Invisible

Invisible Chapter 15

Chapter 15

But Not Everything

(Mason)

I question the wisdom of this plan the farther I get from the house. The light breeze causes a piece of hair to fall in my eyes. I brush it away distractedly as I walk past the green grass and sand of the park Robin and I met at a few days ago. Every step makes me doubt myself and I almost turn back. The sight of Robin waiting for me at the corner spurs me on. I need answers.

I don’t blame Olivia for not wanting to take the risk. I know her main concern is keeping me safe. Once, that would have been enough. Not anymore. It started before Robin ever showed up, this feeling of need, need to know why my family had to die. Why I am different? Would it ever be different for me? Would I ever live a normal life?

When Olivia’s dad started the conversation about college and living arrangements, it was the first time I had thought of those kinds of details. It wasn’t the first time I thought about my future with Olivia.

Robin waits, leaning against the car, pretending to be busy on her phone as she watches my approach. She smiles when I reach her and opens her car door for me. I slip in without a word. Once we’re both settled, Robin turns to me with a concerned expression.

“Are you sure about this?”

I nod wordlessly.

“We can tell Olivia if you want.” She chews on her bottom lip. We both know how that conversation will go. She breathes a sigh of relief when I shake my head no.

“Okay. To grandma’s house we go.” Robin smiles in an attempt to lighten the mood. As usual, it’s hard to resist smiling back.

“Thanks, Robin, for bringing me with you.”

“Thanks for trusting me,” she says.

The next few minutes are quiet. I watch the houses go by, feeling a sense of loss as we leave the neighborhood I have spent the last twelve years in and venture into a new part of town. This is a chance for answers that have plagued me since the night my family died. I almost expect the air to change as we get farther from Olivia. It seems like the world should be different so far from her side, but block after block appears to be perfectly average, mundane.

Robin signals for a left turn. The sound startles me, and I look over at the building unable to breathe. Plain in its appearance, with cream colored walls and light pink trim, the nursing home seems to emanate a sense of foreboding. It isn’t about trust. It’s fear.

“Mason?” Robin says softly.

I don’t answer. I can’t.

The touch of Robin’s fingers sliding into mine startles me into looking at her. Her breathing catches at the sight of my panic. “Do you want to go home? We don’t have to do this.”

“We do,” I croak. “I need to know. I have to find out why my family was murdered.”

“Why?” Robin asks.

Her hand tightens on mine as if she fears the answer. She should. “Because I think it’s going to happen again.”

Robin’s head dips down. “The dreams?”

I nod. “They’re too real. After the break in, it’s hard to deny they’re more than just nightmares.” I shake my head. “Not that they’re prophetic or anything—the dreams didn’t play out exactly how I saw them—but it’s clear they’re a warning. There’s something more behind this than me being an Aerling.”