There's only us, There's only this,
Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.
No other road, No other way,
No day but today.
I can't control,
My destiny.
I trust my soul,
My only hope,
is just to be.
There's only now, There's only here,
Give in to love, Or live in fear.
No other path, No other way,
No day but today.
No Day But Today, Rent
Chapter 24
Upon hearing shattering glass, Matvei came pounding up the stairs and burst through the door to Elphaba's room, concerned. He looked around, taking in the slivers of glass scattered about the room, and Elphaba, who was standing beside the bed clutching the note from Fiyero.
"Fae?" he said, crossing to her.
Elphaba didn't move. She stood absolutely still, her face set in a dark, unreadable expression.
"Fae?" Matvei tried again, "What's going on?"
She still didn't answer, and Matvei began to worry. He'd never seen her look so ashen, so angry and hurt.
After another moment, he asked, "Is it Fiyero? I realize…he was in here last night…"
Elphaba bit her lip, and he couldn't tell if she was holding her tongue or biting back tears.
"Fae…it's all right. I'm surprised…but it's all right…" Matvei tried again.
When she still said nothing, he paused for a moment, and then pulled the paper from her hands. He glanced over it, trying to understand what he was reading.
How does it feel? Good riddance. Fiyero.
Matvei read it a few times, trying to piece together what had happened. He hadn't heard their conversation last night, but he had an understanding of the past relationship between Elphaba and Fiyero. Matvei was not usually one to get angry, or at least not one to scream and lash out. However, fury rose up in him as he put together the pieces of what had occurred.
He had been understandably surprised, when Fiyero had never come back down the stairs the night before. Matvei had put Mia to bed and then climbed the stairs to listen outside of Elphaba's door. He intended no invasion of privacy, but he needed to know that she was all right. When he'd heard the muffled sounds of what could only be lovemaking, he returned downstairs. He might not understand the turn of events, he'd told himself, but it was not his place to interfere. Now, though, he wished he'd thrown Fiyero into the street when he'd first come into the restaurant. Clearly, Elphaba's feelings for her former lover had changed, and Fiyero had taken advantage of that. The deliberate callousness of what Fiyero had done disgusted Matvei.
He crumpled the note in his hand, and looked up at Elphaba again, "I'll kill him," Matvei growled, "I will kill him."
Elphaba started to tremble then, and he went to her. Matvei put his arms around her and said, "I'll kill him, Fae. I will find him and kill him."
Elphaba shook him off, finally meeting his eyes, and said, "No. This is what I did to him. This is how I hurt him…"
Matvei's temper flared, "Fae! No one deserves this! There's no such thing as righting a wrong with another one!"
Elphaba took a breath, "He wasn't trying to right a wrong. He was trying to show me how he felt."
Matvei took her arms and looked into her face, "And that makes this okay? It is never okay to deliberately use and hurt another person!"
"I know," Elphaba said darkly, "I know better than anyone."
Matvei ran a hand through his hair and heaved a heavy sigh.
Elphaba brushed past him then, crossing to her wardrobe to hastily fasten her hair into a tight knot at her neck.
"Fae?" Matvei was confused.
She retrieved her boots from beside the bed and laced them tightly over her feet. Then, she straightened her clothes and began riffling through her stacks of papers.
"Fae…what are you doing? Please don't run from me! I care about you, and you know that!" Matvei pleaded.
Elphaba didn't answer. She stuffed several stacks of papers into a heavy satchel, along with something wrapped in cloth, and slung it over her shoulder.
"Elphaba! Please stay and talk to me! He's not worth this! He's ruined his own life, don't let this ruin yours!" Matvei tried again.
She still said nothing. Elphaba slung her cloak around her shoulders and retrieved her gloves. Finally, she pulled the hat Galinda had given her down low over her brow. She strode toward the stairs, and Matvei followed.
"You shouldn't run from this, Fae. I care about you. We love you, Mia and I…"
"I'm not running. I have an appointment with Galinda," Elphaba threw back as she descended the stairs.
Matvei was confused, because Galinda had always come there.
"Where?" he asked.
Elphaba continued down the stairs to the back door of the restaurant, not answering his question. Before she opened the door, she turned to Matvei, "Keep Mia here. No matter what, keep her here. Do you understand?"
Matvei looked at her, confused and concerned, "No."
Elphaba took his hands, "Then promise me anyway."
