Aleeza-the Star Summoner

Invisible

There was one thing Aleeza hated talking about or even thinking about: her family. There wasn't anything that bad about them to warrant complaints, and she knew that. The problem could be summarized as such; Aleeza disliked her family, and they disliked her (They being her Mom, Dad, and little sister). She and her younger sister frequently had fights, both verbal and physical. Unfortunately, Aleeza was unimaginably incapable of fighting.

From a young age, Aleeza was always tired and sickly and had the worst eye bags that remained no matter how much she slept. Luckily she discovered makeup, and it was able to conceal the imperfections.

"She looks so... young and petite. How will she be able to provide me with strong sons?"

Aleeza had always liked the idea of marriage and children with a man she approved of, not with whatever man her father happened to be acquainted with. He was far too old; he didn't even meet her first non-negotiable requirement. Having a man on the same page as her was very important-this man did not uphold the same values she deemed necessary for a couple to share. To be fair, neither did her parents, which caused most of their conflicts of late.

"Trust me. Even though Aleeza looks like she's ten, she is true of age. How are any women able to bear children? And besides, if she were to become with child, petite would hardly be a word you could describe her as."

Her father and the man chuckled to each other while Aleeza sat staring straight ahead to avoid showing any emotion. She wished she could disappear. She knew she would have to get married. Thinking about her future always made Aleeza excited. She just never imagined this would be how her Dad would marry her off, she expected at least a little say in the matter.

"Hmm, very well, you do prove a good bargain. I shall give you my answer next week. I have much to think about!"

They never even asked me what I thought. The man never even talked to Aleeza directly. Immediately after the man left, she marched to her room and stopped dead in her tracks as she walked past the mirror. Her reflection wasn't there-she was invisible.

"Not again," Aleeza begged as she went to cover her eyes with her hands and then glanced at the mirror again. Nothing had changed; she was still invisible. For how long, Aleeza didn't know. She still didn't know how to control whatever curse was bestowed upon her.

She remembered the first time it happened. She assumed she was going mad and wanted to test if her mother could see her. The test failed, and her mother couldn't see her. She was very confused as to where the sound of Aleeza's voice was coming from when she was standing directly in front of her.

Going invisible at inconvenient times wasn't even the biggest problem. It was becoming visible again-she couldn't. The first time she thought she would be stuck invisible forever until finally she fell asleep and realized that was the only way to become seen.

She stood there for a good minute before walking around to her full-length closet mirror to check that she indeed couldn't be seen. It was weird because she could still see herself. Her hands were still there, just a little faded and sparkly than normal.

She often thought she was going insane, or maybe, she was Grisha-but no. She couldn't be. She got tested when she was a kid, and nothing happened. Additionally, she had read a book on Grisha and no Grisha order matched the things she was able to do.

"Ugh..." she said to herself, realizing her only option was to take a nap. She reluctantly tried to do so, but she wasn't tired, nor was it dark out. It was simply too bright outside, even with the curtains closed. Finally, she became tired enough, and just as she was about to dose off, she realized that it was no longer bright. It must have got cloudy or something, she thought. Or something indeed.

The short nap that resulted left her with a horrible headache when she woke up to someone informing her dinner was ready. Oh great, she thought, grabbing a book in the hopes she wouldn't have to make conversation with her family. She didn't hate talking to people, she just didn't want to talk about the stuff her family surely would bring up again.

She tried making dinner better by propping open on her book the table so she could read and eat simultaneously. However, her family was talking about her, and the man they planned to marry her off with. It was hard to ignore, despite the fact she certainly didn't need another reminder.

When she finished, she ran into her younger sister, blocking her way upstairs to her room. "I'll be surprised if Dad is able to convince the old fool to take you. He must be just as stupid as you are. If he is that stupid then it's a match made in heaven!" She said, mocking Aleeza. Even though Aleeza was the older one, her younger sister was taller. She appeared older to anyone who didn't know their true age. "Oh right, you actually believe in that. Don't you?" she teased.

"Please just leave me alone I'd like to go upstairs,"

"Hmm... no," she said, smirking.

Aleeza didn't want to do this today. She tried to shove past her, "Hey! Watch it," her younger sister said as she pushed Aleeza back further. "I can't wait until you leave, however hard it might be to find a husband for you," she laughed "your dowry might be the only decent quality you have left."

Aleeza closed her eyes and tried to keep her anger from exploding free. "That's great. Now can I go?"

Her sister reluctantly stood to the side, and Aleeza took it as a sign to start walking. But as she passed her sister, she was rewarded with a punch to the nose.

"Ow!?" she said.

Her younger sister shrugged sarcastically. "Maybe your new nose won't look as hideous." she started wheezing, "you should thank me," she managed between laughs. Aleeza was already making her way up to her room.

As soon as the door closed, she started crying, from pain or from sadness, she couldn't tell. She looked in the mirror. Her eyebags were back in full swing, and it seemed that her face was covered in shadows all over.

Her punch would definitely leave a bruise, she didn't think it was broken though her sister wasn't that strong.

///TW suicide- (kind of)////

She didn't know what to do. At that moment, she felt completely helpless. Her life would be awful, married to an awful man who was, just like her sister pointed out, desperate for money. She thought about her options and solemnly realized there were none.

She threw her hands up in anger and slammed them down at her sides. But that motion did something she could barely begin to describe, especially since she wasn't exactly looking. She gasped when she saw a blade of some sort hit the mirror and then turn the opposite way hitting her. The blade would have sawed completely through her if it didn't disappear right after brushing against her skin.

Even though it disappeared, the damage was already done. She pressed a hand to her chest, in an attempt to prevent any more bleeding. She wasn't sure how far the blade got before it disappeared. This could be it, she thought to herself. She was surprised at the emotion that thought gave her. She was relieved. She wanted this.

///End of TW///

No, she thought, snapping out of it. This wasn't how it ended. She kept her hand on her chest as she slowly sat down and leaned against her bed. She sat there for a while, breathing heavily, afraid to move.

She was forced to think about what to do and contemplated her options. After a while, she concluded she had to run away from home... and potentially go to the Grisha? She hadn't fully decided.

Going to them did seem like the most reasonable option, but she was older and failed the test, and besides, she wasn't a soldier. She couldn't be expected to fight. She would fail miserably. But, she was alone and honestly was terrified of whatever strange powers she possessed.

Eventually, she fell asleep sitting down, too nervous to move.