"I need a book on ghosts, please," Galinda said when she reached the reference desk at the library.

The middle-aged librarian looked up. "Ghosts?"

"Yes."

"What about ghosts?"

"Anything and everything. It's for… a project."

The librarian nodded slowly and led the blonde through the shelves. She pulled out four books and handed them to the blonde. The blonde thanked her and checked the books out. She hurried back to her room, eager to go through the books with the green girl.

"Okay, Elphie. We have work to do!" she said as she entered her room and closed the door behind her.

Elphaba appeared on her bed, lying on her stomach as she rested her head on her hands. "We have work to do?"

"Yes. I'm not reading four books on my own."

Elphaba looked over at Galinda with interest. "What did you get at the library?"

"Four books on ghosts. There has to be something on why you're trapped in the room."

"I knew that blissful, blonde brain of yours could come up with great solutions," Elphaba said with a grin, clearly impressed.

"Who said my brain was blissfully blonde?" Galinda asked, turning to the green girl.

"No one," the green girl smirked.

The blonde gave her a look and the ghost cackled. The two spent the next hour pouring over the books trying to find something. Galinda was almost at the end of her second book when she groaned, about to give up.

"There's nothing helpful in here," she said as she turned the page, but then something caught her eye. "Wait…" She read the page and looked up at the green girl. "Elphie, was this your room when you went here?"

Elphaba looked up. "Yes. This is the room I shared with Nessa."

"And… did you have a close relationship with your sister?"

"I… took care of her."

"But did you two share a sisterly bond?"

"Sisterly bond?"

"Mmhmm."

The ghost paused for a moment. She loved her sister very much. She had been completely devoted to her. But for some reason… it hadn't been enough. "The last time I saw Nessie was in this room. At least, it was the last time I saw her when I was alive."

Galinda perked up. "What happened?"

Elphaba shook her head and brought her knees up to her chest.

"Elphie, I think that might be the reason you're stuck here. In this room, I mean. Whatever happened between you and Nessa is keeping you here. If you tell me, it might release you."

"It's not really a day I like to remember."

"Elphaba, I'm your friend. You can tell me anything."

The green girl glanced at the blonde before slowly beginning to tell the story. "It was the morning I was leaving for the Emerald City. We had been arguing over me going the previous night and it continued into the following morning."

"You can't just leave me! You can't abandon me!"

"Basically, she didn't want me to go to the Emerald City, especially without her. She accused me of being selfish."

"The only reason you're here is to take care of me!"

"She said that if I left her, I would be dead to her and she would hate me for the rest of her life. At least the first part came true."

"If you leave, Elphaba, don't expect me to ever be glad to see you again."

"Elphaba…" Galinda whispered, noticing how calm the green girl was while telling the story.

"I just wish… that there was a way for me to tell her that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for abandoning her and I'm sorry I wasn't there for her. I tried my best, but it was never enough."

"Go! Just go! I never want to see your face again! I hate you!"

"What was never enough?"

"Everything was my fault and I tried my best to fix it, but I couldn't."

"Elphaba, what was your fault?"

"That my sister is… the way she is."

"What do you mean?"

The apparition was silent, and for a clock-tick, Galinda wasn't sure she was going to answer her. Then she heard a soft whisper, "When… when my mother was pregnant with Nessa, my father began to worry that the new baby might come out…"

"Green," Galinda finished softly.

Elphaba nodded, avoiding the blonde's gaze. "He was so worried that he made my mother chew milk flowers day and night."

"Didn't he know what those would do?" Galinda asked, knowing how powerful milk flowers were.

"Whether he did or not is a mystery to me. But regardless, it made my mother go into labor too early and when Nessa was born, her legs were all tangled. That's why she's stuck in that wheelchair. And my mother… lost so much blood that… she never woke up. None of that would have happened if not for me."

"But… but that was the milk flowers' fault, not yours," Galinda said softly, making Elphaba corporeal so she could talk her hand.

"That's why I took care of her. I practically raised her. Every time she needed something, she came to me. Our father didn't take care of her. At least, not the way I did. He only showered her with gifts and showed her off to everyone. She was his little princess. I was his big burden. I tried to prove to him that I wasn't completely useless. The only reason I came to Shiz was because Nessa got in."

"Did Nessa know that you felt like this?"

"Of course not. I could never tell her."

"Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't have changed anything. She still would be the perfect child and I would still be the perfect disaster."

"You must have loved her, since you took care of her so thoughtfully."

"Of course I loved her. She's my little sister."

"Elphaba, please don't get offended by me asking this, but… did your sister love you?"

Elphaba glanced up at her.

"I mean, did she love you the same way you loved her? If you were in trouble or needed help with anything, would she help you in the best way she could?"

