For the Invisible

For the Invisible

Written and Illustrated by

Jade Grabel

This book is dedicated to all of my friends,

real or invisible.

Mapleleaf Writing Project

Brattleboro, Vermont

2019

Chapter 1: Assigning Day

Nara was getting ready. It was finally here. Assigning Day. Today she would get a human partner to be with. Nara quickly ran out of her room and ran into her sister, Lavender, who was just about to come in.

“Hey!” Lavender exclaimed.

“Sorry. Just excited,” Nara said to her.

“Who wouldn’t be excited? It’s Assigning Day!” Lavender exclaimed. Her wings were fluttering, and she was covered in light purple glitter. Lavender and Nara looked very alike. They were both cheetah-jaguar hybrids with wings. Their mother, Jaguar, had no idea how they were able to fly, but Nara was grateful for it.

Nara and Lavender walked out of their house. Jaguar, their mother, and Fireball, a lion-jaguar hybrid, as well as their half brother, were waiting outside. The sky looked like a calm night, deep purple-black and full of stars. The ground was made of white clouds that dimly reflected the gentle light from the stars above.

“You ready?” Fireball asked. He had a small mane growing on the edges of his neck and head.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Nara said.

“Come on guys, let’s go!” said Lavender, swatting them playfully. “We can’t miss the ceremony!”

The four cats walked on, until they came to the spot where the ceremony was being held.

“Woah,” Lavender said. “There’s thousands of Friends here!”

Jaguar laughed. “Yes, there are many Invisible Friends here.”

Nara looked on in amazement. Young Friends who were going to be assigned were going to the front. Jaguar nudged her children forward. “Go on.” she said. “Cheetah’s waiting.”

Nara stepped forward. Cheetah, the leader of the Friends, as well as Nara’s father, looked down from his chair, where he read the list of Friends. “Nara!” he called. “You will be assigned to Jada. Now, quickly, go down the opening. When your human falls asleep or is occupied with other things, close your eyes and think of this place. Then, you will be transported back. Now go!” he said. Nara looked back one last time. Her mother’s eyes were filled with pride for her daughter, yet sad at the same time. Fireball seemed to be jealous that Nara was first to be assigned out of the three of them. Lavender was eager to see what happened next. “Go on!” she said, giving Nara a shove. Nara tripped and fell down, down the sky opening, and into the human world.

Chapter 2: First Impressions

Jada sat in her room, reading. She always had her nose in a book. Suddenly, she heard what sounded like muffled screaming. Like someone was falling out of the sky.

Someone was! A young wildcat of some kind crashed through the roof, screaming.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” It landed on its feet. “Oh,” it said when it landed. It looked around, then began grooming itself, like a real cat.

Jada looked up at the ceiling. There was a hole, but as she watched, it started to patch itself up, until the ceiling looked completely normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

“Who are you, how can you talk, and WHY DID YOU JUST CRASH THROUGH THE CEILING?” Jada shouted.

“Not so loud!” the cat said, covering its ears. It sounded like it was female, and as Jada looked closer, she could see tiny but working wings on her back.

“I’m Nara,” the cat said, uncovering her ears. “I’m here to be your Invisible Friend.”

“If you’re my invisible friend, what do you know about me?” Jada asked, holding tightly to a necklace around her neck.

“Well,” said Nara, pausing for a moment. “I know that you’re one of the smartest people in your grade. I know that you’re upset because you got in a fight with one of your friends. I also know about your crush on that boy you know-”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Jada practically shouted.

“Also,” Nara continued. “I can talk in your mind, read your mind, and only be seen by you.” Nara pointed at Jada on the last word.

“Prove it,” said Jada, crossing her arms.

“Okay, think of something to say, but only say it in your mind. I’ll respond,” Nara said

Jada was silent for a moment. Then she thought Hello?

See? I told you!

Jada was startled by the response. Nara was smiling smugly.

“Now get ready for school” Nara scolded.

Nara hopped up on Jada’s shoulder, but Jada couldn’t feel anything. Jada, with Nara in tow, walked out of the house and went to school.

