>>"Thanks."

The girl wolfed down food like she had not seen any for days. Gemma smiled, nodding as she sat back down, allowing her time to chew and swallow, and get her fill of food before she spoke again. There was no rush. Gemma hoped that once she was fed and feeling better, she would also be more relaxed about talking. A good meal could fix a lot of things, in her experience. Especially if it was rare.

>>"You asked about what I can do... Um.. it's really stupid, but I can move junk by singing and playin' my fiddle. I mean, it has it's uses and stuff but... yeah, I am still kinda tryin' to figure it out."

"I don't think that's stupid at all" Gemma smiled "I think it sounds kind of beautiful, actually. I would like to see it at some point. You might need to keep a distance from me to do it, though. I have an aura that nullifies mutant powers."

"Maybe," she said, picking at her food and looking down at it, slowing down because her stomach was dealing with what she had already wolfed down. She took another, more dainty bite, then moved some chips around on the plate, arranging by size in her OCD manner before eating one or two. "I don't like doing the music for that, it gives me a head ache, but it's the only way I could keep it a secret and now it's the only way I can do it, yanno? And sometimes I do it without meanin' to. I don't even see the stuff movin' until after it moved. It's not good to have these kinda powers as a Gypsy." she shrugged. At least not legit powers other than fortune telling. "I guess I noticed I had these when I was 14 and my ma was puttin' pressure on me to get married by 16. I wanted to finish school and do somethin' with my life and it was always her yelling at me for wantin' to be more like a gorger. She's right to a point. Who wants to be stuck under their parents' thumbs at my age? I'm an adult and wanna live like one. But I dunno what I am doing, sleeping in my car and wanderin' around without knowing where to go, and hoping they don't find me."

>>"Maybe. I don't like doing the music for that, it gives me a head ache, but it's the only way I could keep it a secret and now it's the only way I can do it, yanno? And sometimes I do it without meanin' to. I don't even see the stuff movin' until after it moved. It's not good to have these kinda powers as a Gypsy."

Gemma listened and watched at the same time, picking up on cues as well as words. The girl ate like she was truly hungry, starving even, but she also arranger her food on her plate in an anxious attempt at order. She talked about her powers like she was not quite sure about them, and apparently she had found music to be a conduit for what sounded like a form of telekinesis. There were just too many question marks about her for now, so Gemma allowed her time to eat, and time to talk, silently paying attention to both.

>>"I guess I noticed I had these when I was 14 and my ma was puttin' pressure on me to get married by 16. I wanted to finish school and do somethin' with my life and it was always her yelling at me for wantin' to be more like a gorger. She's right to a point. Who wants to be stuck under their parents' thumbs at my age? I'm an adult and wanna live like one. But I dunno what I am doing, sleeping in my car and wanderin' around without knowing where to go, and hoping they don't find me."

Gemma nodded. It was hard to be a teen under the best circumstances, and it sounded like Martha did not have those.

"Well, the Mansion is a safe place." she said "One thing we can give you is time, to figure out what you want to do, and how your powers work. If you... decide to stay, I can put paperwork through, to make sure no one forces you to leave. We take these things very seriously."

"I honestly don't know what to do." She continued to arrange her food and eat in her hungry way. The offer for her to stay in the mansion, it was really nice. She could take the offer, she wouldn't have to worry about food ever again, or worry about her stupid car breaking down on the highway. She had already started saving up for a camper, a cheap one. Rhett had already given her two grand and every time she was out in the city and performing, which wasn't enough to consider it a job, she would put most of the money into her new bank account... But how did one put in pennies and expect to get a camper that, brand new, cost as much as a cheap house or a tiny house. She had done the research at the library... A pop up camper would cost around $30k or more.

"If I stay, I would still not wanna live inside the mansion. I mean, I appreciate the offer, yanno? But I wouldn't know what to do with all the space. Iggy showed me one room and it was bigger than any space I ever had. I mean, I have a buncha brothers and my parents, and only two sleepin' areas. I had to sleep on an air mattress in the kitchenette while my brothers piled on the big bed and momma and dad slept on the smaller bed." She didn't know why she was talking about it to Gemma, but it felt nice to be able to vent and not be pushed into doing so.

