Terse Table Talk

Chapter Twenty-Three | Terse Table Talk

Kers heard the voices extinguish like a snuffed candle as soon as the call of, "hello?" left his lips. There was a slight shuffle of light souled shoes. A few hushed whispers Kers couldn't make out but guessed it had something to do with protection and curiosity.

He decided to call out again.

This was one thing he hated about meeting new Borrowers – the apprehension and fear of whether they were kind or evil. Too many times his encounters ended up with the later rather than the former.

Images flashed in front of Kers' eyes of memories long passed. It was quick, but just enough to set Kers on edge as he spoke up again.

"Hello? Listen, I don't mean to intrude. My name is Kers. I just moved here with the human. If you don't want me around, I'll go somewhere else. You won't even know I'm here. I just wanted to explore the walls and set up a good place to stay. From one Borrower to another, any help is appreciated."

The words he spoke were words Kers heard his brothers say countless times when they moved around as kids. Just saying it made his throat constrict, but he would muddle through that later.

The silence that followed was deafening and thick with unease. It put the Borrower on edge to the point he reached for the pin on his side. The only hesitation came when a masculine voice, smooth and aged, answered.

"You alone?"

Kers breathed a relative sigh of relief, but he was far from being in the clear yet. It was a start though.

"Yes, I am," he replied as he thought of Parker, a topic he decided was not good to bring up right at this moment.

Another pause.

Then, emerging from the corner, was who Kers assumed was the father. He had thick facial hair but a thinning hair line, both speckled with blond and silver hair. The Borrower had fierce eyes that absorbed the light coming from the light that was on the end of his walking stick. He had his staff light held out defensively and quickly evaluated Kers. Whatever this Borrower had seen in his life, he obviously was a quick reader when it came to character.

It took a few moments before he retracted his staff.

"New arrival, you say?" he asked gruffly. Kers nodded.

"Yeah. Haven't even been here twenty minutes," replied Kers.

"From where?"

"Electrical outlet in the living room. Don't worry. I put it back."

"And the human? Does she know about you?"

Kers had to think about the Borrower's question for a moment. The truthful answer was yes and no, seeing that Amanda knew about Parker; but, that wasn't the question.

"No, she doesn't know about me. I've been around her for four years. I can share what I know. Patterns. Organization. Schedule," offered Kers.

The Borrower's eyes narrowed as he evaluated Kers' offer. He actually reached up and stroked at his silver streaked beard as he considered the possibilities in front of him.

"In exchange for?" he asked after several more tense seconds.

"Nothing. Just one Borrower being friendly to another," stated Kers. "Though if you have an idea of where would be good for me to set up camp to not be in your way or space, I'd appreciate it."

The offer of nothing obviously raised the Borrower's suspicions, but followed up with a suggestion of where to live seemed to, at the very least, amuse him. He nodded and, after a moment, extended his hand for Kers to shake, which he did gladly.

"Well, I think we can agree to those terms. I can tell a liar when I hear one, and that's not you, but don't try anything. Got it?"

"Yeah, absolutely," agreed Kers. With a stiff nod, the Borrower stepped to the side and gave a little gesture for Kers to follow along. It took everything in him for Kers to keep from resting his hand on his stay pin sword and his thumbtack dagger as he followed the other Borrower. He also didn't dare ask anything too personal. This guy seemed like the type to provide essential information when the time was right.

They rounded the corner and Kers instantly spotted three other Borrowers in varying ages. The oldest was obviously late teens and shared many features with his father including those light absorbing eyes and blonde hair. The middle child was a girl who looked, to Kers, to be just a little younger or about the same age as Parker. She had dark brown hair and the same coal black eyes as her older brother. Then there was the youngest boy among them, a dark haired blue-eyed boy who was maybe eight or nine years old.

"Kids, this is Kers. My oldest, Finnick, my daughter, Sprokit, and my youngest son, Reed," introduced the Borrower. "I'm Toulouse."

"Nice to meet all of you," Kers said. His insides churned nervously as he glanced at the piercing eyes of Toulouse's children. All of them seemed to have the same ability their father had in seeing straight through someone. Perhaps it was just the color of the two eldest children's eyes, but Kers felt like the secret of Parker would not remain so for long.

"Well, our plan was to go out and show Reed the ropes of running outside the walls, but gathering intel on this new human might be better," pointed out Finnick, whose hand was also resting on what looked like a razor blade dagger at his hip.

"My thoughts exactly," replied Toulouse. Reed was obviously crushed. His shoulders slumped and his features fell, but he didn't say anything in objection. Kers didn't know if it was because Reed wanted to behave himself and be rewarded with time outside of the walls or if he was a bit shy around strangers.

Whatever the case, Finnick gestured for Kers to follow, and so he did.

