Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: Written: 2009. Found: 2018- Licia
The pair broke apart, turning to see Mulhama standing at the entrance to the ice, hands on her small hips. Her long dark hair was held back with a headband, and she wore the same gear they did, clearly having come from practice with her students. "Mulhama, we- what-"
The older woman waved it away, coming out to them in a pair of sliders.
"What were you two thinking? Trying to pull off a Mulenkof?"
"We didn't try, we succeeded." Fiyero replied, and Elphaba smacked him in the arm.
"What are you doing here, Mulhama?" Elphaba asked, trying to regain some control over the situation.
"I called you both, but when I didn't get any response, I figured I'd come down. I don't just coach at St. Prowd's remember? Half the Munchkinland stars in the skating world today are my students, and Nest Hardings isn't that far from Shiz."
"Yeah, we remember, but why are you here?"
Mulhama circled the pair silent, before, "Your sister got in touch with me, Fabala."
"Nessa?" Elphaba turned to the woman, suddenly concerned. "Is she all right?"
Mulhama met her gaze. "She wants you to come back to Colwen Grounds-"
"I'm not going back there, Mulhama-"
"To come get her." The woman finished.
"What?"
"Your father threw her down the stairs this morning, Fabala. Your former Nanny called me after it happened. That's why I've been trying to reach you."
"What?" Elphaba couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Is she okay? Is she hurt? Is-"
"She's at the hospital. The doctors don't think she'll ever be able to walk again."
Silently, Elphaba pushed away from both of them, grabbing onto the edge of the rink when she reached it. She couldn't catch her breath. Nessie... her precious baby sister... paralyzed... and it was all their father's fault... "What hospital?" Silence. "What hospital?"
"Munchkinland Memorial."
Without another word, Elphaba moved towards the entrance to to the rink, and it was then that she saw the other students. She met Glinda's eyes in the crowd, before putting the covers on her stakes and grabbing her things.
"Nessie!"
The twelve-year-old slowly opened her eyes, turning to see her sister enter the room. Fiyero stopped in the doorway. "Fabala..." She reached for her sister, breathing in the familiar scent of sandalwood and vanilla that was so distinctly her older sister. "I saw you win."
"Don't focus on that, Nessie." Elphaba replied, kissing her forehead.
"Did you come to get me?" The teenager nodded, turning to Fiyero and Mulhama, who hung back, giving the sisters time to themselves.
"I did. We're gonna get you out of here, Nessie, I promise. And then you're going to come live with me and Yero and... and we'll never have to worry about him again."
"You and Yero got married." The girl whispered, swallowing. The canola in her nose was more of an annoyance than anything, but her sister's hand in her hair calmed her.
"We did. Because we love each other very much, and because I can claim you as my charge, which means you'll have a stable, safe home and I won't have to go back to that man." She turned to the nurse who'd scampered into the corner. "How bad is the damage? All of it? The damage done to her spine, the sexual abuse, the psychological, the emotional- how bad is it? How bad?"
The nurse swallowed, glancing at the child. "Your... your sister will never walk again, she'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Only a psychologist can determine the extent of the psychological and emotional damage, Miss Thropp-"
"Mrs. Tigelaar."
"... Mrs. Tigelaar." She swallowed. "We had to... to perform a full hysterectomy on her, the damage was that extensive. Even if we hadn't, she would never be able to bear children."
Like me. Elphaba thought, turning to her sister. Though I can still experience pleasure, still feel desire as my husband enters me. Even if Nessie finds a man like Yero... she will never get to experience what I do. But she can still experience love. She turned back to the nurse. "As soon as my sister is able, I want her released into my custody. I will go to the courts-"
"She has already been to the courts, Mrs. Tigelaar." The nurse replied. "As soon as the incident happened, the courts were brought in. Since you're her only surviving relative other than your father-"
"Do not call that... monster... that!" Elphaba cried.
"Other than him," She amended. "You were granted temporary custody."
