I'm not quite sure if I like this chapter the way it is... so reviews would be great.
Stay healthy, everyone:)

Started writing: 13.01.2020

Finished writing: 15.01.2020

Chapter 18
Children

Elphaba groaned and pulled her blanket over her head.

It was Monday morning, hours before Elphaba would have to get up and Galinda stomped through the room as though she was an elephant. She whistled a happy melody -an innocent one at which Elphaba couldn't contain a snort- and danced through the room, heels clicking over the floor.

"Could you please be quiet?" Elphaba pressed between clenched teeth, and for a second the clicking noise stopped.

"Could you please be dead?" said Galinda, and when she proceeded to her wardrobe, her steps were even louder than before.

Elphaba groaned into her pillow. This was hell.

"Dancing through life, swaying and sweeping," sung Galinda in her high soprano voice and giggled and clicked her tongue and Elphaba was this close to push her out of the window.

"Why are you already awake?" Elphaba asked, and she heard Galinda giggle again.

"Still," the blonde said. "I'm still awake."

Hadn't Elphaba been too tired, she would've thrown her blanket off and raised an eyebrow at the girl. But instead, she simply frowned underneath the blanket and said, "And that allows you to run around, laugh and dance and giggle in the middle of the night?"

She heard Galinda laugh. "No. Me loathing you allows me that."

Elphaba set her jaw. "Well, great. Don't think I'll ever leave this room just because you and your stupid friends have a girls' night."

And with that, she tucked her head underneath her pillow and pressed her eyes close -trying to shut everything else out.

As Elphaba, to her relief, had found out a day prior, it was Professor Graeling who took was in charge of the day-care project. She didn't know if she would've been able to bear the rambling of Professor Nikidik or the glares of Miss Elveran for the whole three weeks that the social project would last.

"Miss Elphaba," said Professor Graeling with a smile as she let her gaze wander across Elphaba's formula and then found the green girl's face again. "Your entrance essay is a very good piece, Miss, you might like to consider taking a Literature class next year?"

Elphaba smiled. "Thank you, Professor, I'll think about it."

The older woman tilted her head to one side and watched Elphaba standing a few metres away from the other students, hugging herself deeply. Blending in and yet never being a part of them, being green and all.

Elphaba narrowed her eyes at the sight of Gimes Birchingard joining the group of people in front of the gate. She deeply loathed the boy from her Art classes -and not just because he had destroyed one of her paintings. He was a pain in the neck, thinking he'd be cool if he'd just insult someone often enough. But in truth, he wouldn't even dare to give her an oblique look wasn't he surrounded by a group of friends. He was a coward, and Elphaba knew it very well.

"Class," Professor Graeling said and one after the other, the students turned towards her. "Class, we'll set off to the day-care now. Miss Lizaar will be awaiting us."

She waved at them with a hand to signal them to follow her and slowly they began to trot after her. Elphaba fastened her steps.

"Professor," she said. "Professor, may I talk to you for a second?"

The teacher nodded. "Of course, Miss Elphaba, what is it?"

The green girl clasped her hands in front of her, rubbing over her fingers as she formed the sentences in her head. "Well, you know... I'm a little bit concerned about the children. I fear they might... be afraid of me."

Professor Graeling knit her brows together. "You think so, Miss Elphaba?"

She gave her a quick side look. "Don't worry, Miss; children usually don't draw a line between familiar and foreign. I'm sure it will be alright."

But the teacher's words were only slightly calming to Elphaba, and she fell into a thoughtful silence as they slowly proceeded down the street and into the City of Shiz. She could hear her fellow students laugh and talk behind her; Milla -a friend of Galinda's-, Gimes and Fiyero and a few others, and clutched the handle of her bag harder. She would get through this, no matter how annoying Fiyero would be and how many horrible comments she'd have to hear from Gimes and his friends. The only one she thought she might get along with was Milla, who'd turned out to be a rather sweet girl. She had a shy smile and always had her shoulders raised as though she wanted to hide from something. She was the only one of Galinda's friends who never insulted her.

As they reached the day-care, Elphaba could see a tall, middle-aged woman who had her hands tucked in the pockets of her coat. Whilst the students gathered in front of her, Professor Graeling stepped forward and shook the woman's hand with a warm smile, quietly talking to her. After a second, the teacher turned around. "Class, this is Miss Lizaar, the runner of this day-care."

Miss Lizaar nodded as though confirming what Professor Graeling had said.

"Quite right," she said with a smile. "I'll be the one to assign you a group and a task so you won't be without work in the next three weeks."

She let her eyes wander across the few students before her, and her eyes widened slightly as she saw Elphaba among them. For a split second, she turned to Professor Graeling with a raised eyebrow and a somewhat questioning look, but the Professor shook her head as though saying it was okay.

"When we go in there," Miss Lizaar continued, her eyes still on Elphaba. "I want you all to know that you'll be a role model for the children. You cannot be going around swearing or insulting. The children would pick such bad habits up, and we do not want such things, do we?"

"But some people might deserve to be insulted," Gimes murmured, and Elphaba couldn't contain a snort.

