After floating in her bubble for an hour she drifted into the emerald palace. Gears whirled as a trapdoor opened in the ceiling. Two panels swung open, giving her a view of the inside of the building. Elphaba had said the bubble was the Wizard's invention. She was right. Her first day as Glinda the Good the Wizard boasted about how much his invention would help Oz. The trapdoor was also his invention. Elphaba would have cringed at the idea of it.
Glinda floated down to the great and powerful Oz. It gleamed a bronze so bright it was almost blinding. She wanted it removed. But told herself she never found time. She wondered if the wizard had used it because he was ashamed of whom he was. Everybody was. Or if he was just afraid of human contact. It reminded her what Elphie fought against. She was tormented by the fact that she had not chosen to fight against it. Her teeth ground together.
She stepped onto the floor and started to pace. At first sight she had feared the head. Then she had worshiped it. Then everything crumbled when she knew she was its puppet. A pawn.
"What am I Chistery?" she said to the monkey next to her.
He looked at her with wide eyes that stared into her. It was like he was trying to tell her something. He had been there all the way. The last time she and Elphie were together, he was watching. Had he been sad too? Hopefully he was. Ignorance was humanity's greatest weakness. She thought she thought. The monkey flew closer to her and landed softly. The membranes on his wings disappeared from view as he folded them to his back.
" That's really helping," she snapped.
He ran away from her and down a hallway. She sighed.
Trying to find something to do, she ruffled through some papers on her desk. After thirty seconds of it she lost focus. Every task got harder after Elphie's death. Then she could read letters from admirers until she became restless for half an hour. She went back to the window and stared again. A sigh burst from her lips.
Something tugged at her dress. Looking down, she saw Chistery at her feet. He held out a thick book. Elaborate carvings were engraved in the leather cover. Her fingers ran over the ancient lettering. A tear fell on it. When Elphaba left she gave the grimmer to her. She said she had to learn the spells because it was up to her. Glinda shuddered through her whole body. Still she was scared about the responsibility that her best friend put on her. When she read the book she found nothing. She tried learning how to understand the language in every way she could think of. Most nights she fell asleep after desperately thumbing through its pages for up too a dozen hours. The memory made her clench her fists in pain. It represented what Elphie had rebelled. It represented what she fought for. The singing disturbed the silence. This time it was much louder, and more celebratory. Obviously her visits with the people had been improving their cheer. It was like hearing everything good scream in agony. There was already an overpowering chorus of voices in her head. They shouted what she could have done. What she could be doing wrong, and the horror of her reality. A low growl came from her throat. She tightened so hard she thought she would never relax again.
" I'm sorry I can't take this my sweet Elphie."
Calmly, she put the Grimmere back into Chistery's long hands. Smirking, she thought that he would a better leader than the wizard was. She stepped back into her bubble and turned the gear that made it float. It didn't matter where she was going. Just as long as she was moving away. It was better than standing there and encouraging the lie she hated. The bubble exited the trapdoor. She flew over the Emerald City, looking for something that mourned Elphie's death with her. Something that didn't make her feel like she was alone with nothing else. After a long amount of searching, she spotted the Time Dragon Clock in Nest Hardings. She gasped in joy. Elphaba was born in that clock. She turned to her right and turned a tiny gear to go down. A tear dripped from her eye at the sight. She landed and stepped as close as possible to the dragon. Its eyes glowed with fiery redness. The entire body of the dragon was as big as she was. Even bigger was the clock itself. A cry tried to ram its way out of her throat. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time because it had to do with Elphaba. She cringed. Even in Nest Hardings she heard them sing to celebrate her death. It was like all that was good and stable was gone. She looked panoramically around her at Oz. Still all she saw nothing left. This time the cry managed to escape her throat. It was high and shaky. She pressed her head against the clock face. Only one clear thought was in her head. She would escape her living nightmare. She would figure out how to leave Oz.
- Woot! I think this is the fastest I have ever written. I wrote this all in a day. (Thank you spring break). Congradulotions to ComingAndGoingByBubble for getting that the lyrics are from "Everything You Ever" from Dr. Horrible. (Seriously watch the whole story it it's amazing!) I suggest listening to the song while reading the chapter. (Well, the entire Glinda chapter section. That's all I listened to while I wrote it.)