Mind Control

Dividers

I sit through the funeral in numb haze. The speeches, the prayers, all the comforting hugs couldn't bring back the bravest, smartest, most amazing man I ever knew. I thought I couldn't cry any more, but fresh tears pour down my face as the coffin is lowered. I stare at the stone for what seems like eternity. It has finally sunk in; my father, Henry Williams, a well-known and respected scientist, is gone, and I'm alone. 

Most of the people gave me their condolences and left, only the security and the clean-up staff remained. I pull myself together and walked towards the limo. My father would not have wanted to see me like this. No matter how much I miss him, I have to make him proud. 

I get in the limo and pressed the conference button. "Get me home please", I tell the driver. Normally I'm more polite and make small talk, but now is really not the time.  

I stare outside for quite a while, thinking about nothing and everything. My mind is going haywire as it brings up memories from long ago. Most of them relating to my father. It's only after some time that I notice we're driving on a beautiful coastal road, with the water shining from the rays of the setting sun. On the horizon, a mixture of pink, orange, red, and yellow makes for a very pretty sight. 

Then I realize this isn't the way back home. I press the button again.

"Hey, this isn't the way back to my house. Where the hell are we?" I ask impatiently.

"This is not the way, but I'm not taking you back to your pretty mansion" 

"Excuse me? I will have you fired if you don't take me home right now", I snap. A sharp click on the line tells me he's gone. I try again and again for the driver, but he doesn't reply. The next thing I notice is the divider in the car. I feel idiotic as to not have noticed it before. 

About ten minutes later, the light near the button flashes red, indicating someone is trying to contact me. I press the button and say "Have you come to your senses? Are you taking me home?"

"Lydia Williams, a pleasure to meet you." a deep, seductive voice says. Most definitely not the driver.

"Look, whoever the hell you are, I can and will charge you with kidnapping if you don't turn this limo around NOW. My attorneys-"

"Your attorneys will have to talk to you to file charges. And that won't be happening anytime soon," he interrupts. "I know you're curious but patience is key, honey. The divider will go up once we cross the California border and we can have a long, deep conversation,"

"California border?! I live in OREGAN for God's sake!" I screech. I hear the familiar click and know he's gone.

I feel like a complete idiot. If I had any sense and composure I would've noticed the divider and noticed something was off. I want to make my father proud but all I keep doing is messing up.

I try my phone, but someone must have had access to it at the funeral, because it has no SIM card. I settle back down and try to rack my brains but I come up with nothing. All the training my father insisted I have, and I can't come up with a single way out of this situation. There's nothing I can do, so I have to wait until that divider goes up.