Chapter Text
Elphaba stared at the envelope in her hands for a long time, waiting for it to disappear in a puff of smoke or a blaze of flame. Even the paper looked expensive, stamped with a golden seal that had Upland Technologies written at the bottom in small pink letters. Everyone knew Upland Technologies, the foremost digital technology company in Oz. Its founders, Highmuster Arduenna and Larena Upland, were always on the cover of glossy magazines or in the newspaper headlines, unveiling yet another incredible invention that promised to change the world. There was no reason for this envelope to have Elphaba’s name on it, yet there it was, spelled out in careful script. There was another envelope beneath it that had been addressed to Nessa, the cream colored paper standing out against the worn red doormat.
Elphaba collected both envelopes and stared at them for a moment, before breaking the seal with a fingernail. The letter inside was handwritten on heavy cardstock with a light pink border, the writing elegant but clear:
Dear Miss Elphaba Thropp,
I wanted to write to you personally to invite you to join the For Good initiative, the world’s first officially sanctioned team of superheroes. You were selected for your unique powers, as well as your exemplary academic and moral conduct as attested to by your professors and members of student groups you participated in during your time at Shiz University. As a member of the initiative, you will receive comprehensive training in your abilities under the supervision of Dr. Oscar Diggs, along with the ability to access any of Upland Technologies’ materials that will allow you to reach your full potential. The For Good initiative will primarily be a public relations exercise to improve the reputation of Powered Individuals within Oz and abroad. Upon completion of your first year with the team, you will receive $1 million. While you stay at the team base in Frottica, you will be paid a generous weekly stipend. Room and board, food, and uniforms will be complimentary. I eagerly await your response and would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
Yours most sincerely,
Highmuster Arduenna Upland
CEO, Upland Technologies
Elphaba walked back into the apartment in a daze, reading the letter over and over again. At the kitchen table, she tore open Nessa’s letter and read it over quickly. The two letters were identical.
Minutes or hours later, Nessa wandered into the kitchen and rummaged in the refrigerator for a bottle of lemonade. “What are you reading?” she asked, her eyes drifting from the piece of paper in Elphaba’s hands to the torn envelopes resting on the table. She snatched her own letter up, reading it over quickly. “Is this some kind of joke?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” Elphaba said. “The seal looks real enough.” But the letters’ contents were fantastical, like something out of a comic book. Everyone else in Oz seemed content to pretend that superpowers didn’t exist unless they had to. And Oz knew that no one in their right mind would ever recruit Elphaba for a public relations exercise.
Nessa’s computer drifted across the apartment until it settled in her outstretched hands. Instantly, she started to research. “There’s nothing online about the For Good Initiative, but there is this.” She slid the laptop across the table to Elphaba.
She’d pulled up a news article that was a little more than fifteen years old. The headline blared out at Elphaba: Emerald Guard Calls Off Search for Missing Upland Daughter. There was a picture of a young girl, perhaps nine or ten years old, accompanying the article. She smiled out of the picture, wearing a pink and white sundress with pink ribbons braided through her hair. Elphaba scrolled down to the first paragraph.
The Commander of the Emerald Guard revealed in a press conference today that he is calling off the search for nine year old Aurellia Upland. Aurellia is the eldest daughter of Highmuster Arduenna and Larena Upland, owners and founders of Upland Technologies in Gillikin, and sparked a nationwide manhunt when she disappeared from her bedroom six months ago, with no sign of a struggle. No persons of interest have been arrested in conjunction with the case. The Guard Commander, Chistery, insisted that the termination of the search doesn’t mean that the investigation is closed; however, intensive searches of the Emerald City and surrounding area continue to come up empty. Ozians who know anything about Aurellia’s disappearance are encouraged to contact Guard hotlines, where the Uplands are offering a 600,000 Ozdollars reward for any information leading to Aurellia’s safe return. The Uplands released a disapproving statement and have committed to continuing the search for their daughter with their own considerable resources. “We will never stop looking for her,” Larena Upland said in a tearful statement to the Ozian Press. “Someone, somewhere, knows where she is. We will find her, with or without the help of the Emerald Guard.”
There was another picture below the paragraph, of an elegant woman with blonde curls wearing a fashionable pink coat standing at a podium stamped with the Upland Technologies logo, speaking into a microphone while tears streamed down her face. A man with blonde hair stood at the side of the makeshift stage, holding a little girl’s hand. She was wearing a pale pink coat that was almost identical to her mother’s, and her face was carefully blank as she looked away from the cameras.
