Amber stood in front of a large window looking longingly outside, face exposed. It was one of those truly beautiful bright spring days in which everyone was outside playing and having a good time and she, of course, was trapped inside. Trapped inside the Mansion because of a power that wouldn't allow her out during the light of the day. Because of what she was, she would never be able to go out and enjoy a beautiful spring day, that simple pleasure would be forever denied her. Sure, she could change into something and then go outside, but sometimes she just wanted to go out as a human and play with her peers just like any other teenage girl could. Sometimes it sucked being a mutant.

Mostly Amber loved being a mutant. She loved the power and the freedom it gave her, the feeling of being something truly special. Aura and Abyss, the only family she had ever known, had told her that she should never be ashamed of what she was and truly, she wasn't ashamed. She was proud to be a mutant but sometimes she just wished she could be normal. Even at night when she could go outside safely, or on those occasions when she went outside during an overcast day, her eyes still gave her away as something not human. Because of her eyes and her skin, she could never escape the hatred and fear of humans and even if Aura had told her she should embrace her eyes as the mark of what she was that was the one thing she hated most about herself because it was the one thing she couldn't hide. That was the feature that caused her so many problems because some humans just couldn't' leave the mutant freak alone.

With a dramatic and profoundly unhappy sigh, Amber turned from the window with the intent of going to find something else to do, preferably something to take her mind off her current problems. She was what she was and it wouldn't exactly help anything to mope about it.

Gemma was on her way to her offive when she saw the girl at the window.
She had caught a glimpse or two of her before, and of course she knew she was in the Mansion - but lately she had so many kids to look after, and so many problems to deal with that that she didn't quite have the time to meet all of them.
But now here she was (Amber?...), and she looked a bit lonely, inside looking out.

"Hi there" Gemma smiled, stopping in the doorway "Is everything all right?"

Sometimes kids did not want to talk; she understood that too. She stood aside, so the girl could just walk out on her if she wanted to.

"I don't think we have been introduced yet" she admitted, and did not hold out her hand - mutants had their own rules about touching "My name is Gemma."

"Hi there. Is everything all right?"

Amber jumped as the voice startled her from her reverie. Actually paying attention to her surroundings was, apparently, something she still had to work on. In The Mansion there wasn't much risk in getting lost in her own thoughts because there wasn't anyone (that she was aware of) that would wish her harm, but it was much more of a concern when out in the city.

Amber nodded her head, paused for a moment, and then shook it. "B-but its not really something you can help me with." She shrugged her shoulders, having all ready given up on the very idea of living a normal life or being able to solve any of her problems. After all, how did one solve one's own genetics? Or, if it wasn't her own genetics that was the primary problem, how did one solve how people reacted to one's own genetics? How could she possibly hope to stop the hatred when she hadn't even done anything to warrant it? It wasn't like she was violent or that her powers were much of a risk to anyone at all, really.

"I don't think we have been introduced yet. My name is Gemma."

"My name's Amber," she answered quietly, even attempting a weak smile, even if she wasn't entirely successful. "Its nice t-to meet you." It didn't strike her as odd that the older woman didn't offer a hand, after all they were presently in a mutant school and some mutants had a thing against touching. Sometimes it was dangerous to touch other mutants.

>> "B-but its not really something you can help me with. My name's Amber. Its nice t-to meet you."

"You'd be surprised" Gemma smiled and tilted her head at her "Nice to meet you, Amber."

She walked into the living room and sat down, smiling at the girl. She looked a bit shy, but friendly.

"You probably know, I'm the school's guidance counselor." she told her "Also, I make cookies, and listen to people, and cancel out mutant powers when they come near me. That's pretty much all of it" she chuckled "How about you, Amber? What do you do?"

Actually Amber hadn't realized that she was the school's guidance counselor. She had seen the woman around a couple of times, but had never had much of a reason to actually speak to a guidance counselor. Or, more accurately, she had never had enough trust in a guidance counselor to actually speak to one. She certainly had more problems than she knew what to do with, but what could some lady do to help her to be able to go outside during the day? Or to stop humans from being terrified or furious at the very sight of her? Not a whole lot, that's what.

"Nice to meet you t-too."

"Also, I make cookies, and listen to people, and cancel out mutant powers when they come near me. That's pretty much all of it"

Or maybe she could do something after all. Amber blinked, almost missing the part about canceling out mutant powers. "You c-can...make me human?" The thought both horrified and enthralled her. On the one hand, her skin and eyes were the two things that made her life so very difficult and she would do almost anything to have them simply be normal, although she had no way of knowing if her skin was actually directly related to her power or not. On the other hand, however, her ability to shift was one of the few things that actually made life worth living and that was, perhaps, the one thing that she would not give up in order to gain the ability to live a normal life. It was such a difficult thing to consider, to give up the one thing that truly meant something to her in order to lose the one thing that made her life nearly unbearable at times.

