Thank you guys SO SO MUCH for your reviews! I'm glad you guys enjoy it!
This one has page breaks because for some reason the spacing wasn't working and my paragraph separations weren't coming up. Anyways, here is chapter three!
(By the way, this includes mention of alcohol and implications of abuse. Just so you know.)
"Nessa?"
"NESSAROSE?"
"NESSA?"
Elphaba and Ameya flitted in and out of doorways as they ran down the hall. Doors banged open and shut right and left as they searched high and low for the youngest Thropp.
"What in Oz name do you think you're doing?" Frex barked as he exited his master suite. He had changed into a deep red smoking jacket and held a snifter of brandy.
"Have you seen Nessarose?" Ameya asked, brushing the hair out of her eyes.
"No. I have not seen her since dinner. Have you checked her room?" Frex asked calmly, raising his eyebrows as he took a sip from the glass if amber liquid.
"Oh yes. Of course. Why would we ever check there?" Elphaba announced sarcastically. She made to go on but was cut short however as she bent, her side burning.
"How are you so calm about this?" Ameya demanded.
"Nessarose tends to disappear every so often, but she always returns. I have no fear about it anymore."
Elphaba scoffed. Ameya rolled her eyes and turned to the green girl.
"I'll double back on this floor. You go search down the stone path behind the house. It leads for about a quarter mile, and ends at a small cabin. Go."
Elphaba froze. Though she told no one, the dark frightened her immensely, and it was almost 10 pm.
"Come on. You want to find your sister? Into the woods!"
Ameya pointed to the side door off of the kitchen, before turning and running back down the hall.
Elphaba's eyes scanned the kitchen. In one of the sconces on the wall say a candlestick.
Carefully, she began to work the candle out of the holder. Once or twice it nearly caught her sleeve on fire, and once it did lick her hand. Why she did not think to blow it out is anyone's guess.
Once it was free, Elphaba ran out the back door.
The path was cobblestone, and lit by small gas lamps up until the forest began. With a gulp, she ran straight in, her green hand covering the flame against the wind.
"Nessa?" Elphaba whispered in the darkness.
She held the candle out at length. It's firelight cast a circle about five feet in diameter. She gulped again.
"N-Nessa?" Elphaba tried to shout, but her voice cracked.
It was quiet, save for the light rustling of a fall breeze over the trees above her.
Slowly, she edged her way forward down the path. It wasn't long before lights showed up again. The forest ahead cleared slightly.
A clearing ahead held a small wood cabin. Elphaba quietly rapped on the door. A dog barked in the quiet, which made Elphaba jump.
"Who is it?" a man said in a gruff door.
Elphaba leaped backward as the man kicked the door open. She let out a small shriek as he pointed a gun at her.
"Who're you?"
"El-Elphaba Thropp, sir. I live in the mansion."
"You a servant?"
"No, sir. I'm the...," Elphaba sighed. "I'm the Governor's daughter."
He lowered his gun ever so slightly.
"Why are you here?" he mumbled.
"I'm looking for my sister, sir. She has brown hair, brown eyes. And she's in a wheelchair," Elphaba said.
"Haven't seen anyone out here in quite some time. And definitely no one like that," he said.
"Oh."
"You better get outta here, girl. These woods aren't safe."
Elphaba just nodded. The man gave a nod and slammed the door. Within an instant, she had taken off sprinting down.
What she didn't notice was the crackling of the dry leaves following her back to the mansion.
"Nessarose?" Ameya said aloud as she wandered through the library for the third time.
As the same with the other two times, there were no responses. But then the thought struck her, and she smiled.
"You know, Nessarose. You are not the first Thropp to fall in love with the library. I know that Elphaba loves it too, but I don't think she figured out the library's greatest secret," Ameya said, her voice back to normal speaking level.
She stopped in front of a bookshelf to the right of the fireplace and adjacent reading area. One by one she pulled the corner books out of place in a counter-clockwise pattern. Then, she pulled the perfectly centered tome titled "A Secret Lies Within." After the initial clicks, she pushed them in in a clockwise rotation and then pushed in the center book.
With a groan, she grabbed the side of the bookshelf with both hands and pulled it backwards.
"How in Oz name did you even get here?!"
"I have stronger arms than anyone I know," Nessa mumbled.
They were in the secret den of the library. Nessa was face down on a twin sized bed. There was a fireplace which crackled weakly, and a carved wooden desk. To top it off, there was a special glass case full of first print collector editions.
"Why are you hiding?" Ameya whispered as she took a seat on the foot of the bed.
Nessa gave out a groan.
"Alright. Don't tell me," Ameya sighed. She slid off her shoes and put her stocking feet up on the bed.
As she laid back, she realized that Nessa still had her shoes and, by extension, her braces still on.
"Can I take these off for you? They look uncomfortable to lay in," Ameya asked.
Nessa gave out another groan.
"I'll take that as a no."
To Ameya's surprise, turned over and pulled her legs into to remove them herself.
"I don't want to turn seventeen," Nessa mumbled, as she threw her boots and braces down on the floor. With a third groan, she put her hands back behind her and pulled her legs in.
"Should you be doing that?" Ameya inquired.
"That," Nessa pointed out. "Is the work of the first surgery father ever had me get. Of the thirteen that I have had so far, it is the only one that ever worked. I was five. We were so excited about it. But then we got the second one. We were so optimistic that we actually thought it was starting to work. But then I read about the... the placebo effect."
"You wanted it to work, so you thought it was," Ameya explained. Nessa nodded. "And your father wanted it to work, so he thought if it kept happening then it would work."
Nessa nodded.