The five of them trekked through the walls, Reed stomping up the stairs from time to time to demonstrate his frustration in getting his wall trip cut short, while Toulouse followed behind. Kers almost felt like he was surrounded and being escorted to some kind of holding facility like how they did in the movies.

Kers had that privilege of watching a few movies from front to finish without Amanda and Parker noticing, and this felt like one of those movie scenes.

Up the walls. Across beams. Down some wires and then back up again.

Eventually, they made it to a section of wall that was very clearly part of the attic crawl space. It was a spot that was either segmented off from the main house or in a space that could never be reached by the residents of the house. Whatever the case, the house was made of sturdy cardboard and wood.

The windows were aglow with warm light, most likely from more fairy lights, and there was a smell of something in the air coming from the kitchen. Inside, Kers could hear someone singing softly along with coos and young giggles.

"Don't forget to take off your shoes when you go in. Mom hates dirt in the house," said the girl.

"Oh, right. Thanks. Sprokit, was it?" asked Kers. The girl huffed slightly as she pried off her borrowing boots and began unstrapping her gear.

"I go by Kit, actually. Dad just prefers full names for introductions," replied Kit.

"Oh. Right. Sorry. I'll remember that," apologized Kers.

"Don't be rude, sis," mumbled Reed.

"You mind your business," Kit shot back.

One look from their father silenced their bickering as they retreated into the house. Kers noticed that none of them removed their various blades and pins as they went into the house.

Smart. They don't trust me and are staying safe. Guess I'll do the same.

Kers removed his shoes and walked further into the house as he heard who he presumed was the mother and wife to Toulouse address the kids. Her voice was as sweet as her singing.

"Hey there. Back so soon? Did something happen? Or did you all find what you were looking for that quick?" she asked.

"We have a guest," Kers heard Kit say. There was a distinct inhalation before the conversation continued.

"Ah. I see. Well… I guess I need to set another bowl on the table," she replied.

Kers glanced around the living area and caught a glimpse of the kitchen.

The place was pristine. The crochet blankets were neatly piled in the corner of the room. There was a table made of what looked like glued together playing cards and shelves made of popsicle sticks. It made where Kers used to live look like a hovel.

Still, they probably never had to move in their lives. Or, at least, they haven't had the need to move in a while.

Lucky.

"Hi!" Kers snapped too when he felt a tug at his hip from another little Borrower child. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and a smile that stretched as wide as a jumbo rubber band. "Hi!" She must've been four or five years old by Kers' estimates.

Stunned, Kers could barely manage his own, "Hello," before spotting the baby girl's mother. She had dark brown hair and blue eyes that were pale like glacier ice. She was wearing a skirt that fell just below her knees and an apron of sorts with various tools and threads spilling off of it.

What really caught Kers' eyes, however, was what he noticed when she walked over to snag the Borrower child. She walked with a severe limp and the leg that poked out from under the skirt wasn't real. It was fake.

A prosthetic – and it looked well made.

"Dove! So sorry about that," she smiled. Kers shook his head and smiled as he looked into the woman's features. There was so much life in her eyes, like she couldn't be deterred from anything she set her mind to.

"No. Don't worry about it. No harm or anything," said Kers. "I'm Kers. Just moved in when I met the rest of your family."

"Barely arrived," said Toulouse as he entered the kitchen and leaned over to kiss his wife and take the baby, Dove, from her arms. "His pack is by the door."

"Wow! So, you must've arrived with the new human. Yeah? The other family was here yesterday moving things around and then they were gone. Now we have a new human.

"I didn't think humans could move so quickly. Then again, they have all of those tools and everything. Good for us. There won't be any gap in borrowing," she smiled. A thought must've dawned on her because she immediately wiped her hands on her apron and held out her hand for Kers. "Sorry. I'm Mira."

"Nice to meet you." The two of them shook hands before her husband cleared his throat.

"What do you need to finish lunch?" asked Toulouse. Mira gestured to the table and the stove, which looked like part of a heating element that was hooked up to electricity.

"Just your bums in the chairs and the pot on the table. I hope you don't mind potato soup. I thought we were going to have to start rationing, so I went ahead and made a big batch to start storing," Mira replied. "Here. I'll get-"

"I've got it, mom," said Finnick as he hoisted the pot off of the stove and set it onto the table, making sure to put it on the cloth fragment to keep from burning the table. Mira smiled and nodded as she maneuvered the youngest from one hip to the next with the smallest wince before carrying her over to the table, the rhythm of her walk showing she had experience walking with a child on her hip.

Before he knew it, Kers was sitting down at the table across from the oldest boy and beside the youngest with Toulouse immediately to his left. There was a warm bowl of soup in front of him and conversation all around.

Never before had he experienced anything like this.

