Chapter 6: The City And The Orphanage

Words couldn't describe how relieved Sasha felt. The king had accepted Joshua with very little difficulty in part to the knowledge he held. The big question was if it could be utilized effectively? The guns in his books were far more advanced than any they had ever seen and used strange operating mechanisms.

The orange-haired woman was still watching from just beyond the door. She was shocked at how fast the king accepted Joshua as he had no soul, but due to Mersé's ideas, King Castor was more than happy to have him. Something felt off about all of it but she couldn't place her finger on it. She decided she would do her investigation to see if Joshua truly was friend or foe. The woman quietly crept away from the door and out of the castle.

Meanwhile, the king was trying to figure out where to best place Joshua. If he was as strong as Mersé claimed then perhaps a position in the knights? She also mentioned giving him a rifled musket so perhaps make him a sharpshooter? Then there was the question of whether or not he could use magic, if so, maybe put him in the magus corps?

"Tell me, Joshua, what can you do?" The king asked him.

"I'm good at heavy labor thanks to the work I did back home making machinery parts and I am also good at maintaining firearms and have been known to hit my mark with rifles out to two hundred yards if I'm using specialized sights. I have no magic as magic doesn't exist where I'm from so that's out of the question. Sasha has requested my help at her orphanage so that's what I intend to do." He replied calmly.

The king was genuinely surprised. Their best sharpshooter could only hit targets at fifty yards at best, but Joshua could do four times that range if he had what he called "specialized sights". He also mentioned wanting to work for Sasha as he felt that is what he was best suited for. The king pondered for a fair bit before reaching a final decision.

"Ms. Fullmoon, this man is to start working for you immediately. I also want him to provide whatever knowledge he has to the Royal Knights of Lescatie. That is all…dismissed." He said calmly with a confident grin.

Sasha smiled warmly. Maybe for once, things would be easier with another adult helping to cook or clean? She felt a huge weight lift itself from her shoulders. She had always been self-sacrificing at the orphanage, and on top of her duties as a hero, it became really taxing on her. It all came at a perfect time, too, as she had to pick up groceries for the orphanage on her way back.

Joshua was ready to get to work with whatever needed to be done. He had always been a no-nonsense type when it came to working as work took his mind off his troubles. When the pandemic hit and caused his job to get shut down he came to realize just how empty his life felt without it. He did apply for unemployment, but the money never came due to an issue with his 401k retirement plan, and he ended up spending the last of his money on extra food the night he was summoned.

"So, Ms. Fullmoon, what is your first order of business?" Joshua asked her eagerly.

"Oh, my…ready to start are we? Well, I need help carrying groceries back to the orphanage. When we get back I'll start dinner preparations while you cut some firewood for me. Then after dinner, you can help me wash dishes." She answered with a smile.

"I guess it's safe to say I'm booked the rest of the night. After I do my morning work I'll come and find you tomorrow and lend you my books, if it's okay with Sasha, that is. Where might I be able to find you?" Joshua asked as he turned to Mersé. Sasha nodded approvingly and Mersé smiled eagerly.

"I'll send Elt to get you by 1:00 P.M. You two get along so it'll be for the best. Work hard for Sasha so you can be of as much help to us, too." She replied.

Joshua nodded and the group went their separate ways with Wilmarina returning home, Mersé and Elt going to do some training, and Joshua and Sasha took off towards the orphanage. Joshua followed Sasha from stores to stalls and carried paper bags of food for her. She was buying everything from dinner to breakfast that the two of them could carry. As they headed back the way they came Joshua could feel the shift from the nice central district to the slums even if it was gradual. They were heading towards the southern end of the city that was littered with dirt streets compared to the paved streets of the central district and the houses painted in whitewash. The people wore dirty, plain clothes compared to those in the central district and were constantly busy with something or another. The atmosphere also felt more relaxed and carefree than when he was in the central district. Joshua felt he should at least tell Sasha of the pandemic before they got to the orphanage and that he wasn't a health risk as he was perfectly healthy.

