Make It Right

Chapter Thirty | Make It Right

Kers stood shoulder to shoulder with the other members of the family as they stared down into the kitchen from the safety of the loosened light fixtures and the slightly ajar smoke alarm.

They heard everything.

They knew everything.

Parker had run away, and Amanda was quickly spiraling in desperation trying to find out where he was. The little Borrower teen had obviously been overwhelmed and, for one reason or another, had left the safety of the house and had gone somewhere else.

Of course they hadn't had a thorough search of the house, so he could still be hiding inside somewhere in the crawl space or in another part of the attic. It was doubtful though. If the teen was going somewhere, he would have probably made his way back to the family to hide out there. He knew the way there and back after all.

From where they were, the family witnessed everything. They watched Amanda prepare breakfast and wait around for Parker. They heard her crying out for him and turning the house upside down trying to find him. They heard her sobbing and watched her collapse into her chair and onto the floor.

What made it more unnerving was that Amanda spoke directly to them.

"Um… h-h-hello? Hello? My name is Amanda. I… I know you're there. Please, my son… Parker…." She was choking on practically every word, but she obviously forced herself to continue. It made everyone flinch, preparing to dart into the walls for cover if she happened to spot them.

"I… just want to know if he's safe. Is Parker there? Is he with you? Look… I… I know what it must've looked like, but I swear that I only have Parker's best interest at heart. He's my son. It… it doesn't matter to me if he's a… Borrower. I love him. If… if he wants to stay with you…

"Please… I just want to know he's safe. I saw this letter on his bed about finding the truth. I… I don't know if he's with you or if he's run away. I just want to know he's safe. Please! Do you know where he is? Is he okay? I just want to know he's safe. That's all. Please… Please! I just want to find my son. I just want to apologize to him. I… I didn't get to say goodbye. Please, if he's with you… please… just give me that?"

It was the plea of a parent who loved their child.

It was hauntingly similar to the things Kers heard before during his times living outside in the wilderness. Too many times there was no "last goodbye." Too many times Borrowers would vanish into thin air or dragged away by some monstrosity or another.

The whole thing made him shudder.

The desperation.

The anguish.

The undeniable emotion.

The family to his left and right continued to whisper amongst themselves as they tried to process everything that was going on.

"Do you think she saw us?" hissed Kit.

"There's no way," replied Finnick.

"Shhh… if she hasn't heard us or spotted us, she might if she hears us now," stated Toulouse.

"Are we going to have to move?" asked Reed as he looked up at his mom, who was holding his youngest sister.

"I… I don't know. I hope not, but we'd best get our packs ready just in case."

"Why would he leave? Why would Parker do something as stupid as run away? Are we sure he's not just hiding somewhere in the house?" asked Kit.

"Gee… I don't know, Kit. Why would someone do something as stupid as go and reveal themselves to someone without gathering more information first?" shot back Finnick.

"Shut up! I was trying to help!"

"Shush! Both of you! Stop bickering. We don't know anything at this point," Toulouse sighed. "Right now, we have to assume Amanda's going to start tearing down the walls to find Parker."

Enough was enough. He had made a promise to himself that he would help keep Parker safe. He had failed, and now the consequences were upon him. Parker was missing and it was all completely preventable.

It would have been easy to say if he had done this or if he had done that then Parker would be safe and sound in his bed being an average teenager. It would have been so very easy, but that wasn't what happened.

They were here. This whole situation was of all of their making – Kers, Amanda, and the kids of the family – and now it was time for Kers to swallow his fear and do something.

He clenched his jaw, knowing what he was about to do, and pushed himself away from the opening. The path was a long one and he needed to get a move on if he was going to keep his cool. There was plenty of time for him to talk himself out of what he was about to do.

When he turned around, however, Kit and the others turned around to watch him leave.

"What do you think you're doing? Where are you going?" hissed Kit as she lunged forward and seized Kers' arm. The other Borrowers nodded in agreement as they looked at Kers in the same horrified, confused expression Kit had on her face.

"I can't just let her talk to herself down there worrying to death that her son might've been abducted by us," argued Kers. "I'm going down there to talk to her."

Everyone's eyes widened as big as human saucer plates, all saying at once, "You can't! The rules! You'll be caught!"

Kers, rarely brought to anger, turned on the family of six and felt himself bristle.

"I told you that boy was fine, and you took it upon yourselves to destroy his reality overnight when he wasn't ready. He was starting to ask the right questions and I told you you shouldn't interfere. Now his mom is panicked and he's missing," Kers growled. "If you had listened, we might not be in this mess."

