Author's Note:
This will be the first multi-chapter story I'm posting on here. Updates will probably be rare, but I'll try to write often and update frequently (no promises).
Also, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to UltimateQueenofCliffies, because she is the person who inspired me to post my writing in the first place. She probably won't see this, but if she does, I want to thank her with all my heart for inspiring me.
Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked or the song "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.
Without further ado, here is the first chapter.
Elphaba stomped away from the only house she'd known for the past nineteen years. She'd had it with all the harsh words and constant negligence. Her father had never spoken a single kind word to her, yet constantly spoiled her sister Nessa and treasured her. Elphaba just wanted to find somewhere where people actually cared about her. She was tired of always feeling so alone.
They'd had guests over for dinner that night, so Elphaba pretended to be a servant of the governor's mansion as usual. While carrying a tray of buns, she accidentally tripped over Nessa's wheelchair and fell to the floor with a thud. She hurriedly picked up the scattered buns as her father scolded her for dropping them.
"I still don't understand why you hired the girl; she clearly can't cook, clean, or even carry a simple tray," remarked one of the guests. Elphaba's hands shook with anger as she cleared away the last of the buns. To comment on her clumsiness was rude, but to insult her inability to cook and clean was downright cruel. She worked her hands to the bone everyday doing everything around the house, while her father and sister never lifted a finger. Before she knew it, Elphaba had inadvertently set the tablecloth on fire using her magic. The guests and her father leaped up from the table, shrieking and yelping. Nessa had a look of sheer panic on her face until Elphaba quickly wheeled her away from the burning table. Then she grabbed a bucket of water from the closet and flung it onto the flames. Once that danger had been taken care of, Elphaba turned to face her other one.
"Elphaba." Her father's voice was calm, but she knew that on the inside his rage was blazing more than the fire she'd just put out. She stared up at him, determined not to show her fear.
"Come with me." He seized her by the arm and dragged her out into the freezing night.
"What do you think you're doing?!" he exploded. "You set fire to an expensive tablecloth, frightened the guests even more than usual, and put my dear Nessa in danger!" The man paused to take a breath. "You are a disgrace to the Thropp family," he spat. "You will sleep out here tonight. It's the gentlest of punishments after what you did in there." With that, he turned sharply on his heel and returned to the dining room, leaving Elphaba to shiver in her thin frock. How in Oz was she to survive such a chilly night without so much as a cotton blanket?
Time ticked by slowly. The guests left immediately after Elphaba's outburst. The poor girl watched as her family went to bed, warm and safe. She waited about a half hour before climbing a tree up to her bedroom window. There was no doubt her father had locked all the doors; her only hope was that he'd left her window unlocked.
Elphaba crawled up to the glass and managed to slide it open. She silently dropped in, intending to head straight to her bed, but her suitcase caught her eye. An idea popped into her mind, one that she'd fantasized about a thousand times, yet never had the courage to actually pull it off. Now, however, her emotions got the better of her and she grabbed the suitcase. Before long, she'd packed it with her few belongings and a bit of food. Elphaba noiselessly slipped on her jacket, picked up her suitcase, and departed into the night.
She hadn't the faintest idea of where she was going; she just wanted to get away. Her boots crunched through the frosted grass and her breath was visible in the bright moonlight. Eventually, she ended up at a train station with several benches.
Well, she thought, I suppose I could catch a train somewhere, but I didn't think to bring any money. Maybe tomorrow I could walk to the village and get a job…but then father could find me. After all, it's not difficult to find a girl with bright green skin. She sighed. Could I sneak onto a train?
Her mind raced as it tried to find a way out of the situation. Elphaba paced throughout the station until she kicked something small under a bench with a clink. Bending down, she reached under the bench and pulled out a coin. It was enough to buy her a one-way ticket. She sprang up and rushed to the ticket booth.
"When does the next train leave?" she asked the man behind the counter. He gaped at her unusual skin tone. Elphaba grew impatient and repeated the question more urgently.
"Midnight," the man replied through his bushy gray mustache.
"I'll take it," said Elphaba, giving him the coin. He took it and handed her a ticket.
"It'll be here in about ten minutes," the worker informed her, nodding toward the clock. Elphaba thanked him and plopped down onto a bench. She set her suitcase beside her.
Ten minutes later, a train pulled into the station the conductor stepped out.
"You gettin' on?" he demanded. Elphaba nodded vigorously and grabbed her suitcase. She held out the ticket, which he accepted. The conductor stepped aside to let her in, and she walked up the steps and into an unoccupied compartment. There, she set down her suitcase once more and took a seat. With a hiss, the train began to move away from the only life Elphaba had ever known. Away from everything familiar and into something completely foreign.
Next stop: anywhere, she thought.