A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update. I wanted to continue updating the story during my vacation, but I had very bad WIFI. So I've already written ahead. That's why this is a bigger chapter than I intended. I'll upload the next chapter tomorrow or the day after, but I still have to reread the chapter. I couldn't upload anything, because of the bad WiFi of the hotel. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Thanks for your patience.
XXX
Madame Morrible sits at her desk. She thinks about what to tell her partners. Yes, she is gaining Elphaba's trust more and more. It seems that Elphaba believes almost everything she says. She is slowly testing how far she can go. But Elphaba is more concerned with doing the right thing for those cursed Animals. She will have to find another way to fool her. But how, but how, but how? Madame Morrible looks at her paper and crumples it up. She picks up a new piece of paper. That Galinda girl is slowly gaining more powers. She won't be able to do much as Elphaba, but she can serve well as a second choice. Even though I don't trust her, she does have something.
Madame Morrible sighs again. Since she has been nicer to Galinda, Elphaba trusts her a little more. But she has a hard time being nice to those empty heads of a student. She is capable of so much more than her partners give her credit for. Of course she understood her task to find as many good recruits as possible, but enough is enough. In the meantime, she has made sure that all the Animal teachers are gone and she blames the Wizard. No one thinks about her own agenda. No, maybe she should wait to send that letter until after Parents' Day. Then she might have more new recruits or new information. She has to think of something to keep Elphaba and Galinda apart.
XXXX
Sweet Oz," Nessa exclaims enthusiastically. "Tomorrow is finally parent's day. I have so much to tell father."
Elphaba smiles at Nessa's enthusiasm. She herself isn't looking forward to it as much, but for Nessa's sake, she puts on a brave face. Galinda and Fiyero both give Elphaba an encouraging nod.
"Will your parents be coming too?" Nessa asks Galinda.
Glinda nods. "I miss them so much. Despite all the letters we send to each other, I feel like I still have a lot to tell them."
Elphaba frowns. She finds it odd that Galinda's parents didn't respond to Madame Morrible's letter, despite Galinda's attempts to reassure her.
"What are we going to do tomorrow?" Fiyero asks.
Elphaba shrugs. "I think we'll show our parents around campus. We have some dinner in the evening. Most parents stay for the weekend too. We're going to sit down to our school assignments. Maybe to the Oz-dust with everyone. So, the same thing?"
Fiyero starts to chuckle. The rest look at Elphaba in shock.
"Do you want to go to the Oz-dust?" Galinda asks in shock.
Nessa shakes her head. "No, Fabala, we'll show father around campus. We show Father how well we are doing in school and what kind of good people we have around us, so he doesn't have to worry about his reputation," Nessa says sternly. I want father to meet Boq's parents. Maybe we can all have dinner together. Will your parents be joining us?" she asks Fiyero.
Fiyero nods. "Although they're only staying for two days. They want to be back to the Vinkus by Monday. Being king and queen isn't easy."
Elphaba and Galinda see the pain in Fiyero's eyes, but they say nothing.
''That's so bad," Nessa says with pity. "But we can still have a good time together," she tries to cheer everyone up
"Let's get to class quickly before we end up in detention with Madame Morrible tomorrow," Boq says nervously.
"Ah, how nice to hear my name," Madame Morrible says, suddenly standing behind Boq. ''It's good to hear that you're motivated to get to class on time.''
Boq swallows and nods anxiously to Madame Morrible
"Hello Madame Morrible," everyone says obediently.
"It's good that I happen to see you here. I have an important question for Miss Galinda."
"Of course," Galinda says with her sweetest smile. Inside, she's going crazy with that woman, but she has to endure a bit longer.
"I'm still looking for a student to give guided tours to groups of parents around our wonderful campus. You immediately came to mind."
Nessa narrow her eyes. "Can't the students do that themselves?"
"Oh, of course they can, Nessa dearie, but there are always parents who prefer to hear the information from someone else. I'll be busy all day tomorrow, so I'm passing this task to our beloved miss Galinda."
"I'd also like to do it," Elphaba offers immediately. Anything is better than dealing with her father.
Nessa looks alarmed. "Fabala, don't embarrass yourself."
