10:45 AM September 13th 2026

35,000ft Altitude between New York City and Washington DC

A statuesque brunette rested her head against the window frame watching the landscape and fluffy clouds slide by beneath her. She let the vibrations of the passenger jet soothe her while she tried not to offend the young gentleman sitting next to her. He had already requested her autograph while jabbering on about what a big ‘fan’ he was of her work.

“Really, the way you took out those monsters during the last Appalachian magic surge…” He shook his head and exhaled with what appeared to be something between a sigh and a moan."…It was pure artistry. I watched the whole operation. Everything that the embedded journalists filmed.” His gushing was annoying, to say the least.

“Embedded journalists can’t film everything in high magic areas. High enough levels of magic can cause even magically hardened electronics to fail. So, the monster battles that were filmed and broadcast to the public were only a small portion of the cleanup that actually happened."

The correction was almost automatic now and she tried not to groan in frustration. This was why she hated traveling on civilian airlines even if the seats were slightly more comfortable. And quiet. Was it weird that she was more relaxed flying in some giant military cargo plane with the rattling and the roar of the engines getting ready to do a high altitude jump into an untamed magic zone overrun with monsters than sitting in relative comfort next to a... fan?

But, if the public continued to believe that the dangers out there were all known and easily dealt with, they wouldn’t take funding the military seriously. And that’s the problem she was having with the Senate Appropriations Committee. Somehow, the fact that known dangers had been successfully eliminated or removed meant to the politicians that the military didn’t need as much money as they had been giving it. So, she said the words that needed saying.

“Really?” Her seatmate brightened at her words. "So, there was stuff that you saw that wasn’t broadcast?” Placing one tanned hand to her face the woman rubbed the bridge of her nose in a failing attempt to ward off the migraine she knew would soon follow. "I’d love to hear all about it?”

Before she could think of anything to say to avoid this part of the conversation, her phone rang. Her shoulders sagged with relief as she jumped at the excuse to avoid talking to yet another Gore Groupie about disemboweling monsters. The number wasn’t one she recognized yet she was determined to take the call anyway.

“Excuse me. She interrupted the young man. "I need to take this.” Seeing the flight attendant on their way down the aisle, she paused for a second before answering the call and whispered hurriedly to her seatmate, “If I’m still on the phone when the flight attendants reach us, tell them I want coffee with two sugars and one cream.” Then she quickly answered the call.

“This is Camina speaking.” Camina hadn’t recognized the number, but anything had to be better than talking about work on her day off while traveling for work. Right? The young man next to her narrowed his eyes in suspicion and casually tilted his head as he nonchalantly strained to listen in on her conversation.

“Hello, is this the parent of Anna Watkins?”c The voice was brusque and tinged with a level of disgust Camina had never before heard directed at her by someone she didn’t know.

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“Yes. This is her mother, Camina Watkins. How can I help you?” For a few breathless moments, Camina was worried that something had happened to her daughter, and she pursed her lips together expectantly.

“This is Dean George from New York Preparatory Academy. I’m calling because Anna has been suspended for fighting and a parent or designated guardian needs to pick her up. I’ve been unable to reach Mister Watkins." A frown creased Camina’s forehead and the corners of her full, expressive lips turned down.

“Suspended for fighting? Well, certainly I hope it was the bully that keeps breaking her stuff because I told Anna I’m not replacing anything else that Miss White breaks anymore." Silence from the other end of the call strung out long enough that Anna’s mother thought the line had disconnected. "Are you still there, Dean George?”

“Ahem. Yes." Hearing the discomfort in the Dean’s voice, Camina’s frown curved up into a smile. "Be that as it may, your daughter participated in a fight and has therefore been suspended along with all the girls she had been fighting with. When can we expect someone to pick her up from school."

“I’m currently on a flight heading toward New York, but I’ll be landing within the hour. I could probably pick Anna up within two hours if there aren’t any delays on landing. You could just release her and let her walk home. We don’t live far from the school." She’d tried to sound as cheerful as possible but let some aggravation into her voice.

“Umm…Unfortunately, school policy does require that a parent, guardian, or an adult designated by a parent or guardian pick the child up when they’ve been suspended." The Dean had been taken aback by Camina’s suggestion that her child be released to walk home.

“Then I’ll be there as soon as I can." She paused artfully knowing full well that she would be annoying the heck out of the Dean. "Probably around 1:00 PM but maybe not until after 2:00 PM. I really can’t speed up the plane. That’s a bit beyond my control."

The young man beside her stifled a giggle as a flight attendant handed him a hot coffee, two sugar packets, and a creamer. Glancing over her shoulder Camina winked at him as he handed her the coffee and condiments and she mouthed Thank you!

“Umm hmmm." Her mouth occupied with a hot sip of beverage; Camina agreed absently to something she didn’t quite hear. "See you then. Ba-bye, Dean."

“Ba-bye?” The young man next to her sniggered as the call clicked off.

“I’m allowed to say ba-bye." She blinked innocently at her neighbor. "Thanks for grabbing my coffee for me." The cool air of the plane made a pleasing contrast on her face as the steam from her cup caressed her cheeks while she took another sip. "I haven’t had a chance to have any yet today and I’ve been craving it."

She fumbled with the knob to release the seat back tray in front of her. One hand held her coffee, and the other, her sugar, creamer, and the snap-on lid to her cup. Juggling the way she held her condiments, she easily opened the tray and lowered it to set her things on.

“Trouble at home?” Camina’s erstwhile traveling companion asked with a look of intrusive concern that bordered on glee.

“No, not really." Her smiled reassurance was more than just an act. She was sure that her husband had just been busy with a patient and that he would be picking up their daughter soon. As the gears in her mind spun up back into ‘mom mode’ after the time she’d spent away, Camina absently doctored up her cup of joe the way she liked it before taking a thoughtful sip. "Mmmm…” Tension poured out of her body with the taste of her caffeinated savior. Her shoulders sagged gratefully. "So, good. Thank you, again."

Gesturing with her cup, the woman indicated what she was thanking her neighbor for. Then she opened the contacts list on her phone and scrolled through. Finding the name she was looking for, she dialed. The phone rang, and rang, and continued ringing several more times before eventually going to a generic voicemail box prompt asking her to leave a message.

“Hey, honey. It’s me. The school called and needs someone to pick up Anna. I’m on a flight back to New York now and should be landing in less than an hour. I came back early to surprise you. So…surprise! If you get this message before I pick up Anna, let me know if you are planning on doing it."

She hung up. There wasn’t any reason to be concerned that her husband wasn’t answering the phone. He was sure to have patients today, and he’d check messages between them. It was almost guaranteed that he would be calling her before she landed.