I woke up stiff and scrunched. For a moment I thought I was back in the abandoned apartment building, but the lack of obnoxious smells told me I was somewhere cleaner. Slowly, I slit one eye open, to find myself staring at the back of a polyester seat cover. A what? Where the hell was I? I shifted to look around and found that I was blocked by a large man who looked suspiciously familiar.

Chang Wufei. I scowled, remembering his arrogance, and then the other fear returned. I was being kidnapped, in the guise of legal custody. ...what the hell kind of right did he have to take me into custody of any kind?! I had already BEEN in custody! Even if it was prison... I jumped and stifled a squeak as the overhead lights turned on. All around me, passengers began to stir, and my parole officer frowned, moving under his cheap felt blanket.

Then a more pressing matter came to mind. I had to get to a toilet. ...did they have toilets on these flying penitentiaries?

I eyed my escape route, completely blocked by the man on the aisle seat. Damn him! I hoped he wasn't planning to maintain this level of obstruction. I nibbled a fingernail, wondering just how long we would be together. I hadn't allowed myself to think about it very much, but with the clarity of a few hours' sleep, I could finally consider the possibility that he was just a cop doing that cops did. 'But why take me halfway across the known world to do it?' I scowled at his profile.

He opened one eye. "Don't chew your nails," and closed them again.

That was enough. I unbuckled my belt and climbed onto the seat, one hand on the back of the seat in front of mine. A child across the aisle stared sleepily. One foot on the diving arm, one up, over, around his sleeping form...

I couldn't reach the other arm-! My rump didn't care for my dignity and landed itself on his shoulder, startling a loud curse from him. I quickly scrambled off and into the aisle.

"Wumei!" he bellowed furiously, sitting up. His face had gone red!

I crossed my arms over my chest, aware that people were staring. "I have to go to the bathroom," I said, and pivoted smartly... before remembering that I had no idea if there was a bathroom anywhere near here. A slightly bewildered woman who had been watching pointed toward the back, and I nodded gratefully before running as best I could for the limited privacy it would provide.

Inside the tiny room, the door wouldn't lock. Furious tears clouded my vision as I fought with it. Occupied, occupied, occupied, damn you! Finally I jammed my shoe against it and sank onto the plastic seat. My fist jammed itself into my mouth, and I squeezed my eyes shut against the fire that had burned behind my eyes since I left home. Genji Ma's face floated into my mind, and then it grimaced. 'You're such a selfish child, Wumei! Look at the anguish you cause me! Your parents would be ashamed!' That argument had never hit home like it did then, and hot tears coursed down my dried out cheeks. I wiped them away with my other hand and it was like brushing water droplets off paper. I lifted my head up to look at my own gaunt face in the mirror. If I had been a mess before, I now looked unhealthy. Perhaps he had mistaken my age. Ridiculous- what difference would my age make?

I took a shuddering breath, and did my business with as little noise as I could manage. No one tried to enter the tiny room, but I could hear the flight attendants preparing breakfast in the room on the other side of the wall. I did my best to wash my face, and then returned to my seat, beating the dratted food carts by only a minute.

He looked at me questioningly when I returned, but moved to let me in without a word. I balled my blanket under my seat and tried to take up as little space as possible. Someone had closed the window in the night, and I lifted it to stare at the dawn... only to find that there wasn't one. Inky space stretched as far as I could see, broken by stars in the distance. Confusion swept me off guard. What new insanity was this? Why had they woken us all up in the middle of the night?

"I take it this is your first time flying in space?" He was looking at me in a strange way, like he was trying to figure something out. I nodded. It was my first time flying, ever, but I didn't want to tell him that. "There's no day or night in space. Those are created by the rotation of a planet."

I nodded, fingers clutching the rim of the window like a small child. "But- last night... it was dark..."

"We were on the other side of the Earth. The planet blocked the light. Now we're out of its shadow, approaching the colony." He nodded at a shining point of light, bigger and brighter than the other stars. "That should be it there."

Squinting, I tried to make out the colony's shape, but the sun's glare was too painful to stare at for long. With a small hmph, I settled back into my seat, and a smiling attendant leaned down. I blinked at her- my English was rusty. Wufei turned to me and said, "Eggs or bacon?" I nodded, unsure which to choose. The food had been strange since we left Beijing- peanut butter on bread for lunch, and roast chicken on carrots and broccoli for dinner. At least chicken and vegetables were the same wherever one went. The attendant passed us each another foil-covered tray and moved on. Wufei shook his head as he unwrapped his. "I'm sorry. I should have booked us on a Chinese carrier."

Unsure what to make of that, I opened the packet and was almost comforted by the steam rising onto my hand. Inside sat an omelet, oozing with cheese. That, I recognized! Although it tasted different from the ones at school, it was something familiar on this strange flying cabin. As I munched, I cast a discreet look at Wufei's tray, and blinked.

He caught me looking, and picked up a piece with his fork. "Canadian bacon. Not my favorite, but edible."

Reluctantly, I took it and bit off a small mouthful. It was salty and tough, but to his questioning look, I nodded. It was as he had said- not my favorite, but edible.