Nate looked from bottle to bottle, dismayed. His head was spinning; there were so many. Acetaminophen, he reminded himself. You're looking for acetaminophen, and cough medicine. He started his task and peered at the labels. Nope. No. No not that one. No. Nate groaned under his breath. Why are there so many? I just need one!
His frustration came to a screeching halt when he heard someone walk into the kitchen. Damnit! Nate hid behind one of the bottles and waited for the person to walk by. Just keep walking Stephanie, Nate wished desperately. Just keep going, there's nothing to see here!
"Huh?" Nate felt his chest clench with fear as Stephanie stopped and turned. He watched from the shadows to see that she had found his hook, and now she was taking it! "Mat?" She called out. Oh no! Nate's jaw dropped and he silently gasped in horror as Stephanie walked off to find Mat. No, no, no! This is bad! This is really, really bad! If Mat finds me- Nate stopped himself and peered through the glass. The pantry door was closed, meaning Mark was safe. Of course.
I've got time, I've got a chance, Nate told himself. He looked around and tried to decide what to do. He didn't have much time, but he had enough to make a choice. Should he try and make a break for it? He was stranded up here without his tackle, so if he tried going down he risked breaking multiple bones. But if he stayed in the cabinet, he risked getting found by Mat.
I''m just gonna have to make do and hide the best I can. Nate ran to the bottle farthest back from the doors and tried to open it. It was as big as him, so he had to twist until his arms ached and shook with effort before he finally got it open. He held the cap up and climbed in the bottle. Come on, come on! Nate's shallow pants echoed against the plastic walls as he heard footsteps re enter the kitchen. It was a tight squeeze, but he managed to press down and put the lid over him. As he wiggled to get comfortable on top of the hard pills that made up the half empty bottle, he heard the cabinet door open and froze.
Mat walked into the kitchen expecting something out of the ordinary, but everything looked normal. "Hmm." He hummed and looked around. He noticed the cabinet that the string had come from, and he also noticed that it was slightly open. He frowned and went over to it. When he opened the cabinet, nothing was out of place.
I wonder what it is? Mat thought to himself as he looked around in the cabinet. It's apparently smart enough to climb with a hook and string, and it's been using those tunnels for who knows how long... I think. He stuck his hand in and moved the pill bottles around. There wasn't anything behind them, but when his hand bumped into one of the bottles in the back, it fell over. The lid rolled off as the pills spilled out, scattering across the shelf.
"Dang it!" Mat exclaimed. What a mess! He reached in and sweeped the pills up in a small pile, but he stopped and widened his eyes. Something else had fallen out too! It was small and dark, but as Mat looked it was moving. It was tiny person; he was pale and wearing dark clothes with dark hair and black square glasses. He looked like he was in shock though. Mat frowned before he reached in to grab the tiny man.
When Nate's hiding place fell over, he grunted as he came tumbling out with the pills. He hit his head and rolled to a stop face down, and he groaned into the shelf. Ow. Nate was dazed and confused for a few seconds and tried to sit up. He was addled and couldn't think to run away as he pushed himself up off the wood. He swayed and hung his head with another groan, trying to clear his thoughts.
But before he could recover, a shadow fell over Nate. Something huge and warm brushed against him and wrapped around the borrower, and Nate felt his feet leave the shelf as he was gently dragged out of the darkness and out into the open.
Mat pulled the borrower out and stared at him with awe. The tiny person's eyes were unfocused and half closed, and his chest worked against Mat's hand as Nate struggled to recover himself. Mat realized he didn't have long before Nate would realize where he was, so he took two steps to the right and opened another cabinet. He reached in and pulled out a Mason jar, and he tilted it and gently slipped Nate in.
Nate flinched when he slid and smacked against glass, and he moaned as he rolled over on his back. He watched with dazed thoughts as Mat carried the jar out of the kitchen and left with the borrower.
Mark had a really bad feeling when the human finally left. He was relieved that Mat was finally gone, but from the noise outside and the tingle of dread going down his nape, the borrower had a feeling that his cousin had been seen and captured.
Oh Nate. No... he slowly came out of hiding and pushed the door open a little to look out. No. Mark froze when he saw the mess left in the medicine cabinet, and his stomach dropped. He's such a good kid, he didn't deserve to be caught! Mark quietly whimpered and covered his mouth just in case someone could hear him. How am I going to get him out of this mess? Mark looked down the hall to see Mat disappear into the game room, and his jaw clenched. Please, just hang in there Nate! I'm coming!
Nate kept his eyes closed and laid still, hoping to fool the humans. If he could just play dead he could buy himself those extra few seconds and find a way to escape. His chest was tight and his heart pounded like a drum as Mat carried the jar into the game room.
"Stephanie." Stephanie looked up from the computer and smiled.
"Hi Mat." She was sitting next to Jason, who was wearing headphones and deftly going through something on the computer. Mat had his hand over the glass so that Stephanie wouldn't see Nate, and he nodded his head to the side. Stephanie nodded back and glanced at Jason to murmur, "I'll be right back." Mat left the room and waited in the hallway for Stephanie.
