Nor didn't want to be the one to do it, but the adults had sent her up anyway. She tumbled up the stairs and stopped at Auntie Guest's big wooden door. She tried peering through the cracks first, to see what she was doing. She found a big, jagged crack and pressed her face up against it, not too worried about splinters.
Auntie Guest was writing something, and it looked to be important. Her big quill feather pen seemed to dance excitedly as she scribbled down her thoughts; Nor noticed her crossed ankles and intense look. She also noticed Auntie Witch was sticking her tongue out in a funny way, deep in concentration. She thought this was funny coming from the guest—she seemed so scary! But here she was, looking like the rest of them.
Elphaba wasn't deaf; she could hear Nor's giggling even from behind the door. She sighed and laid her pen down, uncrossed her ankles, planting her feet firmly on the ground, and cleared her throat loud enough for her unwanted visitor to hear. Nor stopped her giggling and felt a soft throb of dread bloom in her chest. She quickly ebbed it away though, convincing herself that this was no big deal. She was a big girl.
She slowly opened the door; the feather wasn't dancing, her feet weren't daintily crossed anymore, and the tongue was gone.
"What's that sullen look. Why are you here?" said Elphaba. She didn't really like Nor, she sometimes found her to be immature and sassy; but her look of dread as she entered the room stung her, although she'd never tell anyone that. Sarima would have a field day.
"They want you. Downstairs. Someone's here and they want you," Nor muttered out.
"Who would ever want me?" Elphaba half-joked, only Nor simply nodded her head. The Witch thought that was amusing; children were so honest. "Who is it," she continued, as if it were a game that she and Nor were in on, a joke between themselves. "Who's here to see the old, mean witch?"
"A girl. I dunno, I didn't get much of a look."
"Did she have a name?"
"I dunno." Elphaba was growing a little impatient now.
"What did she say, concerning me?"
"She said she's been looking for you, for a long time. And that you were green, and that there aren't any other green girls she knows of." Nor was twisting her right foot, bored. Elphaba sat back in her chair. Her face contorted as her mind raced. It couldn't be, no, it couldn't be.
Although it must've been. Suddenly, Nor's presence made her agitated, and she made a shooing motion towards the girl, who darted out of the room and down the flight of stairs, happy to be out. The Witch followed closely behind.
She descended the stairs, her black dress swishing gently. She wasn't in a hurry because she kept telling herself that it couldn't be true, Nor had played a prank on her. However, as she got closer and closer to the bottom of the staircase, Sarima and her sisters came into view, along with Liir, Irji, Manek and now Nor. The whole party was here, she thought. A very elaborate prank indeed, excellent execution. Liir noticed her.
"There's someone here to see you!" he said very excitedly. She had a soft spot for Liir, and she didn't fully understand why.
"Yeah, there is someone here to see you. Weird, did you put them under a spell?" Manek said mockingly. She had no soft spot for Manek, the little terror.
"No, Manek, I didn't put anyone under a spell... yet." She got to the bottom of the stairs and glared at him. He made a fart noise and a crude gesture.
Elphaba walked towards the door, where all of Sarima's sisters were, swarming around the poor soul who decided to stop at this circus. The sisters were intrigued, asking the visitor a million questions about life in the city and if she had a man to which she simply said "No." Sarima was outside and talking to the guest. She was composed and polite, similar to how she had been with Elphaba the first time.
There were too many bodies in the way to get a clear look, too many overlapping voices and conversations to say anything. The guest was here to see her, wasn't she? Elphaba was growing tense. Luckily, Sarima spotted her from outside, and smiled knowingly.
"Look who's come to join us! Auntie Guest!" she exclaimed, quieting the squawking sisters. They refrained themselves from asking any more questions, but they were still fidgeting with excitement. Oh the look on Auntie Guest's face was sure to be priceless. "Make some room so she can meet our new guest!" Sarima said joyfully, like the good host she was. The sisters obeyed, they cleared out, giggling to themselves. It took some maneuvering but when they were all gone Elphaba was able to look up and make eye contact with their guest.
Her hand didn't have enough time to cover her agape mouth. Her eyes had gone wide and a little bit out of focus, she let out an audible gasp, short and sweet. Her heart was dancing.
"Glinda."
"Elphie."
They were sitting around the dining room table, having a very lavish dinner. It was a guest, after all, Sarima figured. And an old friend of Fiyero's, she remembered. She sat at the head of the table, peering across at Glinda, who sat at the other end. Elphaba was to her right, and she was beaming, they all thought. They thought it strange, and Nor kept waiting to see that tongue poke back out, thinking back to before.
"So, this is the famous Glinda that my dear old hubby had told me all about?" Sarima started, smiling despite the sensitive topic which was her husband. Glinda broke off from her whisperings with Elphaba, having heard her name.
"Oh! Yes." She took a moment to regroup herself and flashed a genuine smile. "Fiyero talked about me?"
