Elphaba's POV

☆

To die?

To die?

I can't die; I'm far too young, and I'd be leaving Galinda behind!

Galinda! I don't want to leave her; I love her. It's too much to lose. She's too much to lose.

"And I don't want to have to think about that at all," I whisper to myself.

"What?" Fiyero inquires, stepping closer to me.

I keep my eyes trained to the dusty, brick floor. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Hm. I expected more of a... horrific response from you, Miss Elphaba."

"Why, what am I to say? What am I to do? I have no power over you, Madame, so there's no use of a struggle." I say, although I'd like to scream and pull out someone's hair.

Preferably Fiyero's.

The damn boy was still enjoyable to look at, even if he's evil. So I'd like to rid of that before I die.

"That's very true. You're smart, Miss Elphaba."

"I know."

"Don't get condescending. It lessens the chance of me sparing you."

Sparing me? She considered it? I have a chance?

"I do apologize, Madame. I.. I'm in a bit of a terrifying situation. I panicked."

"Ah, so you are terrified! I hoped so."

You wicked being, of course I'm terrified! You've just sentenced me to death! "Yes. Well."

What did she expect? That'd I'd be happy? That I would rejoice, because the life I have now is so terrible and it's no longerworth fighting for?

"I.. I must ask, though, Madame.. Why do you plan to kill me?"

"Your power, of course."

"My power?" What, is she threatened by it?

"Yes. It's getting out of hand, and it's causing a commotion here at Shiz."

"But-"

"There is another way, if I hadn't mentioned. There's a chance you can live. But I'm sure you wouldn't be willing to-"

"No! No, Madame, I'm very willing."

She cackles. "Are you? You don't even know what you'd have to do."

"But I would live. And that's all that matters." Because living means staying with Galinda.

"Well, then. Here are your options: you could die. Or you could join us. And live."

"'Us'?"

"Yes. You see, we've been planning to finally put Oz in its place. Sir Tiggular, The Wizard, and I. We plan to overtake everything. To overpower the smaller government officials and rule ourselves."

"And you want me.. To join you?"

"Yes. Your power is great and we could use it well. Of course, we four must remain anonymous. We mustn't exist."

"How do you plan on making our 'non existence' possible?"

"By faking our deaths."

Faking our deaths? "So only.. We'd be the only ones to know that we're still alive?"

"Yes."

"But Galinda.. " I murmur.

"Speak up, dear. I may be powerful but I don't have hearing abilities to the extent of a dragon."

"Oh, it's nothing, I.. Can I at least say goodbye? If I join you?"

"Why, no! If you decide to become a part of our plot, we must start immediately! Speaking of which, have you made your decision?"

Better to live and pretend to be dead rather than actually be dead, I suppose.

"Yes. I.. I'll join."

"Wonderful! Tiggular, take Miss Elphaba to her assigned room."

Fiyero grabs my wrist once again and drags me out of the office.

Once we're out of Morrible's sight, I try to escape up the staircase. I slip out of the Winkie's grasp and start to leap up the stairs, but he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me back down.

"Let me go!" I try not to screech, in fear of Morrible hearing us. "You senseless fool, haven't you any mercy? I've got to-"

His hand clamps over my mouth and he throws me into a dark room. He closes the door behind him as he locks us in.

I leap to my feet and try to get to the door, but he grabs me again and pulls me to the opposite side of the room.

"Fiyero, stop! Just let me-"

"Shh!" He puts his hand over my mouth again, and looks into my eyes. "Hush, please! Just.. Just listen!"

I ease up a bit, and he removes his hand from my mouth.

"Look, Elphaba, she tricked me into joining her too. Alright? I had no choice. She made me try and convince you to join us."

"That's why you..."

"Yes. I'm sorry for manipulating you. And I know you want to say goodbye. I do too. But we have to let go. It's too late."

"No!" I try to run again, but he simply holds me back.

"Please! Just wait! If she finds out you're gone, she'll kill me!"

"You deserve it."

"No, Elphaba. Nobody deserves death. I know I'm a terrible person, but it was either you or my death, and.. You can see how that went."

"...then come with me."

"What?"

"We can escape together! Come, let's go!"

"Elphaba..."

"Come on! We can do this."

He looks at me skeptically, but follows when I slip out the door and up the stairs.

"Imbeciles! What in Oz do you think you're doing?!" We hear Madame Morrible bellow from a few steps below. We scramble up the rest of the stairs and through the building until we reach the outdoors.

"Run!' I yell, and we go off in different directions. I break through the trees we came through earlier. I'm a little blindsided by all of the sudden brightness, but I stumble through the University to try and get to Galinda. My head pounds as I spot what I think is the girls' dormitory, and push through the doors. My eyes adust to the slightly dimmer lighting, and I race up the stairs.

"Galinda?" I call. "Galinda, where are you?!"

Fourth floor, reads the sign. Running down the halls, I shout Galinda's name over and over again.

"Elphaba?" I hear behind me. It isn't Galinda's voice, though...

"Fiyero?!"

"I thought you ran off to the girls' dormitory!"

"This is the-.. Oh hell. This is the boys' dormitory, isn't it?" He nods in response. "Damn it!"

I run down the staircase, and Fiyero is a step behind me. But as we step outside, he pulls me behind a bush.

"Get down! She's right there," he hisses. I crouch, peeking between the leaves to see what the Head Mistress is up to now.

"She's coming out of the dormitory.. She has some sort of.. What is that?" I ask.

Fiyero squints for a moment, then his eyes widen. "No, no.. That's not a 'what'. That's a 'who'."

"That's a person?!"

"Hush!"

"That's a person?!" I whisper.

"Afraid so..." He peers at the woman, and I follow his glance. "Wait a second. Is that.."

My heart stops. "Galinda."