Dear Old Shiz
The proudliest sight there is
She was sitting on her bed, laying on her stomach actually, writing entrance essays and applying for scholarships to various schools throughout Oz. She wanted to attend Shiz University, but she doubted she'd get in without a letter of recommendation from her father and she hadn't summoned the courage to ask him for one yet.
Elphaba knew that she would probably end up being sent wherever Nessa wanted to go. Unfortunately Nessa wasn't particularly interested in where she went, she was more concerned with getting the whole thing over with as quickly as possible. So Elphaba didn't see the harm in applying for scholarships to the schools she really wanted to enroll in, she figured if she could pull off a full-ride then maybe she could convince Frex to let her go.
She'd just lit a candle to continue with her self-imposed assignment when a knock came to her door and Nanny poked her head in.
"Hey," Elphaba said quietly, looking up from her parchment. "Anything you need?"
Nanny didn't answer for a long time. She seemed to be lost in thought, staring at Elphaba's green quill, which was steadily hovering above her essay, waiting to flow with eloquence. A soft smile appeared on the aging woman's lips and Elphaba got the distinct impression she'd been carried off to another time, somewhere far away in the past.
"No, I just needed to tell you that dinner will be in ten minutes. Your father requested we eat early tonight so you could go up and see him between his meetings tonight." She finally answered.
Elphaba's brow furrowed in confusion, "See him? Nessa and I?"
"No, no just you. He thought he'd have about fifteen minutes between his six and seven o'clock appointments and wanted to talk with you."
"Alright, I'll be down in a minute."
"Good girl."
With that Nanny shut the door and returned to whichever corner of the mansion she'd come from.
Elphaba drained her quill and replaced the lid on the ink bottle, then neatly set her essays on the corner of the desk. Afterwards she quickly put Ozmatlas back in the box. She'd gotten it out hours before to have something to look at while she tried to organize her thoughts. It was currently smoldering with purplish fog, and had been doing that for as long as it had been free of its wooden prison. She couldn't figure the odd thing out, sometimes she'd catch a glimpse of an image, or at least she thought she did. Other times it would swirl and twirl smoke languidly or angrily like now, and more still it would go milky white and pretend to be lifeless.
She'd consulted the library on it, without luck. She hadn't expected to find much, her father would never allow books on supposedly magical objects to line the shelves of his home. So it was a mystery, and one she certainly didn't have time to fathom that night so she put it in its spot and replaced the necklace that the key was on to its rightful place around her neck.
She washed her hands hurriedly and then rushed down the stairs and into the dining room.
Nessa was already at the table next to Nanny. Elphaba took her seat across from them and tucked the cloth napkin over her lap. Seconds later Mrs. Mildred and Luliana, her apprentice, brought supper in.
Vinkus style wantons and noodles a la Emerald City, yum.
They dug in, sitting in companionable silence. Well, as companionably as any of them were when they were all together. Elphaba wasn't one for small talk, neither was Nanny (though she had an unruly fondness for juicy gossip) and Nessa had learned to avoid it after years of dining alone with them. After a while Nanny broke the silence with some news from the city and some scandalous tidbit on the Duke of Kvon Altar's niece. Elphaba and Nessa hhmmed and ahhed at the appropriate times and apart from that dinner went uninterrupted.
When the three had finished Luliana came in to clear the dishes and Nessa wheeled herself away to some obscure part of the house while Nanny had her regular post-dinner glass of wine. Elphaba left the dining room, heading towards her father's office.
On the way up to the east wing of the house she wondered what in Oz he wanted to see her for. Schools was her best guess, maybe Nessa had finally picked one and just hadn't informed her yet. Or maybe Nessa had at least been accepted to one, though Elphaba doubted it. She was only half-way through with all her entrance papers, there was no way her younger sister was finished with them yet.
She knocked on the heavy Quox-wood doors of the study and waited for the muffled "Enter" before pulling the brassy handle to walk in.
She found Frex sitting on one of the leather chairs going over some papers, his reading glasses were perched on the edge of his nose and his state robes were draped over the opposite couch.
"You wanted to see me?" She asked, unsure as to where to start.
"Yes," he said looking up. He set the papers down, pulled off his glasses, letting them rest around his neck.
"I wanted to talk to you about schools. I know you want to attend Shiz," he began.
She prepared herself for disappointment, her hopes dashed already.
"And I would agree that it would certainly be the best choice. It's the most prestigious university in the country and I won't have you going to Quox. Not that they have any better schools," he continued. "So I took the liberty of sending the school's officials a copy of one of Nessa's essays and then one of yours. They accepted your sister and you as well. So this fall you'll take a train out. I'm not going to send Nanny with you so I expect you to look after your sister very well."
Elphaba nodded. She was doing her best to stay composed, inside she felt like breaking into a dance and a song. Well a song anyway, she'd never been one for much dancing.
But still, Shiz! She thought, that was the last place she'd expected Nessa to choose or her father to let her go.
"You'll both have to study politics heavily, but I understand that there will be other courses you'll want to take. The headmaster is expecting a letter from both of you to choose your electives. You'll have to help Nessa with hers and of course complete your own.
Fine, fine. Nessa would have begged for my help anyway.
"Any questions."
Elphaba couldn't think of any, she was too excited.
Well, maybe one.
"Does Nessa know?"
"Of course, but she wanted me to tell you. Is that all?"
"Yes sir."
