Breaking the Grid

Choc

It started before the sun even came up.

I was in that perfect state between sleep and consciousness, tangled in sheets that smelled like eucalyptus and Kyra's shampoo, when I felt something move against my face.

At first I thought it was Milo. Maybe a paw. A nose.
No.
Worse.

It was Kyra's hair.

Because Kyra—bright-eyed, sun-kissed, and clearly on a mission to ruin me—was lying next to me grinning like a menace. Her nose practically touching mine, arms folded under her chin as she watched me like I was her favorite Netflix series.

"Morning," she whispered, voice chipper. "I've been awake for thirty-two minutes."

I squinted at her. "That's a you problem."

She giggled. Giggled. And then, as if she hadn't just woken me up from the best sleep of my life, she kissed my cheek repeatedly in rapid fire.

Peck. Peck. Peck. Peck.

"Kyraaaa," I groaned, trying to roll away.

She followed, crawling on top of me like a smug koala. "It's sunny and I'm bored. And I made coffee."

"Go drink it."

"Not until you get up."

"I hate you."

"You said you'd marry me," she reminded with a devilish grin.

"Poor judgement. I was sleepy"

She gasped, full drama, then grabbed a pillow and smacked me in the face with it. "GET. UP."

I tried to retaliate but she was already off the bed, giggling like a criminal and running into the hallway yelling, "MUM! BLAIR'S STILL IN BED!"

I sat up, hair in every direction, shirt askew, and stared at the ceiling. "Lord, grant me strength."

Ten minutes later, I was sitting at the kitchen table, half-alive, coffee in hand, when the rest of her family decided to join in.

Liam came in first, zooming past with a paper crown and a towel as a cape. "Blair, you're the dragon! Chase me!"

"No." Sip.

"You have to!"

"No." Sip. "I'm a Formula One driver. I chase lap times, not toddlers."

He stared. "What's a lap time?"

Kyra appeared behind him, nibbling on toast, eyes twinkling. "It's like tag but more boring."

I blinked. "Did you just—"

Her mum appeared next, clapping her hands. "Kyra, take Blair outside, she needs vitamin D. She looks pale."

"I'm half Italian."

"And still somehow whiter than our dog."

"Wow," I muttered. "Attacked before 9AM."

Mia walked in, deadpan. "Maybe if you kept your hands to yourself in the kitchen, you'd have more energy this morning."

Kyra choked on her orange juice.

Liam: "What happened in the kitchen?"

Everyone: "Nothing!"

By noon, I was being dragged to the garden like a tourist on a forced nature retreat.