"Oh, yes, the both of you. If my memory isn't too shot I may recall him rattling on about how you, Auntie Guest, were some type of animals' rights activist?"
"Animals," Elphaba corrected between chews.
"Yes! Animals!" she clapped. "How noble!" And she meant it. "And he went on about you Miss Glinda, you and your good looks, and your sorcery." Sarima remembered those days with Fiyero, how he brought up Glinda, how he referred to her as "beautiful." It made Sarima jealous back then, but now she didn't mind it much. Glinda was truly beautiful, even in this age.
"Oh, how sweet of him," Glinda blushed, and she felt sad all of a sudden. "He was such a good man."
"Don't I know it," Sarima chuckled, wiping away a couple of loose tears. Elphaba stopped chewing, the thought of Fiyero saddening her as well.
"Well this is fun," piped up Six. They broke out laughing, despite the horribleness of it all. Elphaba was laughing too, much to their surprise.
"Let's eat!" sang Sarima.
"Dinner was wonderful," chimed Glinda. She and Elphaba were in the hall talking to Sarima. The kids barreled through them all of a sudden, and Elphaba grit her teeth in annoyance.
"Those little monsters..." she grumbled.
"Elphie, they're just kids," said Glinda. She thought back to the childhood stories that Elphaba used to tell her, how she threw rocks at the neighborhood kids once she was able to walk. "You weren't quite the angel either, if I remember correctly."
"Oh?" Sarima said in a curious tone, leaning against the dining room's doorframe and crossing her arms.
"That's beside the point," Elphaba muttered, embarrassed. Glinda hummed, happy she had won.
"Well I'm very pleased to hear your thoughts on dinner. Now, may I show you where you'll be staying?" Sarima propelled herself up off of the doorframe and extended a welcoming arm.
"No thank you, that won't be necessary. I'll be sharing Elphaba's room." Sarima raised an eyebrow. She looked at the odd pair and noticed they were both blushing. They were full-grown women, but to Sarima they seemed like young girls. She thought back to their days spent together in Shiz and simply shook her head.
"Reliving your dorm days, I see? All right by me, enjoy your stay Miss Glinda. Elphie will show you the ropes." Sarima's eyes twinkled mischievously, knowing Elphaba preferred not to be called by her real name, or her nickname for that matter. Elphaba simply rolled her eyes. "Goodnight all," Sarima chirped, and retreated to her room.
"Goodnight," they said in unison, and laughed. Elphaba hadn't felt this happy in years; she wasn't sure why Glinda was here, but she was eternally grateful.
"Did you hear what Miss Glinna said? About Auntie Witch?" Nor piped up from beneath her covers. Her brothers and Liir were milling around her room. They were all too excited to go to sleep.
"It's Glinda, Nor. Not Glinna," said Irji, a dolly in his hand.
"Whatever. And give me back my dolly!" She reached out and took it from him, hugging it close.
"I heard what she said. She called her Elfie," said Manek, who was picking at his foot.
"Elfie?" said Irji.
"Yeah, Elfie. Like an elf. Get it, 'cause she's green?"
"No no no, it's Elphie. It's a nickname," said Nor.
"How do you know that?" asked Irji.
"Because her name is Elphaba."
"How do you know that?" Nor smiled triumphantly at them.
"I heard it," she said, with an air of wisdom.
"Heard it how? You were with us," said Manek.
"I stayed back, I heard them talkin'. It was boring grown-up stuff but I heard them, I heard them talking and I heard her say her name. Mother said it too."
"It's a pretty name," said Liir, softly. He was sitting on the floor.
"Yes, and I found something else out. They're sharing a room, her room." This was exciting news to them. Auntie Witch had been nothing more than a semi-scary figure, someone who intrigued them with her odd behaviors and sourness. She had an air of mystery to her; they'd often call her Auntie Witch because it seemed to fit, because it was fun. Now they had her name.
"And did you see her at dinner? She was laughing and smiling. I don't think I've ever seen her smile."
"I've seen her smile," said Liir. They looked at him.
"You have?" asked Nor.
"It was once. It was on our way here, with the rest of the travelers. She said something nasty to the cook, who she didn't like that much, and smiled."
"That wasn't a smile you idiot, that was a sneer. Nasty and smile don't go together," said Manek."
"Oh. I guess you're right."
"What we saw tonight was smiling. Auntie Witch was smiling," Irji repeated the phrase, baffled.
"I'm gonna call her Elphaba," Nor beamed.
"She won't like you for that."
"How do you know? She was happy tonight. Maybe it'll be like this all the time." They thought about it. Maybe this new guest, an old friend of the witch's, would end up changing her. They got nostalgic for a moment, for the mysterious and gritty witch they loved to fear. But they also couldn't wait to see what might happen. It was going to be an interesting winter for all of them.
