The Short Demon King

Chapter 22

A door slammed. I leapt off the couch and stared at the cause of the noise, eyes wide. Kevin slid into the kitchen, frantically searching the area.

"What is going on?" I asked, barely able to focus.

I rubbed my eyes and relaxed when I realized the loud noise wasn't a sign of danger. Kevin, on the other hand, was full of panic. He scrambled to start cooking, throwing random objects all over the place. What a mess...

"I'm so sorry I woke you up. I am just so behind right now," he sounded as panicked as he looked. "I slept through my alarm, and I don't want to mess up Maya's schedule even more. She can get really cranky if she doesn't sleep well multiple nights in a row. And me slowing her down this morning will not help."

"Here, let me help you."

I swiftly washed my hands in the sink, splashing a little water in my face too to help wake me up. By now I'd watched the two of them cook enough to have a general sense of what I was doing.

"Thank you so much. And again, I'm sorry I startled you like that."

"No worries. It's about time I've started helping out more."

We tag teamed to finish both of Maya's meals, placing her lunch in her backpack as she joined us in the kitchen. She yawned and slowly blinked at us, clearly exhausted.

Kevin noticed this too. "Did you get enough sleep last night?"

She smiled lazily. "Yep, don't worry about it. I never get enough sleep."

Kevin raised his eyebrows at her. "You never get enough sleep? I've told you so many times."

"Yes, yes. I know," she flicked her hand dismissively. "I'll work on it."

Kevin sighed, clearly not convinced. Still, there was nothing else he could do to change her mind, so he started eating instead. I stuffed the last few things into Maya's backpack the best I could before stopping to eat my own breakfast too.

"So... what's today's plan?" I asked.

"I definitely need some coffee," Kevin said. "I did not get enough sleep last night."

"You literally got the most sleep out of all of us last night," Maya said with the slightest hint of annoyance.

"I can still be tired."

"Sure, old man." Maya nudged him playfully as she placed her empty plate in the sink. "I'll see you both later!"

She grabbed her shoes and bag, already halfway out the door before Kevin could reply.

"Hey, who are you calling an old man?" he shouted after her, holding back a laugh.

Maya smiled back, waved goodbye, then left for school. I couldn't keep myself from laughing. They were both so funny together. Was this what it was like to have an actual sibling?

Still, they made me miss Talutah. I really hoped she didn't follow me here... I needed her to protect everyone back home. Plus, she'd stick out like a sore thumb. In fact, if she ever visited this realm there would be no stopping the chaos that ensued.

Returning from my thoughts, I asked, "I'm assuming you need to change before we leave?" I motioned to the pajamas he still wore. I'd never seen him so unprepared before.

He braced the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly. "Yeah... I'll go get ready real quick. I've left some more clothes out in the bathroom for you too if you want 'em."

"Thanks! I'll get ready too."

I entered the bathroom, checking to make sure my hair still looked alright. Maya's braid was still intact, so I washed my face and changed into the new clothes Kevin left for me. I noticed an extra piece of clothing added in the pile, a thin jacket of some sort. I put everything on and left to wait for Kevin on the couch.