Chapter 5
The entire world explodes.
At least, that’s what it feels like to Glinda. It’s a miracle she doesn’t fall off her own platform, really. The blast of air and heat hits her, biting at her face and blowing her hair and clothes around. She throws her arms over her head and waits for the roar to die down.
Her eyes squeeze shut and suddenly all she can see is Boq’s face—his eyes closed and his features relaxed. For the first time that she’s seen, there was no fear. No, he looked almost peaceful. It doesn’t fit, it’s not right, and it’s immediately and forever burned into her memory.
When she has the courage to look up again, there’s nothing left of Boq. Nothing at all.
Everyone is staring now, and she can only imagine the reaction in the Emerald City, but Glinda turns to look at Elphaba. The green girl has turned her head away, her eyes shut tight and her entire face screwed up.
The blonde starts to feel sorry for her, but then she remembers this is the girl she has sworn to hunt down and kill. The thought makes her look up again—two seconds left. She crouches slightly, waiting…waiting…
The gong goes off, taking many of the tributes by surprise. Glinda leaps off her plate and sprints for the bag she spotted earlier. She can hear shouts behind her, but no footsteps yet, and no signs of fighting.
She thinks she’s the first to get to the supplies, but she doesn’t stop to look around and check. She slings the backpack over her shoulders and turns to the rack of daggers. There’s no time to feel any of them out, so she grabs three that are a good length, shoves one into her belt, and takes off running again.
There’s a piercing cry from somewhere behind her, and without thinking Glinda looks back over her shoulder. The first kills have started. She watches Avaric pull a sword out of a Quadling girl. Something flashes through the air beside him, and a small knife hits a Vinkan boy tight at the base of his skull.
Jeron, Glinda thinks. No one else has that kind of aim.
There are more shrieks and cries, violent coughing, loud grunts of pain. It’s unlike anything she has ever heard before, even in her years of training. Glinda decides it’s time to go, especially since that Pfannee girl has spotted her and is lifting her crossbow.
The blonde turns away again and runs for the forest of evergreens that completely surrounds the Cornucopia. A crossbow bolt goes flying past her, but three days in the training room isn’t enough to make Pfannee that deadly. Glinda hits the tree line before anything else is aimed at her. The shouting continues behind her, but it stays distant, and she’s fairly certain that they’ve let her go for now.
Still, she keeps running until the ground starts sloping up. She slows down, trying to quiet her breathing, and looks around. She’s at the base of one of the mountains, though she’s still got a while before she would have to start climbing. She wonders how far the arena really goes, and if she could climb up high enough to have a good vantage point. But then again, she would be completely visible to anyone nearby if she did that. Besides, they’re probably domed into the valley and can’t get up that far anyway.
Glinda keeps walking, listening hard for any sounds of pursuit. She’s dying to look inside her bag and see what supplies she has, but she decides to wait until she knows she’s safe. She needs to get to a place where she can look around. She slows and studies the trees that surround her. They’re all evergreens—excellent for cover but not always the best for climbing. Still, there are a few that seem somewhat sturdy, and there’s not much she can do until she gets a good view, so Glinda sticks another blade in her belt and the third in her bag, secures the pack over both shoulders, and starts climbing.
Her size is an advantage here, but the bag slows her down. When she gets up high enough, she takes it off and tucks it safely near the trunk of the tree. Now she’s even smaller and lighter, and it takes almost no time at all to reach the highest branches.
There’s still enough green to keep her covered, but from here Glinda can see almost the entire arena. She narrows her eyes at the Cornucopia. The alliance is already getting set up there, digging through supplies and swinging around different weapons. Glinda tries to count the bodies that must be lying nearby, but they’re already gone, picked up by the Emerald City’s hovercrafts. That must mean…
The first cannon goes off. Glinda counts as they go. One for Boq. One for the Quadling girl Avaric killed, and the Vinkan boy Jeron hit. The ninth cannon goes off and echoes throughout the valley. Nine tributes dead. She doesn’t know everyone, won’t know until they show their pictures tonight, but something tells her the entire alliance is still around. Fiyero and Sarima too, probably.
And Elphaba. Glinda leans forward a little and scans the valley. She didn’t keep track of the green girl during the bloodbath, but she can’t be far. She was probably still reeling from Boq’s explosion and stumbled into the woods without trying for any supplies. And since she had started close to the same place as Glinda, the blonde has a fairly good idea of where she’d be now.
The alliance will be going through their gear at the Cornucopia for at least another half hour. That should give Glinda plenty of time to at least find the green girl’s trail. She gives a smirk, sure that at least a couple cameras are on her right now, and retreats back down the tree.
