Elphaba waited a few feet away from the fountain. While it had been turned off and drained for the winter, she was still cautious of things that tended to spray water. This is why, when Boq arrived at the square, dressed in dark clothes and stifling a yawn, he didn't see the green girl at first.

"You ready?"

"Sweet Lurline, Elphaba!" The Munchkin jumped and spun around. "How do you do that?"

"Green skin doesn't reflect as much light. Now keep your voice down and follow me."

She started walking so fast that Boq didn't get a chance to respond. He jogged a few steps to catch up and focused on not breathing too loud. He didn't bother asking where they were going—Elphaba probably wouldn't have told him anyway—but it wasn't long before the answer became painfully clear.

"The life science building?" Boq asked weakly, staring up at the front doors. Elphaba had come to a halt and was digging through her bag. He turned to her. "Do I want to know what you've got in the bag?"

"Relax," Elphaba said, pulling something out and holding it up. "It's just a piece of paper."

"What, a shopping list?"

Elphaba gave him a look. "Funny. No, it's a spell."

"A what?"

"Sh!"

Boq bit his lip, glancing around nervously. "Where did you get a spell?" he demanded in a whisper.

"From Glinda."

"And she didn't ask why you needed it?"

The green girl turned away and headed for the door. "I may or may not have copied it from her book when she wasn't looking."

He shook his head. "You're playing a dangerous game here, Elphaba."

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "You're the one that wanted in on this. Now, are you with me or not?"

Boq walked up to the doors and stood next to her. "You know I'm in. What does this spell do?"

Elphaba turned toward the door, placed her hand over the knob, and muttered something under her breath. There was a quiet click, and she turned the handle. "Does that answer your question?"

"I thought you didn't like magic," said the Munchkin, watching her carefully.

"I don't," Elphaba said simply, ushering him inside. "But I respect it, and I admit that it can be useful. Now come on."

They crept through the empty hallways, instinctively avoiding the patches of moonlight that shone through the windows. As they moved more toward the center of the building, it became almost too dark to see. Boq reached out and trailed his fingers over the wall next to him for balance and tried not to step on Elphaba's heels.

"How are you possibly going to be able to find what you need like this?" he said quietly, earning a tense chuckle from the green girl in front of him.

"I'll light a lantern when we get there."

"How will you be able to see it?"

"Here," Elphaba said, stopping. She muttered those strange words again and there was another click, echoing this time through the silent building. Boq still couldn't see anything, but he had been in the building enough times to know where they were.

"The lab. You're stealing from the lab."

"I only need a small sample," Elphaba said defensively. He heard a fumbling of glass and matches and a soft growl from Elphaba, and then a lantern sparked to life, half-filling the room with a dim, flickering light.

"A small sample of what?" Boq asked. "And why do you need me here?"

"I can't pronounce the name of it. Some tissue that the books keep talking about, but I've never heard of it." Elphaba was making her way around the room, unlocking cupboards, searching through them unsuccessfully, and locking them again. "As for your second question, I needed someone to keep an eye out and watch my back."

The Munchkin rolled his eyes. "Consider it watched."

"Thanks. Wait…yes! Got it!" She pulled a jar out and held it up to read the label better. "It's called…actually, never mind. I don't even want to try." She reached into her bag and pulled out a smaller jar, then crossed over to one of the tables.

Boq watched as Elphaba took the tissue sample out, cut off a small piece, and stuck it into her own jar. She slipped the smaller container back into her bag, then replaced the lab's sample and locked the drawer she had taken it from. When that was done, she retraced her steps around the room, double checking every place she had searched through to make sure it was locked. Finally, she crossed over to the lantern and blew it out, then nudged Boq out the door and closed the lab behind them.

The entire process had taken no more than three minutes.

"Impressive, Miss Elphaba," Boq said as they were walking back through campus a few minutes later.

The green girl made a noise in the back of her throat. "We'll see how impressive it was tomorrow, when we find out whether or not someone will notice."

Boq started, stumbling over his steps just slightly. "That reminds me. Have you talked to Fiyero lately?"

Elphaba froze, her face automatically shifting into a scowl. "What?"

"Oh, relax," Boq said, and his eyes suddenly seemed to dance, as if he knew something she didn't. "Nothing's wrong, I was just curious."

"Why would you be curious about that? I see Fiyero all the time. Of course I've talked to him."

"I mean privately. Just the two of you."

"Why would I—"

"No, I suppose you wouldn't." Boq bit his lip as if he were fighting back a laugh. "Anyway, I talked to him earlier today, and he just seemed a little…"

"Suspicious?"

"No, not quite."

"Nosy?"

"Curious," Boq said. "I think…I think he might know we're up to something."

Elphaba's scowl deepened. "No one even knows we're meeting each other."

"I think he's starting to guess." Boq took a few steps forward and Elphaba forced herself to fall back in step beside him.

"Well, let him think what he wants," she muttered. "So long as he keeps it to himself, I don't care."

"Elphaba?" They had reached the end of the path now, and each of them faced a different direction to head back to their respective dorms. Boq shifted his weight from foot to foot. "What happens if the others do find out?"

"They won't."

"But if they do?"

"They won't."

Boq stared at her, but her head was tilted away. For the first time, she didn't sound stubborn. Just frightened.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Whatever you say. You know I won't tell them anything."

"I know." Elphaba let out a breath and adjusted the strap on her bag. "Good night, Boq."

"Good night, Elphie."

She walked off. Boq stayed on the sidewalk, watching her disappear down the path that led to Crage Hall. Then, with a sigh that turned quickly into a yawn, he turned toward his own dorm and started home.