"She's coming back to live with me. Is it all right that she come live in the Vinkus with me?" The nurse nodded, pulling some papers from her clipboard and handing them over.
"As long as Nessa herself does not protest, you could move to the Great Gillikin Forest and it would be all right." Elphaba quickly skimmed through the pages, studying them before turning back to her sister. She wrapped the girl in a hug.
"Will you get the box, Elphaba? Please? It's all we have left of Mama." She nodded, pressing a kiss to her sister's forehead. Even though it meant returning to Colwen Grounds- the last place she ever wanted to be- the small jewelry box held every memory of Melena the sisters had. They couldn't leave it there, with that man.
"Of course, Nessa. I wouldn't leave it there. I would never leave it there."
"Fabala, are you insane? You're going back to Colwen Grounds for a box."
"It's not just a box, Yero. It was our mother's. It's all Nessa and I have left of her." She said, climbing into the car. He slid into the backseat, grumbling as Mulhama started the car. Once they reached Colwen Grounds, Elphaba shot out of the car so fast, Mulhama barely had time to stop. "I'll be right back-"
"Oh, no, we're not getting you go in there alone." The older woman replied, unbuckling her seat belt and climbing out. Fiyero didn't say a word, but followed. The three made their way to the door; a moment passed, before Elphaba turned the handle. Locked. After a moment, she knocked, stepping back into Fiyero's arms. Several minutes passed, before an elderly woman opened the door.
"Nanny." The woman studied her for a moment, before a smile broke out on her face.
"Oh, Fabala!" She embraced the older woman quickly. "What are you doing here? Your father is out-"
"I'm not here to stay, Nanny. I just came to get a few things. You called Mulhama about Nessa-"
The older woman nodded. "She needs to get out of this house, Fabala."
"And she will, Nanny. Yero and I are taking her."
The older woman's brow furrowed. "You can't possibly... unless... the only way you could... oh, Fabala, congratulations!"
"Thanks, Nanny. When does he get back?"
"He left for a meeting in Center Munch five minutes ago. He won't be back for an hour. You know how these things go."
"Good. That gives us time. Not much, but just enough." She squeezed Nanny's hand before making for the stairs. "Come on! Upstairs!" Mulhama, Nanny and Fiyero followed the young green-skinned woman up the stairs to the second floor. "There's a knapsack in Nessa's room. Fill it with as much as you can. I've got a couple suitcases in my room; we'll fill them with as much as possible once her knapsack's full."
Without another word, Elphaba slipped into her room; it had been left exactly as it was when she'd left, all those years ago. Her stuffed animals sat on the bed, her storybooks on the shelf, her clothes in the closet. A moment passed, before she went to her desk, pulling open the second drawer. A small sigh of relief escaped her throat as she saw the jewelry box, carved out of beautifully black Quoxwood, a simple rose carved in the center with a gold clasp to close it. Mama's jewelry box.
Thinking quickly, she pulled out the three suitcases from beneath her bed, and then grabbed the knapsack that hung over her chair. Wrapping it in a black scarf, she placed it gently in the bottom of the knapsack, before grabbing a few other things- a small China doll figurine her mother had given her when she was a baby, her bright blue diary with the lock and heart-shaped key Nanny had given her for her sixth birthday, a couple of beloved stuffed animals- a stuffed lion she'd named Brr, and a stuffed dog she'd named Toto- as well as some pieces of jewelry and a couple framed photos of her and her mother. Once the knapsack was full, she slung it over her shoulder and then knelt beneath the bed. A moment passed, before she finally found what she was looking for and tugged it out from under the bed; the gigantic book of fairy tales Frex had given her for her tenth birthday. Though he'd given it to her, she had often spent nights reading the stories to Nessa to get to her sleep, and so there were more happy memories associated with it than bad. She put the book in one of the suitcases, and then slid a hand beneath one of the pillows, pulling out a green glass bottle with a rolled up piece of paper in it. "When you're ready, my darling girl, then you can open the bottle and remove the letter, but not before. Not until you're sure you're ready."