"Hey, Sasha, I feel I should tell you that my world is suffering from a pandemic right now. It's fine though as I'm perfectly healthy and I've been vaccinated." He told her calmly.

Sasha was surprised. How could his world be suffering a pandemic if he went out to get food late at night? Certainly, he would have stayed home at all costs? She proceeded to press him for further information.

"What kind of pandemic." She asked him sympathetically.

"It's…a flu pandemic—Covid-19—a lot of people are dead right now in my world, and others are out of work. Even I lost my job and began avoiding people as much as possible. I guess…you could say that's why I was so eager to help you since it gives me my life back to some extent. For the most part, the flu is on the other side of my world and only just spread to the east coast of my country." He replied hesitantly.

If Joshua wasn't working, then what was the meaning of his life? Growing up he had always been taught that if you work hard you will find happiness. To him, Sasha represented an escape from isolation and loneliness back in the world-his world, that had been tearing him apart for a month. Being in Lescatie gave him a new lease on life that he wouldn't trade for anything in the world. Sasha smiled as Joshua took a deep breath and looked to be in higher spirits compared to the broken man in the crystal ball. That had to be why he participated in the drinking game and tolerated the looks he got from others: it made him feel free!

"Is that why you looked so sad when we were watching you with the crystal ball?" She asked him in a caring voice.

"Yeah….but now it looks like I won't have to worry too much about that," Joshua answered with a sigh of relief. "Working in the orphanage won't be so bad, heck, I'm just like those kids anyway."

Sasha froze in place at Joshua's words. She didn't expect him of all people to be an orphan. He lacked the attitude most orphans developed by adulthood from feeling alienated as children. She began to feel guilty, what if being in the orphanage brought up bad memories? Did she make the right choice in regards to all this?

"Oh...I had no idea you were an orphan…" she said dejectedly as she hung her head slightly and squinted. "Whatever happened to your parents?"

Joshua was surprised this was the question he got instead of getting asked how long his criminal record was. He hated to bring up his childhood strictly because of this. He was in an orphanage until he was four years old and bounced from foster home to foster home afterward. None of the homes were really ideal for him as adults only used him for the government support money. He became anti-social because of this until he was fifteen when he met his grandfather

"…My mother didn't know coitus results in pregnancy….so she gave me up at birth. On top of that, her husband at the time wasn't my biological father. He wasn't a good person from what I heard. I'm sorry if that sounds depressing, that's usually why I don't like bringing it up." He replied halfheartedly.

Sasha didn't know what to say. She's heard of parents abandoning their children, but not out of ignorance. Perhaps Joshua would be able to connect on a level with the children that she couldn't? There were some troublesome boys at the orphanage he might be able to reach if he tried.

"Sasha? Are you okay?" Joshua asked with concern.

Sasha snapped back to reality and blushed as she let out an embarrassed laugh as she started walking again, apologizing for spacing out. They finally reached the orphanage and Sasha knocked on the door. The orphanage was surrounded by a tall stone wall on all sides and the building resembled a church just like the ones in Joshua's world.

"Well, you sure took your time!" A female voice greeted, sounding irritated as she opened the door.

Joshua got a good look at the woman the voice came from once the door was fully open. What appeared to be a young elven woman with fair skin, purple eyes, and light, grassy green hair with small hair clips keeping her bangs out of her face and two long ponytails with one on both sides of her head secured with leaf-shaped hair clips stood in the doorway. She wore a green dress underneath leaves of various sizes on her chest and had a collar of leaves around her neck with some jutting off her shoulder. A bracer that was made of leaves was wrapped around her lower left arm and a sleeve made of the same green cloth as her dress on her right arm. Her right leg had a green stocking going up halfway past her knee and her left leg had various leaves wrapped around it in places. Her feet were wrapped tightly in leaves. Joshua was slightly relieved to see she had normal breasts compared to the other women he'd seen up to this point. The woman's jaw hung open in disgust when she spotted Joshua. He smiled politely, but it only served to further the woman's disgust.

