Chapter Nine | Revealed
Soren's sleep was restless at best. He was never a deep sleeper, but over the years he'd learned to manage with his semi-broken sleep cycle. His work schedule also kept him on his toes. The mid-twenties man was more likely to be found napping than accepting a deep sleep. Rarely did he dream. Rarely did he feel fully rested. Between his younger brothers and his subconscious vigilance of the apartment they shared, Soren had honed his mind and body to accept the rest it received.
Last night was no different.
Soren woke up a few times throughout the night, believing he was hearing voices or the creak of a step down the hall. Once, he actually pushed himself out of bed and poked his head into his brothers' room to find them both asleep soundly. Some of their stuff from their bottom drawer was on the floor, but otherwise neither or them stirred.
One thing was certain though – something was off. Soren always had a sixth sense about him. It wasn't something that he could describe or define. It was like something in the back of his mind told him – warned him – that something was off. This sense served him well as a fire fighter, and as an older brother.
With it being four in the morning, Soren decided to ask the boys about it the moment they were awake. They would be up and about in a few hours anyway. He padded back through the apartment without making a sound and slipped back into his own bed, relishing the cool sheets and the solitude he finally regained after days of sick brothers interrupting his already broken sleep.
He did it lovingly – willingly – but it didn't stop him from enjoying those few peaceful moments he had to himself.
I'll just talk to them in the morning. Don't worry about it. Maybe they had a nightmare or don't want me to know they got sick in the middle of the night or something. Can't be anything crazy, right?
~~~^*^*^~~~
"Soren? Soren? Are you awake?
It felt like he'd barely closed his eyes before he began hearing the gentle, plushy voice of his youngest brother. His hot little hands grabbed onto Soren's arm, that much he was sure of. He didn't need to open his eyes to know which brother was currently grabbing his wrist.
Soren pried his groggy eyes open. He immediately spotted both boys standing in his room and, in an instant, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. It was his sixth sense. One look and he knew that something was off. The boys knew something and now were here to tell him. Whether it was a confession of guilt, a case of tattling, or simply a desire to hang out with him, the oldest brother didn't know.
What he did know was that he needed to be alert and aware for whatever these two had in store for him. Out of habit, Soren glanced down by their hands to see if there were pillows in their hands. They'd ambushed him before with a surprise pillow fight on multiple occasions.
Nothing.
He stifled a yawn and pushed himself up out of bed, blankets tumbling off of him like moss from a tumbling boulder. The realization that he'd taken off his shirt in the middle of the night only hit him now, and he quickly grabbed the crumpled cloth from beside his pillow and slipped it over his head.
"Okay you two, what is it?" he asked. Both boys shared a glance, telling Soren this was probably some kind of confession which both of them were guilty of, before looking back at their oldest sibling. Then, like one would see in a cartoon, both boys began speaking in tandem, bouncing off of one another's phrases as if rehearsed.
"Um… okay. So… last night something super duper weird happened," Dorian started explaining.
"Yeah! Super weird," chimed in Rey.
"And we didn't want to wake you up in the middle of the night."
"Well, Dorian didn't."
"Anyway, we found something in our room last night."
"Someone you mean."
"And…"
Soren's blood ran cold and all other words lost their meaning.
"Wait, someone was in your room last night?" Soren immediately bristled and glanced around for the key to his drawer. If there was an intruder in their home, they were about the pay dearly for it.
"No! No. Dorian, you're explaining it wrong," Rey chastised, but stopped abruptly when Soren shot him a warning look to keep explaining. "Okay, well. I heard something last night in our room and, when I looked, there was a girl standing on the bedside table. She sounded sick and almost fell off of the dresser, but Dorian caught her, but he might've broken her arm."
"Not on purpose!" Dorian interjected. "She was falling and I just grabbed her arm so she didn't fall."
"And you wouldn't believe it! She's like, this big!" Rey indicated with his hands that the size of this so-called girl was about as tall as Rey's hand. Soren was starting to question whether this was real or part of a dream when the two boys, like playful kittens, began prancing back toward their room and motioning for Soren to follow.
"Come on! We need to fix her," Dorian said.
"Yeah! Soren made us better, and he can fix her too," added Rey.
Soren sighed and wondered again if this was just part of some elaborate dream, but then he remembered something. When Soren poked his head into the boys' room the night before, their drawer had been turned out and all of its contents were on the floor.
There's… there's no way… right?
Soren found himself cautiously following behind his brothers as they flanked their bedside table. Both looked eager and concerned at their sibling, glancing between him and the drawer. The padding of Soren's bare feet on the ground suddenly felt like an avalanche, and every hair on the back of Soren's neck was standing on end.
He didn't need to look into the drawer to know something was in there – and it was alive.
He steeled himself before kneeling in front of the drawer and glancing at both boys, whose eyes begged him to see what they had discovered. Sixth sense sounding alarms in the back of his head, Soren grabbed the knobs and gingerly pulled out the drawer as slowly and carefully as possible.
What he saw made his thumping heart skip like a stone across the water. His breath hitched and every thought except for one silenced itself.
She's real.
