"Why is it falling out?!" Glinda whispered, staring at the clumps of blonde hair on the floor. Oh, how it mocked her.
"Don't be stupid, darling." Ana responded, gently brushing her thin hair. "You know why." With a smirk, she pushed Glinda to the ground and sat her down, beginning to braid the lank strands tightly and starting from the top of the dark roots, watching more come out in her ice-cold hands. "It's just the price you pay."
"You're pulling it too hard."
"Poor baby." The girl stared straight ahead, choosing not to retaliate.
"Did you eat this morning?"
"No."
"Glinda..." Ana warned, her tone becoming more stern. "What did you eat this morning?"
"...I-I was starving, I just had an apple, I was struggling and-"
"And so you ate fifty unnecessary calories. Are you completely mad?"
"I haven't been feeling well, I-"
"Come on, let's go to the bathroom." The girl nodded, looking up at her friend.
"Too weak to stand up?"
"No..."
"Pathetic." Sighing, Ana took both of her hands into her own, pulling her up.
"Oz, you're heavy." Grabbing her braid, the slender figure dragged her into the en-suite, slamming the door.
"These," she started, holding up two stick fingers. "Are your secret weapon. You slip up, and you can resolve the problem easily enough."
"But I don't want-"
"But you don't want to. You don't want to throw up all of those calories, all the fat?"
"Why do you have to be so mean?"
"It's tough love. I care for you more than anyone else." Yanking Glinda's hair once more, she fell to her knees before the toilet.
"Don't be scared. It gets easier." With a smirk, Ana gently rubbed circles on her back as she watched her friend place her shaking fingers down her throat.
"Glinda, I'm back."
Shit.
"Glinda?" Elphaba questioned once more, entering the bathroom, eyes immediately widening. Walking over to her, the emerald girl attempted to help her friend in the best way that she could.
"Glinda, what's wrong? Have you been tested yet?"
"I'm fine, Elphie."
"No you're not! No more lying, Lin, speak to me..."
"I'm not pregnant." Glinda murmured, falling back against her friend. Automatically, her emerald hand went to Glinda's forehead as she relaxed in her arms.
"Are you finished?"
Glinda looked up at Ana, who gave her a small nod.
"I'm finished."
"Alright. Come with me, we need to speak to you."
"We?"
Elphaba simply took the girl's smaller hands in her own, helping her to her feet.
"I should probably stay with Ana-"
"Don't worry about me. I'll wait." Ana replied as Elphaba led her out of the en suite, only to reveal Boq and Fiyero standing cautiously in the doorway.
"N-No. No, if this is some kind of intervention, then you may as well leave now."
"You either talk to us, or a therapist. Your choice." Fiyero stated, looking her in the eyes. Both boys made their way into the room as Elphaba gently led her to sit on her bed.
"I can't sit, I need to keep active."
"No, you want to keep active, you're- don't give us that look, Glinda, we need to sort this out. And if you hate us while we get you better, then so be it. As long as you're healthy."
"Fae, don't be too hard on her, give her a bit of comfort, she's being confronted about a mental illness."
"I'm not sick!"
"Glin... we know. You have Anorexia, you don't need to keep trying to hide it from us." Boq murmured as Ana slowly exited the bathroom and crept over to her victim, carefully sitting next to her and wrapping her up into a comforting embrace as she began to shake ever-so-slightly.
"I don't want to leave her!"
"Leave who, sweetheart?" Boq asked cautiously, slowly making his way over to her and taking the trembling hands into his own.
"Ana..."
"Ana? Are you two friends?"
"Yes, she studies here."
"...Does Ana tell you what you can and can't do?" Fiyero asked softly, edging closer.
"Yes. But she cares for me. It's tough love."
"But she's not a friend if she tries to change you as a person, Glinda."
"Look, I know how to-" The girl winced at the volume of her own voice, before looking down at her interlocked hands, defeated. "I know how to take care of myself." She murmured, just above a whisper as her pale face drained of any colour.
"Then let us help you take care of yourself." Boq matched her calm tone, before gently pulling her out of Ana's arms and into his own. "We're not going to let her... We're not going to let her keep encouraging you. You're safe from her."
"Don't you see? I don't want to be safe from her. She taught me to keep pushing." Glinda spoke out, her voice quieter as she shut her eyes, burying her head into the munchkin's shoulder.
"She pushed you beyond the limit."
"We'll get you a doctor." Fiyero interrupted. "The best doctor we can get. Help you gain some more weight."
"I don't need any extra weight."
"Glinda, you're skin and bone!"
"...T-That's stupid, that's nowhere near what I see in the mirror."
"Because you're brainwashed."
"Force feed me all you fucking want, I'll just throw it back up."
"'Throw it back up'?" Elphaba repeated in a hoarse voice. "So that's why you've been vomiting recently?"
"Only this one time. ...Before, I just worked myself to exhaustion." She rasped out, not moving from her current position.
"Oz, how could I be so stupid?! Spending all this time working on a plan to help the Animals, and I don't even realise my best friend is tearing her throat apart?!"
"Elphaba, lower your voice." Boq suggested.
"Alright, this can't go on. I'm not leaving you alone from now on. Today, you will eat a meal-"
"Fae, be gentle."
"...I'm sorry. Look, Glinda. It's nearly time to eat lunch. We'll sit you down, and we're going to eat a small meal together, alright? We'll all eat the same amount, it doesn't have to be many calories. You can take as long as you need and we'll only be supporting you. Tomorrow, we'll take you to the- Glinda, are you listening?"
"...Glin, have you fainted?" Boq asked soothingly, beginning to rock her gently.
And then she started to jerk.
"Everybody back up NOW!" Elphaba suddenly jumped to attention and began to clear the floor space, the volume of her voice now the least of her worries.
"W-What in Oz is going on?!" Boq stammered, his eyes widening in shock.
"She's having a seizure!" Elphaba threw her pillow onto the ground as Fiyero took her from his lap and placed her on her side with her thrashing head resting on the pillow, followed by her entire body jerking, just like she had been hit by one of Elphaba's dangerous spells.
"YERO, GO GET THE NURSE!" Elphaba screamed, holding her head gently, unable to do anything but watch and hope, hope with all her might that her body would show her some mercy and just give her a break.
Fighting back tears, Boq joined Elphaba, kneeling beside her and yet giving her enough space to thrash around without him being in the way.
"You listen to me..." He murmured, more to himself than to anyone, knowing fully well that Glinda would have no recollection of this. "Don't fight it off, sweetheart, let it take its course. You're doing great. Just hold on for a bit. Just a bit longer..."
Special thanks to Maddy for proof-reading this chapter. X