"You know itʼs just like you to come at a time like this, when my workspace is a mess," Elphaba muttered to herself as they mounted the stairs to their room, her bent elbows teetering back and forth and her skirts held up in nervous fistfuls.
"Workspace?" Glinda piped. "For what kind of work? Ooh—!" She gasped softly and tapped Elphabaʼs bony shoulder. Elphaba turned around, confused. "Did they make you their servant?" she asked. Elphabaʼs lip twitched amusedly.
"No my dear, they would have to kill me first." She grinned to herself, and opened the big, lumberous door, leading Glinda inside. "And she has her sisters for that."
Elphaba thought back to her own sister suddenly, Nessarose. How she became her caretaker since the small age of three or four. She felt a sudden, odd nostalgia for those times spent feeding her her meals and helping her balance, a green hand placed between a pair of milky shoulder blades.
"On the subject of sisters, I must ask. How's Nessarose?"
But Glinda couldn't take it anymore. With the heavy door shut, the room big and private, she began to cry, loud, deep sobs.
"How dare you." Her voice was stern and dangerous through the tears. "How dare you leave me, all those years ago. Why, Elphaba? Why did you do that?"
Elphaba sighed and bit her lip. She expected this. She just didn't expect it so soon.
"I—"
"You want to know how Nessarose is? Well I don't know, Elphaba, I'm not her sister, remember? She was in hysterics when you didn't come back."
"Oh please, Nessa was always a fighter, and strong. A little too strong if you ask m—"
"Itʼs true Elphaba. I had to care for her. Then I left. We all did. She was left alone, with Morrible breathing down her neck." Glinda took a moment to gather herself, the initial shock of her own confrontation having gone away. "If you're so curious about her, why don't you make it your job to go visit her? Or is that too much for you, seeing your own sister, after all this time."
Glinda breathed. She sat on their shared bed. Elphaba watched her, noticed her hands trembling in the slightest. She felt strangely insulted, amongst all the guilt, but she didn't say anything. There wasn't anything to say.
"How long until you were going to visit me..." She was thinking aloud, her voice a low whisper. "Not even a letter, Elphaba. I was so worried..."
"Glinda..." Elphaba started, unsure where her words would take her. She had to be careful with them, something she was never quite used to. Not now anyway, what with the kids and the sisters, pestering and torturing her. They deserved her sharp, quick tongue.
But she cared for Glinda with all her heart.
"My sweet, I cannot change the past." She sat down next to the blonde, lifting her legs up off the floor and tucking them beneath her. "It shocks me, but sometimes I wish I could. Just to relive those simpler days. Before I lost my innocence."
"What are you talking about, innocence? You were a kid just like the rest of us."
Elphaba breathed shakily, her eyes transfixed on the floor. Glinda's own breath hitched. She remembered, too, suddenly. The Incident.
"When Dr. Dillamond was murdered, I was furious. When the Wizard treated his death like a business deal, I was beyond feeling anything. I could not, would not go back. Shiz was a waste of time, Morrible the source of it all. I'm sorry Glinda, but I had to leave. He needed justice." She was rambling with enough intensity to put Glinda back into that very scene, all those years ago. A younger version of herself, patiently waiting in the carriage, just to be told that she was to return back alone. No clues as to where Elphaba might go. No promises that she'd be okay.
Over those long years, Glinda had become sure that the green girl had forgotten all about her.
"Oh Elphie!" She began to cry again, only this time quieter. She wasn't angry anymore, just confused. "Why didn't you let me go with you? What did you end up doing?"
"I can't tell you that."
Glinda grunted, annoyed by the girl's vagueness, even after all this time. She figured she deserved an explanation, had earned it.
"You're impossible," though her voice sounded clearer, her tears finally subsiding for the night. "I thought you had forgotten all about me..."
Glinda knew Elphaba wasn't one for displaying affection, but she wrapped her arms around the taller girl's waist nonetheless.
Elphaba visibly stiffened then unstiffened as she got familiar to the touch. The Witch laid a soft green hand on the blonde's cheek, then began to stroke it gently. Life in the mauntery had made her consoling.
"I could never forget you, my sweet, not even if I tried."
In the middle of the night Elphaba rolled over, awake, to find Glinda just as well. After making up the two girls were too happy to fall asleep.
"I don't know why you're here Glinda, and Iʼm not one for signs. But maybe this is a sign." Elphaba was talking in an excited whisper.
"Like what?" Glinda asked drowsily, happily. Her back was to the window, the moonlight hitting Elphabaʼs features in such a way that it made her skin look like marble. She looked beautiful in her animated expressions and speech.
"A sign to let go. To return to what once was. Iʼve been fighting for so long that Iʼve forgotten what I was once like. Do you think I can get her back?"
"I see her now in you more than any time before," said Glinda, smiling. Elphaba smiled back.
"Thatʼs great." She couldnʼt stop smiling. "Iʼm going to make it up to you Glinda. Iʼm going to make up for everything."