Thank you all so much for your reviews!
Doglover645: Lol! Don't worry! This is very different from your story!
StamiSprite: Um… not really. I don't ship Gloq.
Guest: We'll see Elphaba and Melena's relationship later in the story.
When Nessa awoke the next morning, she expected everything go back to normal, but when she looked up, her wheelchair was still missing.
This is my new life now, Nessa thought as she stretched and got out of bed. This is my reality. She quickly got dressed in her school uniform and went downstairs for breakfast. Again, there were only three chairs, two of them occupied by Frex and Melena.
"Mama, Father, can I ask you something?" Nessa asked as they ate.
"Of course, Nessie," Frex said as he sipped his coffee.
"Where's Elphaba?"
Time seemed to stop. The maids stiffened and Frex almost choked on his coffee. Melena paled a bit and looked at her daughter. "Nessa…" she whispered.
Nessa wondered why everyone was acting like that. Surely, she couldn't have said anything wrong.
"Well, look at the time. I believe it's time for you to be getting off to school," Frex said as he stood.
"Father…"
"It's time for school, Nessa," Melena said stiffly.
Nessa bit her lip and nodded, rising to her feet and hurrying out of the room. Whatever she had said, it had upset her parents. Why would mentioning Elphaba upset them? Did Elphaba even exist, or did they just think she was going crazy? Sighing, she got her schoolbooks and bag and, after saying goodbye to her parents, who seemed to have forgotten about the breakfast incident, hugged and kissed her goodbye and she walked out the door.
It was a short walk, just through a small town. As soon as Nessa arrived, she was greeted with 'hellos' and smiles from the townspeople. As she walked past the pastry shop, the baker gave her a chocolate croissant, which she took gratefully. The young brunette smiled. No one had ever greeted her like this. Sure, they were pleasant to her, but no one ever went out of their way to talk to her. She was glad she no longer had her wheelchair as a barrier between her and everyone else.
When she got to school, she saw the other children outside in the courtyard, playing together. She remembered when she wished that she could play with them.
"Hi, Nessa!"
Nessa turned and saw her classmates hurrying over to her.
"Happy birthday," one of the girls smiled, hugging Nessa like they were old friends.
"Thanks, Ari," Nessa smiled, returning the hug.
She got many more 'happy birthdays' and other greetings to people who wouldn't have spoken to her before. The school bell rang and Nessa found herself in the center of a group of girls, their arms linked together, as they walked into the building.
"Good morning, class," the teacher smiled as everyone took their seats.
"Good morning, Miss Maelin," the students chorused together.
Miss Maelin smiled. "Please open your reading books to page one hundred fifty three."
Nessa got her books out of her desk and opened her book. She looked up suddenly and saw Boq looking at her. The young boy blushed deeply and gave the brunette a small wave. Nessa blushed and waved back, causing her friends to snicker.
"Is there a problem, girls?" Miss Maelin asked, turning around.
"No, ma'am," the girls shook their heads.
Miss Maelin nodded slowly and turned her attention back to the reading book. "Who would like to read the first paragraph?"
Before Nessa even processed what she was doing, her hand shot into the air.
"Nessa?"
The brunette sheepishly put her hand down. She usually never raised her hand; she had always been too shy. But now, she realized that she didn't have to be shy anymore, so she read the paragraph in a confident voice.
"You read really well, Nessa," Ari said as the girls went out to recess.
"Thank you," the brunette blushed.
"Look who's coming," one of the other girls, Mathaia, smiled, whispering behind her hand.
The girls looked up as Boq approached them, holding something behind his back.
"Hi, Boq," Nessa smiled.
The Munchkin blushed. "H-Hi, Nessa. Um… happy birthday."
Mathaia giggled, but was quickly shushed by Ari.
"Thanks, Boq," Nessa grinned.
"Th-This is for you," Boq said shyly, revealing the small gift bag he was holding behind his back and handing it to Nessa.
"Awww!" Mathaia and Ari chorused.
Nessa smiled as she took the bag and opened it, pulling out a light purple beanie.
"My… my mother made it," Boq said, his hands behind his back and nervously shifted his weight. "Do you like it?"
"I love it, Boq, thank you," Nessa smiled as she hugged the Munchkin.
Boq looked like he was going to faint, but he returned the hug. When they pulled away, Boq stumbled back and broke into a run back to his friends.
"He likes you," Mathaia teased as she playfully poked Nessa's arm.
"He does?" Nessa asked.
Ari rolled her eyes, took Nessa's beanie, and tried it on. "Of course, Nessa. He's had a crush on you for almost a year now. You haven't noticed?"
He's never noticed me before, Nessa thought.
Mathaia blinked and took the beanie from Ari before putting it on. "What was that, Nessa?"
The brunette realized that she had said that out loud. "Oh… um…"
"Nessa, it's the most obvious thing in Oz that he likes you. You see the way he blushed and stutters when he talks to you," Ari said.
"I think it's romantic," Mathaia said, twirling around on her toes and giggling.
Nessa smiled. It was true, she had liked Boq for a while, but he never really noticed her, only her chair.
"You two should go out for ice cream tomorrow," Ari suggested.
"Like… a date?" Nessa questioned.
"No, like a tournament. Yes, like a date," Mathaia said, gently gripping the brunette's shoulders. "Honestly, Nessa."
