Chapter 8
“Come on, Elphie.” Galinda whines, animatedly swatting at her best friend who rolls her eyes.
“No.” Elphaba says. Galinda pouts and Elphaba chuckles. “Put that pout away, you’re not going to convince me no matter how you spin it.”
“So, what, you’re just going to spend the entire day in the book place?” Galinda wrinkles her nose at the thought. How could anyone spend the entire day inside reading?
“It’s called the library, and yes.” With that, Elphaba buries her nose back in her book, making a pointed effort to ignore Galinda.
“It’s just the city.” Galinda tries to reason with the green girl. “A day out, just imagine it.”
“I am.” Elphaba narrows her eyes at the blonde. “Things don’t go well.”
“Why wouldn’t-” Galinda cuts herself off at her raised brow.
“Have you forgotten about my unfortunate verdigris?”
Galinda ducks her head, blushing. “Not really,” she mumbles. “I’ve just grown used to it.”
“Well, not everyone has.” Elphaba says pointedly.
“I’m sure we could make the best of the day. You can’t just stay cooped up in our room or the book place the entire semester.”
“I don’t. I also go to classes.” Elphaba flips a page.
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Why don’t you go with Pfannee, Shenshen, and Fiyero?”
“I don’t want to go with them, I want to go with you.”
Elphaba’s skin flushes a slightly darker shade of green. “Just me?”
“Just you.” Galinda confirms. Why did Elphie have to be so difficult about this? Galinda wants nothing more than to kidnap the girl and forcefully drag her to the city. She was looking forward to spending the day with Elphaba, without the interruption of Pfannee or Shenshen, — whose company she is tiring of — or even Fiyero.
Her roommate sighs, finally abandoning her book, and patting her bed beside her. Galinda immediately abandons her sulking and rushes over, curling up beside Elphaba as she wraps an arm around her.
Elphaba rests her head on the shorter girl’s before speaking. “You know how much people hate me for… well, you know.”
“It’s not fair.” Galinda mumbles. “It wasn’t your choice.”
“No, it wasn’t.” Elphaba hums.
“I’m sorry.” Galinda offers after a while.
“What for?”
“For being one of those people.”
Elphaba pulls her closer. “It’s alright, my sweet.”
Galinda’s mind spins, her heart suddenly thumping so much faster in her chest, and her face heating at an abnormal rate. Were any of those normal reactions? She’s never had any of them before.
Galinda allows herself to be held by Elphaba, her thoughts racing.
“Are you okay?”
Galinda allows a smile to pull at her lips. She quite likes the nickname, especially coming from Elphaba’s lips. “Never better.”
***
Glinda wakes up, gasping, her vision blurry. Her eyes don’t take long to adjust to the darkness of her room. Her dream remains freshly burned in her mind. She misses the little room back in Shiz university, where times were simpler and she could cuddle against Elphaba anytime she liked, where she could eat food that was fresh and cooked, where she hung out with people, where she used to feel human. Most of all she misses the green girl she spent most of her time at Shiz with, whether it was loathing her or being the closest of friends. She misses Elphie.
Something pink lies in front of her and, as Glinda’s vision clears, she sees that it’s the rose given to her by the boy yesterday. She completely forgot she had that on her, and honestly is also surprised it stayed with her for so long.
She gingerly picks it up, afraid of breaking it. A petal flutters to the ground. Glinda brings up to her nose, inhaling the floral and mildly sweet smell. It’s perfect. Her eyes itch, a lump forming in her throat, but her tears don’t come. They haven’t for at least a year now, Glinda thinks. After one point, they just dried up, leaving her feeling less human than ever.
She drops the rose to the ground, watching it roll away with a tightening chest. It’s too much for her, all of it. Glinda’s chain rattles behind her at any movement, however small, reminding her of her place — a caged bird, shackled to the ground unless ordered to fly.
The door flings open.
Already?
Glinda turns to face Morrible who stalks into the room, a man who Glinda has only seen a few times behind her. The Wizard.
“Stand up.” Morrible orders. Glinda obliges without argument. “As you can see, we have an honoured guest with us.” Her tone carries a warning in its undercurrents. Don’t disappoint me. “Now, shall we begin?”
Glinda hopes today will be less grueling because of the man’s presence, but sparing one glance at the Wizard tells her it will be worse.
Then she hears the familiar whistle and her mind — as it always does — goes blank.
***
“She’s good.” She hears the Wizard mutter to Morrible.
“Yes, but she still seems to carry foolish sentiments.”