"Well?" Stephanie asked quietly. Mat looked to make sure Jason was fully unaware before he moved his hand and revealed Nate. "Aw!" Stephanie gasped. "What is that? Is it ok?"
"I don't know," Mat said. "I found it hiding in one of the pill bottles." Stephanie bent down and peered into the jar.
"It doesn't look ok," she remarked. "You didn't kill it did you?"
"No!" Mat gave Stephanie a mock look of shock. "Don't you know me by now Steph?" He chuckled.
"Well of course I do, I would sure hope so at least! It just doesn't look like it's ok." Mat tilted the jar and let Nate slide to the rim. Stephanie cupped her hands and gently picked the borrower up.
"It looks like a little tiny person." Stephanie rubbed her finger over the borrower's hair, mussing it affectionately.
"I know." Mat frowned. "How does it even exist though? It's so small and it must have one heck of a time sneaking around the house and taking food." He shook his head. "Better yet, I'd say it's fascinating for a humanlike creature this small to survive all on its own!" Stephanie nodded in agreement.
"He's not waking up though."
"What?" Mat peered at the borrower. He studied Nate for a few seconds before he noticed the slight but rapid rise and fall of his small chest. "Hmm..." he held his hand closer and suddenly snapped his fingers. Nate couldn't help but flinch and jolt away in fear, his eyes flying wide open with alarm.
"Mat!" Stephanie exclaimed. "You scared it!"
"Well sorry, but I had a feeling I knew exactly what it was doing," Mat explained. "It was faking, playing dead. It might be some sort of survival instinct, but it wasn't doing a very good job of it..." Nate looked and saw how high up he was.
"Ah!" He cried out and fell over, backing away from the edge.
"M-Mat-"
"I got it, here, I got it." Nate growled desperately and squirmed when Mat picked him up.
"L-let me go!" He wailed. Mat's eyes were wide as he struggled to hold onto Nate.
"Hey relax little guy, we're not going to hurt you!" Nate stopped in the middle of pushing Mat's finger away and looked up at him with wide eyes.
"You're... you're not?" He whimpered. "Y-you won't-" Nate stopped and shivered as he let his imagination run wild. "You won't dissect me for science, o-or kill me or something?" Mat and Stephanie exchanged appalled glances.
"No, of course not." Nate slumped over Mat's fingers in relief as he gasped out a grateful sigh. He was still uncomfortable being chest deep in the human's fist and five feet high in the air, but at least they weren't going to kill him.
"We like science, but we're not murderers," Stephanie added, sympathy in her eyes. Nate nervously glanced up at her.
"Are you sure?" He asked in a small voice. Then he wanted to kick himself. Damnit Nate stop sounding like an eight year old!
"Promise," Mat assured. The reassurance still made Nate's chest feel less tight, and he sighed in relief.
"Th-thanks." He glanced down at the floor and thought about Jack's fear of heights, and he remembered why it was a good idea to respect the Irish borrower for his wary. "Can-can you put me down now?" He forced himself to squeak out. "P-please?"
"Oh, yeah of course." Mat looked around for a place to put Nate down, but he scowled when he remembered that the spider infested closet was right behind him. "On second thought, you might be safer up here," he mumbled awkwardly. Nate frowned and wiggled a little.
"Can you at least hold your hand out flat, please? This is really uncomfortable," he asked.
"Sure." Mat moved his hand and held it out flat like a platform, but he used both of his hands and slightly cupped them so Nate could feel safer. Nate shivered and sat up warily.
"Thanks," he muttered.
"So what's your name? Do you have one?" Mat asked. Nate glanced at Mat with surprise. He had expected the first question to be: "What are you?"
"Yeah, it's Nate." Nate did his best to not sound so scared.
"How long have you been here Nate?" Stephanie asked. It was an innocent question, but Nate felt a small prickle of indignation.
"Well..." he frowned. "Not long, just a few weeks, maybe a-a month?" He scratched the back of his head, thinking now. "Hmm..."
"What are you?" Mat finally couldn't contain himself and had to ask the question.
"Mat!" Stephanie chided. Nate found this funny for some reason and laughed.
"It's ok," he said. "I'm a borrower."
"A what?" Mat and Stephanie asked at the same time. Nate gave the couple a small shrug.
"A borrower. We- well, my kind at least, we live in humans' houses and use stuff that they don't need. We don't steal," Nate quickly added when he saw Mat frown. "We only borrow what we need."
"That sounds hard," Stephanie murmured.
"It is," Nate agreed grimly. "We always have to look over our shoulders and watch our backs, falling from what would be a small hop for you could break our bones, and mice and other pests could move in and try to chase us out, and then the humans-" Nate stopped himself and remembered that he was speaking to humans. He stopped for a second and continued nervously. "W-well, not all humans are nice. Some are mean and nasty people, others are decent." Nate paused for a few seconds as he violently shuddered, recalling something.
