The Freak School was five stars and then some more, Gawain had to give them that much. Fridge always full of food appearing out of nowhere? Living room? Library? Pool? Mansion grounds?... Nobody forcing you to actually take any classes?
God Bless Rupert for sending me here. Amen.

It was late night, all the kids in bed, dreaming the dreams of the innocent, or out, walking the ways of the wicked. Either way, Gawain found the living room empty when he walked in, carrying his loot from the Library, and took over the couch. He didn't feel like going back to his room. He was not even thinking about it as 'his room' yet. And it was already a mess.
The couch, on the other hand, was comfy.

Half an hour later Gawain was fast asleep, one arm and one leg hanging down from the couch, reading lamp left on, and the book - Gods and Fighting Men, and who said mythology is not freakin' badass - lying open on his stomach.
This is what happens when stressful holiday schedule adds up with pre-shift sleepiness.

Zzzzzzz

Mirror had never seen himself/herself shift; she had experienced it while awake a couple of times, but at those times s/he preferred not to look into a mirror.
"It's puberty, kid. Some changes in your body might freak you out..."
Grown-ups always knew what they were talkin' about, didn't they.
And he was asleep now anyway.

But if someone happened to walk by in those few minutes, they would have witnessed something that they could have described as 'interesting' or 'freakish', depending on their own nature.

It was a soft change, the kind that is really described by the word 'shift'. There were no bones popping and no sounds made by the boy at all; a couple of deep breaths, as if he'd been dreaming something not quite pleasant, and the male features melting softly into the face of a girl. Hair grew with visible speed into a tangle and a mess. Some rustling of clothes as they adjusted on the slowly phasing body, and a slight movements of limbs, looking for a new position of comfort. The book slipped down and towards the edge of the couch.
Maya frowned, and sighed softly in her sleep.
Changing complete.

It was one of those nights where Rapunzel rolled around in her sleep. She decided that instead of forcing herself to lay there and be miserable, she might as well get up. Maybe a glass of water would help. Henrietta wasn’t quite sure why water was supposed to help you sleep, but the brunette figured it was worth a shot.

After she had rolled out of bed, she yawned and put on some slippers. She had a matching robe in her possession, but it was her feet that were cold. Opening the door to her room, she quietly crept out. Since she had neighbors, she was attempting to keep the noise to a minimum. She walked to the kitchen, got a cup, filled it with water, drank it, and then washed the cup. Henri liked things being clean and organized so she put the cup back where she found it.

Walking back to her room, she noticed someone was dozing on the couch. Curious as to what time it was, Henri glanced at the clock. 11:59…Almost tomorrow already, she thought to herself. Sighing quietly she began to start her adventure back to her room. Out of the corner of her eye, something was moving. Her first reaction was to then look and see what it was, so she did.

Turning to look, she realized it was a boy moving. Wait! He’s THE boy! He’s Twyla’s friend! Henrietta was disappointed she still hadn’t met him, but she was not about to wake him up to ask his name. She again started to walk when she noticed his hair was growing. The longer she watched, the less like a boy he began to look. Not sure what to do or what was going on, she gasped. It wasn’t loud enough to get to anyone’s room, but the person may have heard.

Henrietta hadn’t been staring at him until she noticed he was changing into…a she? Wondering if she was dreaming, she shook her head, but he still looked like a she. That boy’s a girl! That girl’s a boy!

Maya's dreams, whatever they were about, were crudely interrupted by a gasp from the outside world. She jerked awake, the motion causing the book to slip all the way down from her stomach and fall on the floor with a 'thud'.
Maya looked around, looking for the source of the sound that woke her, and noticed a familiar face staring right back at her.
Rapunzel?...

Mirror usually didn't like people staring at him/her in his/her sleep. Not that it happened an awful lot. Actually it didn't happen at all.
What was this girl doing up anyway this la...
Wait a minute.

Maya's stomach sank as she looked around for a clock. Past midnight. Oh no. No no no...
How long has she been watching?...

Rubbing her eyes, Maya cleared her throat, and thus knew the conclusion before she spoke.

"Um... hello?"

