Close Encounters

Hard Body Fitness Studio – Downtown Las Vistas

Left, right, left, right, left, right.  Sloane’s feet slammed down on the rubber belt in quick succession as she increased her speed on the treadmill.  Her arms pumped up and down, flicking large beads of sweat as she continued to sprint. Nearly an hour had gone by but she was still too wired up to stop.  She could’ve pulled a freight train she was running so hard.

Past & Present Pt. 2

Santa Rosa Memorial Cemetary - Vista Glenn

“Please, please pick up.” The phone rang three more times before Isabella finally ended the call. She had been trying Eden all afternoon; at the house, on her cell, even Reese didn’t know where she was. She probably should’ve asked him to come instead of rushing him off the phone. She should’ve accepted when Lexie had offered to go with her. She should’ve, but she didn’t. Instinct had led her to dial the first few digits of Nico’s number, but involving him wasn’t an option at this point. So instead she sat there, glued to the car seat, terrified to get out, but determined to do so anyway. Stubbornness was the trait her father had passed down and she had gotten the lion’s share of it.

Past & Present Pt. 1

Ronstad & Bradshaw, LLP - Downtown Las Vistas

“So you are alive. I was beginning to wonder if you had fallen off the face of the earth,” Blair said as Blake walked into her office. He placed a large gift basket on her desk and took a seat. His sister was the incarnation of their mother: same intense blue eyes, thick jet black hair, and the same nurturing spirit that, while comforting, had the capacity to annoy him as well. It wasn’t that her near hovering concern was unwelcome; rather, it simply reminded him far too much of what he had been missing from their mother in the years he had been estranged from his parents.

Opposition

Ronstad & Bradshaw, LLP - Downtown Las Vistas


Little children were playing in the park across the street, running around after each other, taking turns on the swings, teetering up and down on the seesaw. For the second day in a row the same older couple came and sat on down on one of the benches, sharing a bag of what she could only assume were peanuts from the street vendor they had stopped at before. She watched a flock of birds move from tree to tree, taking off and landing in sync together. Simple events that weren’t very interesting and probably happened day after day, but for some reason she couldn’t help but be sucked in as if her life depended on cataloging each one.

The Tipping Point

8:45am Monacco Desert Cottage - Vista Hills



Her hand slid from underneath the warmth of her pillow and began methodically rubbing up and down the length her legs that, at some point, had been tucked up against her chest. The raised goose bumps dotting her skin began to recede as the chill ran down to her feet. She used her other hand to blindly pull the tightly made bed covers down until she was able to tuck herself underneath of them, pulled them up high, bunching them up to her neck to keep out the cool breeze that had wafted into the room. It wasn’t until the sun peaked out from behind a cloud and flashed through her window, that she realized it was morning.

Complications

Stevens Public Relations Offices - Downtown Las Vistas



"Did you send it?"

"I told you I would get it done baby."

"Did anyone see you?"

"No I had someone else do it"

"Damn it Pierce!"

"Relax sweetness. She has no good reason to screw herself by telling anyone anything. She’s been well paid. Now come here."