Matvei set his jaw in a hard line, knowing he would never win this fight. He nodded, hoping she would blow off some of the anger and come back willing to talk.
Then, in a gesture that absolutely shocked him, she leaned in and kissed his cheek. He put his hand to his face, stunned. He watched Elphaba disappear from sight, and suddenly, he was afraid. Matvei sensed something was very wrong, and he was powerless to do anything about it.
Galinda had spent the morning trying to calm her nerves. The press conference was set for just after noon that day, and she had been up since dawn preparing. She was dressed impeccably, in a soft, pastel dress with a well-fitted jacket. She'd had her hair neatly curled and tied back, because it made her look older and more capable. She had her notes carefully organized and had made sure the courtyard was appropriately decorated.
Now, she sat in her suite in the palace, studying her hands and trying to calm her racing heart. Galinda knew there was nothing more she could do. Her role had been played already, when she'd given the palace secrets to Elphie. Still, she wished she could do more than smile and make the Wizard look nice while he was assassinated.
It's in Elphaba's hands, she told herself, and I trust her, completely.
The clock struck noon, and Galinda jumped. Then, she took a deep breath, put her chin in the air, and left her room to confront whatever might come.
Avaric strolled listlessly along twenty-First Street that day, trying to summon the will to buy a new dinner jacket. He was in need of one, but shopping irritated him. He was also a bit despondent that buying a jacket was all he had to do today.
My life is a fountain of uselessness, he said to himself, kicking at the stones in the street.
Over the past two months, Avaric had become more and more aware of how little he had managed to accomplish in twenty-five years. Certainly, most of his peers would say he was fortunate. He had wealth and the security of a good home in Gillikin. He could marry well, if he wanted. He'd managed to rub shoulders with the Emerald City elite. Still, what did any of it matter? It was a vein of thinking he never thought he would follow, until now.
In seeing his Shiz schoolmates again, he'd realized the apathetic nature of his existence. Elphaba had Mia, who had seemed to soften and change the green girl into someone who was almost pleasant. That is, if every time he saw her she weren't screaming or being screamed at. Galinda was Press Secretary, which was quite an accomplishment for the little blonde from Gillikin.
And Fiyero, he thought, Fiyero's life is a testament to what grudge-holding will do.
Still, Fiyero had chosen his course.
Avaric was more restless than he'd ever been, and wondered if it might do him good to reenlist with the Relief Corps. Or perhaps he should choose a wife and get out of this pompous, loud, overdone city.
He was considering it, when he saw a dark figure approaching him. Avaric wouldn't have looked twice, except that beneath the strange hat, he could just barely tell that the woman was green. It was Elphaba. He'd never seen her leave the fourth ward, at least in the past two months. So he stood in her path and intercepted her.
"Elphaba?" he asked, when she was forced to stop.
She looked up at him from the shadows of her hat, and then brushed past him.
"Elphaba! Oz sakes, I thought we were past hating each other!"
She whipped around, and he nearly ran over her. She whispered harshly to him, "I don't hate you. But you will walk away this instant and not follow me, do you understand?"
Avaric said nothing, because he was stunned. Elphaba turned and flew away from him, becoming another dark figure in the crowd of people on the street. Avaric shook his head, because she absolutely baffled him. He watched her until she was gone, and then looked up to note that she was heading in the direction of the palace. He stood there for another moment, still struggling with what to do with himself. Turning back up the street, he caught the headline of the newspapers for sale on the corner.
Wizard to Hold Press Conference Today.
Avaric stared at it for a moment, and then looked in the direction Elphaba had gone. He knew press conferences were generally closed to the public, but he slowly began to walk in the direction of the palace anyway. He wasn't sure why, but he had a sudden feeling of dread that could not be ignored. So Avaric headed toward the palace, if only to have a purpose, for the moment.
Just a short time later, Galinda stood at the podium in the courtyard of the palace, looking out at a group of eagerly waiting members of the press. They had freshly nibbed pens, and pencils that had been carefully sharpened. The air was filled with the scent of sulfurous flashbulbs and the flowers that had just begun to emerge from the boxes around the courtyard. Galinda looked around, hoping that all was in place, and that everyone was ready. She swallowed, and wished Elphie could be with her.
Sweet Lureline…keep us safe… she said to herself.
Galinda tried to draw strength, knowing her friend would be waiting for her in the service corridor just off the courtyard when this was over. Elphaba would be prepared to emerge and help establish order, or smuggle Galinda away in the event their plan failed. She knew it was hard for Elphie to stay out of the fight, but Mia had softened her, made her value her life a bit more.
