JustYoRegularFictionLover: Thank you! Here is the update.
Moreanswers24: Yes, I do LOVE to torture these characters! MWAHAHAHA! And pickles on ice cream? Okay…
PrincessFabala: Thank you! I'm so glad it works!
Elphaba'sGirl: LOL! Yes, really! I just had to. I couldn't help it. And you are very correct. I like writing vulnerable Elphaba stories (though I don't know why.)
Elphabalover101: Elphaba will never stop being stubborn.
Wickedly Hope Pancake: Yes. I like writing stories where Frex is nice because I HATE it when Frex is mean. Especially to Elphaba.
I'mFlyingHighDefyingGravity: Don't worry. I won't tell her.
MyVisionIsDying: Well, wonder no more. Here's your update.
Heatqueen: I'm sorry the first chapter was a little confusing. I'll try to clear the things up. The card with her room number on it was in braille and she was following Nessa. Sorry I wasn't specific enough. And my school has braille labels on our doors, so I was working off of that. And Elphaba felt Galinda's eyes staring at her, like she felt Nessa's eyes on her right before Nessa made the comment about her hair. Thanks for your reviewing and I hope this clears things up.
NellytheActress: Yes, you do. In the next chapter.
Elphaba stood alone in the center of the room, taking deep breaths. Just go to a happy place, she silently told herself. Closing her eyes, she visualized herself alone in her room back at the Governor's Mansion. She slowly opened her eyes, feeling calmer.
"Fabala!" she heard a familiar voice call.
So much for the happy place and feeling calmer. She heard the wheels of her sister's wheelchair approaching her room, closely followed by footsteps. The door flew open, revealing Nessa, whose facial expression was a mixture of confusion, worry and horror. Behind her stood Madame Morrible, who looked concerned and confused.
"Miss Elphaba," the headmistress began. "Your roommate just ran out of here screaming."
"Care to explain, Fabala?" Nessa asked stiffly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Elphaba bit her lip. It had been years since her last magical outburst, and ever since then, she had made a promise to herself that she would try to control her temper.
"Well?" Nessa asked. "Are you going to explain or should I?"
Elphaba played with the hem of her dress, remaining silent.
"Looks like I'm explaining, then," Nessa said, turning to Madame Morrible. "You see, Madame, my sister has an unnatural gift of sorcery and she doesn't know how to control it. She used to have these magical outbursts when she was younger… and apparently, she still does," Nessa finished, looking at the broken lamp on the floor.
"So, this has happened before?" Morrible asked, looking from Nessa to Elphaba.
"Yes," Nessa answered.
"Well… something just comes over me sometimes. Something I can't explain. But I'll try to control it. I'm sorry," Elphaba spoke up, looking in the direction of the headmistress and her sister.
"What?! Never apologize for talent!" Morrible exclaimed. It was hard to tell which Thropp sister looked more shocked. Morrible smiled as she walked into the room and gently took Elphaba's hand. "Talent is a gift. And that's my talent. Encouraging talent."
"What?" Elphaba asked dryly.
"Have you ever considered a career in sorcery?"
"Um… not really."
"Oh. Then you must enroll in my sorcery seminar. I can help you learn how to control your talent."
You mean curse, Elphaba thought, feeling the unofficial air quotes around "talent".
Nessa gave the headmistress a soft smile. "Fabala will…"
"Nessa, I am more than capable of making my own decisions and speaking up for myself," Elphaba snapped.
Nessa sat back, crossing her arms and glaring at her sister. "Okay," she dared.
Sighing, Elphaba slowly nodded her head. "Okay. I'll join."
"Wonderful," Morrible said in a voice so sweet, Elphaba almost threw up. Oz, how she hated that sweet voice. It was okay when she was eight, not eighteen. "Now, you girls must get to sleep. Classes start bright and early tomorrow morning." And with that, Morrible turned and left the room, leaving the two Thropp sisters alone.
"I actually thought you would say no," Nessa said in a tauntingly thoughtful voice.
"How did you get up here?" Elphaba asked, tiredness evident in her voice.
"I flew," Nessa deadpanned. The elder Thropp angrily turned towards her sister, a slight growl escaping from the back of her throat. "There's a ramp on the other side of the staircase," Nessa explained.
