"Elphie do you know exactly how long this ride is gonna be?" Galinda asked. They were settled in their first-class private compartment on the train and had just taken off.
"Well we're expected to arrive around 2pm." Elphie said.
"Oh Oz." Galinda groaned. It was barely after 8am and she was feeling impatient.
"It'll all be worth it my sweet. You'll get to see your 'twinnie' very soon."
"True." Galinda smiled.
"How about you just stretch out and take a nap or something. We're gonna be here for a while." Elphie suggested. She could tell all of her girlfriend's bubbles hadn't fully arrived yet for the day.
"Good idea. I'm still kinda sleepy." Galinda said getting comfortable in their spacy compartment.
xxx
They arrived at the train station more or less around the expected time. Chloey had called about a half hour before letting them know that she would be at the station with her father and sister. Galinda and Elphie had never been to this station before so it was a bit of a struggle tracking down Chloey's family when they arrived. Eventually Elphie was able to spot a girl who looked significantly like Galinda.
"Chlo!" Galinda squealed and dropped all of her luggage halfway there and ran to hug her friend.
"Lindie you can't just…" Elphie sighed and shook her head. She did her best to pick up her girlfriend's suitcase and carry on bags along with her own and drag it all to wear the group was.
"G!" Chloey squealed happily. They hugged so hard Chloey nearly fell backwards onto her sister.
"Watch it!" The younger girl exclaimed.
"Lindie!" Elphie said, struggling with all the bags.
"Sorry Chris." Chloey said.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry Elphie." Galinda said sheepishly.
"Dad could you help her please?" the green eyed blonde asked and the man complied and took everything from Elphie.
"Good to see you Elphaba!" Chloey said, giving her a friendly hug.
"You too Chloey." Elphie said returning the hug.
"This is my Dad, Sebastian and my sister Christa." Chloey introduced. Christa was 14 years old and looked somewhat similar to Chloey but not too much. They had the same bright green eyes and friendly smile. Christa's hair was brown, and styled back in two boxer braids. She mostly looked like her father. There was obviously no real resemblance between Sebastian and Chloey.
"Dad and Christa, this is my wonderful friend Galinda and her roommate Elphaba." she said. They all greeted each other appropriately. Elphie figured that they must have been pre-warned about the green because they made no outward mention of it, but she could see in their eyes that they were a bit caught off guard. Sebastian did happen to notice and unusual resemblance between Galinda and his daughter but made no mention of it as well.
"Have you ladies had lunch?" he asked as he was loading up the car.
"We had train food, but I could go for some real food." Galinda said.
"We were planning on going to Subbies. Have either of you been there before?" he asked and both girls said no.
"It's only the best sandwich joint in Wittica! I think you'll really like. We go all the time." Chloey said as they got in the car.
"You and I typically like the same things so I think I will." Galinda smiled
"I'm willing to try it." Elphie said.
xxx
As they rode along, Chloey told them a little bit about her summer so far. Dylan came to visit recently and met her family and everything. Galinda and Elphaba shared some of theirs as well. Chloey and Christa were very curious about what Colwen Grounds was like and everything they did there. Elphie had to do a lot of explaining because they weren't all that familiar with Munchkinland.
"So you're like famous?" Christa asked Elphaba.
"I'm not famous at all. I just happen to be the granddaughter of the governor and since my mother is deceased I'm next in line to rule. Unless one of my siblings were to step up, which they aren't yet allowed to do because they have not come of age." Elphie explained. She honestly thought that Nessa would be far more suitable and willing to be the Eminent Thropp. They had two more years until Nessa would turn 18. That's why Elphie strongly hoped that nothing would happen to her grandfather within that time because if so then she would have no choice but to become the governor. It's not like she wanted to dump all of the responsibility onto her sister, it was just that Nessa was more into that type of stuff than her. They had talked about it before and had talked with Ingrid about it to see what she thought. They were both 'preparing' in some way or another but since Elphaba was over 18 she was the only one allowed to do any major preparation. Ingrid constantly reassured them not to worry too much because they had estimated a good amount of years before either of them would have to consider taking office. Galinda personally felt like Elphie should be the governor, at least for a brief period of time so she could amend the same sex marriage law in Munchkinland.
"So…you're like a princess?" Christa asked and Elphie sighed.
"I am not a princess. My grandfather is a governor not a king."
