(A/N: thanks to reviewers! Here's the next chapter. It's a bit scattered. More RENT characters are introduced in this chapter, but we don't go deep into their personalites right now. Anyhu, thank you and remember, reviews are loved.) :)
After the first flashback, Elphaba became more alive....finally. She ate regularly, or as regularly as one could eat in New York City. She began to talk to Galinda and Mark more and more. Galinda told Elphaba all of the memories that wouldn't hurt her. This excluded memories of Frex and most definitely memories of Fiyero. As far as Elphaba was concerned, Fiyero didn't exist. Galinda could always tell when someone was completely falling for someone and Mark was most definitely falling for Elphaba. Galinda thought it was kind of cute and she could tell Elphie really liked him, maybe she wasn't falling for him, but they got along really well. Galinda watched from the couch as Mark and Elphaba leaned on the kitchen counter together, analyzing a book. Yes, they certainly looked cute together, all studious and nerdy but adorable. Mark wasn't Fiyero, but the chances of Elphaba and Fiyero getting back together were like the chances of Galinda and Lucas getting back together. Lucas and Fiyero were gone. Galinda's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden loud bang as the door to the loft was slid open quickly.
"Merry Christmas bitches!" yelled Collins as he walked in. Mark, Galinda and Elphaba looked up. Mark had completely forgotten it was Christmas! Elphaba and Galinda must have swayed him from life outside of the loft. Galinda and Elphaba looked confused and Mark rolled his eyes.
"I've got company," he said, gesturing to Elphaba and Galinda, "And what a wonderful greeting that was. Really, nice first impression." Mark said sarcastically. Collins looked and Elphaba and Galinda and his mouth formed a silent 'o'.
"Oops, sorry man," said Collins to Mark, then he turned to Elphaba and Galinda and his slang immediately changed to proper English that made him sound like the college professor he could've been, "Hello, I'm Tom, but my friends call me Collins."
"Hi, I'm Galinda, but you can call me Galinda." said Galinda, to which Elphaba rolled her eyes.
"I'm Elphaba." she said.
"Well it's nice to meet you." said Collins, smiling at them. Galinda smiled back and Elphaba couldn't help but smile only a little. Collins was one of those people who seemed like a really easy person to get along with. When he smiled, it made you smile even when you didn't know why. Collins college tone quickly changed back to his New York trashy slang though and he turned back to Mark, "Wait, you two are girls. Ooh, Marky's got girls over." Collins teased.
"It's been known to happen." Mark murmured, "Hey, where's Angel?" asked Mark. Wherever Collins was, Angel was, it was known fact by now.
"Oh, she's getting here. She's uh....getting ready for the show she's got ready for y'all." said Collins, winking mischievously. Elphaba and Galinda exchanged glances. Collins rushed over to the table and knocked everything off of it.
"Introducing, Angel Dumott Schunard!" Collins said. And in came the drag queen, dressed in a girls Santa Claus dress with white tights and black high heeled boots and wearing a wig with short black hair to her shoulders. Elphaba and Galinda raised their eyebrows in unison.
"Today for you, tomorrow for me!" Angel said, then she began her dance. She pulled two drumsticks from her belt and began to drum on the table as she sang a song, "It was my lucky day today, on avenue A, when a lady in a limousine drove my way. She said, 'darling, be a dear, haven't slept in a year. I need your help to make my neighbors yappy dog disappear. This Akita, Evita, just won't shut up! I believe if you play, nonstop that pup will breathe its very last, high strung breath, I'm certain that cur will bark itself to death.' Today for you, tomorrow for me, today for you, tomorrow for me. We agreed on a fee, a thousand dollar guarantee, tax free, and a bonus, if I trim her tree. Now who could for tell that it would go so well? But sure as I am here that dog is now in doggy hell. After an hour, Evita, in all her glory, on the window ledge of the twenty third story....Today for you, tomorrow for me!" Angel finished with a flourish and raised her hands in the air. Mark and Collins clapped loudly and Galinda and Elphaba hesitantly followed their lead.
