I don't own wicked, I just occasionally steal- I MEAN LEASE-the characters from GM. I honestly don't think I'll have to put this at the top of all the chapters so I'm not gonna.
A/N: This is my first fanfic, so go easy on me in any reviews, please? Also this will be rated T for the early chapters and slowly move into M gelphie goodness as it goes on. You have been warned, MWAHAHAHA!
Galinda Upland lay attempting sleep beneath her fluffy pink sheets, but sleep continued to elude her, being chased away by worried thoughts of her roommate who had been coming home late every night and been exhausted for about a week, it was wearing on both the bubbly blonde and the stoic green girl. Galinda sighed again as she rolled over and checked her clock again. 1:30 AM. She rolled over and groaned in frustration, what was taking her so long? Her thoughts turned to scenarios, exploring them and ruling them out in order, the scenarios turning darker and darker. Thunder cracked, reminding her that it was raining and adding to her fear. That's it! That's the last straw, I'm going to look for her! Galinda had barely sat up in bed when the door to the room clicked open and shut.
"Elphie?" The sound of socked feet stumbling in the dark was the only thing that greeted her. She grew slightly alarmed. Elphaba never stumbled. She could see the tall, lanky form of her best friend limping toward her wardrobe.
"Elphie!? Are you alright?!" She heard a hard swallow, then a rasping voice replied.
"I'm fine Galinda," She paused to swallow again. "I'm just tired, go to sleep." Galinda's flaxen eyebrows drew together. This didn't sound right, Elphie didn't sound right. She heard Elphaba collapse into bed,
"Goodnight Elphie."
"Fresh dreams Galinda." Came the muffled response.
Even after Elphaba's return Galinda only slept in fits, waking for no apparent reason and at random times during the night, but at some point she sank into a fitful rest, woken only by rays of sun streaming through the window and falling across her face. She turned her head to see Elphaba curled on her side in her bed. 11:52 AM. Something was definitely wrong. The blonde was up and across the room faster than she thought possible. The second she saw Elphaba's face, she had to cover her mouth with a hand to repress a shriek. The normally leaf colored skin was pale, a dark bruise covering half of her face and small burns all over her cheeks and forehead, with two red tracks going across her face like the trails left behind by tears. She tentatively nudged her, calling her name. Receiving no response after several tries she began to fear the worst. Maybe she was unconscious. Maybe she was in a coma. Her heart stopped. Maybe she was dead. A pale hand flew toward the elegant green neck, only to stop in horror. That beautiful, elegant, green neck had a large, dark purple, hand-shaped bruise spread across it, but instead of fingers, the bruise appeared to have claws. Small red burns also adorned her neck. She felt tears well in her eyes. Changing targets she closed her eyes as she picked up a wrist to check for a pulse. She felt a faint, gentle pulsing from her friend's wrist. She released a breath that she hadn't known she had been holding and opened her eyes, only to quickly avert them to the foot of the bed. She noticed a dark patch on the sheets at about where two verdant knees should be resting. Horror stricken, she carefully pulled back the spartan covers to reveal a blood drenched knee, bone shining through to the surface. She looked back up toward her friend's face, only to spot more red splotches staining her night cloths. This was the last straw, and Galinda let out a scream of horror, with a shrill cadence of surprise as Elphaba started to wake, along with what she was sure was the rest of the dormitory if all the crashes and cursing were anything to judge by. Nanny and Nessarose were the first to reach the door, followed by Milla, to discover a stricken Galinda cradling a semi-conscious Elphaba. A trio of screams alerted the blonde to the presence of the other three women, but all she could do was stare down at her potentially dying green friend, trying to keep her awake.
Elphaba had been woken by the shrill scream of a very frightened blonde. She had tried to tell her that she was okay but she couldn't force words out of her swollen throat, all she could manage was a slight groan when Nessa and company burst in through the door, it was bad enough with only Galinda knowing, Nessa made it exponentially worse. Nessa wheeled herself forward quickly and rolled up next to Elphaba as more people crowded to the door, shrieking for a doctor. Elphaba felt her lids drifting shut and could hear the frantic pitch of her colleagues reach an irritating level, and despite Galinda and Nessa's best efforts, she slipped back to unconsciousness. Galinda finally regained her self control and presence of mind. She picked the twig-like girl up bridal style and began to rush through the door and out into the hall. Milla, seeing what she was doing ran ahead and cleared the way, students filling in behind them and forming an impromptu procession. Fiyero, Boq and Averic met them halfway to the infirmary. Fiyero took Elphaba from Galinda's arms and sprinted the rest of the way to the infirmary with Elphaba's small group of friends hot on his heels. They broke into the infirmary screaming at the top of their lungs for a doctor. They were lucky and a doctor had been speaking with a nurse nearby and looked up. Immediately he started shouting orders, applying first aid, readying a gurney and wheeling her into surgery. The procession of gossips that had stuck with them in their desperate flight across the grounds to the infirmary were still hanging around to find out what had been wrong but were quickly chased off by Fiyero and the rest of Elphaba's friends. Galinda sat down at first but as the hours passed stood and began wearing a hole in the floor when she was eventually stopped by Nessa.
