Dorothy Must Die fanfiction - years later

Part 3

Long part ahead!

After a little while of walking, I decided to stop and take a break. I found a tree to lean against and took the opportunity to see if there was any way I could find help. I pulled my phone out of the pocket of my sweatshirt, but there was no service. If this really is Oz, how come I hadn't seen any wildlife or talking trees? Where were the Munchkin villages? Where was the Yellow Brick Road?

I sighed, placing my phone back in my pocket. I looked up to see the silhouette of a person standing a little ways away. Come to think of it, I had seen somebody a few times as I had been walking. I pushed myself upright and decided to go ask the mystery person what the problem was.

As I got closer, I was able to see the features more clearly. It was a boy, also around my age. He was a bit shorter than me and had a slim figure.

"Hey," I called out to him. He flinched, looking at me with an expression that seemed to say "oh crap." He then glanced around to see if there was anyone else around, but gestured to himself after he saw there was no one else.

"Yeah, you." I stepped up by him, close enough to talk at normal volume. "What's going on?"

"Oh, y'know... the normal nothing," he said, his tone implying that his answer was made up on the spot. I raised an eyebrow, skeptical of his response. His voice wasn't as deep as other guys around his age that I've heard.

"Who are you?" I asked him as he cleared strands of his gray-brown hair out of his face. His eyes were so deep of a blue that they almost looked black, like the water in the middle of the ocean.

"It doesn't really matter who I am," he replied casually, as if we were having an everyday conversation.

"You obviously seem to take some kind of interest in me, given that I've seen you dealing around behind my back, so I think it does matter."

"You saw me?"

"Oh, you see, I thought you wanted me to see you because if you didn't want me to, I would've thought you were the worst spy in the world."

"Um, yeah, I definitely was not trying to hide." His expression was disingenuous. "I just wanted to see where you were going because I've never seen you around before and I don't know where to go, so I was thinking I would follow you to get an idea on where to go."

"You could've just asked me where I was going, mystery person" I pointed out.

"Now that I think about it, that would've been a better plan."

After a moment in silence, I tried to make a bargain with him. "I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours."

He looked thoughtful for a minute, considering my deal. "Bruno Bluewood," he said, extending his hand.

"Jade Winslow."

"Well, bye I guess."

"What? After you fell from a tree because you were stalking me you're just going to leave?"

"Sure?"

"I've never been here before, so I have no idea where to go. I was hoping to see the Emerald Palace or the sea of blossoms, but I guess I'll have to find them myself."

"Wait, you've really never been here? Are you from Ev?"

"Ev? Like in Return to Oz?"

"What?" he had a confused look on his face.

"You know, the movie?"

His expression only grew more stumped. "What even is a movie?"

"It's like a picture, but it moves and tells a story, and—never mind. It's too much to explain."