A/N: I couldn't wait to write this chapter, so I decided not to. : ) It's definitely my favorite chapter so far, I've been writing this one in my head since the very beginning. I hope you guys like it! Thank you, Kate, Viva-taquitos, and Lone Dark Wolf for the reviews! Countrybutterfly: I think you might want to make sure you are reviewing to the right story, LOL. You're waaaay too sweet, you're spoiling me: ) Jemima: You spoil me too! Thank you very much for your compliment, I know it was exaggerated, but it was sweet. And I apologize if I seemed short with you last chapter, I was kind of in a rush to write the author's note (I write them last). I hope you all enjoy this chapter! The beginning's lame, by the way, and I don't really think Elphaba's in character, but it gets better. Oh yes, and there's one bad word.
Elphaba was awakened early the next morning by the light coming in through the window at her cell. She opened her eyes, forgetting where she was for a moment, then remembered, the thought of it all hitting her like a brick. She stood up. It was cold, and she tightened her cape around herself. She walked over to the wall, and pulled herself up to the window to look out. It was dawn, and the light glowed pink over the green city. It was a beautiful sight-the buildings all shimmering with dew drops, and the Wizard's palace almost right next to the jail. The beauty was lost on her, though, and she dropped down from the window. She stood in the center of her cell with her arms crossed, not sure exactly what was going to happen that day. Would she be killed that very morning? She doubted it-they'd probably want to make a spectacle of her execution, and they wouldn't have enough time to inform everyone in Oz that she was there.
She sat cross-legged with her back against the wall and closed her eyes. She wasn't tired, really-just thinking. She hoped Fiyero hadn't followed her. It was too late for him to do anything for her, and if Glinda saw him…she didn't want to think about it. She sighed. She was furious at Glinda. She opened her eyes, and tried to concentrate the fury on the bars. Perhaps, they would disappear if she got angry enough? Nothing happened, though, and she sighed again. She stood up and kicked the wall. She felt better.
She turned swiftly around, hearing footsteps. She tensed, heart beating swiftly, and watched the corner at the end of the hallway. They were coming past the cells…and then they turned, and she saw that it was Oveel. She relaxed some, but stayed where she was, still tense, watching him.
Oveel was carrying a small tray with four pieces of bread and a cup. He bent down and slid it under the bars, then looked up at Elphaba, who was watching him. He smiled, though it looked uncomfortable.
"Hi." He said awkwardly, straightening up.
She stared at him, expressionlessly through the bars. He stared back for a moment, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but there, then turned stiffly to leave.
"Wait," she called softly. He turned around quickly, and she swallowed, not wanting to say anything but having to. "Do you know what's going to happen today?"
He opened his mouth slightly, then closed it. "No, not really." He admitted. "Glinda the Good wants to see you, I think, but nobody else knows you're here-except, of course, for the rest of the guards."
She nodded, and looked back at him. Looking uncomfortable again, he waited a moment, then left the way he had come.
Elphaba waited until she could no longer hear footsteps, then walked over to the tray he had set out for her. The cup had water in it. She got a little bit angrier at Glinda, if it was possible. She didn't just want to ruin my life-she had to torture me just that little bit more, she thought. She was thirsty, of course, but had to ignore the cup. She quickly devoured the bread, and then moved the tray to the side. It was light by then, and she could start to hear noise as the city woke up. She straightened and moved to the wall underneath the window, not wanting anyone to see her. She pulled her knees to her chin and sat there, for how long she didn't know, listening to the city noise grow louder and louder.
…
"She's here!" Glinda squealed. Boq looked at her strangely after delivering the news the morning after bring Elphaba back to Oz.
"Yes…she's in a cell in the jail next door."
Glinda opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again, remembering she never had given instructions of where to put Elphie after bringing her back-and after all, she was a fugitive, it only made sense that Boq had thought to put her there. She winced, though, thinking of her best friend behind bars.
"All right. I'll need to speak with her soon. Call up two attendants for me, if you will, please, for tonight. After it gets dark, so nobody will be out."
