I'm so excited to announce that Invincible Invisible is now a traditionally published book!! You can read the first two chapters here but you can get the rest of the book on Amazon!!
Thank you for all of your support! I couldn't believe my dream to publish a book was achived!

Darla H

Wren looked at the map on the metro wall in front of her as a smile came to her lips, knowing exactly where she was going today. She fished the metro card out of her deep pocket, then scanned it through the machine to get to her next destination.

She walked casually down the stairs to get to the train. Looking at nothing in particular, the memories from today hit her like a brick wall. A frown crossed her face as she stopped, taking time to forces the memories out of her mind although they wandered back in like a stray dog.

"Wren, it doesn't look good," Doctor Gong said as he walked into the small room she was sitting in.

Wren frowned at him, not liking his tone. She grew up with him going to her birthday parties; she was not used to seeing him in a doctor's coat. In fact, she was not used to seeing him at all these past few years, not since her father and him got into a heated fight about things that Wren didn't understand. "Ok."

He took a seat in front of her and sighed as he tried to work up the nerve to tell her what he saw on the scans. "We can start treatments, but at this point, I'm not sure if it'll even work. I think it'll just make you suffer while only giving you a few extra months. We caught this too late Wren," he said, sadness in his eyes. He was used to explaining difficult news, but this had to be one of the hardest meetings he had in his 15 years of practicing.

Wren nodded. Of course, this would happen to her as if her life wasn't hard enough. "How long do you give me?" she asked as she kept her stone face from moving. She was good at keeping her emotions together. Ever since her parents split, she had tons of practice holding back tears and pretending that nothing bothered her.

Silently, he looked at the charts in his hands again. "Six months, maybe seven before it cripples you completely."

Wren sighed as she stood up from the chair she was sitting in, not seeing any more sense in waiting here. She found out what she needed to, and it was time to move on with her life. "Ok. Thank you."

He nodded as he put his hand on her shoulder. "And are you sure you don't want me to tell your parents myself?"

Wren forced a smile at him. She had no intention of telling her parents at all, but he would never know that. Her father was too drunk most of the time to pay attention to her words, and her mother was constantly working. Neither of them would care that she was dying, that much she was convinced of. "No thank you. I'll tell them."

He nodded, knowing that they wouldn't want to hear anything from him anyhow. "Ok. Since your dad and I were so close, I'll keep on looking for better treatments. I'll call you if I find anything."

Knowing her luck, though, nothing would come her way. Her family was cursed, at least that was what her father said and he convinced her that nothing of good would happen to them. This was just another nail in the coffin, another log to the fire, they were cursed and there wasn't anything that could make it better. "Thank you," Wren said as she slipped on her light coat, ready to leave.

"Stay strong for me," he said before she slipped out of the room, allowing her to collect her things in peace, then leave.

Breaking her out, her thoughts were on the train that came screeching past her. The old beat up silver metro train opened its doors and she walking into it silently, paying attention to the surrounding people.

<>

By the time she made it to Wall Street, it was already lunch break time. Wren smiled as she watched men and women walk around with expensive clothing, scurrying off to their next big exciting thing. Wren always thought of them like mice, running around, trying not to get caught but the fat a lazy cat that everyone else calls the government.

She found it disgusting how much money these people made. She didn't think it made sense that they made so much when people were on the streets homeless. Her mind thought back to a time when her family once made that much money, but those times were long gone, leaving her bitter for a life that she once had.

As much as she hated these people, this was her favorite place to pinch wallets. She tried not to come here often, but every time she did, she always made enough to be proud of.

This wasn't the only type of crime she limited herself to. Since her father had no more money to his name and her mother would rather see him homeless than help, it was Wren's job to help pay the expenses. She learned quickly how to rip off the tourist and pinch pockets in the heart of New York City. And when she was desperate enough, she had been known to forge documents like Bonds and ID cards.

She thought about how many of her high school had fake IDs made by her. They said that her work was the best in the area and they paid her enough. She was just willing to do anything to help her dad. Because, unlike her mother, her drunk father loved her. He hardly ever said those words to her, but she knew it and he knew it, and that was enough.

