It's five in the morning. a dark blue sky and the streetlights shutting off all over the neighborhood. There's a beep in one house. Don't be alarmed, it's only the clock by the bed. It beeps and beeps and beeps. Its owner is too tired to press the snooze button. He always hoped that one day, that beeper would burn out. He gets the energy to slap the top and shut that infernal racket up. He'll sleep in today.
"Son, you awake?" was said as a tall, strong and quite good looking man opened the door very slowly, as to not wake up the one still sleeping in the bed. Strange, considering he went to bed early. The man tiptoed passed all of the toys and clothes scattered across the cold floor. It felt like a journey getting to the bed. "Time to get up, son."
He took off the over-sized blanket revealing more, and more sheets and blankets. And some small stuffed animals, too. They all stared at him with those cotton-filled eyes as if they were planning his demise. He could even feel the eyes on the floor around him. He tossed them all to the side along with the endless amount of blankets and sheets. A small, blue cat laid there with briefs and some socks. He cringed at the cold gust of air that slammed against his fur, causing his whiskers to stand on edge.
"Wake up sleepy head." the man whispered in his son's ear, making it twitch a bit… sort of.
"Dad, its five twenty-five in the morning… Go back to bed…"
Well, I'm up for a reason, aren't I?" The farther walked over passed the toys and junk towards the brand-new curtains, revealing the dark blue early-as-heck morning sky. A few stars could be seen but started to fade as the sun prepared to make its appearance. "The early bird gets the worm."
"Dad, no one says that anymore… Go away…" the boy groaned pulling the covers over him, shielding him from what he hopes, everything.
"I told you yesterday that we would all get up early."
"And I said, or now saying; go away."
"…Alright…" His father said tiptoeing out of his room. The boy let out a sigh in relief as he ever so slowly, drifted back into dreamland…
"HEY BRO! WAKE UP ITS THE CRACK OF DAWN!" yelled another boy who was rolling on the floor kicking his feet and all the junk on the floor around trying to create as much noise as he could.
"Willy, go away…"
"Oh little brother, I got a comic book with your name on it." The boy's big sister hummed swinging the book above him, taunting him to get his lazy butt up.
"I don't like comics. Go away Caramel… And take Willy with you…"
"Then I'm taking this blanket!" Genesis said yanking all of the covers off the bed in one frail swoop.
"Dude!" the boy yelled trying to yank it back. "I'm half naked!"
"Well, you got socks on-"
"DOCKPIELE!" yelled two more girls jumping on the bed and nearly sending the boy straight to mars… if he could get past the roof that is…
"Kit! Kat! Stop! That!" He said trying to hang on to the mattress.
"Don't send him to mars, mom would ground us!" A much older boy said grabbing the energetic twins from tormenting their little brother. "Probably woke him and mom up."
"You think?!"
"I think." Yet another brother said popping out from under the bed.
"How did you-"
"Ninjas always know how to sneak." He said jumping on the bed marching all over. "Couldn't hear me over Kit and Kat?"
"Every one of you, get out of my room!"
"Come on son, it's time to get up." The man said pulling the children away from him, giving him some breathing room.
"Dad, PLEASE tell them to go away! I'm tired for Pete's sake!"
"What's with all the noise up here?" A woman asked behind the still hansom man.
"Trying to get Kane out of bed…" The man and his wife passed the screaming children, somehow getting to the boy now known as Kane, whom was yanking his covers from Willy and hiding under them.
"Everyone get out now."
"Son, that's not a nice thing to say." Kane's mother scolded shaking a finger at him.
"Well I'm tired!"
"Didn't you sleep? Your father said we would be waking up early today."
"Why today?!" he asked rolling over on his side
"Your father has work and your brothers and sisters start school today."
"I don't go to school so why do I have to wake up at FIVE in the morning?!"
"Son, please get up…"
"No." Kane huffed hopefully ending this stupid argument. Sadly his parents sat on the bed yanking the covers off. "Come on! I want-"
"Is there something wrong?" His dad threw out in the open. And at that moment, it was as if those words yanked and unplugged some cables in his son's brain. And it only took so long for those cables to re-connect.
"No."
"Did you do something we should know about?"
"No."
"Did you hurt yourself?"
"No."
