Nessa heard the screams of her sister from upstairs, yet she didn't go to her aid.
She deserves it! Nessa thought bitterly. It's her fault that I'm crippled and without a mother!
"What would happen if that were you?" a voice said.
Nessa turned around in her wheelchair. "Who said that?"
"That's not important right now!" the voice said. "What's important is that you answer my question."
"I'm not answering anything until you tell me who you are!" Nessa shouted.
"Fine!" the voice said. A ghostly figure appeared in front of Nessa. It was a female of about 14. Her hair was long and flowed down her back. She was transparent and was floating about five inches above the ground.
"Who are you?" Nessa asked, moving away from the ghost.
"I'm Wimsie," the ghost said, extending a transparent arm out to Nessa.
Nessa neatly folded her arms in her lap.
"Why are you here?" Nessa finally asked.
"Okay, since it's obvious that you aren't going to answer my question any time soon, I'm going to get straight to my point. And my point is that, Nessa, you are a pampered, spoiled brat who cares about no one but yourself!"
"Excuse me?" Nessa asked, shocked. "How dare you!"
"How dare I?" Wimsie asked. "How dare you! You care nothing for your sister, and after everything that she has done for you!"
"Everything she has done for me? Look at what she has done to me!" Nessa shouted, pointing down to her legs. "No one loves me!"
Wimsie crackled. "That's a boldface lie, Nessa, and you know it!"
Nessa looked shocked at the ghost girl's laugh, but said nothing.
"I really hoped that I wouldn't have to do this, but you leave me no choice!" Wimsie said in a threatening tone. With a wave of her hand, she sent a strong wind force over to Nessa. When it had died down, Nessa scoffed. It didn't do anything. She was smirking until her felt a strong pain in her back.
"AH!" Nessa screamed.
"How does that feel?" Wimsie asked in a sick tone.
"W-W-What did you do to me?" Nessa yelled.
"The only way to fully understand what your sister is going through is to experience it yourself," Wimsie said, sitting down in a chair in front of Nessa.
"Papa!" Nessa called.
"He can't hear you! He's too busy whipping Elphaba."
"Papa!" Nessa called again.
"No one can help you, Nessa. There is only one way to stop this!"
"OW!" Nessa said, clutching her stomach. A strong pain in her chest caused her to fall out of her wheelchair.
Wimsie smirked. "So, I will ask you again, Nessa. How. Do. You. Feel?"
Nessa jerked. The pain was unbearable. She wanted it to stop.
"Make it stop! Please!" Nessa begged.
"What do you want me to do? I'm a ghost!" Wimsie retorted.
"Help me! Please!" Nessa begged, reaching a hand out to Wimsie.
"I can't!"
"What do you – OW! – mean you can't!?"
"I mean 'I can't'! I told you, Nessa. You are the only one who can stop this. Once your father stops beating Elphaba, you will stop feeling the pain."
"He won't listen to me!" Nessa protested, feeling a pain in her chest.
"Well, you better think of something fast, because if Elphaba dies…"
"NO!"
"Wait… is this care for your sister, or care for your own soul, because I think it's the latter."
"I don't want to die!" Nessa cried.
"You have something against dying?" the ghost asked.
Nessa looked up at her. "How… did… you…?"
"Don't ask!" Wimsie said, holding up a hand to silence Nessa.
Nessa struggled to sit up. "Tell me, Nessarose, what has Elphaba done to deserve this cruel fate?" Wimsie asked.
"She was born! She was born with hideous green skin. It's her fault that Papa made Mama chew those milk flowers. Without her, I wouldn't be crippled and Mama would still be alive!" Nessa shouted.
"This brings me back to my earlier question; what would you do if it were you?"
"I… I…" Nessa stuttered.
"Yes?" Wimsie said, waiting for an answer.
"Oh, Fabala!" Nessa cried. She felt the pain of the whip on her back.
"Nessa, you need to stop this! Not just for yourself, but for Elphaba as well. She's your sister and she loves you with all her heart. The least you can do it save her!" Wimsie said as she helped Nessa up. She sat Nessa into her wheelchair and vanished into thin air.
"Wimsie?" Nessa asked. "Wimsie?" Another scream and another jolt of pain.
"Papa, please stop!" Nessa begged as she wheeled herself to her sister's room.
"You wretched abomination!" Frex shouted at his eldest daughter.
"Father… please… stop!" Elphaba begged.
"You disgrace! I should have killed you years ago!" Frex shouted.
"Papa!" Nessa shouted, throwing the door open. "Please stop beating her!"
