Bria did not turn. Lenora took another picture and moved the bread slightly to the left. Zire tried again, still politely, and this time the attendant looked at him with visible annoyance.
"Yes, young man?"
"I think that might be my meal. Could you check the order number?"
The smile disappeared so quickly that he wondered whether it had ever been real. "Your special order was canceled. I told you there would be an update."
"Who canceled it?"
"The system."
"The system doesn't decide by itself that somebody doesn't want lunch. I didn't cancel, and my mother didn't cancel."
Bria leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Listen carefully. You are traveling alone under our supervision. I need you to cooperate instead of making a scene."
Zire looked across the aisle. Lenora had begun filming another close-up of the salmon. She did not appear interested in how it reached her, but she watched their reflections in the window while pretending to focus on the food. Zire had seen enough adults argue to recognize someone listening without wanting to be caught listening.
"I'm cooperating," he said. "I just want the meal we bought."
"We can give you a snack box after takeoff."
"I ordered a meal."
"And you've been offered an alternative."
He considered reaching for his phone to call his mother. She would answer if the gate attendants could connect them, and he knew she would believe him. But calling her before trying to establish what happened would make the conversation about his fear rather than the missing food. Zire had spent the entire morning proving that he could handle small problems with an adult nearby. He wanted to handle this one honestly, not defiantly.
"May I see just the line that says canceled?" he asked.
"You cannot inspect internal crew documents."