Trust.

I fucking hate infections. Especially here. Off-island, I could probably handle. A bit of high fever, bit of aching, sweating, chills, whatever. I can deal with that just fine.

On-island? The wounds turn green. And start spewing out what I can only assume to be caterpillars. They're kinda maggot-like, the way they move, but... they feel soft. Fuzzy, even. Almost yarn-like.

Thankfully, none of them have started speaking Spanish yet.

I've got Jacob on the case. Didn't want to, but, well... You know how he is. He would have strapped me down if he had to.

I mean, don't get me wrong. He's a good doctor and all. Can't remember a single time when he couldn't help me out with an injury, or some new biological transformation, or whatever. And he's usually willing to help with anything else I'm having trouble with. Y'know, just to talk or whatever. It's just... well. A couple of things. For one thing, I already owe him big time, and don't feel like piling up the debt much more.

And for another... He sort of sets me on-edge.

It's not the blood-soaked coat, or the weird experiments. It's the resemblance. To One. He's obviously a different person, of course. But there's just a few tiny things that, when you add them up, sort of get to me.

Like the fact that he just moved in to the sanctum. And that he's... married to the same woman. (Still think that was a dumb fucking idea, marrying at a time like that. Then again, I don't get why anyone would marry, anyway.) Or maybe it's the secrets. I mean, I'm fine with secrets, whatever. Everyone's got theirs. But when it comes to him... For some reason, I don't like thinking that he's got too many dark secrets. I want to trust him.

I never really trusted One. I always knew he'd double-cross me one way or another. Maybe I sometimes hoped that I could trust him, or just tried to trust him, but I didn't. ...Though in the end, it still hurt when he left.

...I'm getting way off-topic. The thing is... I don't have many people that I really trust anymore. Like, maybe. Respect, sure, whatever. But trust... it just doesn't come all that easy. If I'm going to trust anyone, though, then it wouldn't hurt for it to be my doctor.

I know he'll help me through this and all, but sometimes I wonder if I'm ever going to come close to repaying him.