"Sasha…what is that?" She asked in a disgusted and irritated voice.

"Primera, this is Joshua. He's going to be helping out around the orphanage for a while seeing as how Elt has been busier than normal lately." Sasha replied with a warm smile.

Primera cautiously approached him and looked him up and down as she circled him. She poked his right arm, his left side, then pulled on his left ear. A scowl spread across her face as she began shaking her head. She asked herself what this man with no soul was as he couldn't be human. Primera noticed the slight bulge on his right hip and began reaching for it, only to be stopped with a cold stare from Joshua.

"Don't even think about it. You'll hurt someone with that." He warned her.

Primera gave him an irritated glare before walking back inside with a huff. She didn't like Joshua one bit as his lack of a soul disturbed her. Sasha frowned before heading in and leading Joshua to the kitchen. A wood-burning stove was against the far wall with a back door to the outside in the far corner. Cabinets lined the walls and a stone counter with a wooden top sat in the middle. They set the groceries on the counter and Sasha began looking in the cabinets behind them for a pot to boil water. Joshua spied the iron pot on the floor next to the countertop and picked it up then set it on the wood-burning stove.

"The firewood and the ax are around back. I'll fetch some water from the well while you get to work." She said happily as she pointed at the back door.

Joshua nodded as he approached the door and stepped outside to begin his task. He quickly looked around him and saw logs stacked up against the wall to his left and a large stump with a double-bit ax leaning against it. The ax was worn and was covered in specks of rust but still looked sturdy enough to last him a while as he cut logs fire the stove. Joshua set his backpack down against the pile of logs and pulled an original fifth-generation iPod out of the front flap and began scrolling through music until he found a good song to listen to as he worked. Joshua had this iPod for years despite it being an older model, but It had lasted this long, even a couple drops onto the floor. He set a piece of wood on the stump, raising the ax over his head, and in one fell swoop, he split the log in half down the middle. Primera had been watching Joshua from above as she looked out her bedroom window with disgust at him but that changed to slight fear after he split the log in one blow. He grabbed another piece from the pile and split it in one blow just like the first then split one of the halves in two for kindling pieces. Primera slowly stepped away from the window as she felt her stomach churn.

"Just what kind of freak of nature is that thing? It isn't human or else it'd have a soul, yet that thing talks and acts like a human, and that strength….to split a piece of firewood in one strike…It also mentioned that the bulge under its clothes was something dangerous." She thought nervously to herself. Primera decided to keep her distance from Joshua; there were too many questions going through her head and not enough answers to satisfy them.

Joshua was hard at work splitting the wood just like Sasha asked him. He now had eight pieces as well as some kindling pieces to start the fire with and gathered up his pieces and his backpack before heading in. He set the pieces down next to the stove and took out his earphones before reaching into his backpack for a notebook, tearing out a few pages and crumpling them before setting the kindling pieces on top of them and lighting one of the paper balls with a shiny, chrome zippo lighter he had in his top right coat pocket. Sasha opened the back door carrying a bucket of water and watched what he was doing with a confused look. She tapped him on the back of his left shoulder and he looked up at her.

"What is that silver thing you used to light that paper?" She asked him, pointing at his lighter.

"Oh…zippo lighter. Comes in handy when I need to start a fire or light a candle. Had it engraved to commemorate the past seven years I've been working in the factory back in my world." Joshua answered as he held up his lighter.

