The Pet Shop Helper [G/t]

Chapter Seven

Once I was finally standing up, I brushed myself off.

"Thank you." I said while rubbing my neck. Derek chuckled and poked the stranger's side with his foot.

"They clearly wanted whatever it is you have. And I'm going to take a wild guess and say it's the secret you wish to get money for." He gave a me a raised eyebrow. "This better not be drugs, Rose."

"It's not, I swear." I said with reddened cheeks. "But it isn't exactly legal."

"Isn't legal, hmm?" He murmured to himself as he smiled at Olivia and stroked her hair.

"If I could just show you, you may understand more." I said quickly.

"Alright. Show me what you're hiding." He said. "This stranger is out cold, and I'll make sure to have the police take them." He added. I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. Then I led him upstairs and into my room.

"Over the past few days I've been told to take borrowers to the food market..." I opened the door. "But instead I brought them here." I watched his face as his eyes widened at the borrowers all crowding on my dresser.

"Well. Now I see why you hide them." He walked in and looked at them a bit closer. "And I can see why someone would try to rob you of them. These little guys would sell for quite decent sum." He pat one of the borrowers head.

"W-what?" I asked.

"It's clear you've been seen carrying these borrowers home. So you need to get them all marked if you don't want them to be stolen or harmed." He explained. "So not only do you need my help financially, you need a lot of help with marking them."

"Can you help me with that?" I ask hopefully. He bites his cheek for a moment and sighs.

"Yes. I can help you with this. Only if you promise they aren't and have not been harmed by you." He looked at me, making freeze up. My act towards Trevor replayed in my mind.

"Erm..."

"She hasn't. Have you seen this, girl? She's a walking bleeding heart." Trevor interrupted. I looked at him, shocked by his lie. Derek raised his eyes.

"You know, it's said that every giant has harmed a borrower at least once. Something in our genes cause us to have one breakdown. But I have a feeling Rose did something to you, but she felt guilt immediately afterward. And I'm sure you did something that provoked her." He said with a smirk, causing Trevor to go silent. "Ah well. I'm sure you two figured it out, and you two can equally help one another."

"What do you mean?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"I have forgotten to mention that I have access to your file, Rose. The one that the dreamanian guards have, and allows me to see whether you're kind to borrowers or no. Given that they're not heavily guarded or watched, I was able to look at it before coming here." He chuckled as I let my eyes widened. "You're only offense was dropping Trevor into snow. But, it was cancelled when you went back crying. Which also shows that the more barbaric side of the giant gene is not dominant in your blood."

"Well. Then you realize I could get fired and arrested for this." I said quietly. He pat my shoulder.

"Calm down, Rose." He said with a chuckle. "I happen to know what it's like being a borrower, and I appreciate your act of crime." He smirked as I looked at him abruptly.

"You're not a giant-born?"

"Nope. I was born a borrower. It wasn't until I was around thirteen that I managed to find a growth berry. I was an orphan then, and so I was sent to a orphanage that held both giants and borrowers. My best friend was a borrower. Nicest girl I've ever met." His smile suddenly faded. "Until she was killed."

"What?...."

"The other giants didn't like her. Thought she was more of a doll than a person. They would mock me and say she was my doll. When I fought back, they killed her." I could see Olivia beginning to have tears fall as she leaned against Derek's neck. He took a deep breath and released it, running a hand through his hair. "So ever since then I've been trying my best to protect borrowers. Which means I'll gladly help you with this."

"Thank you..." I swallowed a lump in my throat. "And I'm sorry to hear-" he held his hand up.

"Don't. It wasn't your fault." He said. "Now, please tell me what you plan to do with that room next to this one."

"I don't really know. I just know I'll be putting the borrower houses in it." I admitted. I heard Lukas clear his throat.

"I have a suggestion." He said a bit quietly.

"Then say it, damn it. Rose can't figure it out on her own." Trevor said, giving Lukas a playful punch in the shoulder. Which made Lukas laugh nervously as he rubbed his shoulder.

"What if you made a borrower city?" He said. I tilted my head a bit.

"A borrower city?"

"If you keep getting borrowers at this rate, you'll have enough for a city. Then you'll need to get more entertainment buildings and stores." He said quietly.

"He's basically saying if we stay here, we're not going to live in cage homes anymore. We'd want jobs, stores, normality. Not 'stay in a house like a hermit and do nothing for hours' bullshit." Trevor said, arms crossed. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, you're just so nice." He smirks.

"I'm angel, kid. Don't mind the horns." I scoff. Derek then chuckles and shakes his head.

"I'll admit, he's a little jackass isn't he?" He joked. "But even the donkey has a point. You should make it a city, so the borrowers can live a new and better life." I thought about it a moment.

"Gods, I don't know where I'll find a McDonald's that size." I joked partially.

"Believe it or not, you can find them. Some stores actually sell them that size. It's odd, but no one is complaining." Derek said honestly.

"Of course. Everyone loves the cute little furniture that's handmade. But they don't give credit to those who make them." I said bitterly. Then I checked the time. "Oh jeez, the store is going to close soon. Do you think you could help me go get the houses now? I don't have a place for them to sleep otherwise."

"Of course. We can use my car, much faster than walking." He joked. I scoffed and walked with him to his car. Soon we were picking up not only borrower houses, but stores and other miscellaneous places too. While shopping, Derek told me about his line of work, how he has never married, and how he has a set of rules for Olivia. They weren't crazy rules. Just simple ones.

"Don't go wandering. Stay on Derek's shoulder in public or in his sight. At night, she can venture the room, but not the house."

These rules seemed strict, but really, they were just to protect her. If she was to wander off, she could get hurt. In public, staying on Derek's shoulder or pocket would be the safest way to travel. And at night it's the same as the first rule. It's like the ones a child gets from their parents. Stay with the parent, don't wander off, and at night stay in the house. I knew that Olivia would be in good hands, and that my vision of people was wrong. Derek, though he's wealthy, was rich in kindness. Lily, even though she's young, is gentle and caring. If only most people were like her.
For now, I'll worry about how I'll be setting up the city.