Miss Mayhem

C.J.'S POINT OF VIEW

She must have taken it for a joke at first, with an expression reading, "Invisible? Yeah, right."

I felt an odd mix of pride and desperation, wanting her to know that I wasn't kidding. "Yes ma'am, you are invisible." Charlotte shook her head, a strand of blonde hair falling in front of her eyes, being blown away a moment later by the skeptical girl.

"That's impossible."

My mind groped for some sort of explanation, or something I could point out that she would believe. I nodded down at my elbow, which she clutched with a rather white-knuckled hand. "You haven't let go of me since we passed through that wall. Technically, if I were to take you with me, you'd have to be holding onto me so that my invisibility affected you, too."

Charlotte stared at me, a million questions running through her mind. Such a long time ago, I could have claimed that I knew her like the back of my hand. But now, even though I can identify the look she's giving me, I feel so very far away from the girl I used to know so well. Finally, she opened her mouth to ask a question, and then snapped her lips back together, deciding that that particular question wasn't the one she wanted to know. I bit my lip, more-or-less patiently waiting for a response.

"So, you're just invisible?"

Okay, maybe I wasn't expecting that question. I shook my head, stopped myself, then shrugged. "It's really complicated."

"Complicated?" I saw the gears in her head start to whir into action, her gorgeous eyes darkening a few shades, the way they always did when she was trying to put two and two together. "You mean, you're invisible by choice? Invisible to everyone but me?" Disbelief colored her voice, though her jaw was set, looking firm and ready to stand her ground against... me, I suppose.

I swallowed the lump in my throat that threatened to choke me, wiping my slightly clammy hands on the thighs of my jeans. "No. Not like that."

"Like what, then?" Charlotte dropped her hand from my elbow, and it was clear that she had reappeared again when a mother let out a shrill shriek, pulling her toddling child in the opposite direction of which they were headed; away from us. Charlotte flinched, taking my elbow again, and I tried to hold back a frown. It was as if she didn't want to touch me, like I was some sort of criminal she was being forced to talk to so that he'd admit to his crimes. Although there were many a'crimes I've committed, they were nothing against, or to, her.

"I'm connected to you, which means that I can only be seen by you. Your friend, though, Molly Marie -- she can see me too."

Charlotte hesitated. "Because she's connected to me?"

I let out a breath that I hadn't realized was being held back, and nodded quietly.

She took a chance and continued. "You have superpowers, then?"

I slipped my hands into my pockets, pressing my tongue to the roof of my mouth as I mulled over what to say. "No, not exactly. More like... abilities, I guess. Little things."

"What else can you do?'' The blonde tilted her head to the side, curious, looking very much like a little child on a scavenger hunt. Reluctant, yet sure.

"Fire."

"Fire?"

"See," I started, pulling my hands out and rubbing them together somewhat awkwardly. I usually was so cool. I remember when we were together, how casual I was, and sometimes she thought I was sarcastic about things I wasn't. But now I feel on edge, walking on egg shells. She doesn't trust me enough as is. "My powers are related to my past life. I was kind of invisible to the world, y'know? Didn't cause very much trouble, worked with the animals, kept good morals, that kind of thing. I didn't stand out."

With a expression that was starting to lighten her eyes again, Charlotte nodded. "So you can... make things invisible."

I shrugged. "Something like that."

"And what about the fire thing?"

There it was again, the lump in my throat, the sweat on my hands, and what felt like a rope around my neck, tightening as my fears pulled at the knot. "I'll tell you later," I said finally, barely able to get the words out. Worry flashed across her face, dissapearing a moment later. I pulled on my best smile. "You know, fire because I'm hot?"

Char laughed a little, rolling her eyes. Relief washed over me like a powerful wave. I looked at her, really looked at her for the first time since I've seen her again. She was short, about five foot three inches, and slender. Her fingers were longer than most girls', but her painted nails gave them a model-like look. Her hair was up, and I tried to recall what it was like down. Past her shoulders, flowing freely with the passing wind. And her eyes, oh, they never changed. But there was something about her that pulled at my heart like a hook on a thread. She looked so broken.

"Hey, C.J.? You okay?"

I cleared my throat, smiling again, although it wasn't as realistic as the last one felt. "I'm great. C'mon, I wanna walk around now. Have you been here before?"

Charlotte shook her head, and when I offered my arm, she took it. A man stared when she disappeared, and the two of us burst into laughter as we sauntered off to where the monkeys were. But as I held her arm, our shoulders bumping rhythmically, memories flashed across my vision. The memory of fire and rope burns gave me goosebumps. But when Charlotte started talking about how she always wanted a monkey named Orange (oh, the story behind the name Orange), I was pulled out of memory lane and reminded that I found her again. That I had a chance of gaining her back.