Inspiration is a funny thing. I got this idea while staring at a wall just before I fell asleep. I couldn't wait to start writing it, so here it is.
General disclaimer: I do not own Wicked, and I'm 99.99999999999999% sure I never will.
This is a Nessa-centric fic. If you despise her, I'd recommend leaving this page right now. I won't be offended, I know she's unpopular in some circles.
Hope you all enjoy!
"Nessarose Thropp?" Madame Morrible's words rang through the hall, crisp and clear.
"Yes?" Nessa pivoted her chair towards the voice. The head Shiztress faced her and studied her briefly.
"My, what a tragically beautiful face you have." Morrible said, and Nessa inwardly frowned.
Tragically Beautiful. The words echoed through her head like a mantra.
She was beautiful, no question. With her flowing brown locks that stopped half way down her back and her sparkling mocha eyes, she was quite pretty, at least by some standards.
Then there was the tragic part, and Nessa knew exactly what it meant.
It was her disability. The chair with wheels she had been cursed to since she was born. She knew she would forevermore be forced to sit and watch as people performed the simple, everyday tasks she couldn't do herself.
"Your father expressed his concerns for your needs, thus you will share my compartment." Morrible announced, giving Nessa a sickly sweet smile. Some of the girls across the room snickered slightly.
Of course. Nessa thought bitterly. I have to room with Madame Morrible just because of this Oz-damned chair!
"But I'm supposed to take care of her." Elphaba said, stepping out from behind Nessa's chair.
"And who might-oh." Morrible froze at the sight of the green girl who stood in front of her, clad in an all blue Shiz uniform.
"I'm the other daughter, Elphaba. I'm beautifully tragic." Elphaba said bluntly.
"The Governor never mentioned you…ah well just a slight gulch." Morrible waved it off.
"Is there anyone willing to share a room with Miss Elphaba here?" Everyone averted their eyes, silently praying not to get picked.
Suddenly, a petite blonde in a pure-white uniform stepped forward with her hand raised.
"Madame Morrible-" She began, but was cut off by the older woman.
"Excellent! Miss Elphaba you will room with Miss Galinda!" The blonde shrieked and pulled away, tripping over the luggage behind her and almost falling over, but one of the other popular rich girls behind her caught her just in time.
Nessa sighed as she watched Elphaba receive her room key and march defiantly off to her room in Crage Hall. She knew that if it weren't for her being crippled, she'd be rooming with Elphaba. The two of them, sharing a room in college; studying, talking, and just being together. It was their dream.
But now Nessa had to go off to Madame Morrible's quarters and live there. She hated the thought of having to room with the old woman just because of her disability.
Brushing it off, Nessa placed the small box containing the silver-jeweled shoes in the tiny wheeled trolley that hooked to the back of her chair and set off towards her new room.
The room itself was nice. Madame Morrible had set up a private room just for the girl, which contained a bed, dresser, desk, and included a bathroom.
Nessa rolled across the soft carpet and unhooked the trolley. Slowly but surely, all of her belongings found new homes across various parts of the room. The girl cautiously pulled the small wooden box into her lap. She brushed her fingers over the carving engraved on the top of the box. She recognized it as the seal of Munchkinland, which consisted of two spiral lines leading off in different directions, representing the red and yellow brick roads, and had a shield with a large cursive 'M' placed over top.
She slid the peg out of the hole and flipped the lid of the box back. Slim fingers softly lifted the shoe, which illuminated the room in twinkly little lights. Nessa pulled off one of her plain, brown boots and slid the silver slipper onto her foot. She gasped at the surprising comfort of the new shoes and proceeded to put on the other one as well.
Finding nothing else to do, Nessa wheeled over to the bed, and pushed herself out of her chair onto the mattress. Then she removed the metal braces she was forced to wear in attempt to straighten her legs, though she knew deep down it was fruitless. The brunette ran her fingers over the deep red welts and scars that covered her shins and thighs, wincing at a few of them.
They were reminders.
Reminders of all the attempted correctional surgeries she had and how they never worked. All the times she thought maybe it would succeed, she might be able to walk, and it never had. She was stuck.
Her mind wandered to what she thought life would be like at Shiz. She was pretty sure that her only friend would be Elphaba.
No one would want to be friends with either of us. We can be alone together. Nessa thought sadly.
She also was very positive that no boy would want to date her. Who would want to go out with a girl who couldn't dance and had to be pushed around?
Lying back against the pillows behind her, Nessa found her eyelids getting heavy, and soon she was asleep.
Three months had passed since the first day, and Nessa's life had never been better. She and Elphaba had a small, but very close-knit friend group.
"Everything I thought was wrong." Nessa said randomly during lunch one day. Everyone at the table seized their eating and gave her strange looks.
"What do you mean?" Elphaba asked.
"I never expected to have such great friends." Fiyero smiled and laced his fingers with Elphaba's, and Galinda tossed her hair, releasing a giggle. "And a…boyfriend." Boq looked up from his lunch, blushing red. A smile tugged the corners of his lips upward and he leaned across the table and placed a soft kiss on Nessa's cheek, causing her to blush the same color.
