No Turning Back (Rewrite)

Chapter 9

"Daniel! Daniel! Daniel!" Donnie exclaimed. He bounced around my bed, abruptly awakening me from my deep sleep.

"Hmm," I groaned. I threw my covers over my head.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

"It's Saturday morning," I grumbled. "Let me sleep."

"No! No sleep! Wake up!" He jumped on my back and shook my shoulders. "Daddy says he has a surprise for us!"

Reluctantly, I rolled over. "What surprise?"

"I don't know. He wanted me to wake you up, so he could show us."

"Do I have to wake up right now?"

"Yes! Get up!" He grabbed my arm. With all his strength, he tried to haul me into a sitting position.

I submitted to some of his will. I sat up the slightest bit. The moment his grip loosened, I flopped right back down on my back.

"Daniel," Donnie whined. He tugged at my wrist. "Wake up!"

"If you can push me out of bed, then I'll get up."

His weight disappeared from my stomach.

I listened to him hop off my bed. His footsteps went to the opposite side of my bed. Beneath me, the covers began to rock back and forth. I chuckled. "You're not moving me," I said.

He huffed in frustration. He climbed onto the bed. His little hands pushed at my arms. To my surprise, he was successfully pushing my torso towards the other end of the bed.

With my eyes still closed, I shoved him off the bed. He hit the carpeted floor with a soft thump.

I smiled in victory as I rolled onto my stomach. "I'm going back to sleep."

His little warrior growl filled the room. He grabbed my ankles and dragged me out of the bed.

It happened so fast, that I couldn't register the attack. One second, I was lying in bed. The next, I'd fallen face first onto the floor.

Slowly, I lifted my head and turned towards my little brother.

He stared at me with wide eyes. "Are you awake," he asked.

I sent him my death glare.

A scream left his lips before he darted out of my room.

"Get back here, you little demon!"

I chased him down the hallway towards the stairs. I clawed for his tiny shirt, but the little motherfucker ran fast.

He zoomed down the steps and made a sharp turn into the living room. He ran in circles around the sofa. Easily, I hopped over the couch and nearly caught him.

He ducked under my hand and raced through the dining room.

We entered the kitchen where our parents sat with hot cups of coffee.

"Help!" Donnie screamed. "Daniel's going to kill me!" He wrapped his arms around our father's leg. "I'm too young to die!"

Our mother giggled. She watched Donnie bounce around the kitchen, dodging my flailing hands.

I finally caught him when he tried to dash out the room. I gently slammed him on the tile floor and tickled him. "What did I tell you about waking me up? Hm?"

He couldn't speak through his laughter. He wriggled and kicked under my fingers. His tiny hands tried to capture hold of my larger ones. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! You win! You win!"