At First Sight Read online

  At First Sight

  © 2020 by Joe Pascente

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  ISBN (Print): 978-1-09833-881-7

  ISBN (eBook): 978-1-09833-882-4

  Dedicated to all the lovers

  &

  the fighters

  Chapters

  THE LONG WALK

  WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

  UNDER CONTROL

  FEELING BETTER

  RUN

  5 STAGES OF GRIEF

  DOWN THE BEATEN PATH

  TIME’S UP

  SHADOWS

  ANIMAL CRACKERS

  IN THE CROSSHAIRS

  CHAPTER 1

  THE LONG WALK

  I. A Shot in the Dark

  Dorothy Hatch sat down, tangled in her wedding dress, on an oversized purple velvet chair having second thoughts. She was in a private dressing room, in the church where she was soon to be married. Her old-fashioned lace gown was the dress she had always pictured herself wearing at her wedding. It hugged her delicate body in all the right places, but something about the gown was just—off.

  She wore a set of sparkling diamond earrings that reflected in the three-way mirror upended directly in front of her. Dorothy focused on her reflection. Makeup had been applied to her flawless skin, her dress had been buttoned along her lower back and her veil had been pinned in place. Wanting a few moments to herself, she left her bridesmaids in the bridal dressing room while she gathered her thoughts in the bride’s dressing room. Not only did she require some personal alone time; she also needed sufficient amount of time to accomplish a covert matter.

  Dorothy’s light brown eyes gazed upon the three-way mirror, unfocused at first, but then her eyes caught the glimmer of her shimmering diamond earrings. She noticed her slender neck, and as her gaze travelled further down her left forearm, she couldn’t help but stare at the two-inch needle plunged into her delicate skin. She had injected herself with the lightning-blue serum that was flowing freely from the syringe and into her veins.

  Wow, what a rush...feels a bit like pins and needles.

  The serum was now circulating in her bloodstream and there was no turning back. Dorothy hadn’t ever associated herself with drugs of any kind. They had never agreed with her body, or mind. Taking an aspirin was usually out of the question for Dorothy Hatch; but, in this particular case, her curiosity got the best of her.

  Dorothy had a mental picture of her fiancé in her head and thought about how swiftly they had fallen in love. Vance Richmond, the charming son of the Chicago Mayor, was an accomplished district attorney. It had only been a year prior when Vance met Dorothy through a mutual friend at a cozy teashop. And, it had been only six months ago when he had asked her to be his wife. Everything happened so suddenly, and lately, Dorothy was questioning everything about the life she had signed up for.

  I don’t feel any different. I thought I’m supposed to feel something…

  Dorothy was confused by the lack of physical and neurological changes she assumed she would feel after injecting the drug into her body. Her perception of reality was exactly as it had been before the injection.

  “Dorothy! Let’s go, girl. We’re minutes away from lining up!”

  The maid of honor had begun to panic and tried budging the door open to the private dressing room, which was not opening due to Dorothy locking it behind her. With a startled gasp, Dorothy threw the empty syringe into a small trashcan beside the three-sided mirror. The label on the syringe had one bold word on the side, which read, PURE.

  Dorothy gathered herself and opened the door with a theatrical smile painted on her face. Her bridesmaids saw a confident woman ready to walk down the aisle and marry the love of her life, even though Dorothy was secretly reeling with an extreme case of cold feet. One question kept shooting through her cluttered mind…one she couldn’t answer, no matter how hard she tried…

  Is Vance really my true love?

  This question was the reason Dorothy injected herself with Pure, just moments ago. Dorothy watched her bridesmaids walk down the aisle to the echoing sounds of the church organ playing in the distance.

  Her father was gleaming with pride and said, “You look so beautiful, Dorothy. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become.”

  Clutching his gentle arm with her own, she whispered, “Thank you, Dad.”

  It was their turn to walk down the aisle. Through her veil, she could see everyone in her life whom she loved and cared so deeply for. Not only were her relatives and friends in attendance, but also many important political figures, due to her father-in-law being the Mayor of Chicago. And, all the way down the white linen aisle, stood her dashing groom, grinning with the sweetest smile on his cleanly shaven face. He stood tall and enchanted, watching the woman of his dreams walk down the aisle ready to be his wife. Dorothy kept questioning the drug she had just given herself in the private dressing room.

  Where are the fireworks? When is this supposed to kick in?

  Dorothy tried to hold in her alarmed energy, but unavoidably, she wasn’t feeling the effects of Pure. She gazed into Vance’s eyes, as she got closer to the wedding party standing at the front of the church. Her affectionate smile slowly began to fade. The room seemed to shrink in size and her blood pressure was rising at a rapid pace. Her stomach twisted in knots, as she couldn’t hide her disappointment.

  Maybe I got a bad batch of Pure… Or maybe…

  Dorothy’s father lifted the veil over his daughter’s head and kissed her gently on the cheek, placing her shaky hands into Vance’s. Dorothy managed to strike up a smile, seeing how excited Vance was to see his bride for the first time in her white lace gown. He whispered the words, “You’re breathtaking,” and with those simple words, Dorothy had a calming sense of relief that moved her into a blissful state.

