Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: Written: 2012. Rewritten: 2014. Found: 2018.- Licia
A family outing, Tibbett had told her.
That's what Mr. Thropp had called it.
A family outing.
Her cheek still stung from the girl's slap, though it could have been the heat from the sun, she wasn't sure. All she knew for certain was that she had been forced into these strange-looking clothes, her hair had been put up, and now, she was being helped down from the wagon in the town the Thropps lived not far from.
Nest Hardings, as they had called it.
It was small, with a bunch of wooden buildings lining the streets, wooden pathways leading down past each one on either side. Horses and carts were everywhere; somewhere, music could be heard, and she smelled something strong.
Without a word, Mrs. Thropp made her way over to her, linking their arms. She threaded their fingers, and gently but firmly guided her up onto the wooden boardwalk and into the store they had pulled up too, the others following. It was clear by the firmness of her grip that the older woman wasn't going to let her run. Once inside, her grip loosened slightly; and Elphaba found herself staring at shelf upon shelf of canned goods, boxes of dried goods, bolts of brightly colored fabric, jars of candy in all shapes and sizes... the goods in this store went on forever. A small, pot-belly stove sat at the far back, near stacks of barrels and other goods.
"Good morning, Mrs. Thropp. I see you brought the whole family today." A young man, not much older than her, came in from the back, a white apron on over his black pants and white, long-sleeved shirt. His dark hair was parted down the side, and he smiled softly at the older woman, before his gaze lit to her. "And... who is this?"
"Good morning, Boq. This is my oldest daughter, Elia."
He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Elia? So what the paper said was true. Missing for seven years, but surely not found among-" Melena nodded, which was all the confirmation he needed. "Ah. Well, it's good that she's finally returned home to you, Mrs. Thropp. Maybe now your family can recover from the last seven years." He gently patted her hand, and she smiled softly at him, keeping her mouth shut about the deal she and her husband had made with their oldest daughter.
After several minutes, the older woman slowly released her, letting her wander about the small general store with her other children, though she kept an eye on her, as did Mr. Thropp and Tibbett. She wandered over to the bolts of fabric, slowly reaching out and running a hand over the cloth, fingers stopping on a blue paisley print, that seemed very vaguely familiar.
"A new dress? For me? Oh, Mama, I love it! Thank you!"
She shook her head, the voice disappearing. Her gaze wandered up, to the ribbons hanging from rolls above the fabric, and her gaze went to the blue not far from her reach. She pulled it closer, studying it, thumb brushing over the soft material gently.
"I can't find mine. I promise I'll give them back, Nessa. When have I ever not?"
Her brow furrowed, but a voice broke her concentration. "El... Elphaba." She turned, to find Nessa and Shell beckoning her over. With one last glance at the ribbons and the cloth, the joined them. They stood before the jars of brightly-colored candies. "Mama said we could each get a piece." Shell told her. "Which one do you want?"
"She doesn't know what they are, Shell." Nessa chided gently, and the boy rolled his eyes, turning to her.
"She doesn't remember, Nessa." He turned back to his oldest sister. Though he was fifteen, he still acted like a child when it came to things like candy. "Those are maples." He pointed to the small, star-shaped candies in clear paper. "Those are rock candies, that's taffy, those are caramels." She let her gaze wander over each candy he pointed out in turn. She'd never seen so many bright colors in one place before. "... that's butterscotch, those are lollies, chocolates, peppermint sticks, cinnamon balls, ginger drops-" Her eyes lit on the small sticks of bright green, pink and white, and she pointed to it it. Her brother's eyebrows rose momentarily before he rolled his eyes. "Peppermint sticks? You've been away living with savages for seven years, and now that you're home, and you have your choice of the best candies in all of Nest Hardings, and you still choose peppermint sticks? For the love of Ozma, Elia, couldn't you at least pick something besides pepermi- ow!" He turned to Nessa, who'd slammed her elbow into his ribs. "What was that for?"
His voice cracked, and she gave him a look that clearly screamed he was to keep quiet. "Elphaba chose peppermint, Shell. Let her have peppermint. Besides, it's not like you ever change your mind when you get candy. You always get the same thing, too. Or have you suddenly decided that you want something else?" Boq watched the siblings, chuckling softly at the two youngest. The boy grumbled something unintelligible, but sounded suspiciously like, I don't always get the same thing, before looking over each candy in turn before meeting the store owner's gaze.
"Have you made your decision?"
He nodded. "The ginger drops, please."
Nessa rolled her eyes as Boq chuckled, pulling out a ginger drop, a peppermint stick and a maple from each respective jar and placing them in a small bag together. They thanked him, and Nessa took the bag, handing him the fifty cents in return before accepting the change back. "See? You always get the same thing." As the two continued to argue, she wandered back to the bolts of cloth and ribbons, joining Mrs. Thropp, who'd been studying the blue paisley print. Without a word, she reached out, running her fingers over the material, and Melena smiled softly.
"It's quite pretty, isn't it?" Elphaba didn't respond, and Melena sighed, knowing she wouldn't. "I know you don't remember, but I had a bolt of this same fabric, and I made a dress for you out of it for your birthday the year you turned-" She stopped, tears filling her gaze. Elphaba turned to her, and she took a deep breath, blinking the tears away. Gently, Elphaba reached up, brushing a tear away, and Melena smiled softly at her. "Thank you. How about we get this?" She then turned back to her two youngest. "Nessa?" The girl quickly hurried over to her mother. "Come pick out a bolt of fabric. How about I make a new dress, one for you and one for your sister?" Nessa glanced at Elphaba, remembering the struggle they'd had earlier in the day, but the look on her mother's face told her that they were going to put that behind them, and do all they could to make her feel at home. A moment passed, before the younger girl chose a paisley print in red. "Okay. And how about ribbons as well? I know you're supposed to wear your hair up now that you're older-" She reached up, brushing a strand off her youngest daughter's cheek. "But even so, a young woman can still make her hair look pretty, regardless of whether she wears it up or in two braids."
Without a word, both girls reached for the same blue swatch of ribbon, gazes locking as their hands brushed together. Neither said a word, and Melena watched the exchange with a tiny flicker of hope in her heart. "The blue?"
Slowly, both girls pulled away. "Yes, Mama." Elphaba nodded, silent. Quickly, Melena took all three to the front of the store, putting them with the other goods they needed.
Once finished, they returned to the cart for the ride back to the cabin. They'd be home in time for lunch; Tibbett and Shell sat in one corner of the back, sharing stories, and Elphaba and Nessa sat in the other corner, quiet. Halfway up the path to the house, Melena looked back from her seat beside her husband at the front of the card. Neither girl said a word; Elphaba was staring out at the land behind them, the small bag of candies that Nessa had entrusted her for the ride home sitting on her lap, seemingly lost in thought. Nessa sat next to her, head resting on her sister's shoulder. The older girl didn't move, didn't react at all; Melena couldn't tell if it was from worry, fear, or if she was just choosing to ignore it. Her gaze then traveled down; Nessa and Elphaba's hands were loosely linked together, and after a moment, the girl nuzzled her head on her sister's shoulder, squeezing her fingers gently.
As she turned back to the house, Melena thought she caught Elphaba squeeze Nessa's hand faintly in response.