"Hey, Elphie?" Glinda sat on her bed, fiddling with the hem of her nightgown. The green girl looked up from the book she was reading.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to ask you…there was something you said earlier."

Something in her voice made Elphaba close the book and set it aside. Glinda's gaze stayed on her gown. "Go on."

"It's about the Eminency. Boq asked you if renouncing your status was your idea, and…"

"And I said it was."

"No, you said you're the one who signed the papers. That's not the same thing."

Elphaba swallowed. A few months ago, Glinda would have never picked up on that. The blonde went on.

"I just…wanted to know. Was this your choice, or…did your father make you do it?" She finally looked over at her roommate, bracing herself for whatever sharp reply she was sure to get for prying.

Instead, Elphaba's voice was impossibly soft. "In the end, it was my choice. But…even if I'd refused, I don't think it would have mattered."

Glinda held her gaze. "Tell me what happened."

"The day I arrived, they sat me down at lunch and told me they wanted me to renounce my status. I hadn't seen my sister or my father in months, and I had seen the Eminent Thropp for a total of five minutes, and the first thing they did was ask me this. No, not ask. It was never really a question." She scowled for a moment, then sighed and closed her eyes. "Things…didn't exactly go well. When I didn't give an answer, Nessa and my father started bothering me about it. But the thing is, my father's never been involved in politics. Mother didn't want us to have to deal with the Eminency. That's one of the reasons why we were raised away from the Colwen Grounds."

"So why now?" Glinda asked quietly. "Why did your father move there now?"

"That's exactly what I asked. He never said, and Nessa refuses to think he could have an ulterior motive. I still don't know. But there is something. He has to have a reason why he wanted Nessa to have the Eminency."

"Is he looking for power? Does he want a better position in Munchkinland?"

Elphaba shook her head. "No. That's not like him. As terrible as he is, he's still a devout minister. He'd probably decline a position of power even if it was giving to him."

"Then, what?"

The green girl opened her eyes and looked down at her lap. "He told me that he only wanted what was best for Nessa. And, as crazy as it is, I don't think that's a lie."

"But…what's best for Nessa isn't necessarily what's best for you."

She smiled sadly. "Exactly. In fact, it's most likely the opposite of what's best for me. Especially in his mind."

"What's he going to try to do?"

"I don't know." Elphaba pressed her palms to her eyes. "I don't know. Nessa's being pushed into a life of politics with no one but my father and our stranger grandfather to guide her, and I'm miles away at school, unable to help her or even reach her outside of a few stupid letters."

"Elphie?"

"She shouldn't have to do this. I didn't want her to have the Eminency because she shouldn't have to. Our mother grew up there and she hated it. But Nessa wanted it, so I gave it to her. And now, if something goes wrong, if Father is up to something, there's nothing I can do to stop it. I can't protect her. I can't protect me. It's completely out of my control, and there's nothing I can do."

Glinda crossed the room and climbed up next to Elphaba. The green girl turned into her, letting Glinda calm her down. "Shh, it's okay. It'll be okay, Elphie. I'm sorry. I never should have asked."

"No." Elphaba's face was pressed into the crook of Glinda's shoulder, and her voice was muffled. "I'm glad you did. It's better than keeping it a secret."

Glinda ran her fingers through Elphaba's hair. "I'm sure Nessa will be fine. If she's anything like you, she can handle herself."

"She's going to change," Elphaba whispered. "If Father influences her too much, or if she gets too power hungry, or…"

"Or maybe she'll grow up and be a great leader. You never know. Either way, nothing's going to change the fact that you two are sisters."

Elphaba pulled away and nodded. "I'm sorry."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "I don't always have to be the one with the breakdowns, Elphie." She grabbed Elphaba's hand and smiled. "Besides, you've been holding this in for how long? It was about time you told someone."

Elphaba looked down at their hands, her lips twitching up weakly. "Yeah."

"Don't worry," Glinda whispered, hopping down and moving back to her own bed. "I won't tell the others. They can go on believing you're invincible."

"I am invincible," Elphaba muttered, picking her book up again. The blonde giggled.

"I know, Elphie. I know."

Elphaba lay in bed and listened to the sound of Glinda's breathing. She could slip out of the room easily, but only if her roommate was asleep.

The blonde rolled over, letting out a sigh as she unconsciously pulled her blanket tighter. Elphaba watched her for a moment, then looked up at the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. It was almost time to go.

Still laying down, she reached an arm up under her pillow. Her fingers reached past the smooth glass of her mother's bottle and grasped on to the rough leather of Dillamond's journal. She had decided that she wasn't going to let the research out of her sight, not after what Morrible had done.

As quietly as possible, she sat up and pulled out the journal. Her legs swung off the bed and she toed around for her boots. It had been a while since she had to sneak out of the room without Glinda noticing, back when they were nothing short of bitter enemies. The tiptoeing around, slipping on shoes and a coat, packing her bag and vanishing through the door without a sound—it was eerily familiar, yet it felt like years ago.

