Melena Tiggular stood in front of her watching the calendar with anxious eyes. She much resembled an owl waiting for a mouse. Her black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail but a few strands still dangled in her face. She wore a plain frock patched up here and there; a hand-me-down from her mother. Her skin was very fair considering that she hardly stepped out of the house. However, it glowed radiantly as the sun poured its rays on her. She looked like an angel in rags. However, her face did not go with the picture. Her chocolate brown eyes were wide with shock and her thin lips were parted slightly, making her look startled. Her eyes were glued to the circled date in red marker reading, FIRST DAY OF SHIZ.
"One more week..." she whispered to herself. "One more week..." 'It's so soon!' she thought. 'Where did all the time go?' Melena closed her eyes and thought back to the memories of helping her mother around the house and taking care of her siblings. She never ventured far from home. Not that she needed to; her family lived in the outskirts of Quadling Country, basically in the middle of nowhere. Her family wasn't exactly liked in Oz...especially her mom. Ok, not liked was an understatement. Her mom was the most hated woman in all of Oz. But her mother was the greatest woman she had ever known...in the eyes of those who saw things the way she did.
Melena wanted to go to Shiz, no mistake there. She remembered her family's reaction when she received her acceptance letter. Her mother started crying, her father grinning ear to ear, her sisters fighting on who would get her room, and her brother eager to kick her out as soon as possible. Fae of course was thrilled, but lately she began to wonder if she should even go to Shiz. Sure this was her dream come true, but how would this affect her family? She was always helping out her mom around the house and in the Animal shelter nearby. She would occasionally help her father find food, and she would tutor her siblings when her mother couldn't. When she left, what would happen to them? Life couldn't continue the way it did now. And what about her? She had never been so far away from home. What if she made a fool of herself? What if everyone hated her? What if they found out that her mother was the most hated woman in the history of Oz? What if-?
"Mel, honey, are you okay?" a soft voice from the door interrupted her thoughts. Melena turned her head to find her one and only mother standing in the doorway with a concerned look on her face. Melena forced a smile and nodded her head. "Yeah mom. I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Melena responded a little too cheerfully. Her mother raised one eyebrow and gave her daughter a questioning look.
"You're not very good at lying, Mel." Elphaba stated as she watched her daughter's smile falter. Melena sighed and turned her attention back to her calendar. "Yeah, I know..." Melena mumbled. Her eyes once again glued to the red writing. Elphaba made her way to Melena and caught glimpse of what she was starring at.
"One more week, huh? Aren't you excited?" Elphaba asked. Melena only gave a silent nod. Elphaba placed a green hand on Melena's shoulder and turned her around. "You never answered my question, Mel." Elphaba said, gently brushing the extra strands of hair out of her face. Melena sighed again and brushed past her mother to go sit on her bed. She sat on her mattress hearing it squeak by the sudden pressure and buried her face in her hands. Elphaba saw this and began to frown. She sat next to her daughter and waited. Melena looked peeked through her fingers and sighed. "You're not leaving until I tell you, are you?" Melena half asked half accused. Elphaba mearly shrugged and replied, "You said it; not me." Melena shook her head before sitting up straight and turned to face her mother. She tried to think of some sort of story to tell, but one look in her mother's eyes and she knew she couldn't lie; at least not to her.
"I'm just...scared." she whispered. Elphaba looked at her daughter curiously. Melena was not one to show fear or admit it; a trait she inherited from her. Elphaba draped her arm around her daughter and pulled her closer to her. "Scared of?" Elphaba asked. Melena closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose. She looked like she was trying to come up with an answer for both Elphaba and herself. "I guess, scared of that." Melena finally answered, pointing at her calendar. Elphaba raised her eyebrow curiously.
"You're afraid of going to Shiz?" Elphaba asked. Melena shook her head, her loose hair swaying from side to side. "No, not going to Shiz," she paused. "Well, maybe a little bit. But I'm scared of what changes I will put you guys through in my leaving for Shiz." Melena confessed. Elphaba still looked at her daughter with a confused face. "Elaborate please." Elphaba stated, now watching her daughter more curiously. Melena took a couple of breaths before turning to look her mother in the eye.
"Well," she began. "All my life, I've noticed that this family lives like...well...a machine." Elphaba raised her eyebrows in a skeptical way. "A machine?" Melena shrugged. "Yeah, you know, everyone has a to do a part to keep things running." Elphaba nodded in understanding."And like a machine, if something is out of place, the whole thing breaks down, or ceases to work." Melena rambled on. Elphaba turned her head slightly and looked at Mel from an angle. "I don't think I'm catching on, Mel." Melena sighed. "Basically, I'm afraid that when I leave, everything will go out of control and nothing will be the same."
To her surprise, Elphaba started to laugh. It was Melena's turn to look at her mother confused. "I'm sorry." Elphaba said when she finally calmed down. Elphaba turned at looked Mel straight in the eye. "Mel, listen to me." Elphaba began. "Of course things will be different. This is a huge transition for all of us. Of course things will be out of place for awhile. But we'll adjust; all of us. I learned a long time ago that you can't stop change; it just happens. And when it does, its how you react to it that makes it a good change or bad. Sometimes you can't see the results right away. Sometimes things don't go accrding to plan. You just have to go with it. Make the most of it and be happy with what you chose." Elphaba said smiling. Melena smiled back, a genuine smile too. "Thanks mom." she whispered. "Anytime, sweetheart. Anytime." Elphaba pulled Mel into a tight embrace. The sat there for a while, not talking; just enjoying each others company. When they pulled away, Melena expected to see her mother's smiling face, but instead she found her looking into a pair of suspicious brown eyes.