“Can’t you just train it out of her?”
“I’ve been at it for two years, Oscar. I may have to resort to much harsher methods.”
“Do it, then.” He snaps. “We need a weapon, a spy.”
“Very well. Don’t blame me for any mental collapse she may suffer then.”
“I count on mental collapse.”
The door shuts, making the voices inaudible to Glinda, who shivers violently even in her warm room.
She’s more scared than she has ever been.
***
“I think it’s time you tell me what is going on.” Corvex announces, first thing in the morning once Elphaba wakes up.
“And what makes you think that?”
“I’m your partner in crime.”
“And what makes you think that ?” Elphaba deadpans.
“Has anyone ever told you you have a very unlikeable personality?”
“Many people have.” Elphaba shrugs, pushing herself off her makeshift bed. “You’re welcome to leave.”
Corvex clicks his beak, making a disapproving noise. “I have some questions since yesterday.”
“Of course you do.” She sighs. She supposes she can’t run away from it forever. Doesn’t mean she has to like it. “Fire away.”
“What is your relationship with Glinda Upland?”
Elphaba freezes. Out of all the questions, he had to pick the hardest one for her to answer. She carefully considers how to answer it. “We were friends back in college.” She says. “Best friends. But things went wrong after our meeting with the Wizard.”
She remembers the excitement both of them contained that day, they were both brimming with it, with hope, with life. It didn’t last.
Corvex doesn’t prod further. “Why go against the Wizard?”
“I don’t believe in what he’s doing. He’s hurting Animals for reasons unknown, and I won’t stand for it.”
“Why are you termed ‘The Wicked Witch of the West?’”
“The Wizard wants a public enemy. I’m the perfect fit.”
“Morrible?”
Elphaba’s expression sours at the thought of the woman. “My old mentor.”
Corvex shakes his head, retreating slightly into the shadows. “What about Fiyero? What is your relationship with him?”
“Old friends.”
“Okay.”
“Is that it?” Elphaba raises a lone brow.”
“You are a crazy person, Elphaba Thropp.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“But also interesting.”
“The good kind or the bad kind?”
“To be determined.” Corvex decides.
“Are you going to help me or not?” Elphaba asks.
“Of course I am.” Corvex grins then pauses, smile dropping. “With what exactly?”
“Saving Glinda.”
***
Fiyero sneaks through the halls of the palace. There was a public outing yesterday where he got to see Glinda who looked radiant in the sunlight. It was like every other outing, nothing to signify something is wrong unless someone looked closer.
Fiyero knows something is wrong. He just doesn’t know what.
He has to see Glinda, at least once.
So when the Wizard and Morrible start walking together after breakfast, Fiyero follows. It’s easier than when he attempted the endeavour in the past, mainly because he had no idea where the room was, and also because he didn’t have the status he does now, nor the skills
The door, unfortunately, shuts before Fiyero can catch a glimpse of the room behind it. But he does see darkness. Perhaps Glinda is sleeping.
Even as he thinks it, Fiyero knows it isn’t true, the whole room feels sinister even from the outside.
He finds a dark corner and rests against it, waiting.
After what feels like hours, Fiyero hears the door open. He presses himself further up against the wall, desperately hoping they don’t see him.
“You are a devious man.” He catches Morrible say.
“You’re the one who’s had a say in almost everything happening to her the past two years. I would hardly say I’m the most devious. Even now, I leave the methods up to you.”
“And you are correct for that.”
Fiyero doesn’t dare breathe as the two walk past the corner he’s in, desperately hoping the shadows, and his dark clothing are enough to hide him, and that they are too preoccupied to notice much else.
“Letting her live better not have been a mistake.”
“Trust me. When I’m through — properly through — with her, it won’t be.”
Their voices fade down another hallway and Fiyero finally allows himself to breathe, mind reeling.
He looks back at the door, where a couple of monkey guards stand, brandishing various weapons.
If he could just get behind those doors.
Fiyero doesn’t have any magic nor does he want to hurt these monkeys, and draw attention to himself.
But Glinda…
She’s there. Just a couple feet away, behind those doors, awaiting something horrible. What use would taking this job up be if he didn’t at least try.
But, even though his mind seems made up, his feet carry him in the opposite direction, shame flooding through him while he’s unable to do anything except walk away from those damn doors, feeling like the coward he is.
He never thought himself to be a coward. Brainless, definitely, but never a coward. When he collapses onto his luxurious, plush bed in his bright room, though, he realises that a coward is exactly what he is.