Driving home, Vivien thought again about the lighthouse. How long had it been since she had used her power for something other than research or a mission? Months? Years? She didn't want to use it at HERO One. She knew everyone there and there were probably unsavory imprints that she would rather not see. Instead she went to a large park in Kingsdale nearby her loft. She grabbed a Raspberry White Mocha from the Starbucks across the street and tuned into the time stream.
Most imprints were recent. Events that haven't been scrubbed off by something more important. Sometimes you get something that sticks for a long while. It's always sticky when two imprints are in the same spot. If they are far enough apart in time it's easier to determine which event happened first. The ones that are closer together are trickier. You have to know what you are looking for to find information. Other times its like you are standing somewhere with a radio that is picking up two signals. You hear a little bit of both songs but neither of them are clear.
Parks usually contained the sweeter moments of everyday life. As she passed a park bench she saw a young dark skinned man with a narrow face and short tight curls. He was on one knee presenting a ring to a young dark haired woman with olive skin and fierce brown eyes. She smiled and nodded her head. The two kissed and smiled. They walked away hand in hand speaking affectionate words in Portuguese. That was one of the things she loved about Castleburg. It was a city rich with diversity of culture. You heard languages spoken all over the world in the streets. The music scene was eclectic. The fashion was colorful. And the food... The food was what Vivien liked the most.
However, with a city this diverse, sometimes cultures can clash as she saw in the next imprint. A young black woman walked on the dirt path of the park holding her arms close to herself. It was dark past 3am. She was cold. Based on her dress she looked as if she were out at a club. Her clothes were dated. Late 70s, maybe early 80s. The imprint was powerful. She had bruises already on her arms and was crying. A few white boys came out from the trees. They started catcalling and throwing racial slurs. "Listen, I don't want any trouble. I had a tough night as it is. Let a girl just get home" she said trying to push past them.
The biggest of the three moved to get in front of her. "You get to go home when we tell you to." He pushed her to the ground. The boys started kicking her and she screamed into the night-
Vivien wretched herself out of the imprint tears streaming down her face and breathing hard. An older woman walking a dog passed by. "Are you okay miss?"
"Yeah." Vivien stood up once her breathing slowed.
"Oh! You're the lady from TV. The smart one. I'm so glad we have folks like you to keep us safe." She smiled and walked away.
Safe. Right? Are we doing enough? Vivien shook her head determined not got to go down that rabbit hole. Still, she thought of Powers away trying to prove that we are doing just that. Keeping people safe.
She threw away her half empty mocha and walked back to her apartment.
It would be a while before she used her powers recreationally again.
