The passing week was unlike any Sunny had experienced.

The sound of a heartbeat was a constant reminder that food was right there. But then Abel would ask about her annotations in the book he was reading. Or he would jokingly remind her to blink when she stared at him and wave off her embarrassment.

Abel had to leave. Even though Sunny found herself hiding a smile more and more, she had to send him home. It didn't matter that Abel being there made the days move quickly. It didn't matter that the library seemed less like a corpse with his living presence in it.

Abel's existence was a temptation. His heartbeat was a reminder that there was fresh, warm blood available. His scent was a beckoning to be the hunter and not the scavenger.

On another rainy day, having laid out the tarps and swaddled Abel in blankets and tea, Sunny commented, "You seem like you're getting better. Do you think we should start preparing to get you to Basemath? I don't want you to miss the rift."

Like every time she brought it up, he quickly dismissed it. "I have enough time."

"How much time?" Sunny pressed. "It's been raining a lot. I want to make sure I plan for it so that we're not skidding across mud."

"A week. Maybe two."

Sunny frowned. "When I spoke to Basemath last, she said no more than a week. That was five days ago."

Abel closed his eyes, but she could hear the increase in his heartbeat, "Is there a reason you're so insistent."

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Sunny instantly retreated. "No. I just don't want you stuck here. Basemath made it sound like you would have to travel back to wherever you're from on foot."

Abel hummed in thought and opened his eyes to study her. "I live in what used to be called Alaska according to the locals," he said. It was a clear change of subject. "Specifically, I live at the Gates of the Arctic."

"Didn't that used to be a national park?" Sunny questioned, remembering one of the books she read.

Abel nodded. "There weren't a lot of clean green spaces around when elves were tossed here. So most elfin clans moved into the national parks. It's not like there were any human governments to enforce any law."

"A long ways away," Sunny noted. Abel frowned again, but Sunny walked away, unwilling to start the interrogation again.

~

The rain had lightened up enough that some animals were willing to come out. Sunny waited until Abel's breathing slowed with sleep then went into the woods with her wagon.

There was no exertion required on her part. Rather, more effort had to be placed into stealth. Just like zombies could sense her presence, so too could animals. So she took the time to remain downwind and walk softly across the mud and leaves.

By the end of her hunt, she had enough materials to prepare for the next Market. Sunny paused in her walk back, remembering that another Market day would mark a week since she was told about the rift. Abel insisted that he had enough time, but something didn't sit right about it. He got tense every time she asked about it, no matter how casual the inquiry.

Putting aside deadlines and the risk of eating him, every moment around her made her true nature more evident. Every time his blood heated up, every time his heartbeat got a little too active, she risked revealing herself.

Sunny's body couldn't really react. She was dead after all. But like a memory, she felt sensation anyway. A phantom clenching in her stomach. The ghost of saliva coating her mouth preparing her to chew into flesh. She always turned away before she could bare her teeth.

Sunny sighed and breathed deeply, letting the scent of rain wash away the memory of hunger. But thinking of that made her remember his scent. He smelled of cold things; wind, the ocean, and the impression of something larger than what she could see. Like a glacier, she thought. Not an appetizing scent, but one that unfortunately kept her attention.

It would be so easy to slip and eat him.

Sunny shook herself and continued walking back. That settled it. Abel had to leave. No later than Market Day. If she had to wrap him in blankets and toss him on her wagon, she would.

She felt a strange emptiness at the thought of being alone again, but she disregarded it. She was always empty.

As Sunny approached the library, she slowed to listen better. Abel's heart was speeding. He was scared. Was he having a nightmare? There was nothing else around. She entered the library.

The couch was empty. The blankets trailed off as if to lead in the direction of its previous occupant. The smell of meat, slowly decaying, met her nose, enticing her hunger. And in front of the open meat locker was Abel, looking sick and furious.