Rainbow connection

Breakfastthe1st day

We settled in a simple dinning room, if you call a table big enough to sit 16 comfortably simple. Food had been spread across the middle ready to be served. Jed showed us each a place to sit, “Sorry I haven’t learned names yet. I figure when everyone gets here we can do some introductions.”

Soon seven more people trickled into the room. Each of them had pastel hair, so light it was almost white, but not quiet. I was seated to Jed’s right at the head of the table, on his left a pink haired woman sat down. Leaving a chair open, a pale orange haired man sat. The pattern continued around the table, open chair to the right of a pale haired person, except for Green at the foot of the table, Blue, and Purple to my left. Beside those were the people who came with me, Todd, Cal, and Grace. I realized that this was Jed’s rainbow and we were seated by color.

Grace looked around nervously, “I think there may be a misunderstanding.” she pushed her chair back to stand. “I’m not part of Joy’s Rainbow. I’m just here to document her life for the future.” she looked at me for help, as did every one else.

I looked at Grace, then Jed, then to my guys. “Grace,” I began slowly, searching my heart for the right answer, " I think that,” I swallowed hard, then met her eyes, “you are right where you need to be.” Her eyes grew huge, “Where else can you be if you are to document everything.” I stood up and walked over to her. “I can’t imagine you being anywhere else.” As I said the words I felt their rightness. I pulled her into an embrace and gave her a good squeeze. Sitting back down a glanced at Jed, the smile on his face warmed my heart, I knew it was the right thing, I had found my Purple.

“Now that that is settled, Let’s eat!” The Orange man grabbed a plate of eggs, scooped some onto his plate and then passed it down the line. Everyone joined in. Scattered conversation began around the table.

“So Jed,” I began, “These people are your Rainbow?”

“Yes,” He smiled fondly, " My family, my everything. You will come to understand with time.” He gestured around the room. “Scarlett, Alexander, Victor, Evelynn, Jacob, Carl, and Jennifer.” He named them off in rainbow order.

“Can you tell me how you all are still alive?” I asked still dumbfounded that he was sitting right next to me.

Jed laughed loud enough to bring everyone’s attention back to him, “My dear Joy, we are the balance. As such if we were to die before the ones who will take our place are ready then the world would be utter chaos. It is part of the magic that comes with being The Rainbow Connection, and you give it to your rainbow through your love.”

“Love?” I sputter. “What do you mean by that?”

Jed smiled at me, " Love comes in many forms. Familial, friend, and of course romantic.”

“You know,” Jennifer, Jed’s Purple, spoke up, " the Ancients had 7 types of love?”

“Oh, yeah! Like Eros!” Grace chimed in.

“s****l Passion.” Jennifer winked.

“And Philia.” Grace offered.

“Deep friendship.” Jennifer replied.

“Do you know Ludus?” Grace challenged.

“Of course, Playful Love.” Jennifer retorted.

“Agape?”

“Love for everyone.”

“Pragma.”

“Longstanding love.”

“Philautia.”

“Self-love.”

“And finally Storge, Parental love.” they say together then laugh and pat each other on the back.

“These people will be your everything.” Jed motions to the table. I look around at each of the older people. I could see the comfortable air that they held with each other. Then I took a sheepish look at Jed. He was watching me with a grin. Reading my mind, “Carl is with everyone, obviously, he can’t help it, he is Lust after all. I only have 4 lovers though. The rest of the guys are good friends, the best actually. I couldn’t have survived this kind of life without them all.”

I had so many questions. I settle on one " Why are we not taught more about the Rainbow? I mean it is all legend at this point. I don’t know what is real and what has been exaggerated.”

Jed sighed, “I am not sure. That is not my department. I, we, have enough to deal with I can’t keep up with the outside world long. Maybe because we’ve lived so long that nobody rightly remembers.”

“What do you have to deal with?” I ask.

“That, my dear, will come with time. I do not want to overwhelm you.” Jed pats my hand.

“How much longer will you be around, now that I am here?” I ask shyly.

“Unfortunately, not long enough for you.” He sighs. “We will be here until you find your Colors, then we will finally fade.” He looked sad.

“What do you mean Fade?” I ask.

