A Tall and Small Collection | S2

True Colors Revealed pt. 3

It was such a strange sensation. Usually, a human's room felt immense. The furniture towered above and the wall on the opposite end of the room felt like an impossible distance to cross without being seen. Rooms were usually quiet and rarely were two or three Borrowers in a room at once.

Not now.

Everyone was here. Everyone was out in the open because there wasn't enough furniture to hide under. The vastness of the room felt lost to how many Borrowers were there. The silence that would usually mask their movements was filled with their worried whispers.

So much had happened all at once, and every mind was reeling with possibilities.

When would the mist dissipate?

Should they leave? Migrate to somewhere new?

Should they all stay together? Or was it time to say good-bye to long term friends and family?

What were they going to do next?

The Rafters family went from family to family to make sure everyone was recovering well. Though some were still coughing and wheezing, the whole community was relieved to hear that everyone had managed to make it out of the walls.

Still, it was Hero who led the charge in reassuring everyone – especially when it came to their questions about the human of the house. Hero made sure that everyone knew that Ashlynn was not going to bother them and that she was honest and kind. He said if they asked, she wouldn't come into the room.

Knowing a human was just on the other side of the door was a terror everyone was uncomfortable with, but there was no alternative. Many of them had no previsions or supplies, not even a weapon on their hip.

Truly, this was their worst nightmare.

Every few minutes, they would hear Ashlynn walking around or a creak of the floorboards in the apartment above, which would instantly silence the community. They would stay quiet before resuming their hushed whispers, discussing what they should do next.

Then, after a few tense hours, Rey, Soren, Dorian, and even little Mayzie slipped under the door with blankets and a few limited supplies. Mostly, they came to take stock to see what everyone needed.

At first, some of the Borrowers shied away from the family of four who had made their home with Ashlynn. They knew about Hero Rafters interaction with Ashlynn, but the concept of these Borrowers living peacefully with a human seemed unthinkable.

It wasn't until Soren and his brothers had told their story about meeting Ashlynn and how long they had known her that it began to sink into the Borrower community.

Ashlynn was a friend, and she had been a friend for many years.

The young girl about Rey's age who was trapped in Austin's fan stared at Rey, eyes wide, as he told the story to them. The children were thankfully asleep, but Emile, his wife, Kit, Lian, and the teenage Borrower were all fixated on Rey's story. None of them were able to tear their eyes away from the young teen as he finished explaining his past for the umpteenth time.

"So," said Kit. "She pulled you out of the trash and brought you back? All without hurting you?" Rey nodded and tugged a grin onto his face. He didn't mind explaining his past, but holy smokes it was taking a long time. He wanted a way to do it all at once, but that would involve Ashlynn's assistance, and these Borrowers were obviously not ready for it.

"That's right," Rey stated. "Ashlynn has always been very careful around us. It's one of the reasons Soren trusted her to save me and why he felt comfortable letting us stay there with her while we all recovered. Remember, we could have left at any point. Ashlynn made sure we knew that. She even kept our beds on the ground under her bedframe, that one right over there, so we could be hidden.