"He's a Borrower! He needed to be with us and not out there playing pet!" Kit countered.

"He wasn't a pet. He's her son. And if you don't want the walls and floors to go up, you'll let me go and won't stop me," argued Kers. "Because, as far as she knows, we're keeping Parker against his will. She loves him and…"

"And taking him for her own amusement is no way to treat him," Kit interrupted. "She probably stole him from his parents after poisoning them or something."

At this, Kers grinned as he remembered something. He actually found himself chuckling at the irony of what just popped in his mind. It was something they said to Parker when he was in the family kitchen getting his life turned upside down.

"She didn't steal him. She borrowed him. There's a difference," stated Kers. He tugged his arm free and continued heading toward the secure line he made leading down into the living room. His heart was beating a hole straight through him, but the weight of everything that transpired was already beginning to ease.

This was the right thing to do.

This needed to be done.

The path down usually felt like a long one, but Kers suddenly found himself standing in front of the electrical cover that led to the kitchen counter. He was there far faster than he anticipated, and sadly the words he wanted to say hadn't come to him. On the other hand, he had the last four or so years to come up with the right words and hadn't managed it yet.

It was now or never. Kers could only hope that the words would come to him, and that Amanda would see reason. Kers had no additional supplies on him except for his daggers, a climbing hook, and a little water. It was hardly a stellar list if he were to be captured, but he knew he wouldn't be; at least, he hoped he wouldn't be.

Do it.

Help her.

You owe her that much.

He reached out with trembling fingers and unlatched the electrical cover. Every instinct screamed at him to run back to the safety of the walls as he loudly opened and closed the electrical cover he used to get into the kitchen.

His muscles shook and threatened to override his will and retreat back into the walls, but he stood firm. With borrowed confidence he got from somewhere he couldn't begin to name, Kers strode across the counter and stood firm as he looked out across the vertigo inducing kitchen and the human who was already way too close for comfort.

The sight was pitiful. Usually the sight of a human was terrifying, but now almost felt like the exception. Amanda looked broken and moments away from completely crumpling in a heap. She was leaning against the kitchen island away from Kers and, at the moment, she hadn't noticed him.

