Galinda stared blankly at the unfamiliar white ceiling; the swirls of rough patterns dotted across its surface – in an apparent display of artistic endeavour – were enough to make her stomach churn with the onset of queasiness.
This was not home.
They had only stayed in one hotel, for just one night during their journey – which constituted as her only experience of the Emerald City – before they were on their way. She had awoken there, too, expecting to see the buttercup coloured ceiling of her own room. And, just as here, she was instead left disorientated and confused.
To think she could still get homesick at this age!
She sat up in bed, the thick sheets pooling around her waist. The room was admittedly far grander than her own back home, but even so it had taken her a surprisingly long time to fall asleep, in spite of the exhaustion brought on by travel.
Lacking in energy, and wanting to rest before properly meeting the…odd people who resided there, she had informed her Ama that she wished to go to bed early. Which, considering the time they arrived, was not too much of a bother, nor was skipping the evening meal. She had hoped for it to give her time to prepare, sadly that was not the case.
The door opened, but rather than her Ama a flustered maid was on the other side. The girl threw her hands up, muttered an apology in a thick accent and disappeared. The door hitting the frame hard, rattling an empty vase on the nearby dresser.
There was truly no need for her Ama to be there with her, but she was glad she had come, it would help her to settle down (as her parents had said), and of course it was always pleasant to have a friendly face to support her. She would have her own maid eventually, who would likely fill only the most basic parts of her Ama's role, but that could wait.
She would be completely lost without her.
And typically, that was when Ama Clutch chose to bustle her way in, jolting Galinda from her thoughts and almost over the edge of her bed.
"Up you get, can't have them thinkin' you're a layabout, can we?"
"You're too perky for this time in the morning," Galinda said in a little more than a grumble. Her Ama hurried to the wardrobe where she had hung Galinda's clothes the previous night, pushing them along the wooden rail with a grating shriek. How ghastly.
Galinda recognised the usually provoking action, and slipped out of bed to softly push her Ama to the side. She raked her eyes over the vibrant colours before gesturing to a light yellow one, then stepped back to patiently wait for her Ama to assist with clothing her.
Okay, perhaps there were other reasons she needed her Ama there. She was a…little useless with certain things. But only a little.
Ama Clutch set about her usual morning routine, aiding Galinda to step into her dress with practiced actions.
Surely once wed that was when she would have a maid of her own, and then poor Ama Clutch could finally retire after so many years of dedicated service. There was a sharp pang of sadness with that thought, Ama Clutch had always been by her side, it would be a terrifying experience to have her suddenly vanish, replacement or not. But, as she had thought only moments before, that could wait.
With a few sharp tugs, the ties on the back of her dress were secure.
"There, done." Ama Clutch said, giving her a pat on the back, "Off we go Duckie."
They left the room, Galinda purposely moving with slow steps. It was odd how nervous she felt; perhaps home sickness had a part to play. While the queasiness that had overcome her when she awoke had mostly vanished, the feelings that accompanied it had not. Being in an unfamiliar building, surrounded by unfamiliar people, probably played a large part. Larger than homesickness surely.
Somehow, Ama Clutch seemed to know where to go. Perhaps she had been given a tour after she helped her prepare for the night. Or perhaps old woman had some sort of sixth sense for these things.
How daunting it was to sleep in an unknown building. A building she would likely spend many of her days until her and her future spouse moved somewhere else. Somewhere tasteful. The City perhaps? At least then she would get to explore it proper.
Once they reached what she found out to be the Breakfast room, it became clear that they were the last to arrive.
True to the Munchkin's words from the previous day, there was no sign of the family's grandfather, or even father. Just the old lady and the two girls. The idle chatter in the room stopped, and they turned to her with differing looks, the armless girl with a tight – polite – smile, the Nanny with a dreary expression, and the green girl with a very brief look of disinterest.
Well, not a trick of exhaustion then.
"Good day," Ama Clutch said brightly, seemingly blind to the looks sent their way. Or the looks of the people themselves. Or anything much for that matter.
Well, her Ama had always had a fairly strong dense streak.
Ama Clutch charged on into the room without even a blink of hesitation. Galinda – to avoid any embarrassment garnered from standing alone – followed her and took a seat within a matter of seconds, giving the wood grain of the table an annoyed glare as if it were to blame for her being forced to do something before she was ready.
A clock on the mantelpiece tick-tocked away as silence remained blanketed over the table. She was certain she could feel the weight of their appraising gazes on her. What right did they have to judge her? She was normal.
A girl, who she was sure was the maid who charged into her room earlier, wheeled a trolley in and began placing the contents before them on the table.
Once the maid-come-server had pushed the trolley out with a series of squeaks, it did not take long for a conversation to begin and the gazes, for the most part, to lift.