  Dorothy was upset with herself for doubting the love she had for the man she planned to be with from this day forward, even if the effects of Pure were non-existent.

  After taking a few deep breaths, Dorothy could feel her cold feet warming up, especially as she held onto Vance’s hands with the intention of never letting go.

  But sometimes in life, things occur at the worst impeccable timing possible. Just as Dorothy started to relax, she peered over Vance’s shoulder at the groomsmen behind him, and spotted Vance’s cousin, Robert, whom she had only recently met in person, days before the wedding. Robert’s eyes met Dorothy’s, and in a whimsical instant, Dorothy’s life altered significantly.

  From Dorothy’s perspective, the church and everyone standing inside, were nothing but a vast gray swirl of smoke. The only colorful light remotely visible to her was the gleaming illumination shining from Robert’s essence. There was nothing in this universe but the two of them. Seeing fireworks was an understatement. It was as if Dorothy was in a hypnotic state of being, letting go of Vance’s hands and leaping into Robert’s arms. She mounted a kiss on his lips in their very first close embrace. The kiss was a breath of fresh air for these two strangers, in the stifling room of gasps and loud murmuring coming from every guest who wasn’t utterly speechless.

  “Dorothy—what the hell? What are you doing?” Vance questioned louder with every word, as he was quite the opposite of speechless.

  All at once, Dorothy’s world came rushing back around her, pulling her lips off of Robert’s. She understood she was kissing her groom’s cousin and knew this was a terrible occurrence, however
, she didn’t regret it in the slightest. She knew, the drug—Pure—had worked beyond a reasonable doubt. She looked upon Robert, and knew with every fiber in her being, he was the one true love of her life. It was a damn shame it had to happen this way, but what could a girl do?

  Spinning around, Dorothy explained, “I took it, Vance. I know we agreed we wouldn’t, but I just couldn’t go through with marrying you without knowing for sure.” She hadn’t let go of Robert’s hand while she tried to make sense of it all.

  “You took Pure? I thought you told me you didn’t need a damn ‘love drug’ to tell you whom you loved! You promised it was me!” Vance shouted, as the echoes from the perfect acoustics of the church scattered his words from one corner to the other.

  “I was...I mean, I wanted it to be you…it just…isn’t.”

  Dorothy looked into Vance’s eyes and saw the tears forming, as he whispered, “But we made a promise.”

  Robert stepped beside Dorothy and put his arm around her waist. He looked remarkably similar to Vance, but wore glasses and had a full beard.

  He knew he had to speak up and explain himself as well, saying, “I took Pure six months ago, Vance. I told you about it, remember? I broke up with my girlfriend when we felt the spark was gone. Pure’s effects are always mutual. I couldn’t possibly dismiss it now that I’ve seen Dorothy. She’s the one.”

  “No, Robert!” Vance shouted. “This isn’t love…it’s just an altered perception of reality! You two don’t even know each other! Do you know her favorite flower? Or the way she likes to be cuddled? Or any detail about the person she is? How could you say this is love?”

  No one in the church could blame Vance for being as outraged as he was. Hell, neither Dorothy nor Robert could even blame him. It didn’t make any logical sense, but Pure wasn’t a logical drug. Indeed, it was a drug that altered perception, but only when one person came into contact with another person that was –supposedly, and always mutually—the love of each other’s lives. The drug was triggered by the senses. Sight, being the number one trigger; but sense of smell and touch worked just as well—in the case of some blind people.

  Dorothy and Robert didn’t take long to exit from the church, hand in hand, after this awkward situation. Dorothy apologized and scurried out of the church without ever looking back. As the guests stayed in their seats, not knowing what their next move should be, they watched Vance sulk down the aisle with his dad’s arm around his shoulders. They walked down the aisle towards the church’s front entrance.

  Vance sat down gently on the church steps and his father stood beside him. Vance’s mind was racing and he was hoping this was all a nightmare he was going to wake up from soon. He watched his almost-bride get in his cousin’s car and pull out of the church parking lot. Vance spotted Dorothy’s bouquet of flowers on the church steps and kicked them across the stairs. Of course, this was the moment several news station cameramen flipped their cameras on and captured the entire tantrum.

  The shocking incident of the Mayor’s son being left at the church was on every local news station that night. Every day, for the past 21 months—since the creation of Pure—there were news stories associated with the ambitious love drug. The stories ranged from good to bad to the fairly odd. With titles such as: “82 Year-Old Woman Travels in Hot Air Balloon Searching for Her True Love,” to “High School Students Drop Out to Find Their True Loves,” to “Bride Uses Pure, Only to Fall in Love With Groom’s Cousin.”

  Evidently, Pure was a blessing and a curse to all the romantics who believed in the possibility of true love. Many people lost hope finding someone to call their own…their soul mate…the love of their life. And Pure gave them the opportunity to find this special someone. It seemed as though love stories weren’t just in Disney movies anymore; people could have their happily ever after, if only they could lock eyes with their true loves, after taking the shot, filled with the essence of Pure.

  Geneco Inc. was the company that owned the rights to Pure. The scientist who created the drug was now quite famous because of the worldwide phenomenon it had become.