"Girl, you can sing!" Collins said, laughing.
"Elphaba, Galinda, this is Angel," said Mark, "She and Collins live in the loft upstairs."
"Hi." said Elphaba and Galinda in unison.
"Hey chicas," said Angel, flashing them a smile. Then Angel looked more closely at Elphaba, "Oh my gaaaaawsh. Is your skin green?" Angel's voice didn't sound disgusted, but more impressed. Elphaba didn't know what to make of that.
"Yes." said Elphaba stiffly, waiting for some type of insult.
"Girl, you are working that color!" said Angel, snapping her fingers. She laid a hand on Elphaba's in a very fruity type way, Elphaba blushed and Angel continued, "Honey, there are very few people in this world who can pull off green, put honey you sho' can! And don't let nobody tell you you're skin isn't amazing."
"Um....thanks?" said Elphaba.
"That was a compliment chica." said Angel patting Elphaba on the shoulder.
"They're living with me now, they have nowhere else to go. They moved in about two week's ago." said Mark. Collins and Angel exchanged glances and wiggled their eyebrows at Mark. Everyone but Mark started laughing.
"So since you'll be permanent here with Marky....you can join our boho group." Collins said.
"Boho?" asked Galinda, wrinkling her nose at the name, it sounded too much like hobo.
"Bohemians! We live the life man, carefree with no money or food." said Collins, "Mark's part of it."
"The boho's are just me and my group of friends." Mark explained, "He just means you can hang with us now if you want. We usually get together at the life café or something."
"Oh, great!" said Galinda, eager to make some new friends.
"Well, we're going to head down to life support," said Angel once the eyebrow wiggling was done.
"On Christmas?" asked Mark skeptically.
"Some people don't have anywhere else to go today." said Angel, turning to Mark with a sharp look, "You coming?"
"I think I'll pass." said Mark.
"What is life support?" asked Elphaba.
"It's a group for people with AIDS." said Angel, no shame in her voice.
"AIDS? What is that?" asked Elphaba.
"You don't know what it is?" asked Angel, about now, everyone knew what it was, it was practically a miracle if you didn't have it, "Acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It's a disease."
"Oh, where I'm from, we've never heard of it." said Elphaba.
"Honey, where are you from? Tell me so I can move there." said Angel.
"True that." Collins said.
"Listen, we've really gotta go now, or we'll be late." said Angel, "Merry Christmas. We'll meet up with you all later. We'll see you at Maureen's protest." and then she and Collins walked out of the loft, hand in hand. Once they were gone, Elphaba asked a question that made Mark laugh.
"Was that girl in a dress a guy?" asked Elphaba. Mark started laughing but he soon realized that Elphaba ad Galinda did not follow him, they must have been genuinely confused.
"That's Angel. Yeah, he's a guy, but he's a drag queen." said Mark.
"A drag queen?"
"You know, it's a guy that wears girl's clothes and makeup and stuff." said Mark.
"Oh, well I don't blame him." said Galinda, "I mean, girls clothes are way better than guy clothes and of course everyone want to wear makeup. You don't happen to have any makeup do you Marky?"
"Oh, that's....unusual." said Elphaba.
"Not really." said Mark with a shrug, "Not in New York."
"Is that where we are? New York?" asked Elphaba.
"Yep, every artists dream city." said Mark sarcastically, "At least it is until they get here. Your best hope for a career as an artist is graffiti on the subways." Mark's phone began to ring, he didn't bother to pick it up. It rang once.
"SPEAK!" said his answering machine.
"Mark, are you screening your calls again? It's me, your mother!" said a loud, boisterous voice, "Sorry you couldn't make it back for Christmas. Cindy and the kids send their love. Oh, wait, your father wants to talk to you!" the sound of people handing the phone to another person was heard before a loud deep voice came on the phone.
"Listen Mark, I heard Maureen dumped you," said his father, "But I say, who cares! Let her be a lesbian. She doesn't know what she's missing! Oh, and Merry Christmas. Bye." The phone clicked off and the loft was silent or a moment until Galinda and Elphaba started laughing.
