In Plain Sight Novels & Stories

My eyes were fixed on the vanishing horizon, tracking the faint column of dust until it merged completely with the heat haze of the northern plains. Julian stepped up beside me, his shoulder lightly brushing against mine. The absence of his digital interface was glaringly apparent in the way he looked at the world now; he wasn't scanning license plates for encrypted data or calculating fuel efficiency ratios in his head. He was simply watching the road, his expression a mixture of profound exhaustion and quiet relief.

he said. “What time was that?” James asked him. He pushed his glasses up his nose. “It was around 9, this morning.” Kiran and Levi walked outside, and James and I trailed behind them. Levi was on his phone again, and we caught the last bit of his conversation. “... yeah, look for traffic cameras, any person driving too fast or too slow … 9 this morning … see if there are any store cameras, and send me what you find.” It felt like I was in a daze as Levi pocketed his phone, and I looked at their grim faces.

Slim I sat next to her on the cliff, handing her a cup of water. Surprisingly, my nerves relaxed as her fingertips unintentionally brushed against mine, and I resisted the urge to sigh in frustration. There was something intriguing about her. She exuded an aura of tranquility wherever she went, and it was slowly affecting me. She smiled at me, but her eyes didn't reflect the same joy. I could tell something was weighing heavily on her mind. "Thanks," she said, her voice shaky with the impact of her thoughts. I could sense her anxiety consuming her.

Who would not? On that site: air was fresh, skies seemed closer as if within the reach of one’s hand and the elevation provided a great view below. It serves as a resting sanctuary for those blood relatives who passed on. Their pictures sit next to their graves while their memoirs are compiled on a mahogany bookshelf.

My deskmate, Elaine Jenkins, was the kind of girl who was born with a sharp tongue. She loved nothing more than embarrassing me in front of everyone. When I showed up in a brand-new white shirt, she sneered, "Look at the country boy who finally made it to the city. Are you really that worried people will not realize how hopelessly tacky your taste is?" When I switched to contact lenses, she laughed. "Those eyes look like a dead fish's. Taking off your glasses is not going to magically turn you into a handsome guy." Then I won a prize in the math competition. She just rolled her eyes and said, "Please. Everyone knows he stays up all night grinding through problem sets. He practically worke

Ensnared in an invisible, impenetrable stillness, the world silences— Ryan fully turns his head, "I will not leave!" Time stands motionless as the two men lock eyes, a fragile connection bridging the vast expanse that is separating them. Words hang suspended in the air, on the very precipice of existence, waiting to be set free. And the younger of the two rekindles life into the silence. With a voice thick with conviction, he dares to confront the truth that stays in the depths of Ethan's gaze. "That is what you want me to say, am I right?" The question flaps like suspended breath, a challenge that demands a response.

There are days when I wonder what the world around me looks like, what the prey I eat looks like, I even wonder what my mate looks like but I'll never ask because I know that although I am blind and most likely odd looking I will never stand alone. For I am blinded but not deaf, I am blinded but not alone, I am blinded and I will always have a place within this world.

Suddenly it stopped and it felt like a passed out. "Evie?" Ashton whispered. I sounded so far away, yet close by. I tried to open my eyes again. "Come on Eve, you can do it." I felt really weak. Like I wasn't in control of my own body. Once I found out which muscles to move to open my eyes, I did. I first noticed was that I was no longer in the water but laying in the grass beside it. Also, everything I saw was clearer, I could see much further away than before. The colors around me were more colorful if that even made any sense, but to me it did. "You did it Eve. You are so beautiful. Come watch."

If it was a robery, why would they kill a blind woman when she can't even see who they are. Heather played the video again for the tenth time and narrowed her eyes to look closer. The woman on the video entered the store and left with in five minutes and her steps were faster when she walked out. After the woman left, no one else came to Sophia's shop until one of her clients passed by and saw her on the floor. Then, the cops showed up and nothing more useful happened.

It feels empty. I walk through the small space, opening the fridge to see it fully stocked with all of my favorites, everything brand new and unopened. I go to the bathroom and my bedroom, brand new clothes and products in each of them. I sob again, falling onto my clean, freshly made bed. I let my tears and make up stain the fabric, not caring for their pristine condition. A red blinking light catches my eye and I see my phone plugged in on the nightstand.