With that, they set out onto the open road.

~~~

Ashlynn, heart pounding in her chest, took every curve and stop like she was a million years old. She dared not stop or turn too fast in partial fear of sending Rey flying off of her shoulder or disturbing Mayzie, Soren, and Dorian who were either sitting or pacing in the semi-level box in her passenger’s seat.

They got onto the freeway and Rey could see dozens and hundreds of cars. He asked a million questions like how many people could fit into one car and where these people were all going. Ashlynn answered where she could, but some of Rey’s questions left her curious too. At one point when Mayzie had drifted off to sleep and was snuggled on one of the packs, Soren dared to venture out of the box and roam about the vehicle. He was even bold enough to get onto Ashlynn’s hand while she was driving and let her raise him up to see above the dashboard to the world beyond.

Soren knew Borrowers were small and that it was a big, terrifying world beyond the security of walls and electrical wires, living by candlelight and makeshift lamps. Seeing the vast expanse of highway and the dozens of cars that were immediately around them had never made Soren feel so small. The world was dangerous enough as it was without having to worry about being a sturdy four-and-a-half inches tall. This stark reminder of the differences between humans and Borrowers, and Soren wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

Soren had always been confident in himself, in his abilities and the decisions he made, and his size hadn’t really bothered him. It still didn’t bother him. Still, it was a harsh reminder all the same.

From where he was, he could see the city. Finally! After hours of traveling, talking, and listening to music, they were almost there.

There was a fluttering nervousness in Soren as he knew what he had to do to prepare. First things first – find a place suitable to live close enough to Ashlynn to visit while also not being an inconvenience. He wasn’t sure how long it would take to set up a place, but with Ashlynn’s help it wouldn’t take long.

The next thing would be to make sure they had the ability to get into other apartments. They couldn’t rely on Ashlynn alone for food and Borrowings – even if she said they didn’t need to do any of that. Soren took pride in his work and the life that gave him purpose – just like what he said years ago to Ashlynn when she initially proposed they stay together.

He didn’t want to live the life of a pet; however, now that he was a little older, he appreciated all of the help he could get to get Dorian, Rey, and Mayzie everything they needed to live a good life. Besides, Ashlynn didn’t see them like that – and that’s what mattered.

“Woah!” Rey’s exclamation snapped Soren from his thoughts. He and Rey had been sitting on Ashlynn’s shoulder for the past hour and Soren hadn’t even noticed. “Soren! Look at all of these buildings. Do they touch the sky? They’re so tall.”

This earned him a thoughtful chuckle from Ashlynn. “No, they don’t touch the sky. They are called skyscrapers for a reason though. There are dozens of floors in some of these buildings. The one I live in is a little bit further ahead. I’ll point it out when we get closer.”

“Neat,” grinned Rey as he leaned forward, tugging at the safety pin to catch a glimpse of nearby cars.

“Well, if we’re almost there, we should get ready,” said Soren. He pulled himself into a crouching position.

“Need a hand?” asked Ashlynn as the car slowed to a stop.

“Yes, please,” said Soren. Ashlynn reached up her hand so Soren could step right into the embrace of her fingers and safely lowered him to the box. He slipped out easily from her grasp and hoisted himself over the ledge, seeing Dorian and Mayzie completely asleep in the corner. Soren thought about waking Dorian and Mayzie, but thought better of it. He would wake them when they were a bit closer.

The car once again pulled to a stop before lurching forward one last time. The sun’s light disappeared and left dappled shadows against the roof of the car. Rey, being able to see everything, watched as they began to ascend a weird, concrete building with massive ramps.

“Um… Ashlynn? What is this place? Is this where you live?” asked Rey.

“This? No. This is called a parking garage. It’s where people put their cars like this one. I actually live over there. Here, I’ll show you. Just let me park… aannndd…” The car slowed to a stop and Ashlynn turned the key, shutting off the engine, before turning her body and pointing. “There. That is actually my apartment right there on the corner. See it?”

“Woah!” Rey looked out the window to see where Ashlynn was pointing. Many floors up and surrounded by windows was a beautiful, tall building. There were rolling hills in the distance and the city was close by. With a building as immense as that one, there had to be other Borrowers living there.

