It had been so long since she had seen the insides of the walls. It was like nothing had changed. The smell of slightly aged wood still drifted in the air among the flecks of dust. There were still hooks near the entrance, which were natural precautions just in case they needed them. Shay had to think about the route they used to get home and, silently, began making her way through the walls.
She paused at one of the main junctures to take a breath. Her heart was pounding so fast. Her lungs felt so tight. Every twisting nerve in her body brought her steps to a halt. She wanted her parents to see reason. She wanted them to understand that Todd was a good person, especially for a human. She wanted to show them all of the things they made together that were still in Todd’s backpack. Everything was coming to a head. Was she ready for it?
“Shay?” The young Borrower girl heard the familiar voice. She spun around, a lump forming in her throat as she looked into the faces of her three brothers. No words came to mind. Her mouth was dry and everything she was just worried about vanished from her mind. She was home. Finally, she was home.
“Hey,” she managed to choke out as warm, salty tears streamed down her cheeks. “Um… I’m home.”
Shay had barely uttered the words when all three of her brothers dropped their borrowing bags and charged at her, each throwing their arms around her and smothering her in an endless hug. Shay had let Todd hold her and had hugged his fingers dozens of times, but it was nothing like hugging someone her own size. The youngest of the Borrower siblings didn’t register her brothers’ questions and she certainly dared not give any answers just yet; not when this moment was so precious between them.
They held one another for what felt like an hour when everyone suddenly pulled away. Shay had never seen tears in her older siblings’ eyes, yet there was not a dry eye among them. Slate, the middle brother, was the first to sputter out a coherent question.
“How did you make it back? Where did you go? Where have you been?” Slate sniffed and wiped his eye on the back of his hand.
“We thought we lost you!” Icon chimed in. Beau, with his knowing eyes, seemed to look through Shay directly to her thoughts.
“Shay, what happened? You’ve been gone for weeks. Just about two months actually. How are you home?”
Shay felt her shoulders beginning to shake as she looked into her brother’s eyes. She wanted to tell him everything. She felt compelled to tell him everything. Thankfully, Slate and Icon interrupted.
“Now’s not the time Beau. We need to get her back to mom and dad! They’re going to be over the roof!”
With another keen look, Beau nodded and picked up his things as well as his sister’s belongings.
“Alrighty then. Let’s go home.”
~~~~~^*^*^*^~~~~~
They made quick work of the passages and tunnels all the way back home. All the way, Shay tried grasping at any and every thought she could that would help her case. She finally had an argument in place. Now, all she could do was hope it would be enough.
“Mom! Dad! Come quick!” shouted Icon as he sprinted up ahead and burst through the door into the kitchen. Beau rolled his eyes and followed behind Slate as he guided Shay along. From the other side of the wall, Shay could hear her parents’ frantic calls.
“What is it? What’s going on?”
“Look!” With that, Icon stepped off to the side, revealing Slate, then Beau with a little Shay tucked under his arm. Shay glanced from parent to parent, trying to read the situation. What she saw as confusion before quickly evolved into overzealous cries and overjoyed sobs. Her father hobbled over as her mother dropped the spoon she was stirring with as they tackled their missing daughter.
“My baby! Darling Shay! My love!” They both cooed over and over as they gave her a once over. Icon and Slate joined the fray, though Beau continued to eye Shay for several seconds just before he joined them altogether as a family. Shay, smothered in kisses and hugs, finally felt like she was home. Still, there was something missing.
Between the tears and sobs, unintelligible questions were thrown out, mostly in disbelief. Still, questions would need to be answered; however, that would have to wait. They had a lot to celebrate and drought out some of their most rarely borrowed food and dishware for the occasion.
The family, thankfully, ate in peace while they caught Shay up on everything they did to try and get her back and what they were doing to get her back. All while they were talking, Shay’s mind drifted to what Todd was doing and if he was having the same kind of reunion. After they talked for what felt like hours, the family fell silent and turned to their long missing daughter.
“Shay, I know it’s still so soon darling,” said her mother, leaning in and brushing the stray strands of hair from her face and over her ear. “If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. I can only imagine.”
“But we really want to know,” interjected her father. “How did you make it back?” All eyes fell on the returned Borrower. Shay didn’t know how to start, but she started by easing into it.
“Well, I mean, Beau and Slate and Icon all saw me go into the box. We were just having a little fun getting the last couple of things when there were footsteps. I managed to hide, but I couldn’t get out in time. They tried, but To… the… human came back before that could happen.”
Shay couldn’t believe she’d almost already slipped up and hoped that no one noticed.
“So, I hid in the box and waited until everything was still again. It was a really long time and I could hear them outside talking. After a while, they all left and I managed to get out of the box. I kept to the corners and I had my hook. Since they were gone, I just started exploring and trying to find a way into the walls.”
“And that’s when you found the other Borrowers?” interjected Beau. All eyes shifted from the youngest to her eldest sibling. “What? She’s been gone for two months. I know she’s got the heart of a Borrower, but this was the first time she was out.” The eyes shifted back to Shay.
“Yeah,” added Slate. “What were they like? Were you able to help tell them about the human’s habits and stuff?”
Shay knew this was coming. She couldn’t lie. She had tried when she was younger and it went miserably for her. There was no way she could get away with it now. The thumping of her heart returned and her gaze lowered.
