>>"Oh. Sorry for thinking that you didn't."

Gemma chuckled and waved the apology away. There was no need. Most teenagers tended to assume that people over twenty-five had no social life, regardless of being mutants, humans, or adapteds. It was just how youth worked in its endless confidence.

>>"But, like, if I didn't want to spend my whole life helping people like you do, then what could I do? Is there some kind of job for adapteds or something?"

Gemma arched an eyebrow at the question, but she considered it seriously before she answered.

"Well. Most jobs that... hire adapteds specifically will be jobs that have a reason to try to keep mutants in control." she told him "Security likes to hire us for that reason, and official agencies as well... Basically, they would still be using your powers, just not generally to help people." Options would range from simply businesslike to openly mutant-phobic... but he could figure that out for himself. "Otherwise... you can take any job you want, really. Most adapteds don't get discriminated against. Depending on the place you work at, you might have to disclose what you are, so that mutant coworkers or patrons would be aware... but really, it has no effect on what you can study, or what jobs you can take. It doesn't have to define you."

“Oh,” Bailey frowned slightly at her response. He really had been hoping for something concrete and specific to him, but it didn’t seem like that was going to be the case. He shuffled a bit in his chair and considered what to ask next as he took another sip of his drink.

“But, like, is there something… I dunno, that I would be more suited for because of it?” He inquired slowly. He knew that she had probably just told him all that she knew about it (and all that there was to be said), but it still felt like it was worth a shot. “It’s just that…” He trailed off.

“You’re a guidance counsellor, right? So you probably get lots and lots of kids in here asking what do with their lives, right? See, that’s what I just don’t know. I dunno what to do with my life. I didn’t apply for any kind of school or anything, and I don’t know what else to do. My dad keeps telling me to go into theatre or something like he did, but I don’t think I really wanna do that.”

He sighed and sat back in his chair again after getting that off his chest. He hadn’t really talk to anyone about what he was thinking, really. He’d just sort of expected that it would eventually fix itself, but that had been starting to look less and less like it would be the case.

>>“Oh. But, like, is there something… I dunno, that I would be more suited for because of it?”

Gemma arched an eyebrow. The boy seemed to excited about talking about his powers that he glossed over what she was implying about jobs that specifically hired adapteds. Teenagers were not great at hints as a rule, but she hoped that he would understand this one.

"You mean, examples of jobs that like to hire adapteds?... I know the TSA is one of them."

Airport security sure loved their adapteds. They had it in their head that mutants were a liability. Not that Gemma believed that would be a good fit for Bailey, and it was probably not what he had in mind either. She just wanted to show him how the job market tended to think of adapteds.

>>“It’s just that… You’re a guidance counsellor, right? So you probably get lots and lots of kids in here asking what do with their lives, right? See, that’s what I just don’t know. I dunno what to do with my life. I didn’t apply for any kind of school or anything, and I don’t know what else to do. My dad keeps telling me to go into theatre or something like he did, but I don’t think I really wanna do that.”

"I can definitely help you with that." Gemma smiled "But as I said before, it does not need to have anything to do with your powers. It has a lot more to do with the things you are interested in, or the things that you would like to study. Or explore."

>>"You mean, examples of jobs that like to hire adapteds?... I know the TSA is one of them."

Bailey frowned. That didn't really sound like something that was up his alley. He knew that the TSA did security things and such, and that seemed like it would be a lot of work. And it would probably require lots of attention. Bailey just wasn't all that good at things like that. He was, however, decent enough at recognizing his own faults.

What Ms. Taylor said next was a little more of what he had been looking for in their meeting. She could help him out! She could give him advice! Plus, maybe, just maybe, if he asked the right questions, she could make his decision easier.

"But, like, that's the thing. I don't really know what I'm interested in. I'm good at a couple things, I guess, but I don't think any of them are that great for getting jobs, you know? Like, I can do music, but you can't get a job with a music degree, and I don't wanna end up like my parents."

>>"But, like, that's the thing. I don't really know what I'm interested in. I'm good at a couple things, I guess, but I don't think any of them are that great for getting jobs, you know? Like, I can do music, but you can't get a job with a music degree, and I don't wanna end up like my parents."

Now this Gemma could definitely help with. There were many things that were unique about mutant youth; their powers, their struggles, the prejudices they had to deal with. She had had a lot of experience over the course of her career with helping them find their place in the world. But there were other things that were... simply a part of being a teen. And Bailey's indecision about what he wanted to do, or what he wanted to be, was exactly one of those things.

"Well, in my experience" she smiled "You can get a job with just about anything. The thing is, though, with some careers you have to put in a lot more work and dedication. Music is one of them. So the main question at this point is not trying to guess what will get you a job the quickest... but rather, what the thing is that you are the most passionate about. You will only put in the energy and the work if you love what you do. And believe me, whatever it is, it will be a lot of work."

Bailey frowned and leaned back in his chair. A lot of work. That sounded like a lot of boring. He didn't really like doing work, and he definitely didn't like doing a lot of it. 

But, the more he sat there thinking about it, he realized that he already did work at the ice cream store, and most of it wasn't all that fun. If he didn't ever do anything else, then he'd be stuck doing that work forever. That didn't sound great either. He was kind of short on options.

