Sun was bouncing up and down in her seat in the car. To Roger’s amusement, she just couldn’t sit still. When he had told her they were going to be flying, Sun didn’t even know what a plane was until he showed her a picture and explained that people sit on this giant bus and get launched into the sky, only to arrive at a different part of the world. When he parked the car she bolted out, evidently excited about the airport.

Roger felt guilty that he had lifted Sun’s spirits so high. He was going to Asheville to follow up on a lead but didn’t feel comfortable letting Sun out of his sights for two reasons. One was the fact that she was only seven and he was supposed to be her temporary guardian, and if anything happened to her he would never live it down. The second was that he knew Sun was keeping secrets from him. Although they had a heartfelt morning a few days ago, there was something in Sun’s eyes that lead him to believe she was concealing the truth about something. He hoped it was just his annoyingly paranoid cop senses tingling that made him suspect this little girl who was currently running around the parking lot yelling at him when she found a car that looked like his.

Grabbing the two suitcases, he walked to the departure terminal at Detroit-Wayne, trying his best to keep up with the energetic child with him. He had to admit, it was a little difficult to not get catch some of her enthusiasm and he found himself smiling in her direction more than once. He couldn’t remember his first trip on an airplane, but he was certain she wouldn’t forget hers considering just how invested she was at gazing at the interior of the terminal. It wasn’t an incredibly impressive display, but for someone seeing it for the first time, it left an impression.

By the time they got through the line, there was only half-an-hour left until boarding for Pan Am started. Glad he overestimated the time it would take to get through the line, he got his boarding ticket from the receptionist and handed her their bags. He and Sun practically strolled right through security since he looked like anything but a threat with Sun at his side. Roger confessed that taking Sun with him to appear less threatening was a motive for taking her along as well.

They walked out onto the tarmac hand-in-hand mainly because Sun kept trying to run away to get a closer look at the airplane they were about to board. Once inside the cabin, he breathed an air relief as she shrugged off his heavy winter coat as Sun ran to find their seats.

It had been a while since he’d been on a plane and he was glad he had saved up so much the past few years because the tickets cost a pretty penny. Relaxing in his seat, he leaned back and hoped to catch a good nap before arriving at Douglass Municipal since he had to drive to Asheville. Sun, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to stop rattling off questions at him.

“How to airplanes work? When do we take off? When do we land? How long will it take? Why is everyone dressed so nice? What is an airplane made of? How come that girl has a dog? How many people are on board?”

Roger was tempted to stick in some earplugs and let her wear herself out, but he got shot a nasty look by another passenger. Not even up in the air yet and Sun was already causing a disturbance.

“Sun, you need to quiet down. There are other people on the plane too.”

Sun immediately quieted down.

“I need to use the bathroom.”

Roger groaned and got up, leading Sun to the plane bathroom.

“Just come back to where we’re sitting when you’re done.”

Sun closed the door and heard Roger shuffled back to his seat. When she was sure he was gone she climbed into the sink and sat cross-legged on the counter.

“Leslie was right. What do I do? If we go to Asheville the evil people will come chasing us and try to kill Roger.”

Two days prior, before Roger had announced they were going on a trip, Leslie told Sun in confidence that Roger was in danger if he took the trip. Sun didn’t even know what Asheville was until Roger had explained it to her at great length. She shut her eyes and tried to recall exactly what Leslie had told her.

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“Pack accordingly,” Leslie said. “I’m going to give you a couple smaller weapons to take care of the problem. You’ll be going on a trip soon, and on the way there you’re going to need to pay attention to the people around you. Keep track of who looks suspicious. If they follow you for more than two blocks, memorize their face. If they avoid eye contact, memorize their face. You can’t afford to stop paying attention. Don’t you dare tell Roger about it because he will turn the car around. He needs the information that woman in Asheville has to catch the person he’s chasing.” Before Sun could ask any further questions Leslie had already started a lesson on the art of falling.

Sun was beginning to panic. What was Roger doing that was so dangerous? Why were they really going to Asheville? Who was ‘that woman’ and why did she have information? Why was she, a seven-year-old, tasked with protecting him? Couldn’t Leslie do it? So far she’d only learned how to punch correctly, hit a target from far away, deflect a blow, swing a sword, and fall, hardly training meant to shield someone from death.

“So are you up for it or not?”

Sun looked up at Alter staring back at her in the mirror. Ever since her little episode, she was seeing Alter on every reflective surface. At first, she ignored her, but Sun got used to constantly having company.

“I don’t know. What if I just don’t do anything?”

“Roger most definitely dies. But he’s going to die eventually, so if you think about it, you’re just going to prolong the inevitable.”

That didn’t comfort Sun at all.

“Can’t you just tell me who it is out to kill him?”

“And ruin the suspense? I don’t think so. I hardly get any fun so I’m taking what I can get.”

“Maybe just a hint?”

Alter thought about it for a second, then gave a slight nod.

“You don’t really need to worry about them making any moves until the drive.”

“What drive? I thought we were flying?”

“There’s no direct flight to Asheville so you’re going to Charlotte first, then driving. That’s when they make their move.”

Sun breathed a sigh of relief, at least she didn’t have to act immediately.

“Hey, hey, don’t get so relaxed. The culprit’s on the plane with you so check out everybody’s face otherwise you won’t know who it is until it’s too late.”

The weight on her shoulders was back. She wasn’t ready for this, she didn’t want the weight of a life in her hands. And if she failed…

“Sun, come out. The plane’s about to take off.”

Sun was startled out of her stupor, nearly falling off the counter. Alter gave her one last thumbs-up before retreating back into the mirror so Sun's own eyes stared back at her. Shakily, she got down and left the bathroom, trying to look at as many faces as she could before getting back in her seat. Sun even debated telling Roger he was in danger, but then she’d have to reveal Leslie’s secret, and there was no way she was breaking that promise.

The plane around her jolted and she grabbed onto Roger’s hand. Was that normal? Maybe Alter lied to her and the culprit was going to take down the whole plane to get to Roger. What had Roger done that warranted her needing to get involved? He had confessed that his family had gotten killed because of a case he was working on, but now his life was in danger. Did he even know? Judging by his expression, he had no idea.

The plane jolted again, this time moving forward slowly. Was this how a plane worked? It would be faster just driving, wouldn’t it? The plane stopped again, and her look of confusion must have read volumes since Roger felt the need to pipe in.

“This is when it gets exciting.”

Roger wore a careless smile that split his face in two, his eyes gleaming with mischief. All of a sudden the plane’s engine roared to life, deafening Sun. There was no way that was normal! It accelerated forward faster and faster until Sun felt her stomach twist and her internal organs shift back while the ground pulled away. They were in the air! She felt Roger untwist his hand from hers.

“You have got an unnaturally strong grip for someone your size,” he said, shaking out his hand. She noticed sheepishly that there were red imprints where her fingers had gripped his.

Remembering she had a mission, she stood up with the claims to want to look around. Roger shrugged and allowed her to go as long as she didn’t bother the other passengers. She moved to the front of the plane and worked her way back. All the faces she made eye contact with looked away, so her list was pretty long. There were about forty people in the aircraft, all of which were suspects in her eyes. Well, there were some kids and a dog, so she counted those out. Unless maybe the kids had been trained at an early age to assassinate a target. The kids were back on her list.

“Are you lost, sweetie?”

She turned around in surprise, but she was greeted by a smiling face.

“No. This is my first time and I got excited and wanted to see everything.” Sun hoped her look of enthusiasm was convincing. Apparently, it was because the stewardess brought her to the front of the plane and introduced her to the captain and his first mate.

Great, just more people to add to her list.