Yup. Definitely female.
Good morning, Maya.

Henri was so surprised. He had been a he a minute ago, but now he was a she. It was a lot to think about. Realizing that she probably seemed like a creeper, she looked away. “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to see …whatever that was. I was just coming out of the kitchen. I couldn’t sleep so I was hoping water might help.” Henri felt so uncomfortable and she was afraid that they would think she was weird. Deciding to keep her eyes on the floor, she rubbed one of her feet on top of the other.

Her thoughts were whirring and she wasn’t sure what she should be doing or saying. Do I just go back to bed? Maybe I need a book on conversations for dummies. This thought made her smile ever so slightly. It couldn’t hurt my communication skills much.

Finally she thought of something else to say. “I’ve seen you around. You talk to my new friend Twyla. I’m Henrietta Braun. Some people call me Henri or Rapunzel.” Pausing for a moment, she smiled at the now-girl. "It's nice to finally meet you."

>>“I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to see …whatever that was. I was just coming out of the kitchen. I couldn’t sleep so I was hoping water might help.”

Maya sat up, rubbing her eyes and running ten fingers through her hair - both actions were taken to clear her vision.
"'tis 'kay" she muttered "'s not like ya're the first one to know about this."
She really wasn't. Now that she came to think about it, more people discovered her little secret during the past three months than in the previous sixteen years together. Rupert, Twyla, Juka, Ghost... She wondered what that meant.
"... but ya're prolly the first one to actually see it." she added with a frown that could have been a smirk.

>>“I’ve seen you around. You talk to my new friend Twyla. I’m Henrietta Braun. Some people call me Henri or Rapunzel.”

"I know, ya're the girl with the hair" Maya smiled "Nice ta meet ya. I'm..." ummm "... Maya. Today. On other days, I'm Gawain."

>>”'tis 'kay. 's not like ya're the first one to know about this.... but ya're prolly the first one to actually see it."

The look on the now-girl’s face was a cross between two expressions. Rapunzel wasn’t sure if it was a frowning or a smirking. She felt bad for them. Henrietta was probably not the first one that they wanted to see them change. They didn’t know her almost at all. She felt like she walked in on something private. Mostly because no one else had seen it, she thought.

>>"I know, ya're the girl with the hair. Nice ta meet ya. I'm..." a pause, "... Maya. Today. On other days, I'm Gawain."

When the girl, Maya, mentioned her hair, she felt a few of her strands moving about. Henrietta smiled back at the girl. She really was happy to finally know both of their names. The brunette felt a little excited. Maybe we can be friends too... Henri was still feeling a little awkward around the mansion and she would love to get to know more people. Back at school, she didn’t always seem too social, but she did enjoy having company.

“Maya…That’s a pretty name. Sometimes I wish my name sounded more interesting. Maybe I don’t like it as much because I know I’m named after my mom’s grandma.” Henrietta didn’t mind her name, but she always wished that she had one that sounded more exciting. One that, like she said, sounded more interesting. It also bothered her that had never even met the great-grandmother she was named for. How was it supposed to be special when she had only seen pictures of the woman? After leaving that track of thought to dissipate, she smiled again.

“Well, I suppose you’d like to go back to bed.”

>>“Maya…That’s a pretty name. Sometimes I wish my name sounded more interesting. Maybe I don’t like it as much because I know I’m named after my mom’s grandma.”

Maya smiled a genuine smile this time, and chuckled as she saw the girl's hair move.

"I'm named after a goddess and a knight. Mom had a thing for mythology. But hey, Rapunzel is awesome too, and fits ya jus' fine."

Pulling up her legs and resting her chin on her knees, she looked at the girl. She looked a but confused - no wonder, after what she saw - and flushed, but very friendly.

>>“Well, I suppose you’d like to go back to bed.”

"I wasn't really in bed" she pointed out with a grin "An' besides, once I'm awake after shiftin', I usually can't go back to sleep. Wanna drink tea or somethin'?"

Because what else can you do at one in the morning but make some new friends.