"I don't want to keep doing it, but I can't say no. And Elphaba tries and he just punishes her. "
"Well," Ameya said, sitting up and placing a hand gently on Nessa's shoulder. "You have me now. And trust me. I can get him to do whatever I want."
Nessa chuckled weakly, and raised a hand to wipe her eyes. But her small smile faded quickly.
"I don't want to be seventeen because it means I'm an adult. It means that if father were to die, I would be the Governor. I-I didn't think about it until you mentioned being the Eminent. I'm-I'm not ready to be a leader. I-I can't even stand up to my father or s-stand up at, at all."
Nessa started sobbing. Ameya scooted closer to her and put her arm around Nessa.
"That doesn't matter at all. I promise you. And nothing is going to happen to your father for quite a while. I promise you. I'll be here to help you."
For a moment, Ameya just hugged Nessa as she cried.
"Nessa?"
Both Ameya and Nessarose looked up.
Footsteps could be heard on the other side of the wall. Ameya stood up and pushed a button that opened the wall.
Elphaba came flying through the door. Her black hair flowed out behind her, even after she stopped running.
"Nessa! We've been looking for you everywhere! I even went into the woods!" Elphaba said quickly.
Nessa gave a short laugh.
"Come on," Ameya said, laughing a bit yourself. She handed Nessa her shoes.
Elphaba opened her mouth to talk more, but Ameya silenced her with a raise from her eyebrows.
"Elphaba, can you please help your sister into her chair if she so desires," Ameya instructed. As she passed Elphaba she whispered out of the side of the mouth. "I need your help, but we'll discuss this away from her."
"Do you want my help, Nessa?" Elphaba asked, pushing Nessa's chair out from the corner.
Nessa took a breath and nodded.
Elphaba leaned over, allowing Nessa to grab her around the neck. But as soon as she did so, she gasped with pain.
"Elphaba? Elphaba, what's wrong?" Nessa asked frantically, as Elphaba dropped her on the bed.
"It's okay," Elphaba breathed, though she was clutching her back. "Just... just sore."
"I can do it. I can do it," Nessa said, lifting herself cautiously from the bed into her chair. "Stay here and I'll get something for you. Don't move. I'll be right back."
"No. No. I'm okay," Elphaba said, sitting up slowly.
"No. Stay here," Nessa demanded. Elphaba froze, ready to say no. A look from Nessa stopped her though.
Nessa pushed herself out of the door, past Ameya who stood hidden behind a bookcase. But she stepped out in front of the door before Nessa could leave.
"Ah, Nessarose. I knew you'd show up sooner rather than later," Frex said from his armchair as soon as he heard the sound of Nessa's wheelchair entering the parlor.
"Not Nessarose."
Frex turned around in his chair to see Ameya pushing Elphaba in Nessarose's chair.
"What in Oz name are you doing?" Frex bellowed. The refilled brandy went flying as he stood up.
"You remember what I said about asking if Elphaba's back was hurting? Well, surprise, surprise. She is having a muscle spasm in her back due to excessive stress for, oh, I don't know... approximately fourteen years?" Ameya announced.
"And what are you, Ameya? A doctor?"
"As a matter of fact, Frexspar I am. And Elphaba needs care and rest, which means she cannot do any of the activities you call 'chores' for at least a month. She is only eighteen years old, Frexspar. These are complications that should not take place until her thirties or forties at minimum."
There was a gasp from behind him as Elphaba stood.
"Excuse me," she whispered to Ameya. Ameya started to argue, but Elphaba held up a hand.
"Go. Get. Your. Sister."
"What do you mean 'no'? I told you to go get your sister. Now go do it.
"No. I am done. This," Elphaba stifled a groan. "This is not the first time that this has happened. I'm done. I am done being your... whipping boy," Elphaba spat. "I am leaving. This is the last straw. And don't blame aunt Ameya for this, because this is the first time she has heard this too. The only part she has had in this is giving me the guts to say this. She taught me that I don't have to take this... this shit you put me through. I am done."
"She's coming to live with me," Ameya said, stepping out between Frex and Elphaba. "And Nessarose too. I have only been here for a few hours, and I already know that this is an unsafe environment, and that you, Frexspar, are an unfit father."
Frex stood dumbfounded as Ameya spat her words at her words at him.
"I am going to fetch Nessarose, and Elphaba is either going to sit down if she is in pain, or pack go bags. We are leaving tonight."
And with that, Ameya turned the chair and left the room to get Nessarose from the library.
Luckily, Frex was still astounded at her words, and had nothing to say to Elphaba.
Until Nessarose pushed herself into the room with a bag already packed and sitting on her lap.
"Th-this is actually happening?!"
Nessa nodded, sheepishly at first and then stronger, more defiant. Ameya appeared seconds later carrying her luggage and a small bag.
"I went ahead and packed Elphaba's things," Ameya said, handing the small bag to Nessarose to hold. "There's a carriage outside. Goodbye, Frexspar."
She put a hand on Elphaba's shoulder, and gently directed her to the door, before stepping ahead of her. Nessa made her own move towards the door, but Elphaba and Frex were still frozen.
"This isn't over. At all. You mark my words. You will pay for this, Elphaba Ameya Thropp. YOU MARK MY WORDS!" Frex shrieked.
At this, Elphaba turned and made eye contact with her father.
"No. It. Is. Over."
Suddenly, the everything in the room started whipping around as if it were caught in a huge, powerful wind. Ameya, Nessa, adn Elphaba were unharmed, but Frex was sent stumbling backwards. He hit the sofa , and kept going, flipping over the backwards. Lamps, paintings, books, everything flew around as if it were a cyclone. And then at once, it stopped.
Everyone was frozen (except for Frex, who was unconscious). It was minutes before Ameya, her face full of both shock and awe finally said: "We need to go. Right now."