“Well… not… exactly…”
One look; that’s all it took. One look and they all knew - she was seen.
“Shay!” hissed Icon and Slate. Her mother’s eyes widened as her hands clasped over her mouth while her father looked like the wind had been knocked out of him from a harsh punch to the gut. Beau stiffened while her other two brothers stared in complete disbelief at her.
“No, it’s not like that!” Shay started to argue.
“We need to get everything ready.” Her father was already on his feet and looking at the boys. “Get the dried goods and the essentials only.”
“No, please!” Shay stood and clutched her father’s arm.
“Shay, it’s dangerous. You’re lucky enough you weren’t hurt,” replied her father.
“Daddy, please, just listen to me. Just sit down, please, and let me explain.” The oldest three slowed their rapid pace and stopped gathering as they listened to her. Shay retreated back to her seat, shoulders tense, as she tried gathering her scattered thoughts again.
“I… I was on my own. I was hurt and couldn’t get into the walls. There was no other option! I could either sit out in the open and wait for no one to help me to find me or I could ask Todd for help.” Shay felt her voice tightening and shaking, but she stood firm in her words. Shaken with the statement, her parents and brothers absorbed the information.
“Why didn’t you try and find any other Borrowers, Shay?” asked her mother, emotion constricting her throat.
“There weren’t any. The building is new. There were no lines or hooks or passages into the walls. Nothing. I… did try…” Shay wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Oh… oh no… baby… I… I didn’t mean it like that,” cooed her mother as she pushed herself up and hugged her daughter tightly. “It’s just… humans are dangerous.” At this, Shay slightly pulled away to look her family in the eyes.
“Todd is different!” argued Shay as she held up her hands and pointed to the faint marks on her palms. “He’s the one who helped my hands when I got rope burns. He helped open a spot in the wall so I could go and feel safe. He let me eat his food and let me pick from time to time. He’s the one who made sure I got home safe.”
The eyes of the family collectively widened.
“You mean… he knows where we live?” asked Slate.
“Then we don’t have a lot of time,” interjected Beau. “We need to start packing to immigrate. If he knows we’re here, we don’t have a moment to spare.”
“No, he doesn’t know where we live! And we don’t have to immigrate!” pleaded Shay. “He’s a good person. He’s not going to tell anyone about us, not even his family. He promised to help keep the secret.”
“I’m sure that’s what he told you,” muttered her father, looking unnerved and tired. “But how do you know? He’s with his family right now. How do we know he’s not telling them about you and about us? How do we know they’re not setting traps and preparing to open the floors and walls? We can’t trust him - any of them.”
“I trust him!” The room was quiet once again. Shay rubbed the pouring tears from her eyes constantly as the rest of the words spilled out of her. “I was so scared momma. I was alone and tried to get into the walls. I tried to stay hidden. He didn’t even know I was there until I was injured; and even that was my fault - not his. He was so nice and helped me get better. He helped make things so I could stay hidden and left me alone when I wanted it and… and… and…”
The youngest Borrower’s sobs choked out the rest of her thoughts as she leaned once again into her mother’s embrace. She let herself cry. She cried for the loneliness she felt when she was alone for the first time and for every moment of unknown she endured. Shay finally was able to admit to herself that if the human were someone other than Todd that things could have ended poorly for her. The danger she was in was astronomical on a good day, and with an unknown human it became mission impossible. She thanked her lucky stars it was Todd.
After her eyes had dried up and only a few unsure hiccups remained, Shay looked back at her family. They were still tense and unsure, but there was a silent agreement that this was far too much excitement for one evening and, for the moment, they hesitantly accepted they may be alright for one more night. The issue would need to be addressed again and they would most likely need to immigrate, but now it was time for resting and celebrating the return of their lost daughter.
~~~~~^*^*^*^~~~~~
Shay lay awake in her bed for hours after the Christmas lights had gone out. It was her bed, fitting perfectly to the curves of the cloth and frame. It wasn’t as comfortable as Todd’s pillow she had borrowed for the past few months. The smell was the same as when she left it - with a touch of peppermint.
Shay buried her face into her covers and tried to sleep. Her usual tricks didn’t work and, ultimately, she knew what was bothering her - she hadn’t said good-night to Todd. Regardless of what her parents said, there was no doubt in Shay’s mind that Todd was her friend and would never do anything to hurt her or her family. The young Borrower had enough tossing and turning.
As quietly as she could, she slipped out of bed and put on her borrowing shoes. She slipped one of the bags over her shoulder instinctually as well as her blanket fragment and set out into the walls with her hip lantern. It took little to no time at all to reach the electrical cover and push it open. Shay listened instinctually, remembering all of her training like the back of her hand. No sound. She cracked open the socket and looked out.
Yes!
The light was still on.
Shay quietly stepped out to the underside of the dresser and kept to the shadows so she could see the bed properly. Her heart leapt with joy as she saw Todd was in bed with the light on, tapping on his phone. By the way he was lying down, he was getting ready to go to sleep. She checked to make sure no one else was around before walking out across the floor toward Todd. It was completely out of habit, but she didn’t see the need to hide herself. She hadn’t forgotten her skills, but she knew she didn’t need them here.
She shuffled her feet and pulled her blanket over her shoulders until she was only a few feet away from the edge of the bed.
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