1 We Are the Siblings

It was another simple morning in the realm of Seallium. As the sun crept onto the island's horizon, people and seal alike were getting ready for their day.

In one particular house, a ray of light shone through a window, landing on the face of a boy with dirty blond hair.

"Urghh, morning already?" the boy muttered, squinting at the window.

The boy looked over at his two other brothers and shrugged, moving away from the ray of light and drifting back off to sleep.

A few minutes of snoring passed when a small white toy seal flopped into the bedroom. He looked at the three, hopping onto the bed of the sleeping boy, approaching his face before slapping him.

"Alright, I'm awake now!" he groaned but smiled when he saw the seal staring at him.

"Morning, Seal," he greeted, patting the seal's head. "Sure seems nice out, doesn't it?"

Seal nodded, then pointed at the other two sleeping boys before hopping off the bed.

With a sigh, the boy climbed out of bed and got dressed. He put on a white shirt tipped with blue at the collar, sleeves, and bottom alongside a pair of khaki shorts. He then walked over to his brother, who was already fully dressed and curled up on a chair.

"Hey, Bro, it's morning," the boy whispered, tapping his shoulder.

The curled up boy remained unmoving, so his brother gave his ear a hard flick.

In that moment, his eyes sprang open, and he leapt from the chair, performing a backflip before landing gracefully on the floor. Upon taking a closer look, he wore a black jacket with a white stripe leading from the collar to the cuffs over a red shirt, dark blue jeans, and red and black shoes. This was the boy's older brother, Bro.

"You well know how much I hate being woken up like that," Bro muttered. "But good morning, Porter."

"Come on, we have so much we can do today," Porter said. "Are you going to fix the AC today?"

"Maybe," Bro answered with a shrug. "Thing is, the store doesn't have the stuff we need to fix it. We'll talk about that after I get the mail."

He then walked over to the other bed and gave the mattress a hard kick to wake up their brother. Unlike the other brothers, or anyone in the house, this brother had brown fur and large mouse ears.

"Huh, what, where?!" he shouted, startled.

"Morning, Zaire. Get up and get the others. We have a lot to do," Bro requested, walking past Porter and going outside through the front door.

"What's with him?" Zaire asked, pulling off the covers and jumping out of bed. He was also already dressed, wearing an orange and yellow shirt with a small blue triangle and khakis.

Porter shrugged, walked across the hallway, and knocked on the door to the girls' room.

"Girls, it's time to get up!" Porter shouted, pressing his mouth on the door. He knocked on the door again, but there was no noise on the other side.

"I'll take care of this," Zaire offered from behind Porter, stepping up to the door and banging on it with his fist. Again, there was no response. Zaire and Porter looked at each other and carefully opened the door to take a peek.

In the room were their sisters, Lily and Amelia, sound asleep in their beds. Amelia was snoring softly while Lily was face down on her pillow, holding a dance ribbon in her hand.

"Aww, they look so cute sleeping! We can't just wake them!" Porter complained.

"C'mon Port, we gotta wake 'em up," Zaire disagreed. "We aren't letting them sleep through a nice day like this."

"I think it's sorta mean to wake someone up abruptly like this, don't you?"

"Isn't that what just happened to us, though? Being waken up abruptly?"

"But they're girls! I thought some of the life lessons we learn as boys are never ask women their age, their weight, and don't disturb their sleep!"

While the two were debating whether to wake up the girls or leave them alone, Seal hopped past Porter and Zaire and into the girls' room. Seal climbed onto Lily's mattress and reached her face. He then poked her cheek with his soft nose until she woke up.

"Mmm... Hm..?" she mumbled.

As one of her eyes opened, all she could see was a fluffy white ball waving at her.

"Mmm... Morning, Seal."

Seal did a backflip and put his head down on her pillow. He gently licked the tip of her nose, and in response, she got up and sat on the bed, fully awake.

"What do you need, Seal? More fabric for your bed?" Lily asked.

Seal simply shook his head.

"Does the lint roller need to be cleaned again?"

Seal shook his head again and pointed at the door with his nose.