There are others better suited for combat, Galinda had told her, You're brilliant Elphie. You're a strong leader. I need you alive.
And I need you alive, Elphaba had said, because they both understood the risks. They understood there was the possibility that Galinda would be killed in the struggle, or be whisked away to Southstairs for treason. It scared them both.
Galinda shook her head, trying to stay in the present. She knew what she was doing. She understood the chance she was taking, but it had to be done. A sudden fanfare startled her, and she realized the Wizard was making his entrance.
He came from behind her, escorted by several armed members of the Gale Force. Their uniforms were all crisp, their rifles polished with bayonets gleaming. Behind them were the Wizard's six advisors, all dressed sharply and looking smug. They each took their places, and Galinda shuffled her papers on the podium. Finally, she cleared her throat delicately and went through her carefully prepared speech.
She was a good Press Secretary, Galinda knew that. The people loved her and saw her as some sort of angel who accompanied their mystical Wizard. She had a voice that was soft enough to sooth, but bubbly enough to drum up excitement. She spoke well, fluttered her eyelashes just enough to make men swoon, and she looked good in photographs. Galinda knew the people trusted her, and hung onto her words. So she was not surprised when the members of the press flashed their cameras and busily worked their pencils as she announced the powerful and mighty, Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The Wizard stepped up then, and Galinda looked around. She considered each face, each life that was about to change. There were about thirty in the press corps, writing furiously as the Wizard spoke. Behind him, his advisors stood resolutely. The guards clutched their weapons and watched carefully. And, unseen, a white Tiger crouched, claws readied. A pair of Apes, blessed with opposable thumbs, clutched pistols in their large hands. A Bear snuffled and waited to charge, and two Wolves crouched low, waiting.
From the other side of the courtyard, a gunman took aim.
Suddenly, over the sound of the Wizard speaking, there was the loud crack of a pistol shot. Galinda had trained herself not to look, not to turn her head in the direction of the gunman, for fear that she would give away the location of assassin. Instead, she backed up against the stone wall behind her, trying to shield herself with one of the large pillars.
There was a chorus of screaming and, for a moment, the Wizard did not move. Galinda held her breath, poised to run, but then he slumped to the ground. The press rushed toward him, just as the Animals charged. The two Apes took aim at the Wizard's advisors, spattering blood as they took them down.
The Gale Force sprang into action then, realizing this was not just an assassination. The palace was now under attack, and they were clearly unprepared. More screaming ensued, as the press scattered. Galinda trembled, her heart leaping at each rapport from the weapons. She knew the Animals planned to kill as many of the advisors as was possible, and then force the guards to surrender. They just needed enough time to take out enough of the leaders, so as to make the guards feel the fight was no longer worth it.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Galinda caught a flicker of movement. She turned to see a figure in the shadows, trying to slip away unseen. Something struck her as odd, but before she could process it, she saw one of the Gale Force officers take aim at the figure. For Galinda, the scene seemed to slow down and grow quiet. All she heard was the echoing crack of the rifle, and she stifled a scream.
The figure in the shadows stopped and fell to the ground, unmoving. Galinda whipped her head back around the opposite direction, as the Bear charged the guard who'd fired the shot and took him to the ground. The Tiger was using his claws to subdue another one of the guards, as the last of the advisors raised his hands in surrender. The other members of the Gale Force held up their weapons then, unwilling to fight when they no longer had anyone to defend.
It was quiet then, as the dead lay still and the remaining members of the press huddled behind the pillars. The guards dropped their guns to the ground, and the Tiger and one of the Apes kicked the weapons away. No one said anything. They all barely breathed.
Galinda finally turned around, to see if the gunman had been killed. The figure was now lying in the sunlight, and Galinda registered what she was seeing. The black dress, the long cloak, and the strangely pointed hat.
Elphie.
In spite of the danger, the chaos, and the plan to stay quiet until they were certain the Animals had control, Galinda screamed. She shrieked from her gut, from the deepest, most desperate part of herself. She ran to her friend and fell to her knees. She took Elphaba's ashen face in her hands and a sob escaped her throat.
"Elphie?" she whispered.
But there was no answer. There was no movement, no flicker of the eyes or twitch of a muscle. Nothing. There was only deafening silence, and the harsh reality that it was over.