“We’re home!” called Cali as she suddenly made a turn to the left and opened a door that looked like it used to be a mobile phone case. “And we have some guests!”

Soren, Dorian, and Rey entered what actually looked like a human’s living area.

The place was illuminated well with more tree lights. There was a stuffed sock and cardboard couch with a crochet blanket on the back. There was a narrow matchbox in the middle of the room with what looked like a homemade checkers set on top. Black was winning severely.

Off to the right where they could clearly see the kitchen, there was a cardboard table with a bit of cloth over the top. There were also collections of foil, thimbles, and plastic cooking utensils from a dollhouse along shelves on the far wall. There was even a tin can oven lit by a tea candle.

There were what looked like separate bedrooms behind doors made of playing cards. Not only that - the place smelled wonderful.

“Guests?” asked a woman who came out of a curtained area. Based on her hair and facial features, Soren guessed this was Atlas and Cali’s mother. She had bright green eyes and brown-blonde hair that curled slightly at the ends. She was jovial and wore her middle-age frame well.

“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise. Nice to meet you, I’m Primrose Rafters, but you can call me Prim or Mrs. Rafters. Whatever suits you,” said Prim as she walked over with confidence, wiping her hands on her yarn-made apron, and shook all of the brothers’ hands.

“Nice to meet you,” said Soren.

“Rafters?” asked Rey, mostly to himself.

“Oh, it’s a last name,” said Primrose. “I know it’s more of a human thing, but it’s a bit of a family tradition now. Will you be staying for lunch?”

Soren hesitated for a moment. He remembered Mayzie was still asleep, but how long would that last? Then again, it might look suspicious if they refused. Soren almost chuckled as he tried to remember proper etiquette. It had been so long since he was invited to dinner by a fellow Borrower.

“Um… well, we just moved in and have some things to unpack. Plus, we wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble,” said Soren.

“Oh, well, it’s no trouble. I’m feeding an army as it is. Why not a little something for the trek back. Have you found a nice place to stay? Do you prefer any of the spots? Or still looking?” asked Prim as she bustled about the kitchen.

“They haven’t seen any of the places yet, mom,” said Atlas. “We literally met them on the way back from observation from that new mother daughter pair.”

“I see. Well, there are plenty of places to make yourself a home,” said Prim. At this point, another Borrower entered. He was middle-aged as well with dark brown hair and soft blue eyes. Soren could see the resemblance between Atlas and the newcomer instantly. The Borrower’s eyes widened as he stepped off to the side and let a smaller version of Atlas, who looked to be about Dorian’s age, come into the room.

“Newcomers?” he asked, his voice coming in a ruff grunt.

“Yes, this is… oh dear! I went on and didn’t ask your names!” said Prim, cheeks pink with embarrassment.

“It’s alright. I’m Soren. These are my two younger brothers, Dorian and Rey. We just moved in when we met Atlas and Cali,” said Soren pleasantly. The man came over, almost a quarter of an inch taller than Soren, and shook his hand.

“Name’s Casper,” he said before going and unpacking his bag. He pointed to each child as he spoke. “You’ve met Atlas and Cali. This is Tiron. Prim? Where’s Winnie?”

“Lying down for a nap,” answered Prim as she folded bread and cheese into tin foil and placed it on top of the tin can stove.

“Right. What about our little trouble maker?” asked Casper as he removed the last of his gear. At this, the front door flung open and yet another Borrower entered. He looked just barely younger than Rey and had bright green eyes like his mother. “There you are. Come ‘ere. This is my youngest son, Hero.”

Hero looked slightly disheveled and out of breath, but he mustered a smile and straightened up.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, looking up at his father. “Sorry I’m late.”

“You should be more mindful of the time. We waited for you by the beams. Where’d you get off to?” asked Casper as he walked over to the table and sat down, frame finally relaxing.

“I was looking at some of the… shelves… in one of the rooms,” said Hero.

“Shelves? You weren’t out, were you?” prompted Casper.

