Chapter 2
She has to replay the video multiple times before she finally pays attention to the boy tribute—a tiny Munchkin named Boq. Every time the clip starts over, she’s immediately drawn to the green girl, whose name she learns is Elphaba Thropp. Glinda spends nearly half an hour focusing on her before realizing there are two other Munchkinland districts to watch.
When she’s done, she makes her way back to the car they had lunch in. The table has been mostly cleared, though there’s still a bowl of fruit and a meat and cheese tray. Madame Morrible is sitting at one side, writing on a notepad. She looks up as Glinda enters the room.
“Your biggest threat,” says the older woman. “Who is it?”
The blonde starts to respond, then pauses. Morrible raises an eyebrow, and Glinda swears she can feel her gaze going straight through her. She thinks carefully before trying again. “I’m not sure there is a biggest threat, Madame. First impressions say the Tenmeadows boy. But I could just as easily be taken down by another tribute, or the Gamemakers, or even my own mistakes. There is no biggest threat. I have to treat them all equally, don’t I?”
There’s a long pause as Morrible continues to study her. “So you do have brains,” she says finally. “Good. You’ll need them. Come sit down.”
Glinda takes the seat across from her and sits gingerly, her hands folded carefully in her lap. Morrible sets her notepad down and leans forward.
“Let’s discuss what you’ve noticed. You mentioned Tenmeadows—start with him.”
Without hesitation, the blonde starts rattling off things she noticed. “He’s obviously tough. He looks like he handles primarily melee weapons—probably a sword—but that doesn’t mean he’s limited to that. And on top of whatever strength he has, he’s attractive. He’ll be a favorite in the Emerald City, without a doubt.”
“And the girl from that district?”
“The same. Attractive, fierce…they’ll have an alliance, too.”
Morrible nods approvingly and waves at her to go on. Glinda continues to describe the tributes she saw, trying to remember everything she had noticed. Morrible writes some notes down and gives the occasional interjection.
“There was one pair from the Vinkus who seemed really familiar with each other,” Glinda says, thinking back. “Fiyero was the boy, and the girl was…”
“Sarima,” says Morrible. “From the Grasslands District, right? A good observation, Miss Glinda. If they stick together, and are used to having each other’s backs, then they’ll be nearly as dangerous as the other Careers.”
Glinda nods and keeps going. They don’t discuss the Quadlings too much, although there are a couple boys who seem big enough to put up a fight. But then they get to Munchkinland, and Glinda hesitates.
“There was…in the Nest Hardings district…”
“Ah, yes. Miss Thropp.”
There’s something in Morrible’s tone that makes the blonde look up. “Do you know her?”
The mentor seems to think about it. “I know of her. But tell me, Miss Glinda, what did you notice about her?”
“She’s green.” It sounds dumb, Glinda knows, but she’s still too mesmerized by this girl to think of much else. She clears her throat. “I mean, her skin. The Emerald City will love her just for that.”
Morrible makes a noise in the back of her throat. “What else?”
“She has magic.”
“How observant, Miss Glinda.”
Glinda bites her lip and forces herself to think. “She’s a Thropp, so she’ll have grown up with more than most other Munchkinland tributes. She’s obviously brave, and probably stubborn, to volunteer for her sister like that. And…well, the magic thing again. That gives her an advantage, doesn’t it?”
Morrible clasps her hands under her chin and sighs. “Let me tell you what I know of Elphaba Thropp. She was born with her abilities—as well as her green skin—but no one knows why. The magical community in Oz is limited, so we’ve kept an eye on Miss Thropp. She has no power over her magic, and apparently has no desire to learn any. You saw the way she acted at the reaping. The energy surrounding her may have seemed intimidating, but it was simply her emotions manifesting themselves in a way she could not control.”
Glinda thinks about how the green girl trembled while on stage. “That could be even more dangerous,” the blonde says.
“Yes,” says Morrible. “My advice regarding Miss Thropp is to just stay away from her. It shouldn’t be too hard. She’ll destroy herself before the Games get too far in.”
“But…her skin. She’ll have countless supporters in the Emerald City.”
“Will she?” Now Morrible just looks smug. “That family has been known to cause unrest in the Munchkinland districts. It has never been anything worth worrying about, but the Thropps are not well liked in the Emerald City. Think about how Miss Elphaba looked. She was furious at her reaping. Like you said, she’s stubborn. She will play no part in these Games—not willingly. Her skin may be a novelty but…” Morrible shakes her head and smirks. “Besides, you saw her. An ugly, angry green bean? She’ll lose every fan she has by the end of your first day in the city.”
