The evening was cooler than most at the institute, but that wasn't unusual for winter in Connecticut. Storm was kind enough to keep the snow at bay across the grounds, but that didn't stop the creeping, unavoidable cold. Out in the field, a lone figure sat, breath vapor whisping out from between slightly parted lips. She wore a 3/4ths sleeved shirt made of light cotton, and some simple jeans, and rested there without a care.
Numb stared at the large white building that had become her home over 4 years ago. She no longer lived there. She wasn't strange enough to warrant having to stay. Aniridia was a normal mutation, the lack of any visible iris in ones eyes. The power that had drawn Cerebo's view was actually something that most people would never realize was there. Numb was, as her nickname stated, completely numb. She could feel nothing. Even the cold air had no effect on her, only the vapor on her breath. She couldn't feel the touch of a friend or lover, nor the sting of a knife in her flesh. She knew the latter quite well, after all, she looked like a pincushion.

~~~

Meet Annabell Lee Cross
Alias: Numb
Power: The inability to feel
Drawback: She seriously cant feel anything.
History: Annabell always thought she was normal. She never knew that not feeling wasn't perfectly normal. Neither of her parents were particularly touchy feely. Neither was around that often either, leaving her in the care of the house staff when they went to work and school. The Staff were equally hands off, simply feeding her, and leaving the child alone to her own devices.
It wasn't until she got into kindergarten, and she received her first hug, and didn't react, that she realized something was terribly wrong. Not only that, but she found the light in the room blinding. Often she couldn't see much more than the indiscernible shapes of the other students and the teacher. When she complained of this too the teacher, she was sent to the nurse. This was where she learned that she had a further problem, and so did her parents. They took her to the doctor, who diagnosed her with two congenital defects. Aniridia, the lack of irises, and CIPA, the inability to feel pain, or heat.
Her parents, disappointed that they produced a child with such defects, and believing that they could not afford to take care of her (Even though they were quite rich) put her up for adoption.

She was never adopted, and at the age of 16, she left the system and moved out on her own. With a nice fund set up for her "Genetic defects" from the government, she moved into a private apartment. It was at this time, that she got her first boyfriend, and realized that it wasn't just pain that she couldn't feel. Soft touches, kisses... nothing. She couldn't feel it. And her boyfriend felt extremely inadequate.
She tried to explain to him that it wasn't his fault, that it was because of her genetics, but he left her regardless. It was in this depressed state, that Professor Xavier found her, and brought her to the Institute. He explained that even her genetic anomalies were okay. That he could teach her to cope, and perhaps even discover a way for her to live normally.
With a glint of hope, she entered the institute. There she met several young people, with mutations far worse than her own, who were living happily amoungst eachother. She developed friendships, and even another relationship, only to have that one crushed for the same reason as the first.

Four years at the institute resulted in little more than some memories, and a new found confidence. After so long, she said goodbye, and moved out on her own once more. Now, she works as a lounge singer at a local night club.