“Some people think that Aurellia had superpowers,” Nessa said, tapping the picture on her computer screen. “They think that she was killed for it.”
Elphaba’s stomach turned over. Killings of Powered Ozians had slowed down within the last decade or so, as everyone realized they were here to stay, but before that there were dozens of attacks a year. She and Nessa had rarely been allowed to play outside when they were younger, since Elphaba’s Mark was so obvious. Not all Powered people had one—Nessa didn’t have one—but it was virtually impossible to ignore emerald green skin.
“Mommy, why do they hate us so much?” Nessa had asked one day, as she looked out the window of their apartment building and watched a group of children play softball in the street.
“They don’t hate you, darling. They’re just afraid of you,” Mother had said, running a hand through Nessa’s hair. “People are afraid of what they don’t understand.”
But Elphaba knew better. She’d heard the arguments before Father left, and she’d read the letters that Mother’s parents had sent her before they cut her off. Having one Powered child was bad enough, but two was unacceptable. No one could understand why Mother wouldn’t leave them at one of the orphanages for Powered children that were popping up all over Oz. “Look at everything we have!” Father had said one night, his voice rattling his office door. Elphaba had been pressed against it, trying to listen through the keyhole, and the sheer intensity in his words made her jump. “Are you willing to give it all up for them?”
“Of course I am!” Mother had screamed back just as loudly. “They’re my children. They’re your children too. That should be all that matters.” Father had been silent for so long that Elphaba had been certain he would apologize and say that of course Mother was right, of course he loved Elphaba and Nessa and he would stick up for them in a world that seemed more dangerous by the day.
But Father’s political career had mattered more. He’d kicked Mother out by the end of the week. He’d remarried and had three nice, normal children in five years. Soon, it was as if Elphaba and Nessa had never existed at all. Elphaba still saw his photographs on billboards and in campaign pamphlets, but she knew that if they ever crossed paths with each other her own father wouldn’t even deign to look at her. He might even spit at her feet, if he thought it would help him win another reelection campaign.
Elphaba closed the laptop, so she wouldn’t have to look at Aurellia Upland’s smiling face. Aurellia was—had been?—a year older than her when she was taken. Had she known how hated Powered Ozians were, or had her parents been able to shelter her with their wealth? “But her parents are rich and powerful.”
“I know. Apparently, it was quite the scandal.” Nessa took the computer back and scrolled through the rest of the article. “She disappeared from her bedroom in the middle of the night. There were no signs of a struggle, no signs of forced entry, the security cameras didn’t catch anything—and her little sister was asleep in the room across the hall and never even woke up. They practically shut down the Emerald City looking for her and they never found so much as a scrap of clothing. Isn’t that odd?”
“I suppose.” Elphaba didn’t need to hear all of the lurid details. She wasn’t interested in true crime the way that Nessa was. All that mattered was that a little girl had been stolen from her bed and probably killed because of powers that she couldn’t control. The same thing could have happened to either one of them, if they’d been unluckier. “So why do you think Highmuster Arduenna is creating a team of superheroes now?”
Nessa shrugged. “I don’t know. Guilt, maybe.” She shut the laptop with a soft click. “Either way, it’s bad news. I don’t think we should get involved. I’m sure Highmuster Arduenna can find someone else.” Elphaba didn’t argue. They had enough trouble in their lives as it was.
But then emails arrived the next day. Then there were phone calls the day after, from a secretary with an unreasonably cheery demeanor, asking when Upland Technologies should send a car to pick them up from the airport. Under ordinary circumstances, Elphaba wouldn’t have given the ‘Initiative’ another thought. But the letters joined the takeout menus and unpaid bills that had started to accumulate on the kitchen counter, all stamped in red with words like URGENT and FINAL NOTICE. One million Ozdollars, each, was life changing money. Coupled with a weekly stipend and free room and board…it would be enough to help them get back on their feet again. It could be the solution that Elphaba had been looking for, the one that would magically solve all of their problems.
For the last few months, practically all Elphaba had thought about was money. She worked as a barista at two coffee shops and could still barely afford rent—and their landlord had informed them it would be going up next year. She’d graduated from Shiz nearly two years ago and she still hadn’t been able to find a job in her field (History). Now that Nessa had graduated and there would be another set of student loans to juggle, Elphaba didn’t know how they were going to make it. They were probably going to have to sell the apartment—Mother’s apartment, the last thing that was really and truly theirs. The For Good initiative could solve all of their problems.
