Rifiuto: Non Miriena
August, Day Four
Slowly, Nessa moved down the hall, carefully watching the numbers on the doors. When she finally found her sister's dorm, she knocked once, and waited. After knocking again, the door opened, and Nessa started, to see Galinda in the doorway. But what startled her even more, was to see that Galinda had caramel colored hair.
"Oh, hi Nessarose."
"H... hi, Galinda. Um... I... I was wondering if... if Fa... Fabala was here?"
Galinda nodded, moving out of the way so she could enter. Looking around, Nessa found her sister sitting on her bed, going through the familiar ritual Nessa had seen her partake in since they were children. Biting her lip, she wheeled herself to her sister.
"Fabala?"
The older girl looked up, relaxing when she saw her sister.
"Hey Nessa. What are you doing here?"
"Um... I... I just wanted to see you. How are you?"
"I'm doing good." Elphaba replied, as she wrapped her foot. Once it was wrapped, she pulled out another bandage and wrapped her other foot, before pulling on a pair of dark grey legwarmers and slipping into her flats.
"How was dance?" Nessa asked, reaching for the dance bag. Elphaba handed her sister the bag, and took a sip from her water bottle. After rummaging around inside, Nessa pulled out a small makeup case, unzipped it, and pulled out a small thing of Burt's Beeswax, which she then quickly used to cover her lips before placing it back in the case. Nessa felt Galinda's eyes on them; she knew that Galinda was noticing how Elphaba didn't get mad at her for using her chapstick. Then again, maybe it was because they were sisters, that she didn't get mad, which was what Nessa had always thought.
Nessa knew she and Elphaba shared a lot of the traits that other siblings shared- from easy conversation to sharing each other's things. She knew that Galinda had probably always wondered what it'd be like to have a sibling, and wasn't about dropping the fact that she and Elphaba could lord it over her. Handing the bag back, Nessa asked, "Did you have lunch with Fiyero today?" Elphaba nodded, rubbing lotion into her hands, which were red from the cold of the dance studio. She pulled on a pair of matching grey arm warmers and then tied her long black hair back in a loose bun. She wrinkled her nose briefly, before pulling on her dark green button up sweater.
"We went out to lunch."
"The Wilted Rose?" Her sister nodded, and then stood. Nessa noted the dark black tights she pulled on before wrapping her feet; the spaghetti strap black dress that went to her mid thigh, and the loose green sweater that was falling off her shoulder, that had once belonged to their mother. Like Elphaba after her, their mother, Melena had been a dancer.
Nessa barely remembered her; Elphaba had more memory of their mother, while Nessa and Shell didn't. Melena, the daughter of a socialite, had grown up in the lap of luxury, but abandoned it all to pursue a career in dance, like Elphaba was now. A beauty with thick, shiny raven hair, and deep violet eyes, she resembled Elphaba in every way, except for skin. She'd met Frex one night after a show, the two had fallen in love, and the rest was history. Well, not history exactly.
From what Elphaba was able to find out, Melena had had an affair with an old college friend not long after she married Frex- and Elphaba was the result. Apparently, Melena doted on Elphaba, absolutely adored her, and hadn't thought of having any other children, when she got pregnant with Nessa by the same man- three years later. Shell was the only one that was actually Frex's child.
While Nessa was loved by Melena, Elphaba was considered Melena's little pet, considering the strong bond they shared concerning dance. Since Nessa was unable to walk, she'd often sat by and watched her sister achieve, going from a little ballerina to a skilled Pointe dancer by age fourteen. She loved her sister, and perhaps the knowlege that they shared the same paternity was major reason for that bond, but Nessa had to admit to herself that she was slightly jealous of Elphaba. She was jealous of the fact that Elphaba could dance, while Nessa couldn't walk; she was jealous of her sister's natural talent for singing, but most of all, she was jealous of the time Elphaba had spent with Melena.
When Melena left, Elphaba was six, and Nessa three, Shell had only been about a year old; she'd promised to come back for them, but had forgotten for years. When she did come back, Elphaba was fourteen, Nessa eleven, and Shell ten. Over time, Elphaba had forgiven her mother, but Nessa, had refused. She hated her mother for leaving them and forgetting them, hated her for ignoring them, hated her for trying to make it up to them by being there now. They saw her every so often on holidays and weekends, and since her sister had declared a major in dance, she'd spent more time with Melena, while Nessa had spent less time with her.
"Yeah, we split a sandwich today. We're still on for tomorrow, right, Ness?" Elphaba asked, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.
"Of course." Nessa replied, trying hard to hide the shock that her sister could remind her of their mother with a simple change of clothes and a dancer's accessories. She blinked back the tears, and smiled at her.
"You okay, Nessie?" Elphaba asked softly. She nodded, taking a deep breath.
"Yeah, I'm okay. You... you just... remind me of Mama." She whispered. Slowly, Elphaba wrapped her sister in a hug.
"I'm sorry, Nessie."
"It's okay Fabala, it just shocked me is all." She said, wiping her eyes. After a moment, Elphaba rubbed her arm before standing and slinging her dance bag over her shoulder.
"Listen, I have Jazz at six, but I have some time, do you want to go for coffee, Nessie?" She nodded. "Okay. Come on."
And without a backward glance to Galinda, Elphaba led Nessa out of the dorm and onto campus.