Main characters are not mine….Just borrowing them for a bit.

Stage One: Denial
In which an eighteen-year-old Glinda leaves the Emerald City to return to Shiz alone.

Before Glinda could truly register what had just happened, she felt a kiss on the cheek and heard a softly muttered "Hold out, my sweet." And then it was as it always had been, a flurry of green fingers pulling themselves away from her, a hurried goodbye.

But this time, as the tears rolled unashamedly down her face, Glinda knew that it was for good.
For better or for worse.
For all time.
Forever.
Forever goodbye.

The Glikkun dwarf next to Glinda shifted slightly and cleared her throat loudly.
"Can't be as bad as all that, girl," the woman said in a gruff voice. "Heard you tellin' the others that she was yer sister but Oz knows I wouldn't want a sister with such an ugly green color to 'er. People might think ya had that sickness in ya, too. Better off without 'er in the long run's what I say."

Normally, with Elphaba by her side, Glinda would have pulled out a sharp retort for the dwarf woman (if Elphie didn't beat her to it). But alone, she felt suddenly lost, resigned, and afraid. Rather than speak, she turned her head away and let the tears overwhelm her even more than before.

Glinda could barely bring herself to look out the carriage window, for when she did, she could see the Emerald City lurking in the background. Even as the city buildings faded farther into the distance becoming nothing more than blurred outlines, the emerald sheen remained as bright and glaring as ever, as if its sole purpose was to mock her, to remind her of what she had lost.

When she could stand the sight no longer, Glinda rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. Almost instantly she fell into a deep, restless sleep borne by her mental and emotional exhaustion.

Nearly four hours later she was startled out of her half-sleep by the Glikkun dwarf who was ungracefully attempting to push her way out of the carriage.

"Horses are waterin'. Time to stretch the legs, girl," said the dwarf. The passengers quickly made their way out into the small stretch of forest near the stream. Glinda wandered to the edge of the water and splashed her face until there was no more evidence of the tears that had stained her cheeks. She looked into her reflection in the stream.

"It's ok," she said to the watery version of herself. "It's ok. Elphie wouldn't do that to you. She wouldn't just abandon you like that. Something must've happened. She just got detained, that's all. She needed to spend another day trying to iron things out. You'll be reunited, I'm sure. She'll find you and you'll go back and face Shiz together. It will all work out….it will all work out. Don't fret so much. And besides, your make up runs when you cry. If Elphie sees you with your make up all messy, she'll needle you mercilessly. Hold out, girl. It will all be better soon."

Glinda couldn't deny that she felt much better about things on the whole. Obviously, Elphie had meant for her to understand that they'd be united again. Why else would she have told Glinda to hold out? What else could she possibly hold out for? She climbed back into the carriage with higher spirits than she could have imagined. The others in the coach noticed it too.

"Ya've taken my advice to heart, have ya? I knew ya'd come around and see that you don't need that filthy greeny thing around ya. Yer much too good for that nonsense," said the Glikkun matter-of-factly.

Ha. Just wait till I tell Elphie about this. She'll give that tubby dwarf a good piece of her mind! Glinda chuckled at the thought. Oh the things Elphaba would say to this woman. But then again, she was never really one to keep her mouth shut. Even in the Wizard's chamber Glinda had been sure that Elphie's mouthing off would get them killed right on the spot. But we survived! And when we get back to Shiz and tell everyone about it, they'll be so amazed. I can hardly wait to see the looks on their faces when she tells them the story!

The rest of the carriage ride seemed like a blur to Glinda, who spent the rest of the time wondering how and when Elphie was bound to show up. Perhaps it would even be tonight!

They stopped off at a seedy looking inn to spend the night. Glinda was unsure of how to proceed once she stepped out of the coach. Generally, Elphie had been the one to take care of room arrangements each time they stopped. After watching the other passengers, Glinda understood the process and stepped up to take the key to what she was sure would be a small, shabby room with one miserably lumpy bed.

"I'm expecting another traveler to meet me here tonight," Glinda said to the innkeeper. "She's a green girl, you can't miss her. Please let her know which room I'm in when she gets here."

The innkeeper nodded just enough to show that he had registered the request and Glinda slowly made her way up to the room. All she had to do now was wait for Elphaba. So she waited. And waited. And waited.

Since the time she'd arrived, Glinda had made her way back downstairs so she could greet Elphie in person. But it was already early morning and there was still no sign of the green girl. And in her heart, Glinda knew that Elphaba was gone for good.

"Miss," said the innkeeper quietly, so as not to startle her, "It's getting mighty late. I'm headed off to bed myself and you should do the same. If I hear your friend come in, I'll send her up."

"Yes, thank you," she replied off-handedly as she stood up stiffly and headed toward the stairway, "but….but I don't think she's coming."

As she climbed the stairs to her empty room, Glinda expected to feel a new wave of tears splash down her face. Elphie isn't coming. She's not coming back. Not tonight. Not ever. But the tears wouldn't come.

There was no reason to cry. She couldn't feel sadness anymore She was numb to it. Instead, a different emotion swooped in to take its place.

"How the hell could you leave me like that?" she asked the empty room. "How could you abandon me? Why would you betray me? Elphaba, WHY?"

She slipped into bed and nestled the thin blanket tightly around her, realizing that she would no longer have Elphie's warmth to protect her. And, finally, she felt fresh tears, not tears of sadness, but of anger.

"People who love other people don't just leave them!" She screamed to the Elphaba that wasn't there. "You don't just…abandon the people you care about! Why did you do it? How could you leave me to face this on my own? I hate you, Elphaba Thropp. I HATE YOU!"

Glinda did not sleep that night.