"Oh... What time is it?"

After Lily glanced at the alarm clock, she then tried to get out of bed and wake up Amelia.

"Sis, it's morning! Another day is here!" she said, nudging her foot.

Amelia woke up, stretching her arms and shaking the sleep out of her.

"Good morning, Lily. Hi, Seal."

Seal waved at Amelia and pointed at the door again, with Porter and Zaire looking at them.

"Oh, were you waiting for us?" Amelia asked from the other side of the room.

"Yeah, we're all awake," Zaire nodded. "I think Bro is getting the mail right now, but I think he wants to talk about the plans for today. When you're ready, meet us in the living room."

After saying that, Porter and Zaire disappeared down the hall.

Lily and Amelia got out of bed and changed into their everyday clothes. Lily put on a reddish-pink leotard and a pair of pink skorts. She finished off the look with her pink flower hairpiece.

Meanwhile, Amelia got herself clothed with a green and white striped tank top and a pair of denim jeans adorned with hearts for pockets. Afterwards, they made their way to the living room.

Lily whispered to Amelia, "You think Bro will get the AC fixed today?"

Amelia looked at Lily and crossed her fingers.

"Here's to hoping," she replied, hope in her voice.

The two girls reached the living room just as Bro reappeared inside the house. He was going through various letters.

"Junk mail, junk mail, junk mail... Cheese Enthusiasts Monthly?" Bro commented, holding up a magazine display various types of cheeses.

Zaire chuckled nervously, snatching the magazine and shuffling behind the other siblings.

"Anyways..." Bro coughed, "as you know, the AC unit is still broken. I haven't fixed it for a number of reasons, the biggest being the store that sells the materials, let alone the unit itself, is out of stock."

"You're talking about the furniture store, Dream Home, right?" Porter chimed in.

"No, I'm talking about the hardware stor- wait, what?" Bro reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He typed something on it and asked, "Dream Home, right?"

"Mhm," Porter nodded, "I heard from someone they sell appliances every once in a while. Maybe we'll find what we need there."

"Why is a furniture store selling an AC unit? Whatever, they have one available. The only problem is that the building is on the far side of town," Bro announced.

"That's not really going to stop you from trying, is it?" Lily asked.

"Of course it's not! Boys, let's move it! If we leave now, we just might nab it!" he ordered, pointing at the door.

"I'll stay here," Amelia declared. "You go get the unit while I'll make breakfast."

"I'll stay and help!" Lily added. "Plus, I'll keep her company."

"Alright then, guess we're out," Zaire announced, running to the door. Porter following closely behind.

"And Lily, don't burn the kitchen while we're gone," Bro joked, keeping a straight face. "Seriously," He added, glaring at her.

As soon as the door closed, Lily looked at Amelia and asked, "What are we making this time?"

"Correction, what am I making," Amelia giggled, patting Lily's head. "Remember the last time you touched the stove?"

Linty Streets Subdivision

Zaire, Porter, and Bro ran as fast as they could to the furniture store. As they passed house after house, they bumped into one of their neighbors.

This neighbor was a strange-looking girl. She looked human but had some odd features. While she had a human face, she had white sheep ears, a fluffy white tail, and her hair and clothes were all white wool, with the exception of a pink skirt, pastel blue socks, and large brown boots.

"Hello there!" the girl shouted, waving at the three.

"Oh, hi!" Zaire was the first to greet the girl. Awkwardly, at that. "You're the new neighbor, right?"

"That's right! I've been here for a few days. A sweet girl with glasses and an orange sweater offered to share her house with me, and here I am!" she explained.

"Welcome to the neighborhood," Porter greeted, giving a thumbs up in approval. "I'm Porter, and these are my brothers, Zaire and Bro. We have sisters too, but they're at home right now."

"It's very nice to meet you guys," she stated, smiling at them. Zaire couldn't look directly at the girl, but he did smile back.

Bro quickly shuffled past her to the subdivision gate. "Well, we gotta go now. It was nice talking to you, but there are things we need to do and there's not enough time in the day..."

He froze when he heard someone speak.

