Yellow Brick Road

Prologue

As a rule, Kansas is flat. As another rule, all rules are made to be broken. Which is precisely how one Dorthy gale ended up sitting in a tree reading a book after school every day for the entire duration of both September and October. Dorthy liked most books. The ones she was made to read for school always seemed bad, but that was likely just because school made everything related seem awful.

At the moment, Dorthy is perched atop a sturdy oak, back against the trunk and legs crossed over the top of each other. A length of rope she'd stolen from the family shed tied loosely around her waist so that she's less likely to fall and hurt herself. Unfortunately, her phone is not tied to her pocket, because when it vibrates and she jumps, startled, it falls out of her jeans and down onto the ground below. 

Toto, a small, lean boy around her age, cheerleader and Dorthy's best friend in the entire world,  picks it up and waves it at her. 

"Pick up, dumbass," Dorthy says urgently.

"No," Toto says, grinning up at her. "I don't think I will."

"Shit," she spits, mostly to herself, partially to gravity. She unties herself as quickly as she can and scrambles to the ground, catching the gingham sleeves of her shirt on what feels like every branch. When she lands with a thud on the ground, it's too late and she's already missed the call. The immediate redial from Aunt Em proves that she's either pissed or scared.

"Dorthy, where are you?" She asks, voice stern with worrying notes of panic. Dorthy can hear the click-click-click-click of Aunt Em's too-long nails on the dining room table, and immediately loses any interest in her book. Aunt Em only drums her fingernails when something is really, truly wrong.

"I'm in the woods, out by the school," Dorthy says. "Is everything okay?"
"There's a tornado warning in effect. Can you get into the school?"
"I think so. The school play has their rehearsal right now, I think," she glances at Toto and he nods a confirmation. "So-,"

"Then go." There's a pause as Dorthy shoves her book into her backpack. "Love you, Dorthy."
"Love you too, Auntie."

"Tornado warning," Dorthy spits at him. "We should get into school."
"That's the only time I think I've ever heard you say that." Toto jokes, but he's zipping up his backpack with the same amount of urgency she feels. 

Dorthy scrambles through the woods in the direction of the high school, Toto right on her heels. The wind has started to pick up, and leaves blow this way and that around them. The school is in sight now, though still far away, and as the two of them run for it Dorthy catches something out of the corner of her eye. 

"Dorthy, watch o-," is the last thing she hears before a branch hits her in the side of the head and she's knocked unconscious.