Chapter 3: The Black Lion

Rage was pacing the floor, his midnight black tail brushing against the dirt, his mane wavering slightly when he growled. Rage was angry.

A penguin with sleek, jet black feathers came in. “Master?” he asked, nervously.

“What?” snarled Rage.

“The armies are almost ready, Master,” the penguin said, bowing down so low that he tripped and fell.

Rage smiled evilly. “Listen, penguin,” he began. “I want you to take some of the Anti-Friends, and bring them to the school. Take control of some of the humans. There are bound to be Friends there. Get them, and bring them to me. Understand?” he growled, his “smile” gone.

The penguin nodded frantically. He ran out of the room.

Rage lifted up his head and roared.

“THE BLACK LION IS NOT GONE! I AM COMING FOR YOU, CHEETAHHHHH!”

Chapter 4: Gym Class

Jada walked to school with Nara flying close by the whole time. When they arrived, Nara hopped back onto Jada’s shoulder, tired.

They walked on, through the school hallways. No one seemed to notice Nara, so Jada assumed she was telling the truth when she said only Jada could see her.

Nara helped entertain Jada throughout the school day. When Jada had gym class, Nara tagged along.

“ALRIGHT EVERYONE!” the gym teacher, Mr. B, shouted. “WE’RE GONNA BE PLAYING DODGEBALL TODAY!”

Yikes. Does he have to be so loud? Nara asked.

The teams were assigned, and Nara padded up to Jada, nervous. Suddenly, she saw a black shape. A penguin, but all black. “An Anti-Friend! A minion of The Black Lion!” she exclaimed.

Who’s The Black Lion? Jada asked.

He’s an evil black lion that wants to destroy the Friends! Duh!

Suddenly, Nara stopped. The class bully was standing with a dodgeball in his hand. His eyes were glowing bright white.

“Uh-oh.” Nara said. The dodgeball zipped right over Nara’s head, and hit Jada smack in the face.

Chapter 5: Back To the Stars

Jada was out cold. Nara, homesick, closed her eyes and thought about home.

Suddenly, she was back. Back in her room, at her house, in the land of the Invisible Friends.

Jaguar poked her head in the door. “Nara!” she exclaimed, running over to greet her daughter. “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon!”

“My partner was knocked out by a dodgeball,” Nara admitted, looking down at the floor.

“Well, you can stay here for now,” Jaguar said.

“Is Dad here?” asked Nara, referring to Cheetah.

“No,” Jaguar responded. “But Fireball is.”

Nara perked up immediately. She raced out the back door to the yard. Fireball was there, rolling around in the grass. “Nara!” he shouted when she appeared. They greeted each other with hugs and happy meows, rolling around on the grass. They had one of the only patches of grass in the Invisible Lands in their backyard.

“I have bad news,” Nara said. Jaguar turned to hear. “The Black Lion’s back,” Nara said. Jaguar and Fireball gasped.

“How do you know?” Jaguar asked.

“I saw one of his Anti-Friends at gym class. He was controlling the human that knocked out my friend,” Nara said.

“Well, you have to go back,” Jaguar said. “Maybe you are the one in the prophecy.”

“The prophecy?”

“It was foretold that a Friend and their human, with a stronger bond than ever, would defeat The Black Lion, once and for all, with a secret weapon that only they knew how to use.” Jaguar whispered.

Nara closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

“Goodbye, I’m going back,” she said, sadly. Her family waved, then Nara closed her eyes and went back.

Jada was in the nurse’s office. She opened her eyes. There, at the foot of the mat that she was lying on, was a jaguar-cheetah hybrid with wings.

Chapter 6: Mission Success...or Not

Rage stormed out of his room and nearly stepped on the penguin he had sent on that mission earlier.

“Back so soon?” he asked.

“We managed to knock out a human, Master,” he whimpered. “They had a Friend, but they escaped.”

“WHAT!?” roared Rage. The penguin cowered in fear.

“Get me that Friend, bring them here, and don’t. Fail,” Rage hissed in his ear.

“Yes Master.” the penguin said, then ran away.