"How about you, Amber? What do you do?"

"I ch-change into dinosaurs." A pause as she realized that might not be exactly what Mama had meant by the question. "And I'm a student here."

>> "You c-can...make me human?.. I ch-change into dinosaurs. And I'm a student here."

Oh. That one. That was a mutation that was hard to forget.

"No, I can't make you human" Gemma smiled a bit "I can only cancel out your abilities temporarily while you are near me. Come closer, you can try."

She allowed Amber to walk closer, letting her take her time discovering the effects of being near an adapted. For some people, it took more time than for others. She watched closerly, ready to step back if Amber showd any symptoms of not being okay without her powers. Some people did that too.

"Would you rather be human?" she asked the girl curiously.

"No, I can't make you human. I can only cancel out your abilities temporarily while you are near me. Come closer, you can try."

Amber nervously took a step forward and then another one. Belatedly the thought crossed her mind to ask what 'temporary' meant exactly. What if it meant a year and she would be stuck in her wretched human form for months and months? But by the time the thought crossed her mind, it was too late to turn back.

"Would you rather be human?"

Amber frowned as she considered her answer. Would it be worth it to sacrifice the one thing tha meant everything to her in order to eliminate the thing that caused her the most problems in her life? Finally she shook her head. "No. I love b-being a mutant. I love my power. I just sometimes wish I could go outside w-without worrying about the sun or worrying about someone taking my eyes the wrong way."

As Amber walked closer to Mama, at first she thought nothing had happened and was about to say as much when she looked down at her exposed hands. She let out a small gasp as, instead of her usual paper white skin, there was actual colour there. There wasn't much, she was still pale, but it was a pale pinkish tone instead of a complete lack of pigment. She looked up at Mama's face, wonder in her eyes. Eyes which, she supposed, might look normal as well. "C-can I go outside? When I'm near you?" That would make her the happiest person in the world, even if she was only able to go out in the sunlight once in the remainder of her life.

The girl walked closer cautiously, and Gemma watched. She could see her eyes turn normal, and her skin gain a little bit of color. So, that was part of her mutation too.

>>"No. I love b-being a mutant. I love my power. I just sometimes wish I could go outside w-without worrying about the sun or worrying about someone taking my eyes the wrong way."

Gemma nodded. Many mutants with visible mutations had the same problem. She could only imagine how it would feel like, not being able to go outside because of one's powers.

>> "C-can I go outside? When I'm near you?"

"It looks like you can" Gemma mused "It depends of your mutation is related to your condition or not. But we can give it a try if you want to, hmm?" she smiled, standing up and offering a hand to the girl "Just stay close to me, and you should be fine."

The idea of actually being able to go outside to enjoy a sunny spring day was almost too much for Amber. Even before she knew she was a mutant, her skin condition had prevented her from doing the things that normal children simply took for granted. In fact, it wasn't until that very moment that she got verification that her skin condition was actually linked to her mutation in some way. It was with more than a little trepedition that Amber accepted Mama's hand.

"It looks like you can. It depends of your mutation is related to your condition or not. But we can give it a try if you want to, hmm? Just stay close to me, and you should be fine."

"If my skin starts to b-burn I'll have to go back inside." The idea of working up so much hoping only to have it be shattered, as hope had been shattered for her so many times in the past, was almost too much to bear. What if she was wrong and her extreme skin sensitivity wasn't due to her mutation? What if she still couldn't venture outside into the sunlight? To have hope and then have that hope torn away was worse than having no hope at all.

With a deep, centuring breath, Amber took her first step towards the door. "If you c-can give this gift to me...I d'don't even know how I'll thank you." No one, with the exception of Abyss when he had adopted her, had ever given her such a precious gift before. If gift it would turn out to be.

>>"If my skin starts to b-burn I'll have to go back inside. If you c-can give this gift to me...I d'don't even know how I'll thank you."

Gemma smiled softly.

"We are just going to step outside the door, okay? The minute you feel pain, or you are not comfortable, we are going to come back." she sqeezed her hand gently as they walked to the door.

She really hoped it would work. The girl looked like she had no other dream but to walk in the sun. Well, people usually longed for the one thing they could not do. Gemma hoped, for Amber's sake, that her powers would be able to help, even for a little while.