The two Ama's, (was their Nanny considered an Ama?) chattered away to her left, leaving an air of great unease on the opposite half of the round table. Unfortunately she was seated next to the girl with the unusual skin, with the armless girl opposite.
She was positively surrounded! How was she going to eat?
Not that she had much of an appetite – unusual all things considered.
Curse her Ama for taking the other seat first, she would much rather listen to both of the old women's chatter in both wars than having to deal with…well. Them.
Her jaw tightened in her usual sign of rising ire.
Her gaze flittering around the table for a short moment before turning eyes to her Ama, who was paying her no mind.
She was suddenly reminded of an illness in the South that spread through touch, causing skin lesions and other disfigurements. Did the green girl have that?
No…that would be too rare, they were in the East, and if she did have an illness surely she would have been shut away. She was just being silly. Completely foolish.
Still...
She shuffled her chair to the left as slyly as she could, sparing a cautious glance to her right, yet not quite meeting the faces of either of the girls.
"It's not contagious."
Galinda's movements froze at the low, contained voice. Her eyes darted to the hawk-faced woman, but the green woman's gaze was firmly focused upon her sister.
How had she known?
Galinda cleared her throat, and forced herself to look at the woman straight on, "The chair was on a lump in the rug, I was moving it into a more comfortable position."
Why she lied, she could not say? It's not like she needed to stay on good terms with the sisters. Of course if they did stay on good terms until their brother returned, it would make the short time she was staying there a bit less burdensome.
The green girl lifted a spoon of – Galinda finally glanced down at the food placed before her – porridge. Really? Could they not manage a selection of fruit, or something similarly palatable? Or... where was she? She returned her gaze upwards; the older sister was feeding the younger.
"Should your Nanny not be doing that?" It was none of her business really, and she did not care if the Green one's food went cold, she just wanted something to break the silence between the three of them. Something to help her feel more comfortable, or as comfortable as she could be all things considered. It would be easier to at least put forward the pretence of getting along with them.
The older sister seemingly paid her no attention. Instead, the armless girl spoke in a delicate voice contrasting with her words from the previous day;
"They're too engrossed in conversation." She turned her head towards her sister, "It still needs more sugar, Elphaba."
"Of course." The elder sibling complied without as much as a roll of her eyes. Completely obedient, in complete contrast to the attitude Galinda had seen her display over the few moments they had been in one another's presence the day before.
The ticking of the clock seemed disturbingly loud.
Another thing that was none of her business was the way the younger sister treated the older; still, she could not help wrinkling her nose at it. Though, she was green and had a very strong distaste for even the most simple of manners, and everything else from what she had seen. In truth if she were related to someone like that, she would most likely treat them the same way. What else could such an embarrassment be good for?
In spite of this thought she noticed the bridge of her nose remained crinkled.
She raised her spoon, lifting it partway from the bowl and tilted it, the contents landing with an unpalatable splat.
Porridge was for the poor and the old, such a house should surely be able to afford something much better. Then again, with the way they attempted to appear impressive without spending the money required, it should have been telling.
Though, she was one to talk.
A nudge to her side jarred her from her thoughts, causing the spoon to slip from her fingers, landing messily in the bowl. Her now free hand shooting to press into her side.
"Don't play with your food."
"Ama!" Galinda yelped, staring in horror at the thick grey globs that now decorated the front of her dress.
She heard a snort from her right. She shot a glare in that direction, though it was registered by neither sister.
Galinda pushed herself back from the table, the chair, this time, catching on a real lump in the rug, "Ama, I need to change."
Ama Clutch shook her head with a smile in place, and followed suit, "Good thing I finished my breakfast."
Her Ama spared a moment to share some words with the occupants of the table, but Galinda heard none of it. She was already halfway out of the door.
"Be careful this time Duckie, I don't quite fancy changin' your clothes again today." Ama informed her as they stood outside the door to her temporary room, Galinda remaining firmly in place as she turned to her Ama.
"You shouldn't have nudged me," Galinda responded with a jutted out bottom lip. Ama Clutch responded with a shake of her head, before waving her comment off with her usual smile.
"First impressions have come and gone. I don't quite want your parents havin' a fit at me for lettin' you mess all this up." Ama Clutch remained smiling despite her words, and gave her shoulder a solid pat, "Let's try again, they don't seem bad people."
Galinda gave an undignified snort.
"Not bad at all. You don't even know them." In spite of her Ama's reminder, Galinda gave a few brief moments over to irritation before calming herself, her fists balling for a moment. Her Ama was right, she always was. Mostly.
It will be easier, she reminded herself for the nth time in the last two days. It will make my time here easier.
"I'll…" she paused to draw in a large breath, realising it in one long stream, "…try Ama."
Another pat to her back sent her moving forward down the corridor. The morning meal was long over by now. Her stomach rumbled at just the reminder. So they would have to find the sisters. Try again. Galinda supposed skipping her meal did have a positive in that she could see more of the building, and it shortened the amount of time she had to share with those…oddities.