A lump formed somewhere in his throat. More images flashed in front of his mind of days gone by.

Had he really been alone for so long?

"So, Kers," said Mira as she wiped up her daughter's face once again. "Tell us a bit about your travels. Have you always lived around this new human downstairs? Or was this a recent development?"

Just as if someone had snapped their fingers, Kers was out of his trance and in the moment once again.

"Um… I… well… I mostly moved around except for the past four years, which is when I started living in Amanda's building. That's the name of the human woman downstairs," said Kers. "As for my travels… well… there's nothing really to tell. Lived as an Outie for most of it, but lived as an Innie when I could."

"An Outie? You mean you lived outside in the elements with the wild animals and everything?" asked the youngest, Reed. His eyes were bright with curiosity and also filled with the innocence of never being truly afraid in his life. Kers didn't want to scare the kid but nodded simply to be polite.

Already, this was more words than he would say in a year, and he was feeling burned out from conversation. Still, he endured the further onslaught as all of the children as well as their parents asked question after question.

How long had he lived on his own?

What were his skills?

Would he be interested in helping ward off some animals trying to get into the baseboards?

Where was he thinking about setting up?

What kind of things did he need to get started?

What really started to make Kers nervous was when they began to ask about the human and her habits.

He told them everything. He told them she worked from home a lot but slept soundly through the night and generally kept to herself when she was home. The Borrower went into all of the details he could when it came to how she liked to put things into drawers and the things she would notice going missing.

"This is really good, dad," Finnick said as he helped clear away the dishes. "We'll be able to get everything timed to the second. It's even better because she doesn't have any kids."

Kers felt his insides twist, making acid build in the back of his throat. It was like walking on pins and needles. Kers knew he needed to discuss this as soon as possible, but it didn't stop the impending dread. Before things went any further, Kers decided to speak up.

With no real plan of attack, he took a breath and dared to begin the impossible conversation.

"Actually… she does have a kid."

The family glanced around at him curiously before continuing their dinner clean-up.

"Well, that's unfortunate," muttered Toulouse. "Thought we'd get a break after the last family left. No matter. We'll be no worse for wear. We'll just…"

"Actually," interrupted Kers. "There's… something about the kid that… is going to be a bit hard for you to hear."

The room quieted as all eyes fell on Kers. It made him feel like bugs were crawling all over his skin. He hated attention, even as a child, and this was his ultimate nightmare. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he continued.

"The kid's name is Parker. He's a really sweet kid, but he's a little different; especially from Amanda." This was it. The moment of truth. "Because he's a Borrower."

It felt like someone set electricity into the air, charging it and making everyone's hair stand on end. Everyone's eyes widened to the size of human dinner plates. Expressions varied from confusion to disturbed horror and anger. It was a scene of complete and utter mortification, and Kers knew the bombardment from earlier would be nothing compared to what was in store for him.

Toulouse was on his feet in the blink of an eye as the kids retreated several steps away from the table.

"What do you mean? She… captured him?" asked Mira. Kers shook his head and took a visible breath in hopes it would deescalate the situation.

"No, I don't think so. I honestly think that she found him and has been taking care of him for all of his life," replied Kers. "I want to tell y-"

"You mean to tell me a human has been keeping a Borrower hostage and you've just watched for four years?" growled Toulouse.

"Dad… do you think he's her pet too?" hissed Finnick as his hand now rested obviously on his hip dagger, ready to draw in an instant. The afternoon had turned from a pleasant one to one of utter chaos in a matter of seconds.

This was bad.

Kers knew he had to rise to his own defense and provide some kind of explanation. He cursed himself for not being as eloquent as his eldest brother. He continued to sit and shook his head as he said, "I'm no pet, boy. You would do well to remember that. And I can tell you I've wrestled with this from the first day I found them together. I'll tell you if you're willing to hear me out."

The family exchanged wary glances, so Kers continued in a rapid word vomit that put teenage gossipers to shame. 

"I was moving in the middle of winter from the home I was previously in. I thought I might've been seen and kept to the Borrower code of staying on the move. I saw them playing in the snow outside and began planning a rescue mission immediately.

"When I made it to their home, I saw them sitting together watching a movie just like any other parent and child I had seen in previous homes. She made sure he had food and they even read together that night. I had no supplies and no way to take care of him, and Parker didn't seem like he was in any danger.

"I decided to get enough supplies to survive and then I would rescue him, but the more I watched the more I realized this kid had no idea that he was a Borrower and was happy living with his adopted mother. I've been watching ever since to make sure he was alright, keeping to the shadows and being ready if anything should happen."

Kers realized how difficult it must be to hear and understand everything he was saying. He wasn't even sure half of his words made sense. It wasn't until he paused to take a breath that his brain registered the changing expressions on everyone's faces.

