Eleven's breath hitched at his cool words. She widened her eyes and shifted in her position. "You... You knew?"
"I've known since you were a little girl," he responded with an unsettling ease, causing her to gulp. "How did you come to know?" he questioned in return.
"Uh... Grandma Jean told me. She always wove it into her bedtime stories; it stopped once I began to grow. She must've thought I would forget," Eleven answered. "Is that why you took me in then? Because I was in danger?"
"Mm. It is the reason I took you in. You were indeed in danger," Eleven slowly nodded at his assertion.
"Is that why you're keeping me? Because I might still be in danger?"
"You are still in danger, but that is not the sole reason for my keeping you. I like you and your company," he replied earnestly, and Eleven felt her cheeks flush with warmth.