She stops when she reaches her bag, hesitating. Now is probably her best time to sort through her own supplies, as long as she’s quick. She opens the pack and digs through. There’s a giant water bottle that’s already full, a pack of dried meat, two small apples, and a loaf of bread. She pushes the food aside and finds a coil of thin but strong rope, a rolled up thermal blanket, a ring of hooks and a small net, a box of matches, and—much to her delight—a pair of gloves. She slips them on. They’re thin, skin-tight, and have the fingers cut off. They’re all but useless against the cold, but perfect for gripping weapons or tree branches or rocks.
She repacks the bag and pulls it back over her shoulders before slipping back down the tree. The air is cool and fresh, the Careers and their pack are far away, and she can’t be far from the green freak.
Let the Games begin, she thinks.
***
It’s about mid-morning—judging by the too-bright sun that’s nearing the top of the sky—by the time Glinda finds her first clue. She kneels down to inspect the scrape mark of a boot, clear as day in the bed of pine needles. There’s no way to tell if it’s Elphaba’s or not, but it’s definitely somebody’s. The blonde swipes her hand over the mark to cover it again and heads off in the right direction, keeping an eye out for more signs.
It doesn’t take long. There are more boot marks, a couple broken branches, and even—finally—a few strands of long black hair. The green girl has been here, and she was moving fast, but how long ago was that? How far has she gone?
Glinda slows down and listens hard. She doesn’t think there’s anyone within earshot, but she wants to know for sure. Besides, it would be nice to have an idea of where the alliance is, too. She finds another sturdy tree and scrambles up for a better view.
She’s pretty far from the Cornucopia now, but she can just make out the figures of the alliance. They’re gathering together and pointing at the tree line. Any minute now they’ll head out in search of the other tributes. Glinda wonders if they have any idea which way Elphaba went and how long it will take them to catch up.
She looks away from the clearing and scans the trees around her, but it only takes a moment to realize how useless it is. Elphaba is green. Even if she’s close, Glinda won’t be able to see her from this high up. Quietly, she moves down a few branches and tries again.
Something moves off to her right. She can’t see through the leaves enough to get a clear view, but it’s dark and it’s moving with a purpose. Glinda grins and hurries back down the tree.
Not only does she have green skin and dark clothes, but Elphaba is also unnaturally good at moving silently. It’s another half hour before Glinda gets close enough to see her, but the wait seems immediately worth it.
Elphaba is pushing through the woods, heading in a steady, determined path toward the mountains. She doesn’t seem to have much. All Glinda can see is a small sack—probably filled with food—and a broken branch that the green girl is using as a walking stick.
The blonde places a hand on one of the daggers tucked into her belt. She has a good enough arm to throw it and hit the green girl. If she moves closer, she can probably hit a vital spot, killing the girl almost immediately. And that’s just throwing. If she can manage to sneak up behind her, then Elphaba Thropp is done for.
But now isn’t the time. The Emerald City wants a good show. What’s better for a show than suspense? Besides, if Elphaba’s image is shown in the air tonight, then the alliance will stop trying to chase her, and Glinda won’t have any idea what their plan is.
No, she’ll wait. Not that it matters. Glinda is a professional and Elphaba is an amateur. She could hunt the green girl for days without being caught. There’s no point in revenge if she doesn’t get to have a little fun with it.
Glinda takes one last look at the green girl before retreating back out of sight. She’ll have to keep her distance and only come close once in a while to check up on Elphaba. Of course, she catches a glimpse of her once in a while. And though the green girl is good at being stealthy, there’s still a rustle in the trees every so often.
The day passes like this, with Elphaba leading them further away from the Cornucopia and the alliance, and closer to the steep slope of the mountains. For a while Glinda tries to keep track of time by the sun’s position in the sky, but eventually she realizes there’s no point to it. The only schedule in the arena is the Gamemakers’.
Speaking of which, what are they planning? It’s been quiet for a few hours now. Is that enough for the Emerald City to start to get bored, or are they still occupied with the replays of the Cornucopia?
Apparently the latter, because things are still calm by the time the sun starts to disappear over the mountaintops. Glinda makes a mental note of the side the sun is setting on. They’re heading southwest and are moving steadily enough that they’ll probably reach the foot of a mountain soon if Elphaba doesn’t change direction.
Glinda wonders if the green girl knows this, or if she even has a plan at all. She decides now is a good time to check up on Elphaba, since it’s getting dark and the green girl might stop soon. She creeps toward Elphaba, crouching low and moving silently, and quickly finds her in a bit of a clearing.
Elphaba has stopped, but she’s looking back and forth between the sky and the trees ahead of her. The scowl on her face makes it seem like she wants to keep going, but the sag in her shoulders makes it seem like she needs to stop. Exhaustion apparently wins out, and she pulls the pack off her shoulder and wanders over to the base of a tree. Glinda watches as she snaps a few branches off and digs through the underbrush, making herself a little hole of a shelter.