Joshua flicked the lid open and lit the lighter, taking Sasha by surprise. The lighter had his company's name: Ingliss Industries, as well as his name and the date "12/7/2013 To Present" etched onto one side written in orange paint and was reflective like a mirror. She recalled he said he had no magic but his strange object emitted sparks and fire. He quickly shut the lid, snuffing out the flame, and put the lighter back in his pocket. Sasha was truly perplexed by this, coming to the conclusion that Joshua must have a myriad of strange gadgets on his person or in his backpack. He grabbed two pieces of firewood and placed them in the stove before brushing off the front of his pants. Joshua counted the remaining pieces then looked back into the stove.

"Are you going to need any more wood?" Joshua asked as he pointed at the pile of split wood.

Sasha nodded and Joshua headed back outside and began cutting more logs. Each time he swung the ax he split the pieces in one strike which confused him as he was strong, but not that strong. He split logs until he had eight more pieces and carried them inside, setting them next to the stove with the others. Sasha poured the bucket into the pot and smiled happily as Joshua brought in more wood then went back outside to see if he had forgotten any cut wood. She felt overjoyed to have some extra help again as Primera was usually busy keeping her eyes on the children upstairs or somewhere in the forest outside Lescatie. Primera watched Joshua from the entryway to the kitchen with great disgust. She wasn't fond of humans as she was often mistreated by them for being a half-elf and Joshua was something completely different to her and she couldn't get a good read on him.

"Sasha, what is that…that thing you brought back with you?" She asked Sasha disgustedly. Sasha frowned upon hearing this. She was aware of how Primera felt about humans but Joshua was someone who she didn't have to be afraid of.

"Joshua isn't a thing, rather he's a human from another world. Mimil managed to pull off a successful summoning ritual and Joshua is the result of said ritual." She answered as she tried to keep her composure.

Primera gave her a slightly confused look. This was the first time she heard of any such ritual at all. She frowned as her confusion turned to anger as she realized Sasha had been keeping secrets from her. Learning that Joshua was a human-made her despise him even more. He lacked a soul, was unbelievably strong, and was a human—a combination that didn't sit well with Primera. She gave him an irritated glare as she watched him bring more wood in. Sasha smiled happily as she took a piece from him and placed it in the stove.

"That's enough wood for now. Go wash your hands at the well, make a right outside and then another right, you'll see it. You'll need the bucket to get the water." Sasha told him calmly as she gave him the bucket and grabbed a rag and a bar of soap from one of the cabinets.

Joshua nodded and stepped outside once again. Primera glared at him as he shut the door behind him and rolled her eyes. He seemed to follow orders well and appeared to be somewhat useful so maybe she could use that to her advantage? His presence still disturbed her, though, and made her feel concerned for the children in the orphanage. She looked at Sasha wondering how she could tolerate his lack of a soul. Sasha may be a nun but even she should be disturbed by him.

"Just how long is it going to be staying here? His lack of a soul and incredible strength are disturbing." Primera asked Sasha in an agitated voice.

"I don't know how long it'll be. Yes, he's strong, but he's not evil. He has no soul because his world is different from ours. He has been cooperative up to this point and I'm grateful for that as you and I both know Elt has been much busier lately. He also has information that could help us in dealing with the monsters which is why he is staying in our world for now." Sasha replied, trying to keep calm. "He even beat Mersé in an arm-wrestling contest and you know just how strong she is. Even king Castor himself has taken a liking to him."

Primera looked surprised. How could he have beaten Mersé and gotten the king to like him so soon? Just what information could he have that could help them? Almost every soldier they sent to deal with the monsters never came back so what could he do to change that? She was finding everything hard to believe. As much as she didn't want to, she was going to have to investigate this matter further.

"How do you know it can be trusted?" Primera asked coldly.

Sasha looked at her with pity. What could she say to get Primera to trust Joshua? All he had done since arriving is go with everything thus far. Not once did he attack someone, even when Darion attacked Joshua himself. He may be strange but they all were probably just as strange to him, and yet, not once did he react to anyone with fear or scorn. He even offered to help them as much as he could despite not knowing much of anything about the situation. Joshua had put up with the stares and whispers of others as they walked through Lescatie and never once did he have an outburst, showing he was rather mature about it.