She held it to her chest, thinking of Melena, before placing it beside the book with a couple other trinkets and closing the suitcase. Hoisting the three suitcases out of her room, she met Mulhama and Fiyero in the hallway. "What are the other two for?" He asked, confused.
"There are things in this house that are important to me. Things that belonged to my mother that that man doesn't deserve to have." She held out the suitcase with the book and bottle in it, and then removed her knapsack. "Can you take these out to the car, Yero? And please be careful with them." He nodded, taking them from her and doing as told. Mulhama carried a smaller suitcase that had been in Nessa's room under her bed, and Elphaba carried the other two. "Did you get everything out of Nessa's room that was important?"
"Little trinkets, books, diaries, clothing, anything that looked important and some things that might not be."
"Good. We'll sort through it all when we get back to the Vinkus." Elphaba stopped as they entered the living room, setting down the suitcases. Nanny was already pulling down books and things she knew Elphaba had wanted; it was as though she'd been planning for this day. "I've got all your records and important documents in a folder. Birth certificates, security numbers, passports and the like."
"Thank you, Nanny." The older woman nodded, reaching up to caress Elphaba's cheek.
"Now go. There's a couple things of your mother's in the kitchen I know you wanted. Her cookbook is on the counter, as well as her notebooks. Hurry, love." The girl turned to do as told, before she stopped.
"Mulhama, did you grab Mr. Monkey?"
"I didn't see a stuffed monkey." Mulhama replied, helping Nanny put things in the suitcase, making sure the folder was on the bottom.
"That's because it's not a monkey. It's a stuffed bear." Without a word, Elphaba turned, hurrying back up the stairs; Mulhama rushed into the kitchen to get the things on the counter. Once she'd returned to her sister's room, she searched, finding nothing. "Come on, Mr. Monkey, this isn't funny. No more games." She checked every nook and cranny she could think of, before kneeling by the bed and lifting the blankets. In the back corner, she could see Mr. Monkey, staring at her with big, button eyes. "There you are." She crawled under it, finally wrapping her fingers around the stuffed animal-
A hand on her leg made her jump and she crawled out from under the bed. Oh, no, Frex-
"You ready? Mulhama's waiting downstairs."
She nodded, grabbing her chest as she stood. "God, Yero, don't do that, you nearly gave me a heart attack." He pulled her to a feet with a quick grin. Once she had Mr. Monkey securely in her grasp, they left the room, hurrying down the hallway, when she stopped. "Wait!" The only photo of her, her mother and sister- so she'd fudged the truth a little; she'd been five when Melena died, but still... "Take this." She thrust the stuffed animal into Fiyero's arms.
"What are you doing? We have to go, now!"
"I can't leave without this. This is the only photo of all three of us together." He sighed, hurrying down the stairs. She rose onto her toes, quickly lifting the framed photograph off the wall, holding it to her chest.
"Fabala, come on!"
Without a second glance, she rushed down the stairs. "Come on, I've got the photo. Give it to me!" She handed it to Mulhama, before grabbing Fiyero's hand and rushing down the steps.
"Wait! Nanny!" The girl rushed back to the woman, throwing her arms around her. "Come with us!"
"I can't, my sweet. I don't have much longer yet. My age is catching up with me and my health is failing. I will not be here much longer. But I needed to make sure you and your sister got out before I passed." She slipped something into Elphaba's hand, before reaching up and taking her face in her hands. "When I'm gone, you'll know. And don't grieve for me, darling, for I'll be as free as you and your sister." She kissed Elphaba's cheek.
"Fabala, come on!"
"Hurry, now, hurry!" The girl did as told, taking a moment to look back at the house she'd been born in, spent her tortured childhood in, and at the woman who had dedicated her life to her and her sister. She blew a kiss towards the old woman, before climbing into the car and slamming the door. Once the door was closed and Elphaba safe, Mulhama gunned the engine and pulled out of the drive, speeding down the street, passing the Governor's car as he came back to the mansion, just minutes apart.