Glinda glances at the clock on the wall. They’ll spend tonight on the train and arrive in the Emerald City the next morning, where they’ll be put immediately in the hands of their stylists to prepare for the opening ceremonies. Everything suddenly seems so fast and it makes Glinda’s head whirl, though not in an unpleasant way. She grabs a strawberry from the bowl on the table and continues discussing with Morrible, barely even noticing how, out the window, her district has all but disappeared.
***
She doesn’t see much of her fellow tribute for the rest of the day, though at some point she hears and tries to remember that his name is Jeron. They all eat dinner together, but Nikidik and the mentors keep up most of the conversation.
Glinda is perfectly fine with this. She’s been planning out her Games for as long as she can remember, and she decided years ago not to even bother with alliances. What’s the point, really, of having a connection with someone? Once in the arena, it will only come down to who will kill the other first.
They’re given free time after dinner. Glinda takes a small bowl of ice cream—a treat she’s only allowed on extremely special occasions back home—and, for the sake of being sentimental, a glass of Pertha Hills’ finest wine. She wanders back to the car with the big screen and settles down with her dessert to re-watch the reapings.
One after another, she goes through each of the other tributes. She pictures facing them, imagines how she could take them down. With that Avaric boy, she’ll have to be quick enough to stay out of his reach. Same with Shenshen and most of the other Careers. The boy from her district, though—Jeron—he’ll be different. She’s seen how he fights, and she knows that he’s most deadly with ranged weapons.
Glinda wonders vaguely if he’s sitting in some other part of the train right now, thinking about how to best kill her. The thought amuses her, and she giggles into her wine glass as she takes a sip and moves on to the Vinkus reapings.
For the most part, tributes are easy to classify. Careers, the most deadly and most likely to win, are from Gillikin. Tributes from the Vinkus are the second most dangerous, used to hunting and surviving and killing, though not when up against other people. Quadling Country and Munchkinland are a bit of a tossup. Quadlings will be a little tougher from working the mines, and once in a while their strange clothes and accents will be something of a trend in the Emerald City, but they’re also more likely to be too underfed to survive past the first few days. The Munchkins, on the other hand, are farmers. A lot of their produce goes out to feed the rest of Oz, but they still have more food than the Quadlings. Most of the time they’re proficient with tools and have good endurance, but they’re so small—even smaller than Glinda—so really, what chance do they have in a straight up fight?
Except for that Elphaba girl. Glinda pauses the video to stare at her, suddenly realizing why she actually wanted to watch the reapings again. There’s just something about her that doesn’t quite make sense. Maybe it’s the magic. Maybe it’s the fact that, if what Morrible says is true, this girl will practically self-destruct within the next week. But Glinda doesn’t think that’s it. At least, that’s not the only thing…
The blonde dozes off on the couch twice before finally getting up and moving to her car for the night. The bed in her room is unbelievably comfortable, and she barely kicks her shoes off before she collapses into the pillows. She falls asleep instantly and dreams of running through an arena made entirely of green.
***
The next morning, Glinda wakes early enough to see the beginning of the sunrise outside the window of her train car. She stares at the sky for a while, but the moment of peace just makes her impatient, so she slips out of bed and starts getting ready for breakfast instead.
Nikidik tells them the schedule for the day while they eat, talking excitedly about their stylists and the opening ceremony. Glinda’s excited, too. A chance to dress up and show off for all of Oz? Of course, she’ll be showing off enough in the arena. But here she doesn’t even have to get her hands dirty.
Soon enough, they’re pulling into the Emerald City. Glinda and Jeron both rush to the windows to watch, though they keep their distance from each other. Nikidik is delighted by their enthusiasm, and he points out different people and places as they pass by.
The station is overflowing with people straining to get to the train. For a long moment all Glinda can do is stare. The people of the Emerald City seem endless. Every single one of them glimmers with jewels or makeup, and most are wearing some small bit of green. The blonde is fascinated with the clothes, the shoes, the wigs, the purses—all of it.
And they seem just as fascinated by her. People are calling her by name as soon as she steps onto the platform. Her head spins, but Glinda has always done well with attention. She lets the wonder she feels show, staring around in overwhelmed awe for a moment or two before breaking out in her most dazzling smile. She waves at the crowd, blowing kisses and mouthing thank yous. She even curtsies once or twice, though she also ducks her head as if to hide her blush.
Beside her, Jeron is doing pretty well, too. Glinda decides against fighting him for attention and instead just pretends not to notice. The citizens of the Emerald City soak them up as they’re escorted past, and Glinda can practically feel herself glowing.