“You like it? Wait until you see inside,” grinned Ashlynn. “Now, I’ve got to ask if you’re ready or if you need a minute before we head inside.”

“No, I’m ready!” said Rey as he wrestled himself free from the shoulder tether and practically threw himself into Ashlynn’s open palm which was ready to catch him. Ashlynn lowered Rey to the ledge of the box and he jumped down as quietly as he could, barely disturbing the box as he landed.

Soren glanced up at Ashlynn and gave a nod of affirmation as he pulled Mayzie into his lap to keep her from jostling too much.

“Okay, you probably know this anyway, but don’t worry if you hear voices outside or if you hear me say hello to any of my neighbors. I’ll let you know when we’re inside safe, okay?” said Ashlynn. With one final nod, Ashlynn pulled the lid completely over the Borrowers inside and pressed it down slightly so it didn’t slide off accidentally. It would be just their luck that the lid would come flying off in front of everyone.

Ashlynn got out of the car and retrieved the crate before setting the Borrower box on top. She would have to come back for her overnight bag later. As evenly as she could, she made her way down the elevator and into the main building. The entire way, she tried keeping her hands and body from shaking. This was easily the most nerve-wracking thing she had done in years.

The passage from the parking garage to the apartment was easy enough, but the moment she walked inside she almost ran into one of the other tenants, a young, rambunctious boy.

“Oh! Sorry!” he called as he ran for the front door.

“It’s all good, Sam,” said Ashlynn as she paused for a moment just inside and waited for the family to pass.

“What’s in the box?” asked Sam as he pointed to the crate in Ashlynn’s hands.

“Oh, just some supplies and groceries,” lied Ashlynn. She couldn’t hardly tell this child about the Borrowers and their belongings in the crate.

“Oh, okay,” grinned Sam. His parents gave their friendly greetings as they headed out for the day.

Ashlynn hadn’t made it a dozen steps toward the elevators when she heard another familiar voice.

“Ashlynn? Is that you?” Ashlynn felt like cursing in her mind as she turned around to see Eliza, who was retrieving her mail. Her auburn hair had been tied back into a couple of sweet looking braids.

“Hey Eliza. Long time no see,” grinned Ashlynn. Eliza chuckled and shook her head. “

“Nice one,” she said with a sassy grin as she pointed to her clouded eyes.

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Ashlynn scolded playfully.

“I know. Anyway, I’ll talk to you later. I… might have an audition. I’ll tell you about it later,” said Eliza as she ducked back into her apartment.

“Wow! Congrats. I can’t wait to hear about it,” grinned Ashlynn as she hit the elevator button up. Thankfully, the inner mechanisms whirred quickly into action and Ashlynn was at the door of her apartment slipping inside before she knew it. She set down the crate and shut the door quickly, locking it behind her, before going over to the top box and bringing it over to the coffee table in her apartment.

“Hey, we’re here. Opening the lid,” said Ashlynn softly. She carefully stabilized the box on one side as she pried the lid free. Immediately, Rey was throwing himself out of the box. Dorian, more hesitant, waited for a moment before leaping out and darted forward behind the tissue box. Soren, on the other hand, remained in the box as he began to pry himself free from Mayzie’s slumbering form.

“Wow, you’re popular,” grinned Rey as he walked along the coffee table ledge surveying the surroundings. “Who were they?”

“Other tenants. They’re my neighbors and building neighbors,” said Ashlynn. “And it’s hardly being popular. It’s just being friendly.”

“Well, you’re friendly then,” grinned Rey. Soren finally managed to slip out of the box and slipped over the ledge, but not before tossing the majority of their bags out onto the table.

“Okay you two. We don’t want to lose the daylight. Come grab your packs,” instructed Soren. Rey and Soren immediately began strapping themselves into their gear. Lines, hooks, and pins were hooked and taped in all manner to their backpacks. Just as he finished, Soren gave a sharp exhalation and looked back into the box.

“Rats! I can’t take all of this with Mayzie strapped on. Dorian, would you be okay with carrying these lines and hooks?” asked Soren. Dorian, who had come out and strapped himself into his own gear, was about to speak when Rey spoke up, leaving all of them speechless.

