Hi people! Here is chapter three!
Just to note, I (this is Lauren, by the way) have included a section of Fiyeraba. Nothing graphic or anything like that, just a simple fluffy scene. The song that is in italics belongs to me. I wrote it, so please don't use it without my permission. It's called "I Can Close My Eyes Forever" inspired by a "Wicked" fic of that same title by "Elphie Fabala Fae Fantome" I could really relate to the story idea, so this song just popped into my head and I was forced to write it down.
Anyway, hope you all enjoy! And Nicole and I would like to thank ClarkeWithAnE and InkGothical for your kind reviews. They are much appreciated! Okay, on to reading!
Chapter Three: Sick Days, Friendships, and Extreme Complications
She could have saved him
She could have left him all alone
I could have saved you
But I couldn't stand being alone
So I stayed with you forever
But forever didn't last that long
And when you left, I tried to close my eyes
But you always left me all alone
Lauren loved getting mail. Private messages, reviews, emails, or letters. You name it. It was the way she had been for years. And this review reply was surely bringing a smile to her face.
Fae. She loved that nickname. Short, sweet, and to the point, like she wished the rest of the world would be. It made her want a nickname too. Well, she already had one. More than one. "Shorty" "Shirley Temple" "Overachiever" "Teacher's Pet" And almost every name could be taken as an insult.
That was what she got for going to a 25-person private high school--skipping a grade to do so--and being the youngest person there. It could never be good news for anyone. Especially her.
But those memories left her mind as she read the message. From what the girl wrote, she sounded…just like Lauren. In a way. Review-loving, a Fiyeraba and "Wicked" fan, someone who really enjoyed writing. Yes, just like her.
I can close my eyes forever
I can make the world disappear
I can close my eyes forever
But when I open my eyes, I'll always come back here
She grabbed the mouse and clicked the "Print" button on the top of her email window. As the paper slipped out of her printer, she snatched it away and began walking towards the door, when a dry voice called after her.
"Lauren, get me some tea while you're down there, will you?"
Lauren turned around slowly to look at Elphaba. The woman was lying in her bed, covers pulled up and eyes drooped halfway open. Apparently the common cold was spreading fast this year, so even a Witch could get it, as she had started sneezing the night before. Lauren thanked the heavens for her own unusually-high immune system, and the fact her family had very comfortable couches to sleep on. She surely wasn't about to share a bed with a sick green girl!
Plus, Fiyero had had to be moved to a blanket-covered bench swing in the backyard. He had been using the couch before, as Lauren refused to let the two share a room. Of course, Elphaba had shoved the Grimmerie in her face at this rule, but gave in later, considering that it was either separate rooms, or the woods.
Lauren nodded and smiled softly. "Sure, Elphie. You want some soup, too?"
"Yeah."
Lauren was only a few feet into the hallway when the voice sounded again. "Hey, Lauren?" Lauren peeked back into the door and raised her brows questioningly. Elphie gave a small grin.
"Thanks."
"No problem." And this time she made it away without being stopped. God, how people could change when they were sick! Usually it was for the worse, making them testy, angry and ungrateful. But with Elphaba, it was the opposite. She was polite and even a little nice, though quite needy too. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all. Well, for her. Her parents, on the other hand, were ready to explode.
They didn't even know Elphaba was there, and she was still driving them crazy! All they knew was that the food was disappearing twice as fast as normal, they always found a strange broom in Lauren's room, and suddenly their daughter was making tea and soup constantly, locking her bedroom door and sleeping on the downstairs couch. Plus, at least four times in the past month, their nine-year old son Ross would hear strange noises out in the hallway and later would wake up from nightmares screaming "The Wicked Witch of the West is going to KILL ME!"
Lauren had done to her best to keep everything a secret. But somehow hiding a sick green witch from a naïve little boy, an intuitive and slightly overprotective woman, and a very suspicious man wasn't nearly as easy as she had suspected it would be. And to think she had once dreamed of having her favorite "Wicked" character live in her house!
Sighing in annoyance and the irony of the whole situation, she stepped down off the final stair step and moved quickly toward the kitchen, a final thought skipping through her mind.
Fiyero should be doing this. After all, it's not my job.
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Maybe you should have left me
At least then things would have turned out right
I would have lived my life without happiness
And you would have lived happily after all
But instead we found we needed each other
And we stayed together for all our time
But then that day came when you weren't there forever
And I found you had taken all my life
Elphaba laid back against the two lime-colored pillows and stared at the ceiling. She sniffed and rolled her eyes at this blasted cold. It was so common, yet so…torturous. A cough, stuffed-up nose, constant sneezing, and unbelievable drowsiness. Of course, they had it in Oz, but she rarely ever got sick with anything. It just had to happen here.
For some reason, Lauren thought that because she was a witch, she didn't get sick very often. "No, it's most certainly not because of that, brainless," she wanted ever so much to say to that girl. But she didn't have the energy to throw out a rude remark at the moment. Plus, Lauren was the one who brought her tea, soup and that repulsive cold medicine.
After a minute, her eyes began to slowly close, and she relaxed her head against the pillow, fully ready for sleep. But once again, luck had a serious grudge against her.
Knock, knock. The tapping on the door only made her headache worse, and she groaned, pulling the covers up higher and turning away from the noise. "Elphie, I brought what you asked for," came Lauren's soft, innocent-sounding voice as she walked in and approached the bed. In the slightest of ways, she sounded like Dorothy. Not nearly as whiny or high-pitched or fearful in the slightest. But it was the gentleness and caring that seemed to always bring the little Kansas girl to mind.
