Chapter 8/You'll See

Elphaba wasn't sure if she should have jumped for joy or burst into tears.She had such mixed emotions. She felt happy because now that she got this part she would get to see all of her friends again. On the other hand though, she was sad because none of them knew who she was.

Glinda had her fill out some paper work and then asked her where she was living for now. Elphaba had replied that she was going to stay at a hotel for the night when Glinda explained their interesting living arrangements at the palace. It was rent free so Elphaba gladly accepted her own room in the palace that she once would have not been caught dead in.

Everyone soon began to pack up and make their way to the door ready for a good night's sleep. Elphaba shot glances at Fiyero but whenever she did he wouldn't look at her. Tears would well up in her eyes and she would have to quickly brush them away before anyone noticed. They all hailed carriages back to the palace and regrouped at the palace doors. They made their way through the elegant emerald doors and to their respected rooms for a good night's sleep.

Glinda walked with Elphaba and showed her to her room at the end of the hall. Elphaba walked into the sight of a beautiful open room with many windows looking out into the sleeping city. The floor was green and gold marble with pillars of green and gold. To the right side of the room was a large bed with gold colored sheets and pillows. To the other side of the room was a fireplace against the gold wall giving the entire room a beautiful glow. Seats were placed in front of the fire with pillows to add more comfort.

Glinda looked at Elphaba, watching her approval. "Do you like it? I know it's a little much but all the guest rooms in this room are filled and the only one left is the master suite and-"

Elphaba cut her off with a smile, "I love it. Thank you so much."

Glinda returned the smile, "You're welcome." She wanted to ask Eliana about the episode in the bathroom but figured it was something personal and rather leave it alone. But something just didn't feel right to her…

Glinda wished Elphaba a good night and shut the door behind her.

After breakfast they all made their way to the theater for another day of rehearsal. They sat in the first few rows of the theater waiting for Glinda's instructions.

"Alright everyone, today's going to be a long day. First off, we're holding auditions for ensemble members so that will take awhile. Then we'll order lunch and after we eat we'll have tech crew to work on set and lights. Last night I selected some of the best musicians to make up the band. So they're coming today so that we can rehearse songs with music. Alright, so are there any questions?"

Tibbett's hand shot into the air.

Glinda acknowledged, "Yes, Tibbett?"

"Is the tech crew going to be making the set while we're rehearsing? I'm just wondering if they are, because that's going to be a lot of chaos. And we'll have nowhere to rehearse."

Glinda smiled, "No worries. The set was mostly all made previous to today. All they're doing is setting it up while we're having auditions. Now you're wondering where we're having auditions. The answer to that is they're going to be in the lobby. Now anymore questions?" All eyes were looking at her except for Avaric who decided to get some beauty sleep in.

"Alright, everyone out into the lobby, we have auditions to judge. Oh, and will someone PLEASE wake Avaric up?"

Crope and Tibbett then proceeded to stick their fingers in their mouths and give Avaric wet willies in both of his ears. He immediately woke up with a scream, "I'M UP!" They laughed and walked to the lobby.

Avaric practically ran out of the theater yelling, "It's over! It's finally over!"

Boq followed clutching his stomach moaning, "So hungry… Food. I need food!"

The rest of the cast came out of the theater and headed to a new café that opened about a block away from the theater. They were seated immediately at a large, over-cushioned booth and had a server at their table just as the last person sat down. They talked and laughed as they waited for their food to arrive. Elphaba couldn't help but look at Fiyero as he was sitting right across from her. He had his head down and she noticed under his eyes were dark and had bags. She felt a huge stab of guilt that he was losing sleep over her.

They received their food extremely fast. They began to eat with occasional chit-chat on the side without a word from Elphaba or Fiyero. When they were finished Glinda gracefully paid for everyone's meal and they head out the door, back to the theater. As they arrived Fiyero moaned.

"Oz! I forgot my coat at the café! I'll meet you all in there I have to go back."

Glinda nodded, "Alright, we'll see you later. You won't miss anything. We're just going to add some lights and run through Out Tonight."

And with that Fiyero was off to the café and the cast was off to rehearse.

"Okay Eliana, you're going to enter stage left through the door on the top part of the set. For performances some crew members are going to put your hair up with glitter in it. And then when you come out, before the line, 'You wanna play let's run away.' And after the line 'I wanna put on that tight skirt' and on the word 'flirt' you're going to take off the robe you'll have on to reveal some… skippified clothing. Anyway, you'll have a railing and stairs so use those as you'd like. Just let your free side come out!" Glinda giggled.

"Okay we're probably going to run just the beginning of the song and we're going to be doing crazy things with lights so just ignore it and keep singing." Glinda instructed.

Elphaba nodded in understanding from the platform on stage wrapped in her rope. The music started and Elphaba got into her hooker character. Elphaba entered with a bright white spotlight on her and she began singing. She started working the song shaking her hips and making Avaric drool. Blue lights flashed over her and Elphaba noticed that her skin looked blue. She inwardly laughed at the thought but then a wave of dread washed over her. Elphaba was never religious but she now found herself praying to every god that they wouldn't use green lights.

