Outta here
Elphaba didn’t waste time.
She had already left Colwen Grounds, was already halfway to the train station, her fingers tight around the strap of her bag.
Her heart was pounding, her stomach tight, but her hands?
Steady.
She knew what she was doing.
She just had to get there.
She pulled out her phone, thumb hovering over Glinda’s name before typing—
Elphaba:Train or bus?
It took less than ten seconds for the response to come through.
Glinda:Train. Faster. Safer. And I know you, you’d get annoyed on a bus.
Elphaba huffed a small laugh, her pace picking up.
Elphaba:Fair.
Elphaba:I’ll be on the next one out.
Glinda:Good. I’ll be waiting.
Elphaba didn’t ask for the address.
Didn’t need to.
Everyone in Oz knew where the Upland estate was.
Glinda sat poised in the sitting room, hands folded neatly in her lap, her expression perfectly pleasant.
Across from her, Momsie and Popsicle sat in their usual chairs, wine glasses in hand, the firelight casting soft golden hues across the polished wood.
She took a calm breath.
Then, with her most effortless grace—
“I wanted to ask you something.”
Her mother’s brows lifted slightly. “Oh?”
Glinda smiled. “A friend of mine needs a place to stay over break. She doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”
Her mother sipped her wine, barely batting an eye.“Who?”
Glinda kept her expression unreadable. “Elphaba Thropp.”
That got a reaction.
Her mother’s glass paused midair, her father actually looked up from his tablet.
Then—a glance between them.
Glinda saw it immediately—the moment of hesitation, the uncertainty.
But it lasted barely a second.
Because of course they wouldn’t say no.
Not out loud.
Not when it would make them look unkind.
Her mother tilted her head. “The governor’s daughter?”
Glinda nodded. “That’s right.”
Her mother took another measured sip, then set her glass down.
“Well, of course, darling. We wouldn’t turn someone away in need.”
Glinda smiled sweetly. “I knew you’d say that.”
Her father hummed. “I assume she’ll be staying in the guest room. Do you want me to have Ama Clutch make one up?”
Glinda tilted her head.
“I can handle it, thank you.”
Glinda knew exactly how this needed to go.
Her parents had agreed—of course, they had—but that didn’t mean they wanted Elphaba making herself at home.
So, she had to make it look like she was just being a polite host.
She started in the guest room.
Pulled back the covers, plumped the pillows, smoothed the sheets with practiced precision.
Her mother would check.
She even cracked the window slightly—just enough that if someone happened to glance in, it would look like fresh air had been let in for a guest.
And that was all well and good.
Except Elphaba wasn’t staying in here, at least not tonight, not when she was this upset.
Satisfied with the illusion of hospitality, she turned on her heel and walked straight to her own room.
Because that’s where Elphaba was actually staying.
Her bed was already neat, but she rearranged the pillows, making sure there was plenty of space.
She glanced at the nightstand.
Elphaba never drank water before bed—and then complained about it in the morning. Glinda had seen it too many times.
She filled a glass and set it down.
Her perfume bottle sat nearby.
She thought about moving it.
Elphaba would make a comment about it.
She left it.
Once everything was set, she grabbed her phone.
Glinda:Guest room is ready.
The reply was instant.
Elphaba:You’re actually expecting me to sleep in a separate room when I haven’t seen you in weeks?
Glinda:Appearances, Elphie.
A pause. Then—
Elphaba:You’re diabolical.
Glinda:I know.
Glinda smirked, tossing her phone onto the bed.
Everything was ready.
Now, she just had to wait.
The train rocked gently, the steady hum of the tracks dulling the edge of her thoughts.
Elphaba sat in a window seat, one hand wrapped around a coffee she wasn’t drinking, the other resting over the strap of her bag as if someone might try to take it from her.
Not that anyone would.
No one was paying her any attention.
She was just another traveler, another body on a train.
She exhaled, letting her head tilt back against the seat, staring at the ceiling.
She was doing this.
She had actually left.
Frex had probably figured it out by now.
He’d be livid.
Nessarose would be disappointed.
Shell—
She exhaled sharply, sitting up, pulling out her phone.
Elphaba:Still in one piece. On the train.
Glinda:Good. No trouble at the station?
Elphaba:None. If Frex is sending a search party, they haven’t found me yet.
Glinda:Give it time.
Elphaba huffed, shaking her head.
She balanced the phone on her knee, staring out the window.
The landscape was shifting now—wide fields turning into clusters of expensive homes, roads widening into neatly paved avenues.
Frottica was close.
She flexed her fingers, resisting the urge to bounce her leg.
Another text lit up her screen.
Glinda:How’s the coffee?
Elphaba glanced down at the cup she’d barely touched.
Elphaba:Terrible.
Glinda:I’ll make you one when you get here.
Elphaba smirked.
Elphaba:Are you a barista now?
Glinda:I can pour it into a cup. That’s the extent of my abilities.
Elphaba let out a quiet laugh, the first real one since she’d left.
Her grip on her bag eased slightly.
Another minute.
Another mile closer.
She was almost there.