Solar ; 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘸

one: invisible as she

And after gaining the ability to turn invisible, Elle never thought that to be more true. Elle Anders was invisible. Her life didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. It was funny in a twisted sort of way — she had always been invisible even before she gained the ability to be.

However, she will admit that she didn't feel invisible when she was around the few people she knew cared about her.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Reagan. Happy birthday to you!"

Elle grinned widely as she watched the six-year-old before her blow out her six wax candles wedged in the small ice cream cake sitting atop the collapsible table. The girl blew rather forcefully, and Elle would almost guarantee that some saliva must have been sprayed on the cake.

There were only four people in Elle's life whom she cared for, and they were all standing around the tiny table, admiring the kindergartener that sat at the only chair accompanying the table. That was Reagan; she was this adorable little girl with a pure heart who would rather read a bedtime story to you because she was just that giving. She had the biggest eyes that only emphasized her cuteness, along with mid-length brown hair that was always put into pigtails. Today was her sixth birthday, and she could not be more ecstatic even if she tried (like she wasn't always beaming anyway.)

"Oh, I forgot to grab the knife to cut the cake. Don't move." Amy Parlour sat her ancient Polaroid camera on the table and hurried to the kitchen about five steps away in the small apartment to retrieve the missing utensil. She was the kindest, most hard-working woman Elle had ever met, willingly giving the Anders girl refuge in her home despite her and her family's current situation. When she wasn't with her kids, Ms. Parlour worked as a second-year resident at Central City Hospital, enduring long hours to provide for her three kids and Elle.

"Don't forget the milk, Mommy!" Reagan shouted, nearly blowing everyone's eardrums out.

"You know if you keep drinking milk, you're gonna turn into a cow," remarked Grace Parlour from where she was leaning against the wall, the middle child of the family who took it to heart. She was independent, always caught in the middle of arguments (which rarely ever happened in the Parlour apartment), and always made jokes about how she was the neglected one.

"What?" Reagan exclaimed, her head snapping to her older sister. "That's not true... is it?"

Her face contorted in thought as Aiden, her older brother and the eldest of the Parlour siblings, laughed from beside Elle with his arm around her shoulders. "No, that's not true. You just might moo for a couple of days."

When Reagan's jaw dropped to the floor, Elle took her chance to assure the new six-year-old, moving from next to Aiden to beside her, crouching down to her level. "Don't listen to them. You're not gonna turn into a cow or moo."

She looked between the two siblings, who were sharing amusing looks, her eyes lingering on Aiden longer than Grace. Aiden was why Elle was here, celebrating Reagan's sixth birthday. They had met in freshmen year of high school, and Elle had just gotten removed from her worst foster home yet. Even though Elle knew she was lucky with staying localized in her home city, meaning she didn't have to move schools, it didn't mean that she had friends. It was all a part of Elle feeling invisible — no one liked to talk to her, and she had just started high school, making things ten times worse.

Though, there was one person on a very dreadful day who decided he wanted to sit with Elle, and that was Aiden. Despite what everyone thought, he wanted to sit with the girl who was always alone, looking as though someone had just killed her puppy. And the rest was history. The two clicked instantly, becoming close friends until Aiden eventually grew a pair and asked Elle out, and well... that's all history, too.