A/N: I'm sorry if Elphaba's 'evilness' seems to be a bit over the top in this chapter (and the next few) I swear, she secretly isn't half as bad as she pretends here :)
Chapter 2
Elphaba groaned as Glinda's body slackened, her hands gliding off the broom. It would be exhausting to hold onto her while flying, especially when she had to keep hidden among the clouds so they were not spotted.
It wasn't a long way to go, but she decided to land and take a break somewhere until Glinda would wake up again.
She took a quick glance at the blonde girl, and gripped the broom tighter. Out of all people trying to stop her from getting away, it had to be Galinda Upland. If Elphaba was as wicked as all of Oz thought she was, she would simply let go of her and toss her off the broom without slowing down. What slowing, she would even speed up…
As soon as Elphaba considered them to be far enough from the Emerald City, she scanned the ground for a place they could hide for a while and eventually descended into a forest, where she got off the broom and – more gently than she was willing to admit- placed Glinda on the ground, leaning her against a tree.
After a while, she was coming around. A flutter of eyelashes. Elphaba braced herself for a full-force tantrum. Good thing they were in the middle of a huge, dark forest.
Glinda opened her eyes slowly and breathed in deeply. Then out. She could feel Elphaba- no, the Wicked Witch- watching her. Having come to her senses, she spun around and faced the green girl. "You evil thing! Where are we?"
"Almost there."
"Where?"
"You'll see soon. Now shut up, and get back on the broom. Stay conscious this time, would you? I could hold on to you for now, but who knows, do you really want to place your trust in the Wicked Witch of the West?"
Glinda ignored her mocking tone. "What do you want from me?"
"Quit the questions." With that, she pulled Glinda on the broom and ascended towards the sky with an alarming speed- mainly to scare the blonde.
Glinda couldn't help looking down again. The woodlands seemed hardly familiar and she had not the faintest idea which part of Oz they were in. With that came the realization that no one else knew where she was. With her heart beating against her ribs she took a deep breath.
"I want to get off."
"Feel free." Elphaba said dryly, gesturing downwards.
"You know what I mean. Fly me back. Or- at least somewhere where I know where I am!"
Elphaba sighed. A whole world of restraint was being collected. Maybe it wasn't such a smart idea to bring her along, Elphaba pondered. "If I were you I wouldn't get on my nerves because I get furious and we both know what happens then."
Glinda narrowed her eyes. If Elphaba's threat frightened her, she didn't show it.
Soon they reached Kiamo Ko. Not remotely out of courtesy- they were both aware of that- Elphaba held the door for her. When Glinda still hesitated to go inside- the castle looked terrifying after all (how fitting for a wicked witch, she thought), Elphaba seized her arm just above the elbow and pushed her inside.
Right before she could close the door behind them, reality finally gave Glinda a mental wake-up kick and she tore her arm out of Elphaba's grip. It was over though, before she could even think of a direction to bolt. The green witch yanked her into the building like she was a rag doll.
A staircase, poorly lit by the light coming in from the small windows, was behind the front door, deserted like nobody had lived here fore years.
The blood was drumming in her ear almost deafeningly. Glinda tried to assess the situation. Elphaba was on the run after attacking the wizard again and fleeing captivity and Glinda had no idea how she fit in with any of this except for being some sort of hostage. That she surely didn't want to be.
Elphaba held her at arm length. Glinda had a hard time keeping her eyes locked with hers, not when she was so uncertain and in fear. She'd never planned to associate this word with her former roommate but the exterior the green girl was showing now was raw and without any attempt to conceal her plain evilness with the awkward 'outsider' demeanour she had shown at Shiz.
"If you behave, you will live. Simple enough?" The patronizing tone returned to Elphaba's voice.
She started going up the stairs, wisely not waiting for a reply. Glinda made her task troublesome by not channelling an ounce of momentum into her movements.
On the landing Elphaba shook her, somewhere near the end of her patience she tried not to reach. "Come on, Galinda, you don't want me to drag you because I swear I will."
Glinda only gave her a wry smile. "It's Glinda now."
"What?"
"Glinda the Good, to be exact."
