Chapter 15

Marissa

I felt like I was floating on a cloud the rest of that day and well into the next. I didn’t know how it was possible to be as happy as I was right then, but I hoped the feeling never went away.

On the second day in Kansas, I woke up with a tray of breakfast being placed on the mattress in our roost. I stretched and smiled as I picked up the little note on the tray that had a covered dish of something yummy smelling, a small glass of orange juice, my daily dose of Synthroid that I would have to take for the rest of my life because of my underactive thyroid, and a small little vase with a single flower in it.

A poppy! My obsession with The Wizard of Oz made recognizing the little flower easy. It was also one of my favorite flowers and Wroth knew it.

I grinned as Iread the note written in Wroth’s disaster he called handwriting. Luckily I had years of practice deciphering it.Enjoy your breakfast sweetheart. When you’re done, take a shower and put on the outfit Natalie left hanging for you in the bathroom. Someone will be waiting to bring you to me in two hours. I love you so much Marissa. Then. Now. Forever. –Wroth.

My heart melted at his note, and then curiosity and excitement kicked in. Wroth had told me last night before we’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms that he had something important to do this morning and when he was done I could meet up with him and spend the afternoon sightseeing with him. All he’d had to say was Oz Museum and I’d been hooked.

My excitement got the better of me and I rushed through my breakfast, delighted that it was my favorite with a Colorado omelet with salsa and toast. I knew that Wroth hadn’t made this for me because he couldn’t even boil an egg let alone make an omelet. This had Linc written all over it, but it was still incredibly adorable.

After I was finished I showered, noticing as I stepped into the large tiled walk-in shower that there was a zipped up dress bag hanging from the back of the bathroom door. I wanted to open it and see what Natalie had picked out for me to wear, wondering briefly why she would even need to pick out my clothes, but decided to wait until I was washed before peeking.

I took my time showering, shampooing and conditioning my hair before shaving everything that needed some attention. Unlike the majority of my girlfriends, I didn’t like getting waxed. Call me a cry baby all you want, but that crap hurt. I’d gone through plenty of physical pain. I didn’t want to willingly put myself through it ever again.

When the water grew tepid I turned it off and dried myself before climbing out. Since today was special and I would be taking all kinds of pictures at the Oz Museum, I was going to look my best. I blew my hair dry then curled the ends before putting on a little makeup—just a little foundation, some eye shadow and mascara, with gloss completing it.

Finally, I let myself open the dress bag and nearly fell on my ass when I stumbled back in surprise. No. Freaking. Way. My heart moved up to my throat, making it impossible to breathe as I lifted a trembling hand to touch the ruby red shoes that were hanging with the simple white sundress. Tears fell from my eyes, ruining the makeup I’d just applied.

When I picked up the shoes, a piece of paper fell to the floor and I carefully bent to pick it up. Like the note that had been on my breakfast tray,it was written in Wroth’s handwriting. ‘A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.’ You are loved more than you will ever know, Marissa. By our friends, and your brother but especially by me. –Wroth

The famous quote that the Wizard had told the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz brought even more tears to my eyes. It took me forever to get my tears under control and by the time I’d fixed my makeup and dressed, the two hours Wroth had given me to be ready by had been over by a good twenty minutes.

Cursing, I slipped the ruby heels on as I rushed through the bus. When I opened a door, an older man with graying hair dressed in a chauffeur’s suit stood just a few feet away. He had a sign in his hand with my name on it. His eyes went to my shoes and grinned. “Miss Bryant?”

I nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”

“I thought it might be.” He took off his hat and offered me his arm. “This way, please.”

Excitement filled me once more and I took his arm, feeling surprisingly safe with the older man. We walked through the deserted parking lot, something that surprised me the most. I’d known that the bus was empty but where was everyone else? I didn’t even see the roadies, just a few security guards that I didn’t recognize.

The chauffeur placed me in the back of a black limo and moments later pulled out into traffic. The partition was left down and he talked to me as he drove. And drove. And drove. He kept driving for over an hour before he stopped right outside the biggest warehouse I’d ever seen. The parking lot only had a few vans parked around the side of the warehouse but other than that the place looked deserted.

Nervous now, I hesitated before getting out of the limo when the chauffeur, who had told me his name was Larry, opened the door and offered me his hand. Seeing my reluctance, Larry smiled encouragingly. “I promise that this is where you want to be, Miss Bryant. Mrs. Armstrong made sure I knew exactly where I was going this morning.”

I relaxed a little when he mentioned Emmie and finally took his hand, letting him help me out of the limo. Once I was out, I gazed up at the warehouse. It was even bigger than I had originally thought. From the outsides I could imagine the inside being big enough to hold two or three football fields. Why in the world would Emmie want me to come here? Why would Wroth?

With my hand on his arm, Larry escorted me to the side door of the warehouse and knocked twice. I frowned up at the blue sky as we waited until the door opened. When it did, I nearly screamed.

“Welcome to Oz, Marissa.”

I gaped at Emmie as she grinned and stepped back, letting me into the wonderland that the warehouse had been turned into. Fresh tears blurred my vision and I hurriedly blinked them back so that I could see what was in front of me.

Oh. My. Gosh. I’d just stepped into Oz. With a happy little twirl, I took everything around me in. There were trees, poppies, and… and… a freaking yellow brick road! I looked back at Emmie, convinced that I was dreaming.

“What’s going on, Emmie?” I demanded.

Emmie shrugged. “Someone wanted to give you your dream. And with a little help from everyone who loves you, and the Oz Museum, I was able to make it happen.” She stepped back and lifted a finger to her lips. “Shh. Do you hear that?” I frowned, not hearing anything. “Munchkins.”