Rowan stood outside Mrs. Taylor-Cervantes' office, trying to work up the courage to knock. This wasn't Rowan's first visit to the guidance counselor, in fact the young shifter had found himself there several times during his first months in school. In fact Rowan was starting to find an odd...comfort in that office. These visits were mostly to take exams and quizzes without fear that his nerves would cause him to shift. As well as the handful of times Rowan got in trouble for threatening students. 

But this time was different. 

It has been a few weeks since Rowan's run in with the police, or the polices run in with him. The interrogation in Ms. Sundance's office, the stress of being accused of murder, and the near shift that came with it. All of this had taken a pretty bad toll on Rowan. He was back to struggling in class, avoiding his friends, and barely sleeping. 

Rowan was falling back on bad habits, but he didn't want to. That's why he was here. He actually had to...talk about what happened. Gross.

Gemma was expecting Rowan, he had made an appointment and everything, but it still felt polite to knock. With a soft sigh, and pushing aside his desire to run and hide, Rowan knocked softly on the office door. 

"H-Hi Mrs. Taylor-Cervantes...I'm here for my appointment."

Gemma knew Rowan had had a run-in with the police. She knew as much as she was allowed to know, but since Liz was handling the aftermath, she decided to wait. Wait until Rowan decided to reach out. He had been to her office a couple of times now, and they were getting along fairly okay. Gemma knew she could trust Rowan to reach out if he needed her help. For a little longer, anyway. She was still relieved when the made an appointment.

"Come on in!" she called out as she heard the knock. She was sitting behind her desk, far enough from the door. "Hello Rowan. Do you want to be outside the aura today, or inside?"

Rowan often used her aura to write tests, or just spend some quiet time free of his mutation. But Gemma knew it took a toll once he left after, so it became a habit between the two of them to offer him the choice.

Rowan gave the smallest of smiles and a little wave as he poked his head into the office. He thought a moment, pondering the choice Gemma gave him. While being inside her aura kept his mutation quiet, and it was easier to concentrate, leaving at the end of their sessions often left Rowan overwhelmed.

"Maybe I can start outside? And if I get stressed I can step in?"

That seemed a fair enough decision. Rowan doubted he could get through his recounting of events without his mutation acting up, but he wouldn't know if he didn't try. The young shifter found a chair on the far end of the room, the one he tended to pick on days he wanted to be outside her aura, and sat down.

"I...don't really know where to start...with this...uhm..."

Rowan's voice trailed off, the boy scratching nervously at the back of his head.

"Well...no one got hurt...and uh...that's good..."

>>"Maybe I can start outside? And if I get stressed I can step in?"

"Sure" Gemma nodded, motioning at the chair he usually took when he wanted to sit outside her aura. She pushed her chair back a bit too, and now they were far enough apart, but also not too far to make talking uncomfortable. Gemma's office was set up that was for a reason.

>>"I...don't really know where to start...with this...uhm... Well...no one got hurt...and uh...that's good..."

"That is certainly good" Gemma nodded "Let's see... why don't you tell me the bad news first? Get it over with?"

>> "Let's see... why don't you tell me the bad news first? Get it over with?"

Rowan exhaled quickly, a sound that was almost a laugh. He struggled to get comfortable for a moment, fidgeting with his hands.

"Uhm...most of it's bad news...I guess the worst of it's...that..."

Well...this was much harder to...phrase than he had thought. He was actually going to have to say out loud what had happened.

"There had been some...attacks in the area..." Rowan started not entirely comfortable saying 'murders'. Attacks seemed far less...dire. "And...some people got...hurt...and the police thought I did it..."

Rowan kept his gaze on the floor. He was scared to look up at his counselor, worried that her expression would be one of disappointment.

Rowan was struggling to get the words out. Gemma had learned to give him time. He needed to find the things he had to say, and hurrying him or talking for him was not going to do anyone any good.

>>"Uhm...most of it's bad news...I guess the worst of it's...that... There had been some...attacks in the area... And...some people got...hurt...and the police thought I did it..."

Gemma nodded.

"But you didn't." if he had, that would have been a whole different conversation. And the last thing he needed from her right now was doubt. "Why did the police think you did it?... How did they find you?"

