Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short and sorry that it's so late...
Thanks to Grumbello and lizziemagic for reviewing 24.
It took a while before air came rushing back into Glinda's lungs, but when it did, she choked out, "No. A... father wouldn't do that. Daddy wouldn't do that-"
"My father isn't like your father!" Elphaba cried, looking up at her through her tears. Her voice was thick with tears and her cheeks glistened silver, as she slowly climbed to her feet and made her way towards Glinda, going through the fence. "He doesn't praise you when you do something good, he doesn't let you do anything without his permission, you follow his rules, you do what he tells you, and you get freedom. You don't do anything without his permission."
Glinda backed up slowly, suddenly afraid of her friend.
When Elphaba's knees buckled and she collapsed in front of Glinda, wrapping her arms around herself, Glinda moved closer, reaching out to touch her. Not caring that her friend was a ghost, she sat next to Elphaba and comforted her any way she could. Eventually, Elphaba curled up on the ground, Glinda forgotten, as she lost herself in the heartbreak of the situation. The letters and photographs had brought back memories she'd buried, brought back promises that had been broken, brought back a night of freedom that ended in tragedy.
With Fiyero dead, she was trapped, her life over, her heart broken.
"E... Elphaba?"
The older girl ignored her, climbing to her feet. She looked back at Glinda and Tersan, took a deep breath, and rushed past the tomb, going further into the cemetery. Glancing back at her brother, Glinda rushed after her, keeping an eye on Elphaba and watching her feet to make sure she wasn't running into the stones. When she finally reached Elphaba, she was out of breath and her feet hurt, but she silently moved towards her, so as not to startle her.
But as though she sensed her, Elphaba turned, and after a moment, screamed,
"GET OUT!"
"But-"
"GET OUT!"
The girl did as told.
When Tersan looked up, he saw his sister rushing towards him. Forgetting the letters and pictures, she rushed to her brother, grabbed his hand, and dragged him to the fence.
"Linny? What's wrong? Where's Elphaba? What happened?"
"Not now, Ters!" She cried, shoving him towards the gate. Once both had climbed over, Glinda grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the house.
"But Linny! What happened to Elphaba?"
"Not now, Ters!"
"But-" He didn't get to finish because Glinda was pulling him through the back door and into the living room.
"Glinda? Honey, what's wrong?"
"She won't tell me!" Tersan said, pulling away from his sister and going to sit on the sofa next to his father.
"Won't tell you what, Ters?" Mr. Upland asked. Glinda looked at both her parents before saying,
"Elphaba said that her father was mean to her, and that he didn't let... her do things... and she got upset and... and ran away. And when I went after her, she told me to get out."
Mr. Upland nodded, understanding.
"Well, I think, it'd be a good idea if you left Elphaba alone for the rest of the night. Let her sort everything out, because she obviously has some things she needs to deal with, and she can't deal with them with you two around. Okay?" After a moment, Glinda nodded. "Good. And it's time for you both to go to bed. Come on." He stood, helped Tersan up and followed them up the stairs before tucking them in.
Ten minutes later, however, Glinda had settled on the window seat to watch the stars through the ivy. Knees to her chest, she kept thinking about Elphaba, and how upset she'd been that afternoon. Her mind ran through everything that could have happened to Elphaba and Fiyero.
They could have run away together.
No, that wasn't it.
If they had, Elphaba wouldn't be here.
They could have commited suicide together.
No, because Elphaba had said that he was dead- but then again, that would explain her surviving.
Maybe she couldn't go through with it.
But what was the whole thing about her father?
Maybe they got caught.
That could be it...
She drifted off to sleep, her forehead pressed against the cracked glass, as Elphaba rushed through the cemetery, blinded by tears.
When she finally collapsed among the stones, her heart had broken completely, and she didn't know the pain of heartbreak from the pain of death anymore.
Turning her face to the sky, she caught the stars watching overhead.
"FIYERO!"