Elphaba looks confused and hurt. "I'll be giving a tour to adults."
Glinda takes Elphaba's hand. "We'll do it together." She must properly show that Madame Morrible has bad intentions for her, but without getting in Elphaba's way.
"I'd prefer just you. We want to use Miss Elphaba's talents for something else," Madame Morrible says,
Galinda rolling her eyes. She knows why Madame Morrible only wants her.
"Mind your attitude," Madame Morrible warns. "And let go of each other's hands."
Galinda releases Elphaba's hand immediately and nods. "I'll do it."
Madame Morrible nods in satisfaction.
"I'll help you," Elphaba says after Madame Morrible leaves. "It's so unfair how she treats you. I mean, I'm sure she means well, but I don't know."
"What about our father then?"
"You can give him a tour yourself. We both know father would prefer not to have me there," she says nonchalantly.
"Elphie, I can imagine how you feel, but listen to your sister. We can still be together after your tour. My parents won't mind, your father probably will," Galinda says with a warning.
"Don't you mind not being with your parents?" Fiyero asks cautiously.
"Uhm, of course, but we'll figure it out. It'll be fine. They'll be a little late anyway. My father had some business to take care of."
The friends head off to their respective classes. Glinda isn't paying attention at all and is more focused on presenting her notes well to Oscar. She notices that Elphaba shows no signs of turning Wicked again. The students are back to being positive about her, except for those two minor incidents, both involving Animals; there's nothing wrong with Elphaba.
She has to convince Oscar that Madame Morrible is behind this.
"Don't you really mind having less time with your parents?" Elphaba asks when they're both lying in bed in their pajamas.
Glinda shrugs. "Yes, but my parents are staying the whole weekend. I'll have plenty of time with them."
"Okay, if you say so," Elphaba says absentmindedly.
Glinda swallows. She knows she's created more distance between her and Elphaba. She feels like the end is approaching. She has to admit her parents were right all along. Now that the end is near, it's harder for her to say goodbye to Elphaba. She doesn't really want to say goodbye to her friends. Not just Elphaba, but also ShenShen and Pfannee. She still thinks of them as airheads, but they don't deserve to be betrayed by their friends like this.
Glinda tosses and turns in bed for a long time, wondering if everything was worth it for this mission. How much pain is she causing her friends by leaving suddenly? What good excuse does she need? How much will she think of her friends when she's back? What should she do at home? Now she finally has a normal life.
Glinda must have fallen asleep at some point because she wakes up to Elphaba getting changed.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" she asks as she emerges from the bathroom.
Glinda nods. "A bit short."
"Good thing we don't have classes today."
Glinda nods.
Elphaba heads out the door.
"Where are you going so early?"
"I'm going to check on our little Lion again. I still want to make him talk. He still can't hunt, so I'm still feeding him meat."
"I thought you did that with Fiyero."
Elphaba blushes. "We're in this together. It's our time to bond. He's so different when we're together, but I don't know Galinda. I uhm" Elphaba tries to express her emotions which is still difficult.
"You deserve each other," Glinda says sincerely. ''Why don't you go for it?''
Because I can lose everything too and oh yeah, you're still here. Elphaba thinks helplessly. "I don't know Galinda, so many things happen. We are only first year students. If we're really meant to be together, then it can also happen in second year. I still want to see and learn so much."
Glinda laughs. ''Typical Elphie, first learn, then live.'' She tries to hide her joy that she is glad that Elphaba and Fiyero are not in a relationship yet, despite her urging.
''Yeah, I have learned a lot about life through you, without you I would not have come this far.''
Glinda smiles kindly. ''What else are friends for?''
Elphaba leaves the room. Glinda tries to rest for a few more hours. It's going to be a long and tough day.
Glinda gives campus tours to two different groups. Madame Morrible keeps her busy with various tasks all morning. She knows her parents are only arriving in Shiz in the afternoon, so she's less bothered by it. Still, she finds it quite annoying.
Late in the morning, Elphaba, along with Nessa and her father, come by. Elphaba follows at a respectful distance while Nessa chats away. Frex compliments everything Nessa has done right, according to him, and criticizes everything Elphaba has done wrong. Glinda wishes she could say everything to that man, but she knows it's not her place.
