I'm back! As I said, still busy so still no regular updates, sorry for that, but I'll try. In any case, here's the next chapter. With a cliffy. Because I can.
22. Getting Your Dreams
Beaming, smiling, waving, and nodding. All four remaining contestants were apparently trying to compensate for their lack of pretty clothes and make-up by making sure their wide smiles were the only thing the audience could see. Reven and Cashel introduced them all, followed by the judges – Gracie Crarter, Peter Herdson, and Dawson Keezy, who had replaced Madame Morrible – and then the speeches began. Elphaba was up first.
She took a deep breath and looked around the theatre, even though she couldn't see anything more of the people than dark silhouettes. "I will be completely honest with you all," she began, "and admit to you that I wasn't all too keen on entering the Miss Emerald competition at first. I initially participated for other reasons… mainly my father."
She couldn't see him in the dark, either, but she sought out the elevated platform to her left side anyway.
"As you are all aware, I haven't known for very long that the Wizard of Oz is actually my father," she continued. "He never knew he had a daughter and ever since he found out, he's been trying to be the best father a girl could wish for, trying to amend his past mistakes and to make up for all the years we didn't have together. Participating in this pageant was mostly my way to try and make him proud."
The audience 'aww'd softly. Other than that, the silence was almost deafening and Elphaba swallowed.
"I don't need to be Miss Emerald," she said, raising her chin. "I'll admit that despite my reservations, I've had fun during this competition. I've met some wonderful people," she glanced at Karise and Umbia in the first row and cast a look to Saraphina and Nathalinia, just off the stage, "and I've grown even closer to my friends… some a little more than others," she said with a little laugh and the audience chuckled, realising she was referring to her relationship with Fiyero.
She grew serious again. "It's been a great experience that has taught me a lot," she admitted, "and even if I don't win tonight, I won't be sad, because no-one is going to take this experience away from me. Besides," she smirked a little, "I've already got a title, after all, and how many titles can one girl really need? No matter what happens tonight, though, I want to thank you all for your support. The fact that you all thought me good enough to be standing here today means a lot to me." With that, she curtseyed and left the stage, the audience shouting, clapping and cheering.
Her heart was pounding so loudly that she missed most of Saraphina's speech after that. Nessa squeezed her hand gently. "You did great, Fabala."
"I did?" Elphaba asked a little uncertainly and her sister laughed.
"Yes. You were amazing." She poked her playfully. "I didn't know you could be so charming."
Elphaba stuck out her tongue at her sister.
Nessa's own speech, too, was touching.
"All my life, I've been excluded from things," she told the audience. "I couldn't play or dance as a child. The other kids thought my chair was strange and ugly and the adults have always pitied me. My chair is usually the only thing people see, but not during this competition. For the first time, people saw me for who I am and they decided that what they saw was beautiful enough to be here today, in the finale of the Miss Emerald beauty pageant. People have always told me I was tragically beautiful, but I have never truly felt beautiful until these past few months. Until now."
It was clear that the audience was very charmed by demure, elegant Nessarose in her chair. They also seemed enthusiastic about Nathalinia, Elphaba, and Saraphina, though, so it was hard to say who was going to get the most votes tonight.
As the four girls lined up for the evening's first elimination and Nathalinia and Saraphina complimented Elphaba on her speech, the green girl felt a twinge of regret at having tried so hard. She'd done her best to give a good speech, mainly to make a good impression on the people as a princess; but she was kind of hoping she would be eliminated now because if she was, she would at least be spared the torture of having to parade around the stage in a bathing suit.
Unfortunately, the girl who had to go first turned out to be Nathalinia, who was a little sad about it, but said her good-byes with grace and dignity as she moved off the stage. Cashel announced the first commercial break and Elphaba, Nessa, and Saraphina were ushered to their backstage dressing room to change into their bathing suits. Elphaba's was dark blue, Saraphina's pale pink, and Nessa's was emerald green. This time, it was Saraphina who seemed most comfortable, while the Thropp sisters kept exchanging resigned looks. Nessa clearly wasn't any happier about her outfit than her sister was.
This time, it was Nessa who wheeled out first, around the stage, down the short runway in the middle, and then back again, stopping every once in a while to pose and smile at the audience. After Nessa came Elphaba and Saraphina was last. The audience's cheers were deafening and Elphaba suddenly wondered how many men there were among them – a thought that made a purplish red flush appear on her cheeks. She tried not to think about it too much.
Her walk around the stage felt like it lasted forever, but it only took a few minutes. Less than half an hour after Nathalinia had been sent away, the three remaining girls found themselves in front of the jury panel, still wearing their bathing suits, waiting for the judges' verdict.
"Judges," Cashel addressed them. "You've had some time to deliberate. Now the time has come for us to hear your decision. Which girl has not made it to the final two?"
"Well," said Peter, looking at the hosts, "of course we have been very impressed by all three girls' performances and all three of them deserve to be here today. Well done, girls."
They smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.
"Unfortunately," Dawson Keezy took over, "only two of them can continue to the next round, and only one of them can be Miss Emerald."
"We won't keep you waiting any longer," Gracie said, smiling at the girls. "The girl who has not made it to the final two, even though she has still given us an amazing performance, is… Miss Elphaba Thropp."
Elphaba exhaled slowly, even as sad music started playing and the audience booed at her elimination. When Reven asked for a final applause for Miss Elphaba, they gave her one, a big applause that lasted nearly an entire minute. Elphaba curtseyed, waved, and then left the stage.
She wasn't sad, exactly. Not even disappointed. Frankly, she was glad it was over for her – she felt like she'd done well and now Nessa had made it to the final two. She hoped her sister would win.
Another commercial break was announced and Nessa came wheeling up to Elphaba, reaching for her to give her a hug. "I'm sorry, Fabala."
"I'm not," Elphaba said honestly, hugging her sister back. "I don't mind, Nessie, really. Don't worry about me." She smiled. "I'm proud of you."
Nessa beamed at her, but before she could say anything else, Cashel and Reven appeared to usher them backstage, urging all four girls to change into their ball gowns.
Between Nessa's yellow gown, Elphaba's magenta one, Saraphina's light blue one, and Nathalinia's dark green, they looked like a colourful parade as they moved back onto the stage. Elphaba had helped Nessa into her chair and Nessa had explained to the hair dressers how she wanted her hair done. The people backstage had worked like madmen and made all four girls look like they had been in hair and make-up for an hour at least, all in less than ten minutes.
Nathalinia and Elphaba sat down on a couch on the side of the stage, plastering smiles onto their faces for the cameras. Nessa and Saraphina were placed next to each other in the centre of the stage as Cashel and Reven told the audience and the people at home that there would now be one final vote. All the people present in the audience got one slip of paper and they could vote for either Miss Nessarose Thropp from Munchkinland or for Miss Saraphina Bulok from the Vinkus.
The voting commenced while Cashel and Reven talked a bit more with the two final girls, asking them what they would do with the prize money if they won, how proud they thought their friends and families would be, and other similar questions. Then there was another commercial break. All this time, Nathalinia and Elphaba just sat on their couch in their puffy ball gowns, smiling serenely and looking pretty even though they were both incredibly bored.
After the break, Nessa and Saraphina were called in front of the jury panel again and each judge said something nice about them both while the vote slips were being counted. The two show hosts also went up to the first row of the audience to ask some of the already eliminated girls for their opinion on who should be the winner. Throughout all of this, Elphaba still kept an eye out for anything suspicious, but she found nothing – unless Macy looking grumpy about the fact that she was in front of the stage, rather than on it, counted as something suspicious, but Elphaba didn't think it did.
After that, at last, the music turned ominous, the lights dimmed, and Reven and Cashel were each handed a flash card with the name of the winner on it. Two spotlights were aimed at Saraphina and Nessarose.
"The winner," said Reven, nearly squealing with excitement, "of this year's Miss Emerald competition, and thus the girl who has earned the title of Miss Emerald, is…"
Nessa looked over at her sister, a few metres away on the couch. Elphaba smiled encouragingly at her and gave her a thumbs-up. Nessa smiled back, even though the green girl could tell her little sister was nervous.
Cashel finally shouted, "…Miss Nessarose Thropp!"
Instantly, fireworks went off all around them, sending sparks up into the air even as shimmering, gold confetti came raining down. Nessa was crying as Reven draped a sash around the girl and Cashel placed the tiara on top of her head. The applause and cheers were deafening and Nessa could only smile, more widely than Elphaba had ever seen, and mouth, "Thank you" at the people around her. Elphaba applauded enthusiastically, cheering for her sister. She was a little blinded by all the lights and slightly deafened by the noise, plus her attention was on her sister, so she almost missed it.
Almost.
It was only because she was sitting a little to the side of the stage, almost exactly underneath the lights, that she heard the creaking noise from above, barely audible over the screams, cheers, and music. It felt like the world around her slowed down as she looked up, at the light bridge above them. There was one of the light technicians and for a moment, she felt reassured – if there was a problem, he was probably already working on it. However, the nagging feeling she'd had all this time increased, her skin pricking with it as it sent shivers down her spine. Something was wrong.
And then, to her utter horror, she watched as the light technician pushed one of the heavy lights over the bridge railing. She was already screaming a warning before her eyes even found the spot on the stage below where the light would hit in about two clock-ticks. The spot where Nessa, tiara on her head and flowers in her arms, sat beaming and smiling widely in her chair.
Without thinking, Elphaba pushed herself and her heavy gown away from the couch, launching herself at her sister. She hit Nessa with such force that the younger girl toppled over, chair and all. The last thing Elphaba saw was the light falling down from right above her; then the world exploded in light.