"But in a way you kind of are and you have the potential to become a queen. Thats pretty cool."
"But I'm not a-."
"Just let it go Elphaba." Chloey chuckled.
"In Christa's defense, Colwen Grounds is basically the size of a castle." Galinda added.
"Don't encourage this." Elphie said seriously and the blondes laughed.
xxx
Elphie and Galinda both enjoyed their first time at Subbies and thought it was very delicious. The place basically allowed people to customize their own sub sandwiches and had the widest variety of options. Chloey said they go there a lot because there's always different combinations to try so you can't get bored of the same thing.
They arrived at Chloey's house not too long after they left. It wasn't quite as big as Galinda's house, but it was definitely larger than the average house. They made their way inside and Sebastian helped with their bags.
"Mom is out getting her hair done and my older sister Hildey is out doing whatever it is she does. I'm not sure when either of them will be back. I guess I'll show you guys to your room and after you unpack and stuff then I can show you around the house." Chloey suggested.
"Sounds good." Galinda said then gasped when she saw a little, white kitten peeking into the foyer. "Is that Ivory?" she gushed. Chloey nodded.
"Come here baby." she said kneeling down and opening her arms. The kitten slowly made her way into Chloey's welcoming arms and she picked her up. "Say hi to my friends."
"Awwww. She is so adorable!" Galinda said as she gently pet her. It made her miss Sijo and Sady a little bit.
"Elphaba this is Christa's kitten, Ivory. She got her for her birthday last month."
"She's beautiful." Elphie said when she had a turn to pet her.
"She's a little uneasy around strangers." Chloey said when the kitten nestled closer to her.
"I've been looking all over for you Ivory!" Christa said coming back down stairs to the foyer.
"Time to go back to mama." Chloey said passing the kitten to her sister, then motioned for Galinda and Elphaba to follow her up the stairs.
xxx
"We have a guest room with a futon couch that pulls out into a queen sized bed. I had a feeling you'd rather stay in a room together so our housekeeper, Andrea, setup an air mattress in there as well. It's up to you if you use it or not." Chloey said as they were walking.
"Aw, we appreciate it. But to be honest it probably won't get used." Galinda smiled.
"As long as you two are being appropriate in there. I mean it, I'll be checking in on you." The green eyed blonde warned.
"Chloey!" Galinda said, blushing slightly and Elphie blushed deeply.
"Here we are." Chloey said, opening the door. It was an average sized room with a lavender futon couch pulled out as a bed and the air mattress was set up across from it. The room was modestly decorated. There was a small conjoined bathroom, a closet, a dresser and shelves with various little trinkets on them. There was also a large window with elegant lace curtains.
"This is nice." Elphie said, setting her bags down.
"Wow I love the view. Your backyard is so big!" The blue eyed blonde said looking out the window.
"I know, twinnie. I think this room has the best view of it." Chloey said, she wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder as they looked out the window together.
"Is that the fruit garden?" Galinda asked.
"Yep. I can't wait to show you guys everything. But I'll give you some time to unpack and settle in. I'll be back in about 15 minutes, okay?"
"Okay." Galinda said and they linked their pinkies briefly which is something they occasionally did before parting ways. It was Elphie's first time noticing it. Elphie noticed that the blondes were being a bit clingier than usual towards each other but knew that it was just because they hadn't seen each other in a while. But their closeness didn't bother Elphie anymore because she knew that there was no other person in Oz closer to Galinda than herself.
"First things first." Galinda said once the door closed behind Chloey. She pulled Elphie close and kissed her deeply for a few long seconds.
"I love you." She said looking into her chocolate eyes.
"I love you more."
"Chloey is in a relationship now so she understands what it's like to need some alone time with your partner. But I certainly don't want her to feel left out or like a third wheel around us. You know?" Galinda said.
"I know what you mean my sweet."
"But that doesn't mean we can't take full advantage of the time that we have alone. You feel me?" Galinda giggled.
"I feel you." Elphie grinned and kissed her. They spent the next few minutes making out.
They had just started unpacking when Chloey returned. The green eyed blonde asked no questions but helped them out.
"My dad went out to pick up some stuff for dinner later. He's gonna grill up some turkey burgers. I'm so excited!" Chloey brought up.
"Ooh that sounds delicious!" Galinda bubbled then paused when she remembered Elphie. "Chloey… Elphie's a vegetarian."