>>"I'm named after a goddess and a knight. Mom had a thing for mythology. But hey, Rapunzel is awesome too, and fits ya jus' fine."

Henrietta liked mythology as well. She thought it was interesting how so many different cultures would have almost the exact same myth for things. It made her wonder what was true and what wasn't. Since there were things like mutants, why couldn't other odd or so called 'fake' things be real?

Rapunzel was a name of a princess, as most people knew. It was in little kid stories and she had long hair and was stuck in a castle for most of her life. Henri was hoping that she would never get stuck in a castle, but loved the story all the same. The only thing that was similar was the long hair. Her's was no comparison to the girl's in the story, but still. It was a nickname she had gotten back home and she liked it quite well.

>>"I wasn't really in bed. An' besides, once I'm awake after shiftin', I usually can't go back to sleep. Wanna drink tea or somethin'?"

Henri couldn't help but smirk when the girl remarked about not actually being in bed. "Smarty pants." She thought a second when Maya asked her question, and realized that she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. It was just the way she worked and she DID want to talk to Maya. "I'd love to have some tea with you."

>>"Smarty pants."

Maya grinned. "Yeeeeah, I get that a lot."
Standing up from the couch, she picked up her book and deposited it safely on the table before kicking off her shoes - Gawain's shoes, really, and as such a bit too big for her.

>>"I'd love to have some tea with you."

"Awesome. Let's hit the kitchen an' see what we can find."

Maya had some routine going through the kitchen drawers and cupboards; she was able to locate a whole box of tea, several different kinds, and presented it to Rapunzel before proceeding to boiling some water.

"Ya know, Rapunzel" she mused, rummaging around for cups now "Sm'times I wonder if all the tales and legends, y'know, if they're really about muties like us. They would make so much sense that way. The princess with the hair, the magic mirror on the wall..." she chuckled "Someone should write a story book about our kind."
Setting two cups on the table, she rested her chin on her knuckled.

"So. Henri. What's your fairy tale?..."

Picking up her cup, she stared into the tea. Her fairytale? Hmm… “It depends, if we’re talking about real life or the one based on Rapunzel, I guess.” She took a sip and then set the cup back down on to the table. “I’m sure you know the one about Rapunzel. Being rescued by having a guy scale her hair and whatnot.” Personally, she wasn’t sure what her fairytale was or would be.

Henrietta sat and thought about what the girl meant. My fairytale…”My personal fairytale would be to find some sweet, sensitive guy who loved me. Someone I could grow old with. It’d be great if I could have my dream job too. I want to be an art teacher or a pharmacist.” After saying this, she realized how random the two jobs must’ve sounded in the same sentence.

She picked up her cup and took another drink. Henri smiled at Maya. “So what about you? What’s yours?”

>>“I’m sure you know the one about Rapunzel. Being rescued by having a guy scale her hair and whatnot.”

Maya nodded and chuckled.
"Yeah there's a bunch of those. I've even read one where the guy brought a ladder 'cuz he didn't wanna hurt the chick with pulling her hair."
Of course that one was Gawain's favorite, goes without saying.

>>”My personal fairytale would be to find some sweet, sensitive guy who loved me. Someone I could grow old with. It’d be great if I could have my dream job too. I want to be an art teacher or a pharmacist.”

Maya nodded again. It was not exactly what she thought about when she asked the question, but it was still quite interesting.

"And how's that workin' out for ya so far?"

>>“So what about you? What’s yours?”

"Damned if I know" Maya smirked, dipping a sugar cube into her tea "'tis the first place I've spent more than one night in a row in..." she sipped her tea, thinking "'bout four years. I'm searchin' for someone."

>>”And how’s that workin’ out for ya so far?”

Henri couldn’t help but smile. “Not well. I haven’t met any guys who have really expressed much interest in me.” The brunette wasn’t completely sure what was wrong with her to the opposite sex. Maybe she wasn’t pretty enough or maybe she was too annoying. Whatever it was, she didn’t know it.

>>"Damned if I know. 'tis the first place I've spent more than one night in a row in...'bout four years. I'm searchin' for someone."