Martha told Gemma more about her family situation as she ate. It was not uncommon, by any means, and not only among the Roma communities; Gemma had encountered students before who were not used to having their own space, or any space at all, and when they were offered one, they were more than hesitant to accept it. Martha reiterated how she did not want to stay inside the Mansion; but she also mentioned Iggy again. Gemma suspected she was referring to Ignacio, who was a nice and friendly person. It was good to hear that the girl at least connected with someone at the Mansion, and was not completely alone in figuring out the situation.

"Well, nothing in our rules says you have to live inside" she noted "I understand that it can be overwhelming. If you would really rather have your own space, we can probably arrange for a camper or an RV of some sort to be parked out here for you. You can come in for food and maybe to socialize when you want, but you could also have your own fridge. The school is well funded, and we are quite flexible."

"I am savin' up for one, but they cost so much for just a pop up camper," she said and ate a big chunk of sandwich in one bite, her cheek puffed out like that of a chipmunk. Yeah, she was still pretty hungry and didn't even think about it since she was still arranging things with her free hand. Once the chips were all satisfactory, she stacked the remainder of sandwiches just so and then started smoothing at wrinkles in the blanket that was sat on. If any crumbs dropped upon her, she would pick them off in the way one would pick lint off. Girl just couldn't keep her hands still!

"One of those costs just as much as a tiny home, may as well get a tiny home instead but I can't pull a tiny home behind no pinto, let alone a pop up camper."

Martha, while she was eating and also resisted the idea of going inside the Mansion, was definitely not sitting still. Gemma watched as her hands moved while she chewed, organizing the world around herself, picking up crumbs, and flitting here and there like little butterflies. The girl was a lot of things, but she was not messy.

>>"I am savin' up for one, but they cost so much for just a pop up camper. One of those costs just as much as a tiny home, may as well get a tiny home instead but I can't pull a tiny home behind no pinto, let alone a pop up camper."

She still did not acknowledge Gemma's suggestions directly, but it was obvious she was thinking about them. The counselor waited patiently to see where the conversation would go next, and decided to bring up another topic.

"We have had a couple of students over the years who had telekinesis" she noted "Each was a little different, and they learned differently too. We usually have more experienced people help students practice their powers, and learn more about them."

"Yeah? Sounds cool. I mean, if I was younger, maybe I coulda been a student here, but I am twenty two, and I already graduated high school. I didn't even know this place was a thing. They don't talk about this stuff in the community, it's taboo to talk about mutants. Well, lots of things are taboo. Anyways, anybody here now know how to do it? Or are they all gone?" She grabbed the sandwich she was nomming upon, stuck several potato chips into it, then chomped down several bite until it was gone, again, picking at crumbs and such. The sandwich was enough to finish filling her up even though there was still more food, she stopped going for food.

With her stomach full, she sighed, setting the plate off to the side and lifting her knees to set her chin on. Her hands continued to move.

>>"Yeah? Sounds cool. I mean, if I was younger, maybe I coulda been a student here, but I am twenty two, and I already graduated high school. I didn't even know this place was a thing."

Gemma sighed a little. Even with the high profile and constant media attention Xavier's tended to get, still many people, especially mutants who needed help, somehow did not receive enough information to come to the Mansion. Or maybe they heard so many opinions on both sides that they did not have the courage. Or the idea of a school full of mutants, even if they were mutants themselves, felt daunting to them, like it did for Martha.

>>"They don't talk about this stuff in the community, it's taboo to talk about mutants. Well, lots of things are taboo. Anyways, anybody here now know how to do it? Or are they all gone?"

"People come and go here all the time." Gemma admitted "And we have several students who come in, but don't live here... I would have to check our database. And by students, I don't just mean kids. Sure, we have an actual grade school program, but there are also Mansion residents who live here to learn about their powers, and figure out their lives. Actually one of the telekinetics we have a while ago was a grandmother..."

"I see..." she said, sounding drowsy now. She set her chin on her knees and tried to hold back a yawn. It was a wonder what food lining a once, empty belly did. "I guess I can... take up your offer on a camper or somethin', but... only until I can pay for my own... And maybe I will talk to someone who is like me. I don't know what to do."

She picked again at the blanket, feeling depressed at the situation, and she lapsed into silence, not knowing what else to say. It was really hard, even with being able to relate to someone.

Martha finished eating, and now she seemed more relaxed. Almost drowsy. Gemma knew that eating one's fill after being hungry was a good feeling, but it also tended to make people sleepy; with the added stress of talking about her life, it was no wonder Martha's eyelids were heavy.

>>"I see... I guess I can... take up your offer on a camper or somethin', but... only until I can pay for my own... And maybe I will talk to someone who is like me. I don't know what to do."