"I know G, you told me." Chloey smiled. "Dad asked about you two's dietary concerns before he left. Have you ever had a veggie burger Elphaba?"
"I haven't."
"I have. They're like regular burgers but made with no meat. They're actually pretty good. I told him to get some of those as well. They'll be for everyone but specifically for you."
"Thanks Chloey, I appreciate that." Elphie said.
"No problem. I gotchu girl." she smiled.
xxx
Once they were done unpacking, Chloey began to show them around starting with the upstairs.
"Is your housekeeper here?" Galinda asked.
"No, she doesn't live here. She only comes by a couple days a week."
"Really? Janina and Natiya are basically apart of the family at my house." Galinda said.
"I've never been close to Andrea. She just does her job and goes home." Chloey said. "By the way mom never allowed any housekeepers or maids to clean up me, Hildey or Christa's bedrooms. She said we needed to learn responsibility and being overly pampered wasn't good for our development. But she cleans up my parent's room. They claim it's because they're 'working adults' but I think they're just lazy." she said. Galinda laughed and Elphie chuckled.
"This is my room." Chloey said opening the door that had a sparkly "C" on the outside. She had a typical teenage room. It was very trendy and decorative. She had a comfortable looking daybed, a large tv across from it, posters and lights on her walls. The room had a turquoise color scheme. There was a spacious bathroom that she shared with Christa.
"This bathroom connects to Christa's room. Follow me. We're super close, we hang out in each other's rooms all the time." she said as she opened the door. Christa's room was set up similar to Chloey's although it was a little less 'grown-up' and had a peach color scheme. After that they headed down the hallway to Hildey's room.
"She usually doesn't like us going in her room, but she's not here so it doesn't matter."
"Chlo, you don't have to show us if she's not comfortable with that." Galinda said.
"Don't worry, she won't even know." Chloey said as she opened the door. Hildey's room was quite messy compared to the others and had a weird gothic vibe about it. They didn't stay long. Chloey proceeded to show them the rest of the upstairs then downstairs and then they went outside. The family had a fairly large pool in their backyard along with a big trampoline. Further back there was a path that led to the fruit garden where they had a wide variety of freshly grown fruits. They had a gardener who came by several days a week to maintain it. Along the way there was a small gazebo, where Chloey and Christa would play in all the time when they were younger. When they got back inside the house, Chloey's mom, Chelsea, had just arrived.
"Hi mom!" Chloey smiled and gave her a hug. "Oh my Oz I love the new hair!" she exclaimed. Chelsea had just gotten her chestnut brown hair layered with freshly cut bangs. She was a good looking woman with bright green eyes just like her daughters. She resembled Chloey a slightly more than Christa.
"Glad you like it, Chlo-zo." that was a nickname derived from her middle name 'Zoey.' She low key hated the fact that her first and middle name rhymed, but her mom had been occasionally calling her 'Chlo-zo' for as long as she could remember.
"Mom, these are my friends that I told you were coming to visit."
"Oh hello there, I'm Chelsea." she smiled.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Galinda." Galinda smiled and extended her hand. Chelsea shook her hand but was looking at her very intensely. She glanced at her daughter then back at her blue eyed friend. Her eyes went wide for a moment. That didn't go unnoticed by the girls. "Galinda? Galinda… oh yes. Of course. A pleasure to finally meet you."
"And mom, this is Elphaba." Chloey said, then remembered her mom had missed the warning earlier about her coloring. The woman looked quite surprised.
"Oh my! Your skin!" she exclaimed.
"I-" Elphie started, prepared to say her usual lines, but was cut off.
"She was born that way mom. Please don't make a big deal of it."
"Well...it's very different. Very unique." Chelsea said once she composed herself.
"She's a truly nice girl mom, don't let this distract you from getting to know her better. She's our friend for a reason." Chloey said. Galinda was impressed. She knew Chloey had stood up for Elphie several times in the past, but actually hearing it made her heart swell a little.
"Of course Chlo-zo. My apologies Elphaba. It is very nice to meet you." Chelsea smiled and extended her hand.
"Same to you." Elphie smiled politely and shook her hand.
"Where are the other girls?"
"Chris is probably in the family room and Hildey's been out since noon. Dad should be home any minute though."
"Ah, yes. He told me he needed to make a few stops." Chelsea said. "Well I'm going to go get settled in. I guess I'll see you all at dinner."
