Chapter Thirteen

"You had no right to do that!" Hillary said angrily following her friend down the hall.

Anna strutted on ahead angrily and reluctant to listen to Hillary. "I didn't have a choice."

"Yes you did. You could have sat there."

"It would have worked if you hadn't run after me."

"If I hadn't run after you, you would've been arrested too." Hillary corrected. Anna walked into a room and sat on the bed inside. She looked down at her feet. She was ashamed for what she had done, but it could have worked. Her father could've been free. He could have been standing in the kitchen that very moment instead of sitting in a jail cell. "Not everything can be solved by force." Hillary sat beside her.

"I didn't say that!" Anna exclaimed. "But force was the better way freeing Dad."

"No it wasn't. Now because of you tearing through the ceiling right in the middle of court, the police think that your dad has a gang; and they're not going to let him go now for a long time."

Anna wiped her nose with her index finger. Hillary was being hard on her; she probably had a right to though. Force was her better judgement. She couldn't help it. Wait- force wasn't her better judgement, it was those tentacles. Once again, they had been wrong and had gotten her into trouble. Anna didn't know how they convinced her into doing certain things. She knew what was right and what wasn't, but it was as if she had no choice- no other thought.

Hillary scooted closer to Anna and gave her a hug. She sighed. "I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, Anna. You know that, right?" Anna nodded without looking up at her. "Ok. Don't worry. When the next court's in session, I'll be there right by your side."

"Thanks." Anna said smiling at her friend. Hillary smiled and left the room.

Don't listen to her.

She's a bad influence, a bad one we tell you.

This "friend" person will cause us to pummel to the ground.

"I already know that you don't like her."

And it would be best if you didn't get to know her.

"Hillary is my friend and I will NOT let you take that from me." Anna bravely stated.

She wasn't much of a friend a few minutes ago, now was she?

She criticized us to death and just left the room.

Now either our scannings are wrong, and they never are, or you are troubled by her words although you try to pretend that you aren't.

"I guess so. I mean, she could have been a little nicer. And it's not like I did any real crime, right?" Anna reasoned.

Right.

Anna caught herself agreeing with the tentacles. "But she's my dearest friend and has a right to her oppinion." She stated hastily. "And I shouldn't have crashed court like that."

The tentacles seemed to groan and roll their non-existant eyes. You were on the right track until just a few seconds ago.

"No, I can't agree with you." She said rubbing her eyes.

Why not? Father does.

Yes. He relies on our ancestors.

And look at how powerful and happy he is.

"Dad isn't happy. Especially not now." Anna replied lowering her eyes reliving that morning session of court in her mind. She had tried so hard to free her dad, so hard to fix their family and maybe go so far as to say they were normal, and had taken one suggestion from her tentacles and ruined it all.

He is. Don't worry.

"Don't worry? How can you tell me not to worry?" Anna exclaimed standing up from the bed suddenly.

Because things'll go fine. You've got us on your side. The top right tentacle lay encouragingly over her shoulder.

Wow, her tentacles were acting…kind. But, Otto had always told her that they were no good to listen to. Maybe he was talking about the old model. He couldn't have been talking about assistants 2.0 as he called them because these seemed kind. Maybe there was a glitch with her father's. Hers didn't seem like the flaw monsters he talked about.

No, we are better and more advanced than father's assistants. We do not obsess over a single goal.

Ok, so they hacked into her thoughts sometimes, but no one's perfect. Anna looked up at her tentacles thoughtfully. "You…can encourage?"

Yes. We are capable.

It is one of the many emotions and thoughts enhanced by Father's assistants through genetics.

Anna smiled to herself. Maybe they weren't as bad as her father had made them out to be. Maybe he was just hardheaded.

We will get him out.

But you seem stressed.

Maybe something else to think about.

There is an assignment for algebra exercising the use of negative exponents that is still unfinished.

Let's heed to that.

"Yes, that sounds good at the moment." Anna said walking out of the room to get her backpack. She met Hillary on the way out.

"Hey. I was a little hard on you back there. You ok? I'm sorry."

The tentacles turned to Hillary and hissed around her like hungry snakes. What are you doing? Stop. She told them pushing them aside slightly.

She is a bad influence!

Stay away from her!

"No she isn't." Anna corrected them. "It's ok. You're right. I shouldn't have done that." She said with a smile.

"I'm glad you aren't mad." Hillary said giving Anna a quick hug. "Anyway, I—I could have been a little softer. I didn't have to hit you over the head with it."

"Well that's true." Anna said with a smile. Both girls laughed at her joke.

"Ok. I've got to find Dad." Hillary said walking off down the hall to look for Peter.

Anna sighed and grabbed her backpack. She was glad to have made up. The most precious time and the moment remembered most vividly was when the fight was over and the anger was lifted. That feeling hung in Anna's heart and she had that traditional 'warm-fuzzy feeling.'

The tentacles weren't happy about Anna restoring a friendship with who they thought of as the enemy. Anna could tell they didn't like Hillary and had asked why several times, but they never did give her a solid answer so she had given up asking.

After another satisfied sigh, Anna opened her notebook. "Ok, now down to business…"