Madame Morrible finally lets her go after noon. Glinda walks to the train station to pick up her parents. She's greeted enthusiastically by them.
"How's my girl doing?" Mrs. Upland asks, concerned, as she checks her daughter for injuries, looking deep into her eyes.
Glinda sighs. "I'm doing fine, Mom. I hope today's the last day."
Mrs. Upland kisses her daughter on the forehead. "We all hope so. But we also have to look at a good ending. Just walking away is not possible. That raises questions, especially with a mission like this."
Glinda nods. She had already thought about it. She just hopes she doesn't have to be so on guard anymore.
Mr. Upland takes his daughter by the hand. "Come on, show us around campus. We're also curious about your friends."
Glinda rolls her eyes. She knows her father says that because that's what all fathers are supposed to say. Not because he really wants to know.
Her parents behave like the perfect parents. Like their daughter, they greet everyone they encounter. They have a longer chat with Pfannee's parents, who talk about everything. Pfannee's mother immediately wants to exchange addresses to stay in touch. Mrs. Upland politely declines the offer, knowing she won't get rid of these people easily.
"Sweet Oz, Glinda, how do you put up with those people?" Mrs. Upland asks when they're at a safe distance. Who gets a better picture of her daughter's work.
Glinda chuckles. "I spent a lot of time at the gym."
"I understand. But they've certainly given you a lot of information. Very well done.''
Glinda starts to blush and nods. She shares a bit about the things she's done. It feels good to talk about her real life instead of constantly about a fake life. "Every time I had to talk about my past again, I kept track of it to make sure the stories matched. Although those girls aren't the smartest, so I could have made some mistakes. But I knew I couldn't make any mistakes. Elphaba is getting more information than I thought."
Mr. Upland puts his arm around his daughter. " We did see her working on her board full of information about you a few times. Luckily, you're careful. We wanted you to solve it yourself. Gain your own experiences."
''Everything we did was for your own good,'' Mrs. Upland says when she sees from her daughter's eyes that she is not satisfied with her father's answer.
''That's why you threatened so much,'' Glinda muttered.
Mrs. Upland squeezes Glinda's hands. ''Glinda, darling, we are really proud of what you did. We might have done it differently ourselves. But you are our little girl; we want to protect you.''
Glinda looks deeply into her mother's eyes. She does not know what to think. Is this a sign that she can never go on a mission again, or a blessing that she can handle more missions? Of course she knows that her parents care about her. But she also knows from her current experiences that their relationship is not normal. Anything goes under the term normal. ''I know. It was harder than I thought. But at the same time easier,'' Glinda says after a short silence.
Mrs. Upland nods. "You can evaluate everything when you get home. It won't take long."
"Have you seen Oscar yet?" Glinda asks after they've been walking for an hour.
"We arranged to meet at a library. Did you manage to get a room?"
Glinda nods and shows them the keys. "I borrowed the keys from a professor. I'll return them tomorrow."
"Not from that Morrible person, I hope?" Mr. Upland asks, concerned.
"No, I'm extra careful with her."
Mr. Upland breathes a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. We're very pleased with your progress. At first, we thought you were getting too close to Elphaba. But from what we've seen on camera, it's not so bad."
Mrs. Upland hugs her daughter again. "We were so worried you'd develop feelings. They always get hurt after the mission, which is why we were so strict. We wanted to protect you."
Glinda looks at her shoes. She wants to tell them about her feelings and how hard it's going to be to say goodbye. But she also knows her parents will overreact. "I had everything under control," she says bravely.
Mr. Upland laughs contentedly. "Let's go talk to Oscar now."
XXX
Oscar follows his daughter at a respectful distance. It hurts him to see his daughter like this. Maybe he should have gotten her out of that cursed Frex right away. Because he doesn't treat his princess well. He did see the devastating looks Frex sent Elphaba.