“Mayzie is asleep, right? Can’t she just stay with Ashlynn for a little bit?” asked Rey. Ashlynn felt like she had just been struck with a bolt of lightning. Everything in her was suddenly frozen, tingling with energy. Look after Mayzie? Keep tabs on Soren’s daughter? They had just met.

“Rey!” scolded Dorian.

“What? She’s going to be asleep for at least another half an hour. We’ll be back before she wakes up,” argued Rey.

Ashlynn, in the back of her mind, was uneasy about watching over Mayzie. Mayzie was considerably smaller and the last thing Ashlynn wanted to do was hurt Soren’s daughter. At the same time, there was something about it that she was drawn to. She wanted to help Soren and Mayzie was adorable. She glanced over at Soren hesitantly, wondering what was going on in his head.

Soren, at the same time, had reservations about the whole thing. Ashlynn was kind and caring and always careful when she was around them. Still, this was a lot all at once. Mayzie had just met Ashlynn. What if she got upset being left alone with someone she didn’t know? What if she needed something? His head started spinning when he heard Ashlynn speak up.

“Soren, I… don’t want to put you on the spot or anything, but I don’t mind keeping an eye on Mayzie if you want. Really, it’s no trouble. It’d be my pleasure actually; but I don’t want to overstep,” said Ashlynn.

Soren folded his arms and placed his right hand by his lips. Ashlynn said she didn’t mind. Soren didn’t want to bring Mayzie into unknown rafters and she would be safe here. Soren bit his lip and glanced back into the container with Mayzie as she rolled over and continued to suck her thumb.

“Are you sure?” asked Soren.

“Of course,” smiled Ashlynn.

“It won’t be for very long. We’ll be right back,” reassured Soren.

“We’ll be fine,” reassured Ashlynn. “Don’t worry. Go on. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

With a hesitant nod, Soren finished strapping in and headed to the coffee table edge. “Thank you, Ashlynn. I promise we’ll be back soon.”

“See you then,” said Ashlynn. They all waved a quick good-bye before descending the table and heading over to the wall. Rey jogged ahead and gave the electrical cover a quick tug, eyes widening as he looked over his shoulder at Soren and Dorian.

“It’s loose,” said Rey with a grin. “You think…”

“Maybe,” said Soren, feeling a bit nervous now. Rey pulled his flathead screwdriver bit and unscrewed the single notch keeping them from entering the walls. “Let’s not get too excited though. It could be any number of things.”

“Soren,” said Rey as he finished pulling the electrical cover from the wall. “Don’t worry. Mayzie is going to be fine with Ashlynn. We’ll be back in no time.” Soren sighed and shook his head.

“Rey, one day, when you have kids, I’ll remember you said not to worry,” said Soren, grasping Rey’s shoulder. He reached up and tussled his brother’s hair, to which Rey shrugged him off, as the three of them entered the walls.

Immediately, they were greeted by the shadows and familiar stillness that existed between the drywall and interior beams. Dorian and Soren both pulled out their hip lamps as they checked the ground. They followed behind Soren as he began following the baseboard further into the building.

As they walked, Soren noticed a distinct lack of dust between the beams. Were there other Borrowers living in the building? It seemed likely. They rounded the next corner after ten or so minutes of wandering around the labyrinth of walls and beams to began heading across the way when they all noticed something.

It was wire. It wasn’t just exposed wire – it was climbing wire.

“Woah,” grinned Rey as he walked up and gave it a tug. “It’s still good. Should we go up?”

“Worth a try,” said Soren. Rey grasped the wire in his partially gloved hands and hooked his legs around the wire and began to climb. Dorian was not too far behind him and Soren followed faithfully at the rear. Soren preferred having a place in the rafters to set up a home anyway.

Being under the floorboards left constant creaking and dust being knocked loose. They had just made it to the top, grabbing some securing lines, when they heard something from further down the beams. Not only did they hear something – they saw something.

It was light – a whole string of lights.

Cautiously, the trio approached the string of lights at the end of the way. The shadows cast around it were warm and inviting, much like their own home. They hadn’t made it a dozen steps when a light from behind them turned on.

The trio spun around to see the silhouettes of two individuals who also had lamps affixed to their sides. The light was lowered and they could now see the faces of two other Borrowers in their late teens staring at them in fascination.

“Well now. Looks like we have new arrivals.”