He sighed again, “We die, but not like normal people do. We have been around for hundreds of years, we will literally fade into the light.”

“Oh.” I said softly, slightly horrified as the concept passed through my mind.

Jed patted my hand, “I am sorry to put all this on you. It will get easier with time.”

I nodded and pushed my food around my plate. It was beginning to get overwhelming. Todd came over and hugged me from behind. I breathed deeply settling into the comfort of Todd’s kindness. When I opened my eyes I saw Jed looking at us with a fond smile. I turned and saw Cal’s concerned look from down the table. I gave him a small smile.

After breakfast we were shown into a beautiful sun room. There were prisms all over catching the sun and spilling rainbows all over, huge clear windows going from floor to ceiling on every wall, the floor shining and reflecting all the rainbows the prisms made and turning the reflection of the sky into cotton candy. I entered and turned around in awe and excitement. It was calming. I let a strand of light play over my hand and smiled. I pulled Cal into a hug and Todd came up behind me enfolding both of us in his arms. I looked out of my cuddle pile and saw Grace just outside of arms reach. I held my hand out to her. She balked and then hesitantly took my hand. I squeezed it and didn’t pull her in. She breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought you would pull me into this hug. I don’t know if I am ready for that.”

I smiled at her, “I could tell, but you should not be left out of my happiness.”

Her eyes widened, “I did… I thought… Thank you.” I just smiled and squeezed again.

I looked around again, I saw Jed and his group around him. He had his arm around his Indigo and his Purple. The rest of his rainbow were gathered around touching each other in some way. I sighed and closed my eyes again, breathing in my little group, this was right. This felt right.

We all found seats in the space. Finding a couch Todd sat, then me, then Cal as we were used to. Grace found a chair close by.

“So, we need to find the rest of your colors.” Jacob, Jed’s Blue, said. “now, there are several ways to go about this, but there are a lot of the warm colors here on the Island so we can focus on those later. I suggest we finish out your cool colors and find your Indigo.”

I swallow thickly. “And how do you suggest we go about that?”

Carl, the Indigo, replied “Lust Isle!”

My eyes widened and looked to my guys. I saw Todd swallow then looked at Carl, “What would that entail?”

Carl’s eyes gleamed, “Sorry, have you not heard of it?” We all shook our heads. “Well, Lust tends to be the problem child of the colors. If we let it roam free and clear it leads to things that bland do not like.” he shrugged. “So all us Indigo’s get shipped off to Indigo Island, or more commonly known as Lust Isle. It is where you would go if you had turned Indigo.” He rubbed his hands together before Jed stood and put his hand on his shoulder to calm him.

“You, Joy, will go to Lust Isle and,” Jed paused searching for the word, “feel for your person. Grace, since you are documenting the Rise, you will accompany her, but the others should stay here. Carl will go, as he knows the Island, and guide you.” Jed patted Carl’s shoulder. Then he got down into Carl’s face, “Behave, and don’t scare the children.” Carl just grinned and grabbed Jed’s neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss. “No promises, Dear.”

Todd’s hand squeezed my thigh. His Envy was rising. We had not be away from each other for much more than an hour before, even our parents had a hard time with us at night because we had such a strong connection. I turned in my seat to fully face him, Cal turned too. “Todd, I promise that I will be there and back as soon as I can.” I leaned in and pulled his face to look at me.

“Plus I’ll be here to keep you company.” Cal said and put his hand on Todd’s shoulder.

Todd looked between us, swallowing he spoke, “I’m trying to fight the Envy I’m feeling, because I know you need to do this, but I need you.” He looked at me, “I don’t know what I would do if you I lose you to someone else.”

“Oh, Todd!” I hugged him, “You will never lose me. Did you lose me to Cal? Didn’t we make a promise that started this whole thing?”

I saw the tears well in his eyes. “Sometimes I do feel left out, between you and Cal. And then you look at me and you include me.” he closed his eyes, then opened them with a look of determination. “Go. And then come back to me!” he pulled me in for a kiss just as passionately as Carl and Jed’s kiss had been.

As soon as Todd and I split Carl swept Grace and me out and onto a plane. “Best not to dwell after a goodbye like that!” he said. “It will take about 5 hours to get there so settle in.”