It took a lot for Sarah to get the nerve to find the school. It hadn't been long since returning to New York that she remembered the sporadic information she had gathered that pointed to one place. It didn't seem that out of the ordinary for the New York City school systems. However, the brunette had encountered so many people involved in the school in some way, she knew at least an idea of what its secrets were.

When she finally made it there on an early Wednesday morning, she gathered her courage again to ring the bell. It was surprising to find someone she knew on the other end of the speaker. Even more surprising that it was someone who recognized her now that she cut her hair. After catching up and being shown to the correct office of "Mama", it was time to do what she came to the school for. Get a job.

Sarah brushed out her black skirt and straightened her light green blouse before knocking on the door. While she waited for an answer, she took several deep breathes and forced her feet to remain in place and not bolt for the door.

Someone called from the gates office to tell Gemma she had a visitor about a job. That surprised the guidance counselor, but she was also in no position to refuse. The school had many kids, most of them with nowhere else to go, and it also housed the X-men team, but in the end, it was still a school, and people expected a standard of education.
And for that, teachers were needed.

Teachers at the Mansion seemed to come and go just like the students did. Sam tried to keep a relativel schedule for training and powers, but when it came to academic subjects, they were almost always lacking someone.

Gemma smiled at the young woman as she opened the door.

"Welcome to Xavier's" she said cheerfully, stepping back "My name is Gemma Taylor, I am the school's guidance counselor. Among other responsibilities. Before I invite you in I should inform you that I am an adapted human. Being inside the aura that surrounds me cancels any mutant powers. Let me know if you are not comfortable with that."

It was a speech that she had done a lot in the past years, but she still meant all of it.

Sarah calmed when a woman, Gemma Taylor as she was told, opened the door. It was nice to learn a little about the woman, strange to meet an adapted human. She had heard of the ability but hadn't met anyone with it that she knew of.

"Sarah Jackson, and I'm human, actually," she announced, feeling her voice want to crack. 

It wasn't often she felt left out because of her lack of mutation, but at the moment it seemed like it could do some damage. There wasn't anything she could do about it and it wasn't something she was ashamed of either. Still, Sarah stayed outside the office until she knew how the new information would be received.

>>"Sarah Jackson, and I'm human, actually,"

Gemma blinked, once. That was a first.

"All right then" she smiled, glossing over the momentary pause, and offered a hand to the girl "Nice to meet you. Please come in, make yourself at home. Tea or coffee?"

Gemma's office was nothing if not cozy. There was a couch and an armchair, books, a desk, a coffee and tea machine, flowers, and curtains. It was a woman's touch on an office space, and a safe space much needed for counseling.

>>"Nice to meet you. Please come in, make yourself at home. Tea or coffee?"

Sarah let out a light puff of relief. That had gone better than expected.

"It's a pleasure, Mrs. Taylor," she replied as she moved into the office and towards the couch. "And tea, please."

There was a calming feeling in her bones, something Sarah knew was, what her grandmother and Uncle Kinor called, her warrior's spirit relaxing. The brunette thought of it more as her intuition.

"I'm not exactly sure where to start out," she admitted as she sat down.

>>"It's a pleasure, Mrs. Taylor. And tea, please."

Gemma nodded and moved to the water heater, preparing two mugs and then handed a box filled with various kinds of tea filters to her to choose from.

>>"I'm not exactly sure where to start out,

"Why don't you start by telling me what brings you to the Mansion." Gemma suggested, sitting in the armchair across from the couch "They tell me you are here to apply for a job, and I am curious what brought you to the decision to apply at Xavier's."

When the older woman handed Sarah the box, it wasn't hard for her to find a flavor she knew. Lavender had always been her mother's cure all and it worked wonders on frayed nerves.

>>"Why don't you start by telling me what brings you to the Mansion. They tell me you are here to apply for a job and I am curious what brought you to the decision to apply at Xavier's."

