19- Don't judge others , treat them the way you want to be treated . I turn back to the bar with an unhappy sigh . Is Torin upset with me ? I don't really like it when people are upset with me . I guess I'm a bit of a people pleaser . Or maybe I just want Torin to like me . I mean , I want him to trust me , and liking usually comes before trusting , right ? I want us to be friends , partially because I need him to let me go , but also just because he seems like he needs a friend . Everyone can tell me that he's dangerous as much as they like , but ultimately he saved my life . That's enough for me . My discontent is obvious and Jackson picks up on it quickly . " Are you alright ? I know you're stuck here but I didn't think the demon was a danger to you . He might be scary as hell but he doesn't usually kill without a good reason . Did you do something to piss him off ? " he asks , his concern is clear in his tone . " Huh ? Danger ? Why would you think he's going to hurt me? " I ask , confused . Torin might be a little annoyed with me , but it's a bit of a leap to go from ' kind of annoyed ' to ' murderous ' . Jackson looks at me like I'm being slow . " Are you kidding ? The demon was staring at you , that's what drew my attention in the first place . Then you turn and look at him and he storms off ! " Jackson points out . I shrug . " I didn't realise he was staring . But I guess he might be a little annoyed with me ? I didn't realise he was standing behind me earlier so I accidentally hit him . Also I was frustrated and I argued with him earlier today . " I confess . I feel kind of bad about both incidents to be honest . None of us asked to be stuck in this si be honest . None of us asked to be stuck in this situation and it's going to take some time . to figure it all out . I need to be more patient . Jackson looks at me like my hair is on fire or something . A combination of shock , fear and awe . " You ... You HIT the demon ? You argued with him ? " his voice sounds kind of strangled . " It was an accident , well the hitting part at least . " I protest . I don't want him thinking I usually go around hitting people when I'm cranky . I'm more likely to scold them . Jackson doesn't seem terribly reassured . " And you just ... Continued working . He hasn't hurt you ? Or punished you ? Aren't you scared ? " He asks , astonished . I scrunch up my face . Punish me ? For a tiny temper tantrum and for accidentally hitting him ? What kind of reputation does Torin have around here ? Besides , I'm already trapped here , what is he going to do ? Lock me in my room ? Send me 29 29 ل ) 1/4 III < 100 % Lesson 19- Don't judge others , treat them the way you want to be treated . to bed without dinner ? The idea of him hurting me is laughable . He might be intimidating , but even I can tell he wouldn't just hurt someone for something as petty as this . I can't help it , I laugh . " Don't be silly . Torin isn't going to hurt me . He's not a monster . " I tell him between breaths . Jackson frowns . " But ... The demon ... " He seems baffled and I roll my eyes . " The demon . ' He isn't even using Torin's name . Is he seriously that scared ? " He has a name you know . How would you feel if I just called you ' the werewolf ' all the time . " I point out . Jackson seems speechless . " But I .... But ... It's different . He's a demon ! " He exclaims . I shrug . " So ? " I ask . Jackson stares at me . " Demons are dangerous , they're cruel . Everyone knows that . " He insists . " Have you ever seen Torin hurt someone for no reason ? Have you seen him do anything particularly cruel ? " I ask . I'm kind of taking a risk here . I don't know Torin that well . Maybe he HAS done something to earn this reputation he has . But I just can't see it . I mean he saved me and he's been treating me well . I haven't seen him treat anyone badly . If he were cruel he wouldn't have saved me , and he would have erased my memories rather than inconvenience himself by keeping me here . I've seen how people avoid him , how can he be cruel to people if they don't even come near him ? As far as I can tell , they're all scared of ' the demon ' like it's some stereotype that demons are scary and evil . Jackson seems to be thinking hard . Searching for some example to support his argument that Torin is some kind of cruel monster . That he's got some ulterior motive for keeping me here , that he's going to hurt me and probably kill me eventually . He eventually gives up . " I suppose I haven't seen him do anything particularly cruel . " Jackson admits slowly and I nod firmly . " Exactly . If you do see him do something awful then I give you full permission to call him whatever names you like . But in the meantime I don't want to hear you talking about him so disrespectfully . He saved my life and I'm grateful for it . Besides , it's a little hypocritical isn't it ? You come to his bar , enjoy the protection that his reputation has provided this place with , then you talk badly about him behind his back ? " I point out . I'm actually 29 I D ل 2/4 O < 11:19 Fri , Aug 29 Lesson 19- Don't judge others , treat them the way you want to be treated . starting to sound a little aggressive . I guess I don't like it when people judge others like that . Torin has treated me well , he saved my life and even someone as nice as Jackson is just assuming that he's going to hurt me . It isn't fair to him . Jackson holds up his hands defensively . " Woah there wildcat , I see your point . No need to tear me apart . I'll watch my tongue from now on . " Jackson promises . " Good . Now if you'll excuse me , I need to do something . " I turn and walk off . I quickly check with Laura if it's alright for me to go out the back for a few minutes . " Yeah of course , go . You're due a break anyway . Make sure you have something to eat while you're at it . Let me know when you get back and I'll have a break too . " She says easily without looking up from the drink she's pouring . I rush out , determined to find Torin and apologise properly . I check the kitchen first but Torin is nowhere to be seen . Kyle is there , working hard . " Hey Rina . I've got your dinner here . Laura and Torin's are ready too . I'm just about to head off . There's enough for you to do another dozen or so servings then just tell everyone the kitchen is closed . " Kyle tells me the moment he sees me . " Oh , sure . Have you seen Torin ? I want to talk to him . " I ask . Kyle shrugs . " Dunno . He was outside before I think . " He responds . Well damn , I can't follow him out there . Still , maybe he's nearby . I grab my dinner and after a moment's thought , I grab Torin's food too , balancing both bowls on a tray with cutlery and some awesome looking bread rolls , I continue to search for Torin . I pull open the back door and , being SUPER careful not to put so much as a toe outside , I look around . It's dark , but I can hear someone near the dumpsters . " Torin , is that you ? " I say , kind of nervously . I didn't consider it before , but I'm starting to think I might be a little afraid of this alley ... Particularly at night . I hold my breath as Torin emerges from the darkness and steps into the light of the doorway . " Carina ? Is something wrong ? " He asks . He's holding a large cardboard box that he appears to be breaking down into pieces , probably so he can throw it away properly . Is that ... The box from my new bed ? Is that what he's been doing all this time ? I feel even more confident in my decision as I hold up the tray of food . 29 29 ل 3/4 ။။ < 11:19 Fri , Aug 29 Lesson 19- Don't judge others , treat them the way you want to be treated . " I brought your dinner . Want to come eat with me ? " Chapter Comments 4 Write Comments