The airport, as usual, was filled with tourists and regular citizens traveling on business or on vacation. Children in line stare with awe at random people because children can. However, that didn’t stop the children from rudely gawking despite their parents painfully finger pinches on their arms or harsh whispered threats of being grounded and privileges being taken away. The parents could only apologetically smile at the other passengers waiting in line.

 Separate from the rest of the airport was an area for private arrivals and departures. Currently, on this day, the rest of the terminals were closed except for the terminal headed towards, Black Woods Academy. The area is filled with parents and friends saying goodbye to the proud chosen to be enrolled. The candidates in their silver colored uniforms preen themselves under the adoration. A grumpy gray haired female candidate sits apart from them munching on a bag of cheddar/pepper jack/spicy crackers in the shape of little golden fishes. In her lap sits a teddy bear in an identical silver uniform.

The crowd fails to notice the ongoing conversation between the female and the teddy bear. “You remembered to pack everything including a first aid kit?” Mr. Wilkins grumbled. “And why are we flying with brats, when we can just take the private jet?”

#017 swallows a mouthful of crackers and sighs. “Yes, I remembered to pack everything including the first aid. I left Mark in charge of the bookstore and seeing as he is an ex-con, the store will be just fine. And the computer café already runs itself, but Tommy agreed to oversee it while we are away. I sold the house and took care of the paperwork.  I ordered extra work clothes for you and myself. School registration and housing fees have been taken care of and paid for. And the reason, why we are flying with the brats, is to get a read on them. Are there any more questions?” #017 breathlessly said.

Mr. Wilkins is silent for a moment before saying, “We forgot to pack my games!”

 “I know, I purposefully left them out, since you confiscated my snack bag,” #017 coldly replied. Mr. Wilkins is aghast but is unable to reply properly back. But before he can make a comeback, a loud calm voice speaks over the intercom, “Terminal 8 is now ready for boarding. Please have your identification and ticket ready. And thank you for flying via Dawn Airways.”

#017 stands up and easily makes her way upstairs before any of the rest of the passengers who are saying goodbye to their families. A pretty woman with russet hair and warm chocolate eyes says, “Tickets and identification please.”

The woman at the check-in counter scans the tickets and identification, lifting an eyebrow at seeing the registration for the teddy bear. The ticket attendant eyes the gray-haired young woman, but tactfully chooses to remain silent on the subject. The ticket attendant smoothly hands back the identification and says, “Thank you for flying Dawn Airways.”

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#017 takes the ID's back and hurries inside the ramp leading to the airplane. She swiftly finds her seat towards the front, 13 A and B. She swiftly takes the aisle seat, while Mr. Wilkins takes the window seat and is buckled in by #017. Satisfied, #017 grabs a magazine to read while munching on a handful of fishy shaped crackers. Mr. Wilkins remains silent and tactfully still, rather furious about the recent surprise packing reveal.

A rather nervous looking girl looking for a seat paused next to #017’s aisle seat. “Can I, um, take that window seat?” The nervous young woman said, pointing to the seat carrying Mr. Wilkins.

“He’s a passenger too,” #017 nonchalantly replied.

 The girl seems incredulously but rather than commenting on the strangeness of the situation, flees, swiftly makes her way further down the aisle. Mr. Wilkins snorts to himself and says, “Stupid human, I can easily walk all over you.”

 #017 grins, but keeps munching on her chips. A flight attendant comes down the aisle and says, “You should stop eating, Miss, you’ll get sick at takeoff.” #017 doesn’t reply and merely shoves another chip into her mouth in reply. The flight attendant sighs, before making her way down to the back of the airplane.

*

Unbeknown to #017 an elegantly dressed female had been watching from afar and had watched her board. The woman is expensively dressed in heels and a designer dress. Her ruby red lipstick looks perfect on her as her straight hair has not even a hair out of place. Large white designer sunglasses cover half of her face as a rugged man emerges from behind her and stops to stand next to her.

“We’ve both been in the business a long time, Giselle. And we both even worked for the same person, but what I don’t understand is why you went out of our way to see her off if you aren’t even going to make an effort to speak to her?” Asked, the rugged man known as John.

 Giselle is silent for a moment and says, “Because I don’t have that right too.”

   John is quiet for some time before saying, “I never got the full story, if I may, how did you and the boss exactly meet?”

Giselle smiles faintly. “It’s a long complicated story, but in the end, I left him, not the other way around,” Giselle a bit proudly of herself, firmly said.

“Yeah, but you left your kid too,” John retorted. Giselle is pointedly silent and doesn’t respond. John sighs and opens his mouth to apologize, but before he can, a voice on the intercom says, “Terminal 3 is now closed. Flight 201 is now departing.”

John turns his gaze towards the runway where the airplane is moving towards the track. They watch the airplane slowly gain speed to lift into the air, the windows rattle faintly as the airplane finally pushes off and disappears swiftly into the sky leaving a blazing white trail. Giselle turns on her heels, with John remaining silent, but swiftly following her out, they had a job to do.

*

#017 doesn’t cease eating as a sense of curiosity and just maybe excitement fills her. The airplane flies higher and higher into the atmosphere before leveling. At this point, the airplane is full of noisy chatter. #017 tactfully grabs ear plugs and sticks them into Mr. Wilkins and her ears, before taking a nap. The flight was going to be long and she wanted to rest up.