Chapter Eighty-OneIt took us weeks to build enough energy to travel the leeway without burning out again. In a way, it was like a recovery vacation, where we ate strange plants, picked ugly, misshapen gray fruits that tasted incredible, and barbecued small rabbit-like animals at night. The water tasted metallic, but there was nothing else to drink, so we risked small sips.
We didn't talk about what happened. Or pointed out our recovery was taking too long. No, we made the best of our time alone, away from any preternatural politics and demands, aware that we'd never get another similar chance. We were eager to find out how things turned out, eager to stay and enjoy our time together unperturbed. At the three weeks mark, we figured we had enough to jump a line but agreed to stay one more w