"Alright mom."
"See you soon Mrs. Kenzington." Galinda said.
"Please, call me Chelsea." she said and they nodded. She stared at Galinda for a few more seconds before heading up the stairs.
xxx
Later that evening, Sebastian was outside grilling up the burgers. The girls were all in the family room watching tv, playing with Ivory, telling stories and laughing. Hildey came home during this time and peeked in there to see what all the commotion was.
"Oh hey Hildey." Christa said. She was currently laying on the floor with Ivory crawling on top of her.
"Where have you been?" Chloey asked.
"Just out. It's not really any of your business." the older girl said.
"Guys, this is our sister Hildegard." Chloey said.
"It's Hildey. Do not call me Hildegard, ever."
Hildegard aka 'Hildey' was 23 years old. She was about Elphie's height. Her natural hair was the same color as Christa's, cut into a short bob with a slight ombre and had dark brown eyes like her father. She looked partially like Christa but not at all like Chloey. She and Chloey didn't always get along. Most of Hildey's attitude towards her sister was due to the fact that she was jealous of her. Chloey was so beautiful, she was smart, she easily got along with everyone and had a lot of friends. She also now had a boyfriend and Hildey had been single for over a year. She was always just considered average as far as looks go. She flunked out of University half way through her sophomore year and recently started taking remedial classes at the local community college. She claimed to hate Chloey but deep down she wanted to be her.
"Hi Hildey." Galinda smiled.
"Is this the one you call your 'twinnie'?" she asked looking back and forth between the blondes.
"Yes." Chloey said.
"That's actually creepy." she was freaked out a again when she noticed Elphaba.
"Oh dear Oz! You weren't kidding when you said she was green." Hildey said looking slightly confused, terrified and disgusted of Elphie.
"Hildey!"
"Why in the hell is your skin green?!"
"Hildegard!" Chloey exclaimed.
"It's fine, Chloey. You have no idea how use to this I am." Elphie said quietly then turned to Hildey. "My skin has always been green, it's how I was born. I'm not seasick, I never ate grass, it doesn't wash off and no it's not contagious."
"But...how?"
"There's really no other explanation." Galinda said and Hildegard looked perplexed.
"Y'all are weird. I'm going to my room." shel rolled her eyes and left.
xxx
The family reconvened for dinner and it was delicious. Elphaba and Galinda were noticing similar patterns and traits about everyone. Christa was very interactive and quirky and seemed to have a lot of sisterly chemistry with Chloey, they were the life of the family. Hildey was kinda moody and seemed a bit rude and annoyed with life and everyone in it. Sebastian was quite a funny, sarcastic guy and full of the typical 'dad jokes.' Chelsea was very nice but always seemed to be studying Galinda in a way that was starting to make her uncomfortable.
xxx
Later that night, Galinda was washing up in the bathtub. Elphie was sitting on the closed toilet seat talking to her and keeping her company. Her breath hitched, as usual when the blonde stood up to get out. Elphie opened up a fluffy towel and wrapped her up in it.
"Thank you." she giggled. "Aren't you going to wash up?"
"I will soon. How about you go spend some time with Chloey while I'm bathing." Elphie suggested.
"Are you sure?" the blonde asked skeptically.
"Yes my sweet. Just like you don't want Chloey to feel like a third wheel between us, I don't want to feel like a third wheel between the two of you." Elphie explained.
"Is that how you feel Elphie? You're my girlfriend, you're not a third wheel." Galinda said getting worried.
"No, Lindie. I don't mean it like that."
"I still don't want to leave you alone."
"I'll be fine my sweet. I could use some introvert time while you two have your gossipy, blonde-girl, chit-chat time." Elphie said.
"Seriously Elphie, I don't mind staying with you."
"Lindie, don't make me have to kick you out." Elphie said seriously and the blonde smiled.
"Would you really kick me out right now? I'm naked." she giggled.
"Well then Chloey is just gonna have to see you naked because you need to leave."
"Elphie!" the blonde laughed as she got dressed. "Fine I'll go."
"Good girl. You finally realized that I'm 19 and I don't need a babysitter." Elphie teased.
"I loathe you." Galinda said and Elphie raised an eyebrow. "Just kidding. I love you so so so so so so so much! Don't ever forget that sweetheart." she kissed her deeply.