"Miss Galinda, I understand that you're worried, believe me, I am too, but you needn't take it out on the floor, whatever happened to my thick-headed, stubborn, thorny, sister probably had nothing to do with it, whatever it was can only be the Unnamed God's punishment for her disbelief and sins."
Galinda couldn't believe what she'd just heard, Elphaba could be dying and yet here her own sister is, insulting and damning her. She was just about to go off on the cripple when the doctor exited the surgery room. Immediately her focus shifted to the doctor and she rushed over to him.
"I assume you're her roommate?" Galinda could only nod as she steeled herself for whatever was to come. He nodded back as if he had suspected this answer.
"Miss Elphaba's injuries are quite serious, it was touch and go for a while, several of the major veins and arteries have been severed and she appears to have been beaten repeatedly, do you happen to know anything about that?"
Galinda just shook her head, one hand over her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks. The doctor looked at those assembled behind her, then he took her elbow and led her to the observation room next to the surgery Elphaba had been in. He pulled an item from the sink and balanced the tip and the hilt of the dagger in the palms of his hands.
"We pulled this from Miss Elphaba's back, we almost mistook it for a small rock."
A wicked, barbed blade of some darkly colored metal glinted evilly in the light and the obsidian black hilt seemed to suck all light from the room. There was still blood on it and evil radiated off of the dagger in high powered waves, causing fear to course strongly through her veins at the mere sight of it. The doctor saw her reaction and had the good sense to wrap it in cloth before she out-right fainted. She slid to the ground and he knelt next to her. "If you wish to see her Miss Galinda, she has a private room, 116." Galinda nodded and with the help of the doctor stood and was escorted to Elphaba's room along with Nessa and the others.
About twenty minutes later, when they reached her best friends room, she nearly collapsed. Elphaba was asleep on the bed, her leg in a cast, her left arm in a sling, air tubes helping her to breath through her swollen throat and likely injured lungs, she had a split lip, stitches adorned her face and what could be seen of her body. The cut-off sleeves of the hospital gown revealed the her arms had been covered in cuts and burns. Other cuts, burns, bruises, gashes, and yet more stitches adorned her exposed clavicle. The mere thought of her friend's condition brought Galinda to tears. She sat down in the chair closest to her friend as the doctor informed the others of her condition. Galinda's thoughts drifted to happy moments and the strange effect this green girl had on her.
"When will she wake up?" The doctor looked at her, mildly surprised at the interruption.
"The anesthetic should where off soon, we didn't use much." Galinda nodded at this and leaned forward, resting her head and arms on the edge of the bed as she gently took Elphaba's hand from where it lay next to her. The doctor continued to prattle on about some medical thing or other, but Galinda could only focus on the green hand in hers. The touch felt electric and she reveled in it. The doctor said something to Galinda that she didn't quite hear.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I said, do you know of any relatives that she would especially like to have with her in such a time other than Miss Nessa here?"
Galinda frowned, shouldn't Nessa be able to answer this?
"Her grandfather, the Eminent Thropp, he lives in Colwen Grounds in Munchkin land."
After the doctor left, Galinda turned to Nessa.
"Why did he have to ask me? You should know." Nessa sighed.
"Miss Galinda, I may be her sister, but that doesn't mean we are close. She's only my half sister, she's thorny to say the least, she's quite appalling, she has horrible manners, no one could ever even want to be friends with such an appalling creature and to top it all off, she's that hideous gre-"
Galinda's hand made a loud crack as it connected with Nessa's face and knocked her out of her chair.
"Leave." Galinda's voice growled over the surprised admonishments of Nanny and a few of the others in the room. Nanny put Nessa back into her chair and left with her to go back to their room. Avaric was the first to speak after this little outburst.
"Well, geez Glin', it's not like she insulted you."
"I know she's cold and a brat, but there are other ways to shut her up." A faint, raspy, voice came from behind her, causing Galinda to whip around.
Elphaba was sitting up in bed with a smile tugging at her face. Galinda rushed over and hugged Elphaba fiercely.
"Can't. Breathe."
Galinda released her nearly squashed roommate from the hug but held tightly onto her by the shoulders, unwilling to break contact with her friend.
"Elphaba Thropp! You never scare me like that ever again!"
Elphaba, stunned as she was by the blonde's reaction could only attempt to nod, before she remembered the state of her throat and winced. This caught Galinda's attention.
"Elphie, who did this? Why didn't you say you were hurt? I knew you were being bullied, but I didn't think..."
Elphaba looked down at her hands and for a time she didn't answer confused and touched as she was by how much the bubbly blonde cared. Finally, she licked her lips and swallowed.
"It wasn't a who, not as far as I can tell at least and my investigations haven't dug up anything, just that they want something that's on the grounds of Shiz..."
