Norma gaped at the spot the cottage should have been. She went on her knees and touched the dirt that should have been the canvas floor.

She could picture it so clearly, waking up in the bed this morning to find Pipsqueak cuddled in her arms and other animals playing about the floor.

From her throat came an incomprehensible sound of anger and sadness. She took a fist of dirt in her palm and stood, letting the dirt fall through her fingers.

She turned away from the sight, tears threatening to spill once more. She raised her head and marched, her back stiff and her eyes aflame.

…

Once-ler gave up on looking for Norma after 10 minutes, knowing she'd come back at some point. He retired to his bedroom, his eyes carrying dark shadows beneath them. He hadn't seen Norma so upset since the time he forgot her birthday when they were 16.

He hoped that she'd grow into her new look, simply because he was absolutely terrified of disappointing his mother. If his mother liked Norma's new look, who was he to insist Norma changed back. She was still Norma after all. And he was still the same Once-ler that had fallen for Norma. Nothing had changed, he told himself. Nothing at all.

As his eyes just shut closed, he heard a door open and slam closed with a loud bang. He sat up with a start and quickly left the comfort of his bed.

In front of the door was Norma, mud splattered and hair frizzed. Her polka dotted skirt was riding up at one side and her shirt had a few tears in it. Makeup ran down her face, mascara stains painting her cheeks inky black.

He reeled at her appearance for a moment before stepping toward her, afraid of what's to come. "Norma? Are you alright…?" he was quiet, his words stuck in his throat.

"No. I am most definitely not alright." She seethed with held in frustration, her words sharp and cutting. She swatted at the mud on her skirt and marched into Once-ler's room and into the newly added bathroom.

Once-ler tried to follow her to ask her what was wrong but the door was slammed in his face as he came up to the bathroom.

From inside the bathroom, Norma flipped the light switch and turned on the shower. She took a short shower, letting the hot steaming water melt away her tenseness for a few moments before she hopped out and her anger resurfaced.

Her hair laid limp against her back as the water weighed down the curls. The water also gave the allusion that her hair was darker, very close to her natural color. She faintly smiled, looking at her hair but frowned not 5 seconds after.

She wrapped herself in a deep green robe and tied the belt tight as she finally opened the bathroom door. She was met with Once-ler standing in her way. When he saw she was wearing a robe, he blushed deep crimson. With a huff, she pushed past him and out the bedroom towards a guest room, newly built.

She should have realized. The guest room was neatly stocked with her new clothes and makeup, complimentary of Susannah. All this time, Sue had been planning to tear down her new home. In the very unfamiliar room, Norma felt like a prisoner, trapped to be observed.

In the room just across the hall, Once-ler stood in place, a gnawing at the back of his mind.

…

He started pacing the room, trying his very best to figure out what was wrong. Norma had come back covered in mud and her hair frizzy. It somehow reminded of their childhood, when they'd play in the mud not after it rained but during the downpour. As much as he wanted to calm her down, he found himself blushing thinking of her appearance with her hair a mess. To him, she'd looked gorgeous.

There was a knock at his door and without waiting for an answer, his mother strolled in. "Oncie! How's that work coming?" She glanced around the room, looking for any signs that he had taken his work into the bedroom.

"Oh… um… I got worried about Norma when she ran off and I wasn't able to concentrate. And now… she's pretty angry. I don't know why though and it's just… I don't know what to do." Sue gave him an emotionless look.

"Well hun, it appears to me that if she's angry, it'd be best to leave her be. Focus on your work while she stews a while. I'm sure that by tomorrow, things will be fine and dandy! Now why don't you just get on back to work! Don't wanna fall behind. We need those orders done ASAP." She threw her fox scarf over shoulder and strutted out the door, a small sinister smile gracing her lips.

Her footsteps clicked against the floor as she made her way over to Norma's room. "Knock knock!" she chirped as she threw open the door. Norma was staring out the window, her hair still damp and her mouth in a grim line. She didn't react to Sue coming in, she merely stood completely still.

"Oh, Hun. Frowning like that'll give you wrinkles. Wouldn't you rather smile and be a good little girl? For Oncie's sake? I know that he'd be devastated if he came in here and found you all upset over nothing." Her tone was sickly sweet, laced with a bite.

Norma frowned harder but turned to face her. "I'll be fine. I… I just need time." Her words sounded sincere but all the while, Norma was lying through her teeth.

Sue shrugged and tossed a suspicious look at Norma. "If you say so! But hun, I think it best if you don't leave the factory grounds for a while. The valley is no place for a little lady."

Norma's breath hitched in her throat and she glared at the back of Sue's head. Susannah walked back out the door without as much as a backward glance, frustrating Norma all the more.

As the door clicked closed, Norma crumpled to the floor, her sobs echoing across the walls.

A/N: Semi-short chapter! The next chapter will take place about a year after this one, just a warning. I hope you guys enjoy and if you really like this story, you should check out my ask blog on tumblr! The ask blog is of my version of Norma and is called, not-so-normal-norma. I'll be posting one chapter a week on there, starting from the beginning and in between chapters; you'll get to see snippets of her life and what happens that you don't see in the chapters. Plus I'll be posting drawings of my design for Norma so you can see how I imagine her to look! Ask questions and I'll answer them in character! And if anybody would like to make a Once-ler blog specifically to accompany my Norma, I'd love to talk with you about it! I'm open to RPs! Thanks if you actually read through my long spiel.