Hello!
I gotz Chapter 8.
Elphaba's Girl - Yes, Erik certainly needs someone like that!
Chapter 8
Elphaba
How strange that the only person who still thought of me as Elphaba was the last person in Oz I wanted to see. Foolish Erik! Thinking I could possibly love him after what he did to Ursa … and not mention dear, beautiful Fiyero. He was probably still decaying on that pole as I thought all these things. I had left, knowing full well what Erik was capable of. I had left my lover in the hands of a monster. I really was a wicked witch.
Flying over the Yellow Brick Road, it was not too difficult to spot the farm girl and her dog. She now had four companions: a Lion, Boq, a scarecrow, and … Erik? What was he thinking, joining forces with this girl? He couldn't want something from the Wizard; he knew the Wizard was a lying fraud. Well, it didn't matter much, I decided.
I hid in one of the trees and overheard them talking. "I'm so lucky to have such great company!" Dorothy exclaimed. "Even though, I don't pretend to think that you all don't have your own priorities; of course you do."
"Hey, you need to reach the Wizard safely," Boq said. "If I get a heart too, that'll just be a big bonus. But you will not be captured by that Witch on our watch! Right, Scarecrow?"
The Scarecrow was apparently brought out of a daydream when he was addressed. "What? Oh, um, yeah, don't worry, Dorothy. I'm not scared of the Witch!" We'll see about that.
"I am," the Lion confessed. "I mean, I have good reason. Like I told you, she cubnapped me!"
"Yeah, we all have problems with the Witch," Boq declared. "Phantom, what exactly did she do to you?"
"We were in love," Erik began. "Or at least, I was in love. She played my heart like a violin … and then tore it in two. If only that prince of hers was dead …"
"Oh, he is," the Scarecrow said. "I heard some people around here talking last night. Fiyero Tigulaar of the Vinkus died a slow, painful death. Be satisfied with that, Phantom." He looked pointedly at Erik.
"Believe me, I am."
"But … that's kind of horrible!" Dorothy piped up. "Surely the Witch, however wicked she is, must've loved this prince!"
"No, Dorothy, she just wanted to spurn me."
I couldn't listen anymore. "And spurn you I did!" I shrieked, coming into the middle of the road. "But it seems you've already found someone new. Well, stay away from her! Or I'll make the left side of your face just as twisted as the right. And I'll put YOU in a cage, so you can see what the Wizard would have done with you, had I not rescued you. As for you, Tin Man, I'll use you for a beehive! And Scarecrow? You dare to say you're not afraid of me? Well, we'll see how you feel after I stuff a mattress with you! You can't say I haven't warned you!" Let the dream begin. Let your darker side give in. I laughed like a fiend, and then flew up above the trees, leaving a cloud of smoke in my wake.
About two hours later, I arrived back at Kiamo Ko. Oz, was this really my life? Had I really just frightened an innocent ten year old girl and her friends? The Lion, especially, had looked utterly terrified. Boq would have probably wet himself if he was able to, Erik looked helpless, and Dorothy had cowered behind the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow. Now that I thought about it, he hadn't looked all that scared. He had just looked … surprised. And his voice, it sounded a bit like … No, Elphaba, stop it! He's dead, and you know it!
Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming into the room. Ozdammit, I should have locked the door! If it was Erik again, I would keep my threat about cooking him. But it couldn't be Erik because he had only gotten here before via Glinda. I looked up and saw only Chistery, carrying a tray of tea. Whew! "Here, Chistery, let me take that off your hands. There we go. Thank you so much! It's quite good." As I sipped my tea, I got a sudden inspiration. "Chistery, what did you just bring me? Say, 'tea.' Tea, Chistery, tea! Just try it. It's just like the letter T."
"Tay, tie, tu."
"Almost, almost! Tea! Tea! Oh come on, Chistery, please try again!" But I think just saying those three sounds tired him out, so soon after I dismissed him.
Sitting alone in my new room, I yearned for a time long past, a time when Nessa was alive, a time when Glinda was actually a good friend, when Erik wasn't a creep, when Fiyero …
"Elphie! C'mon, you should dance again!"
"How do I phrase this nicely? No!"
"But Elphie! You danced so awesome earlier!"
"That was convulsing, not dancing, Galinda."
"Well, I know a special someone who's been dying to dance with you! Hold on for a tick tock!" She raced away as fast as she could in those pink high heels.
Soon after, I heard someone say, "No, you insufferable prince! I'd rather die!" It took me a minute to place that voice, but then I saw him. Erik. He was being frog marched by Galinda and Fiyero over to where I was. From what I could tell, he hadn't noticed me yet.
"Oh, don't be a drama king, Erik!" Fiyero chided. "She's just a girl. She's not gonna bite you! Though I must admit, Galinda could've chosen a prettier girl for you, but hey, you'll take whatever you can get, right?"
"She's perfect for you, Eri," Galinda squeaked.
Erik's expression went even darker. "Call me Eri again, and you'll be sorry. Now, who is this girl whom I apparently must dance with?"
"Over there! Elphie! Elphie! Here's Erik!"
Now, I sat next to Erik in Quati 102, and we'd kind of grown close, ever since he turned to me one day earlier in the semester, and said, "Les etudents du Shiz ont tres stupide, non?" We then got into a long discussion about Quadling Country, Munchkinland, and of course, the stupidity of our fellow students. And now, here we were at the Ozdust Ballroom.
"Erik," I said. "Fancy seeing you here. You told me you hated parties."
"You hate them too, don't you?" Erik countered. "Or did Galinda force you as Fiyero forced me?"
"Yup. Maybe it's meant to be or something."
"Maybe. Therefore, may I have this dance?"
"Why not?" A strange feeling overcame me as Erik led me onto the dance floor. This boy liked me. This boy wanted to dance with me.
"So, um, do forgive me, but I seem to have forgotten your name. I keep wanting to call you Elphaba Thropp."
"Oh, that actually is my name. Good for you!"
"But … Thropp? That's the governor's daughter. Isn't Frexpar Thropp's daughter kind of … crippled, you know, and not so richly colored?"
"Yes, you are thinking of my little sister Nessa. I … I don't get out as much. To be honest, Father is rather … ashamed of me." I could feel myself blush.
"Join the club. My mother sold me to the circus when I was six. You don't know how hard it was to convince the ringmaster to let me come to Shiz!"
"What was your act? Did you play music?"
"I was called the Devil's Child. A sharp girl like you should gather much from that." I did. I realized that Erik was even more similar to me than I imagined.
He picked me up and finished the dance with a twirl.
I was jolted out of my thoughts by a pounding on the door. This could be it. I picked up my broom, and opened the door. There were no witch hunters, thank Oz, but Chistery and about five other monkeys, screeching in panic. "Oz, have you all gone crazy?" I asked. "What's wrong?" Chistery threw a copy of Vinkus Today into my arms. I read the headline with shaking hands: "Wizard Sends Dorothy Gale and Friends to Kill Wicked Witch." So be it.
Yup. Stuff's about to go down!
Cheers,
Elle Dottore
