The Choices of Staff Members of Hydra

7

SEEING THINGS

Anna left campus very late on a Thursday evening, driving through Sacramento on her way home to her father's house in Elk Grove. It had not been her intention to leave the dorms, but she had no classes Friday and had no need to be in the terminal rooms to work on code and the dorms were noisier and more stifling than she could bear. She imagined the look on her father's face when she arrived back home close to midnight, just as she could imagine Rick's face when he found out she had run away from dorm life once again. He was becoming increasingly convinced she needed more of a social life, with it being his personal mission to be sure she actually socialized. Anna had no intention of being dragged to parties all weekend only to sit in a corner until she thought she could make her escape.

She was running away, she could admit it to herself as she drove down increasingly deserted streets, unhappy that she had to run away from the dorms once again but equally unhappy that she wasn't very social, and no one seemed able to leave her alone. She turned down the street of her childhood home, bracing herself for her father's annoyance at seeing her coming back home unannounced and so late at night. As she pulled up near the house, she saw to her surprise, her father leaving, pulling the notorious front door closed behind him and double checking to be sure it was really closed then he got into a car she did not recognize that was sitting next to his car in the driveway. Automatically, she stopped, staring as he backed out of the driveway and drove away from her, down the street. She wondered for a moment if he had gotten a new car, but immediately knew that couldn't be true. He had only reluctantly bought her a car when she was old enough and he had owned his car for longer than she'd been alive. He made decent money but had no interest in buying anything he thought was frivolous. The unfamiliar car was newer, more expensive than anything she could imagine him driving and made her uncomfortable, though she couldn't say exactly why.

A part of her wanted to go to the house, especially since he was not home, go to bed and wait to explain herself to him in the morning. That part of her argued that whatever he was doing was none of her business but another part of her, consumed with curiosity and apprehension questioned where he was going at such a late hour, in a strange car. She gave into the curiosity and drove after him, cautiously, sure she would lose sight of him and be forced to go home after all.

He drove into Sacramento, exiting the freeway in the north part of the town she had always been told to avoid. Her sense of unease grew stronger, but she refused to back down when she had come so far. He was driving as if he knew where he was going and she was uncomfortably aware that she had no idea where she was and all she could see were bars, many of which had crowds out in front, people that made Anna want to duck her head so she wouldn't be noticed. Sacramento wasn't exactly known for being a city with many rough areas but like all cities, it had its areas where the law abiding were told never to venture. She wanted to confront her father, to ask him why he was there, but she also didn't think that she wanted to hear the answers.

Her father turned down another street, quieter than the one they'd left, with few people walking around, and of those many did not seem to be very aware of their surroundings. Her father pulled over and parked, and she reacted quickly, also parking, almost a block behind him. He did not notice her, as he got out to stand by the car, as if waiting for someone. Anna stayed in her car, watching him, not sure what she should do. She found herself wishing she had stayed in her dorm. After a few minutes he walked further down the street, away from Anna who sat up trying to see into the darkness that was broken only by flickering lights and the buzz of neon. She could barely see her father, and then she thought she saw another person standing near him. She was out of the car before she could think clearly, crouching beside it and creeping forward to try to see better. The lingering sane portion of her mind begged her to get back into the car and leave, but she ignored it. Anna told herself that it was because she was worried about her father, but in fact she was convinced he was involved in something he shouldn't be and for some reason she wanted to find out what it was.