Invisible (6 page)

“
And yesterday, I vanished on Mom at the mall. I must have been gone close to five minutes. Oh, my God, Gran, I wish you could’ve seen. She was making me try on hideous dresses and it was friggin’ humiliating. When I disappeared, she went nuts. The salesgirl, the manager and Mom were running all over that store looking for me in the most ridiculous of places, and I was right there in front of them the whole time.”

She laughs so hard, tears spring to her eyes. “I do wish I could have seen that!”

I slip my hand into her bony knuckled one, her still vibrantly creative one and we continue to talk and walk.

“
There’s something I’ve been wondering about. How come I can sit in a chair and even manage to hurt myself, but when I try to touch someone or something, my hand passes right through?”

Gran’s lips thin down in contemplation. “Just a mystery of The Vanishing, I guess.” She shrugs. “I never did figure that one out for myself.”

A faint breeze wafts over us, bringing with it the smells of spring. I take a deep contented breath, feeling safe and loved and grateful. “Tell me about the first time it happened to you.”

“
Ha!” Gran laughs. My question obviously brings up a noteworthy memory. “The first time I disappeared, I was about to kiss a boy,” Gran says. “I was sixteen-and-a-half and Chuck Hutchins, my boyfriend at the time, had just walked me home after a date. We got to my porch and he leaned in for a smooch and
poof
, I was gone.” Grandma chuckles. “The poor boy started to cry and ran home. We never did go out on another date.”

I double over with laughter, picturing the scene and when my laughing fit’s over, she tells me stuff, good stuff.

“
Have you figured out how to tell when you’re invisible yet?” she asks.

I whip my head toward her, all ears. “There’s a way to tell?”

“
Yes, it’s subtle, though, so you’ll have to pay attention to the signs your body gives you. When you’re invisible, your heartbeat slows right down, but only for a moment. It’s as if it’s barely beating. But when you’re about to vanish, there’s a little flutter in your chest. The same thing happens when you’re about to return.”

“
I was too freaked out to notice anything. But this is good to know, Gran. I’ll pay attention next time.”

“
Yes, you do that. You’ll soon know the signs. Hungry? You want to grab something to eat?”

“
No.” I don’t want our conversation to end. I’m still too full of questions.

“
Okay, just let me know when you get hungry,” she says, slowing her pace and pressing a finger to her neck. “Heart’s beating a little fast.”

Suddenly, I realize I’m being selfish, that
she
might be tired or hungry. “Are you tired? ’Cause we can stop. Or if you’re hungry…”

She waves me off. “Naw, I’m fine. Just need to slow down a bit.”

I slow my pace to match hers. “How about Uncle Brian, can he do it?” Uncle Brian is Grandma Rose’s son, my mother’s brother.

Gran shakes her head. “No, none of the men can.”

“
So only the women in the family?”

“
Yup, and it comes from the Irish side. I was afraid your dad’s Italian genes would mess you up like it did Eva, but thankfully you’ve got more Irish in ya than Italian.” She winks.

Grandpa Ken was English, but Grandma Rose is 100% Irish and proud of it. I always thought of myself as a mutt, a little of this and a little of that, but now that Gran has explained where The Vanishing comes from, it’s like I suddenly belong somewhere and feel closer to her than ever.

“
When did The Vanishing stop for you?” I ask.

Gran waves a hand in the air. “I dunno for sure. I guess when the menopause hit.”

“
Wow, so it stayed for quite a while?”

“
I suppose it stayed for as long as it needed to.” She heaves a sigh.

“
What if it happens because I’m wishing it to?” I ask, thinking of Charlie’s theory. “Because if you think about it, it happens when I’m either scared or embarrassed and desperately wishing I could blend into the woodwork.”

“
Hmmm, well, I suppose that could be partly right. But I really can’t say for sure because it’s happened when I was really happy too. Your great-great-grandmother Nell told me that any strong emotion triggers it. Whether it’s happiness or sadness, it doesn’t matter.”