Despite herself, the blonde is impressed. When Elphaba ducks inside, she disappears almost entirely. The only indication she’s in there is the slight shaking of the branches when she moves around.
Glinda needs to find shelter for the night, too, but moving around now will surely alert the green girl. In a little while they’ll play the Emerald City’s anthem and show the pictures of all the tributes who were killed that day. The music will probably be enough to cover any noise Glinda makes, but she’ll have to be fast. She’ll have to know what she wants to do.
She doesn’t want to be on the ground. It feels too close to the green girl. Glinda looks around. The tree closest to her is tall and looks strong. It’s far enough from Elphaba’s shelter that the green girl probably won’t be able to see her once she’s up in the branches. If she can get up high enough during the music, then it should be easy enough to tie herself and her pack without getting caught.
How much time before the anthem plays? Glinda slowly pulls the rope out of her bag and slings the coil over her shoulder. She tries to catch sight of Elphaba, but the green girl is hidden in her shelter.
Music starts to play, sounding weirdly distorted as it echoes through the arena. Glinda slips from her hiding spot and over to the far side of the tree. The bark is rough and there are plenty of low branches for her to grab and use. She hoists herself up, trying to make as little sound and movement as possible. The sky glows a dim green as the Emerald City’s emblem is displayed. Glinda scrambles onto a branch that’s nearly as thick as she is and pulls the bag and rope off her shoulders. She scoots back against the trunk just as the pictures of the fallen tributes begin.
The first picture is a Vinkan boy, which means all the Gillikin tributes survived. He’s the only Vinkan they show, though. Glinda thinks of Fiyero and Sarima, still alive, and wonders vaguely if they’re together or if they went separate ways.
Two Quadling boys and all three Quadling girls are shown. There’s not much time left. Glinda carefully digs through her bag and starts pulling out the blanket.
A Munchkin boy and girl are next, though she notices that Pfannee is still alive. She must have made it into the alliance, after all.
Boq’s picture is last. Glinda glances down and finds Elphaba sitting just outside her shelter. She’s hugging her knees to her chest and looking up at the sky. The light from the photograph reflects in her dark eyes, and she continues to stare long after the music fades and the display disappears.
Glinda wonders if now is the time to do it. Elphaba is just sitting there, out in the open, the perfect target. The others in the arena will hear the cannon, but they won’t know who was killed until tomorrow night when the anthem plays again. Slowly, Glinda pulls one of the daggers out of her belt. She probably can’t kill Elphaba in one hit—the blade isn’t made for throwing—but if she can hurt her enough that she won’t be able to escape…
Her muscles tense as shifts her grip on the blade and leans forward. Everyone in the Emerald City is watching her, waiting to see how this moment will play out. The districts, too. All of Oz is watching her, right in this very moment.
Including Ama Clutch.
The thought almost makes Glinda fall off her branch. She hesitates, twirling the blade restlessly between her hands. She doesn’t want to think about what Ama would say to her right now. She doesn’t want to imagine the old woman’s face, wrinkled and worried and telling her to make the right decision.
This is the right decision. Right?
Glinda has everyone’s attention right now. She’s proved how smart she is, how quick and resourceful. Now she can prove how deadly she is. It would just take one toss of her blade, a quick trip down to the ground to finish the green girl off, and then Elphaba Thropp would be no more. She would have sponsor after sponsor. She would be the Emerald City’s favorite. This is exactly what she planned, so why shouldn’t she throw the dagger?
A voice nags at the back of her mind, telling her exactly why she shouldn’t. But it sounds strangely like Ama Clutch so she ignores it. Still, maybe this isn’t the right time. After all, it’s only been a day. The Emerald City would be absolutely thrilled to have this kind of suspense drawn out, wouldn’t they? And besides, what if Elphaba screams? There’s no telling who or what is close enough to hear them and come running.
No, Glinda should wait. Soon enough she’ll have the chance to sneak up behind the green freak and get her in one shot. The blonde spins the dagger and sticks it in her bag—walking around with two at her waist is getting uncomfortable. She pulls the pack over her shoulders and leans back against the tree. Carefully, she ties herself to the branch and pulls the blanket over herself. Below, Elphaba crawls quietly back into her shelter.
Glinda stares at the place she had been sitting for a long while, but she keeps a smug little smirk on her face. She’s going to have to be careful if she wants to keep everyone’s attention. They have to think she’s waiting for a reason.
“Elphaba,” she breathes, loud enough for a camera to hear, but not the green girl. “Poor little Elphie. Just you wait.”