Sorry for the epic cliffie and then the really long wait! It wasn't that I had writer's block, I'm just lazy.
What was it they had forgotten?
The gash.
The wound in Cardinia's back.
The one that assured Shaila that Burnum was guilty.
Some of the doctors said it was the wound itself that killed her. No, it must've been the concussion, other doctors had said. No one knew for sure how exactly Cardinia died. But all knew this: Her dying wish was to have Glinda take care of her daughter.
"I'm sorry, Lady Glinda," the adviser had said. "But you can't take care of this child. You're the ruler of Oz, after all. We can't have everyone wanting you to take care of their child."
A sob escaped Glinda before she could stop it. Shaila put her arm around her friend. "But her mother is dead! And her father is in prison! She has no one left," Glinda protested.
"It's OK, Glinda," Shaila said. When Glinda looked at her incredulously, she continued. "I'll adopt the child. Is there a problem with that?"
The adviser shook her head slowly and Glinda cheered.
Shaila named the child Kirrily. Some of the other members of the staff helped Shaila raise her, and of course... Glinda did. Sometimes it was said that Glinda played a bigger part in raising Kirrily than Shaila did. People from outside the castle just figured that Shaila was Kirrily's biological mother. They even looked like they were related, they both had wavy black hair, fair skin, and green eyes. Kirrily just seemed to know from an early age that Shaila wasn't her birth mother. But Shaila loved her like a mother loves her daughter, and the feeling was mutual. That was all Kirrily cared about.
Kirrily was a lonely child. Content, but lonely. Shaila tried desperately to find a friend for her, but Kirrily would have rather read a book inside (she learned to read before any of the other children her age) than run around outside and get dirty. Kirrily didn't like getting dirty, not because she was a snob, but because she saw no point in it. She figured she'd save the servants of the castle some time when it came to laundry. She was practical. She was also patient, but when patience ran out, her temper was sharp and powerful. Sometimes, when Kirrily glared and tilted her head just so, Glinda was reminded of Elphaba.
Shaila figured that if Kirrily went to public school, she would make more friends. Glinda agreed halfheartedly, she remembered being the popular kid back in school. If the main clique didn't know someone, they most likely would shun that someone.
It was a terrible decision on Shaila's part. But she didn't know how terrible school would be for her daughter.
So sort of a half-cliffie. Sorry for being really short, I wanted this chapter to have two main things to describe: Cardinia's death and the effects of it. I'll update soon, I promise!