"Oh, they gave you a title. Congratulations. Now move." Elphaba pretended to be disinterested, but she smiled inwardly. Dragging 'Galinda Upland' through Oz with her might be more trouble than she was worth, but having 'Glinda the Good' as a hostage might actually prove useful.
Once at the end of the stairs, they entered a room.
"What do you want from me? I'm not part of your plan, am I?" Elphaba was acting on impulse, she could tell it. The almost non-existent impatience toward her had to emerge from the lack of control over the situation: she was concentrating on other things to solve, restraining her was on the edge of her focus.
Elphaba stared at her, scrutinizing for a moment, then nodded. "You really weren't. You pretty much are now, though."
Glinda stared at her suspiciously. Elphaba closed and locked the door behind them. "You stay there", she said before disappearing into an adjoining room.
Glinda's eyes were searching for an appropriate weapon, but her mind wasn't on it. The faint dusty, stale smell of the old castle, its general impersonality yet here and there spilled with not so neutral objects that were obviously hers, the fact of being in her bedroom, all got to her head.
Elphaba was back before she knew it. She handed Glinda a glass of water. Glinda tried to hide her gratefulness; all things considered, it was ridiculous: : the fact that she was here at all, it was all Elphaba's fault. The witch had begun to scribble something on a piece of paper.
"I could give you some clothes to change into. They might not fit you perfectly but they will be more comfortable than that." She pointed vaguely towards Glinda's engagement party dress.
Glinda was repulsed by the thought alone. She frowned and crossed her arms.
Elphaba let out a cackle. "You either gotta wear my clothes or this ...inconvenient dress all along."
Now Glinda chose to ignore the 'all along' in the remark and instead went with the outrageous part, and gaped at her. "I'd rather wear this until it rots off of me than your abominable clothing. You can't expect me to run around in these depressifying colours anyway."
The green girl let out a humourless laugh. "Yeah, I saw that answer coming. I know your usual wardrobe is far from what I can offer you." Glinda seethed, glaring at her. The nonchalance with which she was reminded of the fact she had been living together with this vile green being boiled her blood.
"Relax. When we have time, you can indulge in your shopaholic kick and get what you need,"
Glinda just took another sip of water, which she choked on when out of nowhere a dark shape appeared at the window next to her.
"Chistery!" Elphaba exclaimed and rushed over to … the thing, which Glinda could now make out as a monkey. Her eyes widened as she saw it had wings. So the rumours were true. Elphaba Thropp had really managed to create flying monkeys. Glinda saw her fold up the note she had scribbled on and hand the letter to the monkey. Then she whispered something into his ear. Chistery gave a nod and then pushed himself off the window, flying off.
Glinda cautiously eyed Elphaba rushing over to a cupboard, obviously looking for something. It was weird to see Elphaba's place so full of...normal things. Glinda's glance fell on a stack of canned food in the cupboard. Does she really eat all these things like other people? Normal, real people?She struggled to create the mental image of her spooning a bowl of cereal but failed. Somehow she thought she would feed on power and the glee of manipulating others. It was a ridiculous thought of course- especially since Glinda had lived with her and had seen her do normal things pretty much every day. But that had been Elphaba Thropp. The green bean. The artichoke. Now she was faced with the Wicked Witch of the West. Discovering she had a human side with its physical limits and weaknesses, a seemingly normal life, sharing innocent habits with the rest of the human race, something less shady behind the intimidating and impersonal display of a relentless terrorist appeared to be too huge a bite to swallow.
Glinda's gaze fell on a small knife lying on the table. She only had to take one step to the side and reach out with her arm. I won't have to hurt her, I can just use it to defend myself, she thought and in a feeble attempt, she moved to the right, keeping an eye on Elphaba's back, and was startled out of her skin when suddenly Elphaba spun around and whirled towards her.
"Don't be stupid. You know, I don't have time for little games."
She had to have a third eye on the back of her head to see it coming. A sixth sense. Seventh, even. Glinda refused the possibility that she was so easy to read.
She fought her all the way, numb from fear that Elphaba was about to kill her she delivered a good kick at her ankle while green hands were dragging Glinda roughly to a door and eventually pushed her through it.
A click; the lock was turned.