The green girl thought for a moment. She assumed Nessa had loved her. At least… she hoped she did. She certainly didn't help her the same way she did. Elphaba never needed help washing up or getting dressed or reaching something that was just out of her reach.

"I… I think Nessa loved me."

"Why aren't you positive?"

"She didn't say it very much."

"You said that was the last time you saw her when you were alive. You saw her after you died?"

Elphaba nodded. "After I died, I woke up here. I saw Nessa still angry with me for leaving and becoming a wanted fugitive. I wondered why she was still here on her own, then I saw some of her friends come in to check up on her. I guess she wanted to stay here on the off chance I returned. But I know she knew that after becoming a wanted fugitive, I wouldn't be returning." She paused briefly before continuing. "Then I saw her get the news that I had died. She was so angry and embarrassed. I remember her taking some of my essay papers and ripping them to shreds. She tore a few of my dresses as well. That same week, she moved out. I heard that she was going to stay with Madame Morrible in her private compartment so she could help her. I never saw her again after that. I…" She bit her lip, but forced the rest of the sentence out. "I never got a chance to apologize to her."

"Elphie, I think I know the reason why you're stuck here in this room."

"What is it?"

"I think you're still haunted, for lack of a better term, by what happened between you and your sister. If you let go of that guilt, you might be able to leave the room."

"It's not that easy," Elphaba said softly. "You don't understand, Galinda. I was sent here with one purpose, to look after Nessarose, and I failed."

"You didn't fail her, Elphie," the blonde said comfortingly. "You took care of her for her entire life. From the way you said it, it sounds like you practically raised her."

"I never should have left her. I never should have gone to the Emerald City in the first place."

"Why did you want to go to the Emerald City?"

"Because the Wizard invited me. I felt that I would be able to prove to my father, to everyone, that I could be great. That I wasn't a waste of space. That I was more than the green freak." Her face darkened. "But I was wrong."

"What would have happened if things worked out for you?"

Elphaba paused. "I don't know. Maybe I would have gotten my father's approval. Maybe Nessa wouldn't have been ashamed to be related to me. But I guess we'll never know now. There's no use dwelling on the past."

"Elphie, what happened isn't your fault. Your sister's condition, your mother's death, the Wizard, none of that is your fault. You can't blame yourself for those things."

"But if I hadn't been born…"

"Elphaba, that's ridiculous!" the blonde exclaimed, a bit harsher than she intended. The green ghost winced, but Galinda didn't back down. "You're acting like you could have controlled how you were born. That's not the way it works. You can't keep blaming yourself." Galinda then got an idea. "And I can prove it to you."

"How?"

"I can show you how happy Nessarose is now. How successful Munchkinland is."

"And how do you propose to do that? I can't leave the room and I'm pretty sure you can't bring Nessa here."

"I told you how you could leave. You have to forgive yourself. Elphaba, there's nothing more you can do about anything now, so why are you still holding onto that guilt."

"You make it sound so easy."

"I never said anything about it being easy."

"I can't just forget what happened."

"I'm not asking you to forget. I'm asking you to try and recognize that the things that are tying you to this room aren't your fault."

Elphaba still looked wary.

"Start small. Think about the last time you saw your sister."

Elphaba closed her eyes and made a noise that could have been a sigh if she could breathe. She pictured herself in the room, arguing with her sister. Her form shuddered, and Galinda braced herself for the magic that was sure to follow.

"You couldn't control your sister's actions or how she would have reacted."

"Go! Just go!"

"I was selfish," Elphaba whispered.

"You were not selfish. You wanted to follow your own heart for once in your life. She should have recognized that and supported you."

"I never want to see your face again! I hate you!"

"I just wanted to make her proud."

"I know you did, Elphaba. Just take a few deep breaths and try to let it go."

Elphaba opened her eyes and glared at the blonde. "Right. I'll just inhale deeply and breathe out all of my problems."

"Right. Sorry," the blonde said sheepishly. "But you know what I mean."

"I understand the concept," Elphaba said as she closed her eyes again. She remembered the last time she saw her sister and tried to release her guilt. It was hard, but suddenly, she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest. She felt lighter in a sense (metaphorically speaking). She opened her eyes and smiled at the blonde. She still felt bad for leaving her sister and for the final moment they shared together, but she no longer felt it weighing down on her.

"How do you feel?" Galinda asked.

"I feel… better. I still feel upset, but I don't feel guilty about what happened."

"Do you want to test out that theory?" She got up and opened the door.

Elphaba followed her, pausing right in front of the door. She slowly stuck her hand out and when she didn't feel the barrier, closed her eyes and stepped through the door.

