Problems of an Invisible Girl

Chapter 23

"Well, this is getting ridiculous.
What's the point of being invisible when everyone seems to be able to find my invisible shoulder." Rina thought to herself.
This time, Rina didn't panic.

So many strange things had happened, and she didn't have the strength to run away as she did the first time she met Serena.
She decided not to overreact, but instead turned slowly around trying to figure out who it could be and saw nothing.
It felt like the eeriest case of deja vu, and she couldn't help but feel very nervous.

Since she could remember, she was always afraid of the unknown.
It was fun and exciting in the books, but in real life, she preferred to be able to see and understand what was happening around her.

Even though she couldn't see anyone, she could still feel the presence of a solid hand on her shoulder.
Before she had any time to recover from the shock, she heard a gentle voice near her right ear say: "I am so proud of you, my dear Rina."
The voice was distinctly female and Rina had no idea how to respond to such a strange statement.

Did the person witness what she did?
Why did the complete stranger care?
Why was the complete stranger invisible?
Was everyone invisible and Rina just didn't know about it?
But the question she didn't dare ask, even herself, was: "Is it a stranger at all?"
Maybe the person was in some way connected to her.
Could it be...?
"Caroline?" Rina couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, my dear it's me. It's mum. I saw your information in the adoption registry and I just had to find you.
I wasn't planning on approaching you, but when I saw what you did for that girl I couldn't help but tell you how proud I am of you.
You are everything I hoped you would be." Caroline said.

Rina could hear tears in her voice and couldn't stop herself from tearing up.
Was it possible that she was in the presence of her mother, her real mother?

"I am so sorry. I am putting you in danger by my very presence, but I just couldn't stop myself." Rina's mother said.
"How could you see me?" Was the only thing Rina was able to say.
It made her angry, she was angry with herself for asking such a dumb question when she needed to know so much more.

"There is a certain haze around me when I am invisible that I can notice because I have been researching it for a long time now.
I assumed that the same would be true for you.
So I focused on detecting that kind of haze and that is how I am able to see you.
You have to know what you are looking for to be able to see it.
I can always see you, my dear Rina.
But we shouldn't just stand here chatting.
Come with me." Caroline said as she took Rina's hand in her own and pulled her in the direction of what looked like an abandoned building.

It was strange how Rina immediately trusted the woman.
She couldn't know for sure if Caroline was telling the truth if she was even her mother, but something deep inside her told her that Caroline could be trusted.

Once they entered the crumbling building, Caroline started turning visible and for the first time, Rina was able to see her own mother.
It was so strange to wish for something so much and then have it right in front of you.
Rina didn't know what she should do at that moment.

They had a similar appearance and it was obvious that she had her mother's eyes.
They were the same deep shade of blue that reminded Rina of the depths of the ocean.

It was surprising to Rina that she didn't notice before that there were no similarities between her and the family she thought was hers.
No one had blue eyes or the same brown hair, not her parents, not Rocky, Alex, or Drake.
Weird as it was, she never noticed that difference, not consciously.
When you think that you belong somewhere you don't question it, but maybe she should have done that earlier.

However, the similarity between her and her biological mother was uncanny.
They had similar facial features and some same gestures that Rina immediately noticed.
It was undeniable, Caroline was most definitely her mother.
Her being there, looking at her real mother was a bit of a shock since she could finally feel that there was a place where she did belong.
She belonged with her mother.

A person who truly loved her was standing there, and she had no idea what to tell her.
Should she be angry for being abandoned by her?
Should she be happy for finally being able to meet someone who could see her? Someone who could see her even when she was invisible to everyone else.
What was the right reaction to meeting your mother for the first time after eighteen years?
The same mother who abandoned you, apparently to save you?
What danger could be so grave for someone to give up their newborn baby?

The only thing she was able to ask was: "Why?"
"Oh, my dear, that is such a long story, and we don't have enough time.
What I can tell you is that you have to be careful.
Don't tell anyone about your invisibility.
Your father and I, haven't figured it all out, even after all these years.

We have a few ideas on why the invisibility started occurring in the first place, but we aren't sure yet.
What we are sure about is that there are bad people after us.
Somehow, they found out about our ability, and they want to use us for their own goals." Caroline said.

"I don't understand. Did they somehow make us invisible? What am I supposed to do now? Can I see dad, too?"Rina asked in one breath.
"I am not sure, I don't think so. They don't seem to know how it works or how to find us, for now.
You should just calm down and live your life as you did before.
Just be a bit more careful, especially about turning invisible.

I am sorry, sweetheart, but it is not a good idea to see your father right now.
Even if he weren't far away, you wouldn't be able to actually see him.
He hasn't been able to turn visible for some time now." Caroline said.

That sounded very familiar to Rina, but since her brain was in such a mess she couldn't figure out why she was having the deja vu.

"Rina, stay by your sister and everything will be fine! I have to go now. Remember that your father and I love you both very much." Rina's mother said and disappeared before Rina had the chance to say anything.

"Sister?" She said to the empty building.
"I have a sister. How is that even possible? Why does Caroline think that I am with my sister?" Rina thought.

It was too much information and emotion to handle, so she skipped school and went to a nearby park to let all the information settle.
She hoped that once it all registered in her mind she would be able to understand what it all meant.

Upon arriving at the park, she laid under the huge tree, on the soft grass and tried to think through the day's events.
Since that made her only more confused she just tried to relax her mind and let the gentle breeze stroke her cheeks and play with her long hair.

"Sister?" She couldn't believe that all her dreams were coming true, but in such a strange way that she couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"I was just recently thinking about how cool it would be to have a sister. Why did that occur to me? I can't remember." She thought as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Her brain needed time to rest and sleep was the best way to do so.