It was the biggest leap of faith Kers had taken in his life. He inhaled one last shuddering breath before daring to clear his throat.

~~~^*^*^~~~

Amanda's eyes burned like a desert fire. Never had she had a headache like this in her life. Everything hurt, and there was nothing she could do. Three hours of crying came at a price, but Amanda knew she would gladly pay it if she could just find out where Parker was.

She knew she should've said something sooner.

She knew she could've done so much differently, but hindsight was twenty twenty.

There were a million ways this could have gone, and this was what it was. If it was Hell, then it was of her own making – and Amanda knew it.

Still, she would give anything and everything to make it right.

Head pounding with every aching heartbeat, Amanda stumbled to the kitchen sink and ran some cold water over her wrists before taking a few mouthfuls of the frigid water. It barely quenched her thirst, but it was a step in the right direction. Amanda knew wallowing in sadness wouldn't bring Parker back. It wouldn't even help her feel better. It was just what her body decided to do to react to everything around her.

There was a hopeless part of her that could only assume her pleas earlier had gone unanswered. Parker had said there were others in the walls, but it was more and more apparent none of them were ready to help her.

Amanda's mind spiraled as she collapsed against the sink, another bout of sobs threatening to overtake her. Her knees were shaking like leaves in a hurricane, yet she somehow managed to stay standing while propped up against the granite surface.

My boy.

My precious boy.

Where'd you go?

Are you safe?

It was right then that Amanda heard something so soft she almost missed it as her inner voice attempted to drown out all of her senses.

It sounded like a "clack" followed by another softer clacking sound. What was more unnerving was it sounded like it was right behind her. Confusion added to the foggy clouds in Amanda's mind as she instinctually turned toward the sound behind her.

That's when she heard it.

A cough.

Her heart leapt into her throat, and she spun around, desperately hoping it was Parker. That's when she saw him. It wasn't Parker, but it was someone just as big as him.

A Borrower.

He was standing out on the counter halfway between the wall and the very edge. The Borrower looked to be athletically inclined, muscles noticeably tone and sharp even at this distance under his ill fitting clothes. There was a pack on his back as well as a thumbtack and stay pin on his hips, both of which his hands rested on in casual preparedness. His face was slightly sallow, but his blue eyes held undeniable zeal and desire for life – a survival instinct that would not be denied.

The Borrower's hair, a dark and shaggy brown, had been tied into a kind of bun using thread to keep it in a form of top knot. There was an obvious scar on his cheek, though there was no telling how he got it.

Though he portrayed undeniable confidence, the same could be said for his raw apprehension.

He was uncomfortable. It was obvious and he was trying not to be.

Amanda, so taken aback, stumbled backward and nearly fell to the ground when she hit the island counter behind her. The sound alone made the lone figure jump and retreat two steps before visibly swallowing hard and approaching the edge again.

Then, in a clear and concise voice, he said, "Hello, Amanda. I… think it's about time we talked."

Kers was shaking from head to toe. Determination filled him, but his body's physical response could not deny he was terrified of what he was currently doing. As he looked into Amanda's immense eyes, the words of the other Borrower family felt all too true.

If Amanda wanted to trap him in a cage or maime him to keep him from leaving, there was little to nothing he could do. Kers knew it. It was his worst nightmare.

He also knew Amanda and her son. He knew how she interacted with him and knew very well that Amanda would never do anything to hurt the small Borrower boy. It was a testament to her maternal instincts.

That being said, Kers wasn't sure how she would react to someone who she thought might've taken her child. For all he knew, she would end him on the spot. The Borrower's instincts told him otherwise, but just the possibility made him shake in his borrowing boots.

He could only hope Amanda saw his olive branch of information as a boon and would take that into consideration should she turn to more violent tendencies.

Speaking was never one of Kers' strong suits, and now was no exception; however, it was necessary. Even thought facing a hundred hungry cats was more appealing than standing out here on the counter in front of a human, Kers stood there anyway.

Her eyes were on him.

His eyes were on her.

As Amanda obviously processed the information in front of her, she still managed to muster a single question which would undoubtedly further their interaction.

"You… are you… Kers?"

Hearing his name uttered by human lips set Kers' nerves on edge. Every instinct in him screamed to flee back into the walls and abandon this futile mission. It wasn't like he had something to tell her. He didn't know where Parker was.

But it wasn't the decent thing to do.

He was better than that.

Bigger than that.

Stiffly, he swallowed his apprehension again and nodded, managing a dry, "Yes," as his throat constricted, choking out any other words that might've come out at that moment.

Instantly, he saw Amanda's features flood with anxious hope as she continued to prop herself up onto the counter opposite him.

"You… live in the walls? You talked to Parker?" Amanda asked. Kers winced and nodded. He knew how bad that sounded.

"You… you're the one who's been living in the walls. You've been watching Parker and me?" asked Amanda stiffly. Kers winced slightly at the implication and took a few deep breaths before speaking as loudly and as clearly as possible.

"When you put it like that, it sounds creepy; but, yes. I'm the one who's been living in the walls for some time now," stated Kers, throat dry like sandpaper and body shaking already from the interaction. "I've watched you with Parker for almost four years actually."

