Author's note: I know what you're thinking. What the hell did I just read? Don't fret, my readers, it will all be explained in this chapter. I changed the story title from "Better luck with the fish" to "Numb" thinking it would be a better fit for the story but soon realized the title "Numb" might be misleading so I changed it back to "Better luck with the fish". Spoiler alert: Charles isn't a pervert; he just saw something in Jackie's mind that will set up the rest of the story. I apologize that the summary might be bad or misleading; I'm not really good at them anyway. Now back to the story!

For days after the 'incident', Jackie ignored the professor. When she saw him coming her way down the halls, she walked in the other direction. After classes she would dash before he had a chance to call her back. She would stop just to rethink what she was doing, what was she so afraid of?

The first letter from Honey came two weeks after Jackie's arrival at the school, also had her few personal items as Counselor Watson had promised. The cloths Jackie had found in her closet she soon discovered once belonged to the professor's sister. She asked what had happened to her, but no one was willing to answer. Jackie learned to leave the matter alone. The professor was one thing she couldn't leave alone.

"Jacqueline! There you are!"

She had been walking back to her room after chemistry with Hank when she felt a hand clasp down on her wrist. Turning, she realized the professor had finally caught up with her. Jackie's face drained of color. There was no way out of this one. "Um… hello Professor, I'd love to talk but I've got to meet up with…" He cut her off before she could finish her lame excuse. "No, we need to talk. Now. There is something of grave importance we need to discuss." Jackie tried to pull away, but the professor only tightened his grip. "Don't try to wiggle yourself out of this one." She sighed, forcing herself to look the professor in the eyes. "Fine," Jackie caved, defeated, "Is it because I'm afraid to use my powers? Is it because…" The professor interrupted her pitiful rant. "Stop, Jacqueline, stop it right there." She gulped, "its Jackie." She whispered in a matter-of-fact tone. "Jackie," He corrected himself, "You should not be ashamed about being afraid to use your powers. Look, I once had a sister. She had a very special mutation; she could turn into anyone she wanted to." The professor rolled apace down the hall, forcing Jackie to trot behind him. "Do you want to know what she looked like? Really looked like?" Jackie looked at the professor inquiringly, not knowing how to answer. He went on, "She had this blue skin, fiery red hair, and these eyes, these piercing, magnificent yellow eyes," Pausing, he exhaled, "I made her cover up who she was. I, her own brother, couldn't even accept her." His voice rose. Shifting her weight, Jackie tried to find the right to say. Figuring this was her moment to ask what had been on her mind for days, Jackie cleared her throat, "Um, what happened to your sister?" The professor stopped at a door, which Jackie recognized to be his office.

"She made a choice, and I made mine." He said.

Opening the door, he directed her inside. "The point is it's no use to fear your powers, because one day you will realize there is nothing to be afraid of." She smiled to herself wanting to thank him for making her feel better, but stayed silent and let him talk. "Back to why we are here," He pulled up behind his desk. Jackie leaned against a distant wall. What the professor asked her next took her by surprise.

"What do you remember from ages five to seven?"

She blinked, "Uh," Jackie stammered, "I don't remember, I mean that was nearly ten years ago, I'm almost eighteen now." The professor leaned forward in his wheelchair. "But you remember your mother's death, the first time you discovered your mutation very clearly. You were four then." Not exactly following, Jackie nodded, "Go on." The professor pressed his pointer finger to his temple. "Jackie, when I was… in your mind that day I hit a mind barrier, a very strong one, one meant to prevent any other telepath from breaking down." Her knees buckled, "What? That's not possible," She protested, "I would have noticed that." Wouldn't she have noticed that?

Wouldn't she…

Frantically Jackie searched for any sign of a memory of a fifth birthday party or a first grade play.

Nothing.

Jackie held her head. "No, I would have known, I…" Before she could scare herself even more, the professor jumped in to comfort her, "The person who did this to you would have rendered you totally oblivious. The telepath who put the barrier up in your mind must have followed you around in the orphanages; he or she would be an adult, maybe one of your counselors or a guardian…" Jackie looked up, her eyes tripled in size, "No, not Counselor Watson!" The professor shot down her theory. "No, she gave you away too easily. She must have known something. The telepath must have not been at the aquarium or else I would have sensed them." Her lips parted. The only adult who spent much time with her that hadn't been at the aquarium was her foster mother. "The woman who runs the orphanage, Andrea Gomez, but how could she have followed me around all of this time?" The professor shrugged. "That's still another piece of the puzzle we need to put together. The woman must have been changing her appearance some how, but Jackie…" He rolled from his desk and up to his student, "Jackie, you are the only one who can break down the barrier. The longer you are away from the telepath…" Jackie finished his sentence, "The barrier will start to break down without the telepath controlling it."

Did she want to see what was behind this wall? If the telepath the professor spoke of went through so much trouble to hide it from her, it must have been something terrible.

That night, the nightmares began.

If you read the 'interactive story' section of the last chapter, you obviously can see it didn't happen. That's only because I had a change in mind. In the next chapter in where the barrier in Jackie's mind starts breaking down, she goes to someone for comfort in the middle of the night, but whom? Also, WHAT is behind this barrier that is so scary? Tell me your ideas in a review.