Glinda,

You're in class right now, probably wondering where I am. I told Boq to keep you occupied until lessons were done for the day. I told him to trust me, I had an idea, but I refused to tell him what it was. I hope he can forgive me, and I hope you can, too.

I told you once that there was no one in all of Oz who deserves you, and that still holds true. I won't tell you not to change, because changing is what people do. I can only tell you that I hope every change brings you to better places and better people—people who won't hurt you or bring you into harm's way.

I'm sorry.

I don't know how to say this without making it sound forced or cliché. I don't want to do this, but I don't have a choice. I can't let you get hurt.

Remember the day Dr. Dillamond left? Remember how torn up I was? I would have followed him right out of Shiz. I would have fought the entire Gale Force and done anything to clear his name and get him to stay. I would have been hurt, maybe even killed in the process. Dr. Dillamond knew all of this, and he didn't want it to happen. So he told me not to fight, and he left.

That is what I'm doing now. I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt, especially not for me. So I'm telling you: don't fight. Don't come searching for me. Let me go. For both of us.

Elphaba let the pen fall from her fingers and roll of the desk. She bent her head over the letter and screwed her eyes shut, just trying to breathe. She had to do this.

How could she do this?

Behind her, the door to her dorm room opened. She heard a pair of feet shuffle, then the quiet click of the door being closed again. Then…

"E-Elphie?"

She couldn't lie, even if she wanted to. Her wardrobe was empty, her pillow was out of place, revealing the empty spot where her mother's green bottle had been, and all of her belongings were packed into two little bags at the foot of her bed. The only thing left were the sheets on her bed—which she wouldn't need—and a single piece of paper and a pen taken from Glinda's desk.

"Elphie…what's going on?"

"You…weren't supposed to be back this soon."

It was a terrible answer, but Elphaba didn't think there was a good one.

"What's going on?" Glinda's voice was louder this time, but just as shaky. Her eyes darted over the packed bags, the letter on the desk, and the green girl herself, standing up and pulling her thin cloak tighter around herself. She caught sight of the scarf Ama Clutch had knitted, tied loosely around Elphaba's neck, and the beginnings of panic clawed at her throat. "You can't," she whispered.

Elphaba couldn't meet her eyes. She glanced over at the letter, and Glinda followed her gaze.

"I won't read it," the blonde said. "Whatever it says, I don't want to hear it."

"Glinda—"

She snatched the paper off the desk and crumbled it up in her palm. She didn't even spare it a glance as the paper caught fire in her hand and disappeared. Elphaba flinched, but she grabbed her bags and slung them across her back.

"Then I'll tell you myself," Elphaba said quietly, looking down at her feet. "I can't stay here. If I do, Morrible will—"

"I don't give a damn about Morrible," Glinda all but growled. "Curse your protective side, Elphaba. I don't care what she'll do! Don't you get it? It doesn't matter! Just don't leave me!"

She was on the verge of screaming, but her voice was breaking. Elphaba closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she breathed. She turned, and Glinda felt her heart stop.

"No, Elphie—wait! Stop! Would you just think about this?" Glinda grabbed a green hand and planted her feet, forcing the other girl to stop and face her.

"I have thought of this, Glinda!" Elphaba's other fist clenched at her side, but she didn't pull her hand away from the blonde. "Don't you get it? I can't do anything here anymore! Dillamond's dead. All the research I need has been destroyed or stolen. Everywhere I go, Morrible's there to stop me. She's taken away every means I have to finish what Dillamond started. There's nothing left for me here."

Glinda let her hand fall, taking a step back. "Nothing…nothing left?" Her voice was small, quiet, trembling. She swallowed hard. "Nothing at all? What about Boq? Or Fiyero? What about Crope and Tibbett? What about…what about me?"

Elphaba couldn't tell her. She couldn't. If she did, she'd never be able to do this. So she just shook her head, looking away. "I have to go."

"This was your entire dream, Elphaba!" Glinda yelled. She was blinking back tears now, trying her hardest not to cry. Not this time. "Shiz was your life! Your home! What happened? Why don't you love—"

She had planned to say it, but the word caught in her throat and she shut her mouth before something far more dangerous came out. "…anymore," she finished lamely.

The green girl couldn't stop herself any longer. She lunged forward, cupping Glinda's face in her hands, and kissed the blonde before either of them knew what was happening. Elphaba didn't know what she could put into words when they broke apart, so she poured it all into that action, praying to whatever deity did or did not exist that Glinda would understand.

When Elphaba finally pulled back, her forehead resting against Glinda's, one hand still on the blonde's cheek, she forced herself not to turn away. For the first time, she willingly let Glinda see her tears.

"I do, my sweet," she whispered. "I always will. That's why I have to…"

And then it was too much.

Elphaba turned for the door, cloak whirling around her, and vanished.