Living Like Sleeping Beauty

Prologue

Prologue

"Mom! Morgan's asleep again!" 

The young boy called from the living room where he and his sister had been playing cops and robbers just minutes ago. A sigh sounded from the kitchen before he heard the clicking of his mother's heels enter the room.

 "How long has she been out?" His mother asked causally as she knelt down beside his sleeping sister, her honey blonde hair, that usually hung past her shoulders, sprawled over the wooden floor like a halo around her head.

 "Just around a minute." He answered his mother, watching as his petite sister slept soundly, unaware that they had been in the middle of a game, one that he had been winning. He tried not to be annoyed that she would pick such a inappropriate time to sleep.

"Did you get her excited again Chase?" His mother asks softly, her gentle brown eyes searching his for the answers he would try to hide. He immediately looked to the floor and felt a hint of regret. Morgan had wanted to start playing another game because she was losing and they had gotten into an argument where towards the end he had turned to a new tactic of tickling her. Then she had suddenly fell into a deep sleep, in the middle of the living room.

 "Uh, no." He lied. 

A playful smile played on her lips as she turned to back to her daughter, stroking the curled tendrils off her temple, the alabaster skin beneath her hands were so smooth and perfect that she felt an ache of tenderness for the child.

 "Don't lie to me Chase. Now go get a pillow for her head and we'll wait till she wakes up again." 

Chase nodded and moved his small eleven year old body from his place kneeling beside his sister and got a pillow from the sofa. He made sure to get the fluffiest one for her. It was the least he could do for his twin. Once she was settled with the pillow beneath her head and both her mother and brother waiting by her side, Morgan finally woke from her four minute sleep. Her doe eyes fluttered open as she looked around her surroundings, the familiar expressions crossed her face. First was the disorientation, followed swiftly with realisation and annoyance.

 "I did it again, didn't I?" She mumbled sadly as she sat up from her sleeping position. Her limbs moved slowly, in a sluggish manner, the tiredness still apparent. Her mother gave her a sympathetic look before grazing the back of her fingers across her cheek. She wished her daughter didn't have this condition. Narcolepsy . She wished she didn't have to worry about the small child falling asleep at any given moment, the constant worry that she could somehow fall into danger when she is in her most vulnerable state. She only wanted her daughter to grow up happy.

 Morgan watched as her mother stroked her forehead lovingly.

 "It's fine sweetheart. Now go get ready. Dinner will be on the table in five minutes," She spoke softly as she rose to her feet and then she was gone and back in the kitchen. Morgan turned to her brother.

 "Want to play again?" She asked, managing, despite the fact that her eyes drooped slightly, to sound energised. Her brother looked at her like she was crazy.

 "Why don't you just go get ready for dinner. Mom will hunt me down if I over-exhaust you." 

Despite his words, Chase found himself actually wanting to continue to play. His football practise had been cancelled that morning and he hated sitting down and doing nothing. But then he remembered the way his sister's eyes had suddenly become unfocused as her head, followed by the rest of her body, had slumped sideways during their previous game. No matter how many times he had seen it happen, the experience still jarred him every time.