"Stay out of this, Nessarose," Frex said sternly, but more gently. He turned his attention back to Elphaba. With a strong kick to the stomach, both Elphaba and Nessa screamed out in pain.
"Father…" whimpered Elphaba.
"SHUT UP!" roared Frex, cracking his whip on Elphaba's back. Elphaba yelped. Nessa bit her lip.
"Father, please stop! You're hurting her!" Nessa shouted over Elphaba's screams.
Elphaba turned to look at Nessa. She saw the dark, clouded figure that looked like her sister. She blinked multiple times, trying to clear her vision. "Nessa?" Elphaba whispered.
Nessa gasped when she saw her sister's injuries. She began to regret not coming to her sister's aid sooner.
"Oh, Fabala," Nessa whispered, wheeling herself closer to her sister. Seeing the figure approaching her, Elphaba jumped back. Nessa stopped in her tracks. Frex stepped behind Nessa's wheelchair and began to push her out of the room.
"Out, Nessarose!" Frex commanded.
"No! Papa, don't hurt her! Elphaba!" Nessa shouted.
"Leave, Nessa!" Elphaba said calmly. Her gaze was on the floor, refusing to look up at her sister.
A sudden gust of wind filled the room. Frex stopped in his tracks. Wimsie appeared in the center of the room.
"Hello, Frex!" Wimsie sang.
"Who are you?" Frex asked.
"You mean you don't recognize me?" Wimsie asked.
"W-Wimsie?" Frex asked, stepping closer to the ghost.
Wimsie scowled. "Don't come any closer!"
"Wimsie, I…"
"Don't say anything! I knew it was different with me, but how dare you beat your daughter!" Wimsie cried.
"Wait, what did you say?" Nessa asked.
Wimsie stiffened. "Nothing. I didn't say anything."
"Did he beat you?"
"I was a servant here," Wimsie started. "This was before you and Elphaba were born. I was very young, and very sick. Rona, your father's sister, was a magical healer. She healed me from my illness, but it came at a price, her life. Needless to say, Frex was destroyed inside and out because of her death. That's when… it started."
Nessa looked at Wimsie. She had no idea.
"Wimsie, I…" Nessa started.
"Don't. Please don't," Wimsie begged. She turned her attention back to Frex. "You're are a wicked man. Elphaba is not the abomination, you are!" With a wave of her hands, Frex was thrown backwards and crashed into the wall, falling on the floor. The door slammed behind him.
"I'll leave you two alone," Wimsie said, turning to Nessa and forcing a smile on her face before she disappeared.
"Oh, Fabala," Nessa said, wheeling closer to her sister. She slowly pushed herself out of her chair and onto the floor next to Elphaba. She gingerly lifted her hand to touch Elphaba's badly bruised cheek. Elphaba jerked up and looked at the figure before her.
"Nessa?" Elphaba asked, slowly raising her hand to touch Nessa's face.
"Yes, Fabala, it's me. I'm not going to hurt you," Nessa reassured her, trying her best not to cry.
"Leave me alone!" Elphaba angrily whispered, pulling her hand back.
"Fabala, please, I want to help you," Nessa pleaded with her, taking Elphaba's hand.
"You don't want to help me! You never cared about me!" Elphaba shouted at her.
"Elphaba, I'm sorry," Nessa said, tears filling her eyes.
"I don't want your help or your pity!" Elphaba shouted, her voice reaching octaves unheard of. She struggled to rise to her full height. After taking a few steps, she crumpled to the ground again. Nessa quickly crawled to her sister's side.
"Don't. Help. Me!" Elphaba growled through clenched teeth.
Nessa choked back a sob. She hated to see her sister like this. She felt a pang of guilt wash over her.
"I care about you, Fabala. I really do!" Nessa pleaded.
Elphaba turned around. "Really?" she asked unsurely.
"I do. I'm so sorry if I've never shown it. I was stupid, selfish and greedy. I was only thinking about myself. I'm a horrible sister," Nessa sobbed.
Elphaba blindly reached for her sister. She gently touched her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks, ignoring the fact that it was burning her skin.
"You're not a horrible sister, Nessie," Elphaba smiled.
"Fabala, no!" Nessa said, gently pulling her sister's hand from her face. "You know how water burns you."
Elphaba slightly looked down. But she didn't care. She reached for her sister again. "Nessa," she whispered. She felt Nessa gently push her hand away. Elphaba weakly pushed herself off of the ground and hugged her sister.
"I love you, Nessa!" Elphaba quietly whispered into her sister's ear.
"I love you too, Elphaba!" Nessa smiled, burying her head into her sister's shoulder
The End!