Emerald Fog

Galinda blinked her eyes open slowly, the early sunlight streaming through the thin curtains of her dorm room. Her head throbbed faintly, and she grimaced, shielding her eyes from the offensive brightness. Memories of the night before at the Ozdust Ballroom rushed in: the music, the energy, the green-skinned girl standing confidently under the lights with a guitar in hand, captivating the crowd.

Sitting up, Galinda ran her fingers through her tousled blonde curls, trying to make sense of the whirl of emotions she felt. She had seen bands perform before, bands with spectacular songs and singers that would make even the most disinterested person in the room swoon with one look, but this…this had been different.

The green girl (Elphaba, she remembered) had been raw, unapologetically herself, her voice deep and full of emotion, vibrating around the ballroom. She could still recall the way a chill ran down her spine. Galinda thought it was strange how the girl’s presence seemed to fill the room, turning the cruel laughter into cheers of enjoyment. She remembered how it had been as if no one else mattered. Not the bandmates on stage with her, not the other people at the Ozdust, not even Fiyero, who up until that moment, had had her undivided attention.

She groaned and flopped back onto her pillow.

“What is wrong with me?” she whispered, staring up at the ceiling.

The feelings had hit her in waves throughout the night. Was it admiration? Fascination? No, it was something warmer, softer, that made her chest feel tight and her cheeks flush whenever she looked at the girl. It wasn’t like she hadn’t admired other girls before. Admiring was practically her favorite pastime! But this had been… sharper, somehow. Deeper.

With a huff, she rolled out of bed and padded over to her vanity, her pink nightgown brushing against her legs. She caught her reflection in the mirror and paused, tilting her head.

“You’re just… tired,” she told herself firmly. “And a little hungover, maybe. That’s all it is.”

But her reflection didn’t look convinced.

Her morning routine, usually like a calm meditation for her, felt disjointed. As she brushed her hair, she found herself staring through the mirror in front of her and picturing those green eyes that had looked back at her. The feeling of being seen completely was overwhelming. When she picked out her outfit, she wondered what Elphaba would think of it. Did she like pink? Was she one of those artistic types who preferred darker colours?

“Stop it,” Galinda muttered aloud, fastening a necklace around her neck with more force than necessary. “You just really enjoyed her band. That was it…nothing else. You have Fiyero and nothing on this Earth can make you happier than him.” Her mind flickered to a slideshow of moments she had had with Fiyero yesterday and she chose to ignore the voice in her head that was pointing out how she felt none of those feelings with him. She walked to the dorm door, stood still to compose herself and plastered on her usual fake smile, that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and made her way out to the swarms of students.

By the time she made her way to the dining hall for breakfast, the feelings hadn’t subsided. If anything, they’d multiplied, buzzing in the back of her mind like persistent little bees. She slid into her usual seat, scanning the room for her friends. Pfannee and Shenshen were giggling over something as they walked over to her, but Galinda couldn’t muster the energy to care what it was.

“Galinda! You look positively hideocious!,” Pfannee called out, waving over to her.

Galinda managed an eye roll. “I’m still a bit under the weather, but thank you for the kind words.”

“You can stop with the pretend sickness. We know what really went on.” Shenshen teased. Galinda raised an eyebrow at the girl, waiting for her to continue “You two couldn’t have been more obvious.” Galinda’s stomach dropped. They must have noticed how she stared at Elphaba. “Fiyero left not long after you. You two didn’t have to sneak out to do the scandalocious deed. We would have understood.”

“No!” Galinda snapped, the word sharper than intended. The two friends raised their eyebrows, but Galinda waved a dismissive hand. “It wasn’t that. I really did just feel unwell, that’s all. I haven’t seen Fiyero since I left.”

Pfannee and Shen Shen looked at eachother with disappointment on their face. “Eurgh, well that’s so not the gossip we wanted.” Galinda let out a little laugh at their dramatics and shrugged. “Sorry.”

Galinda was moving her breakfast around the plate, but the thought of actually eating it didn’t appeal to her. She was lost in her thoughts, occasionally listening to parts of Pfanee and Shen Shen’s conversation, until something they said caught her whole attention.

“…and you just would not think it. I mean she doesn’t resemble a brocolli at all. There’s no green on her.”

“Sorry. I didn’t catch that…”

“Oh Milla told us something at the Ozdust after you’d left, so I guess we do have some simply fascinating gossip for you.”

Galinda waved her hand for Pfanee to continue.

“You know the steamed artichoke from that band last night? Truly, green is a horrendible colour that probably only you could pull off, Galinda. Well anyway, she is not only the daughter of the governor of Munchkinland, she also is the sister of a Shiz student.”

Galinda’s mind raced. She couldn’t think of any green students at Shiz. Who could it be? She knew she needed to play the part, so she gasped and looked at them with a gleam in her eyes.

“Oh my Oz, that’s simply too much. Well..go on…who is the unfortunate sibling?”