Wren walked up to a group of women, laughing about something, waiting for the crosswalk to turn on. She quickly slipped her hand into a purse and pulled out a small wallet that had a gold logo of a double C on it. Without drawing attention to herself, she slipped it into her large windbreaker.

Her large doe brown eyes skimmed the area to find her next victim. Quickly she walked across the street, slipping her hand into the back pocket of an old man with a designer suit, pulling out spare change.

Drawing no attention to herself, she opened the wallet of the first lady to see two hundred dollars held within it. With a smile, she pulled out the cash, then quickly caught up to the lady again and slipped the wallet back into the lady's purse.

Wren smiled as she walked into an alley, happy with her find. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. Lunch break was almost over, and knowing that these people would go back to their office spaces soon enough, she had to quit.

She felt her stomach growl, making her realize she was starving. With her head held low, she walked off, taking another alleyway, finding her at the local KFC where she often went when she was in this part of town.

"Hey guys! Wren's here!" the cashier said as Wren walked in through the front doors.

Wren smiled at them as she stood a little straighter. She knew everyone that worked here, after all, she gave them all fake IDs for Christmas. She needed to keep a relationship with them because they were also a well of information that she used to her advantage. "Hey. What is going on?" she said, and walked confidently to the counter.

"Longtime no see sweet pea," a man said as he grinned at Wren. He quickly opened the cash register and fished around for a paper that he knew was there.

Wren nodded with a smile. "I know Hanky, but things have been busy," Wren said and leaned into the counter, feeling a headache start to come. She slipped him a 50 and smiled. "For the kids."

He quickly pocketed the money and slipped her a paper full of notes that he took from what he saw and heard that was happening in the area.

Wren took the paper and stuffed it in her pockets. "Thanks, doll," she said and shouted to the people working in the kitchen. "Hey Tony! Can I get one of those pot pies?"

"Sure thing Wren!" a kid name Tony pipped up.

Before long, Wren found herself riding on the train to get back to Flushing. She pulled out the paper in her pocket and quickly skimmed the notes that Hank wrote. Her eyes widened as she saw details about an art display moving next month.

If she painted a fake, she could get the real and sell it. That would help pay for months of rent for her father. She circled to remember then moved on with the notes. She circled another note about a conference coming in July for ER medicine. She would be able to get a bit from that too.

The train stopped at the Flushing's stop, causing Wren to quickly stand up, only to feel light-headed. She frowned as she forced herself out of the train before the doors closed. This was why she went to the hospital, to begin with. She knew something wasn't right in her.

With every step she took, she felt her energy drain even more. She walked out of the metro station and pushed towards her father's apartment, knowing that he lived the closest to the metro. She needed to at least rest before she made it to her mother's house.

Within minutes Wren opened the apartment door to her father's place. The place smelt stale and old as she walked into it. She looked around the dim and empty family room, expecting to see her father laying on the couch but it was empty. "Ba! Ba!" Wren asked.

It wasn't her day to stay with her father, but she couldn't face being alone with her thoughts right now. She just hoped that her dad was around. She didn't want to remember the doctor's appointment.

She wandered through the small place until she ended up in the small kitchen, there, laying on the table, with an open bottle of liquor was her father, passed out.

Wren crossed her arms over her chest in disapproval as she looked at him. She had seen him in this position too many times. However, he wasn't always like this. Wren could still remember him being at the top of his league, owning a power company. But all kings fall and his kingdom came crumbling down about six years ago.

He tried to regain himself, only to fail time and time again. But he never was able to hold any job. No one wanted him as if he was poison ivy. He was convinced he was cursed and eventually, gave up, turning to the bottle, just like his father did before him.

Wren wouldn't put up with this today. She wasn't throwing a pity party for herself, and she wasn't going to let her father do the same. "Not today ba," Wren said as she filled up a cup of cold water from the sink then poured it over her father's head without thinking twice about it.

He shot up straight and yelled. He looked at her with anger but Wren stood her ground. She wasn't afraid of an old drunk like her father. He wouldn't do anything to her. He never had. "Wren? Is it Friday already?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes.

She shook her head. "It's Monday," she said as she put some empty take-out boxes in the trash. "Gosh, it smells like piss in here."