Boq nodded, bowed slightly, and went out the door to her room.
Glinda grinned widely, unable to contain her excitement. She couldn't wait to see Elphie again! And she really was alive! She had known it, she had just known it! She squealed again, excited.
There was a knock on the door that night as two large men came in. They were each holding spears. She stared at the spears for a moment, and one of the men explained, "In case of the Witch." She nodded slowly, not sure what that meant, and looked seriously at them.
"I would like to be accompanied to the Witch's cell," she told them, hiding the excitement in her voice. They nodded, knowing what they were there for, and she led them out of the palace and to the homely jail to the right.
…
There was a tired-looking guard at the entrance to the jail, and he straightened and bowed as she passed. She kept staring ahead, wanting to run to Elphie but knowing she couldn't. The guards followed her as she walked past each cell, looking in them to see which one Elphie was in. She turned a corner and saw, two cells down on her left, a creature quickly stand up. She had to force a smile from creeping up on her face when she saw that, knowing it was Elphie, and stood in front of the cell, facing her. She turned around, to the guards. "I should like a few minutes alone with the Witch," she told them severely, and though they hesitated a moment, they walked down the hall out of the jail cell, carrying their spears.
When Glinda could no longer hear footsteps, she turned around to Elphaba, smiling huge. "Elphie!" she breathed excitedly. She ran to the bars and stretched her arms out towards Elphaba, clearly expecting a hug. "Oh, Elphie, I thought you were dead! I thought they had killed you! I missed you so much!"
She stared at Elphie, smiling. Elphaba wasn't smiling, and stood in the middle of the cell. The moonlight showed from behind her, and her green skin gave off an alarming glow that made her look frightening. Elphaba shook her head slowly, almost in disbelief, and Glinda stupidly pulled her arms back, realizing that she wasn't going to get a hug.
"I can't believe you," Elphaba said quietly. She began to pace very slowly, only able to go a few steps because of the width of her cell. The look in her eyes was murderous, and she looked to Glinda like a caged lion, ready to pounce on whatever it could. "You took me from my home, from my friend, from my lover, and put me in this cage-" Elphaba thrust her arms out furiously at that – "and you think it's all okay?"
Glinda looked at her, confused at the reception she was receiving. "Well, it couldn't have been all that bad-"
"Oh, it couldn't!" Elphaba was no longer pacing slowly, but quickly, angrier, andher voice was getting louder."Because it's not like I care about anything in the world besides you, Glinda! And it's not like the man who hates me probably more than anyone in this entire world would treat me poorly!"
"He treated you poorly?"
"No, Glinda, of course not! And these –" Elphaba marched up to the bars, pulling up her sleeve – "aren't rope burns at all!"
Glinda stared at the green wrist that Elphaba displayed in horror. It was raw and red, and clearly hurt a lot. Elphaba took her wrist back and backed up again. Glinda shook her head, staring wide-eyed at Elphaba. "Elphie, I'm so sorry – "
"Yes, well, you should be."
"It's just…I care about you so much, I wanted to see you – "
"Oh!" Elphaba shouted, the echo of her voice ringing through the jail. "And now you care about me! Oh, Glinda, this is rich." Her voice was filled with hate, and Glinda could hear the fast-walking steps of the guards, who had probably heard Elphaba scream and gotten nervous. Elphaba walked up to the bars and pulled Glinda by her dress to the bars also, so that they were only probably an inch from each other's face, though the bars separated them. Their faces wore two completely different masks: Elphaba's, fury and hate, and Glinda's, sorrow and fear. "You don't give a fuck about me."
The two guards ran to Glinda's side, jabbing Elphaba back with the spears. Elphaba let go of Glinda quickly, and stepped back a few steps, clutching her left shoulder briefly. The guards each firmly grabbed Glinda by her arms and hustled her away. Glinda looked back, fearfully, at the figure in the cell. Elphaba stood quietly, arms to her sides, and the look in her eyes was murderous. The memory of her staring out at her from behind the bars would haunt Glinda's nightmares that night.