“You know that absolutely discustifying Munchkin boy that follows you like a love struck puppy?”

“Biq?”

“Who cares? Well, it’s his girlfriend. You see them sat over there?” Shen Shen added, “Don’t look too much or he might think you’re proposing”.

“She’s El…the sister of the green girl?”

Pfanee nodded. “Milla said she overheard her talking about her sister playing at the Ozdust and then she saw them together after. What I don’t understand though…why isn’t she green? I guess eating grass as a child was only for the green bean.”

“Oh…you’re simply…too much”, Shen Shen gasped out between laughs.

Galinda hesitated, the image of Elphaba flashing in her mind’s eye. She could hear the echo of that voice, smoky and rich, as if the girl were standing right behind her. But how could she explain that to them? They wouldn’t understand. They never understood anything that was different. She didn’t know what she was feeling, but she knew she didn’t enjoy hearing the insults. A part of her wanted to approach her sister and learn everything there is to learn about her.

“That’s interesting,” she said quickly, picking at her food once more. She desperately wanted the conversation to end. She had spent all morning trying to stop thinking about the girl and yet here she was.

As the morning dragged on, she found herself daydreaming in class, doodling in the margins of her notebook, as she half listened to Dr Dillamond bleet on about something not even remotely important, well not to her anyway. When she eventually looked down at her notebook, she froze. She had drawn two eyes. No one else would know the importance of what she had drawn, but to her there was no mistaking whose eyes were now looking up from the page. She felt like she was underwater, completely encompassed by feelings she had never felt before. Thoughts raced through her mind.

Who was she? Why did she feel so different? And why did Galinda’s chest ache with something unnameable every time she thought about her?

She had to find out and she knew just who to ask.

Galinda’s thoughts churned through the rest of her morning classes. She tapped her pen against her notebook, but her mind always wandered back to the green-skinned girl.

Finally, as the lunch hour rolled around, she spotted Boq lingering near the dining hall entrance. Perfect. Boq might have been annoyingly persistent in his affections for her, but he was also obsessed with everything happening on campus. If anyone knew about the mysterious girl from Emerald Fog, it would be him.

“Biq!” Galinda called, her voice lilting as she hurried over. She flashed him a dazzling smile, one she knew would leave him positively starry-eyed and tossed her hair.

He turned, almost dropping his tray in surprise. “Miss Galinda! What..what an honor! Are you…do you want to sit with me?”

“Oh, not today, I’m afraid,” she said breezily, brushing imaginary lint from her sleeve. “I just had a quick question for you.”

Boq’s face lit up, as though being asked anything by Galinda was the highlight of his day. “Anything! Ask away.”

She hesitated, suddenly unsure how to phrase it. “Last night, at the Ozdust Ballroom, I saw someone perform. A green girl. Do you…”

“Elphaba,” Boq interrupted, his voice drop. “That’s her name. She’s a friend from Munchkinland.”

“Elphaba,” Galinda repeated. “She’s in a band called Emerald Fog, right?”

Boq nodded quickly. “Yes, they are a favourite back home.” He paused, cocking his head. “Why are you asking about Elphaba? She’s… well, she’s not really your sort of crowd, is she?”

“That’s not important,” Galinda said with a dismissive wave of her hand, though the question stung. Why wasn’t Elphaba her “sort of crowd”? What did that even mean?

“She’s your friend? And did I hear correctly that she is also the sister of that girl over there that I’m sure you are just waiting to go see?”

“Oh! You mean Nessarose?” Boq said, perking up. “Yes, that’s her younger sister. They’re both from Munchkinland, though they couldn’t be more different.”

Galinda wondered what he meant by that. She didn’t know what came over her as she asked the next question.

“Biq?”

“It’s Boq”

“Could you perhaps do a tiny favour for me?”

“I would do anything for you.”

Galinda felt uncomfortable under his lovesick gaze. She gave him a sweet smile that she knew would have him eating out of her hands.

“Do you think you could ask Nessarose for details of where I could send a letter to Elphaba?”

Bow’s face dropped in confusion.

“You want to write to Elphaba?”
“Yes, obviously,” Galinda said, trying to sound nonchalant, though her pulse quickened at the thought. She quickly searched for a fabricated excuse. “I’m on the committee for the winter ball and I wanted to speak to her about possibly providing the music.”

Boq nodded, completely believing her lies. “Well, I can definitely ask for you, if that’s what you want?”

“I do,” Galinda said quickly, before she could second-guess herself.

Boq glanced at her, still clearly confused but too enamored to question her motives. “All right. I’ll ask Nessarose for the details. But, um, just so you know, Elphaba can be…sarcastic, blunt, intimidating, but behind that, she’s one of the best people you can meet.”

“Hmm,” Galinda murmured, half-listening. If anything, the description only made her more curious.

She gave Boq another radiant smile, one that left him stammering and clutching his tray like a lifeline. “Thank you, Biq. You’re such a dear.”

And with that, she swept off, her heart fluttering with anticipation.