Rage growled. Cheetah had been putting Friends at risk by assigning them to human partners, so Rage had complained, only to be cast out. Rage had also been corrupting other Friends, turning them into slaves. Rage had taken those that he had corrupted with him into exile. Bit by bit, he had been corrupting more and more Friends, enough to make an army that he would soon use to take over the Invisible Friends.

Chapter 7: A Sky Full of Openings

Jada was sent home. Her mom came to pick her up. Nara followed, bolting alongside Jada’s mom’s car.

“Hey, Mom,” Jada said. “Have you ever had an invisible friend?”

Her mom, Sage, paused for a moment. “Yes. Her name was Jaguar. She came to me in a flash of light.”

“Oh.”

Jaguar? She’s my mom! Nara thought.

“Jaguar actually gave me that necklace that you’re wearing. I gave it to you,” Jada’s mom continued.

“Really?” Jada questioned. Sage nodded.

“Hmm,” Jada gently held the necklace in one hand. It seemed to glow softly.

Nara sped ahead, now in front of the car. She dashed to the house and was waiting when they got there.

Jada walked inside and went to her room. Nara hopped on the bed. “We need a plan,” she said.

“A plan?” Jada asked. “For what?”

“To defeat The Black Lion, that’s what!”

“Why do we have to stop him?” Jada asked.

Nara sighed. “The Black Lion wants to destroy the Invisible Lands. If he destroys my home, I’ll be destroyed with it.”

Jada thought for a moment. Though Nara was, sometimes, a smug, arrogant, annoying companion, Jada had grown attached to her, and the thought of life without her seemed unbearable.

“What can we do?” she asked.

“I have to get you up there to stop The Black Lion. We have to defeat him together. If I can fly up through a hole in the clouds, I might be able to teleport you up!” Nara exclaimed. “But,” she said, sounding worried. “It could fail. Our bond could break, and I might die. But it’s a risk I’m willing to take. Are you?” Jada could sense Nara’s worry. She could feel that Nara was afraid of the Friends dying and having it be all her fault. Jada felt a rush of sympathy for her.

“I’ll do it.” she said, suddenly proud that she could help someone.

“Great! Now, how are we going to get a chance to find an opening?” Nara asked.

“Well, we’re going to visit my family in Connecticut, maybe we’ll get a chance there,” Jada responded.

“Ok, here’s the plan. When we’re going to Connecticut, I’ll be outside, looking for openings. When I find one, I’ll fly through it. Hopefully, you’ll teleport up with me,” Nara explained.

“Ok, got it.”

A week later, they were on the road. Nara was flying through the air. She searched for openings in the sky. Then, she looked up.

“Woah!” she exclaimed. “There’s a lot of openings up here!” She took a deep breath.

“I’m going to try to get you up here. Remember, it could fail, but we must try,” Nara said with confidence.

Ok. Good luck, Nara, Jada thought.

Nara flew up into one of the openings. She could feel the bond stretching, pulling her back, but on she flew. She could see stars ahead. Suddenly, she was at the sky opening, in the land of the Friends, and standing next to her was Jada.

Chapter 8: Ready to attack

Rage walked through the mass of Anti-Friends. He paused at a penguin, corrupted black like the others.

“Where are they?” He asked. His voice had a rough edge.

“I-I couldn’t f-find her-r,” he stuttered, scared out of his mind.

Suddenly, a black crocodile rushed through the door. “The Friend has brought a human to the Invisible lands!” he exclaimed.

“WHAT?!” Rage roared. The crocodile shivered with fear.

“Get me that Friend and her pathetic human or I will destroy all of you!” Rage shouted. The crocodile nodded rapidly, then began shouting out commands.

“Soon, Cheetah, soon, I will destroy you.” Rage hissed.

At the land of the Friends, everyone was marveling over Jada. No human had ever been to the Land of the Friends before. Nara explained how she got Jada there, then told everyone the bad news.

“The Black Lion is still alive, and he’s probably ready to attack. We have to be ready to defend.” Nara said. “If we aren’t ready by the time he comes, we’ll be destroyed, or worse.”

The Friends were shocked by Nara’s news, but they began preparing, with Nara shouting commands. Cheetah, Nara's father, helped as well, before going off to get the rest of his family.