"Then you're excused, my seven o'clock will be here any moment." He picked up his papers once more. "And don't forget those letters, Nessa has the list of classes you're already enrolled in and the ones you can choose from. I expect both letters to be mailed off by Monday."
"Alright father, and thank you," Elphaba said and then walked out.
As soon as the door was closed she broke into a run and nearly skipped down the stairs to find her sister.
She found Nessa in the parlor, working on a drawing. Nanny was next to the fire, squinting at a letter.
When Nessa noticed her older sister enter she smiled her bright, gorgeous smile.
"Did he tell you."
"Yes!" Elphaba nearly squealed.
She couldn't help herself, her wildest dreams were coming true and she was feeling uncharacteristically girlish. Maybe, just maybe with degree from Shiz she could get a job in the Emerald City on the Council and make some real changes for the better in Oz. From there she could do more than anyone could ever do as the assistant to the future governor of Munchkinland.
Maybe Nessa would actually go places with her then, and maybe Frex would regret skipping his oldest child and making the second his heir.
It wasn't that she resented Nessa for being named heir. But Munchkins were very particular about their traditions, and making the oldest child heir, regardless of gender, was one of the most revered. It had been terribly humiliating when Frex had practically shunned her in public by proclaiming her little sister the future governor and given her the birthright. Elphaba wanted a chance to prove that had been a mistake, that she was just as good as Nessa with or without green skin.
"I knew you'd be thrilled, it was so hard keeping the secret but I thought father ought to tell you."
"We're both Shiz students now Nessa, you and I. Just think, a real University, the best even."
"Well I couldn't care less about that, you of all people know that," Nessa replied, not sounding particularly thrilled. "But it will be different, think of the independence we'll have. We'll be able to leave the house on our own free will for Oz sakes, we'll be able to go out and have fun with all sorts of people on weekends. Finally."
Elphaba grinned. Her sister might not have cared for where her degree came from, but college life wouldn't hurt her any. Not when she wanted nothing more than a social life. It would be good for both of them.
"Well even University students have to go to bed sometime, or they'll be out on the street within a week," Nanny commented prudishly from her seat by the fire. "Off to bed with you both, and congratulations."
Elphaba took hold of the handles on Nessa's chair and wheeled her to Nanny for her kiss goodnight and then up the corridor to her bedroom.
"Will you be alright with everything else?" She asked.
"Oh, yes," Nessa said absentmindedly. "Goodnight Elphaba."
"Goodnight," she replied with a smile and then exited, heading straight up to her own room.
Once inside she took the essays from her desk. She wouldn't need them anymore of course, but she thought she'd keep them anyway. A couple of them were really good, it couldn't hurt having the information and thoughts to call upon. So she placed them in a drawer of her desk for safe keeping.
She locked her door as she did every night. It had become a habit since the day she woke to find the Ozmatlas swirling. She liked having it out to see, it seemed more active the more she left it in the open. But she still knew her father, and Nanny and Nessa too, would have a fit if they saw it doing its business.
When the door was locked and the Ozmatlas out she put her pajama's on and crawled into bed, turning the lamp out on the way.
She lay for hours, anticipating the future, imagining all it could hold for her. And Nessa too of course. Fall was in two months. All at once that seemed far too long to wait and not enough time to prepare.
College would be different than primary school of course. Kids were grown up, and had learned to keep rude comments from themselves. And surely there were professors who'd studied their trade and were aching to share it, just as she was aching to learn. She'd be making good in no time.
She thought until she could think no more. And when that happened she gazed at her crystal ball, sitting just across from her on the desk. It was no longer blazing with angry swirls, but the languid golden kind that she could swear she could see into sometimes.
She watched until finally, finally something appeared. She could see people her age and she leaned up from the sheets to get a better look. They were dancing, all of them, she spotted Nessa who was holding hands with a Munchkin boy who looked incredibly familiar. And then she saw what was quite possibly the most handsome boy she'd ever seen. When he faded to the background she caught a flash of green, a girl who was unmistakably herself. She was wearing a sharp hat and dancing. Rather badly. Then another girl, pretty and perky showed up, and danced with her. They both looked horrendibly silly. And yet they looked extraordinarily neat at the same time and soon a whole crowd of people were imitating them.
As quickly as the image had come it was gone, and the orb returned to fog once more.
Elphaba lay back, wondering if the silly orb that "didn't work" revealed the future. And she wondered how she'd ended up dancing with a bunch of people. She'd never been one for crowds or performing. She left that to Nessa, who reveled in attention.
It was so strange, but seemed so right. After all, hadn't she wished that for once she'd be set apart from the crowd in a good way, hadn't she wished for admiration? Getting your dreams seemed so simple when they appeared in a mythical crystal ball. They were so free that way.
Elphaba knew she couldn't wish for an event like that. She'd long ago resigned herself to the fact that she'd never be popular. Yet she fell asleep doing just that anyway. Dreaming of college and friends, and parties and dancing through life.
And with that the countdown was started. The countdown to Shiz. Dear old Shiz.
And the rest is, as they say, history.
The end seems an appropriate thing to say now but it's not, it's really just the beginning.
Thanks to all those who reviewed: blufair, Eponine Poe, oboe fae, lostladyknight, Born2Bbad, and elphaba-thropp.
I hope you liked it. Give yourself a last hurrah and click the little purplish button and review, even if you didn't like it. Have a wicked one!