Sure enough, the boys were not victims of their own imaginations. There was indeed someone in their room, and she was maybe four or so inches tall. Messy brown hair in a bun. Blue-gray eyes blown wide with fear. Arm clutched to her chest and features gaunt and sickly.
She looked at him, and he looked at her. There was no doubt in Soren's mind that she possessed sentient intelligence; but, based on the way she let her eyes glaze over and drift away from him, Soren intuited she was obviously terrified and trying to keep a low profile. Soren's keen gaze picked up on the subtle way her breathing came in nervous, shallow breaths and the way her eyes darted around now that they weren't looking at one another.
Holy smokes… she's terrified. And she's been in here all night?! Soren took a breath to calm his frustration and anger, forcing himself to remember his brothers were so much younger than him and, despite their mature moments, were still children with kid logic. They're seven and eight. They're seven and eight. They should know better, but they're seven and eight. Maybe I should've gotten them a guinea pig to take care of. Okay okay okay… Take a breath. We need to make this right.
Soren glanced at the faces of his brothers before looking back at the small woman and realizing the monumental task in front of them.
~~~^*^*^~~~
Ashlynn couldn't believe she'd fallen asleep. Panic. Illness. Pain. Confined and contained in the care of two small human boys and their dad who would undoubtedly locker her into a cage the moment he was awake.
Everything should've been enough to keep her awake.
I must've been more exhausted than I thought, Ashlynn thought silently. She'd hoped that she would rest for a short time before getting up and trying to make some kind of escape plan. Sadly, that didn't happen. Fragments of what happened the night before kept her body rigid and heart hammering a hole through her ribs. She added it to the list of things that were currently hurting.
Even though her ears felt clogged like she was under water, she tried listening to what was going on outside of the wooden prison she was confined in. Being in darkness let her eyes adjust to see the thin sliver of light along the top of the drawer, but it just that – a sliver. It wasn't even enough to slip her fingers into, and she certainly tried with her one good arm.
I'm not making it out of here. I can't. Not with this arm. Not like this.
Ashlynn felt emotion welling up in her throat. The hopelessness she'd managed to suppress the night before started to constrict her lung and salty tears pricked her eyes. It was by instinct alone that she discerned the thumping of feet against the ground followed by one set of much louder footsteps.
No. No. No. No! Now?
Ashlynn stumbled over the cup of water back onto the folded socks she'd used as a bed and huddled as close as she could to the grain of the wood. Never in her life had she wished more to be invisible, blending perfectly with her surroundings. Nothing could stop the sound of those footsteps coming toward her. It was like the deep chime of a church bell, tolling for her and her alone.
When the sound of the footsteps stopped, Ashlynn had only one breathless moment to steel her resolve to not talk to the humans. It was the last and only rule she could hope to adhere to now that she was caught.
The drawer sounded like the roar of tires above her head, making it throb harder, as it was pulled open. The sudden flooding of light made her wince and instinctually look up.
That was a mistake.
The moment she looked up, she was instantly captured by the pools of golden hazel eyes staring back at her. Even from this distance, she could make out every detail of Soren's face. The slight bit of morning shadow on his cheeks and chin. The flecks of light brown mixed in with his dark brown hair. Not even her blurring vision could stop her from noticing the way his eyes widened and pulse quicken as he stared at her.
Holy smokes! What do I do? What do I do? I messed up! I messed up! I shouldn't have looked at him! He'll know I can understand. He'll suspect it immediately! I have to do something. Look away! But slowly.
Ashlynn let her vision blur as she listlessly let her eyes drift away and down from the enormous human man crouching mere feet from her. She hoped it would be enough, but somehow knew it already wasn't. Her breathing shallowed. Her ribs ached from the constant thrum of her heart.
All she could register was her own breathing for several painfully quiet seconds. Why aren't they saying anything? Why isn't he saying anything? This is torture. Just do something already! Grab me. Shut me in here. Leave me alone. Say something. Anything! Don't just stare!
The silent pleas somehow spread through the air, saturating it with tension, as Soren cleared his throat and leaned away ever so slightly from the opening of the drawer.
"You two found her?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah, on the nightstand," Dorian replied.
"Technically I saw her first," Rey pointed out.
"Yeah, but I saved her from falling off of the edge," retorted Dorian.
"Yeah, and probably broke her arm too," argued Rey, who looked toward Soren. "When Dorian grabbed her arm, there was a little 'pop' and she screamed."
No! Please! Don't tell him that! Did I really scream? They know… they know I can make sounds. They'll put together I can talk in seconds! Tears began to burn Ashlynn's eyes, but only a single tear formed enough to roll down her cheek.
When she heard Soren sigh, a pit in her stomach began to churn and threaten to make her vomit again, but she couldn't have predicted what the older human was going to say next.
"Guys, you should've come to get me," said Soren, voice obviously measured as he looked between the two younger kids.
"But, we didn't want you to get sick. You were tired and…" Soren held up a finger and, immediately, Dorian stopped with his explanation.