"Never have, never will." Elphie smiled and return the kissed. They hugged then kissed again then Elphie patted Galinda's bottom, sending her out of the room.
xxx
"Come in!" Chloey called when she heard a knock on her door. She was comfortable on her bed, doing some online window shopping. "Oh hey G. Whats up?"
"My girlfriend kicked me out."
"Wait what?" Chloey said not sure if she should be amused or concerned.
"No big deal. She said I should come in here while she gets ready for bed." Galinda smiled
"Oh you know very well I don't mind, twinnie. Pop a squat." she said patting the space beside her as she sat her laptop aside and the blue eyed blonde obliged.
"So how do you like being here so far?" Chloey asked.
"I really like it Chlo. You're house is very nice. I enjoyed our time at Colwen Grounds and all but to be honest everything there felt so strict and formal. It feels more comfortable and relaxed here. Also, you and I are only used to seeing each other at school so it's cool to get to see what your home life is like."
"That's true. What do you think of my family?"
"Well I have different opinions about each of them."
"Start with Christa."
"I love her personality, she's adorable. She's basically a younger version of you and a lot easier to get along with than Nessa." Galinda said honestly.
"Nessa was that bad?"
"No, not bad. We just started out kind of bumpy, but we got over it. Although sometimes she still has her moments."
"What do you think of Hildey?"
"Well…" Galinda started, not sure if she should give her honest opinion. "I mean, she kind of reminds me of…"
"Feana." Chloey filled in.
"I didn't want to offend you, but yes."
"Oh please G, I know. How do you think I survived rooming with Feana for a year? It's because I have my own version of her here at home." Chloey said. Her and Feana were very good friends initially, but just like enemies can become close friends, close friends can become enemies.
"How about my dad?"
"He's so funny and he can grill some mean burgers."
"I know right." Chloey laughed. "My mom?"
"She's nice as well. But she's been looking at me strangely all evening."
"Yeah, I noticed that."
"Should we tell her that we know?" Galinda asked.
"I don't know. I was hoping she would be the first to bring it up. Let's wait it out tomorrow and see if she does. If not then we have to say something because I need answers." Chloey said.
"Me too."
xxx
"Do you guys want some fresh watermelon to go with breakfast?" Chloey asked as she pulled a big slice out of the refrigerator. "It's very ripe and sweet."
"Oh I do! I love watermelon." Galinda bubbled. "Can you even eat watermelon Elphie?"
"I've never had it before but if it has the word 'water' in it's name then I probably shouldn't" Elphie said.
"No worries. We have plenty of grapes and nectarines. Have whatever you like." Chloey said. The girls ate their fruit along with the rest of their breakfast and talked about going out to the pool later since it seemed to be such a nice day. After their food had digested they headed upstairs to get ready.
"20 minutes or else I'm coming in there." Chloey warned when she dropped Galinda and Elphie off in their room.
"We'll be ready Chlo." Galinda said as she closed the door behind them then kissed Elphie long and hard.
"Not that I want to stop this Lindie, but you should actually get ready." Elphie said after a few minutes.
"You're right." Galinda said after one more kiss. "I feel bad about all of us getting in the pool when you can't."
"It's fine my sweet. I'll be content just watching you all. And if I get bored of that then I have a book to read."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Even if I could get in water, I wouldn't. My time of the month started this morning, remember."
"That's what tampons are for sweetheart." Galinda said. "Oh yeah I was supposed to teach you how to use those." She remembered.
"Well now is not the time Lindie. I guess I'll have to take another rain check."
"Fine, fine." The blonde said as she went to retrieve her swimwear. "I'm so excited you get to see my new swimsuit Elphie!" She exclaimed. She went into the bathroom to change to keep it a surprise.
"What do you think?" She asked when she came out and struck a sexy pose. Elphie's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Galinda was wearing a tie dye pink bikini. The bottom piece tied up on the sides and the top tied around the neck.
"Elphie?" The blonde asked, after the green girl had just been staring for about 30 seconds.
"It's...you look amazing in that Lindie. But are you really going to wear it outside?" She asked and Galinda laughed.
"Of course silly, that's the point." She said. "Don't worry, Chloey and Christa will be wearing something similar to this. I'm glad they have a private pool and it's all girls here so I don't have to worry about any gross boys gawking at me."