"Come on, Bro, this girl-" Porter spoke.

"Mary," the sheep girl interrupted, "Mary Baxley."

"Mary's new in our neighborhood, I bet she's a nice gal to hang out with. Can we take a bit of time to get to know her?" Porter coaxed.

Mary blushed and giggled. "Well, while I was here, I spent most of my time unpacking, so I haven't had a chance to look around and see the neighborhood," she added as slowly approached Zaire. "Would you and your brothers mind showing me around?"

Zaire got caught off guard and looked directly into Mary's green eyes. "S-sure, we'd love to show you around the neighborhood, right Bro-?" he stuttered.

Porter, Mary, and Zaire looked in front of them to see Bro running toward the city.

"Really, man?" Porter sighed, shaking his head. "At least say goodbye to her first..."

Zaire grabbed Porter's hand and started running toward the gate leading to the exit. "Come on, we need to catch up with him."

"See you around, Mary! Our sisters could probably show you around!" Porter called from behind. "Our house number is..."

Softener City

By now, Bro was in the heart of Seal Island, Softener City, using the map on his phone to see how far he was from the store. Porter and Zaire caught up with him soon after.

"You finished talking to her?" Bro asked.

"Not by choice," Zaire replied. "I know you want to buy this thing, but could you at least have the decency to not run away like that?"

Before Bro could answer, a car hit a hydrant in front of them, water spraying everywhere.

"Maybe, but now would definitely be a good time to run!" Bro suggested.

The three ran down the street just to be stopped by a road full of traffic.

"This way!" Zaire pointed to a dark alleyway next to the traffic. The three ran inside only to be cornered by a gang of alley cats. They immediately retreated and reached the park.

The park wasn't exactly safe at the time, either. There was a new sidewalk being built as well as a new fountain.

The three bumbled into the site, bumping into a number of construction workers, bumping into scaffolding, and nearly stepping into a patch of fresh cement. Unbeknownst to anyone, Porter's hand grazed a water valve they passed. They unknowingly stopped on a manhole cover.

"As I was saying..." Zaire continued. "We could've taken the time to talk to her. That AC unit could be there for another hour, two hours, maybe another week! But the opportunity to make a new friend is pretty rare these days, wouldn't you say?"

Bro looked at Zaire and let out a sigh. "You know what, you're right. I could've waited for you guys to finish talking. Appliances are temporary, but friends are forever."

"Uh, guys..?" Porter whimpered, pointing at the shaking cover below them.

In less than a few seconds, the cover launched them into the air and sent the three deeper into the city. They bounced off an awning and crashed onto the ground.

"Ugh, I forget how chaotic the city can be at times," Zaire muttered.

As Zaire and Bro slowly got up and dusted themselves off, Porter was writhing in pain as he saw a building with various pieces of furniture over a neon sign.

"Hey, we're here!" he groaned, pointing at their destination. The three were directly in front of the entrance. Bro's phone also went off, confirming where they needed to be.

"Well, let's not wait a minute more!" Bro chimed, opening the door and letting his brothers pass.

"By the way, I'm sorry for ditching both of you like that," he apologized. "Honestly, it probably would've been fun to show Mary around the neighborhood."

Zaire put a hand on Bro's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, it's fine," he sighed, smiling.

Bro chuckled softly. "Plus, we're troopers. If we've gone this long in this heat and no AC, what's to say we can't survive another year without it?"

"That's true! But for the sake of not doing that, let's just hurry up and grab a unit, yeah?" Zaire laughed.

"Hey! Maybe when we get home, we can show Mary the neighborhood with our sisters!" Porter mentioned.

"Perhaps. I'm not against it," Bro agreed.

As they walked inside, one of the employees came to meet them.

"Hello and welcome to Dream Home Furniture, LTD," an employee greeted. This employee looked so sleazy, the only way he could look sleazier was if the building was a car dealership. His uncanny smile didn't help either.

"Need a new table? We got them! Need a new stove? We got them! Need a new identity? We got those too, but you're better off with just keeping yours. Too much managing, trust me. Anyway, what can we get you?" he asked.