So Elphaba picked up the phone and made some phone calls. There was a nearly hour long call with Highmuster Arduenna, and a shorter call with his lawyer. Mr. Arduenna insisted she call him Highmuster. He always sounded at ease and laid back, and he answered every question Elphaba could throw at him. He said the team would be small, only five people, and it would primarily be a public relations exercise. “We want to show people that Powered people aren’t frightening. We want to show them that you’re just like them.” He sounded earnest enough, but Elphaba suspected he was being too optimistic. All anyone had to do was look at her skin to see that she wasn’t like anyone else.
The only time Highmuster hesitated was when she asked him why he wanted to form the team in the first place. Powered people were slowly being accepted into the mainstream—as long as they kept their abilities to themselves. But Highmuster had made it clear that his initiative was all about visibility. It seemed almost provocative.
He sighed and she could hear him lean back in his chair, leather cushions shifting beneath him. “My two daughters got sick when they were very young.” Elphaba’s stomach twisted. No one understood exactly why people became Powered. Some people were born with their powers, like Elphaba and Nessa had been. Others developed them after a traumatic event, like a childhood illness or accident. “They both recovered, luckily, but my eldest became Powered. She could do the most extraordinary things. We were enchanted by what she could do—never, ever frightened. Not for a moment.” Highmuster’s voice wavered, dangerously close to breaking. “And then one day she disappeared. We woke up and she was just…gone. We looked for years, but we could never find her.” He sighed. “I suppose I’m doing this for her. I could never make a world that was safe for her, a world where she could be all of herself. I couldn’t save her, but perhaps I can keep other Powered people from going through what she did. I want you to help me do that. I want you to help me create a world where we can all live in peace, Powered and Powerless alike. This team is what she would have wanted. If she was still here, there’s no doubt in my mind that she’d be right there training with the rest of you.”
Elphaba bit her lip. “You don’t think it’s asking too much for the rest of the world to accept us?”
“A few years, it might have been. But now, I think Oz has changed. I think we can move from tolerance to acceptance. I want to believe that we can, at least.”
Elphaba wanted to believe that too. She wanted to believe that children born in Oz now could have a different childhood than she’d had, hiding behind the closed curtains of the apartment with Nessa’s words echoing in her ears: Why do they hate us so much? And, perhaps more importantly, Will they ever stop?
“Why don’t you come up to Frottica for a month?” Highmuster asked when Elphaba didn’t respond. “Think of it as a trial period. If you don’t enjoy it, you and your sister can always bow out. No harm, no foul.”
Elphaba tapped her fingertips against the top of her desk. “Would we be expected to pay back the living expenses?”
“Of course not. It’s a gift, in honor of my daughter.”
And how could Elphaba say no to that?
Events proceeded faster than she could have imagined. Less than three months later, Upland Technologies had paid the rent on their apartment for two months and they were flying north, from Colwen Grounds to Shiz. A man in a sleek black suit was waiting for them in the Arrivals section of the airport, holding a paper sign that read Thropp family. “Miss Elphaba. Miss Nessarose.” He nodded at both of them, only hesitating for a moment when he caught sight of Elphaba’s skin. “Follow me, please.” There was a large black car parked at the curb. He opened the door for them while he stacked their suitcases in the backseat. They were worn and fraying at the edges, from all of the moves they’d made with their mother over the last decade. Elphaba tugged at the skirt of her black dress, mended and mended again because they couldn’t afford to buy new clothes, feeling out of place in the Uplands’ large black car with its plush leather seats and a full minibar built into the glass divider separating them from the driver. For a moment Elphaba and Nessa looked at each other, and then back at the minibar. Elphaba knew they were thinking the same thing: is it really for us? Was any of this really real? Or were they just having some shared delusion, where they really thought they could make a difference?
“Have any of the other members of the team arrived yet?” Nessa asked, as the driver turned out of the airport parking lot.
“The others flew in yesterday,” the driver said noncommittally, his eyes staring out at the road. He didn’t say anything else about their new teammates, just nudged the dial on the side of the radio to turn the volume up. A newscaster was talking about some scandal at Shiz University, something about final exams graded incorrectly. “Shiz headmistress Madeline Morrible is investigating,” the announcer said, and Elphaba thought about the woman with wavy white hair and a severe expression that she’d seen from a distance at the annual school receptions. She pitied any overworked and overtired adjunct who’d had the misfortune to make a mistake under her watch.