"Well, how about we go and find you a camper, and you can pay us back when you have the money?" Gemma suggested with a smile. Independence was important, and she was not going to push a gift on someone who was not comfortable with it. "And I'll find you someone to talk to you about your powers. But for now, you look like you need a rest."

"I'll be fine..." she said with a sigh. And then she kind of gave a look to Gemma, a long one. Her head tilted and she bit her lip. It was one of those looks that said she probably just hit her limit on feels or something. Martha looked like a fish out of water. The young lady blinked several times. Had she really been so deprived of basic human needs where her own family couldn't even give her emotional support for so many confusing things? And now, there she was at a place that was new and overwhelming to her, yammering to strangers about her feelings, which was so out of her norm. Martha seemed to hug her legs tighter, pressing her lips together so hard that there was a while line around them. "Won't I?" she asked, her voice breaking.

She had never felt more alone than she did right then and there, even though there were people there who could help her. Did they know her mother never hugged her? That instead of getting to be a kid, it was always her responsibility to take care of her brothers and the camper, and everyone was always yelling and yelling and yelling, and so many people were pressing in all the time... God, Martha stood up and just started to walk away because she was tired and angry and sad all at once, and she wanted to yell at the top of her lungs, then cry, and perhaps sleep... In that order.

She didn't know where she was going, she started to run toward the woods, just running and running, deep into those woods until she found what she thought was a haven. And then she was just... Yelling and hitting and venting out her frustrations for her situation. She didn't know why nobody ever cared enough to let her be her. She punched and kicked and yelled over and over until finally, she flopped into the foliage and just lay there. Whether Gemma came after her or not, she wouldn't know unless the woman said something to her...

She closed her eyes as the sunlight touched her face and just started to let it out, not because she wanted to be felt sorry for, but because she really just needed a good friggen cry. Then she could start moving in the right direction, right? Oh god, she felt like a kid who had just had a temper tantrum.

>>"I'll be fine... Won't I?"

Martha walked away before Gemma could say anything reassuring. The girl's mind must have been in turmoil; she sounded like she wanted a home, and people around her, but she did not know how to ask for what she needed, or how to tell what she wanted. As she walked away, Gemma stayed put, determined to give her some space to clear her head, now that she had a full stomach. Sometimes people needed to think alone. But when she saw the girl reach the edge of the woods and break into a run, she knew that something else had to be up.

Gemma stood and walked after Martha. She walked at a brisk pace, in order to catch up with the girl fast enough to make sure she did not harm herself, or get into an accident like she had before. But she did not run - she did not want to make Martha feel like she was being chased, and give her a little time to settle before she caught up. In the end, she heard the sounds of the tantrum, and even saw the end of it, but she only stepped out from the trees when the girl finally flopped down onto the ground, exhausted.

Gemma moved to sit down again, next to Martha. Her voice was calm and steady.

"Yes. You will be fine."

She wanted to be accepted more than anything in this world, but she couldn't accept herself... Not when she wasn't familiar with everything outside of the Gypsy community. Everything was so different; people were less moral on the outside, they were more mundane too. Most people didn't take pride in what they did, they didn't keep their homes or properties cleaned, they didn't take care of their kids... It took being gone to realize that while being a Gypsy meant being restricted, she understood now that it was to protect the way of life. At the same time, she hated a lot of the things that Gypsies did... Loud people, the need to outdo everyone else, the constant yearning for attention from the outside world without wanting to be part of the outside world. So many things.

Gemma appeared after she kind of flopped into leaves conveniently piled up... Okay, she noticed she was under some kind of course (the one Xavia set up for her own training) and she was under a tree marked with a fluttering piece of cloth. She looked up at Gemma, quiet for a time before she rolled onto her stomach and buried her face into her arms. She burst into tears and said, "I don't know where I belong."

The girl rolled over, hiding her face in a pile of leaves, but even then Gemma could tell that she was crying. She had a lot of pent up emotions, and things she needed to let out. Gemma sat by quietly, placing a gentle hand on Martha's shoulder.

>>"I don't know where I belong."

"You'll find your place." Gemma said soothingly "You have already done the hardest part of all by setting out on your own. And you already have people who care about you here. It might take a while... for you to feel at home anywhere. But as far as we are concerned... this could be a place where you belong."

Xavier's had done that for many, many people over the years; most of them mutants, but not all.