She trailed off with a faraway look in her eyes. Galinda began to gently run her hands through her friends raven trusses in a soothing way and wrapped her unoccupied arm around her injured friend as gently as possible, holding her close like this made her heart beat slightly faster and she felt a protectiveness towards her.
"What did this to you?" she said in almost a whisper. Elphaba swallowed again, a little distracted by her roommate's proximity. This question brought her thoughts back to the current line of inquiry.
"Wraiths."
A gasp filled the room with that one simple word, Galinda's arm tightened around her while her hand came to a dead stop. Fiyero, Averic, Milla, Crope, Tibbett, and Boq all stared at Elphaba as if she had just killed five people. Wraiths were the most dangerous beings in all of Oz. Made of pure shadows and the darkness found in the hearts of the beings they consumed, even low level Wraiths were downright dangerous, if not fatal. Galinda, first to recover, knitted her eyebrows together and frowned.
"Elphie, why were you even near a wraith, let alone in striking distance?"
Elphaba looked down and muttered something. Averic cupped one hand around an ear.
"What?"
She avoided all eye contact.
"I said I was patrolling and laying wards to keep them out."
They gasped again and Galinda drew back to look at her with a look she couldn't quite place. Disappointment? Hurt? Worry? She fidgeted.
"What could possibly make you think that you could keep Wraiths at bay all by yourself?"
Elphaba fidgeted again and she turned her palm over and held it out for inspection. Pale green scars covered her palm in a pattern, twisting out from underneath the bandages that wrapped her arm. They culminated into a hurricane shape in the center of her palm, straight lines going from the center of her palm, lines created geometric patterns similar to those coming from the sun in old tapestries and drawings, minute runes perfectly scrawled into the skin, leaving them sharp and clear, easy to read but for their small size. As they watched she brought the hand down onto her lap, palm still facing upward.
"The first time I encountered a Wraith I was very young, ten maybe, Nessa and I were out for a walk down in Quadling country while Frexspar preached to some new converts. It was late and we heard a scream, Nessa demanded we go see because someone might be hurt. So we rounded the corner to discover a pack of Wraiths feeding on a man and someone else, a child. Neither Nessa nor I knew what they were, so being children we yelled for them to stop hurting those poor people. The Wraiths turned on us with eyes like fire. They rushed towards us and I could feel Nessa's fear. Being over-protective as I am, I jumped in front of Nessa and held my palms out toward them. The Wraiths laughed and didn't bother stopping,"
The scars started to glow, apparently they were on both arms. The glow now revealing the scars that swirled up to her elbows.
"When the first one touched me, I felt something on my hand, like ink, but freezing cold. I heard Nessa scream, one of them had touched her and started feeding, I pushed my palm out towards it, the contact seamed to sear both of us and they all focused on me. Nightmares and horrible memories surfaced at their touch, but I knew they weren't feeding on me because for some reason, I felt no fear."
From the round spot where the scars converged a round specter shaped like a fireball appeared, made entirely out of light. Elphaba swallowed again.
"They converged on me in an inky, oily, cloud it felt disgusting. Before I really understood what was happening, a light was coming from my palms and forearms, and the Wraiths began to disintegrate into sparkling black sand. I don't remember anything after that, just waking up with these scars and having Nessa tell me that I had fainted after they attacked me."
The specter dwindled in size and eventually vanished, then the glow from her scars vanished and the room was once again lit only by the candles along the walls. Elphaba clenched her hand into a fist and looked to the side as she continued to speak.
"Ever since that day, I've been waiting, watching for them, having to hide what I could do from everyone around me and push everyone away so that no one could get attached to me and get hurt because of it. But, last week, I caught a Wraith attacking someone by the library, and being the only person that I know of that can stop them, I've been patrolling the boundaries of the school and laying wards to keep them out so I could get some sleep."
They were quiet for quite some time, Fiyero was the first to speak.
"If you can fight them off, what happened?"
Elphaba grimaced.
"Last night, there was a spike in their activity, a blitz of sorts. I got ambushed at the quad. I may be strong, but I can only take so many Wraiths at once. Fourteen or fifteen are no problem, but eighteen or twenty? Anyway they ambushed me while I was laying the last ward to seal off the campus, burying the last crystal to bind the wards so that they last for at least a month. I only had to finish the chant and I would be able to go back to the dorm and sleep. They attacked me all at once first, then they melded to form one giant Wraith. Long story short, I finished the ward in the middle of the fight and it dissolved into sand, at which point it started to rain and I limped my way back to the dormitory."
The group just gaped at her. She felt uncomfortable under their scrutiny and began to fidget again. She began to worry that they would run away from her. A pale finger reached out and tilted her head up, forcing hazel and blue eyes to meet. Tears were spilling from the blonde's eyes as she looked at her wonderful, beautiful, friend.
"Elphaba, you don't need to hide anymore. You aren't alone."
This one sentence meant more to Elphaba than anyone could have ever guessed.