All thoughts of Shiz disappeared as the car twisted higher and higher into the Gillikin Peaks and the roads grew smaller and smaller until they were little more than dirt paths. The town of Frottica, with its honey colored stone buildings that were washed golden by the late afternoon sunlight, quickly faded into the distance and gave way to acres of carefully cultivated fields and neatly trimmed hedgerows. As they drove further into the mountains the landscape got wilder. They got their first glimpse of the Great Gillikin Forest, an impenetrable mass of trees packed so close together that Elphaba couldn’t see through them. Every so often a large hill or perhaps a small mountain pushed its way out of the fields, craggy summit pointed at the sky like reaching fingers. “They’re ancient burial mounds, built by the first people to live in these valleys,” the driver said when he caught Elphaba looking at them, slackjawed with awe. Munchkinland barely had any hills to speak of. “The people who came after them called them the Stepping Stones. They believed the hills blossomed wherever Lurline stepped, when she first came to Oz.”
Elphaba wished that her notebooks hadn’t been buried in the bottom of her suitcase so she could have asked him more questions about the local folklore. She’d done fieldwork with Dr. Dillamond in the Glikkus region during her senior year, back when she had thought being a folklorist was a viable career path. As it turned out, she and Dr. Dillamond were quite possibly the only people in Oz who cared about History or folklore. Or perhaps no one wanted to give a job like that to a Powered Ozian.
As the afternoon wore on the hills got bigger and bigger, until they became mountains that towered over the car and blocked out the sunlight. Every so often a rock broke loose and skittered down the mountainside in a cloud of dust and scree. They didn’t pass any other towns, though Elphaba caught glimpses of other manors here and there, tucked away between forested hills or even built directly into the mountainsides. Each one of them looked like something that had been pulled from a fairytale.
Finally, just as Elphaba’s eyelids were starting to grow heavy from the early morning flight, the driver pulled through a pair of heavy wrought iron gates with a flowery U twisted into the metal. They drove down a long gravel drive lined with tall trees, carefully constructed so that the manor remained out of sight until they turned a corner and it reared up before them. Nessa gasped, and Elphaba felt her jaw drop. The manor was easily twice the size of the house that they’d been born in, which had come to take on epic proportions in Elphaba’s memories. It was made of the same honey colored stone as most of Frottica’s buildings, with three neat rows of windows stacked on top of each other, crowned by a red slate roof and a cupola. A profusion of flowers spilled out of the windowboxes, while ivy and purple clematis raced up and down the walls.
As the car pulled into the courtyard, coming into a stop in front of the house, Elphaba noticed a young woman sitting on the front stoop. She looked to be around Elphaba’s age, with long and straight blonde hair that fell over her shoulder like a sheet when she turned her head to look at them. Her big brown eyes met Elphaba’s with unabashed curiosity, but her mouth twisted into a frown. She strode over to them, bouncing a tennis ball on the racquet she carried in her other hand. She wore a pink blouse over a short white skirt, soft white tennis shoes pressing down on the gravel. “Are you the rest of my father’s freaks?” she asked when Nessa rolled down the window. Elphaba recognized the condescension in her voice. She knew that Elphaba was different, and she felt frightened or threatened by her. It hardly mattered which. She would still make Elphaba pay for it.
Elphaba squared her jaw. “We’re here for the For Good initiative,” she said primly, careful to keep her face expressionless. If this woman thought she could rattle her, she was going to be disappointed. Elphaba had endured far worse, and she needed that money.
The woman walked around the front of the car and let herself into the front seat, resting the racquet and tennis ball neatly in her lap. The driver didn’t protest. “You’re staying in the Annex, over by the tennis courts. I’ll show you the way.” The driver continued past the house, taking a right onto a road that had been paved so recently the air still smelled faintly of concrete. They drove for about five minutes in an awkward silence, until another building appeared. It was as large as the Upland manor, but it was sleek and sprawling and entirely modern. Sunlight glittered off of steel and tinted glass. As Elphaba drew closer, she realized that the building had been constructed in the shape of a star. It had five points—like the five members of the For Good initiative? Or maybe Elphaba was simply being fanciful.
“Do you know where to go?” the woman asked when the car pulled to a stop in front of the four glass panelled front doors. She slunk out of the passenger’s seat, while the driver opened the door on Nessa’s side and eased a ramp into place before going to retrieve her chair.
Elphaba didn’t have the faintest idea where they were supposed to go, but she’d rather die than admit it to this stranger. Oz, she hoped that she wasn’t another member of the initiative. “I’m sure we’ll manage.”
The woman heaved the sigh of the long suffering, tucking her racquet under her arm and throwing the tennis ball up in the air, catching it easily. “I suppose I can show you the way,” she huffed. “As if I don’t already have enough to do.”
