Different Kinds of Borrowers, Ch. 3


"Arrietty, did your parents ever talk to you about… boys?"

Arrietty looked down at her cousin from the plant stalk she was climbing with a quizzical expression.

"Boys? You mean… Human Beans?"

"N-no, not Beans… I mean borrower boys." Eggletina watched the other girl carefully for a reaction.

But it seemed Arrietty wasn't quite catching her hint.

"What about borrower boys should we have talked about?" She was genuinely confused; this wasn't exactly the type of conversation she usually got while picking berries.

They would be visiting her aunt and uncle today, and Eggletina had wanted to bring them a special treat.

Of course she also wanted a chance to talk to Arrietty, in private, about her concerns regarding what she had witnessed the night before.

"Oh, well… I mean did you and your mother ever talk about… finding a boy that you like?"

Arrietty paused in her climbing, her cousin's questions starting to sink in and piece together in her head.

"Um… sort of, I suppose" Arrietty answered, thinking 'If you count me mentioning Spiller to mother and her going off on what a ruffian he is.'

"Oh! Good!" Eggletina smiled, thinking this might be easier than she had feared. "So did you ever discuss… how you would go about getting together with the boy you liked? And what you would do? And what you would say and all?"

Reaching a berry-laden branch, Arrietty rested herself in the crook against the stalk and looked back down at Eggletina, her face unreadable as she asked "Is there a specific reason you're asking me this?" Her eyes widened a bit as a thought struck her, and with a somewhat suspicious tone she continued "Is there someone you like, Eggletina?"

The girl on the ground blushed, her mouth dropping open in shock, and with a frantic wave of her hands she shouted "No! No, not at all! I'm – I'm not asking for myself!"

Arrietty couldn't help but sigh in relief. For one brief illogical moment she had feared that perhaps her cousin had become… attached to Spiller during their travels.

She knew better than to doubt his loyalty, but still. It hadn't taken her very long.

"Well, what is it you're trying to find out then? You can go ahead and ask!"

Despite Arrietty's smile, Eggletina could feel herself growing more and more nervous about revealing her secret. She hoped her cousin would continue to be understanding.

"Actually, what I'm trying to get at, is… I wanted to know whether you and your parents had ever talked about courting."

"… Courting?"

"Yes – how to behave with the borrower you were thinking of marrying, and what it was appropriate and not appropriate to do together, and so on. My mother used to talk to me about it all the time, since she always had such dreams of who I would marry, and after my ordeal with the cat… she wanted to make sure I had the best chance of finding a husband."

Arrietty's look of confusion had returned, and she responded "No, I don't think we ever talked about any of that… at least not in depth. … My mother doesn't exactly like to talk about me getting married."

With all the compassion she could muster, Eggletina looked up at her cousin in the bush and said "I just wanted to know if you were aware of what the proper etiquette for courting was, but since you're not, I don't blame you for what you did – er, what happened… you see, I saw you and Spiller last night…."

For a moment she didn't move, but as the words sank in, Arrietty's face turned a brilliant shade of red and her expression turned indignant as she sputtered "Wha – bu – that was private!"

Eggletina cringed at her cousin's sudden shift in mood, and ventured softly "I… I was worried about you when you ran off… I just wanted to make sure you were okay, but then, when Spiller showed up, I was afraid of getting caught so I just… stayed."

Arrietty's mouth gaped, speechless in her embarrassment and anger. How could her cousin do such a thing! Her sweet, soft-spoken, unassuming cousin… and of all the times for her to see them! Her heart pumped and her head ached as the blood rushed to her face, memories of her heated kiss with Spiller playing over and over again in her mind, and for the first time she felt a bit shameful about it all.

She would never have wanted her cousin, or anyone for that matter, to witness such a private moment between her and him.

"I – I'm sorry you saw that, but… why are you bringing it up? I would think you would try to forget about it."

"But I couldn't! I had to talk to you about it, because… well, it's like I was saying: there are certain ways a borrower girl should behave with a borrower boy she likes, and I'm sorry to say, but what you two were doing was indecent!"

Her shame gave way to stunned anger as Arrietty mimicked "I- indecent?! Wha – says who? We were just… sharing our feelings with each other!"

"A bit physically, don't you think?"

Arrietty huffed and said "Well, yes! You know that Spiller doesn't talk much… the best way he understands is physically! And besides, is it that strange for borrowers who like each other to kiss?"

"No, but Arrietty… that was a bit more than a normal kiss, don't you think?"

Crossing her arms and turning away, Arrietty said tersely "I wouldn't know. As you've already pointed out, mama and I never talked about those things. You seem to be the only one who cares."

"She's not though."

Both girls turned, shocked, to where the new voice had sounded, and saw Peagreen emerging from the grass beside them.

His face was stern as he stared up at Arrietty, but he came to a stop by Eggletina, where he stood supportively by the girl who was close to her wits end.

"I saw you too."

The anger in Arrietty's face now turned to sheer horror as she stared down at Peagreen, and her eyes began to water as she realized what she must have done to him. 'No… I never wanted that to happen. I must have hurt him so badly….'

