NellytheActress: You're allergic to peanuts? So am I! Then you can have a Hershey Bar! And I have something very special planned for you. Don't worry.
Wickedly Hope Pancake: HAHAHA! I found that part funny, too! *Hands you the Snickers* There you go!
I'mFlyingHighDefyingGravity: HAHA! Yup!
Elphaba'sGirl: Cuties! And it's okay!
Doglover645: Aww! Thank you! Yes. A muffled Galinda voice is very funny.
Bunny (Guest): You know something's gonna happen. Something always happens. It just hasn't happened yet…
Elphabalover101: *Crackles* Yes. They'll have to evacuate Shiz… or Oz in general, because you don't want to mess with an angry Elphie.
Lurlinemas break soon came. It hadn't snowed yet, much to the blonde's displeasure. She hoped it would snow soon. After all, what was Lurlinemas without snow?
"Do you need anything else, Elphie?" Galinda asked as she helped Elphaba pack up her suitcase.
"I don't think so," Elphaba said, feeling her desktop to make sure she packed everything. "Do you need any help packing?"
Galinda smiled at her friend's thoughtfulness. "I'm fine."
"Knowing you, I'm sure you're going to pack your entire half of our room," Elphaba said, turning towards the blonde and smirking.
"I'm not packing the entire room," Galinda said, grabbing her suitcase from her closet.
She turned around and saw Elphaba standing behind her, a stack of her books in her arms. "Make sure you save room for these," the green girl smiled.
"Thank you," the blonde giggled, taking the books from her roommate and placing them in her suitcase.
The two girls finished packing quickly. Galinda was sitting on her bed, waiting for Elphaba to finish packing, when she noticed a small wrapped box under her pillow. She reached for it and examined it further. Remembering what it was, she turned towards Elphaba and smiled.
"Elphie, I have a Lurlinemas present for you."
Elphaba looked up and smiled. "Thank you." She felt Galinda gently press a small box into her hands. Smiling, she groped her way over to her bed and sat down. She felt the bed sink as Galinda sat down next to her. Her fingers began to get to work unwrapping the present. She opened up the box and pulled out a small bottle.
"It's Gillikin perfume," Galinda explained shyly. "Do you like it?"
"I love it! Thank you, Glin," Elphaba smiled, wrapping her arms around the blonde. "And… I have a present for you, too."
Galinda giggled as Elphaba stood up and felt her way to her closet. The emerald girl soon returned with a pink gift bag. She sat back down on the bed next to Galinda and handed her the bag. Giggling, Galinda took the bag and opened up. Gasping, she pulled out a beautiful pink and gold scarf.
"I made it myself," Elphaba smiled. "Nessa helped me pick out the colors. Do you like it?"
"I love it, Elphie! Thank you!" Galinda smiled, wrapping her arms around her friend.
A knock at the door interrupted their moment. "Fabala, it's me. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, Nessie," Elphaba called back, grabbing her cane and allowing Galinda to lead her to the door.
The three girls walked outside to the carriages together.
"Fae!" a voice called.
Elphaba turned around. "Hi, Yero."
Fiyero stopped right in front of the green girl, briefly pausing to catch his breath before pulling her in for a gentle kiss. "I just wanted to give this to you before you left."
Elphaba smiled as Fiyero gently pressed a book into her hands. Her fingers traced over the braille on the cover and she smiled. "Aneelia Tristen. I've always wanted to read this. Thank you, Yero."
"Anytime, Fae," Fiyero smiled, kissing her nose.
"Fabala, the carriage is here," Nessa whispered gently.
Nodding, Elphaba slowly turned and grabbed onto the back of her sister's wheelchair. "Oh, Yero!" Elphaba called, turning around. "I have a present for you, too." The green girl reached into her bag and pulled out a small box. Smiling, Fiyero gently took the box from her hands and opened it.
"I needed new gloves," the prince smiled, taking the dark grey gloves out of the box.
"I know," Elphaba smiled, reaching for his hand.
Fiyero smiled as he took Elphaba's hand and, bringing it to his lips, tenderly kissed it. "Thank you."
"Fabala," Nessa whispered, gently tugging on her sister's arm.
"See you in two weeks, Fae," Fiyero whispered, squeezing Elphaba's hand.
"I'll miss you," Elphaba whispered, standing on her toes to give her boyfriend a goodbye kiss.
"I'll miss you, too," Fiyero smiled, watching as Elphaba turned away and was helped into the carriage. Once both Thropp girls were in the carriage, the driver closed the door and they were off. Galinda and Fiyero stood near the gate, waving until the carriage was out of sight.
"Nessa won't tell, would she?" Fiyero whispered, walking Galinda to her waiting carriage.
"No. She wouldn't. Hopefully…" Galinda whispered, allowing Fiyero to help her into the carriage.