"I didn't." Rowan quickly repeated, not wanting even the smallest bit of doubt to find him.

He sighed, continuing to sink back in his chair.

"Apparently the...uh...wounds looked like something Fluffy- er...my beastial form could do..."

Rowan huffed, embarrassed. "Sorry...Mr. Johnson got me in the habit of calling It 'Fluffy'."

The shifter tried to set his embarrassment aside, this was a serious conversation.

"The cops also said they found my DNA on one of the...bodies...and that they had my DNA because of an...incident at my previous school..."

Rowan picked at his hands, not the best coping mechanism but he was trying to keep himself calm.

"But cops are mean, so I think they were lying...like they were hoping to scare me into confessing something...and they did scare me...a lot...but I know I didn't do anything..."

Gemma wondered how the police got to Rowan at all. Mansion students should have been protected from all that up front.

>>"I didn't. Apparently the...uh...wounds looked like something Fluffy- er...my beastial form could do... Sorry...Mr. Johnson got me in the habit of calling It 'Fluffy'."

Gemma nodded, making a mental note to talk to Sam. He was not on the wrong track with the cute nickname, but the more she knew about Rowan's mutation the more she thought it was deeply ingrained with his mental state.

>>"The cops also said they found my DNA on one of the...bodies...and that they had my DNA because of an...incident at my previous school... But cops are mean, so I think they were lying...like they were hoping to scare me into confessing something...and they did scare me...a lot...but I know I didn't do anything..."

"It's okay, Rowan. You didn't do anything wrong." she told him. A scared kid could not be blamed for how the police treated him. She knew she might need to bring Jorge into this if they did not figure it out soon. "And they should not have talked to you without an adult present. I'll make sure they know that. Do you have... and idea why they would want you to confess something you didn't do?"

>> "It's okay, Rowan. You didn't do anything wrong."

Rowan visibly relaxed, his shoulder's slumping slightly, flooded with relief. Gemma believed him, that had to count for something.

>> "And they should not have talked to you without an adult present. [...] Do you have... and idea why they would want you to confess something you didn't do?"

"Ms. Sundance was there." Rowan explained. The boy continued to nervously pick at his hands. "And...uhm...I'm lucky she was...if I had been alone I probably would have kill-"

Rowan suddenly stopped talking, wincing visibly. He could feel his bestial form stirring in the back of his brain, all too excited to be talking about killing those police officers. Violent images flashed across his mind, teeth and claws and blood.

The boy swallowed stiffly, suddenly looking rather pale. It took a few moments, and a few shaky breaths, but Rowan was able to compose himself enough to speak.

"I...I would have shifted if Ms. Sundance wasn't there...

Rowan continued to scratch as his hands, fingernails slightly pointed now.

"The...officers mentioned my mutation...maybe they just assumed I did something bad...or it was just an easy way to get rid of me..."

>>"Ms. Sundance was there. And...uhm...I'm lucky she was...if I had been alone I probably would have kill-"

Gemma did not really want to think about what would have happened if Rowan had met the police alone. It was a good thing Liz handled it. The idea of what could have happened seemed to trigger something in Rowan too, because he took some breath to calm himself down. Gemma fought the instinct to use her aura to help. He had to learn, or ask for help on his own.

>>"I...I would have shifted if Ms. Sundance wasn't there...

"It's a good thing she was, then." Gemma nodded. She would point it out later that Liz was only a part of achieving that.

>>"The...officers mentioned my mutation...maybe they just assumed I did something bad...or it was just an easy way to get rid of me..."

Gemma frowned. She would have loved to tell Rowan he was wrong, but that was not outside the realm of possibility. And being profiled by the police was something she had seen before.

"I am sorry you had to deal with that." she said honestly "It is hard to be accused of something you didn't do, just because people assume things about you. No one deserves that. And we need to do a better job of keeping you safe here." she was not above giving a piece of her mind to the cops, but she doubted it would help. "How are you feeling?"

>> "I am sorry you had to deal with that.It is hard to be accused of something you didn't do, just because people assume things about you. No one deserves that."

Rowan shrugged slightly, still avoiding eye contact.

"I...I think it's just something I have to...get used to. People are gonna hate me, and be..." Rowan struggled a moment, eventually spitting out the words he hated so much. "Scared of me...because of what I am...the sooner I come to terms with it the better...I guess..."