Nikidik ushers them into a long car that will take them to the Remake Center, and the process of getting ready for the opening ceremonies begins.
Glinda’s prep team is in awe of her and, honestly, the feeling is mutual. They touch her hair and her skin and shower her in compliments while she studies them quietly, admiring their odd Emerald City fashions. She doesn’t know exactly what to say while they wash her down and get her ready for her stylist, so she plays up the shy routine—tiny giggles, looking away to hide a fake blush. It makes them adore her even more, and the blonde has to push down the pride that rushes through her.
After a couple hours with the prep team, Glinda is scrubbed down and shined up. Her hair is softer than it’s ever been and smells like strawberries. Her skin is silky to the touch, courtesy of a rich, vanilla scented lotion. Her legs are smooth and they’ve put the slightest bit of makeup on her eyes, “To make them brighter!” one of them exclaims.
They leave her alone in the room after that, and she sits on a cool metal table in nothing but a fluffy robe. Glinda kicks her bare feet back and forth, admiring the clear polish that gives her toenails just a little bit of shine.
The door to the room slides open a few minutes later, and she looks up as a young woman walks in. Glinda adores her from the start—the wild mane of dark curls that is pushed back from her face, the elegant cheekbones, the splash of freckles across her collarbone. She can’t be more than a few years older than Glinda, but the blonde recognizes her from past years.
“Glinda,” the woman says, walking forward and grasping her hand. “How lovely it is to meet you. I’m Dina. I’ll be your stylist for the Games.”
Dina grabs a chair and sits across from Glinda. The blonde continues to stare, noticing more and more details about her stylist. She has a streak of deep, forest green going through her hair, and her eyes seem to glitter like emeralds. That can’t be real, Glinda thinks. Dina smiles, as if reading her mind.
“As you can imagine, green is pretty popular here,” she says. “But let’s talk about you. We must have you at your best out there tonight, yes?”
The blonde nods quietly. She tries to meet Dina’s strange eyes, but finds it too difficult and looks down at her own hands instead.
“Right there,” says Dina. “That’s what I was thinking.”
“What?” Glinda asks, looking up again with confusion. Dina stands and motions for her to do the same. She circles around Glinda as she talks.
“I’ve been watching you, Glinda. You were adorable when you first got on the train, and absolutely precious when you arrived here in the city. The prep team was simply gushing to me about how shy and sweet you are. I have no doubt that the entire Emerald City is currently doing the same. But I saw you volunteer at your reaping. You didn’t look shy, or precious, or anything close to it. You looked deadly.”
“I am deadly,” Glinda says, an edge to her voice. Dina smirks.
“Exactly. But you’re also tiny, and you’ve learned how to play it up for your advantage, haven’t you?”
The blonde shifts around but says nothing.
“Come on,” says Dina, beckoning her out of the room. “I think I know just the thing.”
***
Evening finds Glinda standing at the bottom of the Remake Center. Next to her, Jeron’s stylist is perfecting his makeup. He’s in a crisp white suit with an emerald-colored vest and tie. Glinda can’t help but admit he looks good.
Of course, she looks better. She looks down and twists a little bit, watching the skirt of her dress whirl from side to side. The dress is pure white, like Jeron’s suit, with an emerald sash around her waist. The neckline doesn’t dip too low and the skirt hangs just above her knees.
“Remember,” Dina tells her as she places a jeweled clip in her hair. “Innocent. Shy. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing, and they’ll be crazy about you.”
Glinda nods and lets herself be helped onto the chariot that will pull them through the city and up to the Wizard’s palace. Their prep teams rush around them, perfecting tiny little details, but Glinda ignores them and looks around at the other chariots.
There’s a Quadling pair that glitters red, like the rubies they mine, but Glinda can’t remember their names. She leans forward to try to find someone she does recognize and catches a glimpse of Shenshen, whose deep red dress is so divine she looks as though she’s lived here all her life. Unlike Glinda, though, her gown is skin-tight and leaves little to the imagination. She meets the blonde’s eyes and smirks, blowing her a kiss.
Glinda pretends not to notice and keeps looking around. Fiyero and Sarima are both dressed in deep, earthy tones, with the occasional streak of gold or silver sewn in. Another Vinkan pair wears exotic-looking animal furs. Toward the back of the room, most of the Munchkins are teetering around in ridiculously high heeled shoes, just so they can see over the tops of their chariots.
