"Okay," you say. "We can spend the weekend like this, until mom and dad get home. How's that?"
"Yay!" Kyle says.
"Now, get behind me again and hold still," you say, changing some settings on the machine.
"What? Why?! You said we could stay like this!"
"Just trust me, okay?" you say.
Kyle grumbles, but he stands behind you. You click the machine on, and it fires, engulfing you both in light. As you expected, nothing happened.
Kyle frowns. "What was that supposed to do?"
"Right now, nothing. But on Sunday night, at exactly 8 p.m. before Mom and Dad get home, it'll switch us back."
As much as you are trying to be a nice big brother, you also don't trust Kyle not to hurt the machine or hide it so that he can stay bigger. You figure doing it ahead of time is a good precaution. Being extra careful, you pull out a little safety key from the machine, holding it in your hand so he doesn't see what you've got. The machine won't turn on without the key, and there's no way Kyle will know where to plug it in.
Kyle grins. "So we really get to do this the whole weekend? No takebacks?"
"No takebacks," you say.
"Yay!" Kyle shouts, lifting you up for another hug. You manage to stuff the machine key into your dresser during the hug.
"Okay!" Kyle says, putting you down. He picks up your machine, making your gut twist. As much as it won't turn on and you're already set to change back, you really don't want him to hurt the thing. It was a lot of work.
"This is too dangerous for little kids like you!" he says, sticking it on the top shelf in your closet. He grins. "Long arms rule!"
You smile in relief that he didn't hurt the machine.
"Now, I need to get changed," Kyle says. "So... get out of my room!"
"Kyle, this is my--"
"Nope! It's my room now, since I'm bigger." He looks at you for a few seconds and then frowns. "Please?"
"Alright, fine, you can have my room for now," you say, groaning. You press the power bar on your computer with your foot, turning the whole thing off. Even if he restarts it, he doesn't know your password.
"Yay!" he says.
"I should go get changed in 'my room' anyway," you mutter.
You walk down the hall to Kyle's room. He's been in a superhero phase, and his bed's got a huge Captain America blanket crumpled up on it, with all sorts of Marvel posters on the wall. There's a bunch of action figures littered around the floor too. You shut the door behind you, then dig through his dresser until you find a plain striped shirt and a pair of shorts.
As you're getting dressed, you step on an action figure and trip, sprawling onto the floor.
Grumbling, you finish changing and then start picking up his toys so that your 'new room' won't be a safety hazard. Kyle walks in while you're cleaning. He's got some of your clothes on, and you note with annoyance that they're small on him. It looks like he's going to be quite a bit taller than you when he grows up.
For now, anyway, he's a lot taller than you.
"Hey, those are my toys!" Kyle says.
"I'm just putting them away," you reply. "If I have to use your room, I want it to be clean. Besides, Mom and Dad will think you cleaned the place."
Kyle smiles. "Okay, okay. Thanks, little brother."
He gives you a noogie, which actually hurts with your head so small. "Ouch!" you say.
Kyle grins, then does it again.
"Hey, cut that out!" You try to swat away his hand, but he's a lot stronger than you.
Kyle just giggles. "You're so teeny-tiny now!" He grabs you by the armpits and hoists you into the air, holding you out. You kick and struggle, but you're nowhere near strong enough to escape his grip.
"Hey! Let me go!"
"What's the magic word?" he asks, grinning.
"You're being a jerk!"
Kyle's grip on you tightens, making you gasp in pain. You can feel his fingers digging into your skin.
"What's the magic word?" he asks again.
You grit your teeth. "Please," you say.
"Nope! It's 'please-my-extra-awesome-amazing-big-brother-Kyle!"
"That's way more than one word," you mutter, trying not to wince at how tight he's grabbing you.
Kyle's grip gets even tighter, and he starts squeezing you in, making you cry out in pain.
"Say it!" he says, still laughing. You have to wonder if he has any idea just how much this is hurting you.
You actually would, but you don't remember what he even asked you to say, and it's hard to think through all the pain.
"Kyle... please..."
"Say it!" he goes even tighter, pressing you so hard that you can barely breathe.
"Please... I can't... you're hurting me..." you say.
Kyle blinks a few times, then drops you. You fall on your butt, and start retching.
"All you had to do was say the magic word," he mumbles, sounding a bit defensive.
You shiver, and your eyes fill up with tears. You're sure that part of it is being a little kid again. Little kids just cry more, and the pain isn't helping. But a lot of it is feeling so helpless, and having your kid brother be so mean.
Sure, you've yelled at him before, but you never, ever hurt him.
You start full-on crying, hating the fact that you can't make yourself stop.
"B-Brandon?" Kyle asks. He reaches for your shoulder, and you shy away, terrified of letting him touch you again. Your chest still hurts from having him grab you so hard.
"Just... just leave me alone!" you shout.
"But... but I was just playing. I--"
"Please," you whisper. "Please just go. Please."
Kyle hesitates, then...
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author