"You've worn this in front of boys?" Elphie said, appalled. Galinda laughed again.
"Yes Elphie. They're kinda meant to be worn in public."
"I don't see a difference between that and your usual underwear and brassiere."
"Well...this one is socially acceptable and made specifically for water." Galinda giggled.
"If you say so." Elphie said, still unable to take her eyes off of her. "May I kiss you again?"
"Why do you even have to ask?" Galinda smiled, pulling her up and pressing their lips together. Elphie felt Galindas body pressing against her own. She ran her hands down the blonde's bare sides, over her perfectly curved hips and soft bottom. They got lost in each other and lost track of time. They both jumped when they heard a sudden knock on the door.
"G? Elphaba? Hurry up!" Chloey called. Galinda opened the door and Elphie blushed.
"We're coming. I just need to grab my cover-up and do something with my hair."
"Looking good twinnie." The green eyed blonde said.
"Thanks twin." The blue eyed blonde smiled as she stepped into her thin, strapless cover-up dress. Chloey was already wearing her cover-up so her swimsuit wasn't visible.
"How does your bathing suit fit?" Galinda asked as she tied her curly hair up in a really messy bun. Elphie was getting her shoes on and trying to decide which book she should bring.
"It fits pretty well. Usually when I have a strapless top I'm afraid that my boobs will pop out. But this one is nice and snug."
"That's good." Galinda chuckled then slipped on her matching flip flops.
"All set?" Chloey asked.
"All set." She smiled. Chloey led the way and Galinda looped arms with Elphie as they walked slightly behind her.
xxx
Chloey moved one of the chairs back a safe distance away from the water for Elphie to sit in. She warned that Christa likes diving into the pool and although she's a small girl, she makes a big splash.
"Why isn't Elphaba getting in?" Christa asked.
"She...doesn't like water." Galinda said and the younger girl just shrugged. The three girls shed their cover-ups and coated their bodies in sun screen. Chloey had on a sparkly, white bikini. The bottom tied up like Galinda's and the top had no straps. Christa's was green and a style that Galinda referee to as a tankini.
"This is my first time getting in a pool this summer." Galinda bubbled as she took her twinnie's hand. Christa went ahead of them and did a front flip off the small diving board.
"She's such a show off." Chloey shook her head.
"Oh my Oz, it's cold!" Galinda squealed when she dipped toe in.
"Let's go this way." Chloey said, guiding her to the stairs that led into the water. They slowly made their way in as Galinda was being overly dramatic about how cold it was.
"Guys the best way to warm up is to get your whole body in." Christa said when she swam over to them.
"That's true. Let's all go under in 3...2...1!" Chloey said and all three girls went under water. Elphie gasped when she saw them all disappear under the water and wasn't able to breathe again until they came back up. When she saw them laughing, she realized she was overreacting. The girls splashed, swam around and played a few games. Elphie tried to read her book but she couldn't take her eyes off of Galinda. The blue eyed blonde was so beautiful, graceful, adorable, and silly. Her little antics made the green girl laugh out loud a couple of times. She was also very sexy. Her bathing suit clung tighter to her body when it was wet. It was making Elphaba feel tingly inside.
xxx
They stayed out there for most of the afternoon, only taking a break for lunch which they ate outside at the picnic table. By time they went back inside for good, Chelsea was just getting in from work.
"Hi Mommy!" Christa said, opening her arms.
"No hugs. You're wet and you smell like chlorine." She said. "Everyone go wash up. Especially you blondes, make sure you wash your hair." Chelsea said shooing all of the girls out of the living room.
"I almost forgot about that." Galinda said as they were leaving.
"About what?" Elphie asked.
"Pool water can turn blonde hair green."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's the chlorine that will give it an ugly green tint if you don't wash it out properly. It's never happened to me though. My mom has always been paranoid and enforces me to always wash my hair or wear a swim cap…and I do not look very flattering in a swim cap." Chloey said and they all chuckled. They went to their rooms and got in the shower. Elphie washed up while she was at it as well.
xxx
They all reconvened when they were done and just hung out in the family room like they did yesterday. Hildey was in there and went back and forth with Chloey briefly before getting an attitude and leaving. Chelsea came in eventually and made small talk with them for a while.
"Galinda, what is your last name again?" She asked.
"Upland." Galinda asked and noticed the woman's eyes widening a bit.