He shouldn't have made it so difficult and should have gotten his daughter to the palace right away. Tell the truth right away. But he doesn't know how she will react. How will he react if an important person turns out to be his father. He has to keep enough distance from the people around him. The closer people are to him, the sooner they might find out that he doesn't have magical powers. He wonders how it is possible that people still don't know that he doesn't have magical powers. Of course he did everything he could to make people believe that, but it was all smoke and mirrors, anyone with a little bit of observation skills would have seen it long ago. It was pure coincidence that it started raining when he arrived. He can't help it that people associate him with the solution to the great drought. No, he can't do it to Elphaba to break her heart. He did the right thing by going to the Uplands. Because of that Glinda, Elphaba at least had one good friend. Although he can't find out from the letters how it happened. Fortunately, he can talk to her right away.
He smiles when Elphaba finally smiles at a boy. When he looks closely, he sees that it is the pins of the Vinkus. Maybe he should go there. Because that boy doesn't have a good reputation. What will he do with his daughter. Frex and Nessa also approach Elphaba and the prince. Frex doesn't seem happy with the prince. Oscar breathes a sigh of relief, fortunately Frex still thinks a little about Elphaba's safety. Oz knows what kind of things that prince thinks.
Elphaba immediately looks sad when the boy leaves. But as soon as the sister starts talking, she looks happy. Maybe not genuinely happy, but at least it's something. Oscar tries to reassure his own bad feelings. With pain in his heart, he looks away. He must not be seen as a creepy stalker. It was a good idea of the Uplands to make an appointment during parents' day. He can walk around unseen and see his daughter. But it hurts him more than he thought.
He explores the area and fantasizes about how he could one day walk around here as Elphaba's father. He will talk to all the teachers to find out something about his daughter's achievements. His daughter will be ashamed of her father's behavior, but secretly find it very nice. Oz, how proud he was when he received the letter from Madame Morrible, saying that she had a talented student who she would like to see standing next to him.
At the same time, he was also terrified. What will she find out? What if this could destroy everything. He knows how dangerous the world can be. He knows that his daughter will always do the right thing, that's just how it is, he feels that. So the excuse he told the Uplands about Elphaba becoming Wicked one day was a lie. But it did have the desired effect. At least he hopes so. He also needs to get some information about this Morrible person. He couldn't find much about his Gale Force himself.
Morrible asks if she can get an influential job in return. Elphaba in exchange for a better job. As a businessman he understands Madame Morrible's proposal, but as a father he is furious. No one should use their girl like that.
He looks at the big clock. He hurries to the library, where he sees the Upland family already waiting. He has to play his cards right. What does he want to achieve? That Galinda is friends with his daughter longer? Or that the mission ends, then he can maybe arrange for Elphaba to come work for him. Oz, he has so many possibilities for his daughter. What will be the best, for him, for his daughter, for Oz?
XXXX
Glinda jumps up on her feet, nervously. Why choose Oscar to be late today? Oz. She flips through her papers again. She has a presentation prepared.
Mr. Upland puts his hand on Glinda's shoulder. ''Don't worry. We have a plan. We'll take care of it.''
''But isn't it good for my experience that I'm also part of this?''
swallows. ''You can go observe how your mother and I do it.''
''I've been doing that for a long time.''
''Honey,'' Mrs. Upland tries. ''This is not a game. We're going to get serious now.''
Glinda sighs. Do her parents think so lowly of her? Of course she understands that too. But this is her mission. She's worked so hard for it. This is her chance to prove to her parents that she does belong in the field. Before she can argue with her parents, Oscar comes rushing over.
"Sorry, I got lost," he lied.
Glinda rolls her eyes, but says nothing. She politely extends her hand and he nods.
Oscar senses that the air between Glinda and her parents is not right, but he says nothing. He thinks Glinda looks tired and that her parents are exchanging a few too many glances.
"What did you find out?" he asks. As they all sit in a small room in the library. Glinda lays all her papers down on the table. Mr. and Mrs. Upland look impressed.
"We're here to share all the information and then think about the next steps," Mr. Upland says professionally.
Mrs. Upland nods. "We've briefed you on everything our daughter has told us."
Oscar nods gratefully. "Thank you for protecting my daughter twice. I have made inquiries with the Gale Force about the men who attacked you. They have been punished for their crimes. They have not said anything about you or Elphaba." He says to Glinda.