"If you didn't expect having friends and a boyfriend…what did you expect?" Fiyero asked.
"Honestly? I thought that it would just be Elphaba and I. No one wanted to be friends with either of us until now." Nessa said softly and Elphaba nodded in agreement.
"Really?" Galinda gasped, then continued. "Why not?" Nessa glanced at Elphaba who proceeded.
"Well just look at us. I'm green, she's in a wheelchair." Elphaba said with her characteristic bluntness.
"No one wanted to be friends with either of you just because of your skin color and disability?" Boq asked.
Both Thropp girls nodded sadly. They locked eyes, brown staring into brown, and they seemed to have a silent conversation. Fiyero, Galinda, and Boq sat there awkwardly as the two mentally conversed. With one final quirked eyebrow from Elphaba, Nessa spoke again.
"Neither of us have ever had a boyfriend. Or…even been kissed." She said shyly.
The other occupants of the table gawked at them.
"All because of your…differences?" Boq asked.
"Afraid so." Elphaba confirmed.
"Well all those people are stupid." Fiyero stated, before he kissed Elphaba softly and swiftly.
"I agree with Fifi!" Galinda said seriously.
"Fifi?" Fiyero raised his eyebrow.
"Yes! Fifi! That's your new nickname."
"And you can call her…Galinda." Elphaba giggled in a high-pitched voice while tossing her hair.
"Elphie! I taught you that!" Galinda admonished, and Elphaba threw her head back and cackled.
"Yes. I'm aware." Elphaba said bluntly, before turning her attention to Fiyero. "Do you think 'Fifi' is a bit perky?" She smirked.
"…I supposed it is." Fiyero said innocently, causing Elphaba to cackle once again.
"What's with the thing you two did with the staring?" Galinda asked, referring to the Thropp's earlier silent conversation.
"Well…it's…complicated." Elphaba said.
"It's a…sister thing?" Nessa offered.
It was much more complicated though. Through years together they had grown so close that they were almost on the same mental wave length. They could nearly mentally communicate with each other.
"Oh Shiz! We're gonna be late for class!" Boq exclaimed, looking at his watch. Everyone gathered the remains of their lunches, deposited them in the trash, and raced off to their classes. Elphaba leapt behind Nessa's chair and pushed her to Arithmetic, while Fiyero and Galinda raced off to Life Science and Politics respectively, and Boq left for his Psychology class.
"Fabala, I can get to Arithmetic. You'll be late for Literature. Go, I'll be fine." Nessa practically begged.
"No. I'll get there in plenty of time." Elphaba promised. She dropped Nessa off at the Arithmetic class and ran off to Literature, but raced into the classroom two minutes after the bell had rung.
"Miss Elphaba, you're late." The professor deadpanned when she burst into the room.
"Yes, I'm sorry sir." She apologized softly, taking her seat.
"Well, you can apologize all you want in detention." He said directly, staring right into her chocolate brown eyes.
"D-detention?" Elphaba asked. She'd never had detention before!
"Yes, detention. Meet me in this classroom after your last class."
"Yes sir." She nodded and pulled out her book. The professor solemnly looked around the classroom before starting the lesson.
Nessa sat alone in her room that night, taking in the conversation she'd had with Elphaba earlier.
"Detention?" Nessa asked, stunned.
"Detention." Elphaba repeated, nodding slowly.
"All because of me." The younger girl softly said.
"Nessie it's not your fault." Elphaba assured. "I chose to push you to class."
"But if it weren't for this chair-"
"Nessa it's fine!" Elphaba snapped, but instantly recoiled. "Nessa…"
"No I get it. I have to go…Philosophy homework…" Nessa muttered, rolling out of Elphaba and Galinda's shared dorm.
She sighed, leaning against the window, gazing out at the grounds of Shiz. Dimly lit street poles illuminated the sidewalks and she watched a few students walk the campus.
Nessa rolled away from the window, when suddenly a strange pecking and scratching caught her attention. She turned and saw a black raven sitting on the sill. The girl rolled her chair over to the window and opened it. The raven hopped inside, awkwardly balancing on one leg. The other had a piece of paper wrapped around it. Nessa delicately untied the string that held it in place and pulled it off. The raven squawked before leaping off the sill and disappearing into the black abyss of the night.
Nessa closed the window. Confused, she unrolled the paper and studied at it. It was a flyer of some sort.
Nieve Tolaway
Apothecary
Capable of magical miracles
"What in Oz name…?" She mumbled, looking at the paper. Nessa folded the paper and threw it on her nightstand.
That was just a fluke. She decided. It doesn't mean anything. There is nothing important about it.
Right?
How was that? I hope it was good! At the time of posting this chapters 1-10 have been written out, so updates will be every other day. I know it all seems kind of jumpy and random at the moment, but don't worry. Everything will make sense eventually.
For future reference: Nieve is pronounced with a long 'I' and short 'e'. Like "night" and the sound in "Kevin" (NIE-ehv)
Please review!