Venturing into the walls was often an adventure; at least, when you knew where you were and where you were going. Ashlynn had neither of these benefits as she began cautiously tiptoeing through the walls of this new home she'd managed to find.
After spending a week and a number of days in the frigid cold and bouncing from place to place and not finding a suitable home, her mind was set that she needed to make this place work. It had to. She couldn't go back out into the cold again. The Borrower woman needed time to rest and recuperate. Even if this place only lasted for a few weeks, it would be enough.
She hoped that wasn't the case and that this could be her forever home, but that would come from an evaluation later.
In the meantime, Ashlynn knew she needed to get to much higher ground. If she wanted to stay warm and away from the pests down below, climbing to a higher place was nonoptional. Too many times she'd stayed down on the ground level only to be confronted with every mishap imaginable. Flooding. Pests raiding her supplies. Insects seeking her body heat in the middle of the night. Mold infestations from some spill or uncleaned mess the humans left behind. Remodeling that involved nails suddenly jutting through the wall and, no pun intended, nailing her right in the leg.
Sure, ceilings with apartments or floors above were also a potential worry, but humans were far less likely to mess with something on the ceiling than the floor.
So, up was where she decided to go. It took a little bit of time, but she managed to find a decent beam that wasn't too far above her head and, based on what she saw, guessed there were other easy to reach beams not too far above that.
It'll have to do. Ashlynn thought as she removed her hook from her hip and stared at the dusty wood above her head. Her inhalation calmed her body. Her eyes held the target in place. One swing. Two. Three. Faster and faster. She went all the way to seven both out of uncertainty and ritual before she let the metal piece fly. Right as she heard the hook make contact, she pulled down with all of her might to secure it in place.
It took some time, but Ashlynn hoisted herself up onto the first beam. Then the next. Then the next. The frost in her limbs made her joints stiff, but she was determined. Too many nights were spent in the cold and one more night would be the end of her.
She knew it.
It wasn't until she paused to catch her breath as she leaned against what she could only guess was some kind of electric box called a "breaker box" that she noticed a delicious smell coming from the other side of the wall. She hoped she'd be able to tell where it was coming from once she'd made it up to the ceiling.
How far up am I anyway?
It hadn't occurred to Ashlynn that she'd climbed up so far, but a quick glance over the edge told her a different story. The abyss below and the shadows swallowing the light from her hip lamp told her she must've made it to the ceiling.
Good.
It was warm in the ceiling, and it gave her a better vantage point to look at the humans far below. Ashlynn would've stayed longer to warm herself, but the smell was too intoxicating. It was sweet, salty, and flavorful. She had to know where it was coming from – and soon. Her insides wouldn't let her go much longer without beginning to protest loud enough for even a human to hear.
She finally made it to the final ledge, which revealed a long and mostly uninterrupted surface. She figured this had to be the ceiling of the apartment below, and also the source of the delicious scent. Ashlynn followed her nose through the labyrinth of cords and collected dust until she reached a nearby wall joist. As luck would have it, the wall led to a slightly loosened light socket, revealing the ground beneath it.
Ashlynn approached carefully, wary that something loosened could give way, and peered down. Her eyes quickly adapted to the light below as she maneuvered around the opening and peered down through the sliver allowing her to peer into the human world. The sight made her mouth water once she'd managed to get a feel for the entire room.
Below was a freshly backed tray of chocolate chip cookies.
Eyes as big as the cookies themselves, Ashlynn's insides grumbled with desire. Her food supply was less than ideal, and this was an opportunity she couldn't afford to miss. The only thing that made her hesitate was the fact that they smelled freshly baked.
It meant humans might be nearby, and that was something that couldn't be overlooked. If they were nearby, Ashlynn could be seen and, worse, caught. It spelled doom and destruction not only for herself, but for all of Borrower kind.
At the same time, supplies were scarce and nearing empty. The risk was an immense one, but she needed to take it. It was a dire need – cookies or not, she needed food.
Ashlynn shimmied through the ceiling joists and found herself at the far wall where, thankfully, there was a clear path from top to bottom. Securing her one spare line on an exposed nail, she gripped the string tight with her fingerless gloves and began shimmying down the edge of the wall.
In what felt like three or four bounces on the evenly plastered walls, Ashlynn suddenly had to stop herself burning her fingertips in the process, as she met a perfectly placed support joist. Her frustration was almost immediately overridden by her realization of her sheer luck.
