No Ordinary Girl
Rifiuto: Non Miriena
Summary: The world's my oyster, I'm the pearl... Mermaids, magic, one green-skinned, raven-haired witch, and an accident that puts the spotlight on Shiz's most unique student, and sends the whole campus into a tizzy. But the biggest problem isn't telling the prince that she loves him, it's hiding the tail that appears whenever she gets her feet wet. A fun, quirky, romantic adventure with a little magic and whole lot of love. My 200th story! This is for my reviewers! You've stuck by me for 199 stories; this one's for all of you, thank you so much!
"Mermaids were said to haunt the waters around Shiz for centuries. Back when it was a convent..."
She yawned, and struggled to keep her eyes open. Usually, she was interested in her Ozian Mythology class, but today, between tests and lack of sleep due to her roommate, she wasn't very interested. Just as she began to doze off, she felt something jam into her back, and she jumped, turning around.
"What is it, Glinda?" She growled, half-asleep.
"You were falling asleep, Elphie." The blonde replied. The raven-haired witch rolled her eyes and turned back to the front. She only half-listened as Professor Sita continued to talk about the mythical power of mermaids. Eventually, Glinda raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Upland?"
"Can anyone be turned into a mermaid?" Glinda asked. Elphaba rolled her eyes and yawned.
"No. The only way a person can be turned into a mermaid is by becoming the victim of a spell- like the mythical swan princess. However, accidents do happen, and every millenia or so, someone manages to turn themselves into a mermaid by use of a spell gone wrong."
"Hogwash." Elphaba muttered, leaning her head on her hand. Her eyes began to close, and just as she started to doze off, Professor Sita dismissed the class. She jumped, and gathered her things, throwing her messenger bag over her shoulder and gathering her books to her chest.
"Now remember class, your projects are due in six weeks! I want well researched papers and strong arguements! Oh, Elphaba," The green girl stopped and turned back to her professor. Glind and Fiyero waited in the doorway. "I believe you said that you were going to do your project on the mythical brownies of Munchkinland." The girl looked at her like she'd lost her mind, before yawning and shaking her head.
"Oh, right, um... I changed my mind."
"You did?" Professor Sita raised her eyebrows, and picked up a pen, turning to the role sheet. "Then what are you going to do your project on?" The green girl looked back at her friends, trying to think up a quick, good lie.
"Um... mermaids."
"Mermaids?" Elphaba nodded. "Yeah. I find the mythology behind them fascinating; I think I can make a strong arguement and presentation on the mythology alone, I wouldn't even need to go into the possiblity that they might exist nowadays."
"Oh, very well. I look forward to your presentation, Elphaba." The girl nodded, and then joined her friends, hurrying from the classroom.
"What was that?"
"What do you mean?" Elphaba asked, yawning. Glinda shifted her books to her other arm.
"You just lied through your teeth." Elphaba shrugged.
"So? I grew up hearing stories of brownies my entire life; I want to do my presentation on something new. I need coffee, you two coming?"
"I thought you had coffee this morning?" Glinda said, as the trio crossed the green. Elphaba sighed.
"I did, but one cup is not going to get me through the day. Besides, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be so exhausted."
"Me?" Glinda cried.
"Yes, you!"
"What did I do?"
"I'm actually curious to find out myself." Fiyero said, finally breaking his silence. Elphaba looked back at him and then veered to the left, towards the cafeteria.
"You were up all night watching movies and gabbing with your friends. If I hadn't needed to sleep, I wouldn't have been in the room at all! Now, are you coming?" The blonde didn't reply. "Fine. I'll see you both later. I need coffee."
Then, they watched as she disappeared into the cafeteria, making a beeline for the cafe. Fiyero chuckled.
"Elphie is definately a coffee drinker."
"Tell me about it." Glinda replied, hurrying to catch up with her friend. Once inside, they hurried over to their usual table; Elphaba sat in the corner, holding a steaming cup and leaning back against the window. The poor thing looked half-asleep; on closer inspection, Glinda and Fiyero realized that Elphaba was asleep. Silently, Glinda and Fiyero slid into two of the seats at the table; they were soon joined by Milla, Avaric and Boq. The blonde put a finger to her lips, and the others nodded, each slipping off individually to get lunch. Fiyero returned with a sandwich for himself and a bowl of soup for Elphaba. He pushed the bowl towards the girl's sleeping form, and gently reached over, removing the cup from her hands and placing it on the table. Then, he shook her hand.
"Elphie. Elphie, wake up. Wake up." Slowly, her eyes cracked open, and she looked up into his eyes.
"Yero? Where am I?"
"In the cafeteria. Here. Eat your soup, you need something in your stomach." She glanced down at the bowl, then stretched and groaned as the muscles in her back spasmed briefly.
"Thank you." She whispered, reaching out a hand and sleepily grasping the spoon. It took a few minutes, but with some help from Glinda, the girl was finally able to eat lunch. When she finished, she got up from the table, and gathered her things. "I think I'm going to go back to the dorm and study. I'll see you all tomorrow." She went over, bought another cup of coffee, and then disappeared through the double doors.
"Poor thing looked exhausted." Milla said.
"Elphie never gets enough sleep; movies and friends or not, she never sleeps all night."
"What does she do?" Avaric asked. Glinda shrugged.
"Studies; reads. I've woken up once or twice to find her standing in the shower until she prunes and her skin's as red as a cherry. It's like she won't sleep. Or... she can't."
