Soulmates

Elphaba knew about Soulmates, and she knew about how the first words that they would ever say to you were the words written on your wrist. She was still skeptical about the whole process, though, just because she couldn't imagine anyone ever finding it within themselves to love a green-skinned freak like her. Besides, the words on her wrist weren't exactly the most romantic or flattering words one could ever hope to hear: "This can't be happening!" No, Elphaba was pretty sure that the soulmates thing was all a hoax. Or at least, hers was. Quite honestly, she hoped to go her whole life without ever meeting her soulmate! Hers obviously couldn't be that loving of a person if "that can't be happening" would be their first words to her, though Elphaba couldn't exactly blame them...

Galinda had also heard about Soulmates, and she was just as skeptical as Elphaba. The words on her wrist weren't very flattering either: "There must be some mistake!" It horrified the young blond to think that her future lover (or anyone for that matter) would ever say something so terrible to her! Especially because she was so wonderful and amazing and gorgeous! She was no mistake! But unlike Elphaba, who wanted to make it through life without ever meeting her soulmate, Galinda actively sought out this mysterious person who would dare say such a mean thing to her. She hoped that, if she could find out who it was, she could make an active attempt to avoid ever falling in love with them so she didn't get saddled with a dud of a partner. Sadly, both girls' wishes were denied...

When Elphaba and Galinda discovered that they were to be roommates, they had both been repulsed by the idea.

"There must be some mistake!" Elphaba said icily, and Galinda's heart almost stopped. On impulse alone, she gave her own despairing cry.

"This can't be happening!" then it was Elphaba's turn to feel her heart stop in her chest. It was going to be a long year...

But if there was one lesson that the two should have learned, it was that life could sometimes take the most unexpected of routes. Against all odds, Elphaba and Galinda ended up becoming friends and, as the time rolled on, those friendly feelings started to develop into something more. Neither girl had ever been brave enough to tell the other about the words on her wrist, however, so a mutual pining started and the only way it stopped was through an accident. Galinda had been giving Elphaba a makeover when she accidently spilled some of her nail polish over her arm.

"What's that?" Elphaba asked as she watched Galinda clean her arm off.

"What's what?" Galinda asked, noting the surprise in Elphaba's voice.

"Your arm!" Elphaba replied and Galinda gave an embarrassed shriek when she realized that the concealer she usually wore on her arm had accidently come off when she scrubbed the nail polish away. With the concealer gone, Galinda's soulmate tattoo was finally visible to Elphaba.

"About that..." Galinda began shyly, but Elphaba only wordlessly rolled up her own sleeve in response. Now it was Galinda's turn to be astounded.

"Sooooo..." Elphaba began awkwardly. "Guess we're Soulmates, huh?" The rest of the evening was a little on the awkward sight.

By morning, however, the two felt much readier to deal with the situation at hand (or at wrist). They decided to give a relationship a try. They had already been falling in love with each other, so why not give it a go now that both of their wrists had finally confirmed that which they had already sort of known since the beginning of the year? But the only problem with finding a Soulmate in their world was that, on very rare occasions, after the Soulmates finally entered a relationship, the writing on their wrists would change. Instead of being the first thing that one Soulmate would hear the other say, the marking would become the last thing the Soulmate would ever hear the other say.

This was a rare thing and both of the girls had hoped to remain in that majority, but it was not to be. Instead, after finally acknowledging and accepting what they were to each other, both of their wrists changed, but neither girl ever confessed to the other that it had happened.

Elphaba's new markings said,"You've taken your own sweet time, of course."

Galinda's said, "Hide yourself! Hide!"

Elphaba had found her words to be confusing than worrying simply because they made no sense to her. Of course, though, these sorts of things never really made sense until the moment in question came to pass. Elphaba honestly could not decipher what this phrase was supposed to mean, nor was she able to figure what kind of situation Galinda would have to be in for these words to be used. A phrase like that gave no hints regarding the time or cause of death, but this particular remark seemed somewhat teasing, so it was Elphaba's hope that Galinda's passing would be a peaceful one. The same could not be said for Galinda.

Her words were far more explicitly unnerving. For that reason, Galinda lived in fear of the damning words written upon her wrist. Hide? Hide from what? And why would Elphaba ever need to give Galinda such a command? There was just something so violent about those words, it sounded like Elphaba's death would neither be easy nor painless. And Galinda didn't know what scared her more: the idea of only Elphaba dying in that situation, or both of them kicking the bucket together. What hurt her the most about such ominous words, however, was the simple fact of knowing that it would one day happen. One way or another, Elphaba would die a very violent death, and there was nothing Galinda could do.

For years, such fear lived on with both of the women until, at last, the words on Galinda's wrist were spoken.

"You must go, Glinda!" Elphaba pleaded with her Soulmate. Glinda tried to protest, but Elphaba simply cut her off. She pressed one last searing kiss to Glinda's lips before leaving to accept her fate. Right before she was gone, however, she cried out to Galinda one last time:

"Hide yourself! Hide!" and Glinda felt her heart stop. A minute later, Elphaba's did.

Glinda had never grieved quite so hard for anything or anyone in her whole entire life as she had when she lost her Soulmate. Elphaba was dead and gone. Now Glinda would spend the rest of her life alone. She almost wished she had died right alongside Elphaba after all. Sure, Glinda had known that this day was coming since college, but that didn't make its arrival any less bitter. Especially since they hadn't been together all that long. It had been Glinda's original hope that, even if she was going to be forced to lose her Soulmate too soon, that they would be able to enjoy what little time they did have together. Sadly, it was not to be. Less than a year after meeting Glinda, Elphaba had run away, deciding to join a rebellion against the leader of their country. For all of those years in between that moment and now, Glinda had been completely and utterly alone. But now, with Elphaba actually dead this time instead of just missing, that isolation was at an all-time high. The pain was unspeakable.

But despite being apart, the two Soulmates were always on the other's mind. Turns out, Elphaba wasn't dead after all. It had all only been an act, committed in order for her to escape Oz safely. She felt horrible for having to lie about this to Glinda, but she didn't dare tell the sweet little blond in case such information put her life at stake. Elphaba had spent the rest of her life hiding out in another world but, at long last, she finally returned to Oz. The separation had proven too great for her to handle forever. By the time she returned to Oz, however, Glinda was gone. Not dead, but certainly not in the place where Elphaba had last seen her. Instead, Glinda had gone through her own little rebellious streak and she was now, currently, sitting alone in a tiny little jail cell in the corner of Southstairs prison. Unlike all the other inmates, however, she felt happy, and free. She did not regret a single thing that had led to this arrest for her. Instead, even as she had begun to die, she could only smile. Then she heard her cell door screeching open. She already knew who it was that had opened the door for her. Her smile grew even wider.

"You wicked thing," she said. "You've taken your own sweet time of course."

AN: So here's the first of the Soulmate series, starting with the most famous one: their first words to you on your wrist. Also, yes, minor plot twist that we think that Glinda is the one who has to lose her Soulmate first. Actually, it's Elphaba. So the final words on Elphaba's wrist are the ones that mean death. For Glinda, the final words on her wrist only meant that Elphaba wouldn't get a chance to ever speak to her again. Still tragic, but not as fatal.