Rowan quickly added.

"And...it's really not the school's fault...the police said it was routine questioning...I didn't know I was the suspect..." Rowan frowned. "I'm...not entirely sure who to call if I'm in trouble now if not the police..."

The boy was quiet a moment.

"How am I...feeling..." Rowan slowly repeated back. He didn't really like thinking about his emotions, no less speak of them out loud, but it was kinda Gemma's job to get him to talk.

"Uhm...I dunno...I feel okay right now...a little anxious...still kinda embarrassed for having a panic attack in front of Ms. Sundance..."

The hardest part of Gemma's job had always been watching kids struggle with the fact that the world was unfair and hostile to them. Out of no fault of their own.

>>"I...I think it's just something I have to...get used to. People are gonna hate me, and be... Scared of me...because of what I am...the sooner I come to terms with it the better...I guess..."

"Some people will." there was no need to deny that. "But there will be many others who don't. You just need to make sure you find the ones that will accept you for who you are."

>>"And...it's really not the school's fault...the police said it was routine questioning...I didn't know I was the suspect... I'm...not entirely sure who to call if I'm in trouble now if not the police..."

"You call us. You call the school, or me. Or the X-men. We'll come and help, whatever happens. Whether it is your fault or not."

He needed to hear that. The police was not prepared to deal with someone like Rowan. But the school was.

>>"How am I...feeling... Uhm...I dunno...I feel okay right now...a little anxious...still kinda embarrassed for having a panic attack in front of Ms. Sundance..."

"No need to feel embarrassed about that. Grown adults panic too when they become a police suspect, trust me." Gemma said gently. "Ms. Sundance knows what you are going through with your powers, and so do I. And despite all this... you are doing great. It is hard work, so it is completely normal to feel anxious, or tired, or anything else you are feeling. I just wanted to make sure you can vent if you need to."

>> "Some people will. But there will be many others who don't. You just need to make sure you find the ones that will accept you for who you are."

The boy was quiet a moment, still anxiously picking at his hands. She was right. Even in his short time at school he had made...friends. Like actual people he considered friends. And had come to trust many of the teachers and staff. Even those who had seen his shifted form, or knew about it, didn't treat him like he was a threat. Rowan didn't speak, but he did nod his head, starring at the floor.

And knowing that the school, and even the X-men, would come help him if he was in danger was...extremely comforting.

>> "And despite all this... you are doing great. It is hard work, so it is completely normal to feel anxious, or tired, or anything else you are feeling. I just wanted to make sure you can vent if you need to."

The anxious scratching stopped and Rowan had a rare moment of eye contact with Gemma. He was still not used to receiving praise, or having people be proud of him. He didn't really feel like he was worthy of it, not for something as ridiculous as 'not mauling a police officer'. And yet, Rowan couldn't help but be a little proud of himself. It really wasn't much, but he had gone through the whole conversation about his encounter with the police without really feeling the urge to shift.

Even if Fluffy was still thrashing around, demanding something to fight.

Rowan was finally able to break his silence, offering Gemma a small smile.

"Th-thank you, Ms Taylor-Cervantes. I'm...really thankful to have a place to vent.

The boy suddenly sat up, as if remembering something.

"Oh! I was gonna tell you. That test I took in your office a few weeks ago? I got my grade back! I did pretty good!" There was a clear joy in the otherwise reserved and shy boy's voice.

Rowan had gone through some traumatic experiences, and the authorities were not exactly helping by being out to get him for things he didn't commit. Gemma knew she'd have to ask Jorge to talk to some people again. He was a cop, and he knew how to be tactful but persistent.

>>"Th-thank you, Ms Taylor-Cervantes. I'm...really thankful to have a place to vent.

"Any time" she smiled. Sometimes - most of the time, really - people just needed to vent, and be heard. Especially kids. Rowan seemed relieved now that he'd told her what happened.

>>"Oh! I was gonna tell you. That test I took in your office a few weeks ago? I got my grade back! I did pretty good!"

"Oh, that's great!" Gemma smiled, genuinely happy about the news. "Good job, Rowan. That was not an easy test. Did you celebrate?"