"What?" Melena asked cautiously. "Is that all that was bothering you, Mel?" Elphaba inquired. Melena groaned. Of course her mother would know if that was all. "No, I guess not..." Melena began. "Well?" Elphaba sat with her arms crossed. "Well, I guess I'm also scared of making a fool out of myself." Melena confessed. Elphaba smiled at this. "Trust me Mel," Elphaba said smirking. "If you embarrass yourself, it will be nothing compared to my fisr year at Shiz." Melena looked skeptically at her mother. Elphaba smiled, "You didn't see me at my first dance." she closed her eyes. "You didn't see how I looked. A blue frock, braided hair, my glasses dangling from my nose, laced boots up to my knees," Elphaba let a small laugh escape her lips as she remembered her dance at the Ozdust. "And to put icing on the cake, I wore my signature hat in all its glory." Melena's eyes widened at this. "You wore your hat?" Melena asked. Elphaba laughed again. "Oh you better believe it." Melena struggled to keep a giggle from escaping her lips. Just the thought of her mother looking the way she described it was enough for her to burst into laughter.
"And that's not all." Elphaba said in an amused voice. "I also made up a dance on the spot." Melena looked at her mother in disbelief. "Really??" Melena asked, eyes wide as plates. "Oh yes," Elphaba smiled. "In the middles of the dance floor too."
"How was it?" Melena asked, eagerly. Elphaba grinned. "It was absolutely horrible." she concluded.
"On the contrary, I thought it was one of the best dances I had ever been to." A voice spoke from the doorway. Melena turned to she her father leaning against the frame, arms crossed against his chest and a smile on his face.
"Oh, really? You think so Fiyero?" Elphaba, crossing her arms as well. She gave him a challenging look. "Yes, I do." Fiyero stated as he crossed the room and sat next to Melena, looking at his wife smugly. "And why is that, do you think Prince Fiyero?" Elphaba said in a intimidating tone, that if it were Melena talking to her, she would have backed out in submission. But her father was...brainless to be exact. Fiyero grinned stupidly at Elphaba, which made her glare. "Because, Princess Elphaba, Third Thropp Decending Tiggular of the Vinikus," Elphaba's eye twitched angerly at her full title. "It was because of that fatefull night I saw you for the first time. And because of that dance began our relationship. First as friends, then love blossomed." Fiyero replied, smiling. His smile faltered as Elphaba grinned evily.
"I believe you are mistaken, my dear Fiyero." Elphaba said in an unnaturally even voice. "The very first time out paths crossed, you nearly ran me over with your cart. If I rememberorrectly, your exact words were, 'Maybe the driver saw green and thought it meant go.'" Melena turned to her father in disbelief. She wondered how in the heck did these two become friends, and what miracle happened for them to fall in love. "Well, what I meant was seeing you for the first time, past the green skin. You are beautiful, uniqe and strong." Fiyero said taking Elphaba's hand. Melena wasn't sure, but she could of swore her mother blushed a darker shade of green.
"And that dance you made up was entrancing. I couldn't keep my eyes off of you." Fiyero said, pulling Elphaba closer to him. Elphaba rolled her eyes and looked at him skeptically. "No, seriously!" Fiyero said. "The Elphaba dance was a Ozdust hit." He smiled loving at his wife. Elphaba rolled her eyes again.
"Oh yeah? I bet if Glinda didn't dance with me, no one would have joined in. And if it was such a hit, how come no one remebered it? I attended at least four dances during Shiz and no one ever danced that ridiculous dance." Elphaba replied smirking. Fiyero smiled before pulling Elphaba to her feet. "Fiyero, what are you doing?" Elphaba asked cautiously. Fiyero stood in the middle of the room and swung his right arm in front of him. Then he did the same with his left. Melena watched her father curiously, but Elphaba's eyes went wide with horror.
"Fiyero, stop! What do you think you're doing?!" Elphaba cried. Fiyero smiled at his wife. "You said no one remebered this dance. I'm just proving you wrong." He continued the dance as Melena stared. This was the dance her mother made up? It wasn't as..horibble as her mother described, but it wasn't something she would do in public. Well, the way Fiyero danced, it looked quite funny. Elphaba watched with her arms folded as Fiyero danced around the room.
"You're doing wrong." Elphaba said in an annoyed voice. "Well then why don't you show us then, Ms. I-Know-It-Better-Than-You." Fiyero replied. Elphaba rolled her eyes but got up from Melena's bed. She playfully shoved Fiyero to the side. Fiyero took a seat next to Melena and waited. Melena waited too, eager to see what her mother would do. Elphaba closed her eyes, took a deep breath and began to dance; just like back at Shiz. Melena stared in amazement. Her father was right, her mom's dancing was entrancing. Her body was perfect for the movment, and the way her hair swished made it look even more amazing. She was hypnotized. She was so concentrated on her mother, that she didn't see Fiyero get up and join her. Melena felt as if though she was seeing her mother's flashback. She could just see her parents dancing with everyone dancing along. Fiyero suddenly pulled Elphaba to him and dipped her. Elphaba gave and uncharacteristic squeal when Fiyero dipped her and slapped him on the shoulder. Melena watched as her parents laugh and dance to no music but their own. She smiled quietly to herself. Her mom was right; they would be alright.