"We need a new air conditioning unit," Bro requested.

"Ah, the big AC, Jack Frost's robot cousin! I see, I see. I think we have one more in stock. Let me get it for you."

The three looked at each other, satisfied at their request.

Five minutes later, another employee came back out carrying a small box.

"Here you go," this employee said, "since this unit is the last one in stock, and we need it out NOW, it's on the house."

"Hey, thanks!" Zaire replied, taking the box.

"That was strangely easy," Porter said.

"I'll say. I was expecting a run-in with a Clone or an entitled shopper," Bro responded. "Well, we should get home so I can install this thing."

"Hey, how about we make this more fun?" Zaire smiled.

"More fun?" Bro questioned.

"Me. You," Zaire pointed at Porter, challenging him to a game of rock-paper-scissors. "Loser has to carry the winner."

"You're on!" Porter said.

"I guess I'll just stand here and be the... referee? Do they even have referees in this game?" Bro thought to himself.

Porter and Zaire faced each other, their hands balled into a fist.

"One, two, three!" Bro counted.

Porter beat Zaire, throwing rock while he threw scissors.

Before Porter could celebrate his victory, Zaire shouted, "Double or nothing! Loser has to carry the winner and Bro!"

"I wasn't planning on getting involved with this. But hey, less walking for me," Bro shrugged. "Ready, guys?"

"Ready!" Zaire and Porter shouted in unison.

"One, two, three!"

Linty Streets Subdivision

Porter huffed and puffed as he carried Zaire and Bro up to the gate.

"Come on, brother!" Zaire cheered as he was on top of Porter. "You're so close to the house!"

"And think about it," Bro added, who was top of Zaire. "As soon as we get there and I get this installed, you can celebrate with some cold air."

Little by little, Porter pressed on. Past the gate, past the fountain, and past the greenhouse. Eventually, they made it home. They both hopped off Porter as he collapsed on the grass.

Bro knocked on the door, to which Lily opened.

"Sorry," Lily teased, slightly closing the door. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

"Oh, har har, Lily," Bro replied sarcastically, moving into the house. "Hey, Am! We're back!"

Lily peeked outside and saw Porter lying on the ground.

"What's with you?"

"Eh, he lost a bet and couldn't handle the taste of defeat," Zaire chortled, resting one of his feet on Porter's back.

Ten minutes later, Bro was working on the AC while the other four siblings were in the kitchen eating breakfast.

"These are delicious, Amelia!" Zaire complimented, his mouth half full with pancakes.

"Thanks! Lily helped me with them. Don't worry, she didn't touch the stove," Amelia chuckled.

"Nice to know my warning got through!" Bro shouted from the other room.

Porter was eating a bowl of cereal while watching Seal eat a piece of salmon-colored fabric.

"Is that good, Seal?" he asked.

Seal nodded his head.

"Mind if I try some?" he requested.

Seal simply nudged his plate toward Porter and watched as he tore off a piece of fabric and put it in his mouth. He spat it out immediately.

"How can you eat this?!" he exclaimed.

Seal just shrugged.

Bro was just about to finish replacing the unit. Lily walked up to him and asked if he was done.

"Just about," he sighed as the other three gathered around. "A flick of this switch and we'll have enough cool air to last the whole summer." Everybody cheered.

"Ready?" Bro asked, ready to throw the switch.

"Ready!" everyone shouted, Bro flicking the switch right after.

Nothing. Suddenly, without warning, a blast of cold air burst into the house.

"It's too cold!" Lily yelled, shivering.

"Turn it off!" Zaire yelled.

Bro turned off the AC, but the house was full of cold air.

"At least we know we have a good unit," Amelia chuckled, shaking.

Bro squinted at the AC and announced, "We're going to need a heater. The problem is though, much like the AC, I've also avoided this task for a while. Along with that, the store that sells them went out of business a few weeks ago..."

As Bro went on and on about the heater and how cold the air was, Zaire leaned over to Porter and whispered, "What are the odds that Dream Home is gonna have a heater?"

All Porter could do was smile.