“Oh, hi Jada!” said Nara when she saw Jada. She leaped down from where she was standing. “So far, everything's going well.”

“Not for long.” a voice said, to deep to be Jada. Nara turned to see Rage, The Black Lion. He had somehow managed to break through the borders of the Invisible Lands.

“I’ve waited a long time for this,” he said. “No one is going to stop me. Especially not a puny cub and her pathetic human.” He pushed them aside and headed for Nara’s house, where Nara’s family was. Nara, scared, ran after him.

Rage burst through the walls of Nara’s house and attacked Cheetah, with Nara close behind. Jada came too, and suddenly, Nara’s paws swiped a necklace from around Jada’s neck.

“Hey! What was that-” Jada complained, but her voice fell into silence. The necklace was glowing and shifting, until it turned into a sword, with tiny wings on the handle, glowing in soft moonlight.

“The necklace,” Jaguar whispered. “I had no idea,”

Nara swung the sword, and Rage hopped backwards from where he was fighting with Cheetah. Cheetah collapsed on the ground.

Nara held the sword in her front paws, while she stood, upright, on her hind paws. Rage growled softly.

“I am the one from the prophecy.” Nara said. As she said this, she started to float, but her wings were still at her sides. “I will defeat you!” she yelled.

Nara and Jada began to combine themselves. Slowly, Jada began to disappear. Nara’s fur began to turn pure white. Her wings unfurled.

“YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES, RAGE!” Nara/Jada said. They swung the sword, and Rage ducked to avoid it. Light surrounded them, they were one. “FOR THE INVISIBLE!” they shouted. They swung again, and Rage leaped up, his last mistake. Nara collapsed on the floor, and Jada reappeared, unconscious as well.

Nara woke up. She could see two shapes on the floor. One of them was Rage, but the other-

“Cheetah!” Nara shouted, her voice trailing off in sad silence. She ran over, but his fur was cold. Cheetah would never rise again.

Nara cried into her father’s fur, barely aware that her family and human partner around her. Hours passed before she rose.

“Who will be the leader now?” she asked.

Jaguar bowed down before Nara. Fireball and Lavender did the same. Nara was shocked.

“You are the one from the prophecy,” Jaguar explained. “You have every right to be the leader of the Friends.”

Nara suddenly seemed to grow more confident. “We need to get repairs done. The Anti-Friends will probably be uncorrupted by now, so we need someone to see if they are okay,” she said.

Jada looked around. On the ground, there was her necklace, as if nothing had ever happened. She put it on.

“How do I go back?” she asked Nara.

“Probably the same way I do. Close your eyes, and think of going back home. If it doesn’t work, then we can try the same way we got you here in the first place,” she said.

Jada closed her eyes. She thought of being back with her mom. She stopped and opened her eyes again. “Sorry about your dad, Nara.” she said. Jada closed her eyes again, resuming her thoughts.

Suddenly, she was back. Her mom was pulling into her grandparents driveway. “We’re here!” she said. “Oh, you’re awake! You fell asleep for almost the whole ride.”

Jada got out of the car and helped her mom with their things. Through the corner of her eye, she could see a half-cheetah, half-jaguar with wings.

Epilogue

Rose hurried through the crowd. Invisible Friends swarmed around her. Most were Friends who were about to be assigned, or their parents. Rose pushed through and made it to the front.

Nara, the leader of the Friends, a cheetah/jaguar hybrid with wings, as well as Rose’s mother, was calling out names.

“Rose!” Nara called. At her sides were Fireball and Lavender, Nara’s sister and half brother.

Nara cleared her throat. “Oh, sorry,” Rose said. She stepped forward.

“Rose, you shall be assigned to June,” Nara said. “Now go, quickly, down the hole in the sky.”

Rose looked down. The hole in the sky went down a long way. She closed her eyes and leaped down.

June was trying to do her homework. Suddenly, there was a flash of light. June looked, and there was a tiger/cheetah/jaguar with wings.

“Hihihi!” The cat exclaimed. “Are you June?” June nodded, excited.

“I’m your Invisible Friend!”