Pointed ears twitched as he heard his name called for a third time on the P.A. system. It was about a meeting with the school counselor or something along the lines of that. They wanted him to talk with them or something. Carrick yawned again with his hands behind his head and wings tucked snuggly behind his back all the while his tail twitched behind him showing his initial irritation on the whole subject. He’d get there when he got there; it wasn’t like he was running, just delaying.

Another fifteen minutes passed and Carrick walked into the room while knocking on the door hoping after the fourth time on the P.A. system they’d forget about him, however it seemed like that wasn’t the case. ”Hello?” Carrick said looking into the room to see the counselor doing her counselor duties, ”Too busy right now? I can come back later if you’d like?”

He didn’t wait for her answer, although he never met the woman before he treated her like he treated most adults, he was neither too nice nor too rude he teetered constantly on that line that would push him in either direction. Carrick plopped himself on one of the chairs and put his pinky in his ear in a cleaning motion. ”I didn’t do it…” he said out of habit waiting to hear why he was in the counselor’s room in the first place.

Gemma busied herself with paperwork while she waited for the boy called Carrick to show up. She had no doubts that he was going to show up. Hardcore bad guys rarely stuck around in the Mansion. Plus, everyone knew Mama. He probably knew he had to show.

>>”Hello? Too busy right now? I can come back later if you’d like?”

And he did. Walking in, the griffin boy took a seat as if he owned the place.

"Not busy at all" she smiled, walking around him and closing the door "Welcome, Carrick. Nice to meet you."

That was probably more than most of his teachers could say.

>>”I didn’t do it…”

"That's interesting" she agreed, taking a seat across from him "Care to tell me what it is that you did not do?"

She seemed nice enough, for a school staff member at least. Carrick always got the feeling that teachers were never liked in school so they came back to make it miserable for everyone else. One of the few reasons he skipped in the first place, add that to exams, homework and text books, well those were enough reason for him to be MIA when the bell rang signaling class had started.

She asked him what he did when he sat down, 'good job' Carrick thought to himself as he tried to think of something clever, not the truth like the time he put dish soap in the dishwasher (on purpose) or the fact that he might have hustled a few kids out of their lunch money (older and bigger than he). The strange case of pigeons and sparrows running loose in a few of the kids bedrooms that liked to pick on the smaller kids, that he fess up to only if she called him on it. ”Sorry habit,” Carrick said shrugging and smiling, ”Used to get sent into the principals office a lot when I went to school across the pond.” 'Hopefully she will buy it' Carrick thought as he stood up and walked over to the woman's bookshelves.

He skimmed through a few of the titles wondering if there was anything he might have recognized, nope. Didn't help he barley attended any classes that might have some of these books. Looking from the book shelf to the name plate on her desk across the room, ”Lot of books in here, you read a lot Mrs, or Ms. Taylor?” Carrick asked trying to redirect the topic of discussion away from him.

Carrick knew fully well her nickname around the mansion and what she was capable of Carrick didn't really want any part of it he didn't want to lose his wings if that was what happened, and he didn't want to call her 'Mama'. He had a 'Ma' back home, one he should check in on soon otherwise she or his 'Da' would call him and he knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid their wrath even across the drink.

>>”Sorry habit. Used to get sent into the principals office a lot when I went to school across the pond.”

So, the winged boy was not new to being sent to the office. Gemma was not entirely surprised. He had that look of mischief about him that made him adorable and annoying to most teachers at the same time.

Also, he was stalling.

>> ”Lot of books in here, you read a lot Mrs, or Ms. Taylor?”

"Ms. Taylor" she smirked, she was probably going to stay Ms. Taylor even when she was married (again) "you can call me Ms. Gemma if you like. And yes, I like reading. I would be happy to discuss that with you, but there are some other things we need to talk about first."

She sat back, watching him, waiting patiently till he turned back to her.

"So, you know why you are here" it was not a question.

”I’ll stick with Ms. Taylor, suppose it is more formal.” Carrick said knowing she was trying to be nice by allowing him to use ‘Ms. Gemma’ he wanted to be as formal as possible less she start getting the wrong idea about him thinking he was easy to approach. The last thing he wanted was a teacher randomly starting conversations with him. If he wanted to talk to them he’d go to class more.

”Back to business then.” Carrick said sighing and walking away from the books and back to the chair she offered him before. Carrick hoped in it and swing his legs over the arm and he lifted his head back and stretched. ”I try to make small talk and you’d rather talk about work.” he rolled his eyes lying to her and then shrugged his shoulders adjusting his body so he wasn’t looking at her directly unless he turned his head.