"I was going to clean before you came."

It was always the same excuse, however, Wren was the one that cleaned up after him. "Sure," she said as she took a seat next to him. "How are you doing?" She asked with concern.

With bloodshot eyes, he looked at his daughter, still confused that she was here. He never did understand why she came to see him, no one else did. He didn't know what he would do without her. "Did your mother send you to collect child support?"

Wren shook her head. Her mother knew that her father had not a penny to his name. She stopped asking for money a few years ago. "No, just me. I was in the area. Thought I would say hi."

He nodded, ashamed that he even asked such a question. Out of anyone in his life, Wren was the one that stayed by his side the most. She was faithful. For wanting a son, he was actually glad he got a daughter, however, he wouldn't tell that to her.

Wren reached across the small table and opened the first letter she saw. Her eyes scanned the paper. It was a bill for his small 400 square foot apartment. "Ba, you have to pay for this."

"I'll get to it."

Wren knew that meant he wouldn't. She was the one that handled his expenses most of the time. He couldn't handle the money on his own. He would forget and then he would have to move to another place. But he was running out of cheap places to stay in Flushing. "No, you have to pay this or you'll be kicked out."

He sighed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. In it was only 350 hundred dollars. He was about 200 short. "Is this enough?"

Wren took the money from him and put it into her pocket with the money she got today. "It's good enough." So much for her spending money.

"What would I do without you, Wren?" he asked with a sloppy smile.

"Be homeless," she said honestly and stood up from her seat. "I'm going to go downstairs and pay the shop owner. I'll be back." And with that, she left his apartment to pay the bill.

By the time Wren came back to her father's apartment, she found him in the kitchen, cooking ramen noodles. "Want some dinner?" he asked her.

Wren nodded, feeling her stomach growl. She was always hungry. She sat down at the table and smiled at him. She remembered a time when they had a big apartment, he would cook sometimes for them. She would help as mom laughed at the two of them. Things were happy then. Those times are long gone, along with all the money they had.

In a matter of minutes, the two found themselves sitting at the table eating ramen in silence. The only sounds coming from them were slurping, that was until her dad spoke up. "You know, we used to be the family that everyone wanted to be in Flushing."

Wren nodded. She remembered what it was like to have money, after all, she was 11 when they lost it all. "I know."

"How's your mother?"

Wren thought about the lack of conversations and cold shoulders that her mother gave her. They were barely roommates. She was always too busy for Wren. That was one reason why her father, no matter how much of a drunk he was, was her favorite. At least her father gave her the time of day. "She's doing good."

Wren's father nodded with a sigh. He missed the life they once had. He missed Wren's mother and the house they had. They were happy. Now look at them. "I tried to keep my hands clean in the nuclear power business. I didn't want to be part of the corruption. But it caught onto me. Before I knew it, corruption had me around the neck and rung it," he said with a frown.

Wren had heard stories about the good old days. But never did he talk about how he fell. It might have been because of the liquor, but he was saying things that Wren never heard before.

"Everyone was part of it, even politicians. It was a money-laundering scheme. They funneled money back and forth. It was a pay to play program, I tried for a few months to work with them. But I realized that this wasn't how I wanted to run things, they stripped me of my crown because of it. Oh, Wren, I tried to provide for you two, but they black-balled me at every angle."

Wren frowned. She never knew. The way her mother talked about it, she thought her father just made some poor money decisions. But this seemed like more.

"I didn't want this for us," he said sadly.

Neither did she.

By the time she made it home, it was past 10 PM. She walked into the entryway of her mother's apartment and slipped off her shoes and shivered as her feet touched the polished marble floor. Wren looked into the empty apartment, hoping that her mom was up. She never waited up for Wren. She was too busy with her own life to pay much attention to Wren.

Silently, she went to her bedroom and closed the door for the night. She crawled into bed and looked at the ceiling. Six months. half of the year. That wasn't any time at all.

She sighed as she turned over in her bed. She reached for her phone and pulled open the notes. "What will I do with the last six months?" she asked out loud to herself. She waited for some kind of answer to pop into her mind, but it was blank. What did she want to do?