Chapter 7
Fiyero stared blankly at the paper that sat on his desk. All that was there was the title, and even he didn't think it was very good. Animals and their Effect on Humans Today. After five minutes of staring, he picked up his pen for a second attempt.
The Animals were evolved from animals with mutated jeans caused by an unknown trigger. Some scientists think that this trigger was a disease that could possibly harm Animals and humans.
That was all he could remember from class the day before yesterday. Thinking back on it, he didn't remember Dr. Nikidik saying much more before Elphaba began writing on the chalk board. He tried to remember what she wrote.
Others do not agree and believe that there was no disease trigger. If anything, the Animals were meant to speak because all jeans are there from the beginning.
His eyebrows furrowed, trying to remember what was written. Somehow he got the feeling that it didn't come out right.
I am not sure what I believe, but I don't think it matters how they began. The fact is that Animals can talk and reason like humans, so they should be treated just as fairly as we are. All humans our respected, so Animals should be to.
He put his pen down; his head was beginning to hurt. He looked up and down his paper, amazed that he had not only written three paragraphs, but even expressed his honest opinion on the subject. He picked up his pen and signed Fiyero Tiggular in the corner. He was satisfied with his paper despite the fact that it was over five and a half pages too short. That was more than enough thinking for one day.
Crossing his private suite to his bed, he lay down and closed his eyes. Galinda would probably be over soon… not that the two had any plans. He wondered if she would bring anyone along… perhaps her roommate. "Elphaba," he breathed.
And then, he suddenly began to really think. In his paper he had written that all humans are respected, but he realized that this wasn't true. The Quadlings were not highly respected because of their culture. The Munchkins were looked down upon both physically and socially. Even those from his home land, in the Vinkus, were typically looked at uncivilized because of their desert-like land.
And Elphaba, the green skinned girl, the girl who fought against the propaganda against Animal rights was looked down upon by almost the entire school, and no doubt by the entirety of Oz. He felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach as the realization of the hypocrisy of the situation finally set in.
A sudden knock on the door made him jump. "Fiiiiyero!" Galinda's voice rang from the other side. "Are you there?"
He didn't want to answer her. He was thinking, and although it hurt, he surprisingly didn't want it to stop. After a few minutes and one last knock, he could hear Galinda walking away.
Sliding off his bed, he reached for his pen and paper and picked up where he had left off.
Animals effect us more than we think they do, and in return, we effect them. Despite how we like to think of our race and our world as balanced and fair, it isn't. The different peoples and cultuers of Oz are treated differently. Most people look up to the Gillikinese of the north, while the Quadlings of the south are often treated like savages. But in the end, we are all the same. We are human beings who all deserve to be respect despite our differences. The same idea goes for Animals. They are but another one of the groups of people in Oz, but they are put on the bottom rung. They are the scapegoat, the group that is put below everyone else so that everyone can feel better about themselves. This is how they effect our culture. Not by possible disease.
It wasn't six pages… it wasn't even one page. But something in Fiyero told him to be proud of himself. Something told him that what he had just written was different. It meant something. With a satisfied smile, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
He was very quiet throughout their math class the next day. He hardly looked at Galinda, but instead at the professor. A few times Fiyero even scribbled down what the teacher had written on the chalk board. Galinda looked worried and kept leaning over to ask if something was wrong.
After class, he rushed out of the classroom without even waiting for her.
"Fiyero, wait!" she called after him.
He turned to see the bouncy girl running after him with her hand up in the air. "Sorry."
She nodded her head in acceptance to his apology and began walking with him. "So," she began. "Are you sure you are well? You've been acting strange all day."
"Yes, Galinda. I'm fine."
"Oh."
They reached the door to History and Fiyero held it open for her. Galinda smiled again, and sat down next to Elphaba. He took his seat next to Galinda, just how it had been a few days before. He could see both girls taking their papers out of their bags, and so he reached down to do the same. It was still just one page, and seeing that even Galinda had written the full six made him feel a bit ashamed. Looking past her, he noticed that Elphaba's stack of paper was even thicker.
"Welcome, class!" Dr. Nikidik exclaimed as he walked through the door. "Please take out your papers and exchange them with the person two places to your right. You will be reading another classmate's paper and commenting on it for the next twenty minute."
There was a rustle of papers and Fiyero tentatively handed his to Elphaba. He was suddenly very afraid of what she might think of it.
Some boy that Fiyero did not know handed one to him and he picked it up. His eyes scanned the title, Why Animals Should Be Kept in Cages, and he cringed. He couldn't read this, he decided. It would make him sick. He glanced to the girls on his right. Galinda was scribbling with her pink pen on the top of the paper she was reading. Great Penmanship, he read. Past her, Elphaba's eyes were slowly scanning his paper. He saw her try to suppress a laugh at something, and then a scoff. He almost blushed in embarrassment.
But then, her eyes softened. Her lips parted slightly in disbelief, and she began to read faster. In less than a minute she was done, and she turned her head towards him. Their eyes met and Fiyero smiled tentatively before swallowing. He suddenly felt just like he had the day they rescued the Lion Cub together. His usual careless expression was gone, and he was scared. If she didn't approve of what he wrote, he felt like he would die. This was suddenly the most important thing.
Her lips curved into an almost undetectable smile and she nodded her head before pulling her eyes away. But he couldn't do that just yet. He kept looking… kept watching. The girl let her guard down without knowing and let a genuine smile slip through. His heart melted. So that's what she looks like when she smiled.
