Are we even surprised at my rating given the author? This short story (emphasis on short) had such a fleshed out world for something as short as it was. Polk's talent for crafting worlds that feels so lived in and fleshed out that I'm not sure I'd even care how dynamic the characters are. 

That being said, the characters and their journey still left an impression. I adored our main character and her motivations for befriending the love interest. And this one, like most of the C.L. Polk stories I've read has tragedy that feels so indicative of the real world that it never fails to make my heart hurt.