Draven Hawke

BOOK III CHAPTER FOUR

'Cause I'm comin' home, I'm comin' home

I know that we're takin' chances, you told me life was a risk But I just have one last question Will it be my heart or will it be his?

I'm comin' home

~Dallas Green, Coming Home-Lyrics~

DRAVEN

Arriving in San Francisco, Draven neared the area the City College was in, and he checked into a hotel. After showering and dressing in his slacks and a knee length, tailored jacket, he decided to walk around the neighborhood and see what he could discover.

Walking down the busy sidewalks, he became impatient, and decided he would have to take more aggressive action. The odds of finding Autumn in such a large city were working against him. He also could not take the chance of running into Autumn or Emily. He did not want them to know he was there. He promised himself, again and again, that he would not contact them once he found them. He would not disrupt their lives. He only wanted to make sure they were safe. He wanted to see that Autumn was okay, and she was moving on with her life.

Walking passed row after row of Victorian style homes, and the occasional apartment complex, he finally neared the college. It was just after two in the morning. The street lights shown down, illuminating the fog like mist. The blowing wind beat against his face and body, as he walked against it, enjoying the fresh, ocean air. He had lived in San Francisco before, and it felt like home.

Nearing the office of the college, Draven scanned the area, keeping close to the walls, making sure there was nobody watching, and that he was out of sight from any cameras. Circling the building, he found a window that was out of view, and he took off his jacket, wrapping it around his hand so he could break the glass.

Once inside, he stayed close to the walls, making his way across the room, disabling the cameras as he went. Once he was finished, he walked over to the stack of files sitting out on the long, burgundy counter top, and began looking through them. Not finding anything, he went to the filing cabinet in the back and spotted the one titled, new students. Not finding anything, still, he began to think Emily had changed their names in order to keep hidden. Or perhaps, they were not in San Francisco at all.

Pushing his hair out of his face, Draven sighed in frustration and went to the computer at the back of the room, trying several passwords to get into the files. With no success, he sat back in the office chair, and closed his eyes. How was he going to find them? Why had Isaac not left any clues as to where they had gone?

Deciding this was a failed attempt, Draven pushed the chair back, and stood up, peering around the room one last time. In a metal crate, at the far end of the front counter, there was another stack of files. Walking over to it, he held his breath, hoping that something would be there.

Only two files in, Autumn's name jumped out at him, and he felt a rush of excitement run through his veins. He read the file, happy to see that she was taking art classes. The thought of her going to school, for the first time, put a smile on his face. Moving his finger across the page, he finally landed on an address. He found that he was only four blocks away from being able to see Autumn's face. Only see from a distance, he reminded himself. He would not get close enough to touch her, regardless of his unquenchable desire to do so.

Arriving at the address, which had been on the school paper, Draven's eyes widened at finding Emily had chosen to live in an apartment. Not only that, but she had also picked a bad area. Across the street from the run down, tan building, he found a homeless woman lying on a bench on the sidewalk, wrapped in blankets. Her shopping cart, full of all her worldly possessions, sat parked next to her.