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Tyle Takanama awoke on the Day of the Dead to an overwhelming feeling of doom. For a long moment, all he could do was lie in bed and allow the sensation to wash over him. In his thirteen years of life, he had never experienced pure dread like he did at that moment. As much as he'd tried throughout the previous day, and for that matter, much of the previous week, he still couldn't believe that he'd allowed things to come to this.
You had a whole year to prevent this, and you did nothing!
The unbelieving thought had been a constant refrain over the week leading up to this day. Even knowing that he was out of time, he still could not summon the courage to do what he now knew he must. There really was no other option, but that didn't make this one any less impossible to face.
His last desperate hope had been dashed even before he opened his eyes. Rain was pounding against his bedroom window, while claps of thunder seemed to shake the whole room. As he watched the tiny droplets cascade down the outside of his window, he was sure that they were taking his life with them. It was because of them, and more specifically, because of the lightning and wind that joined them, that he couldn't at least attempt to fight his fate at this last moment. Unless the squall lost steam before breakfast, there was no hope for him.
Tyle closed his eyes, attempting to come up with a last minute inspiration to dig himself out of the hole he'd spent a year putting himself in. His brain strained from the effort, but still . . . nothing.
"Crap." The only thought he seemed able to formulate was the ever present, A whole year to prevent this and you did nothing!
He gave up. Although he'd rather hide out in his room and avoid the day, he was hungry, and smelled pancakes. That sealed it. Tyle opened his eyes, but nearly jumped out of his skin when the first thing he saw were three pairs of eyes staring down at him.
"You look weird," observed the owner of the first pair.
"Are you sick? You really look awful," commented the owner of the second.
"Like you're about to die or something," the third and youngest remarked. "You'd tell us if you were dying right?"
Tyle quickly got over his initial startlement when he saw that it was just his three sisters. As usual, they seemed to pop from nowhere, silent as ghosts.
"Why would you want me to tell you that?" he asked his youngest sister, Feather. While the other two's poorly veiled insults were to be expected, he was a little surprised by Feather's obvious concern. He realized that he must look as bad as he felt if she could read it on his face so easily.
"Oh . . . I'd just want to know before you decided to die. I'd miss you." she replied as somberly as before.
Okay . . . She was, as usual, a very weird five year-old to talk to.
"Well, I'm not dying." At least not yet. His thoughts darkened again as the feeling of dread returned.
"Too bad," the oldest sister, Felis said. "Mom's making pancakes and I'd want first dibs on your share before the Loathsome Foursome got wind of you dying." His older sister was as always, a complete pest to talk to. It was amusing sometimes, but Tyle just wasn't in the mood right then.
"What do you guys want anyway?" he asked wearily, covering his eyes with his forearm.
"Mom sent us to tell you that breakfast was ready, and to get dressed. The boys have already left for the early festivities, so we were hoping you'd stay in bed and we could split your share." His sister Laurie was just as bad, though she for the most part only acted this way when Felis was around. The oldest sister, and leader of the trio, had always been a terrible influence on her younger sisters.
Tyle was tempted to get out of bed just to spite his sisters, but instead pulled his covers up to his chin and squinched his eyes shut.
"Fine, you can have my share, just leave me alone." His appetite had vanished as quickly as it had come. Maybe it was the mention of the festivities; they just reminded him that today was indeed the Day of the Dead, no matter how much he tried to forget.
He laid there, staring into the darkness of his closed eyelids, but sensed that he was still being watched. Lifting his arm from over his eyes, he found that his two oldest sisters had left without a word, as silently as they'd come. However, Feather was still leaning over him, her blue eyes filled with worry. Noticing his eyes open, she bent down and gave him a quick hug, then followed her sisters out of the room.
Despite himself, Tyle felt better. Opening his eyes all of the way, he decided that he'd get out of bed and have breakfast after all. He'd have to wrestle it away from his sisters most likely, but he could deal with that.
. I'll edit your suggestion in, as it does sound better like you said.