"Before I came here, there was a human that drank all the time. Since he was always drunk, he didn't seem like much of a threat, you know? But one day when I was borrowing, he just suddenly woke up and saw me." Nate shivered. "He-he tried to kill me, and he almost succeeded had he not tripped on his own clumsy feet." Stephanie looked sad as she gently rubbed Nate's back with her finger. Nate squared his shoulders nervously, but he was grateful for the gesture. And then he realized how much he had just told two complete strangers, and to humans!
"Well now that we've found you, you don't have to go anywhere." Mat smiled at Nate. "You don't have to be scared either, we could take care of you!"
"Yeah!" Stephanie agreed. She smiled too. "Or the least we could do is help." Nate looked at the two humans, overwhelmed with disbelieving gratitude.
"I-I don't know..." Nate's hopes plummeted as he thought about the others. What would they say about talking to humans!? It had been risky enough for Nate to take an interest in Mat's cool YouTube theories, but would it be too much for Nate to let the humans help? They would never have to go hungry again, and they wouldn't have to be afraid, and Signe could even get her medicine!
"You can think about it," Mat suggested. "There's no hurry to make a decision. I'm sure it's a big decision." Nate nodded, but before he could say anything, he heard a small scream.
"Mark!" Nate gasped. His stomach lurched when he realized that the scream came from the closet. Oh no, Mark! He must have been trying to sneak up and save me!
"Who's Mark?" Mat asked.
"Quick! I need to get to the closet!" Nate pulled on Mat's thumb. "Quickly!" Confused, Mat did as Nate asked and walked to the closet door. He crouched down and put his hands on the floor, and Nate raced off and ran into the closet.
"Mark!" He saw his borrowing friend struggling to fight off the spiders that were swarming him.
"Nate!? Keep back!" Mark shrieked as he was overwhelmed with the spiders. Nate didn't know what to do, panicking. Oh what the hell do I do, what do I do!? He cried out when Stephanie pulled him away, and he squirmed.
"What are you doing!?" Nate exclaimed as he was safely moved away from the closet.
"Just keep back, Mat's got your friend!" Stephanie held Nate against her stomach as Nate strained against her hand. He watched with wide eyes as Mat brushed the spiders away, but more and more kept coming.
"Ah screw it!" Mat suddenly exclaimed. He bit his lip and scooped Mark up, along with a few of the spiders that were attacking him. His hand jerked every time one of the baby spiders bit him, but he refused to drop Mark as he urgently brushed and flicked the spiders away. Then he finally bowled over on his side and slammed the closet door shut with his foot.
"Mark!" As soon as Stephanie let Nate go he ran across the hard floor and made a beeline for his cousin. "Mark! Are you ok?" Mark groaned and sat up in Mat's hand.
Uh... yeah I think so." He checked himself out and added, "I've got a few bites but those spiders aren't poisonous."
"Thank goodness!" Mat groaned. "They bit my hand!" Nate helped Mark climb off of the theorist's hand, and Stephanie helped Mat up.
"You sure you're ok?" She asked. "No nausea or dizziness?"
"I'm fine Steph." Nate whacked Mark on the head.
"Ow!" He yelped. "What was that for?"
"Goddamnit, you red haired bastard!" Nate snapped. "What were you thinking!? You could have gotten eaten alive!"
"Hey! I was just trying to save your ass!" The whites of Mark's eyes were showing as he gawked at Nate. "And your welcome!" He added haughtily.
"Welcome!?" Nate exclaimed. "You're the one who got attacked by spiders, and they weren't going to hurt me! And I didn't even need your help, I'm sick of you treating me like a child! In fact-" Nate stuck his chest out, indignant. "-Mat and Stephanie offered to let me live with them instead of mucking around in dark nooks and crannies!" Mark stared.
"Wh... wh-what!?" Flustered, Mark messed with the red dyed floof on his head. "How do you even know their names, and why are you talking to them!? They're humans, and why the hell would you trust them!?"
"Because they're nice!" Nate crossed his arms, ignoring the two humans as Mat and Stephanie watched the scene unfold with wide eyes. "And sure Mat scared me a bit in the beginning, but they're really nice people! Honest!"
"Oh yeah? Like that drunkard that you thought was a good idea to room in with!?" Mark yelled, finally losing his temper. Nate flinched and recoiled as if he had been struck.
"G-guys-" Stephanie tried to interrupt, but Mat stopped her.
"Let them talk it out Steph," he murmured. "This is between them." Nate glared at Mark before he suddenly whipped around and started stalking off. Mark lost his aggressive stance and widened his eyes, immediately regretting yelling at Nate.
"N-Nate-" Mark tried to follow his cousin, but Nate put his hand up and didn't look back.
"Don't," he growled. "Just go home. You don't need me anyway, you're better off without always risking your neck for me, I'm useless anyway so... just-JUST GO!" Mark frowned sadly and looked at Nate's turned back for a few seconds with teary eyes. He bit his lip and glanced up at Mat and Stephanie, and then he growled; angry at himself, he turned and walked away, heading for the kitchen. Nate crouched down and covered his face and groaned, exhaling a shaky breath and squeezing his eyes shut.