Demons

Chapter 20: Brand New Day

Chapter 20: Brand New Day

"It's a brand new day

Don't you see me

Changing up my ways

So completely

This time I'm gonna sing and you're gonna hear it

This time I'm gonna show you that I got the spirit

It's a brand new day

And I'm feeling good"

(Brand New Day by Demi Lovato)

Rachel

The next day, it was Alfred who once again woke us up.

This time, there was no longer disapproval on his face, simply a look of resignation. Acceptance. I had a feeling this wasn't the first time Alfred had to deal with situations such as this, considering Damian had three older brothers. I sat up in bed, knowing Damian would take longer to get up. The sky was still dark outside, so I was wondering why Alfred had disturbed our sleep. That's when my eyes landed on the clock sitting at the bed side table. Four am! I turned to Alfred, the shock still evident on my face.

Before I could ask my question, Alfred seemed to have read my mind. "Master Damian starts training early on Saturdays," he intoned, clasping his hands behind his back.

After a while, Damian groaned beside me, his head buried underneath a pillow. "It's Saturday already? I thought we had school today."

I would've been amused that Damian seemed to wish there was school, considering he seemed to hate the place. But I was too busy trying to wrap my head around the fact that it was four in the morning, and Damian had to get up.

"I completely forgot it was Friday yesterday," I murmured.

"Yes," Damian grumbled, finally throwing the pillow off his face to frown at me. "I specifically remember you pulling me to bed last night with the threat that we still had school."

I blushed when Alfred raised an eyebrow at the words you pulling me to bed last night. I wasn't the one who told him to sleep in my room! And those words weren't a threat. I glared at Damian, but he was too busy rubbing the sleep out of his eyes to notice. Alfred simply cleared his throat. "Right then," he bid. "Master Bruce is preparing the training room, and the rest of the family is heading down to breakfast. I suggest you two also get out of bed soon."

Having said that, the trusty, beloved butler strolled out of the room as quietly as he entered. I plopped back down onto bed, and Damian immediately pulled me into his arms. "I wasn't the one who pulled you into bed last night," I murmured in halfhearted disapproval. Half of my brain was fighting the sleep that still clung to me.

"Alfred didn't know that," Damian replied, and I could hear the smile in his voice, even without looking. I rolled my eyes at his response, not having it in me to be too angry at him for putting the blame on me. I was too happy and relaxed in his arms to really care.

"Do you really have to go to training?" I asked. I didn't want to sound clingy and demanding, but I wished we could stay in bed longer, especially after the day we had yesterday. "I still haven't told you what your dad and I did last night."

Damian snorted- something he didn't do often. It made me glance up at his face, only to see he was already watching me. "Somehow, I feel like I don't really want to know."

I poked him in the side, causing his frown to morph into surprise. Even though his stomach felt as hard as a rock underneath my fingers, he still squirmed at the contact. "You need to be a lot nicer to your dad."