"Ever since he got here he has dealt with the stares and whispers of the citizens and not once did he lash out at them with fear or scorn. I understand you're scared, but if you give him a chance you'll see he's a gentle giant." Sasha replied, trying to soothe Primera's worries. "Why don't you go and try talking to him? Once you get to know him you just might see what I mean."

Primera grumbled as she trudged over to the back door and slammed it on her way out. Sasha let out a worried sigh and hoped she wouldn't do anything rash as she looked at the back door. Meanwhile, Joshua had taken his jacket off, exposing his white tank top, when he washed his hands and was now washing his face. He stuck his narrow hands in the bucket and began splashing water on his face and scrubbed his face with the rag Sasha had given him. As he scrubbed he couldn't help but feel Sasha's last name was somehow familiar now that he thought about it. He tried to put the pieces together but nothing made any sense. He stopped scrubbing as he looked deeply into the well and his head began to ache. It was then that he felt someone grab his right shoulder from behind and he spun around to see Primera angrily staring back at him.

"Uh…Primera, right? If you need to wash then the bucket is all yours." He said calmly and politely.

Primera looked him up and down now that he didn't have his jacket to hide his features. He looked young and skinny but well built. As Joshua began to walk away she stopped him which started making Joshua feel uncomfortable. Primera poked his chest again and began circling him just like earlier. Joshua let out a slightly nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head which caused her to glare daggers at him.

"I-is something….wrong?" He stammered nervously as she glared at him.

"What are you?" She asked him coldly.

"A human being…." He replied with a nervous smile.

Primera poked his chest again. He felt human but his lack of soul suggested otherwise.

"If you're human then why do you lack a soul?" She demanded.

"Because our two worlds are vastly different. A good example is my world doesn't have monsters while yours does…." He answered cautiously.

Primera raised an eyebrow at his response. How could his world have no monsters? Who did they fight on a regular basis? If they didn't have monsters then how was he going to help them in their fight against the monsters? Just what did he know that they didn't?

"No monsters? How do you intend to fight them if you've never fought one? You're likely to get dragged off and raped by one if you try to fight one." She asked him in a cynical voice.

"I still got my gun and I—wait, run that whole 'dragged' part by me again." He responded nervously. His color ran cold when he realized what she had just said.

A smirk spread across Primera's face as she realized no one had told him the truth. She let out a chuckle as she shook her head. Joshua had been brought into a situation that was worse than what he thought and even offered to help without knowing the gravity of his actions. His table had smashed the crystal ball, meaning he was absolutely stuck there with no way, or hope for that matter, of escape. Primera's chuckle turned into a taunting laugh as she watched him slowly sink down against the side of the well with a slightly terrified look on his face.

"Hahaha! You're what, like nineteen?! They're gonna absolutely love someone as young and strong as yourself! If you're lucky maybe they'll go easy on you!" She taunted.

"Primera!" A familiar voice called out angrily.

Primera looked to See Sasha standing behind them. She glared at Primera with red hot fury as she approached them. Primera was doing her best to hold back her laughter but that only made Sasha boiling mad with umbrage.

"I told you to speak with him and get to know him, not terrorize him!" Sasha yelled. "Apologize right now!"

"Apologize? For what, telling him the truth?" Primera retorted as she did her best not to laugh.

Sasha wasn't amused like Primera was. Joshua had been entrusted to her and she wanted to keep it that way as she still needed his help around the orphanage. Sasha looked over at Joshua and could see just how terrified he was. She felt guilty for not saying anything earlier but wanted to break it to him slowly so he didn't end up running away thinking he had been forced into something that shouldn't have been his problem. Joshua shook his head slightly and began mumbling something. Primera didn't catch what he said and decided to tease him some more.