The trip back to the Governor's mansion was quiet and uneventful for the girls. Nessa looked out the window, admiring the passing scenery. Elphaba quietly read the Aneelia Tristen book Fiyero bought her. Finally, after a long four-hour carriage ride, they came to a halt and Nessa announced their arrival back home. Smiling, Elphaba bookmarked her page and placed the book back in her bag. She heard the carriage door open and soon, she and Nessa were helped out of the carriage.
"Father!" Nessa smiled, seeing their father quickly approach them.
"My precious Nessarose," Frex smiled, kneeling down and engulfing Nessa in a gentle hug. He slowly stood up and smiled at Elphaba. "Hello, Fabala."
Elphaba turned and smiled. "Hello, Father."
Frex smiled as he gently hugged his eldest daughter. Elphaba quickly hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder. "I missed you," she whispered.
"I missed you, too, Fabala," Frex whispered, kissing her forehead. He gently pulled away from her and reached down to take her suitcase, but Elphaba stopped him.
"I can take it, Father."
"Fabala –"
"Father," Elphaba whispered, her voice sounding soft and desperate. "Please."
Frex sighed, but handed Elphaba her suitcase. Elphaba smiled softly, but quickly frowned when she felt her father gently take her arm and lead her towards the house, closely followed by Nessa.
I really can't win in a situation like this, can I? Elphaba thought as her father led her to the door and opened it for her. She smiled as the familiar scents of her home filled her nose. It felt so good to be home.
"I'm fine now, Father," Elphaba said gently, trying to pull her arm away from her father.
"Elphaba…"
"I'm not a little girl anymore. I'll be fine by myself."
Reluctantly, Frex released Elphaba's arm. Smiling, Elphaba made her way to the stairs and gracefully ascended the grand staircase. Her hand slid across the wall as she made her way to her room. She past three doors until she finally came to her room. She felt for the doorknob and pushed the door open. Sighing in relief, Elphaba folded her cane and walked straight to her desk. Placing her cane on the desktop, she walked to her bed and sat down. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to relax. Her fingers stretched out and felt the soft material of her quilt. Giggling, Elphaba ran her fingers over her quilt, enjoying its soft feeling beneath her fingertips.
"Fabala?" came a soft voice.
Elphaba looked up and forced a small smile. "Yes, Nessie?"
"Do you need any help unpacking?" the younger Thropp questioned, wheeling into the room.
"No. I'm fine," Elphaba responded, taking her suitcase and placing it on the bed.
"Are you sure? I can help you if – "
"Nessie. Please," Elphaba whispered softly, slowly closing her eyes.
A nod and Nessa left the room. Elphaba opened her eyes and sighed. She knew Nessa was only trying to help her, but sometimes, she wished she wouldn't. She wished everyone would treat her like a normal person. She wished she were normal. She slowly ran her right hand up and down her left arm. She had often heard people whispering about her green skin. Biting her lip, she wondered what was wrong with green? She had heard it wasn't a normal skin color, but that didn't do her much good. What was green like? Was it ugly? Did it make her ugly?
Shaking those thoughts from her head and standing up, Elphaba turned her attention to her suitcase. She quickly hung up her dresses and unpacked everything else she had in her suitcase, placing her clothes in their proper drawers. Once she finished, she was about to sit on her bed and get some more reading done when the scent of peppermint tea reached her nose. Smiling, Elphaba took her book from her bag and made her way out of her room. Closing her door behind her, she slid her hand against the wall. Stopping, she felt for the banister on the staircase. Finding it, she grasped it tightly as she slowly made her way down the stairs, feeling for each new step with her feet. Reaching the bottom, she followed the smell of the tea to the kitchen.
"Fabala, would you like some tea?" she heard her father ask.
"Yes, please," Elphaba smiled politely, feeling for an empty chair.
"How are you girls enjoying Shiz?" Frex asked as one of the maids set the steaming cup of tea in front of Elphaba as she sat down.
"It's wonderful," Nessa smiled, bringing the cup to her lips.
Elphaba slowly picked up her cup and brought it to her lips. Frex was about to jump up and say something about the tea being hot, when Nessa quickly shot him a 'Please don't. You know how she hates it.' look. Frex sighed and forced himself to relax.
Elphaba and Nessa talked about their experiences so far at Shiz. Elphaba avoided the topics of the sorcery seminar with Madame Morrible and Fiyero. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if her father found out about Fiyero being her boyfriend. Word traveled fast around Oz, and Fiyero and his scandalous Winkie dancing-himself-through life reputation didn't make a good impression on her father. Nessa talked about her classes, Boq, her classes with Boq, but mostly Boq. She almost slipped about the newspapers, but quickly changed the subject to a picnic she had with Boq.
"You really like this boy, don't you, Nessa?" Frex smiled.
Nessa nodded excitedly as she continued to talk about her boyfriend. She noticed Elphaba starting to frown and she quickly changed the subject to her Physiology class, a class she had with… Boq.
