One Shot | September Writing Prompts

FIVE | ABCs

The routine began like it did every morning. Logan woke up, made breakfast while taking inventory, and stretched before going out for the day. A month prior, he would have gone into the main part of the house to acquire goods and fragments he could use to make tools or fill his pantry. Now, Logan found a portion of his routine was going out in the morning before making his way through the vents to observe Ali's room in the afternoon.

He learned a lot from his observations, and yet not enough at the same time. Ali worked the "night shift" as a paramedic, which basically meant she was away all night except for a few nights of the week. She would sleep most of the morning until sometime around one or two o'clock when she would wake up, eat, and retire to her room or in the main living area. Sometimes, borrowers would come to see her. Roman, Remus, and Patton came by frequently, either for a quick visit or lengthy conversations. If a borrower had an injury or concern, they would come see her or pass the word along. The end result being her helping fix whatever was ailing them. When she wasn't helping, she spent time reading quietly or listening to music. She always knocked on her own door before entering, giving any borrower in the room time to hide or leave before she entered. Overall, there was little other than the fact Ali was a human who frequently interacted with borrowers that was alarming. Ali's roommate, Hickory, was another story.

Hickory had a talent for causing mischief and acting in the most irrational way Logan could conceive. She boldly criticized and teased Ali, seemingly unafraid to challenge her human counterpart, and often apologized for her reprimandable behavior. Logan watched time and again how Ali's emotions were challenged, yet she was unwavering. No matter the insults or provocation she received, Ali did not raise her voice or lash out angrily once. Her tone shifted from thoughtful and quiet to frustrated, but never angry.

So, after a month of observation, Logan concluded Ali was, at the very least, thoughtful and considerate of his kind. She always had the appropriate materials in stock and was more than happy to assist in any way she could. Every motion, statement, and suggestion were considered carefully – something Logan appreciated. He realized at some point after the month had passed that Ali's room was probably a safe location to borrow. He found himself at a crossroads. So, one night, when she was away during the night shift, he ventured into her room to retrieve materials for building more shelves in his room.

Seeing her room from the height of a borrower was quite different than seeing it from the vents above her room. Everything was larger, naturally, but seeing it first-hand was almost too unsettling. He walked along the edges of the shelves by the book spines to the drawers with popsicle sticks and thumbtacks. Logan opened the drawer and began removing the materials he needed when he noticed several books propped up by wooden stands on other shelves and on the ground. He remembered Ali mentioning during their initial introduction that she left books propped up if anyone enjoyed reading and suddenly found his curiosity peaked. He stared at the materials he pulled from the drawer and decided to pull them just inside the walls and satisfy his curiosity. Just taking a peak at the books couldn't hurt, right?

He laid the sticks down and used his hook to rappel down the side of the wooden desk to the nearest book. A quick peak at the title revealed it was about astronomy. Logan glanced at the pages, awestruck by the detailed photographs of the spiraling stars. His eyes traced over the words, absorbing the information like a sponge. He had almost forgotten how much he enjoyed reading since his time in captivity. Logan glanced around the room. No one was nearby. The house was quiet. Perhaps reading a few pages wouldn't be so bad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The astronomy book was a quick, simple read. Hardly a challenge, but filled with fascinating information. Logan found himself enthralled with the information from the first and, after checking the time, elected to move onto the next book. The next book was not about astronomy, but was equally as fascinating as it seemed to be about the science behind forensics. Though he wasn't entirely sure of what many of the tests were, he found the information intriguing. Logan was so enthralled that he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a decisive female voice behind him.