Glinda panicked; it was dark and small, crowded in there. Involuntarily, as she tried to find her footing, she trashed around, thinking of all the items Elphaba could be keeping there, incriminating things, chopped off body parts- that thought, and a metal clink from somewhere behind made her cease all movements-weapons? The last thing she wanted was accidentally tripping on one and stabbing herself. Feeling around the door, beside it she finally found the switch. The light bulb illuminated a very ordinary looking closet, stuffed with cardboard boxes and empty suitcases. Dread was quickly replaced by inflaming humiliation: Elphaba had locked her into a supply closet.
For a minute, all thoughts went racing out of her mind. It was hard to decide which prospect was more frightening: if she would leave her here, locked in a closet, or if she would resume dragging her after her. For now, the latter held more appeal.
Pounding on the door angrily: "Elphaba, let me out!"
No reaction. Not that she'd expected any.
The door opened after a while. If Elphaba had found what she had been looking for, she didn't say it.
Out in the staircase, running down the flight of steps Glinda struggled against her grip in a sudden surge of panic. "I won't go anywhere with you. Forget it."
Elphaba stopped, grasped her shoulder with her free hand, pushing her up against the wall with the weight of her body. Her movements far from being gentle, Glinda hissed sharply.
"Oh, sorry, it hurt?" she cooed in her ear. Glinda could feel the fake pout in her voice. She leaned as far away from her as she could and Elphaba would let. Her mere proximity rinsed her forehead with beads of cold sweat.
"If you don't stop whining, I have to kill you and I'll do it gladly." Elphaba growled.
While Glinda was terrified of the witch, for some reason these words didn't scare her. The threat didn't seem genuine.
"Really? Fine. Then kill me right now because I'm not going." she dared to say. She stumbled a bit, and with the continuation of the momentum took a deliberate step backwards, her high-heel boring into Elphaba's right foot. She let out a half-muffled cry.
"Oh, sorry, it hurt?" high on adrenaline and anger, Glinda mimicked her tone and even her facial expression, and drilled the heel deeper in her flesh. Elphaba grabbed her and pushed her closer against the wall. "I'm glad you're having fun. As long as you still can."
She stared at her, her dark eyes narrowing, impossible to read.
After a few agonising seconds, she pulled back and, somewhat exasperated, released Glinda's arms. "Just shut up. You're coming with me."
Once outside, Elphaba grabbed her broom again, telling Glinda to get on.
She hesitated. Another trip on that thing was the last thing she wanted now. She looked around, desperately trying to find something that could help her. Somewhere to run to. Someone to magically appear to save her.
Elphaba, calmly, but deceptively so, inquired: "Which part of the sentence was not clear enough for you?"
Having run out of other options, she angrily obeyed.
"Where are we going?" Glinda asked.
A sigh. "You'll see when we get there."
"But I wanna know now."
"Tough luck. Now shut up, will you?"
"Tell me, or..."
"...or?" Elphaba arched one eyebrow mockingly. Realizing she was not exactly in the position of power here, Glinda kept quiet, but only for a short moment.
"Why did you take me with you?"
"Why would I tell you?" Elphaba grew more and more tired of the blonde's questions.
"Because... Ugh. Where did you send that monkey?"
"You ask one more thing and I will throw you off this broom merrily."
A few seconds passed.
"When will you let me go?"
"Never, if you keep it up." Elphaba snarled.
Glinda simply laughed in her face defiantly. "I thought I was gonna be thrown off."
"Is that a complaint?"
This time Glinda ignored her- not brave enough to push her luck further.
The sky had gone fully dark by the time Elphaba decided to take a break. She was getting tired and so must have Glinda. They had been in the air for what felt like ages. Due to having been on the run for a few weeks now, she knew a few abandoned places where she could hide and remembered there was an abandoned cabin in a small forest nearby.
Glinda was relieved when they finally touched the ground again.
She stumbled off the broom, limbs numb and aching. It felt wonderful to stretch her legs, and obviously Elphaba thought the same as she took a few tentatively energetic steps, rotated her shoulders. She looked tense, muscles, senses on the edge, that of a predator ready to jump, fight or escape. Always ready to kill, Glinda thought shivering.
They stepped into the cabin. Suddenly, Glinda froze. So far she hadn't imagined how the sleeping arrangement would look like, or if there were any sleeping at all, and now she realized what Elphaba had on her mind.