I wanna put on that tight skirt, and flirt with a stranger.

"Great. Now even more skin to be exposed to green lights." Elphaba thought.

And then her skin was bathed in green lights. Elphaba stalled in her singing, hoping no one would see the resemblance but there was a collective gasp in the back of the theater. Elphaba stopped singing and inwardly groaned. Of course they would recognized her. They practically lived together for a year and it didn't help that every city used to be plastered with wanted posters of her mug.

Over the loud music Glinda screamed, "STOP THE MUSIC!"

Elphaba just stood ready to run looking like a frightened child. Glinda slowly walked towards the stage followed by the rest of the cast with some crew members staring. Glinda now stood on the stage waiting as Elphaba slowly made her way down the stairs.

"El- Elph- Elphie?" Glinda stuttered with tears threatening to pour over.

Now Elphaba stood in front of her former roommate. "Yea, Glin?"

Now the tears in Glinda's eyes rolled down her porcelain cheeks. She ran to her friend and flung her arms around Elphaba's thin frame. "Oh Elphie!"

"I missed you too."

Glinda pulled away and wiped away her tears. She took a shaking breath and managed, "We thought you were dead."

"I know Glinda. I'm sorry." And Elphaba began to explain her story after the farm girl had "melted" her. "So then I came here to audition so that I could still be with everyone and make sure you all were okay. I didn't know that he-" Elphaba realized that it wasn't the best idea to bring up him at the moment. However it was too late and tears welled up in Elphaba's eyes and everyone already knew who she was talking about.

"Oh Elphie…"

"I thought he was killed. I was going to kill myself… But I just couldn't." Elphaba said distantly.

"Then thank Oz you didn't. You're okay, he's okay, even though he was in a horrifical state when he first found us." Glinda recalled.

"Which he wouldn't have been in if it hadn't have been for me."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have run off and slept with Glinda's fiancée." Avaric chimed in.

Elphaba glared, "How dare you even say that!" She went to charge at him but Boq and Glinda stopped her before she could do any harm. Elphaba turned to Glinda. "I'm so sorry Glinda. I know you loved him and I never meant to hurt you."

Before Glinda could answer Boq spoke up. "No' you didn't even care what Glinda felt when you ran off with him! You two broke her heart! So don't you even try to apologize! How could you be that heartless?"

"Now Boq I thought you'd be the one to understand the most." Elphaba defended. "Or do you not recall leaving my sister with a broken heart to go run off to confess your love for Glinda? And do you not remember that a few days after that my sister laid crushed under a house, DEAD. How dare you forget the past!"

Boq face turned bright red but yelled, "NO! How dare you! She enslaved the Munchkins and made me her personal slave! She tried casting a spell on me to kill me!"

"She wasn't trying to kill you! She loved you and all you did was lie to her, leading her on! She just wanted you to love her! She had no one else! I certainly could be there for her since I was public enemy number one! You just thank your luck stars that she had no magic to cast that spell or you would be heartless right now. Or worse, you'd be dead."

Crope mumbled, "These love triangles and pairs should have been worked out at Shiz a looooong time ago."

Glinda hugged her friend to stop the awkward tension that was in the air. "It's okay Elphie. I've moved on and I can forgive you for that. But to fake your death? How could you do that to me? To all of us, and to Fiyero."

"I'm sorry but it was the only way to stop the fighting and to stop the running and hiding. 'ding dong the witch is dead,' Oz is finally free from the Wicked Witch of the West's rule."

"But Elphie I told them all the truth. The day Fiyero got out of the hospital. There was a mob outside calling him a traitor so I told them the truth so that no one would try to kill him. And there were reporters there so they published the whole story in all of the papers and everyone knows it was Morrible and the Wizard that were the bad ones! Not you! You can be yourself again. No more hiding. You can be Elphaba Thropp, the girl I met at Shiz who became my best friend."

"I know Glin. But I can't. There will always be people that still believe the lies that the Wizard and Morrible told them and there will still be people that want to kill Fiyero and me. And now you too probably. I'm sorry I ever brought you all into this mess."

"Never apologize for us knowing you. I would still be an air-headed blonde if it wasn't for you Elphaba."

"Please Glinda. People cannot know who I am. I can't go through being called Wicked again and dealing with all the hate."

"We have to tell Fiyero, Elphie. He has to know. He blames himself for your 'death'."

"No. He has to figure it out on his own. If you tell him that 'Eliana' is really me he'll hate me and you and think its some twisted joke. No. He has to figure it out on his own. Maybe with a little guidance."

"I will make sure that brainless prince will realize that the love of his life is standing right in front of him. No matter what we have to do."

Elphaba blushed slightly. "Thank you."

The two best friends hugged and everyone in the theater began clapping. Tech crew members and all. Everyone had been listening to the conversation and some were moved to tears. But everyone knew not to dare tell anyone that 'Elphie lives'. So that's when all the green lights were shut off when Fiyero walked back into the theater with his lost coat slung over his shoulder.

"Sorry I'm so late. It's a long story… So did I miss anything?"

He had no idea.