"Would your father happen to be Darol Upland?"
"Yes." She said and Chelsea bit her lip and nodded.
"Chris, I was going to make some cobbler for dessert tonight. I'd appreciate it if you went out to the garden to gather me some fresh blackberries." Chelsea said after a few minutes.
"Sure mom. No problem." Christa said, getting up to go get her shoes.
"Oh Elphaba, I hate to ask but would you mind going with her?"
"Of course." Elphie said, sensing that Chelsea needed to talk to Galinda and Chloey alone. She discreetly gave her girlfriend's hand a squeeze before leaving.
"Mom, we know." Chloey said once they were alone.
"What do you know Chlo-zo?"
"Dad is not my biological father and Galinda is my half-sister." she stated bluntly and the woman sighed. "You've been looking at Galinda so suspiciously ever since she got here. I'm sure you've noticed, along with everyone else, that we look alike in a very uncanny way. And how else would you just happen to know who her father is?"
"I didn't want to tell you this until you were older." Chelsea said.
"Mom. I am 19. Just how long did you plan on waiting?" Chloey asked, annoyed.
"It's just…the more years that went by, the harder it was to bring up."
"Well now the cat is out of the bag and you have a lot of explaining to do."
"Well...Galinda, I did obviously know your father Darol. We worked for the same company that had various offices throughout Gillikin. I worked here in Wittca while he worked in Frottica. We had met on a couple of occasions and became good friends. There was one year he had to come to the Wittica office for about two weeks. He wasn't single all of the previous times we met, he had been dating some sorceress woman. But during that time he claimed he was. Sebastian and I weren't married yet at the time, but were together. Darol was unaware of all of this. We worked very closely with each other while he was in town and we became quite infatuated with one another…and well…" The woman trailed off.
"Had an affair." Chloey supplied and her mother nodded.
"We didn't keep in touch very much a few weeks after he left, but when we did it turned out that he was back together with that sorceress woman."
"That sorceress woman is my mom." Galinda said.
"Yes, of course." Chelsea said. "I didn't care very much because I had Sebastian. And it wasn't long before I found out I was pregnant. I spent 9 months under the assumption that I was carrying Sebastian's child. But that November, about a few days after you were born, we both noticed something was a little off. The doctor suggested getting a DNA test, which I was nervous about. But we did it and it turned out that Sebastian was not your father."
"Dad must have been devastated. It's a miracle that you two are even still together." Chloey said.
"There was a lot of confusion but I finally came clean about my affair with Darol. That created a lot of tension between me and your dad but we eventually worked it out. The doctor said I should get Darol in town as soon as possible for a test. So I did. He was not very happy with me. He had no idea I had a baby, he didn't even know I was pregnant and it turned out that the baby was his. There was a lot of drama as you could imagine. We had a series of intense arguments. I wanted him to just go back to Frottica and forget about it. But he felt that since he was your father then he should have a right to be in your life."
"That's right. He certainly should have had the right to be in my life." Chloey said.
"And he did Chlo-zo, he did. We ended up taking the issue to court. We considered having a joint custody, where you would spend an equal amount of time with both parents, but that obviously wasn't very practical considering that we lived in two separate cities. So I became your custodial parent and Darol had visitation rights every week."
"So how come I never knew about him if he was visiting me every week when I was a baby?"
"Because honey, the visits just got harder and harder. Wittica is not right up the street from Frottica. And every time he did come, he and I ended up having some sort of argument, fight, or fall out. It was beginning to take a toll on everyone. And I didn't think it was appropriate for you to be exposed to so much negativity." Chelsea said.
"So what happened?" Chloey asked.
"I was doing pretty much all of the work anyway and Sebastian and I were already married. So I convinced Darol to sign over all of his parental rights to us and eventually he did." Chelsea explained. "I felt bad about it at first but not so much when I found out that he was engaged to Galinda's mother and they were expecting their own little girl. I figured he would have his own life over there while we would have our own over here. Over time, I switched jobs, life moved on and we just completely lost contact with each other."
