Then, slowly, the smile faded from his face. "You remind me so much of her, sometimes…"
Elphaba's mouth was open to argue, to force the money back on him, but she promptly shut it. She looked at him and saw, for the first time, a man who had lost his daughter. With a slight nod, she pocketed the purse. "Thank you."
His face was blank again. He raised a hand in a dismissive sort of wave, nodded quickly at Viko, then turned around and made his way back inside.
"Are you ready, Miss Elphaba?" Viko said, hopping onto the driver's bench and taking the reins. "It's a long ride. We'll stop near the border to change carriages, but I'll be driving the whole way. We should get there sometime tomorrow afternoon."
She stepped up and closed the door behind her. She settled into a corner of the cab and curled up so that she faced away from the window. "I'm ready, Master Viko. Take me back to Shiz."
The sun was starting to dip down into the horizon by the time Elphaba arrived at campus. Her leg was bouncing from the moment the school came into view, and she knew it wasn't due to sitting in the carriage for an entire day.
Viko offered to help her with her bags, but she waved him off. She only had a couple of things, and she was far too eager to wait for anyone else. She thanked Viko and handed him a few coins. He tipped his hat once more and hopped back onto the carriage.
As soon as he was on his way, Elphaba grabbed her luggage and made her way to Crage Hall. Already the sight of iron gates and ivy-clad buildings was relaxing her. She could see the lake in the distance. She could hear boys shouting and running about, no doubt flinging snow at one another. She heard the unmistakable laughter of Crope and Tibbett, and grinned at the thought of them chasing each other around campus again.
And then she was in Crage Hall, following the path she knew by heart. The building was full of the sounds of girls reuniting—squealing and hugging and running off to each other's rooms to catch up on all the gossip they had missed. Glinda would be here by now, her suitcases half-exploded across her side of the room, the bathroom counter already covered in her makeup and perfumes. Elphaba would walk in and she would smile apologetically before launching into some story about Frottica, and it would be a struggle for Elphaba not to beam down at her…
She pulled out her key and unlocked the door to her room, but to her surprise, it was empty.
Elphaba stepped inside and shut the door behind her. She let her bags drop onto her bed. It was chilly and the air was stale. Glinda's side of the room was bare. Her bedding was untouched. Her desk was cleared off. Her wardrobe hung open, only half full. There were no suitcases, no shoes scattered on the floor, and there was certainly no bubbly blonde. Trying to ignore the sudden emptiness of her chest, she grabbed her book bag and turned toward her desk, intent on unpacking.
But something was wrong. Elphaba stopped short, staring at her desk. She had left papers and journals and books out, so of course it was a mess. But this was…different. Things weren't the way she left them. Her notebooks were closed, when she almost always left them open to the page she had been writing in. Her papers were lying loose, when she was certain she had tucked them beneath books to hold them in place. As she stepped closer, her foot kicked a pen that had fallen to the ground, but she was sure she had placed them in the books to mark her pages.
Her bag dropped to the floor and she walked up to the desk. A drawer was hanging slightly open. The lamp had been moved a little to the right. She picked up her papers and began searching through them. Nothing was missing. Nothing had been written on or crossed out. Everything was here and intact, it was just…different. Someone had been searching through it.
Elphaba's blood ran cold. Morrible, she thought, torn between immense rage and complete terror. There was only one reason why the headmistress would break into her room and search through her work. Her knees trembled beneath her, and she was overwhelmingly glad that she had brought Dillamond's research home with her.
Her fingers curled into fists and her shoulders tensed up. She knew the old hag was up to something. And even if Morrible couldn't find anything this time, she would be back. She would plan something else, try another way, find something else that could get to the green girl. She would—
Elphaba's racing thoughts were suddenly cut off as the door creaked open behind her.