“That really won’t be necessary—”
“Don’t worry about your bags. They’ll be delivered to your rooms shortly.” She waited until Elphaba and Nessa had left the car and navigated the ramp that led to the front doors. The driver had retreated to the trunk of the car, placing their bags in a neat pile on the gravel path next to him. “What are your names?”
“Elphaba Thropp,” Elphaba replied curtly, hoping to indicate that she wasn’t interested in further conversation.
Unfortunately, Nessa was friendlier. “I’m Nessarose Thropp. What’s your name?” She extended a hand for the girl to shake and Elphaba expected the stranger to ignore it, as people sometimes did when they realized that Nessa was powered. But the woman surprised her by shaking Nessa’s hand just as she would shake anyone else’s—at least, anyone else who couldn’t move objects with their mind.
“Galinda Upland,” the girl replied, holding the door open for them as they walked inside.
Elphaba couldn’t resist saying “That was obvious,” and felt a stab of pride when Galinda glared at her. She really did look exactly like her father. They had the same hair, the same dark eyes—except where Highmuster Arduenna’s eyes were warm and gentle, Galinda’s eyes were hard and cold.
“You’re the last to arrive,” Galinda said. “Everyone else came yesterday. Father and Oscar will be meeting with all of you after dinner to discuss expectations.”
“Who’s Oscar?” Nessa asked, since she hadn’t read the introductory materials as thoroughly as Elphaba had.
“Dr. Oscar Diggs, Chief of Research and Development for Upland Technologies,” Galinda replied crisply. “He’ll be overseeing the day to day running of the program and supervising your training.”
“Training?” Elphaba asked.
Galinda arched one (perfectly manicured) eyebrow. “Father did tell you that you’ll be learning how to control your powers, didn’t he?” Elphaba could only nod. “Oscar Diggs is the top scientist studying Powered individuals in the country. He’s a miracle worker. Or so they say.” She shrugged. “I suppose he could always meet his match in you, Miss Elphaba. I read your file, you know.”
“My file?”
“Oh yes. You all have one, but yours was most interesting. Is there anything you can’t do?”
Elphaba felt her cheeks heat in an angry flush, but then the body of the Annex opened up in front of them and all snarky retorts disappeared. They were facing a large sitting area, with floor to ceiling windows that looked out on the meadow outside. Comfortable chairs and low couches were scattered around the room. There was a reading nook in one corner, in front of an enormous fireplace, and a flat screen TV on the opposite wall. The room looked like it had been ripped straight from an interior design magazine.
“This is the den,” Galinda said, walking straight past it and down a carpeted hallway. She showed them the kitchen (gigantic, state of the art, filled with shiny appliances) and explained that the staff would buy them anything they needed on their weekly trips into Frottica and would cook for them five days a week. Then she showed them the meeting room, a long conference table surrounded by chairs with yet more floor to ceiling windows and another flat screen TV hanging on the wall. She showed them the library and the swimming pool and the training room where they would have group sessions five days a week and individual sessions with Oscar Diggs twice a week. Finally, she turned down a hallway lined with doors on both sides. “These are your bedrooms,” she said, pointing out two doors across from each other at the end of the hallway. “I trust they will be to your satisfaction.” Elphaba had expected her to wash her hands of them and leave as soon as she could, but instead Galinda leaned against the opposite wall and stared at her.
“Are you a member of the team too?” Elphaba asked, even though Highmuster had never mentioned a sixth person.
“Oh no,” Galinda said, too quickly. “I’m not a freak like the rest of you. Dinner is at six o’clock in the dining room, by the way.” She flounced off, tossing her tennis ball upwards, watching it bounce off the ceiling, and catching it neatly. Good riddance, Elphaba thought, stepping into her room and shutting the door behind with her a sharp click.
Then she immediately caught her breath.
Her suite was gigantic. The walls had been painted a soft blue and large windows opened out onto a small patio that faced the fields and meadows.Through a half closed door she could see an en suite bathroom, complete with a large claw foot tub and a tiled shower. She sank down into the bed with a long sigh. It was the softest bed she had ever felt, covered in soft blue blankets. There was a large desk in one corner, a couple of empty bookshelves, a walk-in closet for her clothes, and a doorway that led to a private sitting room populated by soft blue chairs and a cold fireplace. Her bags sat neatly to the side of her bed, waiting for her to unpack them. “This place is incredible,” Elphaba murmured, suddenly unsure whether she was referring to her suite or the entire Annex. She pinched herself, like she might have been dreaming, even though she knew she wasn’t capable of imagining something like this.
