Soren felt cotton-mouthed and nervous. Everything he just heard about needing to follow the Borrower rules to the letter filled him with an uneasy and sickening feeling. There was no way they could continue without being questioned or spotted interacting with Ashlynn.

After everything that happened, Soren did not want to just leave Ashlynn. She traveled all the way back just to make sure they were okay. She kept him and his family safe. Looking back, it was because of her that Soren was able to make a full recovery after his leg was broken by that mousetrap. Ashlynn even saved Rey’s life by talking to Grandma Susie and retrieving him from the glue trap in the trash can.

After all of this, she never asked for anything in return. It was not fair to her to vanish into the walls and never see her again. In a way, she was family too. 

On the other hand, what about the other Borrower families here? Was what Atlas said true? If they found out, would there be a mass migration? Would all of these families be uprooted?

It made Soren feel uneasy, but it was the only thing he could think to do.

He needed to tell them about Ashlynn.

If he kept it a secret and it was found out later, things could go very bad for him, his brothers, and, most importantly, for Mayzie. It would be better to have a discussion now and avoid something bad happening later.

Thankfully, there was a natural transition in the conversation as the children stood and began cleaning up. Tiron and Dorian seemed to be striking up a conversation just like Hero and Rey.

It was now or never.

Casper and Primrose stood to continue about their business when Soren stood abruptly and got their attention.

“Um… if you don’t mind, could I have a word with you? Possibly in someplace private?” asked Soren. His heart was pounding out of his chest. Every nerve felt electrified with nerves. Soren could feel Dorian and Rey’s eyes suddenly turn to look at him, and he only had enough heart to give them a quick reassuring nod as he glanced into their eyes.

“Of course,” said Casper, a look of curious concern in his eyes. Primrose nodded and followed behind as Casper led Soren into what he believed to be the parent’s bedroom.

Casper turned and shut the door behind them before turning to face Soren.

“You wanted a private word, and now you have it. Is everything alright?” asked Casper. Soren felt his pulse in his neck. He clenched and unclenched his fists a few times before speaking.

“Yes and no,” said Soren, keeping his voice low so his voice didn’t carry. “There is no easy way to say this, but I think you need to know this rather than find it out.”

“Oh goodness,” said Prim as she rubbed her thumb over a ring on her finger. “Is everything alright?”

“I hope it will be. I just need you to listen for a few minutes,” muttered Soren. “Look, we didn’t come from down the road and we didn’t come through the vents to get in. We came in through the front doors.”

“The front doors?” asked Casper quietly. Already, Soren could see in the father’s eyes that he was preparing himself for whatever Soren had to say next.

“Yes, the front doors. We’re from Region’s Park, hours away from here. Where we were living was going to be demolished and a friend came all the way out there, warned us, and helped us move here. We only just arrived today,” said Soren.

He watched a visible shiver overtake Prim while Casper stiffened, arms folding across his chest.

“This ‘friend’ you’re referring to?” asked Casper, his voice very much a deep, threatening growl.

“Her name is Ashlynn,” said Soren. “And she’s a human.”

Soren thought for a brief moment that Casper might actually pick him up and chuck him through the wall. Prim had to stifle a gasp as her eyes widened in horror.

“You’ve been seen?” asked Casper stiffly. “And you let her bring you here like some kind of house pet?” There was a bubbling rage boiling in Casper.

“That’s not how it is,” argued Soren. “She’s known about us for years. She came back to see if we were there because she was afraid we would be killed when our home was demolished.”

“Did you say years?” whispered Prim. She was very much on edge.

“I did,” said Soren, clearly seeing that he was already losing this uphill battle. “Listen. About eight years ago, there was an accident. My brothers’ father let them out of the walls without supervision and they were almost snapped by a mousetrap.”

“Set by the human, no doubt,” growled Casper.

“To be clear, Ashlynn was not the one who set the trap. It was another human who did that,” said Soren, not meaning to be confrontational. For a moment, Soren feared he lost them, which thankfully was not the case.

Casper exhaled slowly and asked, “Why were they unsupervised?”

“Their father was terrified of humans and was mentally out of it. I was really sick and feverish, but I needed to provide for them. I was setting some lines and came back to our camp to find them gone,” said Soren quickly.

“How terrifying,” breathed Prim. Soren nodded, making eye contact with her. He hoped with every fiber of his being he could get through to either of them at this point.

“I ran outside and found them by the mousetrap. I managed to push them out of the way, but I… I was sluggish and the trap snapped my left leg. I have the scars to prove it,” said Soren.

“So,” said Prim, obviously trying to keep herself calm. “That’s when the human found you?”

“No, that’s when I was left to die. Their father, Brady, left me exposed on the trap when he heard Ashlynn coming through the door. I was pinned and could have easily been killed or trapped or tormented; but I wasn’t,” said Soren. “Ashlynn helped me get better. She helped my fever break and set my leg.”

“That’s when you were captured? Influenced by this human?” asked Casper stiffly.

“No,” urged Soren. “She let me go.”

This statement alone made both Casper and Prim straighten up and look at one another in a mixture of uncertainty and concern.

“I thought I was captured,” continued Soren. “I fought to get away with my broken leg and she found me trying to escape into the walls. She practically watched me undo the wall cover and made no effort to stop me. She said ‘you’re welcome,’ and then walked away, which gave me enough time to get into the walls.”

“Where you reunited with your brothers?” asked Prim. Soren shook his head.

“No,” he sighed. “Their father had moved them and our camp somewhere else. It was a smart move, but I had nowhere to go. I went back and climbed up one of our lines to try and borrow some food from the breadbox, but I passed out on the counter, completely exposed, before I could get anything. I woke up hours later to her tending to my leg and making sure I was okay.”

