Chapter Text
Something had changed.
No one knew what exactly, but they all had felt the shift of … something in the house. Like the wind that whipped the ocean into a frothy frenzy, that something sent the Bookender family into a flurry. A mandatory family meeting was called when Kent came sprinting into the living room with a look of terror etched into his features. He couldn’t explain it, he’d panted as he dropped onto the nearest available seat, but that something had pressed against his mind like the incessant pulse of waves…
It was enough.
As the explanation fell from his mouth, Mrs. Dianne Bookender, the matron of their little household, began to fire off orders. They were leaving – immediately. But her husband, Timothy, had touched her arm gently and, as a sort of compromise, suggested they all come into the living room to hear their third child’s description of his travels. A meeting because, the head of the house had reasoned, everyone knew Kent could sometimes over-exaggerate when it was his turn to borrow.
So there they were, blinking and clad in pj’s in the middle of the night, to hear their brother’s tale.
Caro was the last to join her family in the living room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She suppressed a yawn with the back of her hand. Even Rosie – the baby – had managed to be pulled from her slumber and stared, doe-eyed, at Caro as the latter shambled in. Her eyes flickered to Kent for a millisecond before she joined Rosie on the loveseat. His face, she saw, was a ghastly white and held a slight sheen of sweat. Whatever he’d noticed when he was out had obviously scared him more than normal – he didn’t usually return dripping in perspiration when he came back shouting of their imminent doom.
“Speak, Son.” Her father ordered softly. “What did you see?”
“Well,” Kent gulped, “I didn’t actually see anything.”
Caro heard a scoff from the corner of the room, but didn’t turn to look for its source. She knew it was Naomi.
“But,” he shot their elder sister a glare, “the house felt it was, like, preparing for something – something big.”
Caro’s father nodded, encouraging him to continue. Caro shifted in her seat, bringing Rosie closer to her chest. They were right to be worried when Kent came back with news. Even though they all knew he had a tendency toward paranoia, Kent’s Instinct at noting the shifts in their environment was unparalleled. Their father had said so himself – that he’d never met another Borrower with such skill. If Kent felt something, it was wise to at least keep a wary eye out.
“When I was out, grabbing Momma the cherry she wanted, the pressure in my head built like usual.” Caro’s brother explained. “But this time, it was nothing like I’ve ever felt before. It was like humans themselves had my head between their hands and were squeezing…
“The human’s up to something. And I didn’t stick around long enough to figure out what.”
“What’re we going to do?” Their mother whispered. She turned to look at Mr. Bookender, silently demanding that he make a decision.
“Nothing’s wrong.” Naomi shifted from her position in the shadowed corner for the first time that night. “Let’s all just go back to bed like we do every time Kent comes back from a trip. He’s just being paranoid.”
“This time was different.” Kent insisted, turning to face her with eyes flashing. “I know it.”
“We believe you.” Timothy Bookender soothed. He shot a glare at the eldest of his daughters. “We believe you. But we should give it a day before we jump to uproot our lives.
“We’ll need to let the other families know what’s going on. Jason will be back by tomorrow morning, so he can take them the message.” Caro’s father addressed the room. “Let’s give the human a day and see what we can learn before we make any drastic changes.”
“What if she called the exterminators?” A quiet voice piped up. At age 11, the fifth child of the Bookender family had a wild imagination.
“We’ll make sure to send out Scouts in the morning, okay Camille?” their father asked, striding over to take her hand in the both of his. “And you, baby Rosie, and your mother can work on packing the essentials. Does that sound good?”
A nod of Camille’s head gave him the answer he was looking for.
“Now, off to bed with you. You’ll want all your strength tomorrow for when you’re packing.” Their father gave her a quick kiss. “Take Rosie up with you, please?”
With Rosie’s small hand in hers, Camille lead them to the two’s shared bedroom, leaving the living room quiet. Mr. Bookender cleared his throat and turned to Kent.
“Go get some sleep, Son. You’ve had a long night.”
Kent nodded and shuffled off, which left Caro with Naomi and their parents.
“I know you don’t believe Kent.” Caro’s father murmured to Naomi once his son was out of earshot. “But I’m telling you to take Caro out scouting tomorrow. We need to know what the human is up to either way.”
Caro saw Naomi roll her eyes. “I can do it by myself.” The older girl scoffed. “I don’t need Caroline tagging along. She’ll only get in the way.”
“She’ll be there to cover your back. We don’t know what the human’s planning. It’ll be day. It’s safer with a second pair of eyes.”
“But-“
“No buts. Caro is going with you. It’s not up for discussion. Now, I want you both to get some sleep too. We’re counting on you.”
With a final snort, Naomi stalked off toward their shared room. Caro stood to follow, grimacing sympathetically at her parents as she passed them to collapse back onto her bed.
Caro understood Kent’s insistence. The cottage had been peaceful of late, and it had lulled them into a reckless security. Like the calm before a storm, she thought, eyes closing. At least they got the warning of the shifting winds – right?
And with that thought she let the tides of sleep pull her toward the Land of Dreams.