wonderland

7 days before

"Hurry up or I'll be late!'' Theodor yelled before stomping his feet. "I'll be there in a sec, just wait!". A jacket was thrown over her shoulders and down her arms as she ran through the laundry room. She put on a pair of shoes as her brother waited impatiently. "Hurry up!" he whined. A silent laugh escaped her lips as she grabbed the house-key. Theodor opened the door and ran outside, she followed him and locked the door behind her.

Their way to the park was short. Theodor had his bike, and her long legs made it possible for her to keep up with her five-year-old brother. The smell of freshly mown grass filled the air. The sun shone. Her brown locks framed her face as she walked. She tucked her hair behind her ears. "You should wear your hair like that more often" Theodor smiled, looking up at her. She laughed. "Messy and unmanageable?" she was half joking, but it was true. She hadn't had the chance to brush her hair that day. He nodded. "You look pretty like that" he said before gaining speed and disappearing down a hill. Her eyes followed him before she closed them for a moment and took a deep breath, the summer air filling her lungs.

"Please, please, please!" Theodore pleaded as she kept shaking her head. "Why won't you even try the slide? It'll be fun, I promise!" he was pulling her arm. "Sometimes the question is the answer." She said, shrugging and smirking. "Stop with your stupid quotations I don't understand half of them." He finally let go of her arm. "That's part of the charm." She said lightly. "To me it sounds like you don't want to have fun." she stuck her tongue out at him before he sprinted towards the playground. She bit her lip, hiding a smile as she watched him climb, slide and do things little kids always does.

Her notebook and pen were resting on her lap as Theodore came running towards her. "Is it okay if I go to Jace's?" he asked, hope glittering in his eyes. After a couple of seconds, she nodded. "Dad'll probably pick you up after work." She smiled. The grin on his face stretched from one ear to the other as he turned around and sprinted back to his friend.

              We are all human beings living the same dream in the same world.

She read the line over and over again. She had no idea who was the first person to say or write it, but she had heard it somewhere and somehow it stuck. She liked it. It was simple, but poetic. The air was getting cold. The sun began to disappear behind the rooftops of the tall buildings. She was alone in the park, except for a couple of people jogging by occasionally. She took a deep breath. Her notebook was closed, and she got up. She glanced around the park one last time before turning around and walking home.

The wind whipped her hair in her face and she had to squint because the sun was hanging low. She clutched her jacket tight around her waist and walked faster. A couple of neighbours smiled at her, some even said hello, to which she answered with a smile and a polite 'Hey' before looking at the pavement.

In their driveway she saw her dad's car. Her steps quickened once again and she hurried inside. ''Honey, is that you?" the sound came from the kitchen. "Yeah, it's me" she answered as she entered the room that now smelled of chicken-noodles.

"I ordered Chinese, hope you don't mind."

Before she had the chance to answer, Theodore crashed down on his chair and told their dad, very loudly, what him and Jace did at the park.