"Elphie?"

"Yes?"

"You can open your eyes now."

Elphaba slowly opened her eyes and looked around in surprise. She was in the hallway. She hurriedly roamed up and down, giggling madly.

Galinda watched with interest. She had never pictured the green girl as the giggling-type, but she supposed Elphaba had the right to be extra excited, considering she was just freed from forty years of captivity.

"I'm free!" the ghost exclaimed giddily. She let out a sound that sounded like a sigh. "This feels great."

"I'm glad, Elphie," Galinda said quietly, then went back into the room, closing the door behind her. Elphaba didn't follow her; instead, she continued to roam up and down the halls. Galinda heard voices in the hall and got worried for a moment, but then remembered that she was the only person who could see and hear the ghost.

"Glin?"

"Hmm?"

"Someone's coming down the hall."

The blonde immediately panicked. "Is it Greyling?"

"No."

She let out a sigh. "Who is it, then?"

Someone knocked on the door and both girls tensed. Galinda quickly got up and answered the door, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw who it was.

"Hi, Glin."

"Fiyero, um… hi."

"Can we… talk?"

"I suppose." It hit the blonde that she hadn't spoken to Fiyero since they broke up. She wanted to make up with him, but knew it would be incredibly awkward. She invited him in and closed the door behind him, looking at the green girl.

Elphaba didn't take her eyes off of the prince. She watched his every move as he stepped into the room and turned to face the blonde.

"First," Fiyero began. "I want to apologize to you."

"It's alright," the blonde said softly, brushing a golden lock of hair behind her ear.

"No, it's not. I should have trusted you."

"I understand why you didn't. I don't think you were expecting me to let you in on my secret without me telling you."

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

Galinda glanced over at Elphaba, who shrugged.

"Is Elphaba here, too?"

Galinda nodded and created her aura.

"Hi, Elphaba," the prince said with a small smile as Elphaba came into view.

Elphaba smiled back and gave him a shy wave.

"You're more… visible than last time."

"My magic makes her corporeal," Galinda explained. "So… are you ready?"

"How long is this story?" Fiyero asked as his ex-girlfriend led him to her bed to sit down.

"I can give you the short version, but it's a lot to take in."

Fiyero listened patiently as Galinda told him the story. Occasionally, he would look over at Elphaba, who was sitting on the other side of the blonde in silence. He listened, occasionally asked questions, and paid close attention to what the blonde was saying.

"Wow…" he said when Galinda finished. "You were right. That is a lot to take in."

"Yeah," the blonde huffed. "It is."

"You can stop the spell now, Glin," Elphaba said.

Fiyero looked up at her in shock, and the two girls immediately realized that he had heard her.

"It must be because you're corporeal," Galinda said, but stopped the spell and the green girl disappeared from the prince's sight, but not from the blonde's. She slouched against the Vinkun's shoulder, taking deep breaths.

"Are you alright?" he asked, gently pulling her closer.

"Yeah," the blonde sighed as she gently pulled away. "Just a bit tired. The better I get at magic, the longer I can hold the spell without getting tired, but I still have some more practicing to do."

The prince nodded. "I should probably get going," he said as he stood and walked towards the door. "Glin?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering if we could… start over. In our relationship, I mean."

Galinda bit her lip. She really wanted to start over with the prince, but she couldn't. "Fiyero, I love you," she said, allowing a smile to pull on the ends of her lips.

"I love you, too, Glin."

"But I'm not in love with you. Actually… I don't think I ever was."

The prince's face fell. "What?"

"That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy our time together," she added hastily, not wanting to hurt his feelings, and knew she was failing at it. "I loved spending time with you, Fifi."

"When did you realize you weren't in love with me?" the prince asked evenly.

"When we kissed," the blonde admitted softly. "I… I never felt that special spark. I kept ignoring it, thinking that it would come later, but it never did. I'm really, really sorry, Fifi." She reached out to hug the prince, but he stepped back. "Can't we at least still be friends?"

Fiyero didn't answer her and she reached for his hand, but he pulled away.

"Fiyero…"

"I have to go now," the prince said suddenly, and Galinda could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Goodbye, Galinda."

"Fiyero, wait!" the blonde called after Fiyero as he opened the door and hurried away, not even bothering to close it behind him. The blonde watched him go down the hall and disappear from sight. The first tear fell down her cheek as she closed the door.

"Galinda?" Elphaba whispered, gently placing her icy hand on the blonde's arm. "Are you alright?"

"I… I think I need to be alone right now."

Elphaba nodded and left the room. Once she was alone, Galinda finally allowed more tears to fall.


I won't update on the 25th, since it's Christmas, so the next chapter will be up on the 27th. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!