After a while she managed to peel herself off the side of the bed and went to find Nessa, whose room was just as big as Elphaba’s and perfectly accessible. After marveling over the spaciousness of the room, they went to explore the rest of the Annex. They took some of the walking paths that stretched into the forest, and then meandered down to the lake. They were just walking back inside, their hair tangled and their cheeks red and windblown, when they heard laughter coming from the pool room. Nessa went to investigate before Elphaba could call her back.
They found two people already there. A woman with brown skin and long dark hair that tumbled nearly to her waist sat on the side of the pool wearing a blue bathing suit, squeezing water out of her hair. A man stood on the pool floor about six feet in front of her, tossing a beach volleyball up towards the stained glass ceiling. They both seemed to be around Elphaba’s age, give or take a year or two.
The man waved at them before Elphaba could duck out. He swam over to the pool ladder and climbed out in a couple of easy movements. “You must be the latecomers,” he said, jogging across the tile floor. Water dripped from the edges of his dark blond hair. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, so it was hard not to notice his sculpted abs. They looked like they’d been ripped from a classical statue. “Fiyero Tigelaar.” He held out a hand for Nessa to shake.
“Nessarose Thropp,” Nessa said, her cheeks turning slightly pink.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Fiyero said, before turning to Elphaba.
“Elphaba Thropp,” Elphaba said, watching his eyes to gauge his reaction. If he was surprised to see that she had green skin—and she couldn’t imagine he wasn’t—then he did a good job of not showing it.
The woman in the blue bathing suit had finished squeezing the water out of her hair and came over to them. “Sarima Arquezza. It’s nice to meet you both.” There was another round of handshakes.
Nessa surveyed the pool room, as if the last member of the team might be hidden under the water. “Is that all of you?”
“There’s Boq. He’s around here somewhere.” Fiyero shrugged his shoulders elegantly, in a way that smacked of inherited wealth. “Probably in the library, if I had to guess.” He looked at them curiously. “So what are your…abilities?”
“Teleportation,” Nessa said. “And sometimes telekinesis as well.”
Everyone turned to look at Elphaba. “Energy manipulation.” Elphaba left it at that, as she usually did when people asked her about her powers. They weren’t so easily defined; they certainly didn’t fall into any of the categories that the government used to describe the different types of abilities. But she barely knew Fiyero and Sarima. She didn’t need to tell them anything else.
“Shapeshifting,” Fiyero said with a grin. “Sometimes voluntarily, sometimes not. Although I’ve been told that Dr. Diggs can help.”
“Someone told me the same thing,” Elphaba said. “Sarima, what can you do?”
“Levitation,” Sarima replied. “In a manner of speaking.” She didn’t volunteer any more information; Elphaba didn’t ask. Having grown up with powers, she had learned that it was best not to ask any more questions than strictly necessary.
Instead, they compared stories about their calls with Highmuster and their flights to Gillikin and the questions they still had about the Initiative. Fiyero and Sarima didn’t know anything more than they did; apparently there would be a presentation after dinner for all of their remaining questions. They parted ways near the hallway that led to the guest rooms and Elphaba and Nessa went to the library in search of Boq.
They found him reading at a table near the window, his shock of red hair lightening slightly in the afternoon sunshine. He seemed nice enough once the introductions were made. He was from Munchkinland, just like them, and he had superior vision and hearing. Boq looked down at the table while he told them about his powers, picking at a splinter. “I’m sure my powers aren’t very impressive compared to what the two of you can do.”
Nessa squeezed his hand so he would look up at her. “I’m sure that if Highmuster Arduenna invited you to be on the team, you must be very impressive indeed,” she replied, and they shared a smile.
Elphaba left them to talk while she circled around the library. The shelves were well stocked with an array of books—everything from the latest Romantasy bestsellers she’d seen advertised on Oztok to academic Art History books. She noted a collection of books on Gillikinese folk tales and planned to check them out later, perhaps after the presentation, once she was certain that she and Nessa would be staying.
She couldn’t help looking into the hallway and then out the window, searching for Galinda Upland, but everything was still and silent. Good riddance, she thought.
//
Elphaba didn’t see Galinda again until after dinner, when an automated female voice over the loudspeaker told them to assemble in the den.