  Dr. Angela Haven had studied genetics and biochemistry, getting her doctorate at Yale University. She was a well-accomplished doctor as well as a brilliant scientist. To anyone who knew Angela, it was no wonder she had developed this drug, but as great as her discovery was, it irrefutably came with a steep price.

  II. A Breath of Fresh Air

  Dr. Angela Haven had been under water for 45 seconds and counting. She was trying to stay stationary on the sandy floor of the Pacific Ocean. Angela enjoyed the current of the ocean swaying her body back and forth, inches at a time. The ocean was her “happy” place. It had been ever since she was a young child. She could always count on going under water and escaping any problem in her life.

  These days, she used the ocean to escape the constant noise that rattled her head on a daily basis. The noise, being the screaming voices at the many press conferences she had been apart of recently, causing a deafening unrest for Angela.

  As an alternative, the quiet sound of the water rushing above her head was precisely what she needed. Taking a handful of the ocean’s sand and letting the grains slowly spill out of her fingers was part of Angela’s meditation. Angela looked up to the surface of the water, watching the dancing sunlight scatter around the ripples of the waves that cascaded above her. The oxygen in her lungs was depleting and as she blew bubbles out of her mouth, she pushed off the sandy floor, propelling out of the water to inhale a mouthful of fresh summer air.

  The warm California rays of sunlight hit her water-soaked face while she caught her breath. She opened her mint-green colored eyes, which had a permanent squint from the intense July sunlight. Angela was quite comfortable in the water, growing up as a competitive swimmer through her college days. She excelled in the backstroke, learning this skill as a young girl in her backyard pool. The rest of her free time as a medical student was spent studying, or reading the many books her father owned, as he was a doctor himself.

  It had been over 2 years since Angela had finally finished developing a serum that was intended to help previously abused gorillas face their fear of intimacy, so they could mate without worry of being physically abused. The studies were quite effective and quickly became rather fascinating to the scientific world. Angela’s company, Geneco Inc., fought hard and steadfast to begin human trials, which inevitably led to the impacting development of finding one’s true love. Pure was a happy accident for Angela and her team, and was now, a multi billion-dollar goldmine for Geneco.

  Angela had been thoroughly surprised the serum she had developed was fast becoming one of humanity’s greatest innovations. For someone who had practically given up on love, it was quite ironic that Angela had made this tremendous discovery in her 30’s.

  Angela swam to the shallow sandbar with ease and was nosily observing all the people tanning on the beach. She pushed her wet, shoulder-length, wavy light-brown hair away from her eyes and walked towards the shore. The red bikini she wore clung to her skinny frame in all the right places. Her model-like figure was due to a combination of swimming, good genetics from her mother’s side, and ingesting nothing but cups of green tea during long days in the Geneco laboratory. To any outsider, Angela had it all - looks, brains, and talent. She truly led a blessed life.

  The red nail polish on her toenails was now covered in sand as she kicked it around walking back to her towel, plopping down on her flat stomach. She was lying there listening to the effortless sounds of the ocean and the many seagulls squawking, letting the beach inhabitants know they were hungry for snacks. The water dropped off her body onto the beach towel as her wet hair covered her peripheral vision.

  If only everyday could be this relaxing…

  Angela thought about how hectic her life had become since Pure had turned out to be such a household topic of discussion. People were obsessed with the drug and she cou
ldn’t break away from being caught in the middle of the chaos that came along with it. She had more money now than she could’ve ever dreamt of. But Angela wasn’t the type of person that needed money to be content; she was happiest when she had scientific research to do, or even some time to herself.

  Down the beach, there was an obese, pale woman reading a book in a beach chair. She was about 20 yards away from Angela, dressed in a navy pants suit and large black sunglasses. This woman seemed a bit out of place here on the hot sandy beach, but Angela didn’t pay much attention to this woman, as she wasn’t behaving oddly, except for being dressed for a business meeting on a beach. Angela checked her phone realizing she had 15 missed calls and 107 emails in only a half-hour’s time.

  She knew she needed to head home and get some work done. The phone calls and email messages were a constant part of her life now. Not only were the board members at Geneco Inc. always demanding new tests and data from her, but she was also getting requests by the press. They all wanted to interview the woman who had changed the world’s outlook on love.

  She packed up the few items she brought to the beach — her car keys, her cellphone, sun tan lotion, and a trashy celebrity magazine. Putting on some tiny jean shorts and a white sleeveless t-shirt over her red bikini, she headed toward her new energy efficient car that she had parked down the road. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was one of the newest purchases she had made since she had come into her new wealth.

  Walking on the soft warm sand, Angela noticed the strange pale woman dressed in her navy pants suit also stood up, glaring in her direction, taking fast-paced steps following Angela’s foot trail.

  Angela didn’t think much about this, until she heard the swooping sounds of someone’s footsteps drudging through the sand closely behind her. Gripping onto her keys, Angela pressed the unlock button to her car and walked briskly over to the driver’s side fumbling with her beach bag filled with her belongings. She didn’t need to look behind her to know the strange woman was getting closer by the second. It was as if she could feel the woman’s eyes burning a hole through the back of her head.