Sleeping was a necessity for humans, otherwise they'd go mad and die. Other species needed sleep too, that was why Ryker was sleeping in his bedroom.
Black curtains were blocking the morning sun, making sure that Ryker would oversleep and be late for school. His comfy duvet was smothering him with its promise of a few more hours of sleep.
The alarm clock on his phone had other plans as it started to play an annoying ringtone at a volume so loud that it could wake the entire neighborhood.
The teenage vampire let out a loud groan and poked his hand out of the duvet, clumsily pressing the off button. After a few more minutes, he finally gathered enough strength to remove the duvet.
On top of his bare torso was a small bat, barely bigger than his palm. Adorable fangs were protruding from its mouth and its fur was the same dark purple color as Ryker's hair.
Heat radiated through his chest, a smile on his face and he caressed the small critter.
"Come on sis wake up."
A small no was heard coming from the bat, and it rolled onto its other side to face away from the mean vampire.
He rested his face back on the pillow, thinking of how to best wake her up when a notification pinged.
Grabbing the phone, a series of texts from a groupchat were displayed on his lockscreen.
The groupchat was named The gang, a stupid name Brock had given it.
"Rise and shine sleepyheads!" Anna said at 5 am in the morning.
At 7 am came the next reply from Brock, "You dryads need to learn to sleep in."
A few other texts followed from Brock and Anna but the most recent one caught Ryker's attention.
"We won't be late if we go by car... @Ryker?" Brock's text was sent a minute ago.
The purple-haired teen let out a yawn as he responded, "Sure, give me 30."
Tossing his phone aside, Ryker looked back at the bat, who had turned around to watch him. He had woken her up with all the noise.
"You move too much," Liv said.
She yawned with her adorable little bat wings before she transformed into a more humanoid form. The purple hair and red eyes that she shared with her brother appeared instantly, as did the rest of her body.
Her thighs were squeezing Ryker's hips, and she was wearing one of his old t-shirts as a nightgown.
His eyes darted to the skin of her thighs that was exposed but quickly he looked back up at her. He was used to this kind of closeness.
"You're squishing me," Ryker teased, putting a hand on her thigh to try and push her off him.
With a mischievous smile, the older sister brought her face closer to her brother and bit him. It was just a playful nip, drawing no blood.
"You're mean," Liv's warm breath washed over Ryker's skin, causing a slight shiver to run down his spine.
Nostalgia washed over him, they used to do this since they were children, and it was their special way of saying good morning.
He pushed her off, and she giggled like a child as she rolled onto the other side of the bed.
Standing up, he put on a shirt and turned to Liv who was dodging his gaze.
"Wait here," he said, "I'll be back in a minute."
"You act like I'll run away," Liv said, still not looking at him as he went to the kitchen.
Marble countertops and wooden cabinets filled the modern kitchen, which had an open door leading to the living room. A woman was making breakfast there. She had purple hair and red eyes, like her children.
"Morning mom."
"Morning honey," Maddie replied without turning. She was flipping pancakes expertly, a warm, sweet smell filling the air.
Rummaging through the medicine cabinet that was in the kitchen, Ryker found what he was looking for, a small orange bottle with Liv's name on it.
While he was taking out the pills, he asked, "Can I borrow the car? Brock and Anna are waiting."
Maddie paused her pancake flipping. The only thing that could distract her from her morning routine was car-related topics.
"You crashed the SUV last week."
He was chuckling when he thought back to last week.
"Mom, Brock literally turned into a boulder."
"Yet you still crashed," she stated matter-of-factly, not sharing in her son's humor. Then she faced Ryker.
"Are you sure you want to take the Mercedes with Anna?"
It wasn't a question about the car's well-being; it was a question about Anna's feelings.
"She said she doesn't mind," Ryker said.
His mother let out a sigh and nodded.
With the pills in hand he was back in his room. Someone was nowhere to be found.
"Liv?"
No response.
Fresh air was coming from the open window. The teen shook his head.
Peeking out the window, searching for his sister, a sound came from behind him.
"Boo."
He turned around and found Liv holding the half-full glass of water, looking smug.
She took the pill from him and washed it down, her throat moving as she swallowed.
"Disgusting," she said, her face scrunched up in distaste. She then handed the glass back to Ryker, a faint smile on her face, "All done."
Quickly turning around as if trying to escape.
Ryker grabbed her shoulder.
"You know the rules."
A sigh left her lips, but she complied. Opening up her mouth, she pushed her tongue out, showing the pill was gone.
"Good job," he patted her head.
She scowled, pushing his hand away from her hair. The familiar dance was complete. It was necessary for her anxiety.
He took a shower and ate breakfast with his family in a comfortable silence, punctuated by the occasional hum of the refrigerator or clinking of forks.
Quietness disappeared as a doorbell rang throughout the house. A doorbell that played a cheerful jingle. Grabbing his backpack, kissing his sister on the forehead, he rushed to the door.
"Tell him not to break any more of my cars!" Maddie's voice followed him.
"Will do!" Ryker shouted back, a grin already forming on his face.
His family watched him leave with a smile on their face. Liv's smile slowly turned into a frown.
"We should tell him."
"No, we shouldn't."