Dinner had gone as well as it could go. When Elphaba and Nessa had joined the others in the dining room, a buffet of different dishes and drinks had been lined up on the sideboard. They’d spent an hour chatting with Fiyero, Sarima, and Boq, who all seemed to be pleasant enough company. Elphaba had learned that Boq had also gone to Shiz, graduating the year between her and Nessa, but he had studied Agriculture and Physics so their schedules had never overlapped. Fiyero and Sarima were from the Vinkus, although they hadn’t met before the flight to Frottica. Sarima liked to read, just like Elphaba did, and they traded book recommendations while they sat on one of the low couches scattered across the den and waited for the presentation to begin.
At two minutes after seven o’clock, Highmuster Arduenna strolled in wearing a neatly tailored suit. “It’s lovely to finally see you all together,” he said, smiling broadly at each of them in turn. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this team to come to fruition, and then to see all of you in one room. As you know, you were each hand selected, not just on the strength of your abilities or your academic prowess but because of the strength of your moral character. We want to prove to the rest of Oz that superpowers aren’t something to be frightened of. They can make Oz a better place. You can make Oz a better place. And I hope that, in the process, you’ll come to see yourselves as more than a team. I know how…lonely having powers can be. I know it can be hard to feel like anyone else understands. But the five of you all have several important things in common. I hope you can use these similarities as a foundation to build deep and long lasting friendships. I look forward to getting to know each of you more over the next year—and who knows? Perhaps beyond that. Now, has anyone heard of the Power hypothesis?”
Elphaba’s hand shot up, a force of habit from her time at university. Highmuster nodded to her. “The Power hypothesis states that with the emergence of Powered Ozians, violence and crime increased at a commensurate rate.”
“Precisely, Elphaba.” He gave her a quick smile, one of those smiles that made her feel like she was the only person in the entire world who mattered. “Now, the more…unenlightened of us believe that the violence and crime is being carried out by Powered Ozians. But we know from the statistics that this isn’t true. What is happening is that bad actors sometimes see these powers as a…challenge, of sorts. They use them as a smoke shield to hide their wrongdoings, by blaming it all on people that are different. We want to change all that with the For Good Initiative. The program consists of several parts. You’ll have your training, which will take place here several times a week with Dr. Diggs, who you’ll meet in a minute. Then we have Education and Service, where you’ll be seen doing good things in communities around Oz. That could be giving a presentation at a school, or volunteering at a soup kitchen, even planting trees—whatever we can do to get your best qualities visible and, ideally, use your powers for good. You’ll participate in several public demonstrations over the course of the year to show everyone what you can do—and of course, if any problems arise with Powered Ozians, you’ll be asked to lend your support to law enforcement.” Elphaba exchanged a look with Nessa; Nessa’s knuckles had whitened around the arm of her chair. “We don’t anticipate this happening, of course. But sometimes it’s necessary to fight fire with fire, so to speak. And we’d like you to be prepared, so that we can show the rest of Oz that you can keep Oz safe.” He cleared his throat. “Now, let me introduce you to the cofounder of the program and the man who will be overseeing your training—Dr. Oscar Diggs.”
An older man stepped into the room with a broad, made for TV smile. He had a shock of white hair and he wore an emerald green suit, with poppies embroidered around the collar. Elphaba knew who Oscar Diggs was, of course. He had been one of the first scholars to make serious attempts to research Powered Ozians and now he was an expert; although he was Powerless, he knew more about what superpowers were and how they worked than most people who did have them. Elphaba had always thought she’d be lucky just to meet him. She’d never thought that one day she would actually be training under him. “Call me Oscar, please,” he said. “There’s no need to stand on formalities.” Highmuster stepped aside, gesturing him forward. “I’ve spent most of my life studying Powered Ozians, just like you—people who have more power than they know what to do with. And let me tell you, I’ve been able to help every single one of them.” He looked directly at Elphaba, like he’d read her file too. “Believe me, no power is too complex for us to tackle. It’s my firm belief that no Powered Ozian should live in fear, or be made to feel inferior because of what they can do. Hell, most Ozians wish that they could do what you can—they just aren’t brave enough to admit it. I know that I’d give almost anything to have powers.” Nessa gasped and Elphaba felt herself shift forward in her seat. She’d never heard someone actually say that they wanted to have powers. People usually tended to treat superpowers like a contagious illness—something that could hardly be mentioned in polite society, much less appreciated. “Every one of you is special, and you were selected for this team for a reason. Within two months, I hope to make you see that.”
Highmuster made a few closing remarks and then glanced at the clock on top of the mantelpiece. “It’s getting late, so I’ll try to wrap things up. You’ll meet the rest of the support staff tomorrow, but I’d like to introduce you to my daughter, Galinda. She’ll be your liaison with me while I’m attending to business in the Emerald City, so please feel free to take any concerns you have to her.”