"I can't believe this. I can't believe any of this." Chloey said. Galinda on the other hand was too overwhelmed to say anything. "All these years you knew that I'm not dad's daughter. I don't even know if I'm suppose to call him dad anymore! Everyone was lying to me this whole time. And I actually met my biological dad when I was a baby although I have no recollection of it. And all this time you knew that I had a half- sister out there somewhere who I was just never gonna meet? And that makes Christa my half-sister too." Chloey said, distressed. "So Hildegard and I aren't even related. I've always been told she was my half-sister...but we're stepsisters? Does she know about all this?" she wouldn't be surprised if Hildey knew all along. The older girl always tried convincing her that she was adopted since she was little.
"Hildey doesn't know. She was always at her mom's house during Darol's visitations." Chelsea explained. The used to have a joint custody with Hildegard's mother. She would spend equal with time both parents every week. She didn't completely move in with Sebastian and Chelsea until her mother died when she was 15.
"I still can't believe you guys would just lie to me for my entire life! I feel like I can't trust anyone anymore!" Chloey exclaimed and stormed out of the room. Galindas eyes filled with tears. She looked at the door, then back at Chelsea. "I know this is a lot for you girls to take in. Go after her, please." She said. Galinda nodded and ran after her twinnie.
xxx
She headed out of the back door after hearing it slam. She ran down the trail through the fruit garden. She bumped into Elphaba and Christa who were carrying a basket full of blackberries.
"Lindie?" Elphie said, surprised to see her.
"Chloey went that way." Christa pointed towards the gazebo.
"She seemed really upset and wouldn't tell us what was wrong. She said she wanted to be alone." Elphie said and Galinda sighed.
"It's really complicated. I promise we'll fill you guys in later, but I need to go check on her." Galinda said. Elphie could sense how stressed and upset her girlfriend was and it made her sad.
"Go ahead back to the house Christa, I'm right behind you." She said. The younger girl nodded and headed back. As soon as they were alone, Elphie wrapped Galinda up in her arms and held her tightly. After a long embrace she kissed her softly on the lips.
"I love you my precious girl. Everything is going to be okay." Elphie said softly and Galinda wiped her eyes.
"Thanks Elphie, I needed that."
"Now go make sure Chloey is alright." Elphie said and Galinda nodded. They squeezed each other's hands before parting ways. Elphie watched her briefly, then headed back to the house.
xxx
Galinda made her way to the gazebo. Her heart broke when she saw Chloey sobbing on the bench. She wordlessly sat down beside her and hugged her tight. The green eyed blonde wrapped her arms around her twinnie and cried into her shoulder. Galinda had seen Chloey cry before, but never this intensely. Galinda was overwhelmed with all the new information as well but she tried to be strong. Both of them breaking down at the same time would be a mess. She also didn't want to get too worked up until she went home and heard her dad's side of the story.
"Chlo?" she said after a few minutes. Chloey looked up and Galinda wiped the tears off her friend's cheeks with her hands. "Don't cry sis." she said. Chloey couldn't help but smile for a second. But then she sighed in frustration.
"I can't believe she would keep this from me! And for so long. Something this big shouldn't have been kept a secret for almost 20 years! My entire life is just a big lie." she said and continued ranting for a good while.
"To be fair, both of our lives are a lie. I want to know what my dad will have to say about it all, but at the same time I'm really nervous." Galinda said.
"Obviously both of our parents had no intention of telling us, so I can't help but think… What if one or both of us never went to Shiz? What if we never met? Or just never became friends? Or what if we never made up from that fight we had? Or what if I had never told you that secret that helped you put all of this together? We would have just never known..."
"I think about that too. It's scary." Galinda admitted.
"It really is. University didn't work out well for Hildey so my parents were reluctant about sending me. I was very close to not going. I'm really glad I went...but what if I hadn't?"
"Instead of focusing on the 'what ifs' Chlo, let's focus on the 'what is'" Galinda said.
"What is?"
"What is important is that we found each other. Call it luck, call it fate, call it whatever, but the point is we've been missing from each other's lives all these years and we didn't even know. But we finally found each other. Now it is confirmed that our uncanny resemblance is not just a coincidence." she said taking Chloey's hands in both of hers. "We're sisters and our dad obviously has some very strong genes."
"That's true." Chloey chuckled. "You're my sis from a different miss."
"I think we are actually twins...born 10 months apart….from two different women." Galinda giggled.
"How would that even be possible?" Chloey laughed.
"I don't know, but we're living proof. It's a medical mystery." Galinda said and they both laughed.
"G, you're the best half-sister I never even knew I had."
"No, you're the best Chlo." Galinda smiled and hugged her sister.