"Okay, but I didn't apply for any schools, so I think I missed the deadline, and I don't have anything to do next year. What if I wanted to be something like... a cop, or an electrician, or something? You don't have to go to school for that, do you? What could I do then?"

He leaned a bit forward and rested his newly emptied mug on the arm of his chair, being careful not knock it off. "Also, do schools tend to look at your math mark? Or chemistry? I think I failed both of those," he explained sheepishly. He hadn't really understood either of them, so he'd just kind of checked out.

>>"Okay, but I didn't apply for any schools, so I think I missed the deadline, and I don't have anything to do next year. What if I wanted to be something like... a cop, or an electrician, or something? You don't have to go to school for that, do you? What could I do then?"

Bailey seemed to consider her comments for a moment, and she could tell by the look on his face that he had run into some new questions and doubts to replace the old ones. He must have considered these things before, because he knew he had missed the deadline for college applications - although he was a little shaky on the alternatives. Gemma chuckled.

"You need training for those too." she noted "Looking for jobs you can take without training is a whole other can of worms." manual labor an service, mostly. She doubted he would find those less boring.

>>"Also, do schools tend to look at your math mark? Or chemistry? I think I failed both of those,"

"Depends on what you apply for" Gemma shrugged "But the good news is, I can help you with that. It's what I do. If you have ideas of where you would like to apply next year, I can help you get the paperwork together, and catch up on what you'll need for admission. If you look on the bright side, you also get a year to get ready, and pick up some extracurriculars that improve your chances..."

>>"But the good news is, I can help you with that. It's what I do. If you have ideas of where you would like to apply next year, I can help you get the paperwork together, and catch up on what you'll need for admission. If you look on the bright side, you also get a year to get ready, and pick up some extracurriculars that improve your chances..."

Bailey brightened a little bit. He hadn't considered the fact that he had the year off to plan. He had an entire year to figure out what he was going to do and to bring up his marks. Man, with an entire year, he could do just about anything! Why on earth was he looking to tie himself down if that was the case?

The teen wiggled in his chair, trying to think of all the things that he could do with his year off. He could travel! See the world! Gain some experience! Man, he could do just about anything!

He did, however, recognize that he probably needed to go back to school so that his year off didn't turn into a lifetime off. It didn't necessarily sound bad, but it didn't sound all that smart.

"Do high schools let you go back to raise your marks and stuff? I don't think I ever thought about that," he inquired. It was probably his favourite option out of the bunch, but he didn't know whether or not it was feasible. 

Finally, the kid looked both relieved and excited. Gemma smiled. Eventually, they would all figure out what they wanted to do. That was what life was about, and especially that was what being a teen was all about. Society expected them to graduate high school with solid plans of where to go next... which was an unreasonable expectation Gemma did not approve off. Getting a year off to plan, Bailey would no doubt sort out what he wanted.

"Well... you could transfer here if you wanted, and take an extra year." she suggested "It would be like... a college preparation year. Take some classes, work on your grades, work on your applications. And maybe even get more time to figure out your powers, and how you want to use them."

"Wait, seriously?" Bailey's face grew more and more excited. "Is that really something that can happen? 'Cause that would be totally cool. I would totally be into that. Definitely."

The boy wiggled even more in his seat. He could transfer to the mansion for an extra year to decide what to do! That, was, like the best possible scenario. He already had friends at the mansion, so that wouldn't be a problem, and he could learn more about his abilities and how they worked. Not applying for school had probably been his best mistake yet.

"Is there paperwork, or something that we have to fill out?" he asked, sliding forward to be able to reach the desk if he needed to. 

He was all for the idea. Besides, it wasn't like his dad would care. He'd probably actually be happy to learn that Bailey had some sort of plan that wasn't bumming around the apartment for the year.

>>"Wait, seriously? Is that really something that can happen? 'Cause that would be totally cool. I would totally be into that. Definitely."

Well, it appeared that Gemma had finally found something for the kid to be excited about. It had been a sudden idea, but it worked, and if everything went fine, it would change his life for the better, and give him help with figuring out what he wanted to do. Having another adapted around the Mansion was going to be useful... and definitely a learning experience for Bailey.

>>"Is there paperwork, or something that we have to fill out?"

"Yes, there is." Gemma nodded. There was always paperwork. "I can help you with that too. You can attend school here, or move in as a resident, depending on your preferences... also, if you are not eighteen yet, you'll need permission from your parent or guardian."

>> "I can help you with that too. You can attend school here, or move in as a resident, depending on your preferences... also, if you are not eighteen yet, you'll need permission from your parent or guardian."

"I'm eighteen," Bailey announced proudly, "just had my birthday recently." He'd been using his newfound power over his own well-being to sign out of school whenever he didn't feel like going to class. It was sort of magical. Plus, now, he could do things like sign up for a mutant school without telling his father.

"Thanks for all the help, really," he enthused to the woman sitting across from him. Until he'd come to her office, he'd known the minimal amount about what exactly he was and what exactly he wanted to do with his life. Thanks to her, he now knew far more than before. It was actually sort of a relaxing feeling.

Maybe he'd get some more ice cream on the way home.