Even so, she still had a promise to keep. And she always kept her promises to her Ama, or at the very least, tried her hardest to do so. Even if there were obstacles in the way.
They found the three women in the Sunroom at the side of the house. The Nanny aiding the younger sister – Nessarose was it? – with reading a black bound book. A bible? Perhaps that had something to do with the studies she was referring to the previous night.
Who in their right mind would chose to study a bible?
The Green One sat further in the corner, she too pouring over a book. Judging from its appearance it was not a bible, which was a sudden relief, for a moment Galinda had a dreadful feeling that she was surrounded by religious nuts.
As they took a seat opposite Nessarose and their Nanny, Galinda's attention was caught by the sunlight glinting of something near the ground.
Shoes.
Jewelled shoes to be exact.
They could not afford proper food but they could afford such iridescent shoes!
Galinda's brow dropped lower, the cheek of some people.
Observing them now she saw the younger sisters clothes were of reasonably good make, the older sister's however…
She could not blame them really. Good clothes could distract a person from the wearer's lack of arms for a moment or so, but to distract from such skin would take a lot more than that.
Still, they could still have spent the money on better food.
Her parents would have ensured to do so, especially for guests. Food could be an important part of first, and overall, impressions.
"Sorry 'bout our abrupt departure before, Galinda here can get pretty wound up 'bout her clothes."
The armless girl's forehead crinkled for a moment, looking up reluctantly from her book. Their Nanny on the other hand seemed more than a little pleased at the interruption, judging by the look of relief in her eyes.
"Understandable I suppose," Nessarose agreed, her lips pressed thinly, "People often take great care of their appearance, though it does often contradict the teachings –
Hypocritical, sprang up in Galinda's mind, though she chose not to voice the thought.
"Doesn't surprise me."
Nessarose closed her eyes, sighing at the voice coming from the corner of the room.
"People like that always behave oddly."
"I am here." Galinda snapped, and even with that sharp edge to her words, the green woman did not bother to look up from her book.
She could at least acknowledge her when speaking down to her.
Her gaze narrowed, but there was still no reaction from the green woman, not even the tensing of shoulders under the weight of her eyes.
That is until the oddity snickered at her.
With everything else that had occurred that day Galinda felt something snap. For the second time that day she shot to her feet, taking a few steps towards the source of her ire, her vision tunnelling to the rude monstrosity.
How dare she laugh at her! If anything it was her who should be laughing at the creature!
Apparently taking her movement as a threat, the green woman carefully closed her book, placing it on a side table and stood, approaching until she was standing a mere foot or so from her.
Galinda's expression smoothed into one of surprised for a split moment when she found she had to crane her neck upwards to solidly meet the woman's eyes.
"You are bizarrely tall for one of Munchkinlander descent." She tried to snarl, but it came at sounding far too airy, coloured with shock.
"You're bizarrely short for one of Gillikinese descent." The woman countered, her voice still low and practiced.
"I will have you know I am of a pure lineage. As all good Gillikinese are." Unlike you inbred fools.
"Ah, inbreeding. That could possibly explain it." It was as if she had heard her silent insult.
"I-inbre– What? How dare you!" Galinda practically stamped her foot in indignation, "And what exactly are you? Have you even so much as looked in a mirror?"
How could she move about so freely, as if she were just a normal person? As if there was nothing wrong. There was no weight of grief or depression upon her shoulders. If it was Galinda who was afflicted (Lurline forbid) she would hole herself up somewhere, and definitely cover up. Unlike the woman in front of her, who appeared to have no qualms about baring her arms or the rest of her skin.
She did not seem affected by Galinda's words, just as she had presumably been unaffected all the times before when the words came from others.
"Or maybe there's some Dwarf blood in you, Gillikin is rather deeply connected to The Glikkus."
"How dare you imply I am the product of some affair with a slave. A Dwarf slave of all things!"
"I did not imply that. You inferred. Besides I feel I need to inform you the Dwarfs working in the mines of The Glikkus are criminals. Or so they say. Maybe there are some remnants of a brain in that head of yours."
"You are the rudest person I have ever had the misfortune of meeting!"
"I merely state my thoughts to a person's face rather than their back."
"I-I..." Galinda would hate to admit she was stumped. But she was stumped. No comeback came to her mind, it being too clouded with a suffocating anger. She had just lost an argument. She never losses arguments!
Turning to the chattering elderly women, who acted oblivious to the outburst that had just occurred, and the girl whose face showed this was nothing new or unexpected, Galinda spoke perhaps a bit too harshly, "Ama Clutch, I would like to go."
The woman turned from her conversation and, despite looking rather despondent, bid goodbye to the room as cheery as ever, and followed after Galinda as she strode away from the oddities with her head held high.