Rapunzel wasn’t sure how that would work for him/her. She supposed she’d have to find someone who loved both Maya and Gawain. That, or two somebodies would have to live with the switching and whatnot. Henri couldn’t imagine how hard it must be for them to date. It was already hard enough for most people. She was curious, but didn’t want to pry.

“Question. Did you want to know about my life when you asked that? I guess I interpreted it in a weird way.” Henrietta smiled. “Well, I come from Springfield, Illinois. My mom and I lived together in an apartment before I got here. I don’t have any brothers or sisters and my dad moved away when I was really little.”

There was tons of others things that could be said, but she wasn’t about to unload on someone she barely knew. She would wait for the girl to share and as she waited, she sipped her tea.

>>“Not well. I haven’t met any guys who have really expressed much interest in me.”

Maya grinned Gawain's grin over the tea cup. "Bad for them."

>>“Well, I come from Springfield, Illinois. My mom and I lived together in an apartment before I got here. I don’t have any brothers or sisters and my dad moved away when I was really little.”

Maya blinked, and arched an eyebrow. Well, what do you know. Rapunzel's tale was not all that different from her own.
Setting the cup down on the table just as Henri picked hers up, she smiled.

"Seattle for me. Dad was gone before I was born, so it was just Mom 'n' me. She's a mutant... a shifter like me, she just does it waay better." she chuckled "She went missin' couple of years ago. I'm still lookin' for her."

She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest, and smirked. Last thing she wanted was to sound like some kind of sob story. She was past the whining, way past; now she just had a mission.

"So. How did you end up here?"

>> “Bad for them”

Rapunzel smiled. “Thank you.”

>>"Seattle for me. Dad was gone before I was born, so it was just Mom 'n' me. She's a mutant... a shifter like me, she just does it waay better. She went missin' couple of years ago. I'm still lookin' for her."

Henrietta listened intently to the girl. “My mom isn’t a mutant, but sometimes I wonder if my dad was. I’m sure you’ll get better. Practice makes perfect, right?” The brunette smiled at Maya and then frowned. “I’m sorry about your mother. I hope you find her, but then, I’m sure you will.” Both Gawain and Maya seemed like determined, brave people. Henri was sure they’d be fine.

>> ”So. How did you end up here?”

“Well, it was my mom’s idea. She thought it would be best to be around people like me. My school said they didn’t want me there anymore incase I hurt someone.” Henrietta shrugged slightly. “My mom was glad to send me here, I think. Oh well, I guess. She just wasn’t sure what to do with me.” She could understand that to an extent, but it still hurt. “How about you? How did you end up here?”

>>“I’m sorry about your mother. I hope you find her, but then, I’m sure you will.”

Maya smiled and nodded. She knew it was true, but it was still good to hear it from someone else. The only question was the 'when' and the 'where'; but she knew Mom was working the issue from the other side, so they would meet eventually...

>>“My mom was glad to send me here, I think. Oh well, I guess. She just wasn’t sure what to do with me.”

That seemed to be a common motif among Mansion students. Even parents who didn't hate you for being a mutant tended to be 'uncomfortable' about their children's powers, and looked for a place where the kid would be safe and out of sight. Maya hid a frown in her cup. There were certain advantages to having the X-gene run in the family...

>>“How about you? How did you end up here?”

She laughed a cheerful little laugh, and leaned on her two elbows, taking a deep breath. "How much time do ya have?..."

Because it was a long story. And even Maya was not sure where it started, and how it happened. A lot of people were involved in it...

"Well... when I arrived in NYC I kinda... ran into this guy, 'kay?" she started to explain "His name is Rupert, and he's a real jerk. After threatenin' to blow out my brains, he... turned out to be a big softie, and suggested very politely I dragged my ass over to a school where they accept freaks like me. That was a couple o' months ago. So I kinda wandered around, meetin' people, like Twyla..." for a second there was a little dreamy smile on Maya's lips "...an' all I heard was Mansion this 'n' Mansion that. So I decided to check it out, and..."

Leaning back again, she opened her arms in a dramatic, theatrical manner.

"... here I am." she grinned "That's the story in a nutshell."