"So… you don't think… he knows he's a Borrower?" asked Mira. "You don't think that this human took him from his parents, do you?"

"No, I… I don't think so. I hope not. She doesn't seem like the type to…"

"To what?" interjected Finnick. "Abduct Borrower children? Keep them like pets? Pampering and feeding and taking them out for walks?"

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Kit spat as she boldly pulled her blade from her side. Both parents shot their daughter a warning glance before turning back to Kers.

"Well?"

"I didn't have to tell you any of this, but I did," concluded Kers. "I'm telling you because I have a plan in place to talk to the kid and to Amanda."

"You plan on telling the human about us!" roared Finnick, also drawing his blade. Kers' heart was in his throat. He knew this wasn't going to go well no matter what he did, and now he had disturbed this family's peace. Guilt ridden, Kers shook his head and let his shoulders slump.

"No, I'm not; and Amanda already knows, she just doesn't know much. All she understands is that there was a small boy no bigger than his fingers that needed her help and she gave it. She doesn't know about Borrowers; and, if she did, Parker might've gone venturing into the walls to find more Borrowers – to find me. He would be asking questions," insisted Kers.

"So, you do plan on talking to the human?" asked Mira. Kers bit his lip and nodded mechanically.

"Trust me. I'm not looking forward to it, but it needs to be done. The only one she's going to know about is me, and it's only for Parker's benefit," insisted Kers. "I swear I will not tell Amanda about any of you or your family. The only one at risk here is me."

No one in the family looked reassured.

"What if we don't believe you?" asked Toulouse. Kers sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not asking you to. What I am asking for is time. I plan on talking to Amanda once they've moved in," said Kers. "I swear I will keep your family safe. If I had known there were going to be others living here, I would've talked to them long ago. That was my mistake."

Toulouse looked to Kers and then to the rest of his family. With a wary eye and a threatening stare, Toulouse gestured to the door. It made Kers' heart sink into his shoes.

"I think you'd better leave; and I swear if you put my family in danger, you will live to regret it." The oath of a father's protection was a strong one, and Kers knew it.

"I won't put any of you in danger, you have my word. I'll keep to the floorboards beneath the kitchen if that's alright," said Kers.

"It is fine," said Toulouse.

Kers knew the time for words was gone. He stood and carefully walked back toward the door, snagging his belongings on his way out.

It was far from how he wanted his first introduction to go, but it was necessary he talk to them about this right off the bat. Kers couldn't imagine what their reaction would have been if they found Parker all on their own.

Defeat was only one of many words expressing Kers' emotions as he hoisted his bag onto his shoulders once more and headed out of the front door. If there was more evidence needed for him to have an honest conversation with Amanda, now would be the time. Heart heavy, he headed for the space beneath the kitchen to set down his things and, hopefully, find the words he needed to use to talk to Amanda.

~~~^*^*^~~~

Meanwhile, in the home, the Borrower family was a flurry of emotions. None of them knew whether Kers was being truthful or if they were in danger. Immediately, their father ordered them to prepare a few go bags with essentials.

While they knew running here and now would be the best option for them, they also were reluctant to leave their home so readily when Kers could have been telling the truth.

They would be ready.

They were prepared.

Nothing was going to happen; at least they hoped.

Kit, however, was very vocal about her thoughts on the matter.

"Dad, we can't just leave him! He's one of us! He's a Borrower, and he's been taken. We need to rescue him!" insisted the teen.

"Kit, we can't risk going down there now. If Kers has a trap planned with the human and it involves that boy, we need to stay as far away from both of them as possible." Toulouse sighed and leaned heavily against the char at the kitchen table. "I was such a fool to invite in a stranger so quickly."

Mira stepped up beside her husband and rubbed his back with sympathetic affection.

"You didn't know, love," she said.

"Mom! We can't just leave him," argued Kit.

"We have to wait and see what's going to happen. I know it's hard, but we can't go down there without a plan," Mira said. Frustrated, Kit stormed off to her room. Finnick and Reed, who were nearby, looked at their parents anxiously.

"So, we're just going to leave him? If we need to run?" asked Finnick. Both parent shook their head.

"No, we won't leave him if it can be helped. We just need time to figure this thing out first. We can't act rashly. We need to find out if Kers is telling the truth and whether this boy is in danger or not," replied Toulouse.

Silently, he hoped his certainty came of as confidence despite how he actually felt. Both Borrower parents couldn't imagine having any of their children taken by a human. They also couldn't imagine what it was like for Parker growing up with a human, if that was what really had happened.

In all reality, they were unsure of whether they could help the Borrower boy Kers spoke of and doubted they would be able to stay in their home in the days to come.

Still, they held out hope.

And little did they know that their plans weren't the only ones in affect.