That makes sense, since it happened to Gran when she was about to kiss a boy. Oh, great, now I have to worry about being too happy or excited. What if I disappear when a boy tries to kiss me!

“
But one thing I do know for sure,” she continues, “is that the ability to disappear is a gift. A great and wonderful gift.”

“
It’s gotten me out of a few tight spots, so I guess, in a way, it is a gift.”

“
Lola, you have no idea just how powerful a gift it is. You just wait and see.”

It’s nice to know that I’m not alone and not some kind of freak, after all. I squint and smile up at the sun warming my body, lulling me into a blissful cocoon of contentment. Then I look at Grandma Rose and wish with all my might that she could live forever.

“
One more lap and we’ll call it a day, Kiddo,” Gran says with a wink.

And off we go, hand in hand.

If only time would stand still.

Chapter Eleven

Can u meet me at Tim Horton’s?
I text Charlie.

Half a second later, her reply reads,
B there in 5
.

After my day with Gran, I’m anxious to fill her in on the new stuff I’ve learned.

I’m so excited I practically fly to the coffee shop. When Charlie ambles in, I’m tucked away at our usual table in the corner, nursing a large orange pekoe and nibbling a peanut butter cookie.

Charlie grabs a large double double coffee and a chocolate dip donut before settling down across from me. “How was Gran?” she asks and grins. “Did you tell her about your super power?”

“
Yup, and she can do it, too, or at least she used to be able to. She even has a name for it.”

Charlie’s eyes flash with interest and she nearly chokes on her donut. “No way!” she says, pounding on her chest and coughing.

“
Yes,
way
.” I smile, enjoying her reaction. I lean close. “She calls it The Vanishing,” I say in an excited whisper.

Charlie covers my hand with hers. “That’s friggin’ unbelievable. It’s great news for you. It must run in the family.”

I explain about the A-negative blood and the Irish thing and then fill her in on everything else Grandma Rose told me.

“
Wow, Lola, this is what we needed to hear – there’s a way to control it.”

“
And we’re already doing all the right things by practising.” I take a long sip of tea and open my mouth to continue when Jon walks in, his laptop tucked under an arm. He grabs what looks like a cherry slushie and settles at the other end of the coffee shop.

It’s a quiet afternoon and, aside from us, there are only two other people in the place — an elderly couple enjoying donuts and coffee.

“
What’s with you?” Charlie follows my wide-eyed gaze. “Oh,” she says when she spots Jon.

“
I guess he’s doing homework,” I say absently. My heart races and I push away my tea. No more caffeine for me. “Let’s get out of here.”

Charlie grabs my arm, pinning me in my seat.

“
I’ve got a better idea,” she says. A mischievous smile lights her face.

“
Oh, no.” I shake my head. “I don’t like the look on your face.”

“
Just listen.” She leans close. “I don’t think he’s seen us yet. Now would be a good time to practice your
skill.
”

“
Uh-uh, no way.”

“
Chicken. This place is practically empty. No one will see you vanish. It’s a golden opportunity. Make yourself disappear and walk up to him. Just to see if you can do it. How will you be able to carry out the plan if you don’t practice? And I don’t mean in the safety of your bedroom.”

I think about when I vanished at the mall and how exciting it was. It was a little scary, though, thinking I wouldn’t return; but at the same time, I’d never felt more powerful in my entire life.

I eye Jon again. His back is to us and he’s busy tapping away on his laptop.

“
Oh, God, Charlie, I don’t know.” My voice quivers.

“
I dare you.”

I suck in a deep breath. Charlie’s right, this is a great way to test things out. There’s a tremble in my hands and a rumble in my stomach. If this keeps up, I just might wink out on my own anyway.

“
Okay,” I relent. “But I’m just walking up to him. I’ll take a look at what he’s working on and report back to you. Okay?”

