Upsy daisy.
I used the four-poster bed to support me because my legs didn’t want to. It felt like I hadn’t moved in days. And my head was fuzzy, like it was filled with cotton candy. Looking around the room, I saw vases and vases of wilted flowers.
Weird, random decor.
I had no clue where I was. Worse than that, I had no clue who I was. Maybe taking a walk would help me see if something looked familiar. My feet were cold against the floor. Where were my shoes? I thought I remembered liking shoes. Well, that was one thing at least.
Outside the room there was a long hall of mirrors. I walked down it, not really recognizing the girl walking next to me in the mirror. She was barefoot and wearing an ugly dress. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be caught dead like that—and something was wrong with her hair.
The mirrors must be broken.
I heard scraping behind me and spun around in time to see a small puppy run into one of the rooms. Instantly I felt a visceral gut-clenching hatred. See, there was another clue. Apparently I was more of a cat person.
Did I have a cat? Or a pet? I willed myself to remember and caught fragments of memories. A little fuzzy thing in a basket. Toto or something. That must be it.
Satisfied, I continued down the hall. The door to the room at the end was cracked open. People were talking. A man and a woman.
It would be bad manners to interrupt. Someone once told me to always wait outside until they’re done. But who? Maybe they were inside. I would listen and see if I recognized the voices. Maybe get a better idea of who and where I was.
“…poppies aren’t working, are they?”
“If they were, I wouldn’t have had to transport you here, now would I? I’ve removed the shoes, but she’s got the magic of Oz in her blood now,” said the man.
“What’s to stop me from killing her and torturing you? Giving my sister your head on a silver platter would be a very nice start to make up for your double-crossing us.”
“That wo-would be unwise,” the man stuttered. “After so many attempts, you know very well you don’t have enough power to kill her. But with my help, we would be able to contain her.”
The woman sighed. “I’m listening.”
“The princess brought me the book. It’s yours if you help me keep her here. And when your sister is free, she can use it with the power of Emerald and have none of the risk. Surely with that, the empress will forgive me.”
“Why would you want to keep her here?” She clucked her tongue. “Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for the little twit. Are you trying to replace the first Emerald with this one?”
“What concern is it of yours? As long as you know where she is, you won’t ever have to worry about your little mistake coming back to burn you.”
The woman growled something low, but I couldn’t make it out.
Pushing my ear tighter to the door, I fell into the room and collided with a blond man. I started to apologize to him but realized I’d been confused. It wasn’t a man at all. It was a green woman. An ugly green woman.
Why was I crying?
She offered me an emerald staff to help myself up. I took it and got to my feet. Then I hugged the woman fiercely, already forgetting what they were talking about.
“I don’t know who you are, but I think I am very happy to see you.” I sniffled and wiped my nose against her sleeve.
“You don’t recognize me, Dorthea?” the green-faced woman said, her eyes searching me over.
“Is that my name?” I turned it over in my head, tasting it to see if it felt right. “I don’t remember. There are holes in my brain, and my memories keep falling out.”
The other person in the room scoffed and turned her eyes up. The green-faced woman glared at her and wrapped an arm around me. “My name is Verte, and you have been very sick with the curse. We had to leave the Emerald Palace to get help from a special, magnificent man named the Wizard of Is.” She pointed her red-tipped fingers to the other girl. “This is Rexi. She came with us from the palace. Does any of this sound familiar?”
The name Rexi did ring a bell. The girl’s hair looked like she’d put her finger in a lightning bug jar and got electrocuted.
I looked back to Verte to answer her question. “I think so. I remember that girl being really rude. And there was this boy. Mother wanted me to marry him.” My heart started beating faster. There was something I needed to know, something just on the edge of what I could see. Teardrops fell onto my hands. “Are my parents here? I think I need to see them.”
Verte patted my back. “Hush now, child. They’re still at the palace, but they’re coming for the wedding. You were right; you are getting married. In fact, it’s to the wizard I was telling you about earlier.”