Jessica felt numb. She hardly noticed the steady drizzle that gradually soaked her and made the autumn cold seep into her bones. The wet street reflected the cold light of street-lamps and illuminated advertising. Although it was late she met a lot of people who were, like her, wrapped in dark coats, collars up, some with umbrellas in their hands. Most ignored her, but occasionally she felt a gaze that lingered on her for a moment longer. She thought she could read animosity or disdain in it, although she knew that this was nonsense. You could not tell that she was different by her looks. To a random observer she was just one among millions. She was of medium height, had Asian features and dark hair - nothing to set her apart from the masses. What made her different was concealed beneath the unremarkable surface. Not everyone got to witness her exceptional abilities - let alone her weaknesses. Some who lived in this city did not even know that women like her existed, and maybe it was better this way. More than once Jessica had had to witness the damage that fear of something different could do.
The Neon Cathedral