Glinda nods. She had been wondering what had happened to the men. She writes down a few things on her paper.
"I had a few more questions about the second meeting with the professor and the lion cub," Glinda says, before her father can continue his story.
Glinda sees her parents looking at each other uneasily. She doesn't care, this is her moment. She has Oscar's attention and she wants to keep it that way. It is her job. She has to stand up for her more, despite her parents disagreeing.
Glinda tells the story again of what had happened in the classroom and in the forest. "Elphaba seems to use her magic twice unconsciously when someone, especially Animals, is in danger. She wants to protect everyone around her. She's still looking for what happened to Dr. Dillamond."
Mr. and Mrs. Upland nod. "We see on the cameras that she's up late studying," Mr. and Mrs. Upland confirm. ''But maybe we should...''
"What exactly do you mean?" Oscar asks, startled, talking over Mrs. Upland. He looks directly at Glinda, since she's the one most involved with Elphaba.
''Well, she wants to know what happened to Professor Dillamond, since they were taken by your men. People get scared of her when she can't control her magic. That's when she can become Wicked. She can't control herself when she's angry.''
''Yeah, yeah, I get it. But why was Professor Dillemond taken by my men?''
''The rules you introduced?'' says Glinda as if it were the clearest thing in the world.
''What?'' asks Oscar, startled. Yes, he tightened the rules for the Animals a bit in the beginning, because he knows from his own world that everyone would believe him better if he gave them a good enemy. But that had not been necessary up until now. Everyone worships him. He only said that the Animals are no longer allowed in the big city. He waited with the rest of the propaganda until he needed it. He did not use any extra measures. How is this possible?
Glinda watches Oscar slowly process the shock. She had not expected this. She had already prepared the speech that he had to reverse the rules. Then there would be no more injustice and Elphaba would never have an outburst of anger again, which would make her seen as a wicked person. But that is apparently not necessary. She is struggling with herself about how to continue the conversation. Her parents see that Glinda is struggling and decide to move on.
''Maybe we should continue with our daughter's work.'' Mr. Upland himself says. He doesn't want to get involved in a political change. He wants to do his job and earn money so he can give his family everything they need.
Oscar looks confused at Mr. Upland but nods.
''She investigated everyone and we did a background check. So far, no one is suspected. Glinda has looked up information about her past, apart from the fact that her mother died and her father emotionally abused her, there are no special reasons why she would become Wicked.''
Glinda is overwhelmed by her father's professional tone. She wants to get in between, because she has done much more. But her mother kicks her under the table.
''We don't know anything about the Wizard in his crystal ball has seen anything yet, but either the danger has passed, or it won't happen until after her university.''
Oscar stares at Mr. Upland like a fish. He didn't expect this. He wants to protect his daughter.
''We're all thinking about a conclusion.''
''WHAT?'' Glinda jumps up from her chair. They hadn't discussed this at all. She still wants to talk about Madame Morrible, about Professor Dillamond, about the past that might have an influence since she's going back to it.
Mrs. Upland quickly stands behind Glinda and squeezes her shoulders hard.
Glinda groans in pain. ''Maybe we should talk about Madame Morrible too.'' she hisses.
Oscar looks at the three in surprise. ''What do we need to know about Madame Morrible?''
Mr. Upland laughs nervously. ''My daughter has a point.'' He looks at his wife who nods. She squeezes her daughter harder on the shoulder. ''We're going to get some fresh air.''
Glinda wants to protest, but she can't say much. She doesn't know what her parents want from her. Has she ruined everything? "But Madame Morrible is extremely interested in her magic. We have to protect her, don't we?" Glinda can barely see anything but stars.
"Come on, Glinda, you've said enough," says Mrs. Upland as she pulls her daughter away.
""What was she talking about?" Oscar asks in surprise as he watches Glinda leave. Glinda seems so passionate about keeping Madame Morrible away from his daughter. Maybe he should listen to her, but the adults know better than a child.
Mr. Upland laughs uncomfortably. "Oh, you know how they are at that age, they want to feel important. Let's talk about the price."
"But wouldn't it be better if Glinda stayed a little longer?" He doesn't want to leave his daughter all alone.