“What? Me? No. I was up top,” said Hero quickly.

“Good,” said Casper. “You should always be careful going out. Did you make sure no humans were nearby? You know the rules - do not be seen by the humans. It’s dangerous and would put everyone here in danger.”

“Now, Casper. Don’t scare him. He knows the Borrower rules,” said Prim soothingly. “And we have guests.”

“You’re right,” muttered Casper. “What were you doing looking at the shelves anyway?”

“I was… um… trying to figure out if there was a safer way to get down since there are a lot of… um… building supplies. It would be hard to borrow anything there since the baseboard isn’t loose,” replied Hero.

Soren thought the child’s pauses were a little odd, but it could have been because the young teen was still trying to catch his breath. Besides, something else caught his attention - the rule of do not be seen by a human and the emphasis behind it. Soren was snapped out of his trance by Rey chiming into the conversation.

“Shelves? Quick descent? Then you and I need to talk,” said Rey. “Nice to meet you Hero, I’m Rey. I’m also something of an inventor. Modern day MacGyver.”

“Really?” asked Hero. There was a glint in his eyes that equaled Rey’s enthusiasm. Soren knew immediately this pairing was going to be dangerous.

“You two can talk later. Come on and get it while it’s hot,” said Prim as she set the pieces of tin foil onto the table. “It’s hot, so be careful.”

There was a swarm to the table and, soon, the room was quiet except for the sound of rustling foil. Soren had seen this before - grilled cheese. It was the Borrower’s version of it, sure, but he knew it because Ashlynn had made it for them a hundred times before.

A few minutes of silence was all it took before Casper leaned forward, eyeing Soren specifically.

“So, you say you just moved in. Where from?” asked Casper. Soren folded the foil back over his meal, feeling almost queasy now. He had to be careful.

“Down the way. The humans moved out, and no one was moving back in,” replied Soren.

“You went out on the streets? You’re a lot braver than I am,” said Atlas as he started clearing up the foil and setting it on the counter to clean.

“Well, you do what you have to,” said Soren, trying to put on a brave smile.

“All too true,” replied Casper. “And how did the first floor miss you? That sneaky?”

“Must’ve just missed them,” said Soren. Casper eyed Soren with a partial suspicion, but seemed to accept his answer.

“It is the afternoon on a weekend. Great time to go borrowing since most of the humans leave,” said Casper. “Well, if you need anything, you come and let us know. Anyone who moves in here is family. Just follow the Borrower rules to the letter and we’ll all get along.”

“To the letter? What do you mean?” Soren felt his insides drop as Rey spoke up, addressing Casper.

“Well, young man, it’s as simple as this - just follow the Borrower code. It should go without saying, but we’ve had a few close encounters in the past where someone thought they were seen with some of the families here,” said Casper.

“Terrifying times,” agreed Prim. “Thank goodness no Rafter has ever been seen by a human before.” The family nodded in agreement.

“Really?” asked Rey. Soren, who was sitting right next to Rey, had no way to inconspicuously get his attention to get him to be quiet.

“Of course,” chimed in Atlas. “Besides, there would be tremendous panic if someone were seen. Can you imagine everyone in the building trying to leave all at once to escape before the floorboards went up?”

“That’s right. I can’t recall any time when this many of us lived together and were undetected,” agreed Casper. “Needless to say, if you think you were seen or that something is off about one of the human’s behavior, just let us know. Since we were the first family here, we take personal responsibility for everyone's safety.”

Soren felt like he had been punched in the gut by an unforgiving shelf ledge just before plummeting into a free fall. He managed to keep his face straight and managed to nod in agreement, but inside was filled with dread.

Soren considered himself an excellent Borrower. He was good at what he did and, thankfully, Dorian and Rey adopted his skill set. Still, they were friends with Ashlynn. Ashlynn was the reason they were even alive right now. How could they just vanish into the walls never to see Ashlynn again after everything that happened between them?

How were they going to do this?