"I won't be staying in the same room with you, Elphaba. I'm dead serious."
Her voice, commanding, wavering only with anger, brought the annoyance back to Elphaba's face. Elphaba ceased her activity of fishing for something in her bag and looked up at Glinda, eyebrows raised. "I'm offended, Glinda. Out of all people, you should be used to sharing a room with me." When Glinda just gave her a scornful stare, Elphaba added. "Last time I checked, you didn't have a choice, my pretty. You either come or come. Think you can make the decision?"
"I opt for the third. Just let me go!" Glinda insisted without the slightest humour or irony.
"I see the question was beyond that stupid blonde brain capacity of yours."
She turned, shooting her another belittling look, eyes widening when she saw the blonde rubbing her eyes- wiping tears away? Elphaba suspected and frowned. She stepped closer to the smaller girl. "Alright. Listen now, and listen well. If you behave well and do as I say, I will not hurt you in any way and you can take my word for that. Good enough deal? I hope so because that's the best I can offer right now."
The cabin was quite small with only a table and -luckily, Glinda thought- two single beds beyond which she could peek in the tiny bathroom through the half-open door. Elphaba threw her bag on the bed closer to the entrance.
Glinda sat down on the other bed, turning away from the green witch who was lost in thought, brows furrowing in concentration now and again.
They sat there in silence. Glinda realised how ironically familiar this very situation was. It was almost like they were room-mates at Shiz again. Except back then, Glinda had not been terrified out of her skin by the green girl. Disgusted, yes, but not terrified.
They sat there in silence for a while. Until Glinda finally gathered the courage to ask the question that had tormented her for hours now.
"Did you kill the wizard?" She pressed her lips together in overwhelming worry.
"No."
"Injured him?"
A sigh, she rubbed the skin under her right eye. "No, Glinda. I didn't even try to."
Glinda was surprised, even suspicious that Elphaba might be lying; But something told her she wouldn't lie to her about this. Yeah, right, a wicked witch with ethics, she laughed at her own naivety. How ridiculous it was. How absurd.
Elphaba continued. "I know what people are saying. But there never was an assassination attempt. Never will be."
Glinda bit her lower lip, unsure of whether to believe the witch. "Then... what about the
explosions today?"
Elphaba sighed. "Set-up. I have allies back in the Emerald City- they organised it so I could get what I had come for and then disappear."
"Allies? Who"
The green girl smiled softly. "That's a secret, my pretty."
"But... who in their right mind would help you? And by blowing up part of the wizard's castle, too for that matter?"
Elphaba rolled her eyes, pretending to take offence at the blonde's attitude.
"That was a fake attack with the minimum possibility for severe injuries. Those were mostly smoke bombs. They hardly destroyed anything. It was all just to create enough chaos for me to get away. It happened too fast, though, and they took away my-"
"So are you saying you let yourself get caught by the guards on purpose?"
Elphaba widened her eyes in pretend surprise. "Look at you! You're thinking!"
Glinda scowled at her.
"Yes, I let them find and catch me. It was the easiest way to get through to the wizard and get him to set the other monkeys free."
Glinda arched her brows. "You risked being caught to steal some monkeys? Why?"
Elphaba looked at her, a hint of irritation in her eyes. Before she could answer, Glinda opened her mouth again: "Anyway, where do I come into this? Would you care to tell me now, why you insist on dragging me across Oz on that filthy broom?"
Elphaba only shrugged. "You are an anomaly."
When she didn't appear to be willing to elaborate, Glinda urged her on edgily. "More precisely?"
"I… well... Not everything went to plan back there, so I had to make changes to the plan, so to say."
"By kidnapping me."
"Why, isn't that a harsh expression!"
"So what part of your plan went wrong?"
Elphaba looked at her for a moment, as if to contemplate whether to tell her not. Then she said: "They took away the Grimmerie. I need it back. And I can't let the wizard have that book. I thought that Glinda the Good might be an appropriate bartering object, don't you?" her cackle made Glinda's blood turn to ice. Evil thing, she thought and turned away with a contemptuous snort.
Only now, as her gaze fell on the dress she was still wearing, did she realize that all of today's events had happened on the day of her engagement celebration.
Life could be incredibly unfair.