There’s one Munchkin tribute, though, that doesn’t need the height advantage. Elphaba Thropp stands next to her carriage, her arms crossed over her chest. She seems stiff and angry—though maybe, Glinda muses, that’s just how she acts when nervous. The green girl looks as though she’s going to flat out refuse to get into her chariot, but a Goat walks up and says something to her. She tilts her head down toward him and, after a moment, unfolds her arms, relaxing her posture.
She moves toward her chariot and, in doing so, turns in Glinda’s direction. The blonde takes the opportunity to study her outfit. She’s dressed in all black, which is strangely complimentary to the green. Her dress hugs her skinny frame and covers most of her skin. She wears shiny black boots that reach halfway up her shins, and she has a thick, billowing cloak that flutters behind her every time she moves.
But now the green girl meets her eyes, and Glinda knows she’s been caught. Elphaba raises a single eyebrow in her direction, and her lips twitch up into a smirk. Without looking away, she reaches into her chariot, pulls something out, and places it on top of her head.
Now Glinda is truly mesmerized. The hat Elphaba has grabbed would seem ridiculous anywhere else, on anyone else. But the pointed top makes her noticeable, and when she tugs it into place, the wide brim casts a shadow over her face, making her sharp features even more angled. She looks dangerous. She looks mysterious. Somehow, before Glinda’s very eyes, the green girl has become…captivating.
“Alright, they’re lining up,” says Nikidik, who appears behind Glinda with the two mentors. Morrible looks her up and down but doesn’t say anything. Dina gives Glinda’s hand a squeeze before stepping away.
A team of Horses pulls their chariot into place behind the other two Gillikin districts. In the split second after the doors open, before they begin to move, she meets Jeron’s eyes. He gives her a tiny, determined nod. She returns it, and then they both look away, focusing instead on the roar of the crowd that is just outside, waiting to see them.
They pull out into the street, and for the first few moments it’s absolutely deafening. All Glinda can see is people—waving arms and beaming faces and bodies leaning forward on tiptoe to get a better view of them. And the voices, all screaming and calling their names, cheering them on as they ride past. It’s far more overwhelming than the train station, and a thousand times better. Glinda doesn’t even have to think. She just moves—waving, blowing kisses, reaching out as if to brush the hands of the people straining to touch her. There’s not much more she can do with the chariots speeding so quickly through the streets, but she smiles all the way through the city, soaking up every bit of attention she attracts.
The chariots start to slow and before Glinda knows it, they’ve moved into a semi-circle just outside the Wizard’s palace. A hush falls over the crowd as everyone looks up at the balcony above the tributes. A short, balding man in a deep emerald suit walks up to the railing. He smiles and raises a hand in greeting before launching into an official welcome and opening speech.
Glinda has seen the Wizard before, of course, but he seems significantly less impressive in person. Maybe it’s just because he’s so high up, so he appears smaller. Either way, Glinda barely pays attention to his words. The speech doesn’t last long, anyway, and soon music is blaring from speakers she can’t even see. The crowd roars again, and Glinda lets herself sneak a few glances at the other chariots while they’re still in place.
Avaric and Shenshen are soaking up every bit of attention, charming the crowd with everything they have. Fiyero and Sarima look menacing, though their hands are clasped together, down inside the chariot where the audience can’t see. A few of the Quadlings and Munchkins are smiling convincingly, but some of them just look terrified.
And then there’s the green girl, who looks ready to jump at each and every member of the audience. She seems especially hateful toward the Wizard. The air ripples around her as she glares up at him. The Munchkin sharing her chariot—Boq—looks up at her and says something. He touches her wrist but she jerks away.
Glinda tears her eyes away and turns her attention back to the crowd, blowing kisses and giving tiny curtsies. They start moving again, this time toward the Training Center. They’ve barely made it inside when Dina grabs Glinda and yanks her into a hug. Everyone from their little Pertha Hills group is fluttering around them, pouring out praises, but the blonde’s focus is elsewhere.
Across the room, Elphaba tears off her hat and jumps down from her chariot. She shoves past her stylist and marches straight toward the elevators that will take her to her floor. Her prep team starts muttering angrily, and the Gale Force officers who are posted in the room give her dangerous looks, but she appears not to notice. Elphaba steps into the elevator with Boq and the Goat from earlier. Glinda watches as Boq stands on his toes to whisper something to her. Just before the door closes, the green girl meets her eyes again.
“Miss Glinda.” Morrible’s voice is impatient. “Come on. We’re going up now.”
Glinda blinks and follows the others into another elevator. Nikidik is babbling about their schedule for tomorrow, and Morrible says something about discussing strategies at breakfast. Glinda nods absentmindedly. Elphaba’s gaze—that quick glimpse of dark, smoldering rage—still burns in her mind.