Glinda stood with her hands on her hips ready to fuss at Elphie the moment she walked in the door
But as the door swung open and the green girl skulked in- Glinda noticed that something was not right- in fact, it was all wrong.
"Elphie, Where were you? What's wrong?" The small blonde whined.
Elphaba's cloak was wrapped tightly around her and the hood was up- she pushed past Glinda and tried to make a hurried escape to the bathroom- she did not want her friend to see her like this.
Glinda went after her, noticing her limping.
"Talk to me Elphie, please. What is the matter? Her voice cracked with concern.
"I'm fine", croaked Elphaba as she shut the bathroom door. "I just took a tumble is all.
She lowered herself to the cool tile of the bathroom floor, preparing herself for the barrage of questions that she was sure was coming from her roomie.
After a few moments she heard Glinda's soft voice from the other side of the door- it sounded like she was crying
"Elphie- please, tell me what happened? Are you ok? Please, please let me help"
Elphaba could hear the concern in her roomies voice and relaxed slightly- Miss Galinda had come a long way since she came to Shiz." thought Elphaba, "but maybe not far enough to cope with…." The sounds of her roomies pleading refocused her.
She cracked the door very slightly- she wasn't sure she could speak loudly enough to carry through the closed door and keep her voice steady at the same time.
"Glinda, my sweet, calm down- I'm fine-really. I just tripped and fell-a few minor scrapes and a sprain are all. Let me clean up and change and I'll be out in a minute or two." She tried to keep the darkness she felt from permeating her words- Glinda could be a bit fragile and she didn't want to alarm her anymore than she already was. Her roomies sobs slowed to sniffles. "You are really ok?"
"I'm really ok," said Elphie- hoping she could will it to be true. Go and sit on your bed and I'll be out in a little while."
She sighed as she heard her friends light footsteps move away from the door and she gently shut it.
With a great deal of effort she got up off the floor and began a damage assessment. An outward damage assessment, anyway She grimaced as she took off her soiled dress. Her green skin was mottled with bruises and dried blood from numerous cuts and scrapes. There was blood on her thighs- She hurt- all over. She was angry, and confused and ashamed. All these emotions swirling together was too much for the normally strong and self-possessed girl and she quickly grabbed a towel to dry the tears that started to flow. She allowed herself to weep silently into the towel for a few minutes, hoping it would provide some relief from the ache she felt inside. Then she willed the tears to stop- there had already been enough of those. As she was drying the last (or so she hoped) of her tears there was a soft knock at the door- "Elphie, are you ok?" came her roomie's small voice. "I'll be out in a minute- I decided to bathe" she replied. She used her oils to clean the cuts she could see and clean off the blood. She put on her nightgown, which hid the majority of the damage-; especially the rather big cut on her leg. But she couldn't hide the scrapes; tear marks, or slap marks on her face. She felt a little better now that she was cleaned up and she prepared herself to face Glinda- She was ashamed and embarrassed at what had happened, and angry at her reaction to it. And she intended to keep it from Glinda, but she thought darkly, "that might be easier said than done."