"I'm sorry, what was that? You're gonna have to speak up, kiddo!" She teased with a smirk.

"Not nineteen….I'm twenty-six…." He said angrily as he stood up.

Primera raised an eyebrow. To her, he didn't even look to be in his twenties yet, but here he was claiming otherwise. He brushed off the back of his pants and grabbed his jacket and backpack with an irritated look on his face. Sasha looked away, a sad look in her eyes, as he silently walked past them and rounded the corner. Primera rolled her eyes in annoyance before grabbing the rag and dipping it in the bucket so she could wash her face and hands. Sasha stared daggers at Primera as she scrubbed herself then handed the rag to Sasha.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Sasha asked her, sounding a tad disappointed as she took the rag.

"Oh please, he'll get over it. He's a big boy after all." Primera scoffed before heading around the corner herself.

Sasha looked into the bucket and the look in her eyes reflected in the water expressed fear, worry, and frustration. She dejectedly washed her hands and removed the bucket from the hooked rope and set it down next to the well before turning around and slowly walking around the corner in defeat. Little did they know they were being listened to from the other side of the stone wall. The orange-haired woman from earlier was pressed up against the wall with her left eyebrow raised as she listened to the three of them. She had a young man close to her age who had dirty, straight black hair that stopped just above his chin. He was dressed in a breastplate over a white short sleeve shirt with a blue cape, brown gloves, black pants, and brown boots. He was leaning against the wall as the woman listened in, trying to gain information on Joshua.

"Did you learn anything useful?" The man asked her curiously.

The woman let out an irritated sigh as she pulled herself away from the wall. She didn't learn a single thing about him but did get a crucial piece of information on his world and its lack of monsters. How could he help if he's never fought one? Was his information really going to be helpful or just a waste of time? Just what was the information he had, anyway? She came for answers and ended up with more questions.

"That's both a yes and a no, Yuriy, I'm thinking I might just have to question that man directly. You heard the man from the tavern and what Alvar said, he beat Mersé and avoided Darion's attack yet here he just confirmed there are no monsters wherever he's from, and judging by his reaction to their methods he won't last long against one. His lack of a soul is also another cause for concern." She replied with a scowl.

"Should we report this to the king then, Eristia?" Yuriy asked her, a slight look of concern on his face.

"Not yet. I still don't know enough to come to a conclusion on whether or not he's dangerous. Come, Yuriy, we'll return to the barracks for now and come up with a plan." Eristia responded calmly.

They both turned and began heading towards the castle as the sun was setting. This incident left a foul taste in Eristia's mouth as she wondered what Joshua was truly capable of. She walked with a scowl as they left the orphanage and back towards the barracks. Joshua was slowly turning into an enigma whose antics had become widespread throughout Lescatie. Some people who heard of how he had beaten Mersé were terrified of him, some were disgusted by his presence, and others didn't know what to think of him. Some in the central district began whispering he might be an enemy spy while those more towards the slums decided to pay him no mind as he wasn't hostile towards them. Eristia had listened to the whispers when she left the castle and thought he might be worth investigating as much as possible.

Back in the orphanage, Sasha had made pasta for dinner. She had Joshua set the dining table while she went and got the children and Primera had gone upstairs to her room. Sasha slowly descended the stairs with thirty orphans in tow and was surprised at how fast Joshua managed to set the table but was nowhere to be seen. He soon came out of the kitchen pushing a cart that had the pot, bread, cheese, and a cheese grater, a pitcher of water, and spices. He began placing a helping of pasta and bread on each plate with a smile as he made his way around the table. Sasha smiled happily as he began pouring water in every glass. His coat and backpack were hung over a chair at one of the far ends of the table.

"I hope you're all hungry because dinner…is served." He said happily as he looked at them.

"Thank you, Joshua, I really appreciate this," Sasha said happily.