"Leave her alone. This will be her first date," Ari said, pulling Mathaia away and handing Nessa back her beanie.
"I'll… I'll think about it," Nessa said, fighting a blush.
"That means 'yes'!" Ari and Mathaia high fived and pulled Nessa over to the swing set. They swung and talked for the rest of recess and went back in together when the bell rang.
The afternoon passed quickly and soon, Nessa was packing her things and getting ready to leave.
"Nessa?"
The brunette turned around and saw Boq standing behind her. "Hi, Boq."
"I… I was wondering if you… um… wanted to get ice cream tomorrow after school."
Nessa looked over the boy's shoulder and saw Mathaia and Ari giving her an encouraging nod. She looked back at Boq, who looked like he was trying his best not to shake. "Sure. I would love to get ice cream with you tomorrow."
Boq let out a breath and smiled. "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow."
Boq quickly turned and left, almost tripping over his own feet, and disappeared out the door.
"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Mathaia said as she approached Nessa and linked her arm in hers.
"No," Nessa smiled.
"And now you have an ice cream date with Boq," Ari smiled.
Mathaia giggled. "And then you two will get married…"
"Have little Nessas and Boqs…"
"And once you become governor, you look back on this day and think, 'Gee, I was really lucky to have friends like Mathaia and Ari'."
"Ari and Mathaia," Ari corrected.
"I like it better the first way."
"I'm sure you do."
Nessa smiled as she walked home with her friends. This was the life she had always wanted. She had friends and Boq had a crush on her. She couldn't believe on how much she had missed out on.
"Hello, sweetie," Melena smiled when Nessa walked through the front door. "How was school today?"
"Fine. Boq gave me this beanie for my birthday," Nessa said as she took the beanie out of her bag and showed it to her mother.
Melena smiled. "It's very nice, dear."
"What's this I hear about Boq giving you something?" Frex asked as he came out of his office.
"Oh, Frex, Boq just gave her a birthday gift, that's all," Melena said, waving it off.
Frex stepped closer. "Let me inspect this 'birthday gift'."
Nessa gulped and handed the beanie to her father. "Boq said his mother made it."
"Frex, please. Boq is just a good friend of Nessa's," Melena sighed.
"He's a boy," Frex retorted.
Melena rolled her eyes. "Frex, please."
"Melena, Nessarose is too young to be thinking about boys. They…" Frex noticed the blush on his daughter's face. "You like him, Nessarose?"
Nessa realized that she was blushing and tried to cover it up, but failed. "Um… a bit."
It was hard to tell what Frex was thinking, but Melena quickly intervened. "Frex, it's just a little, harmless crush."
"They all start out as little, harmless crushes, Melena."
"Boq is a sweet, little boy. He wouldn't hurt a fly."
"But…"
Melena stopped her husband with a kiss. "It's just a little, harmless crush," she repeated.
Frex sighed and handed the beanie back to Nessa. "Go start your homework, Nessa. We'll call you when dinner's ready."
Nessa nodded and hurried up the stairs. If it weren't for her mother, she knew her father wouldn't have allowed her to speak to a boy, let alone go out to ice cream with one, being the overprotective father that he was. As she rounded the corner, she heard footsteps coming from the opposite side of the hall. Not knowing who it was, she quickly hid behind the corner and peaked her head out. She saw a young woman, in about her mid-thirties, wearing a dark blue dress and a white nurse apron, turn the corner and walk towards her. Nessa held her breath, hoping she wouldn't be seen. The woman went into one of the room and stayed in there for a few minutes before coming out, clutching something Nessa couldn't identify to her chest, and closed the door behind her. Nessa blinked. Who was that woman, and what, or who, was in the room she just came out of? Saving her thoughts for after dinner, Nessa hurried back to her room to do her homework.
"Nessa, dinner's ready!" Frex called an hour later.
Finishing her last math problem and closing her book, Nessa yawned and rubbed her eyes as she stood up and walked out of her room. She didn't see the strange woman as she went down to the dining room, and decided not to ask about her parents about it.
"Mama, can I get ice cream with Boq after school tomorrow?" Nessa asked during dinner.
Frex chocked on his drink and looked at his daughter. "What?"
"I… wanted to get ice cream with Boq after school tomorrow," Nessa said shyly. "Can I? Please?"
Frex looked like he was about to say 'no', but then looked over and saw the pointed look Melena was giving him. "Alright. You may go."
Nessa smiled as she jumped up and kissed her father's cheek. "Thank you."
The Governor sighed, but melted when his daughter's arms gently tightened around him. "You're welcome, my precious Nessa."
That evening, while Nessa was trying to read, she couldn't stop thinking about the woman she saw. Could she have something to do with Elphaba? Deciding to finally figure it out for herself, Nessa abandoned her book and snuck out of her room. She walked down the hall she saw the woman come from. Nothing looked any different, except one of the doors was slightly ajar. The sound of a girl coughing came from inside and Nessa's heart leapt into her throat. Slowly, she pushed the door open and saw a figure lying in bed. She looked young, a little older than Nessa. Sweat covered her forehead and she looked ill… very ill. But what made Nessa's breath catch in her throat was the girl's emerald green skin.
"Elphaba?" she whispered.