"I want to teach. It's been my dream since I was little. Specifically, I want to teach art. My work is sold at a small gallery called Trust in Art. My only commitment to them is to give the gallery a new artwork every month. But I have always wanted to teach, pass on my love for art and I've heard a lot about Xavier's. Mostly in clipped sentences, at least in the city. But I've known about the school for much longer."

Sarah took a calming breath before continuing. It wasn't a secret, but she had never been to one to say it aloud. "My cousin, Tonho, is gifted. Always has been. He knows when someone is in trouble. When my family figured out how he could do it, my mother helped look into places that could help Tonho get control. We found Xavier's. He never went but it's one of the reasons I picked New York when I moved away from home. It was almost wishful thinking that I would ever be in this position." Realizing she would probably keep going if unchecked, the twenty-five year old took a sip of her tea.

>>"I want to teach. It's been my dream since I was little. Specifically, I want to teach art. My work is sold at a small gallery called Trust in Art. My only commitment to them is to give the gallery a new artwork every month. But I have always wanted to teach, pass on my love for art and I've heard a lot about Xavier's. Mostly in clipped sentences, at least in the city. But I've known about the school for much longer."

Art. If something was never short in the Mansion, it was art teachers. Gemma smiled a little. Maybe they should just turn it into an artist colony and be done with it. That in itself was not a problem. It seemed Sarah was not done talking yet, so Gemma did what she did best: listened.

>>"My cousin, Tonho, is gifted. Always has been. He knows when someone is in trouble. When my family figured out how he could do it, my mother helped look into places that could help Tonho get control. We found Xavier's. He never went but it's one of the reasons I picked New York when I moved away from home. It was almost wishful thinking that I would ever be in this position."

Gemma nodded and sipped her own tea.

"We are always in need of teachers" she admitted "But I'm going to have a few questions to you, and I am sure you also have questions to me, so why don't we take turns? My first would be, apart from the family connection, why are you interested in teaching at the city's one and only notorious mutant school?" she asked with a smirk. There was no need to dance around that one.

Having got everything off her chest, Sarah felt better, but only slightly. There was always an ache in her chest as of late. It was something she didn't expect to fade anytime soon.

>>"We are always in need of teachers. But I'm going to have a few questions to you, and I am sure you also have questions to me, so why don't we take turns? My first would be, apart from the family connection, why are you interested in teaching at the city's one and only notorious mutant school?"

At the question, the brunette turned her head slightly. She took the time to really think about the question when she decided to come to Xavier's. It was something she knew would get asked. A human wanting to work with mutants will always turn heads apparently.

"Honestly, Mrs. Taylor, I don't care. The only thing that sets this school apart is my cousin's interest. To me, it's just another school." She wasn't sure if it was the right response, but it was the truth.

"The only reason Xavier's stood out was because of how much I've heard of it. I could have easily gone to any other school, and, to be frank, I plan to later this week. Would you have asked that question if I was a mutant?"

There was fire in her eyes when she asked the question. Sarah really didn't care if it changed the way Gemma looked at her. To the brunette it was just as bad as the anti-mutant protesters to single out humans the same way as mutants. She sought for harmony in her life, and that included treatment in the workplace.

>>"Honestly, Mrs. Taylor, I don't care. The only thing that sets this school apart is my cousin's interest. To me, it's just another school. The only reason Xavier's stood out was because of how much I've heard of it. I could have easily gone to any other school, and, to be frank, I plan to later this week. Would you have asked that question if I was a mutant?"

Gemma smiled. She liked the passion, even if it was misdirected.

"Probably not" she admitted without missing the beat "But I would have asked something similar. You being a human doesn't bother anyone here, although it is surprising. It's also refreshing. What you need to know, however, is that working in this school is very different from working at any other. By 'notorious', I meant the Mansion's history. We have been attacked several times in the past, blown up at least twice, we have had anti-mutant fanatics kidnapping students or setting the living room on fire. Some of our students are adults, and a lot of our residents are not students. Not everyone has a clean record. The Mansion is a safe space for powers, which means anything resembling a normal schedule or rhythm of life is nonexistent around here. This school has a history and has a name, and I wanted to make sure you know all of that before you make your decision. It is a very special work environment."