The Creature

Chapter Seven: Thank You

Over the next few days, I avoided Jamie's cell. I had no intention of speaking with him whatsoever except for job purposes. And every single time I would get to his cell, he took a while to answer. I assumed it was because he was reading. If he was mad at me, I didn't care. He was rude and inconsiderate. I tried to do something kind and like it always is, it went unappreciated. He was different from the other patients. He was well spoken and he seemed to show an ability to possess manners despite the fact that he would do his best to ignore them. He seemed so closed off, even when conversation was offered to him. And that made no sense to me. It would look like, if he was really lonely, he would want the conversation. But it didn't matter now. I was done trying to help him. Today was my last day of work and then I'd have the weekend off and that made me happy. It would mean I could just recharge at home. One of my friends had invited me to a party over the weekend and I was happy to take the chance. I would be able to get out of the house and away from work and maybe meet some new people. It would be exciting for me.

My shift flew by pretty quickly, and the last door I had to check was Jamie's door. I had specifically saved it for last, not because I wanted to spend time with him. But more so that I didn't want to deal with him. But there I was, standing in front of his door, wanting to get his attention by knocking but not being able to bring myself to do it.

" I know it's you" he called out to me. I hadn't knocked or announced myself but somehow he knew. " I'm doing the daily check. Are you doing well Patient Jamie?"

" I'm doing fine. I finished the books " he answered. Damn he reads fast. Some of those books were huge but he got through them pretty quick. " That is good to hear" I answered as he pushed the books through the door slot. One by one they fell to the ground.

" What are you doing? " I asked, as I picked up the books.

" I'm returning your books " he answered.

" You can keep them. I don't read them anyway so you can have them" I answered, noticing how much damage I had caused the books when I shoved them through the door slot.

" I don't want to keep your books. Those are yours." His answers were always so short. I hadn't brought my back pack with me today so I would have no way of toting all these damn books now. He needs to take them back.

" Well, I want you to at least hold onto them. I don't have my backpack. If you seriously don't want them, then just hold onto them until I can bring my pack " I explained as I began shoving them back through the door slot.

" Okay.."he answered as I pushed them through.

" And also, you could get your own books if you'd leave here ya know? " I pointed out. I knew he didn't like discussing this stuff but it didn't seem rather ridiculous. He could have all the books that he wanted if he just took a chance on himself.

" Yeah. I'll keep the books until you can get backpack. Don't forget it" his tone was beginning to piss me off again. He was just as unappreciative as he was when I first brought them to him.

" God you are so freaking difficult. Why is it so hard for you to be kind? You have practically admitted to me before that you are an ass to me on purpose! So please tell me, what is it that I'm doing wrong? Why is it so hard to be kind to me? What am I such a bad person to you? " I was steaming, and I didn't care about his feelings at this point. I just wanted answers.

" I never said you were a bad person. I think you are really sweet" his answer left me confused.

" If you think I'm kind then why are you such a Jerk?" I scoffed.

" Because if I'm kind to you, you will start thinking we are friends " his answer only made me more upset.

" Excuse me? And why would being friends such a bad thing? "

" Because I would let you down in the end. You would expect things out of me that I can't give to you. You would expect me to someday, leave here based on the friendship..and I have no intentions of leaving" his answer cut me deeply. But I knew that this was him speaking the truth on how he felt and I had to respect that.

" If we were going to be friends. What you choose to do is up to you. I would pressure you like that. I just want to understand why you don't want to leave. And maybe that is something that I really even deserve to know, but it's on my mind. But still, I'm not going to pressure you about it." If I'm being honest, I did want him to leave the safety of the room but I knew that he had his reasons. Even if I didn't agree with them, I still felt the way I felt. And I wouldn't pressure him. I know what being pressured is like..and in the past, I've been guilty of it.

" I don't want to leave because I know what is out there, is nothing good for me. It's full of people who hate and judge. I remember when I was little, and people wanted me casted away into the darkness and hidden from society because they deemed me a monster. A creature that was nothing but a menace to them. I would hurt them or the ones they cared for because I was so unhinged" he answered.

It took me a moment, I listened to everything he had to say and had to fight up the courage to speak finally.

" I know you don't want to come outside. And I know that the world can be harsh and at the world can be unfair. And while I feel like that shouldn't stop you from living your life, at the end of the day it is your life. And I can't tell you what to do and what not to do when it comes to it. But I will say, you shouldn't live your life out of fear. Because whilst the world can't be really bad commeters also a lot of amazing and wonderful things in it. Like books. And friends who will support you even on your worst of days.. I'm not trying to say that I would be the best friend in the world, or that you should even trust me. But what I can say is that I know what it feels like to be alone. I know what it feels like to be misunderstood. And I know what it feels like to have the world against you. But yet here I am, still kicking. And talking to someone who feels the same as me. The only difference is that I am out here and you are in there. I am unprotected whilst you are very protected. That doesn't Eman I'm trying to make you come out someday. But, you seem intelligent. You seem like you have a good heart, even if your communication skills are pretty lacking. And I guess I'd rather just see you become something great rather than to rot away in one single room. A room, that will allow your potential to blossom, but will also close it off to a certain point. Either way, for what it is worth, I want to be your friend. And that doesn't mean I want to put expectations on you. And that doesn't even exactly mean that we have to trust one another. But what it does mean, Is that since we have to communicate given the situation being what it is, that I'd prefer you not be such an ass"

I tried my best to relate what I was feeling, hoping that it could make it through the door with the same message I was trying to relay. And on some level, I feel it did.

" Thank you" he answered.

" For what? "

" For trying"

" Oh..well I guess I'll give you the same gratitude when you start doing the same " I answered as I sat down beside the door on the floor. Silence fell between us again but the time it was different. It felt different and it felt..peaceful for once.

" I hated those characters in the book by the way. They got together despite the fact that they were completely different? It makes no sense. It makes no sense how two people so different could be somehow magically in love like that" he complained

" f*****g same " I laughed. " f*****g. Same."