“¿How long is forever?

Sometimes is just one second.”

-Lewis Carroll


“What about your brother?” she asked, raising her voice to stop the music “I thought he liked this kind of parties.”

“My brother is a deacon,” he replied gruffly, “he doesn’t like parties.”

I rolled my eyes tired of feeling like a sailboat at the command of those two and went to the kitchen to drink some water.

“Are you leaving?” asked my sister with her dawning eyes sparkling.

“I’m thirsty,” I said dryly, hating myself for not being able to ameliorate the situation with kindness.

“Wait…” Sebastian’s words were cut off by the Swiss army knife that was my little sister’s viperine tongue.

“We’ll catch up with you now,” she mused, blinking coquettishly.

I nodded, striding towards the kitchen where I was met by a really angry Jhonan.

I smiled politely despite the fact that we had never exchanged more than a greeting and opened the fridge hoping to find something other than alcohol.

“What’s wrong with your sister?” he spat with disgust as he observed the scene from the corner of the kitchen.

“Don’t you know her?” I asked back with a beaming smile.

“She’s supposed to come to this party with me,” he snorted with smoke coming out of his ears, “I don’t know what she’s doing with that prick,” he barked rolling up his sleeves, or lack thereof.

“He’s not a prick,” I lashed out, “it’s rude to verbally assault people you don’t even know, and even more so when you’re not in their presence.”

“He’s like everyone else,” he denied repeatedly, “just another lapdog at the command of the Queen of Hearts.”

I took a deep breath at my sister’s nickname as I watched Anakin try to pull away from the queen’s grasp.

“He’s not a lapdog,” I clarified, turning to Jhonan, “and my sister is not like that.”

“Yes, she is,” he scoffed, “and you’re just one of them.”

“Excuse me?” I left the glass on the counter with the rage of a thousand hurricanes.

“You’re just another lapdog at the queen’s command,” he rolled his eyes, “she’s not even here and you’re already defending her.”

“I’m not…”

“Considering she’s flirting with your boy.”

“He’s not my boy…”

“She started the nickname ‘Mad Man’, you know that?”

“What?” I asked dejectedly, “My sister wouldn’t do that.”

“She started yours too, my dear,” his lips quirked into a devilish grin as he watched my reaction, “you’re the ”wraith’,” he sneered sarcastically, “an invisible being following the wind of your little sister’s sailboat, a buffoon at the command of everyone’s favourite queen and forever destined to play second fiddle despite being the eldest” he spat the words with malice as he approached “nobody knows you, nobody knows about you, they don’t even remember your name because they don’t need to, your mere appearance is a constant mockery and the fact that ‘you’re not like the others’ only makes you more of a freak than you already are…”

His words were like projectiles strafing my fragile heart as it plummeted into a radioactive container.

“And what are you?” Sebastian’s presence felt like the arrival of a thundercloud distilling electricity ready to burn Jhonan in its path, who looked like a mere ant next to the lord of darkness and ice paradise “if Mirana is what you say then that only makes you a stray dog who exudes fleas to every person who passes” he spat angrily “it’s not Mirana’s fault that her sister has passed you by, because, newsflash, asshole. You’re no more special than the other guys she leaves hanging, you’re just like everyone else.”he concluded, resting a threatening hand on his shoulder “and Mirana is nobody’s shadow” he looked at me with a warm melody in his eyes “you are” he smiled cruelly “stop projecting.”

After a deep silence, only lightened by the sound of the background music, Jhonan left with a visibly flushed face and a loud snort.

“Hi, angel,” Anakin smiled kindly as he handed me a bottle of frozen water fresh from the fridge, “I’m sorry I was late, your sister talks too much.”

“It’s one of her talents…”

“What’s the first one?” she asked bored “Bore to death?”

An unfamiliar chuckle came out of me.

“Don’t be mean,” I asked.

“Impossible,” he arched an eyebrow at his costume, “I’m allowed to tonight.”

“Yes,” I nodded, “that’s fine.”

I stood watching him combing his crazy locks as I caught his gaze going from my eyes to a spot on my back.

“Everything okay?” I asked with concern.

His words were cut off by a sound of frustration and once again his gaze followed a spot behind me. I turned my face only to observe a mass of sweaty people dancing, but nothing else. 

“Do you see it?” he asked with a wild look on his face

“What are you talking about?” I asked confused

“Not again,” he whispered, holding his head with both hands.

“What’s going on?” I asked worriedly as I approached him, but before I could reach him he pulled away abruptly and slammed into the fridge door.

“Get away!” he asked shakily. “Please, I don’t want to hurt you,” he begged.

“You’re not going to…”

“Did you see him?” he asked in a roar with his eyes wandering all around capturing the attention of everyone present “he is following us” he whispered.

“Who are you talking about?” I asked confused wanting to protect him from every stab that every whisper, every glance, every insult meant “Sebastian?”

“NO!” he barked slapping me away. “It’s there, I can see it!” he denied repeatedly “He’s following us!”

“Who?” I asked desperately wanting to enter his world “Who is following us?”

“Mad Man” the whispers turned into shouts and with them more and more scorn.

“The rabbit!" he shouted in desperation, which sounded like the most intense shriek of pain he had ever heard in these lands “The white rabbit!”

“He’s crazy,” they continued to close in, cornering us like a circus attraction.

The despair within me reached stratospheric levels as a new idea surged through my mind like a rainbow of hope.

“I see it!”I shouted, arousing everyone’s curiosity “don’t you see it?” I asked strangely causing many to look in the same direction as Sebastian “Look!” I pointed to the worktop “It’s there!” I shouted “We have to catch the white rabbit!” I demanded, causing some of them to squeal in response;

“I see it!”

“The rabbit, it’s there!”

I ran over to Sebastian who seemed lost in his own cloud of imagination and helped him up some steps and carefully sat him on a mattress.

“Is that better?” I asked, stroking his back nonchalantly.

“Did they catch him?” he asked immediately

“Yes,” I nodded, “yes, they have.”

“He won’t stop chasing me,” he roared in desperation, “he’s everywhere.”

“Is it here?” I asked softly

He looked up, staring into my eyes, and I wiped away the tears running down his cheeks gently.

“The rabbit leaves every time I see you,” he whispered.

“Because I hunted him,” I whispered, leaning closer, “he’s mine now,” I smiled as his hand caressed my cheek, “just like you are.”

“You hunted me?” he asked with amusement

“Yes,” I nodded, resting my forehead on his, “and I’m not going to let you escape.”

Before he had time to answer I joined my lips with his in what seemed to be a cosmic explosion capable of creating new universes. His cinnamon flavoured lips met the salty elixir of mine, letting me know that I was home. That all this time I had been wandering other paths to find myself on yellow tiles at the end of the rainbow, he was my rainbow.