Elphaba closed the door quietly behind her, calming down after her argument with Frex. Poor Nessa, she thought, I've ruined everything for her. Elphaba sat on her bed and breathed in deeply, relaxing. About 10 minutes later, she could hear her father storming up the steps. He banged on the door.
"Elphaba!" he yelled, "Get out!" Elphaba got up slowly and went to the door and opened it timidly. As soon as she opened the door, Frex reached in and grabbed Elphaba, pulling her out roughly. Elphaba stumbled forward.
"You ungrateful little brat!" he yelled at her, "You're sister's one chance at happiness and you almost go and ruin it for her!"
"I'm sorry!" Elphaba said, and she truly was.
"You're going to be!" Frex thundered, throwing her down the steps. She fell and tumbled down the steps, bruises coloring her skin even more; mixed with the blood the sharp edges in the stairs had cause. She clutched onto the stair rail to get back up. Frex watched her coldly.
"Perhaps I will spare you tonight," said Frex through his teeth, "If you sing for me."
"No." Elphaba said darkly. She didn't mind singing, she actually enjoyed it most of the time, but singing on an order, especially one from her father, she couldn't do that.
"Fine." said Frex, he grabbed her wrist and slammed her into the wall. Then he pushed and kicked her until she was at the top of the stairs again. She threw up blood and fell forward. He quickly pulled her up roughly and shoved her into the attic, slamming the door and locking it with several locks.
"You will stay in there without meals for a week, do you hear me?!" thundered Frex.
"Loud and clear!" Elphaba yelled back. Frex glared at the door for a moment before going back downstairs. Elphaba went to her bed and curled up on it, throwing up blood again. She quickly wiped the blood from her mouth and sat there, rocking. Just a little bit longer, she told herself, A little bit longer and you can go to Shiz with Nessa, away from this horrid man. Elphaba could only pray beyond everything that Nessa wanted to go to Shiz.
*****
Nessa saw the blood when she got home, splattered across the stairs and the wall. She groaned inwardly and wheeled herself to her room after sharing a sweet kiss with Fredrick, making sure he didn't come inside. Somehow, Nessa couldn't bring it in herself to feel too terribly bad about this incident, it'd happened before, and she was just too happy about how her date had gone with Fredrick. Later, Nessa was informed that Elphaba had been locked in the attic for a week. Nessa would have to wait a whole week to tell her sister the grand news. A week passed and Nessa waited patiently, then one day as she was wheeling herself to breakfast, she heard her sister, humming softly from the kitchen. She was cooking pancakes and eggs for the family. The table was already set, but only for two.
"Good morning Elphaba." said Nessa cheerily, glad to see her sister again.
"Morning Nessa." Elphaba replied; she stopped humming immediately. Nessa watched her sister cook, yet another thing Elphaba was good at. She made the best food you'd ever tasted, which was another reason Nessa hated when her sister was locked away, the maids cooking tasted like garbage when you had it compared to Elphaba's. Nessa wondered how Elphaba had ever learned to cook like that, having no one to teach her, she wondered if it was just natural.
"Are you hungry?" asked Elphaba after the silence turned awkward.
"Very much." Nessa replied with a nod, she rolled over to her spot at the table, "Is father joining us?"
"Yes."
"Why don't you set him a spot as well, you don't want him to yell at you." said Nessa.
"I did." Elphaba replied, keeping her eyes on the pancakes and eggs.
"Well, where's your plate and silverware?" asked Nessa.
"I'm not allowed to eat today, just allowed out of the attic to cook the meals." Elphaba explained softly.
"Oh." Nessa averted her eyes to her plate and looked down. Then she wheeled herself to Elphaba's side, placing a gentle hand on Elphaba's. Nessa was amazed at the softness of Elphaba's skin, it made her own skin seem rough and dry. She wondered how someone as abused as Elphaba could have skin as soft as silk. She looked at her sister and her eyes grew wider, it was as if seeing something different about her for the first time. Elphaba was thin...very thin, it broke Nessa's heart. Nessa could feel the bones in her wrist, but still, thin as Elphaba may be, she still looked beautiful. You hardly noticed that she was that heart-wrenching thin until you really looked at her, otherwise, she just had a slender figure, very delicate and pretty in fact, Nessa wished she had a figure like that. People always called her a delicate little beauty, but she could hardly see how that was so when she saw how delicate and beautiful her sister was.
"Are you alright?" asked Nessa.
"I'm fine." said Elphaba briskly, dismissing the matter. She turned back to the stove to flip the pancakes.
"If you say so." Nessa sighed as she wheeled back to the table. Elphaba was just putting the pancakes on the plates when Frex came in.
"Is breakfast ready?" he demanded coldly.
"Yes father." Elphaba said, setting two pancakes on his plate.
"Good, now come on." Frex walked over and grabbed Elphaba. She winced at the pressure he held her and he took her back to the attic and locked her in. He came back down and began eating, as much as he hated to admit it, he'd missed Elphaba's cooking.
"I thought her punishment only lasted a week!" Nessa exclaimed, she usually never raised her voice in her father's presence.
"I let her out, didn't I?" said Frex.
"Yes, but only to cook for us!" Nessa argued.