Mr. Upland sighs. "Mr. Oscar." he says seriously. "If the Wizard really wanted to direct the mission, he should have involved his own people. But we said we would do it our way. We have found out that there are no real direct dangers to this Elphaba. Glinda has researched them thoroughly." Maybe a little too thoroughly, he thinks. "We know she won't become Wicked now. So either The Wizard should have been a little more precise about the time, or he has to accept that this is all we do for him.''
Oscar nods. He is impressed by Mr. Upland. He is not used to people talking to him like that. Usually they are impressed by him. Yet there is a feeling in him that is not entirely happy. What will happen to his daughter later?
They talk for a long time about the price, which Oscar ultimately finds reasonable. The people of Oz will contribute.
Mr. Upland looks at the amount on the check with satisfaction. "This is an excellent amount." He immediately thinks of the new things he can buy for his wife and daughter. Maybe a few new gadgets, he thinks greedily. Glinda will get over it. The next mission that comes over Oz, knows how many years, she can show what she has learned. This mission was too difficult for her. He let her go for too long.
"We'll pick Glinda up from the university and pack everything here," says Mr. Upland as he shakes her hand. "Here are some notes from my wife," he says, unaware that they are from Glinda.
XXX
Glinda is furious. She breaks away from her mother and glares at her. "Why are you taking me? I still have so much to tell him. You know it's not all we've done." Glinda is too angry to think about her future now. This should have been her moment. Her parents are taking everything away from her.
"No," her mother says sternly. "This mission has to be over. You've done everything you had to do. It's up to the client to draw conclusions now."
"But," Glinda interrupts her mother. "Elphaba could still be in danger. Who says it'll be safe next school year? You know as well as I do that things aren't much better in Munchkinland."
"Oscar is our client. NOT Elphaba."
"But."
"No, Glinda. It's enough. You're too obsessed with that Elphaba. Your emotions are clouding your judgment of reality," Mrs. Upland says sternly. She grabs her daughter by the shoulders to better convey her message. ''You can't keep protecting her from all the dangers she faces. Think about it. What's your big plan? Take out Madame Morrible? How? What are the consequences? What are the consequences if Elphaba becomes Wicked? Does she even become Wicked? You say she doesn't have a bad bone in her. So be realistic and don't let your feelings cloud reality.''
"Your judgment is clouded," Glinda mutters.
"Glinda," Mrs. Upland sighs. ''This is what your father and I want to warn you about. You're not thinking clearly anymore. Has Madame Morrible ever made a move toward Elphaba that was inappropriate?" Mrs. Upland asks with a knowing look. "That's beyond the bounds of a headmaster?" she adds quickly as her daughter tries to speak.
Glinda holds her tongue and thinks. "Except for those documents, no. But you have to admit her behavior is too fixated on Elphaba."
Mrs. Upland shrugs. "Everyone has their own methods. Our methods aren't always the right ones either. But you have to have the right distance. Be honest, do you have that?''
Glinda wants to say yes, but if she's really honest, the answer is no. If it were up to her, she would stay with Elphaba until she graduates. If only for her own experiences. Oz, did she really screw up her own chances? What will the consequences be? Glinda walks away furiously. She knows her mother is right, but she's not ready to admit that to herself yet.
She sees her father come out of the room, together with Oscar. They shake hands. Oscar and Glinda make eye contact for a moment. She is so intensely torn between obeying her parents and dropping the mission, or continuing with Oscar.
"What's wrong?" Mr. Upland asks as he walks towards them. Oscar walks the other way, with the papers in his hands. He reads them more calmly.
"You're taking me away from the mission?"
Mr. Upland sighs. "Glinda, don't too attached to that family. It's out of our hands. It's time to go home and get back to your life."
Glinda's blood runs cold. No, this can't be true. Not like this. She had prepared herself for the end of the mission, but not like this. Not their way. "And Elphaba?"
"Sometimes distancing yourself is the right thing to do," Mr. Upland says softly.
"But," Glinda whispers. Oz, she knows she's outnumbered. She understands her parents. But she knows more about this mission than her parents do. Why don't they listen? Why don't they think of her. Why does everything have to be their way? The more questions Glinda asks herself, the angrier and more desperate she feels.
