Chapter Thirty-Seven:
When Glinda woke up the next morning she found Fiyero to be gone. Fear instantly gripped at her heart. What if he escaped late last night when she had managed to fall asleep? What if they had taken him away to kill him first?
All these horrible thoughts swam around her head until the blonde felt she was going to be sick with worry.
Glinda leaned against the door of the cart and nervously watched her surroundings to see anything unusual.
Nothing. It was the early morning, the birds were singing, the sun was rising and everyone was just starting to wake up.
Frustrated, she retreated back into her compartment after about an hour of watching. With Fiyero being gone, Glinda had some time for herself. Even though she knew that she should have been looking for him, the blonde couldn't help but figure he wouldn't do the same for her if she were missing. And so she took her time. She aimlessly wandered around camp looking at everything, the tents, the caged animals and Animals until she got tired.
She stopped to rest just at the edge of where the circus camp and train stopped and the real world began. It was like she was detached from life itself here, with no way out. The guards that did perimeters passed by her, giving her a sharp knowing look as if to tell her that they would catch her if she even attempted to run away. Glinda didn't care at this point. She knew she never would be free again; she was in too deep. It was very much likely that Morrible and The Wizard would have her and Fiyero killed after capturing Elphaba. Besides that fact, Glinda didn't want to live life as the monster she had become. She could feel it in her that everything was different. It wasn't just her glass interior and exterior anymore. The change was rooted deep within her causing her emotions, her mindset, even her way of acting. Though her former self kept trying to crawl back, the vain silly thing from Pertha Hills, the new Glinda dominated over her. It was like she was turning into the one thing she had feared; a complete monster like her mother.
She hadn't started out this way. She had a good childhood compared to what others had gone through. She was treated like a princess in her town, mostly because her parents had more money than the Wizard himself. She was fawned over by boys of all ages, admired by all the girls. And yet inside, behind those closed doors and the shut windows of her house, Glinda was not viewed as the perfect being everyone else thought she was. Her father viewed her in that way to an extent but that didn't matter anymore when he died years later just around the time she went to Shiz. Her mother though was the real monster. Obsessed with having her only child and daughter be perfect even though all Glinda (or Galinda then) wanted to do was to live her life like the rest of her friends. Daily etiquette lessons, the skin deep lines on her skin from her corsets, the daily endless hours spent on her hair and her appearance, and the pressures at every corner from her mother and everyone else to be perfect were not part of Glinda's plan and yet she was stuck living through it.
It had turned her into this selfish, ugly human being. She now chose not to be nice; she chose to be cruel and ambitious.
The glass had something to do with it too. Who would want to argue with a woman who was made of glass, who could shatter in a split second?
Sighing the blonde carefully leaned against a tree trunk and closed her eyes for a minute. All of this inner reflection was doing a taxing job on her head, causing a deep headache to start to irritate her senses.
When she opened her eyes, she was more than surprised at the sight she saw. It was not Fiyero like she had been expecting to see.
It was Elphaba.
"Elphie?" she exclaimed in a hushed tone as soon as her brain took notice of what her eyes were seeing.
Elphaba had either been sneaking into the camp or out of it judging by the way she had twisted herself around one tree, checking both sides for guards or any sign of anyone else. Her head snapped to Glinda's, her eyes momentarily unfocused as she adjusted to the sound of her nickname being called out into the open like that.
"Glinda?" the green woman raised herself to full height, pulling away from the tree. Broom in hand, witch hat on head, and the witch costume Glinda had worn once for a party on her body Elphaba looked terrifyingly beautiful. There was certain darkness to her that underlined the sensuality the dress gave her. She still had her edges; that would probably never change, her green skin glowed in the sunlight, and her eyes could still switch from looking soft and compassionate to ruthless and cruel within seconds. Her voice wasn't the same either; it was harder, coarse, a bit jaded and snippy… at least that's what Glinda observed from just hearing a few syllables out of her mouth.
She was sure that Elphaba was judging her too. The whole glass skin thing was slightly unnerving and Glinda bet it was even more unnerving if someone was looking at it in its entirety like Elphaba was.
"Did they do this to you?" Elphaba managed to ask. Her eyes flickered all around Glinda's body, concern showing in her irises.
"They told me you did, with the spell you casted on me when I was dying," Glinda said slowly trying to figure out if Elphaba's lack of knowledge was true or not.
Elphaba shook her head, "No, Glinda I swear I didn't do this to you. It wasn't supposed to spread like this… they must have done something to you. Another spell or something. Maybe, maybe I can reverse it before it's too late or-"
"Don't bother," cut in Glinda shrilly, "It's already too late. I'm a walking mirror with flesh colored paint for skin, red slivers for lips, golden streaks for hair, and blue orbs of ice for eyes. You can't help me now, no one can."
Elphaba for a moment looked hurt and defeated. She reached out a hand and placed it onto of Glinda's only to pull away when the weight of her hand caused Glinda's to splinter off into cracked pieces.
"Glin… I'm so sorry," she uttered as her head bowed down in shame and guilt.