"You, know, there are times when I'm dirt broke and hungry and I wonder why I'm still living here. And then they call, and I remember." Mark said.
"Oh they're not so bad. They bothered to call you on Christmas." Elphaba said, patting him on the shoulder, "So, you got dumped by your girlfriend because she wanted to be with another girl?"
"Yes, story of my life." said Mark.
"If you really loved her, you could've dressed up like Angel and maybe she'd take another swing at it." said Galinda with a shrug. Elphaba and Galinda paused to look at Mark and imagine him in drag, they both burst out laughing at the same time.
"Very funny." Mark said sarcastically. There was another ring before the machine picked it up.
"SPEAK!"
"Mark? Marky? Are you there? It's me, Maureen. Um...listen, I hired Joanne as my production manager and...I don't think she knows what the hell she's doing. If you could just come over to the performance space...." Maureen's voice trailed off as Mark picked up the phone, an exasperated look on his face.
"Hey Maureen." he sighed, "Yeah....yeah, I'll be there in a bit.....ok....bye." Mark hung up the phone.
"Can you believe her?" asked Mark, "First she just dumps me...."
"You could've said no." said Elphaba.
"Yeah....I know." said Mark, blushing a little.
"Whoo! Marky's whipped!" Galinda giggled. Mark shot her a glare and she stopped.
"You don't deserve to be treated this way." said Elphaba.
"Well, I already said yes." said Mark with a shrug, "You guys want to come?"
"Sure." they said.
************
Mark led Elphaba and Galinda walked down the street a ways. Elphaba got funny glances and she realized how she must have built those strong walls Galinda had told her about. They reached a big building at the end of the street. They walked in, graffiti adorned the walls and the homeless decorated the floors. Mark decided to take the stairs and went up two floors. They entered a much bigger room which a large stage upfront but no seats for any audience that might come for a show. There was a woman on stage in a business suit looking stressed.
"Hey, Maureen said she needed help...." Mark began.
"Are you Mark?" asked the woman.
"Joanne?" asked Mark incredulously. This was the girl Maureen had dumped him for?
"Yeah." said Joanne. Elphaba and Galinda stepped back, feeling intrusive on some inside understanding.
"Maureen said she'd be here." said Mark.
"Yeah? Well, don't hold your breath." said Joanne, "I told her not to call you. I've hired someone to come and fix this."
"Oh, well, it was nice meeting you then." said Mark, turning to leave, gesturing to Elphaba and Galinda to follow. They stopped at Joanne's voice.
"He's three hours late." said Joanne.
"I could fix it." said Mark.
"Thanks." said Joanne, "I'll be right back, I'm going to go call Maureen." she walked out of the room as Mark went to the stage and begin to look at the cables. Elphaba and Galinda followed him onto the stage and looked around.
"Alright, Elphaba, say something into the microphone." said Mark, "I want to see if it's working."
"Ooh, Elphie, you should sing a song." said Galinda.
"Am I a good singer?" asked Elphaba.
"From what I've heard you are. My daddy told me you were." said Galinda.
"Did I sing for your father?" asked Elphaba.
"Well....uh, he was at this one place that you were singing at." said Galinda, not wanting to explain Frex's terrible sermons.
"Ok, here goes." said Elphaba. She went up to the microphone and began to sing a song. The words came to her out of nowhere. Mark froze as she began to sing. He was blown away, her voice was so beautiful and it just sent chills up his spine, he closed his eyes as her voice swept through him. Galinda smiled and closed her eyes as well as she listened to the song. Suddenly the song was cut short. Galinda and Mark's eyes snapped open. Elphaba's eyes glazed over with the white haze and glassy look. Galinda gasped.
"Not again!" she cried. Elphaba stumbled back from the microphone, her eyes still glassy.
