Chapter 5
"Fabala! Wake up! We're gonna be late for class!" Elphaba woke up to Nessarose shaking her. Elphaba grabbed her blanket and pulled it over her face. "No...I'm not coming." She murmured. The students didn't want her around anymore, so she was just giving them what they wanted. Elphaba would never again walk the halls of Shiz.
"What do you mean? Your a student too, right?" Nessa asked, confused that Elphaba wasn't getting up. Elphaba sighed and sat up. "Not exactly. I live here, so I'm allowed to attend classes, but I don't have to. But I don't have much of a choice anymore. People know who I am now. They'll except me even less then they did before I started pretending to be a ghost. Plus, you can't be seen with me. I don't want to ruin your reputation. Please just go. I'll be fine right here." Elphaba assured her sister, giving her a little smile.
"I'm not leaving without you! Your coming weather you like it or not." Nessa stated, grabbing Elphaba's hand and pulling the green girl out of bed. Nessa stumbled a little, still not used to being able to walk. "Nessa! Be careful! You just started walking last night. You're still not used to it." Elphaba said, grabbing onto Nessa to keep her from falling.
"Don't worry, Fabala. I'm fine." Nessa smiled at Elphaba. "Okay. Just try to be careful until you get used to walking. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." Elphaba said. "I'll be careful. Now come on! We're gonna be late!" Nessa tugged on Elphaba's arm again, trying to get the emerald girl to follow her. "Nessa, I can't! They'll never except me!" Elphaba protested, but allowed her sister to drag her along. "Yes they will! I'll tell them that your nice." Nessa said, handing Elphaba her Shiz uniform.
Elphaba sighed, taking the uniform from her sister. "Nessa..." Elphaba started, but Nessa cut her off. "No 'buts'! Your coming weather you like it or not. Besides, I'm pretty sure Madame Morrible would want you to follow me in case I needed help. Even if I can walk I still stumble around a lot. Please Fabala. I want to help you." Nessa pleaded with Elphaba.
"Fine. But if anything happens, I'm coming back here." Elphaba muttered. "Thank you, Fabala!" Nessa squealed, hugging Elphaba. Elphaba gave her sister a smile before changing into her uniform. "Need any help with your uniform?" Elphaba asked Nessa. "No thanks. I think I can handle it myself." Nessa replied, disappearing into the bathroom. When Nessa came back, she was all dressed.
Nessa was stumbling a little. "Here, let me help you." Elphaba said, holding onto Nessa's arm. "Thanks, Fabala." Nessa smiled at Elphaba. "Your welcome." Elphaba said, smiling back at her. Despite Elphaba's smile, Nessa could see the sadness in her eyes. That one look broke Nessa's heart. Elphaba had lived her whole life being bullied for the way she looked. Somehow, Nessa had to make things right. Elphaba helped her, so Nessa was gonna help her in return.
Glinda knocked on Nessa and Elphaba's door. "What do you think is taking her so long?" she asked Fiyero, who was standing next to her. "She's in a wheelchair, remember? She's probably just taking a little longer because she needs a little more help." He replied. A minute later, the door opened to see Nessarose standing there. Wait...STANDING!? "Nessa! You can walk!" Glinda squealed, hugging Nessa tightly. "Yes! Isn't it amazifying?" Nessa smiled brightly at them. "B-but how?" Fiyero asked. "My new friend." Nessa explained, motioning towards someone behind the door.
Glinda and Fiyero just stared, wide-eyed at the girl who stepped out next to Nessa. "G-g-GHOST!" They both practically screamed. "No! Don't be scared! This is Elphaba. My sister." Nessa told them. "Hi." Elphaba waved, shyly. "SISTER!?" Glinda shrieked. "Yes. My sister, Elphaba Thropp. Apparently she's been living here almost all of her life." Nessa explained.
"Wait, so your sister's a ghost?" Fiyero asked, kinda confused about what was going on. "No! She's not a ghost!" Nessa had to try really hard not to yell. She had only just met Elphaba, but she already started feeling kinda protective about her sister. "This doesn't make sense! If she's not a ghost, then why was she pretending to be a ghost?" Glinda asked. Nessa glanced over at Elphaba, as if you ask if she could tell Glinda and Fiyero about her past. Elphaba gave her a slight nod, trying her best to smile at her sister.
"Elphaba has had a hard childhood. Apparently our father hated her, so he left her here when she was four. While growing up here, all the other students would tease her for her skin. The bullying eventually hurt her to the point where she couldn't take it anymore. When she was seven, she became the ghost." Nessa explained Elphaba's story. "It's not easy being green." Elphaba muttered, looking down at her feet.
"Wait, but how do you make yourself look like a ghost?" Fiyero asked, still not sure if he should believe Elphaba's story. "I'm a sorceress." Elphaba replied in a whisper, worried about what they might think. "L-like a witch?" Glinda asked, scared of the fact that this girl had powers. Elphaba sighed, hating that word. "Yes, like a witch." She muttered. "Please don't call her that! Elphaba is not a witch!" Nessa scolded them.
"But she just said she was!" Fiyero protested. "Can we please just stop talking about this? I refuse to be late for class!" Elphaba said, not wanting to continue with this conversation. "Oh, yes. Sorry Fabala." Nessa apologized to Elphaba. "That's alright. I'm used to it." Elphaba smiled at her sister. "Let's go then." Nessa said. She started to walk, but stumbled a little. Elphaba quickly reacted, catching her before she could fall. "Thanks Fabala." Nessa smiled. And with Elphaba helping Nessa, they all walked towards their first class.