Elphaba sat quietly as she listened to her sister talk about the boy she was madly in love with. She wanted to tell her father about Fiyero. She wanted to talk about the boy who swept her off her feet and cared about and loved her, despite her disability. That she actually found someone who cared for and loved her. But she didn't want her father to fly off the handle, which was something he did more times than Elphaba wanted to even think about.
"I'm getting tired. I think I'll go lie down," Elphaba announced, slowly pushing herself to her feet and feeling her way out of the kitchen. She walked up the stairs as quickly as she could without causing herself to trip and hurried to her room. Closing the door behind her, Elphaba finally allowed herself to cry. She missed Fiyero, and not being able to talk about him made it worse. She heard the sound of wheels coming from down the hallway. Quickly wiping away her tears, Elphaba walked over to her bed and sat down, grabbing her pillow and clutching it against her chest.
"Fabala?" Nessa whispered after softly knocking on the door three times.
"C-Come in," Elphaba whispered, clutching the pillow tighter.
A click and the door opened. Nessa slowly wheeled inside and stopped in front of her sister. "Fabala, are you alright?"
Elphaba looked up and smiled softly. "Yes. I'm fine. Just a little tired."
"I'm sorry, Fabala," Nessa whispered, gently taking her sister's hand and squeezing it.
"What for?" Elphaba asked, genuinely confused.
"For talking about Boq."
"Nessa, you should be able to tell Father everything. Just like how you can tell me everything."
But I can't. "I know. I just…"
"Nessie, I don't want to stop you from talking to Father about Boq. Even if I can't tell him about Fiyero because Oz knows what he'll do, that shouldn't stop you."
Nessa gave her older sister a small, yet grateful, smile. "I love you," she whispered, leaning forward and gently hugging her sister.
"I love you, too," Nessie," Elphaba whispered, returning the hug.
Nessa smiled as she wheeled out of the room. Elphaba laid down on her bed and slowly closed her eyes, allowing sleep to wash over her.
Lurlinemas day was very eventful at the Governor's mansion. The maids were up to their necks in work, from cleaning, to decorating, to baking in preparation for this special day. Elphaba woke up early, the warmth of the sun greeting her. Smiling, she pushed herself up, grabbed her robe and felt her way out of her room. She gracefully descended the staircase and made her way to the living room. She walked to where she knew the Lurlinemas tree was set up. The soft needles brushed against her fingers. Sighing, Elphaba allowed her fingers to glide over the needles of the tree. Her fingers bumped against the multiple ornaments. She smiled as she felt its smooth coldness of the ornaments.
"Good morning, Fabala," Nessa smiled, wheeling up to her sister.
"Good morning, Nessie. Merry Lurlinemas," Elphaba smiled, turning around towards her sister.
Nessa gently took her sister's hand and Elphaba knelt down to give Nessa a hug.
"Good morning, girls," Frex smiled, walking down the stairs. "Merry Lurlinemas."
"Merry Lurlinemas, Father," Elphaba and Nessa said in unison as Frex kissed their foreheads.
Elphaba received a multitude of books from her father. Just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, and the year before… every year for as long as she could remember. She also received a warm, cotton dress with long sleeves and felt like it would stop at her ankles. She couldn't blame her father, though. She probably wasn't the easiest person to shop for.
Nessa received new dresses, books and a new sketchbook. The younger Thropp had a talent for art, and Frex made sure he nurtured it.
"Fabala, will you play something on the piano?" Nessa asked, looking up from her drawing.
"I…" Elphaba whispered. Like her sister, Elphaba had a special talent. She was an extremely talented piano player, but unlike her sister, she was extremely shy about it. No one outside her family new she could play the piano.
"Please?"
"A-Alright," Elphaba whispered, allowing her younger sister to help her to her feet and guide her over to the piano. Elphaba sat down on the bench and placed her fingers on the keys. She pressed one, making sure she had the right note. F. She slightly moved her fingers to the left. C. Smiling, she began to play a minuet. Nessa smiled and rocked from side to side in her wheelchair to the rhythm of Elphaba's song. Frex smiled as he listened to his eldest daughter play the piano. Elphaba became lost in her own little world, closing her eyes as the music surrounded her.
"That was wonderful, Fabala," Frex smiled, approaching his daughter.
"Th-Thank you," Elphaba whispered, feeling her father take her arm. "I think I'll lie down now. I'm getting a headache."
"Here," Frex said, gently guiding his daughter out of the room, towards the stairs.
"I can go by myself, Father," Elphaba said gently.
Frex sighed. "Fabala, you said you had a headache. I don't want you to…"
"Father, I'm too old for pity. Please. I'll be alright." Elphaba gently pulled her arm away from her father and walked up the stairs to her room. Sighing, she walked to her room and closed the door behind her. One more week. One more week and she would be back with Galinda and Fiyero. Everything would be alright and she wouldn't have to endure any more pity.