Elphaba nodded as she felt her way back to her bed and sat down, bringing her hand to her forehead and rubbing her temple. Nessa decided to leave, knowing that when her sister got a headache, she got moody. And when she got moody, outbursts happen. And when outbursts happen, the results aren't pretty. She wheeled over to her sister and placed her hand on her knee. "I'm going back down to Madame Morrible. Do you need anything before I go?"
"No," Elphaba said, shaking her head.
Nodding, Nessa patted her sister's knee and turned to leave.
"Nessie, wait!" Elphaba called when her sister reached the doorway. The younger Thropp turned around. Elphaba stood up and, awkwardly shuffling her feet, bowed her head and locked her hands behind her back. "I-I'm sorry."
Smiling softly, Nessa wheeled back to her sister. "It's okay, Fabala. You've been stubborn ever since we were little. I don't expect you to change completely. Well… not overnight at least."
Elphaba chuckled softly. She felt her sister slip her hand into hers.
"I know how you feel," Nessa whispered softly, giving Elphaba's emerald hand a gentle squeeze.
A single tear slid down Elphaba's cheek. Quickly wiping it away, she knelt down and engulfed Nessa in a gentle hug. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Fabala," Nessa whispered. Releasing her sister, Nessa turned and wheeled out of the room.
Elphaba smiled as she returned to her unpacking. She put her toiletries in the bathroom, making sure everything was organized so she wouldn't have a problem finding it later and placed her suitcase under her bed.
The next morning, Elphaba woke up early, as usual. She was always the first one to wake up. Her first day of college life didn't change that. Sitting up, she stretched towards the ceiling. She almost forgot she was at Shiz University. That was… until she heard someone breathing in the bed next to her.
Oh, right, she thought, slowly swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. I have a roommate.
The green girl pushed herself up and felt her way to her dresser. Her fingers bumped into something smooth and hard. Sliding her hand slightly to the right, she felt the knob of the drawer and opened it, pulling out her underclothes. Shuffling to the left, she reached the closet and pulled out a blouse and a skirt, hoping they matched. She knew her maid, Annelida, had packed her clothes so the dark colors were on the bottom and the lighter colors were on the top, but she still had her doubts. She would just have to trust her instincts and wear what she picked out. She quickly found the bathroom door and slipped inside. She was so glad she organized everything the day before. It made her morning routine easier. She stepped out of the shower, drying off and wrapping her wet hair in her towel to keep it from dripping onto her clothes. She had taken her clothes into the bathroom with her. She didn't want to come out of the bathroom, clothed in only a towel, and have her roommate stare at her. She quickly put on her underclothes and slipped her arms into the short-sleeved blouse. Working carefully and slowly, she worked from the bottom up with the buttons, making sure they were in their proper slots. She grabbed her long skirt and slipped her legs inside, making sure her blouse was tucked inside. Sliding her fingers over her clothing, Elphaba decided she was ready to face her first day of college.
She opened the door and was surprised not to hear breathing coming from her roommate's bed. Brushing it off, she walked over to her dresser and felt for her brush. She felt her fingers brush against it and she smiled. She slowly began to untangle her almost-dry, long, raven hair. She put her brush down and started to braid her hair. Running her fingers over her braid to make sure it was okay, Elphaba walked over to her desk and grabbed her bag. She made sure she had all her braille books, her braille note taker, her schedule and anything else she would need for the day. She was about to close her bag when she felt eyes on her, and she didn't like it one bit.
"Miss Galinda?" she asked uncertainly.
"Hmm?" came a voice from behind her, sounding as if she were snapping out of a daydream.
"Can I help you with something?" the green girl asked, turning around to face her roommate.
"A-Actually, I was going to ask you the same question," Galinda said shyly.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Do you need any help?"
"Excuse me?"
"I…" Galinda cringed under her roommate's hateful stare. She didn't understand why the green girl was so hostile towards her. She didn't do anything to her.
"You what?" Elphaba asked.
"Why are you being so crude?"
"You sound like my sister," Elphaba sighed, feeling for her flats with her feet. Finding them, she slipped them onto her feet.