"I don't see why it matter so much to you, you should be happy not to put up with her right now." Frex said. Nessa sighed.
"But I have something to tell her." she said, she had been longing to tell Elphaba about her date with Fredrick ever since it had happened.
"Fine, I'll let her out after breakfast." said Frex. They finished breakfast in silence. After the meal, Nessa prompted her father to go let Elphaba out. He nodded curtly and went to the attic door.
*********
Elphaba was sitting on her bed, trying to clean up some of the blood that was splattered all over the room. It had dried and seemed permanent. She was surprised when she heard the locks and bolts on her door open and see her father open the door.
"Was your breakfast unsatisfactory?" asked Elphaba trying to be polite so she could be let out of the room.
"It was fine." Frex said darkly, "I'm letting you out."
"Really?" Elphaba asked hopefully getting off of her bed.
"You have your sister to thank for this. She wants to talk to you." Frex growled. Elphaba hurried out of the room, thin enough to slide right past Frex without even touching him. She went downstairs to Nessa's room, knowing Nessa must be wanting to tell her about her date with Fredrick. Elphaba knocked lightly on Nessa's door.
"Come in." was Nessa's soft reply. Elphaba gently pushed open the door and closed it behind her.
"So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" asked Elphaba, smiling at her sister, glad she had stuck up for her and made her father let her out of the cramped bloody attic.
"Oh Elphaba, it's you!" Nessa jumped. Elphaba laughed and nodded.
"So, on with it! How was your date?" asked Elphaba, knowing this was what Nessa was getting at. Nessa was now smiling ear to ear as she began to tell Elphaba all about it. Elphaba found herself smiling to now, happy that her sister was happy. Then the smile began to fade as she registered that last thing Nessa had said.
"Wait, he wants you to stay with his family next year in the Emerald City?" asked Elphaba.
"Yes! Isn't it wonderful? All I have to do is ask father!" Nessa chimed.
"So, you're not going to Shiz?" asked Elphaba, starting to panic. She couldn't spend any more time in this house with Frex, and if Nessa was going to the Emerald City, that left Elphaba alone with her father.
"No, I think I'd like to go with Fredrick." Nessa said. Her eyes confused at Elphaba's reaction. She expected her sister to laugh and tease her, be happy for her. But all she saw was pure horror cross Elphaba's face. Suddenly, Elphaba was on her knees in front of Nessa, grabbing her hand and looking deep into her eyes.
"Nessa, please, please, I have never asked anything of you, nothing, but I am asking you now, please, for me. Just this one thing, please attend Shiz; I can't stand to live here anymore, please!" Elphaba begged her sister, her words desperate. Nessa stared at her sister in shock.
"I..." Nessa began.
"Please Nessa, please, for me! I've always done everything you've asked of me, and I will do more if you just please sacrifice this one thing for me." Elphaba pleaded again.
"I'm sorry Elphaba, but I—I can't." Nessa said, her heart breaking for her sister. She knew she was being incredibly selfish. Elphaba had done everything for her, sacrificed everything. And Nessa had never done anything for Elphaba. Elphaba had never asked her for anything, and now that she was finally asking for just one thing. Nessa could find it in herself to do so. She was so selfish, she loathed herself then when she chose Fredrick, love makes bastards of us all, she decided.
"Please!" Elphaba asked again, Nessa could feel her heart splinter as she saw tears form in the corners of Elphaba's eyes. Elphaba had never cried.
"Elphaba, don't cry, you'll burn yourself!" Nessa cried.
"Why do you care?!" Elphaba cried, she suddenly stood up and was fleeing out of the room. She ran and ran, she needed someone to talk to, anyone. She came across her old teacher, Madame Benchley. Madame Benchley looked at the poor girl and immediately knew that something was wrong, she enwrapped Elphaba in a tight hug.
"What is wrong dear child?" asked Madame Benchley. Elphaba quickly told the Madame about her sister's choice and what that meant for her. How she'd be at home all summer a slave to her father. Elphaba hadn't directly told Madame Benchley about her father's abuse, just that she had to do all of the work, but Madame Benchley figured it out, from what she saw, Elphaba's story wasn't half as bad what was really going on. Elphaba was leaving out a lot.
"It's alright dear Elphaba, I've alerted the child abuse program, they'll get you out." said Madame Benchley.
"What? Why would you do that?!" Elphaba shouted. She jumped off the bench she had been sitting on with Madame Benchley.
"You were hurt." Madame Benchley said, this wasn't the reaction she had been expecting.
"Did I tell you that? Who do you think you are? You think you know about everything that goes on in my life. You don' know anything. You shouldn't have done this. He will kill me! You've ruined everything!" Elphaba shouted, "I can't ever go back there now, you've made an orphan of me!" Elphaba ran away from the woman straight back home. She ran to the attic and packed what little belonging she had in a small satchel and ran back out after leaving a short letter for Nessa, hidden under her pillow. Then she ran back out of the house, no one saw her come in, and no one saw her leave. Nessa was still sulking in her bedroom and Frex was still in his office. Elphaba's escape was made unnoticed and she ran, for some reason the air she breathed in felt different. She'd been in these woods several time before and breathed its air, but now that air was more fresh, she felt free and she kept running, and didn't look back once.