"Guys, this isn't just some cute little mouse that you want to help. This is a person. A real person, and she deserves to be treated like one," Soren scolded. It was obvious he was keeping his tone even and calm, though his words instantly cut the boys to the quick. "She's obviously not feeling well and now she's hurt. She's been suffering all night when we could've been helping her."
Ashlynn felt her jaw dropping as she watched the boys' shoulders slump and heads hang. The words Soren was using – she, real person, suffering – almost made her believe that he was actually seeing her like one of them – a human.
That… wait… what? He's… talking about me like… I'm not different than them. No! It's a trick! It has to be!
"But…"
"No buts, Dorian. And none from you either Rey. Think about it for a second. If you were small like her and you were sick and hurt, how would it make you feel to be shoved in a drawer all night long?" asked Soren. He glanced from brother to brother and noticed their eyes glossing over. They were obviously upset, both at Soren's scolding and with themselves.
"We… we gave her food and water," sniffled Dorian.
"And that's all well and good, but she's also sick and hurt. Every minute we wait to fix her arm could be causing more damage if it really is broken. What if she can't use her arm because we didn't get it mended in time?" asked Soren.
Excuse me… what?! Is that… Is that actually a thing? Ashlynn clutched her pulsing arm closer, noticing how it twinged and ached more than last time. She began trying to clench her fist and found it more difficult than before. The aching intensified into a tingling, jabbing pain. She was so focused on evaluating her own arm that Ashlynn didn't notice how Soren's eyes flicked past his brothers and down to her, catching a glimpse of her reaction.
Soren couldn't think about the small person's movements now. He needed to finish talking to his brothers and then start working on their hand sized house guest.
"Guys, I know your hearts were in the right place, but you can always come get me. If you're getting sick, come to me. If you feel scared from a dream, come get me. If you find someone the size of your hand in your rooms, come get me. That's what I'm here for, okay? It will never bother me," said Soren.
Both Dorian and Rey wiped their eyes with the back of their hands, chapped noses turning red and running ever so slightly. Ashlynn couldn't believe what was happening. The boys, with a few stern words and some simple examples, were beginning to cry.
"I'm sorry Soren," muttered Rey.
"I'm so… sorry too," Dorian sniffled. "I thought we were doing the right thing. I d-didn't mean to hurt her."
"Yeah, me too. I'm sorry."
"Well, I'm not the one who you should be saying sorry to, but thank you. Now, I need to see what I can do for our little friend here. In the meantime, you two need to think about a proper apology for her. Okay?" asked Soren. The two boys nodded, their pale blue eyes glancing back at Ashlynn, which made her curl in on herself. She wasn't sure, but her body was shaking either from the sickness or nerves.
"Now, let me grab the drawer here and then I'll be in the kitchen in a bit. Okay?" stated Soren. The boys parted, giving Soren enough room to grab either side of the drawer. Ashlynn watched as looming arms cast shadows long and wide across the base of the wooden box and over her. There was a massive jostle from all sides and, with one swift and nauseating motion, Soren had removed the drawer from the bedside table and had stood with it.
Ashlynn didn't need to see out of the box to feel the thunderous footsteps all around her as the box she was in was carried from one room to the next. The subtle swaying was enough to make her nausea choke the back of her throat to the point where Ashlynn forced herself to stifle the gagging she so desperately needed. She couldn't see where they were going. She didn't want to know. All she wanted now was to run back to the walls and hide.
She curled in on herself, unaware that the drawer she was in had stopped moving, as her vision blurred, lids heavy with exhaustion. The thought of eating and drinking had lost all appeal, and it felt like there was no adrenaline was left in her system to jumpstart any movement. Escape seemed like a distant desire, leaving her with the one hope that she'd be left alone to tend to her arm.
No discernable thought made its way to the surface until she heard Soren say, "Hey there, little miss. You're going to be okay." It was involuntary, but Ashlynn's eyes had opened and flicked up to Soren with a flash of indignation before she could even stop herself. The human man's eyes filled with a mixture of hurt, surprise, and yet understanding at the same time. As if she'd said something, he continued.
"I know. It seems hard to believe, but I promise I'll keep you safe. Now, first things first, I need to get some stuff to take a look at that arm. The boys said they thought you might be hurt, so we'll take care of that. Okay?" asked Soren.
No. Not okay. Just leave me alone. Haven't you three done enough?
The floor creaked, making Ashlynn look up as she began to embrace her fate when, to her surprise, Soren turned and walked away out of sight and out of the room. For several seconds, Ashlynn stayed curled in a ball on her makeshift cot made of socks while she listened for the human man to return with whatever he was going to retrieve. Then, a thought occurred to her.
If he comes back with a cage or something else to keep me here, I'm not getting out of here. I need to get out of here. Maybe my arm isn't as bad as I think. Maybe it's just bruised and he's playing it up. Ashlynn doubted her own inner monologue, but she kept going. I need to get out of here. Right now, I need to leave. If it's the last thing I do, I need to go out fighting. What would my parents think? What would my… brother… think?
Ashlynn clenched her jaw and, summoning what little energy she still possessed, shoved her body to its feet.
I'm a Borrower, not some pet; and I am getting out of here.