A/N: I love you all for reading all the way here XD
Now this little chapter here, I took the place from Son of Witch, Gregory Maguire's official sequel to his amazing story of Wicked.
Chapter Five: The Apple Press Farm
How Glinda loved playing with her Elphie's raven black hair.
My Elphie indeed, she said, smiling ridiculously.
The green girl even gave the spritely little blonde her permission to comb it every night while she pored over her notes. Glinda was even lucky to get a free lecture if Elphaba felt chatty. Otherwise, there's a nice and easy silence between them, seeing as both of their minds were occupied. Whenever Glinda felt really playful, she would end up braiding her hair in outrageous styles that would draw out laughs for half an hour. And whenever Elphaba looked stressed, Glinda would gently massage her head, easily lulling the girl to sleep.
These were some of the precious memories left for Glinda to cling on; remembrances of her days of ignorance, when everyday would just be spent staring blankly at blackboards, and every night playing with Elphie's hair—
"Ouch…" the blonde muttered, frowning slightly, as she felt dull burning sensations on her wrists and knees.
She fluttered her eyes open and instantaneously found Elphaba sitting cross-legged in front of her, staring at her. Immediately, Glinda saw her high, prominent cheekbones delving into a darker shade of green.
"Oh… I, uh," Elphaba uncharacteristically stuttered, feeling embarrassed to be caught staring, "Well, good morning…"
Glinda let a small smile crawl into her face as she brought herself to sit upright, wrapping the black cloak tighter around her to fend off the morning cold. "Have I overslept…?" she asked, stifling a yawn.
She looked at Elphaba again and was mildly amused to find that she was still staring at her with an odd look in her eyes.
"Oz to Thropp, Elphie," Glinda smirked, "What's gotten in to you?"
Elphaba blinked and blushed even further, if that were possible. She finally averted her gaze onto her twirling hands. "Just hungry…" she muttered, almost incoherently.
Now that Glinda thought of it, they didn't have supper last night. "Well, we better find you some food soon," she said, her crystal blue eyes shining with amusement, "You look like you want to devour me or something."
And now it was her turn to change color when she grasped the other possible meaning of the words she just released. Her skin crawled, and her sleepy heart pumped faster than it should be. Not this again, she thought exasperatedly.
This time, an awkward pause hung in the air.
"How are your legs feeling?" Elphaba finally decided to ask, not trusting her eyes to look at the blonde again.
"Um… Just fine, I guess," the latter estimated, wary in choosing the words she will be releasing. She had been paying heavy consequences since the last night because of mere words. "Why?"
"I think we should go for a walk," Elphaba said, standing up and adjusting her bag on her shoulder, "To search for food. Well, maybe if we get lucky we might even find a place to stay for some time."
"Sounds great to me," Glinda said, shifting to stand. Elphaba quickly dove and helped her up to her feet.
"I'm not disabled, Elphie," Glinda said, smiling even so. The green girl was being over protective of her.
"Well, your knees," Elphaba reasoned, setting her tall, pointy hat on her head, "I don't want you to strain yourself too much."
Glinda actually grinned. "You're being too cute, Elphie," she answered. She was relieved to see that Elphaba had smiled back, although diffidently.
They walked through the dense forest with Glinda entwining their arms together. She even started a small pep talk, but was too careful with the topics. She took care not to mention anything that had to do with the words "Wizard", "Animals", "Morrible", and even anything that might lead to the thought of exile.
Elphaba had to admit: she was greatly thankful that her little blonde roommate came along. But admittedly, things are not going to be easy. There are two of them on the run, and she wasn't sure how long Glinda could keep up with this entire mess she was unceremoniously dragged in… or rather, unwittingly chucked herself in.
They reached a clearing, and the first thing they saw was a small cabin of some sort. Several yards away, a barn stood out. Nobody needed to give these establishments a second glance to confirm that they were abandoned. The paint was peeling from the walls, and the materials used to build them were insidiously chipping away.
"Guess nobody's home then," Elphaba said, untangling herself from Glinda to inspect the grimy windows.
"Elphie…" Glinda said nervously, casting the empty grounds a furtive glance.
"Nobody's been home in a while, Glinda," Elphaba confirmed, walking over to the barn, which was almost as big as the cabin itself. "And… Of course. Empty." She added, without even entering the hay filled room.
There's an odd and rusty contraption in the middle of the dim barn. At the back, stacks of wooden crates are seen.
"What's that?" Glinda asked, inching closer to her guardian, still unsure of the place. She was done worrying about the isolation, and now she was thinking of the possibilities on how the abandoned farm might somehow be haunted.
"It's a press. You know, for printing stuff," Elphaba answered, squinting to see further.
Glinda scoffed and playfully slapped Elphaba on the arm. "I know what a press is, Elphie," she said, a little annoyed.
Elphaba merely smirked cheekily at her, making Glinda's jumpy heart clog itself on her throat. "You'd be surprise. This one has one side dedicated to paper, and the other on making apple ciders. See those boxes at the back? Maybe their printing something illegal and had to make a run for it," she went on.
They stood staring at the decaying metal before them for some time.
"So what do you think?" Elphaba suddenly asked.
Glinda looked up at her, knitting her brows together. "Think about what?"
Elphaba lamely waved her hand at the cramped looking cabin. "About the farm," she answered simply, "I think it's an ideal place to settle down."
"Oh…" Glinda said, looking at the dilapidated structure. She didn't want to admit that she found absolutely nothing enthralling about it. For one, she had been raised in a different environment, and to live in a rundown building was certainly beneath her standards. "It looks… decent."
Elphaba laughed. "Oh you," she said, taking Glinda's hand and walking the two of them back to the cabin, "You're too adorable, my sweet. That's why I love you so much."
Glinda burned red after hearing her say that. But she felt incredibly and ridiculously exhilarated! Elphaba's prolonged staring, her constant use of the endearment "my sweet", frequent touches (some she found strangely intimate), and now this! It was the best one that got her exceptionally giddy: Elphaba saying she loves her.
It was no more than a jest Elphaba had uttered under the influence of sheer happiness. Nothing more. Glinda insisted. But she couldn't help it. There was something so wonderful and unique about the way Elphaba had been acting towards her lately.
"Fine then," the green girl interrupted her line of thoughts, "Press Farm. I'm naming it."
Glinda rolled her eyes as they sauntered side by side. "Really, Elphie," she said skeptically, "That was the dreariest name one could think for a place to live in."
"Well then, Glinda Upland," Elphaba continued, smiling brightly now, "Enlighten me."
Glinda raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Apple Press Farm. Sounds a lot better and much more alive, Miss Elphaba."
Elphaba laughed again, enchanting Glinda as she watched how the muscles around that green face work to form the most brilliant smile in all of Oz.
As they stepped on the creaky porch, Glinda realized how interesting things might go from here on out. At that moment, she was living a life with Elphaba, officially accepting her new status as an exile, completely cut off from the world she knew.
And she felt nothing but escalating excitement.
A/N: And so, the real fun begins XD Time to get my Gelphie feels working. If it's getting slightly boring in any way, please tell me immediately so I can fix it.