Ana - could it be that your brake is unhooked? On the photo you attached, inside the yellow circles is a pin that can be pushed one way or the other to engage/disengage the brake (to remove the wheel).
Pull the lever in as if you are braking & push the pin in & see if that works.
No, it is not normal for one lever to be put further than the other.
Good luck!
"When I'm on my bike I forget about things like age. I just have fun." Kathy Sessler
2006 Independent Fabrication Custom Ti Crown Jewel (Road, though she has been known to go just about anywhere)/Specialized Jett