Primera came down behind them and rolled her eyes at Joshua. He seemed to be happy just doing his job with no questions asked and a little extra if need be. Sasha and the children all took their seats at the table with Primera following behind slowly with a scowl on her face. Joshua sat at the far end with Sasha and Primera sitting at the opposite end. Joshua tucked his napkin into the collar of his tank top after sitting down and Primera kept her eyes on him.

"Let's all have a moment of silence in thanks to the Chief God for this meal…and to Joshua for his hard work today making this meal possible," Sasha said with a smile and everyone joined hands.

Primera kept glaring at Joshua angrily as they all released hands and he began spinning his pasta around his fork. Some of the kids watched him and began imitating his actions. Sasha noticed Primera hadn't touched her food since sitting down as she kept glaring at Joshua. She nudged Primera slightly which broke her concentration and she looked at Sasha with a confused look. Sasha pointed to her food and Primera began shoveling pasta in her mouth.

"This pasta is delicious, Sasha, thank you for the meal," Joshua said with a smile after wiping some sauce from his face.

"Well aren't you just a gentleman…you're welcome," Sasha replied happily.

Primera rolled her eyes in disgust. Everything Joshua did from wiping his mouth to eating came off as disturbing to her as he had no soul yet acted and ate like a regular person. Why weren't the kids scared of him? Why was Sasha letting such a freak of nature eat at the dinner table? None of it made any sense to her and made her want to throw something at it. She clutched her fork between her fingers tightly as she took another bite of pasta and then glared at him. Joshua broke off a piece of his bread and gulped it down with some water. Primera felt her rage boiling over as she watched him nonchalantly stuff his face. Without thinking, she threw her fork like a dart, at Joshua with it brushing past his right ear and clattering against the wall behind him and falling to the floor. Joshua had fallen back in his chair with a hard thud just in time to avoid nearly losing his right eye as the fork brushed past him and the children flinched while Sasha covered her mouth in shock. Groaning as he stood up, the look of terror on his face faded to one of extreme annoyance.

"….Fine…I get it. I know when I'm not wanted." He said in an irritated voice as he grabbed his coat and backpack and stormed out the front door.

The children had slightly terrified looks on their faces as they looked at Primera who looked at them in confusion. Sasha gave her a furious glare before pinching her left ear and dragging her into the kitchen. She pressed her up against the wall and smacked her across the face in anger. This startled Primera since Sasha had never done this to anyone before.

"Ow! What was—" she started to protest before seeing the look on Sasha's face.

"Why?….Why can't you just get along?….. what did…what did he do to deserve that?…." Sasha asked her dejectedly. Her eyes were tearing up at having to hurt her best friend and the look on her face pleaded with Primera to stop.

"You know why. I don't like humans, never have and never will! That thing lacks a soul! How can you and the children just sit there and pretend there's nothing wrong with that!?" Primera retorted angrily.

Sasha's expression turned to one of pity. She understood Primera's problem with humans but Joshua was different. Not once did he treat her as anything other than a fellow person like him and she kept mistreating him in return.

"He hasn't mistreated you like the other humans did, rather, he has been kind to you this entire time despite how you have treated him! He even put food on your plate for you earlier! Please…..just try to get along with him! For my sake!" Sasha hollered at her.

Primera was taken back by how Sasha raised her voice at her. She never once in her time at the orphanage saw Sasha get like this. The look in Sasha's eyes was begging her to try and be nice to Joshua for a change. Sasha took a step back just as her expression changed to a serious one.

"Just give him a chance, please?…" she asked sorrowfully.

Primera stormed off without a word, making Sasha feel frustrated. She didn't know what she could do to get Primera to trust Joshua. She decided to find Joshua so he could help wash dishes, hoping it would help take both his and her mind off of things. She wasn't expecting what she was about to see outside the front door, though.

A/N: Another chapter just as I promised. From here there won't be any chapters until Christmas when I'll have ch. 11 finished. Hopefully R.L. doesn't get in the way of things too much.