Problems of an Invisible Girl

Chapter 48

"So what do we do now?" Nat asked Serena.

They were walking around Zizi's land, enjoying the view, and taking stoke of all the different animals and plants that could be found on a farm that didn't seem so big. For an average farm, it sure had a lot of plants and animals. Serena couldn't help but wonder how Zizi managed it all by herself. That was when Nat's question finally registered in her mind.

"Well, I guess we'll stay here for the time being. I mean my family and I. You can make your own decision as to what is best for you in this situation." Serena said.

The look he gave her was one he rarely directed towards her. It was a look of anger with a bit of hurt thrown into it. Her words seemed to have a very strong negative effect on him that she didn't anticipate.

"I thought I was your family, too," Nat said.

His voice was strained and his posture was stiff. All obvious signs that he was trying to control his emotions which he rarely did in front of Serena. The fact that he was doing it at that moment spoke volumes about how he felt.

"I am sorry. You know I didn't mean it like that. You ARE my family. Obviously. You will always be a part of my family. It's just that my biological family is stuck in this mess, there is no way out for us, but you could still go back. You could still live a normal life since they don't know about you, they would never be able to find you. Without us holding you back, without me holding you back, you could be free." Serena said.

"Serena, family doesn't turn their back on each other. I am exactly where I should be, and I will stay by your side, where I belong. Honestly, this is the most freedom I have felt in a while. I have the freedom to be myself, with my best friend by my side. What could be better than that? Besides, you know as well as I do that there is nothing worth going back for." Nat said.

Serena understood what he meant. They had bounced around the foster care system so much that they never managed to make any true, deep connections. It was a miracle that they managed to stay in touch with each other and to form the beautiful, honest friendship that they had. A miracle that they fought for because they knew that it was worth the fight.

"You are right. Anyway, I think we will have fun here. There are so many things to do and to learn. Also, I hear that in the nearby town there are a lot of the things that we might miss out on here, like a movie theater and a library. Zizi says that although it is a town, strangers rarely give it a second look since there are so many bigger and better cities out there." Serena said.

Nat nodded his head in agreement as he contemplated all the possibilities. The place was very isolated and the nearest neighbors were miles away, according to Zizi, so it had potential. What worried him more than anything else was how they would manage to adjust to the life in the countryside.

Could five people who had spent their whole lives in the cozy cities really learn to live in nature, to commute with it and connect on a deeper level? Could they learn to take care of the animals and live a relatively isolated life?

He wasn't sure, but after everything that had happened, he was sure their best option was to try. Besides, Jack would be in no shape to travel for a long time, and if he knew one thing about Serena, it was that she would never leave anyone behind, especially her own father.

So for the time being, they would have to adjust. They would have to learn how to become farmers or whatever Zizi needed them to be, they owed her that much. Nat himself felt quite comfortable in the nature that was surrounding them from all sides.

He felt as if he was born to live there, like the chance he had been waiting for his whole life had finally come. It was his opportunity to try something new, something he liked. His chance to reinvent himself has finally arrived, but not in the way he expected. Still, he was grateful for the opportunity that presented itself.

What worried him was that if they spent too much time in the same house, all of them, it would become a problem. However, for the time being, he decided not to think about it and just enjoy the walk. For days, he had been cramped up in one place or the other, and it was amazing to finally be able to stretch one's legs enjoying fresh air filled with the smells of different flowers and plants Zizi grew.

Serena, on the other side, wasn't so thrilled by the notion of spending any amount of time in the countryside. It was unfamiliar, and with so many strange things and big unknowns in her life, she didn't need another thing she was afraid of.

No matter how much she tried to hide it, Serena was terrified of everything that had happened, of everything that could happen and she had no idea how to deal with all of those pent up emotions.

When she was younger, some of her foster families used to send her to see a few different psychiatrists, but she didn't trust them. They were strangers, and she didn't think it normal to share her deepest, darkest secrets with them. She was also afraid that they would find something horribly wrong with her, so she chose to stay quiet.

Even in her daily life, she started using that tactic because soon enough people would become bored, they would stop asking questions, and that was what she needed more than anything. Especially on the days when schools organized father-daughter dances and she had no one, so she ended up dancing with her teachers which she found humiliating. Still, when her quiet period started, no one asked the questions that they knew wouldn't be answered.

The only person that always heard her, and then she could talk to was Nat. He didn't judge, he didn't try to make it better, he just listened and offered sympathy if needed. But now, he was going through so much, himself, and she didn't want to burden him with her fears. Especially when she knew that there was nothing that he could do to make it better.

She would just have to accept the situation that she couldn't change and make the best of it. After all, she had always wanted to go horseriding and take care of some cute farm animals, now she had the chance to do just that. Maybe the circumstances weren't perfect, but she knew that she should take what she could get and try to embrace their new reality.

After all, they were all alive, and they were all going to be okay. They were far away from any place where the evildoers could look for them, with no chance of them ever finding out where they were, or at least not any time soon so why not just stay and enjoy life?

In most of the movies she had seen, people go back to correct the injustice that had been done to them while risking their lives in the process. However, Serena wasn't sure it was worth the effort. Who knew how deep the connections the guys had were and what they could do to them if they caught them? It was simply not worth the risk.

Still, she did plan to enjoy her invisibility from time to time. Maybe even visit some bigger cities if need be. The power was too cool not to be used, but she planned to use it sparingly, and only when she really had too much of the countryside life.