She nods enthusiastically. I close my eyes.

“
Think of the time …” Charlie begins and my eyes snap open. I fix her with a look that says “shut up.”

“
Okay, I guess you know what to do,” she huffs and leans back to watch.

Eyes closed, I begin again. I try a different tactic and picture Jon pulling me to his chest, tilting his head and kissing me. I can almost feel his lips on mine. A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth because it feels so real. My heart flutters and my eyes fly open. My heart fluttered!

Charlie’s jumping excitedly in her seat. I must have done it. I must be invisible. I wave a hand an inch from her face to make certain and, sure enough, she’s unflinching. Before I lose my nerve, I push to my feet and make my way over to Jon.

As I close in, I catch his scent. God, he smells good, like soap and freshly shampooed hair mixed with a hint of cologne. I’m there now, right behind him, and I peer over his shoulder to read what’s he’s writing. It looks like a story. Oh, wow, he likes to write too! I try to read it, but can’t get past the first sentence, distracted by how near I am.

I slide in beside him and our knees brush. The spunk in me comes up because I know he can’t feel my leg touching his, and so I stay close. My whole body tingles. With exquisite slowness, I lift a hand to his hair and swear I can feel my fingers passing through his thick shaggy mane. He’s oblivious, still working on his story. Inching even closer, I settle my head on his shoulder and, with eyes closed, I inhale him. Contentment washes over me. I could stay like this forever.

Jon screams and leaps away. His eyes round with what looks like fear.

I jump, knocking my knee against the table. The slushie bounces, but doesn’t spill.

“
Where did you come from?” he hollers.

Bile threatens to rise and I’m terrified I’m going to hurl. “I’m sorry,” I manage to say before running from the coffee shop. A moment later, Charlie’s sprinting up behind me, calling breathlessly for me to stop.

I do and now I’m crying. What a fool I’ve made of myself. I had my head on his shoulder! I’ll never be able to face him again. But he sits right in front of me in homeroom. How will I escape that?

Charlie pulls me into a hug. “I’m sorry. The whole thing was my fault. I’m so sorry.”

“
Can we keep going?” I say, wanting to put as much distance as I can between me and the place where I’ve just royally humiliated myself.

“
Sure. Why don’t we go to my house?” Charlie suggests. “My mom’s at work and we can talk.”

Charlie lives with her mom in a small townhouse a couple blocks away from me. Her parents have been divorced for years, and I’ve only seen her dad a handful of times since then. Her mother works two jobs just to make ends meet. Charlie has a part-time job at the grocery store and helps out as much as she can, and more than likely she’ll have to get a full-time job after graduating high school. That really sucks for her. I know how much she wants to go to art school.

We walk in silence, arm-in-arm. Nothing needs to be said. She’s my best friend and, right now, I just need to be with her.

We settle in Charlie’s place, which is in the basement. The townhouse is a two bedroom, but Charlie has taken over the entire bottom level as her lair. She decorated it herself. There’s a bedroom area, a bathroom with a small shower, a living room complete with a love seat and a television and even a tiny refrigerator, but no kitchen.

Three of the walls are painted red and one is black. Her artwork fills the entire back wall where her living room is. There are posters, mostly of heavy metal and grunge bands that give me the creeps, especially the ones of Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. Yuck! But Charlie loves them. Then there’s the poster of Megan Fox striking a sexy, pouty pose: that one I ignore and don’t ask questions about. Charlie is who Charlie is, and I love her no matter what.

“
Wanna soda?” she asks, opening the mini-fridge.

“
No thanks.” I plop dejected onto the love seat. “What have I done?” I lower my head into my hands.

Charlie sits beside me and rubs my knee. “God, I feel awful. But I thought you were just going to have a peek over his shoulder and that was all. I didn’t think you’d …”

“
No, don’t say it.” I raise a hand to stop her. “Please, I just want to wash the memory away.”