Sullivan Siblings

XV

"Huxley, you have to wake up, sissy," Lukas says quietly. He's the nice brother, so I really should listen to him waking me up or I'll have to get up extra early with Ivan, but I can't help snuggling deeper into my blankets.

"But, I'm busy," I mumble, tucking my blankets under my chin. I flick my eyes open to study him. He doesn't seem annoyed so I close them again.

"You are so not busy." Luke deadpans. I flick my eyes open again. Lukas is in another fall coloured long sleeved plaid, a grey t-shirt on underneath his unbuttoned over shirt. Like Odin, he wears a brown scapular around his neck. It kind of blends in with his shirt.

"Uh, yeah I am. I'm busy trying to sleep–," I say. My brain is still foggy but a smile slides across my face at the idea that just formed.

"–you can't be busy trying to sleep," Luke sighs and sits beside me on the bed. "Get up, sissy."

"I'm busy trying to sleep–."

"–no, you aren't," he impatiently interrupts me, again. I brace myself when he rests his hand on my shoulder and gently pushes to wake me up.

"Shh!" I shush him, going as far as putting my pointer finger to my lips. Luke rolls his eyes but complies. "I'm busy trying to sleep, hoping my dream will continue."

"Oh gosh, please don't tell me you were dreaming of Zayn!" Lukas pretends to gag. I shoot into a seated position, my covers fall off of me as my eyes widen.

"What? No! Of course not!" I squeal, my face burning red from embarrassment, but also pain.

"Gotcha!" Lukas snaps his fingers, points to me and laughs as he walks away. "If you aren't down ten minutes after me, Ivan's coming to get you."

"You suck!" I holler after him. Although, a smile rests on my face. The player was the played, well done, Lukas Samuel Sullivan. I stretch and yawn, dearly wishing for a cup of ambition that Ivan has outlawed in his house. Then, I promptly lay back down in bed. Just for a second. That one second though, is all it takes for someone else to barge into my bedroom, uninvited. "What?" I snap, blindly throwing a pillow.

"As if a pillow could hurt," Odin scoffs. I harrumph and roll back over in bed, wincing at the scabs tearing skin on my wound. The boys in my family do not sleep enough! Or, more likely, they don't stay up as late as Hollis and I have taken to lately. Since he got me banned from watching TVD, our go to is creative mode on Minecraft. Hollis won't admit this to the boys, but he plants flower gardens with me. "Up." Odin demands as he throws my blankets off of me. "Let's check your burn, love."

"But, I had a dream." My eyes twinkle as I remember my social studies lesson from the other day. "I have a dream that four little children–."

"–would get her ass out of bed!" Odin interrupts me. He tugs my pillow out from under my head. I cross my arms and jut my bottom lip out. Some type of liquid trickles out of my burn would, making me cringe.

"Why do you all interrupt me?" I cry, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation. The reason why I looked like a crazed, depraved woman is all the obnoxious men in my life!

"'Cause you have nothing worthwhile to say!" Hollis shouts, then snickers at his oh so funny words.

"–will one day live in a nation–." I take a quick breath to blow baby strands of hair away from my eyes.

"–oh, hear we go again." Odin rolls his eyes. I'm pretty sure he tunes out Martin Luther King Jr's 'I have a dream' speech while he checks my bandage here, rather than in than bathroom like he would have preferred. Just to annoy him, and mostly because it is now stuck in my head, I start the speech again.