"Son, I'm partially dead. I can smell when something's wrong with my kids. It's a sixth sense." The mother said that very bluntly, and was a bit stern on that too. "Tell me what's wrong, please."
"What's wrong is that I'm tired. And I want to go Back, to, BED."
…
"Guys, wait a second."
"Okay, okay, we'll leave." Kane's mother said taking the kids and walking out.
"Mom, stop, I didn't mean it like that." Kane said feeling bad at the thought that he didn't want his family around him. "C-Come on guys, stay a bit?"
"I don't know. We're just bugging you…" His dad said secretly giving the rest of his family a wink.
"Oh, come on. You know I didn't mean it like that… Just stay?"
"…"
"Please-"
"DOCKPIELE!" his siblings yelled jumping over each other and eventually on him. The way the bed creaked made it sound like someone broke a bone or neck. Their parents didn't really worry because everyone was laughing. All the kids were smiling and they wouldn't care if the world was blowing up from the inside. These moments were one of the few things that made their hearts skip a minutes worth of beats.
"Okay kids, don't wake the neighborhood up." Their dad said breaking up the screaming ball of bed sheets and children. "So, who wants flapjacks?"
"I do!"
"I want honey on mine!"
"Strawberries, I want strawberries!"
"Kane? Going to come with us?" His mother asked bumping him on the shoulder. He didn't seem willing at first, but pondered over what to have in his if he were to get up.
"…Can you at least wake me up after you make the batter?"
"Well… I think we can do that." His dad agreed shaking his hand. "But you have to do your homework right after. Do we have a deal?"
"…Deal." He said plopping back on the bed, burying himself under the toys and covers again. His dad smiled giving him a kiss on the forehead, making him smile as well.
"Love you son."
"'Sigh'… I love you guys, too."
The long-yellow-depressing to all kids at this time of the year-school bus rolled a few houses away from the families' house, picking up a few depressed kids for school.
"Okay, backpacks, lunches, phones, I think that's everything!" The mom said taking inventory of all of her kids' backpacks... all except for Kane…
"Are you sure they don't allow little brothers in backpacks?" Kane pleaded hanging on to his oldest brother's shoe.
"Kane, please let go. We have to go to school." He shook his leg all around the living room, but he couldn't shake off his little brother off of him. "Mom, please help!"
"Kane, let go of your brother." she scolded causing Kane to release his death grip on his brother's leg.
"But it isn't fair! Why can't I go to school with them?"
"Kane, you're too young, and you know very well what happened…awhile back."
The words "Awhile back." always depressed Kane, regardless of what sentence they were used in, because they were usually referring to him.
"…Okay." He gave up and sat by the window, watching the yellow bus drive up to their house.
"We'll hang out on the weekend, 'Kay?" His oldest sister, Caramel, said planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Bye, Kane." They all said walking out the door, leaving their little brother with his parents to wave goodbye. They looked out the window as they jumped in the school bus as it nearly drove off without them. Its horn honked before it drove away, disappearing at the corner and leaving Kane sad on the inside.
"Oh, man, I'm going to be late for work." The father said grabbing a suitcase and some toast. I'll call you during my break. Bye Kane."
"Bye dad." He said hugging him and sticking his tongue out as he kissed his mom. "Gross…"
"Bye sweetie." The man's wife said adjusting his tie. "Have a great day!"
"I'll try to not blow up the place!" He yelled turning on the engine of the Cold-war old SUV. It coughed and gagged before it roared and slowly drove off in the opposite direction of the school bus that left moments ago.
"I… guess I'll go do my homework." Kane said sadly going upstairs back to his room. Homeschooling was one of the saddest things in his life, because it was an all-year-long thing for him.
"Son?" his mom called from downstairs, bringing him back down.
"What is it?" he asked his now crossed-eye-mother. "Mom…what are you doing?"
"Oh, you know, being me I guess."
"Mom, come on, it looks kind of…"
"Silly?"
"No."
"Hard?"
"Okay, anyone can do that without trying."
"Care to prove me wrong?" His mom asked sticking her tongue out. Kane sighed before imitating her very own face. His mom quickly brought out her phone and snapped a quick picture of Kane's perfect face. "Hey! That's not fair!"
"Oh come on! You look so adorable!" She couldn't stop giggling at that image on her phone.
"I think otherwise…"
A/N Not too much here but another role for Sweet-tooth.