Late evening was when the urge started to resurface. It wasn't as bad as my first time. But I wanted to eat now more than I ever did during the past week. Or so I thought as we were sitting in the canteen watching everyone eat to their heart's content.

'I'll wait for their meals to end and use any excuse to escape.'

.

.

.

I turned around to see Mikasa finish her meal.

"Let's head back now."

"Sure." She put the spoon back on her empty plate. They had gratin that day. A meal reminiscent of my fondest memory, but now even the smell of it felt anything but good.

"What, Eren, you gotta take a dump? Stay a bit longer." Connie shouted from across the hall.

'Annoying littl- Wait this was a good excuse.'

"Uhh... yeah... sure. I need to take a dump." Let's go with that.

"Don't talk about poop here! We're still eating!!" Jean slammed the table a little.

"Connie was the one who brought it up!" I tried to justify. "Anyways, really gotta go now. Later!"

I hurriedly left the canteen with Mikasa.

After walking out and towards the shed I opened my mouth again. Time for the second excuse. One to leave Mikasa off my tracks.

'Yes, I can use that.'

"Ah.. I forgot something back in the canteen. I'll be back soon, you can head back first." I said before turning back around.

"I'll wai-"

"No, it's fine."

I marched off to the other side, but instead of running towards the canteen, I ran straight to the wooden fence circumfering the camp.

The main gates were off access, so I ran to the large tree I surveyed a few days ago. Surveying on the second day was a good decision on my part. I don't know how much longer I can suppress my hunger.

'Although not by a lot, I do feel impulsive today.'

I jumped up and climbed a branch near the tree's top. And just as I was about to hop over the fence-

"What are you doing up there?"

The sudden voice made my sight fall to the ground to the ground. And there she was, what was her name again? The one who was always with Historia.

Freckles on her face, brown hair. AH! Ymir. I would've really preferred her to be the white-haired little girl that showed up that time I ate humans for the first time- my ancestor. But it just had to be her.

'I don't think she saw my face. It was too dark and the leaves were covering it.'

I covered my mouth with a piece of cloth. I should have done that from the get-go.

'Well, I'm safe for now.

Let's run.'

"I asked you what you were do- Hey stop!" I heard her shout as I jumped over the fence.

I ran. Through the little forest thickening surrounding this place. The camp wasn't very far away from where I eat. So I ran without any reserves.

"Wait! Where do you think you're running off to?"

Was she following me?!

I tried to gain some speed but she was still on my tail.

What's wrong with the women in the cadet corps. First, it was Mikasa, then Annie, and now her? Are all women monsters?!

I needed to lead her away somehow. Just sneaking away wouldn't work. She would just continue in this direction judging by how persistent she is.

I jumped onto a tree and started running in the opposite direction from my feeding site.

She followed me. Good job.

"Oi! Stop!" I heard her yell again.

WHAT WAS ALL THIS PERSISTENCE FOR?

When she had followed me far enough, I started to reduce the sound of my steps as much as I could, which made me slow down a lot.

As soon as she became unable to catch onto my movements, I took off in the other direction.

Her footsteps and presence stopped following me but continued in the direction I left off in previously.

A detour sure, but not one that took too long to cover up.

Ten minutes later, I arrived at the site.

And ate.

For the return, I jumped over another part of the fence. One near the shed.

::XXX::

"Eren where were you yesterday?" Ymir asked as they were having lunch in the canteen.

'Is she on to me? There was no need to worry, I had every base covered.'

"The washroom."

"Right after we left? Mikasa, were you with him?"

"Why would she be with me in there? Why are you even questioning me?" I asked a little agitated. A card I could pull since an almost stranger was pressing me for answers.

"Yesterday I ran into an intruder."

"An intruder, in the camp? That's pretty risky. But why are you suspecting me?"

"It surprised me too, so I followed him. The weird thing is that he looked a lot like you." Her senses were unnaturally sharp.

"Like me?"

"Height and all."

"Ah... but that's not enough to suspect me. Moreover, I wouldn't be an intruder if I lived here, right?"

"I guess that's true... but Eren, you do know that you're a pretty sketchy character, right?"  I wasn't sketchy! I was just a product of my circumstances.

"Huh?"

"Animals are scared of you, you can beat Reiner and Bertholdt two on one, you have a cult-like group around you, and you never eat with us." Just how much had she been taking note of me?

"Now that I think about it, he really hasn't ever eaten with us." Connie busted into the conversation.

"I just don't like eating in front of other people." I needed an excuse. "The thought of eating with people frightens me. Cuz you can't tell when you would be able to eat with them next."

The canteen went silent for a bit. They knew my history. Even if the reason was a lie, they could probably relate to everything I said.

But you need more than just theatrics to convince someone.

So I grabbed a piece of bread and tore through it. I chewed it. I could feel my eyes tearing up but I tried my best to stop it right there.

The bread tasted vile. It tasted like the raw innards of a dog, or at least what I'd imagine them to taste like. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to spit it out.

But I swallowed it.

It took every fibre of my being to eat one bite of the bread.

"I-it's not like I can't eat it, I just don't want to. When everyone leaves I do eat my share." I put the rest of the bread down and got up. "Now if you'd excuse me for a bit."

I walked outside, before running to the side of the canteen and throwing the bread up.

By the time the stench got driven away, I got hungry again.

Guess I'll have to eat tonight as well.