Elphaba shook away her thoughts as she crept out of Crage Hall and over to the boys' side of campus. She wondered why she'd agreed to meet Boq in the middle of the night, then she remembered that she hadn't agreed at all. He had simply known. The green girl was annoyed, of course, but she was also, however reluctantly, a bit impressed. This wasn't the stuttering, uncertain, lovesick Munchkin she had met last summer.

A figure rose from the steps of the library as she approached. Boq met her eyes as he fell into step beside her, and the two walked away from the front doors.

"Back entrance," he said under his breath.

He led her around the building to a small wood door. It was covered in dust and looked as if it were sealed shut, but Boq pulled a set of keys from his pocket and, after a few seconds of jangling metal and muttered curses, the door opened. The two stepped inside and Boq shut the door behind them.

"Where are we?" Elphaba whispered, looking around.

"The basement," answered Boq. "They used to store everything down here, before they added a third story. Now this entire floor is abandoned. It's just a maze of empty hallways and closets, and somewhere around here is the boiler room. No one goes down here but the workers, and most of them don't even know where anything is. I don't even think the librarian knows there's a door down here."

She looked at him. "So why do you?"

"Because I like exploring," Boq shrugged, "And it's always useful to have a way to sneak in and out. You can use this door anytime, but you'll need the key."

"Let me guess. You're not going to give it to me?"

The Munchkin grinned. "Consider it collateral. I keep the key, and I get to stay in on the action."

Elphaba scowled. "You are infuriating."

"Come on, Elphaba. You can't get mad at me for doing something you would do."

"The hell I can't. Now are you going to take me to the actual library, or are we just going to stand in this freezing cold basement all night?"

Boq rolled his eyes and led her out of the room. He hadn't been exaggerating—the basement was a twisted mess of rooms and pathways that made Elphaba's head spin. She couldn't have found her way back to the door even if she wanted to.

"Have you ever been in here?" Boq asked when they finally reached a staircase. Elphaba shook her head and followed him up. She looked around as they stepped out onto the first floor. Old wooden shelves towered above them. The air smelled like dust and parchment. Tables and desks were scattered throughout the floor; armchairs were stuffed into corners. There were endless nooks and crannies to hole up in, and the books that surrounded them seemed to go on for miles.

"It looks the same as ours," Elphaba said after a moment. "Only bigger. And older."

Boq nodded, smiling a little as the tension left her shoulders. "It was built about a hundred years earlier, if I remember correctly." He walked off a little, beckoning for her to follow. "Come on. I'll show you my favorite corner. The librarian has threatened to put a nameplate on the wall, I spend so much time there."

He led them to a spot near the back of the library. The two settled down into the corner facing each other, their backs pressed against bookshelves. Elphaba looked down at her knee and picked at the hem of her frock. Boq nudged her bag with his foot.

"Talk, Elphaba."

"I'm no good at that," she said. Boq opened his mouth to respond, but she went on quickly, "Ask me questions instead."

The Munchkin stared at her, contemplating. "What happened the day Dillamond left?"

Honestly, most of what Elphaba remembered from that day had to do with Glinda. She shook her head. "You already know most of it. He told me that he had been fired, and that Morrible had something to do with it. Then he gave me his journal. He didn't say anything, he just gave it to me. I didn't look at it until later."

"His journal?"

"It has all of the research on his latest project."

"And that's the project that got him fired."

Elphaba sighed. "I mean, it probably would have happened eventually, with all the bans taking place. But yes. Morrible wanted to cut him off from his work."

"So what was his work? What was he researching?"

She hesitated. "It's complicated. Come back to that later."

"Okay." Boq paused. "You've been continuing his work?"

"Yes."

"And no one else knows?"

Elphaba thought of Peric. "No. Just you."

"And the Wizard?" For the first time, there was a note of fear in Boq's voice. "How is he involved?"

"I…don't know," Elphaba said truthfully. "His name just keeps coming up. Dillamond mentioned him a couple of times in the journal, but it was only a scribble or two about how he was involved. Obviously he's the one who started oppressing the Animals in the first place, so it makes sense that he would be on the lookout for people trying to defend them. And then there are the rumors that Morrible has connections with the Wizard, which fit in with all of this a little too well."

"Do you think he was personally involved in firing Dillamond?"

"I don't know," she said again. "The Gale Force was here that day, so he at least knew about it." She brushed a stray piece of hair back. "But that doesn't make much sense, does it? If he knew what Dr. Dillamond was doing, if the research was a threat to him, why would the Wizard settle for simply firing him?"

"Maybe…" Boq swallowed. "Maybe it was a power thing. The research poses a threat to him, but Dillamond himself does not. Maybe the Wizard wanted to prove that by firing him. And maybe he thought that, by taking away his work or his labs or his students, he could break Dillamond."

"He's wrong," Elphaba whispered bitterly. "He's wrong about all of it."

"But he doesn't know that. He's too arrogant and too powerful to even think otherwise."

"Some wonderful Wizard," the green girl spat. "All of Oz thinks he's a saint."

"Most of Oz," Boq corrected softly. "There are Munchkinlanders who resent him. There are Quadlings who despise him. There are Vinkans who couldn't care less about him. And obviously none of the Animals love him."