“Undoubtedly because she was curious as all humans are about our kind,” muttered Casper.

“That is what was different about her. She listened to the ground rules I laid out and…”

“You spoke to the human too?” demanded Casper, still keeping his voice low.

“I talked in my sleep. You can do that if you have a high fever. I didn’t even know I had done it, but she knew things she couldn’t have known unless I said something,” said Soren, now sounding like he was pleading. In a way, he was pleading.

Casper, without warning, seized Soren by the collar and pulled him around to pin him against the wall. How quickly the older Borrower was able to move reflexively boggled Soren’s mind, but he dared not resist. Casper’s blue eyes bore into Soren’s hazel ones as if he were trying to glean any deception in his story.

There were several very harsh seconds of silence before Casper spoke again.

“Do you plan on telling the human where we are? How many of us live here? How do we know you’re not a pet sent to snatch the rest of us?” growled Casper. Prim was clasping her hand over her mouth to keep from yelping in surprise.

The father of five had a good point. Soren was just a stranger who would have been doing anything. For all Casper knew, Soren was planning to rat out the other Borrowers so he and his family would be protected and safe.

Soren steeled himself and continued to look into Casper’s eyes.

“No,” Soren said sternly. “I’m not a pet, and Ashlynn doesn’t see me or any of us like that. I don’t have to tell her anything because, and I’m being completely honest, she already suspected Borrowers were living in the building.”

There was a flash of worry which Soren instantly recognized in Casper and Primrose’s eyes.

“What did you say?” asked Prim. “She already knows? How?”

“I said she suspected there were Borrowers here. She didn’t know for sure. Ashlynn notices when little things go missing. When we were living together, she would leave things out or easy to undo on purpose. You’ve probably seen her before and borrowed from her,” said Soren.

“What apartment is she in?” asked Casper suspiciously.

“It’s the one on the end a floor or so up. I don’t know the numbers or anything because we just got here,” said Soren.

“Casper,” said Primrose. “I think I know which apartment he’s talking about. Remember what some of the others said? We went to go observe her a couple of times. You said it’s an apartment on the end, right? Does she have dark brown hair? About this long?”

Soren dared to glance away from Casper’s lethal gaze to see where Primrose was gesturing.

“Yes, that’s about right,” said Soren. Prim looked to Casper again.

“We were avoiding going to that apartment because we thought she was getting suspicious. It makes a lot more sense now,” said Prim. For a moment, Soren thought he had an ally in the matter. Still, Casper did not let go of his grip on Soren.

A few intense seconds passed and Soren wondered what Casper might do to him.

They needed to understand that they weren’t in danger with Ashlynn.

“Look, the point is that she listens to us. She let us go after my leg healed and never tried purposefully to see or catch us when we lived together. She saved my life and my family’s life a few times over at this point. We wouldn’t be here without her,” said Soren.

“You’re saying you trust her with your lives?” asked Prim. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“I trust her completely with my life,” said Soren firmly, trying to put every ounce of convincing power he possessed into his statements. Then, another thought occurred. He hoped it would pan out in his favor. “I’m trusting her now with my daughter.”

“You’re daughter?” growled Casper. “You would trust a human with your daughter’s life?”

“A daughter? How old?” asked Prim.

“Her name is Mayzie, and she’s almost nineteen months old,” said Soren. “Go and see for yourself.”

There was another tense silence. Soren continued to try and breathe regularly, but the adrenaline wracking his body.

“What would this ‘Ashlynn’ do if she encountered one of us? If you know her so well,” asked Prim.

“She wouldn’t do anything,” urged Soren. “She might see someone and completely ignore that you’re there or she might acknowledge you’re there and leave you alone.”

“And you’re telling us this, why?” asked Casper stiffly.

“Because I want to be honest. I don’t want to betray your trust by you finding out on your own. You’re important here and, sooner or later, you would’ve found out. You tell me which is better - being honest now or trying to explain later?” countered Soren. “I think keeping secrets gets people hurt or worse. Now that you know, you can warn others to either keep them away from the apartment or to be aware when they go in. I want a home for my family, and the last thing I want to do is destroy that for someone else.”

Casper and Prim gave a single glance to one another as they seemed to debate what needed to be done. Soren felt Casper’s hands ease slightly and the grip started to slacken.

“How much interaction do you intend to have with this human?” asked Casper.

“I don’t know,” replied Soren, earning him a stern glare from the middle-aged father. “I’m being honest. Ashlynn won’t actively come searching for us if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Are you certain?” asked Casper.

“Yes. There is no doubt in my mind. Ashlynn suspected Borrowers were living here and did nothing except maybe leave valuable borrowings out instead of putting them away,” said Soren.

Casper fully relinquished his grip on Soren and stepped over to the side with Primrose, who gently rubbed his arms and laid her cheek against his shoulder.

“Soren, you have to know this is a huge risk we’re taking,” said Primrose.

“I know,” emphasized Soren firmly. “And if there is anything I can do, all you need to do is tell me. I just want to keep my family safe like anyone else. If you want us to just borrow from her apartment and not bother anyone else, that’s fine. Keep to ourselves, alright. You could probably even keep watch and she would be okay with it.”

“For now,” interjected Casper. “We will tell others to avoid the apartment because of suspicious behavior. We’ll say we suspect someone may have been seen, but the human has done nothing as of now about the situation. If anything is said or things seem to be disruptive, we will deal with it then.”

Soren couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, sir, I swear…”

“Know this though, boy, if any harm comes to the people living here or my family, I am holding you personally responsible. Got it?”

“Yes sir,” said Soren. The room calmed for a moment before Soren nodded, thanked them again, and left the room, buzzing from the whole encounter.

He could only hope he made the right choice in telling them about Ashlynn.