"Peregrine…." She uttered, her voice shaking.

"I thought you were more sensible than that, Arrietty; I thought you knew how to control yourself."

She flinched, backing herself against the trunk as he spoke. His tone was colder than she had ever heard from him.

"Wha-what has that got to do with – "

"You read enough books to know about proper behavior. You're an educated young lady Arrietty, not a wild animal! I just can't believe it… I mean, I would expect that kind of behavior from Spiller, but not a well-raised borrower like you!"

Arrietty didn't respond right away, but her eyes hardened and her mouth pursed into a frown.

"Well-raised borrower like me, huh? But… not like Spiller. Spiller's just a mindless barbarian who can't control himself, is that it? Is that really how you think of him, Peagreen?"

Peagreen didn't respond.

"I expected more of you" Arrietty retorted, her tone mocking as she continued "You know, with all the books you read."

She stared at him reproachfully and he glowered back.

Arrietty hated having to talk to her dear friend like this, but she couldn't stand aside and let Spiller be mocked in such a way.

He got enough ridicule as it was.

"You really don't understand him; neither of you. It's not like he's less of a borrower just because he's different. He didn't have the same upbringing as you or me, but he knows more than us about a lot of things. He's not just wild; he's part of the wild. He knows the land and the bugs and how to live without leaving a trace. Spiller knows everything about surviving, but more than that he knows how to really live! Not just how to keep from being seen, but how to enjoy being a borrower! It's true, we probably didn't behave 'properly', and maybe we should have… held back more, but it was only a natural reaction of two persons who love each other!"

"He never said he loved you. You never said it either."

"That's right!" Eggletina chimed, "he never even told you what he thought of you!"

Arrietty clutched a hand to her chest, fighting the feeling of betrayal working its way through her. Why were her friends turning on her this way?

"But… you know he doesn't talk about things like that; not out loud anyways. I – I could tell that he loved me… he kissed me!"

Peagreen scoffed, saying "A kiss doesn't always mean that, Arrietty. Sometimes it's just a kiss – that's it! Only physical. You're a pretty girl Arrietty; it wouldn't be hard to do. I told you before, you read too much into what Spiller does. He's not as complicated as you think."

Arrietty scowled, gripping the branch beneath her till her knuckles went white. "You don't know him Peagreen – not like I do. You only see the side he wants you to see. He knows how to hide his emotions, but when you've known him as long as I have, you learn how to read him. And sometimes… he just lets things slip. But you barely know him, Peagreen, so don't lecture me on who Spiller is!"

"Oh Arrietty, please don't get so upset! I'm sure he didn't mean anything rude by it! And I… I only wanted to help you! To let you know that there was a problem, and how you could fix it!"

"Fix what? What would you recommend? That I avoid Spiller for the rest of my life? I appreciate that you at least had good intentions, but I'm not you Eggletina! I wasn't raised with all the 'dos and don'ts' that your mother taught you… don't you remember how it was when we lived with you? According to her standards, I'm already farther on the 'don't' list than anyone, except perhaps Spiller…. Can't you see it's just a… difference of upbringing?"

"Arrietty, that's nonsense and you know it." Peagreen stepped forward boldly, his gaze challenging the girl up above on the stalk as he said "You were raised in a home with good parents who taught you well. Your parents know how to act as borrowers, and I don't see how you wouldn't."

She didn't respond – she didn't even look at them. Her face expressionless, she reached up and pulled a berry from a branch above her, and without warning dropped it down to Eggletina, who barely managed to catch it in her basket.

With all the arguing, she had completely forgotten their original reason for being outside.

"Come on Eggletina, it's time to take you home."

Arrietty jumped down the thin branches of the stalk with ease, scaring her cousin a little with how quickly and carelessly she moved.

Reaching the ground, she slipped on her shoes and grabbed the basket from the girl, walking off in the direction of the Hendreary's.

Eggletina stood still, watching her go, and her eyes filled with tears as she thought of how much Arrietty must despise her after their confrontation.

Suddenly there was a soft touch on her shoulder, and she looked with wide eyes to see Peagreen's arm around her, his bright eyes watching her with understanding.

"It'll be hard for a while… she might not respond right away, but I'm sure she'll come to see that we're trying to help. She's a smart girl, but she's stubborn."

Eggletina stared into his eyes, feeling herself calming under his gentle gaze.

He smiled at her, and she felt her cheeks warming.

Suddenly shy, she turned away and said softly "Th-thank you Peagreen…" before running off after Arrietty.

…..


*Author's Note:

… Not much to say about this chapter. It was difficult to keep everyone in character, and… I don't know if I did the best job of that. I tried. In a situation such as this though, it's tough to know just how everyone will react. I probably took some liberties, but oh well.

And I just had to have Arrietty go off in defending Spiller, 'cuz I feel like (in the books and stuff) she and her father are the only ones who even try to understand him. And I like trying to get inside his head and figure him out. He's a fascinating character!

Thanks everyone who bothers to read this! I know it's not really a 'mass-appeal' category, but I appreciate anyone taking the time! And please, feel free to leave a review or other feedback! :)