20. Bloodlines
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I stand there and watch as they place Nessarose's coffin into the ground. I look over at my father and my oldest sister watching too.
I've always felt so odd. I was the only child who was born normal… and yet I wasn't anyone's favorite. Papa and Mama had always wanted a perfect child, and when I was born, Mama lived long enough to name me: Shell.
Nessarose was always Papa's favorite. She was the perfect one, even without any arms, unable to walk. She was the holy one, the one who got the praise…
And Elphaba and I were nothing. Well, at least Papa talked to me… most of the time.
I was always afraid of my sisters. To this day I'll never know why, but something about them scared me… and yet, when I had a nightmare I knew I could crawl into the bed that they shared (they did that when we moved around a lot with Papa's missions), and they would comfort me. I know that they loved me, in their own odd ways. Elphaba with the presence however strange, and Nessarose with her smiling eyes…
So why don't I feel any grief, even when I find out that Elphaba is dead?
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3/22/2006 11:46 AM