Galinda stepped in from the hallway, smiling a beatific smile. “We really are so glad that you’re here.” She was holding a clipboard and wearing a pale pink blouse and a white skirt with pink polka dots. If Elphaba hadn’t already met her, she could never have guessed how disagreeable she could be. She wondered why Galinda, who clearly hated Powered Ozians, had agreed to work with the Initiative.
Maybe she hadn’t. Maybe she was here for the money, just like the rest of them. Working for her father must have been an easy job.
“I’ll see you all tomorrow at 9:00 sharp for training,” Oscar said. “If you have any questions, feel free to talk to either of us on your way out.” Nessa immediately went over to talk to Highmuster about something, but Elphaba followed Fiyero and Sarima back to their suites. It had been a long day and she could already feel exhaustion pulling at her.
“See you tomorrow morning, Elphaba,” Sarima said right before the corridors diverged. Elphaba waved, feeling a frisson of excitement building in her stomach. Maybe Highmuster and Oscar were right. Maybe they really could use the team to show the rest of Oz that they didn’t need to be afraid. Maybe they could normalize things to such an extent that the next generation of powered Ozians wouldn’t have to grow up like Elphaba did, afraid of what they could do.
Unbidden, she thought about what Oscar had said—that he’d never met a powered Ozian he couldn’t help. With a sinking feeling, Elphaba thought that Galinda might have been right. Mother had taken her to every specialist in Munchkinland and Quadling Country and they hadn’t been able to help her control her powers. Was Oscar Diggs really the miracle worker everyone said he was? If she couldn’t control her powers, would she be kicked off the team?
Even though she was exhausted, her worries kept her awake. She listened to the sounds of footsteps in the hallway, doors opening and closing, whispered voices fading into the distance. The world outside was silent, without the hum of cars driving by that she was used to. Everything was so quiet that the silence itself began to feel loud, pressing against her eardrums. Eventually Elphaba gave sleep up as a lost cause, slipping a pink robe with the symbol of Upland Technologies embroidered into the right lapel over her black nightdress. She would go to the library and read for a little while, until she actually felt tired. It was what Mother had done when she couldn’t sleep.
She was just passing the darkened den when she heard raised voices coming from behind a closed door at the other end of the corridor. Elphaba recognized Galinda’s voice. She knew she should keep walking; whatever domestic squabble they were having, it certainly wasn’t meant for her to hear. But Elphaba couldn’t help stopping in the middle of the hallway, drawing her robe more tightly around her and leaning closer to the door.
“ —didn’t mention her once,” Galinda was saying.
“It wasn’t the appropriate time, Galinda,” Highmuster said. His voice was so quiet that Elphaba practically had to press her ear to the door to hear him. “It’s hardly morale boosting, isn’t it?” His voice dropped, so Elphaba couldn’t hear the last few words.
“She isn’t dead!” Galinda cried. “They never found a body. And this was our idea, not yours! It’s bad enough that you’re shutting me out—but now you’re erasing her too?”
“I’m not erasing anyone. You know I wish that she was here as much as you do. And I’m hardly shutting you out—”
“I don’t want to be in a support position. I want to be on the team.”
“Galinda, you don’t have—” Highmuster’s voice dipped again, so Elphaba couldn’t make it out.
Luckily, Galinda wasn’t bothering to be quiet at all. “The suit is ready. If you would just let me—”
“That’s enough!” Highmuster snapped. “We’ve been over this, Galinda. My answer is no. It will always be no.”
There was a long, long moment of silence. Elphaba didn’t wait to hear how Galinda responded. She gently moved away from the door, her slippers sliding noiselessly against the wooden floor and her heart pounding in her chest. She didn’t stop moving until she was safely in the library, with the door closed behind her.
It was easy to see Galinda as a mean girl. Elphaba had had to deal with plenty of those. Galinda’s cattiness didn’t faze her. In fact, Elphaba almost preferred it. She knew how to let taunts and insults bounce off her back. But to think that there might be more to Galinda than that…well, it would take some of the sting out of their rivalry. Elphaba had always envied people that didn’t have powers. She’d always imagined that their lives were so much easier than hers, that they barely had any problems of their own. But obviously, that wasn’t true for Galinda.
Elphaba grabbed a book at random off the shelves before she could start to feel sorry for her. She couldn’t afford to worry about Galinda Upland right now. All she had to do was make sure she stayed on the team.