“It made flying so boring,” I said. “Maintain course, fly in parallel, people on the ground might be taking pictures.”

“We had to match speed to Eric, and he was the slowest. Flying can be so boring even when you don’t have to do that stuff.”

I didn’t feel that way at all. I’d had issues with flying before, when a panicky feeling would start to set in and the nearest real thing was four hundred feet below me, but flying was totally amazing.

I flipped back around the other way, my hand up at my hair to help guide it. Crystal was flying in a lazy circle around me while I floated in place. “Having to fly to match Eric was worse for you than it was for me.”

“Little brothers are a pain,” she said. She smiled, but it was a little melancholy.

“I meant because you’re fast.”

“But you can do that, see? You just did this thing, you can turn upside-down and right-side up without getting dizzy.”

“I get dizzy.”

“But you can do that,” she said. “I have to be careful about any serious flipping, or I’ll be green around the gills for five minutes.”

“I’ll remember that for next time,” I teased.

“Ha ha. Don’t, or I’ll hurl and I’ll ruin someone’s day down there on the ground.”

“Over water then.”

“Or never.”

“Never? Come on, you stepped on me.”

“Surfed! I used you as a surfboard.”

“Yeah, that’s so much better.”

“It kind of is. Besides, no dirt on these feet.”

I fixed my hair and adjusted my outfit. It was my costume, minus the metal bits, which wound up being somewhat dark, but the white trim, my belt, and the bag helped to break it up.

I reached for my bag, and she handed it over.

“Thank you.”

“You mentioned you didn’t have long before we had to go in separate directions,” Crystal said.

I pulled out my phone. The map was the first thing that came up.

“I overshot,” I said. “I have to fly back the way we came.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help with the move.”

I shook my head. “Duties. I get it. I don’t have much anyway, and I can call Dad.”

“It might be a little while before we cross paths. Stuff’s going on.”

“I know.”

“I wish I could tell you more.”

“I know.”

“If you changed your mind and wanted to stay, you’d have my place all to yourself.”

“It’s your place,” I said. “It’s you. I need a place for me. I need to do something for me.”

“That sounds good,” she said.

“Though it is technically someone else’s place.”

“Take care of yourself until I get back,” she said. She flew a quarter-circle around me, as if flitting around and fretting were the same thing. “I worry.”