The line she placed at the board she was on was exactly beside an electrical cover, and it looked to be right at countertop level. Ashlynn's eyes gleamed in the quiet darkness as she began carefully fiddling with the screw in the wall. Once. Twice. Her muscles screamed as they seemingly knocked off the chill between each joint. Before twisting a third time, she pressed her ear against the plastic and listened closely Her thundering heartbeat soon quieted and the ambient sounds of the house amplified.
She heard the ice maker click on.
The heater elements clicked as they began forcing warm air through the vents.
Sounds of the house settling and some human on the floor above undoubtedly shuffling or dancing based on the vibrations they were making through the floor.
One thing Ashlynn didn't hear were the sounds of a human in the apartment she was glancing into, which was all she needed to prompt her to give that final twist and knock that last bolt loose. The sound of the cover's slight crack as she pushed it off of the wall made every hair stand on end, but now she had full access to the countertop.
She glanced around the outside of the counter before, in an impulsive rush, Ashlynn dared to dart out onto the counter toward the cookies. The plate was immense, easily twice her height from one side to the other, and the span of her arms alone was the same as the steaming baked goods. As she approached, she noticed a few larger crumbs and decided that those would be her prize.
Ashlynn didn't have time to be too selective. She took only a moment to stop at the edge of the plate, scoop up three larger fragments that filled her arms, and shove them messily into her bag before sprinting back toward the electrical cover – and just in time too.
Her heart was just starting to beat normally as she slipped back into the confines of the walls when she heard an immense grinding sound. The hair on the back of her neck instantly stood on end. There was a tremor to her hand that was too distinct to mistake for anything else.
Humans were coming.
Ashlynn, hands shaking, pulled the electrical cover back on and secured the screw as the sound of the grinding stopped. Seconds later, she heard muffled sounds of talking and the jingle of keys. Every nerve in her body kept her completely motionless as she crouched and continued to listen as hard as she could. Despite her blood roaring in her ears, it didn't block the sound of the humans' voices as they entered the kitchen.
"Do you think they're cool now, Soren?"
Curses…
It's a kid.
A boy kid.
"I call dibs on the strawberry milk!"
Two of them?! Plus parents?! Four whole humans?
"What? You can't call the whole thing, Dorian!"
Ashlynn listened as some calmer, deeper voice responded to the two much younger boys. Based on the way their footsteps hit the ground, the youngsters were prancing and bouncing around and creating a ruckus.
"We can all have the strawberry milk – after dinner. No, I don't think they're cool yet, but they will probably be the perfect temperature once you two finish helping me load in the groceries and wash your hands. If you get it done in thirty seconds, we can share one cookie before dinner. Ready set go!"
This one must be Soren. Ashlynn thought as she listened to the chorus of voices and how they began scampering about running from the car back to the kitchen. The crinkling sound of bags of chips and dull thunks told Ashlynn these boys were quick when motivated, which wasn't a good sign for her.
While all of the noise continued, she quietly backed away and climbed her line all the way back up to the ceiling. She had half a mind to leave right then and there. What Borrower would stay put and create a home where there were two little boys living?
Ashlynn's twisting insides gave the answer – a desperate Borrower.
A desperate Borrower would stay in a place with two young boys and at least one human adult, most likely the dad. They would make a home out of a place like this. They would stay put and gather necessary supplies until they were ready to leave or decided to risk it all on this unknown place.
Ashlynn sadly was in that category and had no other options at the moment.
Supplies were limited and, perhaps, things weren't as bad as she thought. Observation was necessary, which is what she decided to do as she approached the slightly askew light fixture she'd used to observe the kitchen. While there, she watched one adult human with dark brown hair walking around putting things away while the two young boys with sandy blond, brown hair bounced around like rubber balls.
It was hard to tell specifics about each of the humans' features, but Ashlynn determined that the two young ones had pale blue eyes and roundish faces and the build of Soren, who she guessed was their dad, had a comparatively lean yet muscular build.
She watched as the humans finished unloading everything and, as promised, shared a single cookie and a "splash" of milk, whatever that measurement meant for a human that was. Ashlynn also decided to eat silently alongside the humans, which was the best thing that had happened all day. The taste was sweet and a touch salty, and every bite felt like it could unlock forgotten memories deep within her mind.
How this human could make something like that, she didn't know. What she did know was that, for now, she needed to stay put and recuperate. If she needed to leave, then it would come to that. Until then, she needed to gather supplies and remain hidden in the shadows.
Until then, this was her home, and she'd just have to make the most of it. At the very least, she couldn't leave until she'd "borrowed" some more of those cookies. It was the one good thing she could hang onto.
She retrieved her bag and, for the first time in what felt like forever, hunkered down between a few secure looking wood blocks and drifted into a restful slumber.