"You should be, this is all your fault," hissed the blonde. Inwardly some part of her brain was ashamed of how she was acting. It was totally out of character to be this… this bitchy and cold but this was the new Glinda and she did forgive nor forget as easily.
"I know, I know it is. I just wish there was something I could do to save you-" a branch snapping broke Elphaba's sentence. She stopped suddenly and turned around, searching the trees for any sign of movement. It was the fugitive instinct in her.
"Listen," she said softly when she assessed that there was no danger, "I'm going to come back for you and Fiyero in a few days time. I'm going to rescue you and make things right again."
Glinda avoided her gaze with her own mouth set in a pout.
"Good luck with that," she snorted as her arms crossed themselves in front of her chest. She felt her skin cracking at the action and she immediately uncrossed her arms. Glinda studied the lines now along her arms like they were permanent scars. Elphaba looked at them too, though she was more horrified than Glinda was.
"They'll pay for this, I swear to you Glinda. They will pay for what they've done to you," hissed Elphaba. She couldn't take her eyes off the jagged indents that formed lines on Glinda's skin.
"Don't be too hasty. They seem to be hell-bent on making you pay before they pay for their wrongdoings," remarked Glinda as she huffed and pulled her arms back close to her sides.
"What do they want with me?" asked Elphaba even though this didn't seem like news to her, "Be specific."
Glinda rolled her eyes. It was pointless really to tell Elphaba this. There was no changing it now. Whatever was going to happen would happen no matter what.
"They want you to be their enemy, a wicked witch that everyone will fear just so they can have all of the power. They've made the girl from Kansas, Dorothy your assassin. She's coming for you, Elphie." Even when disclosing this information Glinda felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and pain. Her former self was suffocating the new Glinda. There was too much to forget, too much history, too much pain and loss for Glinda to take the chilly and bitchy approach to Elphaba's demise. She was too attached, even if she didn't want to be anymore.
"They're sending a child," Elphaba sounded disgusted, "How pathetic."
"I think they've told her though… about your allergy, Elphie, what if she melts you?" The constant switching of affection and hatred she felt for Elphaba was growing irritating. She didn't understand why her heart was still conflicted when it came to Elphaba.
"It won't come to that, not if I have anything to do with it," said Elphaba sharply as if she was irritated with the idea that a child could kill her. "I'll kill her first if I have to."
"Either way you'll be giving them what they want," pointed out Glinda sadly as she kept her gaze on Elphaba's face.
"We could all disappear. You, Fiyero, and me. We could do it Glinda." But there was false hope in her voice.
"Oh please, disappearing in Oz is about as easy as trying to get out of an awkward conversation. We'll get caught no matter what," snapped the blonde.
"Well I don't know what else you want me to do!" shouted Elphaba in a loud voice as she threw up her hands.
"I want you to just stop fighting, can't you see it's useless?" shrieked Glinda in frustration, "Just give up already, Elphie! Accept your fate… I've already accepted mine."
Elphaba shot her a stern glare, "You know I can't do that, Glinda. I'm not you, I don't give up when I don't get my way."
"Then they've already won," whispered Glinda dejectedly. No matter how hard she tried she could not summon any optimism for this situation. Elphaba was right; she had given up just because she hadn't gotten her way. Glinda hadn't gotten her way since Elphaba came into the picture.
"I wish I could change your mind, make you see my way," Elphaba brought a hand to Glinda's cheek and looked sentimentally at the blonde.
Meanwhile Glinda was fighting all urges to slap that hand away and either kiss or scream at Elphaba. Her affections toward the green woman had not changed no matter what she was told to believe about her. She was still just as attracted to her as she had been in the first place. But right now she was beyond angry and a bit irritated with Elphaba's everlasting hope that everything would be all right.
She sighed heavily and locked eyes with Elphaba.
"Your way is a fool's way to think about these things. I wish you would just stop fighting."
"Not yet," said Elphaba softly, "Not now. I'm too determined to save you."
Glinda tilted her head sadly and wore a small sad pout, "I don't want you to end up hurt and bitter in the end… if you keep thinking that you're going to save both of us then Elphie you're going to be so hurt when you lose us." She sniffled just a bit, "You know these people, Elphaba, and you know what they can do. You've seen it. Please tell me that at least you know there's a chance that you might never see me or Fiyero again," begged the blonde.
"Glinda," Elphaba let out a long breath and her eyes were locked on Glinda's, "I can't afford to think like that. I'll lose my mind if I did. I have to keep thinking that you're both going to be alright."
"Then I'm sorry, Elphie," got out Glinda in a teary whisper.
Elphaba nodded as if she already knew what Glinda was apologizing about.
"I love you both," Elphaba said softly as she gently kissed the blonde's cheek, "I'll be back soon for you I promise."
Glinda could only nod as she watched Elphaba leave.
With only the sounds of her footsteps left Glinda stood and waited until Elphaba was clear out of sight before letting a few tears slip down her cheeks.
Sorry for the really long wait. Life's been pretty busy. On another note, I'm not sure I'm emotionally prepared for this week's Glee episode. Anyone else feel this way? :( RIP Cory.
Getting close to the end here. AH!
Bubble