"I was only trying to help you. I was just trying to be nice!"
"And that's where the problem started. I didn't ask for assistance, therefore, I don't need it," Elphaba said, walking over to her closet and feeling for her jacket. Finding it, she pulled it off the hanger and put it on. She grabbed her bag and placed the strap over her shoulder.
"I just thought that…"
"That what? That just because I'm blind I need constant supervision? That I'm an invalid who can't care of herself?"
"I only meant…"
"Do tell. Please do tell what you meant."
"I thought that after what happened yesterday…"
"I thought that you would have learned your lesson from yesterday, but clearly, you have not," Elphaba said stiffly, feeling her desk for her cane.
Galinda was about to retort when a knock at the door interrupted her. "Fabala, are you ready?"
"Yes, Nessie," Elphaba called back, unfolding her cane and walking towards the door. She walked out, without saying so much as a "Goodbye" to Galinda.
"You seem to have successfully matched yourself up this morning."
"You'd be surprised to see what I can do without anyone's help."
"Fabala, you really mustn't be so uncivil to Miss Galinda," Nessa said as she led Elphaba to the café for breakfast.
"She thinks I'm inept," Elphaba protested.
"Well, she's probably never…"
"Please don't give me this speech again," Elphaba sighed, tightening her grip on the handle of her sister's wheelchair.
"It's true."
"That people think I'm incapable of doing the simplest of tasks?"
"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about! You need to stop pitying yourself if you want others to stop pitying you."
Elphaba was silent. She knew her sister was right. She just didn't want to admit it.
"You know I'm right," Nessa said.
Elphaba remained silent, refusing to say anything. Nessa led her through the open door of the café.
"Here. You sit down and I'll get us some breakfast," Nessa said, leading Elphaba to one of the tables by the window.
"Nessa –"
"No protesting! Now, sit!" Nessa said, forcing her sister to sit down. Elphaba scowled, not appreciating being forced into a seat. She waited patiently as Nessa got breakfast. She heard her sister wheel away and shortly return. "I got you some tea and muffin," came her sister's soft voice, placing the cup in front of her.
"Thank you," Elphaba whispered as the smell of the peppermint tea filled her nose. She slowly reached forward and grabbed the handle of the cup. Bringing it to her lips, she took a delicate sip before returning it to the table.
The Thropp sisters spent the rest of their time discussing their schedules.
"I have Political Science with Dr. Dillamond first," Elphaba said, running her fingers over the braille of her schedule.
"So do I," Nessa said. She glanced up at the clock and gasped. "Oh, sweet Oz! We're going to be late if we don't leave now."
Nodding, Elphaba unfolded her cane and followed Nessa out of the café. Their morning was uneventful and past quickly, much to Elphaba's pleasure. Finally, it was lunchtime.
"I'll be right back," Nessa said, stopping in front of the ladies' room.
"I'll go to the cafeteria," Elphaba said, letting go of the back of her sister's wheelchair.
"O-Okay," Nessa said, unsure if she should let her sister go on without her.
"Nessa, I'll be fine. Where is it?"
"It's down this hallway, make a left, then go all the way down and make a right," Nessa said.
Nodding, Elphaba made her way down the long hallway. Her cane swung to the left and when it didn't hit the wall, she turned and continued to walk down the hallway. When she was halfway down, something, or someone, tripped her, causing the green girl to shriek and fall to the floor, dropping her books.
"Oh my Oz!" someone shouted. Elphaba heard footsteps running towards her. Strong hands wrapped around her waist and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you," Elphaba said, smoothing out her blouse. She felt the stranger hand her her cane and books, both of which she took gratefully.
"I'm Fiyero Tigulaar by the way," the stranger introduced themselves.
"The crowned prince of the Vinkus?" Elphaba asked, raising her eyebrow.
"Yeah. That one."
"Oh. Well, thank you, Fiyero," Elphaba said, maneuvering around Fiyero and continuing her walk to the cafeteria.
"Wait!" Fiyero called. Elphaba stopped. "I didn't get your name."
"I didn't give it."
"Will you tell me?"
"No." The mysterious green girl turned the corner and was out of sight.
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