Left Behind

VII

"Mary..?" Chloe was surprised to see the borrower hiding in her bookshelf. The borrower started backing away in fear, hitting the bookshelf with her back. The brunette hated seeing her so scared, it felt like the first time they saw each other all over again.

"Are you okay?" the human kept a sweet and soft tone, worried that the borrower may be hurt. Mary lowered her head and she tried to breathe, she tried to find her words, but she failed.

After a while, Chloe took a little step back, realizing that she was maybe too close to the little girl. "Hey, it's okay," she tried, keeping her tone low. Chloe had no idea if the borrower was afraid of her or if she was feeling overwhelmed by something else.

Mary slowly calmed down, feeling a lump in her throat. "I-I... I'm s-sorry" Mary said, her voice small and trembling. Chloe was even more worried. The little girl seemed to change her attitude every time. At times she seemed to trust Chloe, other times she seemed deeply terrified.

The borrower was still uncertain about how to act around the human, she could either forget how different they were or remember how much power the brunette held against her.

"Did something happen?" Chloe tried to understand what was going on, and she felt her heart sink when she noticed Mary jump slightly when she talked. The borrower tried to swallow the lump in her throat and talk.

"I-I just... d-didn't want to be a-alone," she admitted, still keeping her gaze low and hugging herself, afraid of what Chloe would say. The brunette felt a wave of affection hit her as soon as she heard those words. The sight was heartbreaking.

"It's okay, you can be with me if you want," Chloe immediately said, trying to catch the borrower's gaze. Mary hesitantly looked up, meeting those big brown eyes.

"R-Really? I'm n-not b-bothering you?" she asked hesitantly and Chloe immediately shook her head. She could see those bright puffy eyes looking at her with such uncertainty. She wanted to hold the blonde to her chest and never let her go. She was adorable.

"Of course not, do you want to come to the desk?" the human asked, pointing at the desk with her head. The borrower simply nodded, sniffing and trying to dry her face with her hands.

"Do you want me to help you or you can go on your own?" Chloe asked her a bit hesitantly. She did trust the borrower on being able to climb on her own, but she still wanted to make sure she didn't need any help.

Mary looked up and then bit her lower lip, immediately looking down. "I can go on my own," she answered softly, taking the crunch she had forgotten on the shelf and starting to climb down.

Chloe decided to linger a bit more near the bookshelf, worried that Mary could fall and hurt herself. However, the borrower was able to get down at last, and she avoided looking up. She was still terrified of seeing Chloe at her full height.

The brunette decided to go sitting at her desk, after taking the book she needed, and she waited patiently for the borrower to climb up the desk. Mary got behind the desk and after a few attempts, she was able to get the fishing hook in a stable position.

She climbed up, slowly and trying to be as careful as she could. When she got to the top, she immediately met Chloe's surprised gaze. The human immediately smiled at her when she saw her. Mary sat down on the edge for a moment, catching her breath.

"It's surprising how fast you can climb up and down even with a broken leg," Chloe commented, resting her cheek on her hand while she looked carefully at the little girl. Mary was taken back by the compliment and she just shrugged shyly.

"I grew up having to climb my way everywhere, so I'm used to it?" she answered simply and the brunette just smiled at her. She sat back and bit her lower lip.