Sight Unseen Read Online Free PDF Page B

Olivia said as she continued typing. “Gotta keep feeding the beast.”
    “The beast” was Olivia’s blog, Outta Sight, which was a popular Internet destination for the vision-impaired. Her Web site, which the blind could enjoy with Screenreader and other specialized text-to-speech applications, featured interviews, travel tips, and product reviews. In less than two years, Olivia had grown her evenings-and-weekends hobby into a full-time job that generated a six-figure income.
    Finally, she pushed away from the desk. “Done. I was reviewing some new gadgets. I get stuff in the mail every day now. It’s amazing what’s out there. We sure could have used some of this stuff back at Woodward.”
    Kendra smiled. She and Olivia had met as children at Woodward Academy, the school for the blind in Oceanside. Among the many emotions that greeted Kendra upon regaining her sight was the sadness and strange guilt about leaving Olivia behind in the darkness. Olivia, whose vision had been taken by a childhood traffic accident, was not a candidate for the regenerative corneal procedure that had given Kendra her sight. Olivia, for her part, had expressed nothing but support and happiness for her friend. But Kendra knew that Olivia spent a lot of time scouring the Internet for experimental procedures that might one day give her back her own vision.
    Olivia tossed back her glossy dark hair, her beautiful face suddenly lit with a mischievous smile, as she picked up a palm-sized object and aimed it at Kendra. “Stay still for a second.”
    “So you can tase me? If I’m on the floor twitching and wetting my pants in the next ten seconds, I will be very angry with you.”
    “It’s not a Taser. Just wait.”
    After a moment, a man’s voice sounded from the device. “Aqua blue.”
    Olivia lowered the gadget. “Is that right? You’re wearing an aqua top?”
    Kendra looked down at her shirt. “Yes. That’s impressive.”
    “It’s for picking out clothes, sorting laundry, or maybe even to help connect audio or video cables. There are some bugs, but it works pretty well. I just uploaded my review.”
    “Cool. You get to keep all this stuff that the manufacturers send you?”
    “Most of it. It’s good exposure for them. I just don’t have enough time to review it all.” She stood up and moved across the room to the sectional sofa where Kendra was sitting. “But enough about that. How was your date last night?”
    “Good. Mom kind of knocked it out of the park. He’s smart, kind of funny, good-looking…”
    “Uh-oh. I sense there’s a ‘but’ coming.”
    “No ‘but.’ I had a nice time. I’ll probably see him again.”
    “A nice time. Hmm. Tell me you didn’t do your Kendra thing on him, where you disturbingly told him his entire life story?”
    “Well…”
    “I knew it.”
    “It just happened. He didn’t mind.”
    “Of course he minded. That freaks guys out. Not just guys, but everybody. People like to parse themselves out to dates that they’re just getting to know … You know, they like to wait a few dates before they discuss the STDs, the rotten credit history, the six hyperactive kids who…”
    “Or the prison time?”
    Olivia’s face froze. “Seriously?”
    “Yes. It was a drug thing in college. It’s long behind him.”
    “If you say so.”
    She was silent a moment. “I actually have some bigger news. I saw Adam Lynch just a few hours ago.”
    “And there’s the ‘but.’”
    “No, why do you keep saying that? There’s no ‘but.’”
    “Oh, yes. The hunky government agent from your past appears, and the new guy pales in comparison. That’s your ‘but.’”
    “If we can move past my ‘but’ for a second, Lynch tried to recruit me for another job.”
    Olivia nodded. “Of course he did. You told him to go to hell, right?”
    She smiled. “I used those very words.”
    “Good. How many times do you have to tell them you’re not interested in this stuff? I don’t see how they have