"If it works" she said as they stood in the doorway "You don't need to thank me. I am happy to help, if I can."

She looked down at the girl with a smile.

"Ready?"

"We are just going to step outside the door, okay? The minute you feel pain, or you are not comfortable, we are going to come back."

It felt to Amber a little like a waking dream. How many times had she imagined this moment, being able to simply walk outside with no fear of her skin reddening and cracking as the sun burnt it raw? Perhaps there was still a bit of fear, but there was also hope, a new sensation that was so glorious it was almost painful.

"If it works. You don't need to thank me. I am happy to help, if I can."

Amber nodded and took another brave step forward. Of course she would thank Mama if it worked. She wasn't sure how, no thanks could ever be enough for such a gift, but she would figure something out. Maybe she could buy her something, Abyss allowed her basically as much money as she could ever possibly want or need.

"Ready?"

Amber nodded a second time and opened the doors leading from the safe and sheltered inside to the hostile outside world. She stepped outside, her robes still on her person but her head and face exposed. A moment passed and then another and she didn't detect the last bit of discomfort, though she knew she should give it just a little more time.

Gemma kept an eye on the girl as they walked outside. It was a nice sunny day; if she was truly allergic to light or something, it should be showing in short minutes. She held Amber's tiny hand; she didn't really need to, her adapted powers were not touch-based, but she felt safer this way, and maybe she did too. If something happened too suddenly, she would be able to drag her back inside.

"How long have you been like this?" she asked, looking down at the girl "Were you born with your mutation active, or did it just manifest?"

There was a great difference. If she was born this way, that meant she was used to her condition, but it also meant that this might be her first time walking in the sun. If she was born human... well, that meant the condition was new for her, and explained why she lonnged for a normal walk so much.

"Are you feeling all right?" she asked, watching the girl closely. So far, so good.

A minute passed and nothing happened. Amber's skin remained as comfortable as if it were the middle of the night and there was no sun in the sky at all. Hope blossomed in her chest and she allowed herself the most tentative of smiles. How could such a thing even be possible? The one thing she had desired all her life and now it appeared to finally be becoming a reality.

"How long have you been like this?"

"M-my skin has always been like this. I always thought it was j-just a normal medical condition and so did everyone else. Just an albino, you know. I g-guess it was part of being a mutant though. However that works. I d-didn't know I was a mutant until only a year ago." Had it really been only a year? It felt like so much longer.

"Are you feeling all right?"

Another minute passed and still nothing happened. Now Amber allowed her tentative smile to expand to a full grin. By now she certainly should have felt something and the fact that she didn't was nothing short of a miracle. "I'm feeling great!" What she most wanted to do was hug the wonderful woman Mama for making her greatest dream a reality.

>>"M-myskin has always been like this. I always thought it was j-just a normal medical condition and so did everyone else. Just an albino, you know. I g-guess it was part of being a mutant though. However that works. I d-didn't know I was a mutant until only a year ago... I'm feeling great!"

Gemma smiled, and lead the girl down the stairs and out onto the Mansion grounds.

"That's good to hear" she nodded "Maybe later on we can go to Doc and talk to him about your condition. Now that we know it is part of your mutation, maybe he can figure out more about it."

So, they walked. Gemma made sure they always stayed close enough to trees and buildings that cast shadows - just in case Amber started to feel uncomfortabe. But the girl looked cheerful enough, and that made Gemma smile. Sometimes the simplest things were all that was needed.

"So, how did you end up here in the Mansion?" she asked as they walked.

Amber was careful to stay close to Mama and her miraculous mutant-nullifying aura. Or at least that's what she thought it was, it was the best explanation she could think of. Most people took for granted the warm rays of the sun, but for Amber, she wanted to appreciate every moment of their little excursion, just in case she would never be able to feel them again.

"That's good to hear. Maybe later on we can go to Doc and talk to him about your condition. Now that we know it is part of your mutation, maybe he can figure out more about it."

"Doc could help me?" That was something that Amber had ever really considered before. Of course when she was younger all sorts of human doctors had looked at her and of course none of them had come up with any sort of solution to her skin condition. But maybe a mutant doctor would somehow make a difference and if Mama thought it had the chance of helping, she was willing to try almost anything.

"So, how did you end up here in the Mansion?"

"I d-don't actually live at The Mansion," Amber answered, though of course if she was the guidance counselor she might all ready know that. "B-but Koga showed me The Mansion and how could I say no to a s-school for mutants? So my adopted father enrolled me." Even if Mansion life wasn't always the easiest, it was still one of the best choices she had ever made in her short life.