"Great. He's opposed by the poor farmers, the slaves, the nomads, and the citizens who are losing all their rights."

Silence. Then, "Do you ever think about that?"

"About what?"

Boq shifted. "The Wizard is a saint. The Emerald City is a glorious paradise. Oz is a peaceful, unified land. And yet…so many people are suffering. How does it go unnoticed?"

She sighed. "The Wizard makes it go unnoticed. Oz is decaying, it has been for years. But the Wizard twists things around so the people support it. The Munchkins are poor, but what other country can support plantations large enough to feed all of Oz? The Quadlings are forced into slavery, but think of all the riches in their lands, and what those jewels could do for everyone. And the Animals? They're not even human. It's for their own good." Elphaba pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.

"He's evil," Boq whispered.

"But he's clever. Every move he makes either benefits those who support him, or hurts those who don't."

"He's made it so that the Ozians are corrupt right along with him. He's made it so that what he's doing to the lower classes isn't just legal, it's praised. That's…that's…"

"Horrifying? Disgusting? Appalling?"

"That's…why we've got to stop him."

Elphaba looked down at her lap. "…Yeah."

The Munchkin turned his head to gaze across the library. "Don't take this the wrong way, Elphaba. But how is a research project supposed to stop the Wizard from…well, from being the Wizard?"

Elphaba sucked in a breath. This project was the proof they needed to defend the Animals, but how far would the Wizard go to stop them? "Dillamond's research would take away any reasoning the Wizard has behind the Animal bans."

"How?"

"By proving that Animals and humans are equal."

Boq's head snapped back to her. His eyes widened as she explained Dillamond's research. Comparing the components of the brain, analyzing the chemicals and reactions that take place, picking apart and putting together the aspects that make a being sentient—it all caused the Munchkin to lean forward, eyes bright, mouth slightly open.

"Elphaba," he said eventually. "This is…unbelievable."

"It's just a start," the green girl said. "You're right. It's not as if we can march up to the Wizard with this and change his mind. But…it's a start."

"This could change everything," Boq whispered, shaking his head. "How have you kept this a secret?"

Her eyes flashed and darkened. "The same way you will. No one else can know any of this. Do you understand?"

He nodded, his jaw set. "It took a lot to trust me, Elphaba, and I respect that. No one else finds out."

She leaned back, still eyeing him suspiciously. "We don't talk about this in public."

Another nod, this time with a slight smirk. "I'll pass you cryptic notes."

"This isn't a joke, Boq."

"No one is ever suspicious of jokes."

She opened her mouth to argue, only to find that she really couldn't. Instead she exhaled heavily and settled for glaring. Boq grinned and climbed to his feet.

"The brain," he muttered to himself, looking between the aisles. "I'm guessing your library doesn't have much."

"I doubt there's a library in Oz that does," Elphaba said, standing up and following him as he started down one bookshelf.

"No," he replied, "But you might have some luck…" He trailed off as they reached a staircase. Elphaba followed him up to the second floor and through another maze of tables and shelves until they stood in front of a gated doorway. "Here."

The green girl stepped forward and placed a hand on the cool metal bars. A sign hung above the doorway, its painted lettering cracked and faded. Restricted. "You can get us in?"

Boq held up his keys. "And you thought you didn't need me." He started forward, but Elphaba put a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait." She looked into the restricted section. It was darker than the rest of the library—the shelves were made of a deeper wood, the books were bound in black leather and covered in much more dust. A single window let the moonlight in, casting shadows across the floor. The content of the restricted section was rare, either too dangerous or too controversial to be allowed in a normal library. This place held answers that she needed. Elphaba was sure of it. She looked back at Boq. "Not tonight."

The Munchkin raised his eyebrows. "Why not?"

"Because Morrible is already suspicious of me. If a book goes missing from the restricted section before classes even start, then she'll know something's up. Whatever is in there, I don't need it right now. It's better to just lay low for a while."

Boq still looked doubtful, but he put the keys back in his pocket. "In that case, we should get out of here. Just…promise me you won't try to sneak back in here by yourself?" They started back downstairs, Boq locking doors behind them as they went.

"Believe me," Elphaba said as they entered the basement once more. "I couldn't if I tried. I'll let you know when I'm ready."

They made their way outside. Boq made sure the door was locked and turned to face her. For a moment all he did was study her. Then he nodded. "Good night, Elphaba."

"Good night, Boq."

They parted ways and headed back to their respective dorms. Elphaba's mind raced as she climbed back into bed a few minutes later. She wondered what she was going to tell Dr. Dillamond in her next letter. She turned their conversation about the Wizard over and over in her head. She missed Peric, and she asked herself why she had avoided telling Boq about him. More than anything, she worried. She knew she could trust Boq, but now she was afraid the others would find out.

She turned on her side and faced Glinda. What would the blonde do, if she knew about all of this? Elphaba never really wanted to find out. She let out a quiet sigh and watched her roommate breathe. The gentle rise and fall of Glinda's body was peaceful, comforting. It felt like home, more than Munchkinland ever had. And eventually, it lulled the green girl to sleep.