She pursed her lips. She hated Dorothy! She hated Lauren, too, but not so much. Elphaba Thropp, she told herself, you will not let this annoying Texan make you change your mind about her or the farm brat! Not a chance in Oz!
A small clank sounded against the nightstand as Lauren set what Elphaba assumed to be a few glass dishes down on the black wood. As the girl closed the door behind her, Elphaba rolled over and gazed at the items sitting there.
A bowl filled with steaming chicken noodle soup--that was all the soup the family had--and a tea mug. Her lips turned up slightly in appreciation, but frowned as she saw what was beside those: a tablespoon full of artificially-flavored purple liquid. In others words, her medication.
She sighed softly and reached over to pick up the tea, situating herself against the wall behind the bed--that brat needed to get herself a headboard! Elphie took a small sip and swallowed. Chamomile. With a spoonful of sugar and a little honey. For once, some food here that was actually edible, and quite tasty, for that matter. She finished the cup quickly, setting it back down on the nightstand.
I can close my eyes forever
I can make the world disappear
I can close my eyes forever
But when I open my eyes, I'll always come back here
This time when the door opened, there was no knock. The person merely entered almost silently. Elphaba turned her head a bit and smiled. There stood Fiyero, gazing back at her.
"How are you feeling?" He asked softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
She considered lying so that he wouldn't worry about her, but gave it up, knowing that he had enough brain power to see right through that. She smirked. "Sick and miserable." She raised her eyebrow as Fiyero began to look concerned. "Yero, when have I ever been any different?"
He gave her a small grin at the humor and put his hand on her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. After another minute she spoke again. "Where were you?"
"Out in the woods, checking things out." He seemed to have been enjoying the small forest behind Lauren's house. The trees were dense and there was occasional wild-life, but no Animals, to Elphaba's dismay. She had almost deafened Lauren with her ranting after the girl explained that Animals had never existed in this world as far as anyone knew.
Elphie nodded. "It's very quiet up here. Even a little…"
"Lonely?"
It was amazing how well he knew her. "Yeah."
He slowly moved himself to sit behind her. She laid her head against his chest and sighed happily, feeling his arms wrap around her back. "Goodnight, Fae. Sleep well," he whispered softly to her.
A grin crept onto her lips. "Goodnight, Yero." And then she fell asleep.
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When you close your eyes, you dream
When you open your mind, you see
But now that you are gone
I cannot see anymore
So Fiyero was finally taking his job as a boyfriend seriously? Lauren had wondered for ever so long if he would at all. Sure, he sat with Elphaba on the couch, talked to her, and kissed her like most boys. But Lauren had always thought he would be more of the taking-care-of-her type. Maybe she was actually right.
Jealousy was a cruel emotion. Everyone feels it, so everyone knows what it is and what it does. But usually it's escapable. Lauren's situation wasn't nearly so easy.
Elphaba was gifted. Lauren had established that from the first day she saw her on Broadway. It was a hard-to-find trait, and really, it made for some very interesting people. But it was not easy to deal with.
And Elphie had a boyfriend. A kind, good-looking, caring boyfriend. Sure, he was lazy. And he wasn't exactly the sharpest crayon in the box. But he was great. No, Lauren didn't like him. She didn't want Fiyero. She wanted someone else. But what boy would ever like her?
She had shown Fae5288's reply to her mom, like she did everything else she received in the mail, after she passed Fiyero on the stairs. It was news to get more than a single sentence for a review reply on fan fiction. Now she re-entered her room and turned her head away almost immediately. The sight was unbearable.
Both Elphaba and Fiyero lay--well, half-lay, they were more sitting--asleep on her bed, smiles decorating their faces. Fiyero's arms were wrapped possessively around his green girl, like he never wanted to let her go. Lauren bit her lip and walked in, keeping her eyes away from the two. She couldn't see that, and then know she would never have it.
I wanted to close my eyes forever
I wanted to make the world disappear
But when I closed my eyes forever
However much I tried
Ever much I dreamed
You could never come back here
She twirled one of her light brown, wavy curls around her finger as she sat down at her desk. As she touched the mouse softly, her email window popped up to replace her night-sky screensaver. She clicked the link to Fae5288's profile and started a private message.
Welcome! Anytime, really! Yeah, I'm completely in love with Fiyeraba too, I've just never gotten down to writing a fanfic about it. I'll be sure to check in for more of your stuff!
Lauren
She tried as much as she could to sound happy as she sent it, and could only hope it worked. She didn't want to be a depressed teenager around someone she had just met. Lauren returned to the girl's profile, attempting to replace her sadness and jealousy with curiosity.
Hello Everyone!
So you're probably here because you read one of my stories and liked it... YAY! Or because you're my friend and I told you to check out my profile. Either way, WELCOME!
I have recently begun my first year of college, so I make no promises about how often I'll be able to update. However, I will try my best to post regularly and actually finish stories, which is something I never do when I'm writing.
Lauren's eyes widened, and she blinked. Fae5288 was…in college. She thought of her own age, and remembered the last time she had had an internet friend that was five years older than her. They were close. That was, until Lauren mentioned her age. After that, the newly-made friendship faded until there was nothing left.
Lauren didn't want that to happen again. Fae5288 seemed really nice. She certainly didn't want everything to be really awkward because of the age difference. She wouldn't lie. She couldn't lie. Her darn conscience wouldn't let her. No, she just wouldn't mention that she was thirteen.
She thought again, her mind somehow drifting back to the big picture of her life. Would things ever look up for her? Everything was so hard now. It had been for the past four years. All she wanted was a friend. One single true friend.
Once again, naivety seemed to be getting all the best of her. She would have even more…