Eluik saw Leslie, who was walking ahead of them, hesitate a bit. But then she must have realized that nobody who overheard them would have the faintest idea of what they were talking about, so she kept moving and didn’t stop to hush them.

“Do you know where it is?” asked Eluik.

“No,” said Enopp. “But Pat or Danny could have taken us. Or shown us where. I know you learned as well as I did how to move from place to place.”

“I don’t have your reckless confidence.”

“I’m not reckless,” said Enopp. “I’m very careful not to try to do more than I know how to do.”

“You just think you know how to do far more than I think I know how to do.”

“Gating, or just going, whatever we call it,” said Enopp, “is quicker. But I think Marion and Leslie wanted us to experience flying in an airplane. Most people in America have flown, so why shouldn’t we? When we get back home, there won’t be any airplanes.”

Then they were at the gate, and Leslie gave the paperwork to the gate agent, and then she returned to Eluik and Enopp. “I know you’re going to enjoy this,” said Leslie.

“Which means you’re afraid we won’t,” said Enopp, “and so you want us to know we’re supposed to enjoy it.”

“I’m not going to miss your snottiness one bit,” said Leslie.

“Which means you know you are going to miss it,” said Enopp.

Leslie turned to Eluik. “Am I really such a liar?” she asked him.

“You’re just speaking the way adults always speak to children,” said Eluik. “Only a child as snotty as Enopp would be rude enough to point it out.”

“I hate being a typical adult,” said Leslie, “but I’ll only brood about it constantly while you’re gone. Anyway, it’s time for you to be handed off to the attendant who’s taking you on.” Leslie glanced out the window. “It’s really not much of a plane. But then, it’s not much of a flight, either.”

“This is just a regional jet,” said Enopp, “and it won’t ever reach a high cruising altitude, so we’ll get a much better view of the ground.”

“You say that as if it’s a good thing,” said Leslie. “I always like to fly above the clouds so I can’t see the ground. Everything looks so pillowy and soft.”

In other words, Eluik realized, Leslie was afraid of flying. Maybe he should be, too. Except how could he be afraid, since he and Enopp both had the power to simply go to the ground, if something went wrong with the plane.

We could probably take the other passengers with us. Or a couple at a time, and then go back for the others. Long before the plane crashed.