Amanda's eyes widened while what little color was in her splotchy, tear stained face drained.

"F-f-four… years?" Amanda echoed.

"Yes, but can…" The words stuck in Kers' throat and kept him shaking. Kers focused on the facts and the task at hand which helped summon the courage to continue. "Right now, can we focus on what's important – on Parker?"

At the mention of his name, Amanda's eyes glossed over and her jaw went slack.

"Do… do you know w-where h-he is? Do you have him?" asked Amanda, throat plagued with heart wrenching emotion. "Please, give him back. I swear I would never hurt him. I… if he wants to stay, that's… f-fine. I… j-just want t-t-to say goodbye. Please. Please!"

It broke his heart, but Kers shook his head.

"No, I don't know where he is – and I would tell you if I did," stated Kers. The venomous, hopeless glare Amanda shot him made the Borrower take a few steps back. This wasn't a look he was familiar with, and he knew it came purely from her protective maternal instincts. He needed to tread carefully. "P-p-please… you have to believe me. I told Parker not to do anything emotional or reckless now that he knows what he is."

"Believe you? Believe you? It's because of you that he's gone!" sobbed Amanda. "I was going to tell him! I was going to talk to him about everything and we are none of your business!"

Kers had no time to react before Amanda pushed herself off of the counter behind her and slammed into the countertop Kers was standing on. The Borrower was suddenly inches from her hands. Kers blinked and, to his horror, one of those hands suddenly wrapped around his torso and slammed him onto his back, pinning him to the granite surface.

He didn't even have time to scream.

Eyes blown wide with fear, Kers thrashed in the human grip instinctually as every instinct screamed to fight. He wrestled his arm around and had his fingers wrapped around his thumb tack dagger. All the while, his mind was racing.

You were wrong!

You were wrong!

You were wrong!

She's going to kill you!

She's going to crush you and toss you in a jar.

The Borrower began to hyperventilate as he heart pumped nothing but air into his veins. He felt like he could vomit out his stomach from sheer panic. Still, he found the strength to look up into Amanda's eyes and keep control over himself.

"I swear! I d-don't have him! A-a-and I didn't tell him about us! I w-was g-going to talk to you first! Someone else thought he was in danger and went to help. It was a misunderstanding!" pleaded Kers.

In that moment, he was able to still his body because of what he saw.

What he saw was a distraught, heartbroken, determined mom who was at her wits end and desperately grasping at straws to find her son. She lashed out at the first person she encountered, which was all.

"I swear, if you don't give back my son, you will regret it," growled Amanda harshly.

I already am. Kers thought.

In his clearest voice and locking his eyes onto Amanda's, he stiffened his features and said, "I don't have your son. He's not in the walls. I checked. I wish I found him before coming down her. I only came down here because I heard your pleas and couldn't let you stand down here suffering and thinking we took him."

Amanda's eyes narrowed as she latched onto the words.

"You don't have him, but what about the others? Did they take him? Parker said 'we' last night, and you said it just now. What about them? Hm? Did they take him?" Amanda demanded.

"No! We don't have him. I don't have him. They don't have him. He's gone, and we need to find him," said Kers sternly. "He's confused and hurt and probably doing something reckless, and the only thing that's going to help him is us. All of us."

Amanda's stunned silence gave Kers a bit of reassurance. It meant he wasn't going in a cage, and she was considering what he was saying. He was going to use this to his advantage. Amanda's eyes flicked from side to side as realizations hit her. It was like watching one domino hitting the next like a Rube Goldberg machine.

Her hostility returned as she loomed over him. The light illuminated her from behind, giving her a menacing silhouette like shadow as she leaned over Kers.

"I swear, if you're lying to me, you will regret it. You're staying down here with me until I get my son back. You will suffer ten times what you've put me through. Do you hear me?" growled Amanda.

Kers felt hopelessness creeping over him. He wanted to plead for his life, but then something crept into Kers' mind. Amanda's hands were shaking. Kers thought it was his own fear making him shake, but glancing at the hand wrapped around him told him another story. Amanda was terrified, but she was also a caring mom.

It was a risky play, but he had nothing else to hide and nothing else to give. He could stab Amanda's hand and make a break for the door, but that would only create animosity and force him and the other Borrowers to run for their lives.

That's not what he wanted.

Kers was indeed completely at Amanda's mercy, and she knew it; but Kers also knew Amanda wasn't the type to hurt someone else.

Her grabbing him was a play – it was a bluff.

It was a pure guess, but Kers wanted to believe that Amanda wouldn't actually hurt him. He had to believe it. His life depended on it. It was a game of chicken where he had everything to lose and nothing to gain unless she listened to him. The Borrower pinned all his hopes on this one chance and hoped it would pay off.

He took a second and attempted to calm himself down. Breathing techniques felt useless and the arm that could reach the thumbtack dagger was still pinned. Nothing else could be done except talk his way out of it. He had to appeal to Amanda's decency and that maternal instinct that kept Parker safe for so many years.

It was his last chance to get free and help Amanda see reason.

"I'm not lying to you, Amanda," stated Kers. "And you're not going to hurt me. You won't hurt me."

"Oh? And why is that?" snapped Amanda. Kers took a breath and spoke calmly and clearly.

"Because you're a good person. Amanda, you're a good person. I've watched you for years. You wouldn't ever hurt Parker because you see him as a person and as your son. And you won't hurt me. I know you're hurting. I am too. I should've talked to you about what Parker was before now, but we can't change that.

