Autor's gaze flickers three seats down--where Erik started out sitting--and then to Sunshine again. The boy's own seat. He's relieved that Erik's former seat is empty, but it still carries the weight of a threat.

"I asked him why he was watching people," he says, and tilts his head back, so that she can very well see that he's perfectly fine, thank you.

"In my defense," he says, holding up a hand. "I didn't know what he was."