”This time? No, I haven’t the foggiest idea why I’m here,“ Carrick said knowing she didn’t ask a question, ”I plead the fifth?” Carrick said knowing it would be best not to incriminate himself for all he knew he was here for different reasons than what he thought and he didn’t want to give Mama ammo for her gun.

”You called me so I assume you know why I’m hear, I try my best to keep my head down in class so I don’t get in trouble.” lied Carrick, he’d have to go to class occasionally to keep his head down.

>>”Back to business then. I try to make small talk and you’d rather talk about work.”

The boy had a mouth on him. Gemma secretly rolled her eyes. Just what she needed, a young Sam to deal with. With wings.

>>”This time? No, I haven’t the foggiest idea why I’m here. I pead the fifth? You called me so I assume you know why I’m hear, I try my best to keep my head down in class so I don’t get in trouble.” l

"Maybe you have succeeded at that just a little bit too much" Gemma smirked at the kid "I hear from your teachers that you have been... unnoticed at class lately. Now I know this is a big school, but our classes are small enough for me to believe it when they say you were not in the room. Unless you have a secondary mutation I am not aware of."

”They call me a wallflower?” Carrick smirked and straightened up in his chair, ”I don’t talk much but really?” Carrick said continuing to play somewhat surprised in hopes to full Ms. Taylor, ”Secondary?” Carrick asked, ”Seems that way then maybe I turn invisible when no one is watching?” Carrick reached up and covered his mismatched eyes with his hands and remained quite for a second then removed them, ”Nothing?”he asked continuing to smile when her focus was still on him.

”Maybe it doesn’t work with you in the room given your gifts and all?” Carrick asked not to sure as he twitched his tail making sure he could still feel it. Carrick wasn’t sure what he’d do if he lost either his tail or wings both of which were a part of them and the thought of losing either of them was too much to think about.

”So was that the reason why you called me down here? To make sure I developed a second mutation and not because my teachers think I’m skipping?” Carrick asked hoping this was all she wanted to talk about. ”If it is I’ll make sure I voice my thoughts for all to hear incase they don’t see me.” Carrick jumped up and started walking towards the door. ”Well, good talk hopefully I’ll see you around Ms.Taylor, you really set me straight!”

>>”They call me a wallflower? I don’t talk much but really?”

The boy had some cheek on him. Gemma kept up her mask of a cordial smile, but she was starting to see why all the teachers were complaining about him.

>>”Secondary? Seems that way then maybe I turn invisible when no one is watching?”

He tried, and made a good show of it too, even though it was completely pointless, and they both knew it.

>>”Nothing? Maybe it doesn’t work with you in the room given your gifts and all?”

"That is entirely possible" Gemma agreed, waiting for the parade to end.

>>”So was that the reason why you called me down here? To make sure I developed a second mutation and not because my teachers think I’m skipping? If it is I’ll make sure I voice my thoughts for all to hear incase they don’t see me. Well, good talk hopefully I’ll see you around Ms.Taylor, you really set me straight!”

He was ready to walk out the door. Without making a move to stop him, Gemma pulled out her most serious weapon: the mother voice.

"Stop right there, Carrick, if you please" she said calmly "We are not done quite yet." she did not take her eyes off him "if I wanted to test your mutant abilites, I would have asked you to the Danger Room. I am quite aware of my own powers. But that does not change the fact that there is nothing superhuman about not showing up for class."

It was just a few simple words but for a brief second it took him back two years to back when he was across the pond at home and his mother was telling him to ‘stop right there Carrick’ only it wasn’t a request no matter how calm his mother or Ms. Taylor seemed to be their voice had a way of stopping him. He froze before he got close to the door his escape wasn’t really the best idea at this point.

Reluctantly Carrick turned and walked back towards the chair he was in and sat down folding his arms, almost as if he was pouting. ”Detention then?” Carrick asked hoping that was the answer the last thing Carrick wanted was to be grouped in with some of the kids after school in detention or worse the after school special that went on in the danger room with the professor with the eye patch.

Unfolding his arms Carrick sat up straight and looked to the clock to see what time it was. ”Two weeks?” Carrick asked figuring that was how long his detention would last, ”Still passing all my classes…” muttered Carrick his tail twitching behind him. He might have been passing his classes but most of those were constantly on the verge of going in the opposite direction.