"Let's go," Mrs. Upland says. She thinks the message has gotten through to Glinda. She knows Glinda needs time to process everything.
They walk past each other in silence. Mrs. Upland doesn't know if she did the right thing, but she's getting irritated with Glinda, whose attitude doesn't improve. Why doesn't Glinda understand that she wants it for her own good? she wonders. Maybe this is really too early for her.
"Did you talk about the closing period?" Mr. Upland asked cheerfully, he wants everything to go back to the way it was. Somewhere he knows it's too naive of him, but he has high expectations. Here everything will be finished quickly and then everything will be as it should be.
"I've thought about it, or does it have to be your way too?" Glinda asks irritated.
Mrs. Upland shook her head. "I haven't had time for that yet," she replied frustrated.
Mr. Upland nodded and looked at his daughter seriously. "You have to let it go, Glinda, we warned you not to get too close to these students. Everything you feel now is your own fault."
"My own fault?" she asks incredulously. "Every time I did something, you were quick to criticize. Why didn't you leave me alone and let me make up for my own mistakes?"
"Because this was too important a mission." Mr. Upland says in the same angry tone as his daughter. "Think of the reputation and the money we could make."
Glinda throws her hands in the air. "As if that's the most important thing in the world."
Mr. Upland looks at Mrs. Upland hopelessly. They've never had such arguments with their daughter. Their daughter was much more docile and carried them on her hands. She seems to be going through puberty.
"Maybe we should discuss this somewhere else." Mrs. Upland says in a calm tone. "Then maybe we can listen to each other's arguments and discuss what's best to get Glinda out of here."
"Oh yes, I'll listen right away," Glinda muttered sarcastically. She stands with her arms crossed. She has tears in her eyes. She doesn't understand her parents and that frustrates her. She had to find another way to convince her parents. So she nods obediently.
"Good," Mr. Upland said satisfied. The three of them walk quietly, looking for an open space. They greet everyone they meet, as if nothing is wrong. Of course my family is good at that. Glinda thinks bitterly. and pretends that everything is fine.
Mr. Upland immediately locks the door when they find one. "We can do this in two ways." He starts right away.
Mrs. Upland puts her arm on her husband's. "Let's listen to Glinda's options first." She says calmly. Maybe they were too quick with their prejudices and should have given Glinda more time. So she tries to give Glinda a chance.
Glinda nods slowly. "Okay, thanks. I was thinking that I'm going to fail my exams next week. I have two more weeks on Campus and I won't be back after the holidays.
Mr. and Mrs. Upland exchanged a look and nodded. "That sounds good."
"Honey, we're doing this for your own good. You'll understand later," Mrs. Upland said, hugging her daughter. "Saying goodbye to everyone here will only get harder. There's no concrete evidence of when Elphaba will become Wicked. Do you understand?"
Glinda nodded slowly. She had two weeks left to convince her parents. She had two weeks left to live a normal life.
Mr. Upland waited patiently for his turn. "We'll freshen up at the hotel and see you tonight. Start packing some things so you won't have to carry so much later. Your strong father is still here to help you."
Glinda forced a smile, as was expected of her. With a sigh, she kissed her parents on their cheeks. "I'll see you tonight," she said softly. Glinda watched her parents leave. She didn't want to cry, but a tear rolled down her cheek. She was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Elphaba said, concerned.
Glinda quickly wiped her tear away. "It's nothing. Shouldn't you be with your father?"
"No, he wanted to have tea alone with Nessa to talk undisturbed. Are you okay?" Elphaba asked, concerned. "Were those your parents?"
Glinda shrugged. "It was a difficult conversation."
Elphaba nodded sympathetically. "I thought things were going well between you and your parents?"
"We just don't see eye to eye."
"Is it about me or your punishment from Madame Morrible? Because I can explain everything to your parents and tell them it's my fault."
Glinda smiled. "No, no. It's just silly."
Elphaba didn't seem convinced, but before Glinda could reassure her, she heard her name in the distance.
"Glinda, Glinda, wait!" called Oscar as he came running up.
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