Tie a Knot & Hang On

When I came downstairs for breakfast, it was just Aunt Addie and my two cousins in the kitchen… which was sort of also a dining room. They didn’t have a counter like Mum and Dad did at our house, but there was a table. We had one of those too, so our house was nicer because we had both. I didn’t say it, ever, though. Mum said that was rude, and we couldn’t be rude to Aunt Addie and Uncle Mumbles.

Still tired, I plopped down in an empty chair. Aunt Addie was frying whatever I smelled from my room. Bacon, I thought. Bacon was what woke me up. Aunt Addie said something, but I couldn’t hear it. Didn’t want to. Too tired to hear. Too tired to talk. I just sat there and rubbed my eye until my younger cousin punched me in the shoulder.

“Mum wants you,” he said.

Grumbling, I looked away, trying to find my aunt’s body in the kitchen instead of glaring at my cousin (even if he had punched me).

“Travis?” my aunt called out.

I snapped my head around until I found her. “What?” I asked, leaning over the back of my chair.

“Sweetie, where’s your sister?”

“I dunno,” I sighed. Shrugging, I flopped back down into the chair. Girls were stupid, which made Lucy stupid. My stupid sister didn’t wanna get out of bed. I didn’t see how that was my problem or my fault.

“Hm,” Aunt Addie hummed. “She’s probably still sleeping. Maybe you should wake her up.”

“Ugh,” I huffed. I didn’t want to get wake up Lucy. If she wanted to sleep, she could miss breakfast. That was on her, not me.

“Please and thank you,” my aunt said as I scooted off the chair and stomped away, back up the stairs.

I stopped outside of Lucy’s room and knocked on the door. “Lucy!” I yelled. “Breakfast! Wake up!” She didn’t answer, so I kicked the door. “Lucy!” I yelled louder. “Lucy! Breakfast!”

When she still didn’t answer, I groaned. “Stupid sister,” I grumbled to myself. I couldn’t go back downstairs without Lucy. Aunt Addie wasn’t gonna let me have breakfast until I got Lucy up, so I opened the door and walked into the room.

Lucy was laying face down in bed. Her hair was a mess, spilled out over her face. I could barely see her under all the blankets. She had them all piled on top of her. “Lucy,” I called her, but she didn’t even move. I huffed and hopped up onto the bed. Lucy bounced up and down with the mattress. “Lazy bum,” I scolded, flopping down on the bed next to her. Still didn’t move. “Lucy, c’mon, get up. Aunt Addie won’t give me breakfast until you wake up.”

Still nothing. Groaning, I sat up and glared down at her. “Don’t be dumb, Lucy,” I said. She didn’t say anything. I rolled my eyes and went to nudge her, but the second I touched her shoulder, she shrieked.

I leapt off the bed. “Okay! I’m sorry!” I exclaimed, but this wasn’t right. Lucy never cried like that, even if she was a girl and cried over everything. I ran down the hall as fast as I could to my uncle’s room. I pounded on the door until he answered.

“What?” he muttered.

“Lucy,” I panted. “Something’s wrong, Uncle Mumbles. She won’t wake up.”