"Someone broke the news to Parker before we did, and now all we can do is try and help him now; and that starts with us finding Parker," stated Kers. Amanda's eyes were locked onto Kers. He felt like he was under a microscope, every expression and word being scrutinized.

Now, however, was different. As the dominos connected once again in Amanda's mind, Kers felt her grip faulter ever so slightly. Whatever she saw, it was finally connecting that Kers was telling the truth.

"Y…you… didn't take him…" she breathed. Kers held his breath as her coffee breath washed over him. During this entire interaction, Kers had ignored all of his other senses as his body panicked after being grabbed.

"No. I didn't," stated Kers. "And I didn't tell him that he was a Borrower. I told the others not to say anything until I talked to you. I begged them to not say anything to Parker. He wasn't ready, but that's not what happened and that's not where we are. Now… please take your hand off of me and let's figure out where your son is."

Amanda's hardened gaze softened in a matter of seconds. Her harsh and protective exterior melted away like snow on a summer day. Once again, she looked like a wounded mother desperate to find her child. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked mortified at what she had done. She retracted her hand in two stunned motions and stepped away to lean on the island counter again.

The moment Kers felt the weight of her hand leave him, his entire body relaxed. He heaved in breath after breath as his head swirled uncomfortably fast. The chill left from the absence of a sweltering hand made him shiver, but it was a relief all the same.

Amanda's soft sobs filled the kitchen once again and, once Kers composed himself, the Borrower pushed himself upright again and looked down at Amanda's crumpled body. Her head was hidden in her hands in shame.

"I… I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. I… I didn't mean…"

It was mind numbing. One moment ago, Kers was locked in complete fear of this human woman. Now, she was a pitiful puddle again. It was enough to give him whiplash, but that wasn't the reason he was down here now.

"I… I know you didn't mean to, Amanda. It's okay," stated Kers. He kept having to heave in air as if he were out of breath from a long sprint. It was the only thing that kept his heart from exploding out of his chest. "I know this is a lot for you right now, but I want to help. You can ask me questions and I'll try to answer them if I can. If you want me to leave and try to find Parker, I can do that. He still might be in the house hiding somewhere I haven't checked yet."

"I…" Amanda looked up into Kers' eyes and barely managed a half smile. She looked like a woman who finally had a lifeline. It was like her mind had somehow confirmed that she wasn't crazy by seeing Kers sitting there in front of her.

"Yes?" Kers prompted. He didn't do well in silences when others were nearby.

"Thank you. Really. Thank you."

"Sure thing," breathed Kers. "Now, what questions do you have?"

It took some time, but the next forty-three minutes filled itself with cobbled together question between Amanda and Kers. The Borrower gave a brief rundown of what a Borrower was and a brief history of when Kers moved into her home. He explained the need for secrecy, which made Amanda break into another round of sobs because of her emotional outburst and impulse to grab Kers, and emphasized that Amanda wasn't at fault.

"You did everything you could for Parker, and I'm sure he knows that. He's just… confused. I mean, I would be," reassured Kers. "Now, as to where he went. Is there any place where Parker might have gone outside of here? Would he have gone back to your place? Was there somewhere he would have gone to hide? Is there something like a furniture piece here he would've hidden in?"

Amanda wracked her brain, but only one thing came to mind.

"I talked to him last night about where I found him. If… if I had to guess… he might be trying to get back there," said Amanda after thinking for several long minutes. "But why would he? At his size? He's so little. He… he couldn't make it all the way. Not with being so small. He could get crushed or grabbed or run over or…"

"Amanda! Focus. Remember, Borrowers are durable and it's the best lead we have right now. He would probably take the most direct path there, and he's got a massive head start on us. If we don't want it to get dark on us, we need to get moving. I'll keep looking here an-"

"Please… come with me."

The request stunned Kers into silence. He was already pushing his comfort levels sitting here across the way from Amanda. The thought of her carrying him or holding him was beyond the line he had set for boundaries.

"G-go? With you?"

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I… after what I did… It's okay. You look here. I'll go out and see what I can see," stated Amanda. "You're already helping me more than I could've hoped for. Really. Thank you."

Kers closed his eyes and took a breath. The chances of Amanda knowing what to look for was slim to none. As a Borrower, Kers had additional instincts and a different perspective as to what path he would take versus what a human would take.

While Parker was raised by a human, he obviously had advanced instincts for someone his age. Many experienced Borrowers didn't have the skills Parker possessed, and that would factor into how he made his way back to the park.

The decision was obvious and uncomfortable, but it was something Kers couldn't refuse.

"N-no… I… I'll come with you. I'll explain on the way, but… let's go. Hurry! Before I change my mind," urged Kers. Amanda looked confused momentarily, but nodded and offered an open hand toward the place Kers still sat on the counter.

How on earth did Parker deal with this? Kers wondered as he forced himself to his feet and onto Amanda's hand. The surface was like a squishy carpet, uneven and flexible. Already, Kers felt nauseous, but he swallowed the bile in the back of his throat and knelt on the hand that had him trapped once before.

"Let's go find your son."