******************
She was on a stage-like platform in what must have been a church. She was standing there with a man gripping her arm painfully. She looked out to see a large crowd of people, all staring at her, but for some reason she had the feeling they weren't just staring at her skin. She had a feeling she'd been through this routine many times before. The man seemed to be preaching something, he gestured to her every now and then during his speech. He was preaching of the gifts and punishments of the Unnamed God. Apparently, she was a punishment to him for cheating on his wife. And a gift to her was her voice.
"Sing." ordered the man. She now recognized him as her father. She tore her arm from his grasp and straightened her back before starting a song beautiful song. There was a collective gasp from the crowd which Elphaba ignored. When the song ended, her father grabbed her arm again.
"Now, she may have a voice lke that, but she cannot touch water." he said. The crowd exchanged confused glances. Frex leaned down and picked up a pail of water and flung it at his daughter. Elphaba screamed in the flashback as unbearable pain took over her body...
****************
Mark and Galinda backed away in surprise as Elphaba screamed as though in terrible pain.
"What's happened?!" Galinda cried.
"I think something happened in the flashback." said Mark. Elphaba fell to her knees, breathing hard, her body shaking. Mark leaned down and laid a hand on her back, but she jerked away. Mark flinched and Galinda tried, but Elphaba would not be touched. Then, Elphaba's eyes closed and when she opened them again, the white haze was gone and the glassy look was replaced by the beautiful brown Mark loved.
"Elphaba?" asked Mark, "Are you ok?"
"Yes....I'm fine." said Elphaba, the brown was back, but her gaze was still distant.
"Elphie, what did you see?" asked Galinda gently.
"I—I was in a church? I think...And my father was there, or...I think it was my father. He was preaching about gifts and punishments of the Unnamed God. There were a lot of people there. He made me sing for them, and then he threw a pail of water at me....and it hurt Glin..." Elphaba's voice was shaky. Galinda hadn't been there, but she knew what Elphaba was talking about. Her father had told her about it.
"Elphie that was at one of your father's sermons."said Galinda gently, "Your father, Frexspar Thropp, he was the governor of Munchkinland, and also a preacher. He would use you and your sister Nessa to attract people to his sermons. He showed everyone Nessa's paintings. He made you sing and then he would always burn you with water."
"I remember now that my father hated me...." said Elphaba, "Because I'm green. My mother....did I have a mother?"
"She died giving birth to Nessarose." said Galinda.
"Oh." said Elphaba, "Did she ever love me?"
"I wouldn't know Elphie," said Galinda, "I for one, think it would be pretty hard not to love someone as special as you."
*****************
Fiyero let out a frustrated sigh when he was he was interrupted by Kohl in the library. He was still researching, any way to get to where Elphaba was. Earth, more precisely New York City was where she was. He knew it was New York because that was where the portal was.
"Um, sire." said Kohl, nobody had dared approach Fiyero in his studious frenzy.
"What is it?!" Fiyero asked.
"There's someone here to see you." said Kohl.
"Really?" asked Fiyero, the anger in his voice gone, as he was genuinely surprised, "Who?"
"A Lucas Cabral for you." said Kohl.
"What does he want?" asked Fiyero. If memory served, he and Lucas had not been the best of friends.
"Well I don't know!" said Kohl, throwing his arms in the air.
************
"Look Fiyero, I heard you were looking for Elphaba and Galinda," said Lucas, "Well actually, I just rather assumed that. I want to find them as much as you do. I was just wondering if you'd let me help."
"Are you suggesting that I can't find her on my own?!" asked Fiyero, over the course of his endless research and frustratingly numerous dead ends, his temper had been on a short fuse.
"No, I'm sure you're well capable of that," Lucas said hastily, "It's just, two heads are better than one right? And I'd really like to help. This isn't a challenge or anything. I just want to find them."
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Fiyero curtly, then he sighed, "I suppose you can help. You'll be staying here then? There's an extra guest room you can have."
"Alright." said Lucas, "Thank you."
**************
And so began endless hours of searching. Lucas and Fiyero sat in the library all day and all night, reading every scrap of information there was. Sometimes they would find something, their breath would come faster and then it lead to only another dead end! Oh how frustrating this was! But they would find them.......they would.