Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Do you think Glinda recognizes Elle as Elphaba?

Should she truly have run from Fiyero like she did? Or should she have stayed?

What exactly do you think Elle's plan is?

A/N: Written: 2010. Found: 2018- Licia

She couldn't sleep; her mind kept going back to that afternoon.

The horse, the carriage, the Wicked Witch, Fiyero chasing after her, the strange twisting in her stomach from being so close to him, as though she had at one point felt a very strong connection with him, almost like-

Love.

A sigh escaped her throat and she sat up, pushing the blankets away from her body. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin on her kneecaps. For a while, all she could do was stare into the darkness. She needed a plan; if she was going to make her life in the City, she needed a good, solid plan before doing so.

Which would mean a job and a place to stay- after acquiring the necessary papers, of course. That should be easy; she just had to contact her father and ask him to send her her birth certificate-

The creaking of hardwood floors outside her room caused her to briefly pause in her thoughts, and she straightened her legs, leaning forward. After a moment, she slipped out of the bed, moving quickly and softly on the balls of her feet towards the door. The creaking continued, as though someone was moving down the hall slowly, one step at a time. She pressed her ear to the thin space between the slightly open door and the frame, listening for anything that gave her a clue; the rustle of clothing, a breath, a whispered word...

Something slammed against the wall, directly beside her ear, and she stumbled back, landing on her butt a foot from the door. She waited, heart in her throat, for the door to open and the monster moving down the hall to push it open and attack her. But after several minutes, nothing happened. Slowly she climbed to her feet, reaching out to grab the door handle and tug it towards her. She poked her head out, looking both ways before sliding back into her room and shutting the door completely. She then returned to the bed, burrowing under the covers and trying to calm her racing heart.

It was only a dream... or the... the shiftings of an old house... yes, that was it. It was just an old house, shifting in the night like old houses do.

Her eyes snapped open, and she lifted her head from the pillow. But what if it wasn't? What if... if Mockbeggar Hall was... haunted?

Then she was young, naive, stupid and screwed, because Glinda had made her promise to stay until the next day. She didn't exactly have anywhere else to go, and she couldn't get back to the main part of the City by herself in the daytime, let alone in the dark. No, she had to stay here, it was her only option.

She returned her head to the pillow, pulling the blankets up around her, snapping her eyes shut, forcing herself to sleep, despite every fiber in her telling her to get up and investigate or run. Eventually, after several hours of silently watching the door, sleep claimed her.

The door to Elle's room slowly opened, and a pair of blue eyes peeked between the crack. The girl slept soundly, it almost hurt Glinda to wake her for breakfast. She bit her lip, deciding to stay where she was; it was clearly evident that the girl was skittish, if yesterday was any indication- she'd run in front of Glinda's carriage, after all. Granted, she was being chased by a former Vinkun Crown Prince, but still. A person didn't run like unless they were a fugitive, a runaway, or well...

Her.

A soft sigh escaped Glinda's throat, and she rested her head against the door. The girl slept soundly, unaware that she was the subject of study. It was suddenly very evident to Glinda that the girl was very much on that precipice between being Elphaba and not. She looked like her, absolutely and completely, had similar mannerisms and inflections to Elphaba, and Glinda would be perfectly willing to believe she was Elphaba, if not for one very tiny, glaring fact.

The girl was eighteen.

Eighteen.

That immediately screamed volumes at the top of its lungs.

In essence, she was a mere child, a baby really, compared to Glinda, and by extension, Elphaba. Glinda had just turned twenty-seven, and Elphaba- had she lived- would have turned twenty-seven in September. That was a nearly ten year age gap between this girl and Elphaba. And unless she was able to somehow turn back time, this girl wasn't Elphaba, no matter how much she looked like her or how badly Glinda wanted her to be.

It took a moment for her to remember where she was, and what had happened the day before. It took her a moment to realize she was in Mockbeggar Hall, having stayed the night at Glinda's insistence. Slowly, she climbed out of bed, finding her dress lying folded on the chair, beside her boots and her bag. She quickly grabbed her clothing, slipping back into the dress and then taking a seat on the chair to pull on her boots. Once done, she grabbed her bag and slipped out of the room, hurrying down the stairs.

She made a beeline for the door, ignoring the strong scent of coffee coming from the kitchen. "Please stay." She stopped, door yanked open, one foot on the porch. After a moment, she turned to find Glinda in the foyer, having come in from the kitchen.

"I..." Glinda waited. "I have to..."

"At least have breakfast first? Please?"

She turned, glancing outside, before turning back to the blonde. Breakfast couldn't hurt, could it? It was only breakfast. After a moment, she stepped back shutting the door softly behind her. She turned to Glinda, following her into the kitchen. Once coffee and tea was poured, the two sat across from each other in silence. "Where are you going to go?"

Dark eyes darted from blue. A moment passed before she shrugged. "Back into the City."

"And what are you going to do from there? Sleep on the street?"

Her head shot up, a glare on her face. "No. I'm going to get a job and... and find a place to stay and..."

"And how are you going to find that place to stay? And that job? Do you have any work history? A degree?"

"No. College isn't for me. And I'll... I'll figure something out. I'm smart. I can figure things out on my own."

Glinda raised an eyebrow. She sighed, reaching out to cover the girl's hand. "Let me help you." Dark hair shifted as the girl shook her head. "Elle, please. Let me at least help get you settled." She pulled out an envelope, sliding it across the table towards the girl. The girl glanced at it, before pushing it back towards her. She lifted her chin.

"No thank you. I can make it on my own."