She saw Professor Graeling raise an eyebrow at the comment, but the teacher kept quiet and turned to Miss Lizaar.

"Let's get inside," said the woman and beckoned them through the front gate and into the building.

Although she didn't see the children, Elphaba could definitely hear them. They must've been in a room nearby for their laughter, and squealing sounded loudly in the hallway. Miss Lizaar led the group into a room on the right of the building and offered them all to sit down on far too few chairs. Of course, no one wanted to leave a chair to 'the Artichoke'. Thus Elphaba was left to stand in the back of the room where a draught was at the door, and she had to pull her coat tightly around herself.

"There are two terms of reference that you'll be working in," Miss Lizaar explained. "There's the work in the kitchen and the work with the children. Every one of you will be working on both of them at least once during your time here."

The woman spoke for at least ten minutes before she divided them into two groups and sent them away with a supervisor each, who showed them their way around and explained what they'd be doing.

"The children all know that you are here for three weeks," said the supervisor as he opened the door to a large room. "They've been waiting for their new playmates."

The children were spread out in the room, playing with wooden bricks and toy cars, stuffed animals and dolls. But when the students entered, they all stopped playing and stared at them with widened eyes.

"Children, listen up," said the supervisor with a clap of his hands. "These are students from Shiz University who will be joining us for the next three weeks."

"Shiz University?" a young boy cried out and jumped to his feet.

"How old are you?" asked a boy in the back of the room.

"Did you bring sweets?"

"Don't be rude," said a little girl who held onto another boy's sleeve for dear life.

She had her thumb stuck between her lips and revealed two gaps between her teeth as she gave the students a shy smile. And then she noticed Elphaba in the back of the students and quickly hid behind the boy.

"What is it?" the latter asked and the smile that had been on Elphaba's lips slowly disappeared.

"Professor Graeling," she said, turning to her teacher. "I don't think this was a good idea. She's terrified."

The Professor shook her head. "It will be alright, I'm sure."

But when they turned, they saw the children gaping wide-eyed at Elphaba.

"What's happened to you?" asked a little boy and Elphaba lowered her head.

"Nothing," she said and couldn't suppress the slight snarl in her voice.

"Then, why are you green?"

Even her fellow students were now looking at her, heads tilted and lower lips stuck between their teeth as though they were expecting a great revelation.

Elphaba sighed deeply. "I don't know."

"How could you not know that? It's so important," said a little girl and twirled a strand of hair between her fingers.

And -for lack of a better answer- Elphaba simply shrugged.

When they left the day-care a good three hours later, Elphaba felt absolutely awful. It had not been alright, as Professor Graeling had said -of course, it hadn't. Most of the children had been so terrified that they hadn't gotten any closer than two metres and those who had had only stood there for half a minute, staring at her with something between interest and disgust. So, Elphaba had tried to hide behind her book, but the children had only gotten closer when staring at her.

"Can't I please change projects?" Elphaba asked Professor Graeling as they all made their ways back to the university campus, but Professor Graeling shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Miss Elphaba, but you'll have to cope with it, all the other projects are full to the brim," she said and gave her an apologetic smile.

Elphaba sighed. She curled her lips at the thought of the next weeks; it would be horrible with all the children being so very terrified of her. And she couldn't even blame them -there was nobody to blame, really, for no one knew just why she was green, just why she had to be the one to be cursed with such abnormality.

"I want you all to be there on time tomorrow," said Professor Graeling as they reached the schoolyard. "There'll be no excuses" -the teacher gave Fiyero a meaningful look- "for none of you."

For a moment, the woman looked at Elphaba, and her features softened as she said, "Rest well everybody."

And she nodded at the green girl and quickly made her way across the schoolyard and into the side building. Elphaba watched her fellow students for a second, how they talked and laughed together -and then she, too, made her way inside the entrance hall.

She had only taken a few steps when she suddenly heard her name being called from the other end of the hall, and when she turned, she saw Doctor Dillamond approaching her quickly.

"Miss Elphaba," he said a little bit breathlessly and clasped his paws. "Miss Elphaba, I'm so glad that I finally get the chance to talk to you."

Elphaba tilted her head. "Talk to me, Professor?"

The Goat nodded. "Yes, to you, Miss Elphaba."

He smiled at her. "You see, I wanted to thank you, Miss. For the words you said at the poetry gathering those few days ago. You were very brave to go up there and say these things; you should be proud -not many students would've found the courage to do what you've done."

Elphaba blushed a shade of dark green. "Thank you very much, Professor, but it's nothing to brag about, really. I only did what I thought was right."

Doctor Dillamond tilted his head to one side. "Well then, Miss, you should be proud that you're such an empathetic person."

He took her hand between his paws and squeezed it. "You've got many talents, Miss Elphaba. And I hope you'll follow the one you've got in History."

He smiled at her and slowly released her hand.

"Now you go off and enjoy the rest of your day," the Goat said. "We'll see each other tomorrow morning."

Elphaba stepped back and shouldered her bag, nodding. "Good day, Professor."

And she turned around with a huge smile on her face.

You've got many talents, Miss Elphaba.