>>“N-No I…I had no idea it could be like that. I figured…I don’t know…that I wouldn’t know what attraction would be like for anyone. Y-You’ve seen my scars. W-Who could stand to being with someone as scarred as me? T-Then…I meet this girl. A musician and…she is so attracted to me and I am attracted to her, but I was still so confused when I met her. S-She was my first kiss. My first anything...”

Gemma smiled. "You would be surprised, people are a lot less scared by scars than you'd think. And of someone really cares about you, for yourself, they won't mind them at all. There are many more important things than that." she told Agnes, and she meant it.
Maybe I should talk to that Rhythm girl too. The last thing Agnes needed was someone breaking her heart.

"So, there is that. Give it some time, Agnes, you will figure it out. Sometimes people just need comfort, and there is nothing wrong with that. And sometimes girls like girls, and there is nothing wrong with that either. Take your time."

That was all she could say about the issue, but she gave Agnes some time before talking about the other one. The roommate and her hurt feelings.

>> "You would be surprised, people are a lot less scared by scars than you'd think. And of someone really cares about you, for yourself, they won't mind them at all. There are many more important things than that."

Agnes sighed as she nodded in agreement. She knew it sounded like some kind of after school special, the whole “let people love you for who you are” thing. It is always something that she wanted to believe, but it was also very hard. She had seen the world at its worst; she witnessed its cruelty towards people who could be viewed as less than attractive; the cruel jokes, the hurtful words, she’d had bore witness to it many times. But she had to admit that right now, she really felt the truth of it all.

She knew that Rhythm indeed made her feel like the most important person in her life. She felt loved, appreciated, and very beautiful when she was with her. All things she had never felt around anyone else. And that night…Agnes could not think about it with causing her heart to flutter just a tiny bit.

>> "So, there is that. Give it some time, Agnes, you will figure it out. Sometimes people just need comfort, and there is nothing wrong with that. And sometimes girls like girls, and there is nothing wrong with that either. Take your time."

Another sniffle and Agnes nodded. She would have hated it if the only reason she was with Rhythm was because she made her feel good. How does that make her any better than all those others fools who trick women into sleeping with them? But as Agnes sat there, contemplating and wondering she had to remind herself that she needed to stop doing that. Agnes knew that one of her many faults was that she loved to over think things to the point that she rips them apart.

She was not going to allow herself to do it this time. She cared for Rhythm, a lot, and she was not going to ruin what could possibly be a great relationship simply because she was over thinking.

It was then that she decided that was going to just let it go, sit back and see where the flow of their relationship took them. She cared for Rhythm a lot, especially because the young woman seemed to want to be around her unconditionally. Those were high marks in her book any day.

A sigh and she smiled meekly at the guidance counselor.

“T-Thank you, Ms. Taylor. I…I can’t tell you how much it means to have someone who can just listen.” She sighed though as the topic for her real reason for coming to the counselor popped up in her head. The look on Gina’s face still haunted her and made her feel so bad for lying to her little gargoyle sister. “I…I wish I knew why Gina was so mad. I don’t even know one hundred percent what she’s mad at. Is it because I never told her about my scars? Or does she think I meant to lie to her about liking girls? Or does she just not like me as a sister anymore?”

Agnes began to sniffle again. She missed Gina’s happy bright face and wished they could get back to normalcy. She needed that from her, especially not that Rhythm was in her life. After all, she could not come running to Mrs. Taylor all the time about things like that. She needed her girl time again with Gina, but how could she fix this?

>>“T-Thank you, Ms. Taylor. I…I can’t tell you how much it means to have someone who can just listen. I…I wish I knew why Gina was so mad. I don’t even know one hundred percent what she’s mad at. Is it because I never told her about my scars? Or does she think I meant to lie to her about liking girls? Or does she just not like me as a sister anymore?”

Agnes started to sniffle again. Gemma put an arm around her shoulders. "The easiest way to find out is to talk to her" she said "I am here to listen as long as you need me, but I cannot answer for Gina. You have to ask her, and talk to her, and tell her the things you told me. If she really is a sister to you, she will understand."

Because that's how things should work, she thought. Maybe Agnes was going to lose a friend over this; maybe the girl in the bed was even worth it. She was at an age when everything changes very fast. Even if she lost Gina and suffered through the loss, she would know more when it was over. Gemma really hoped it would not come to that. She made a mental note to talk to Gina. Maybe she could help things along.

"Maybe she was just shocked" she told Agnes "That is a lot to take in at once, walking in on a roommate, and seeing the scars too. Give her some time, she'll come around. And when she does, talk, okay?"

It was easy to see that Agnes was still a little upset at everything that was going on with her. Though she was more readily accepting this new truth about herself, she had to admit that she was still a little upset about Gina. She loved the little gargoyle so much that she could not stand feeling like she hurt her so badly. Whether Gina was just disgusted with her or she was just hurt at being left out of the loop, Agnes didn’t know. But she was not going to run away from her.

She could not abandoned the person whom she claimed as her little sister so readily.

>> "The easiest way to find out is to talk to her…I am here to listen as long as you need me, but I cannot answer for Gina. You have to ask her, and talk to her, and tell her the things you told me. If she really is a sister to you, she will understand."

“I…I know,” Agnes said with a small nod. “Just…embarrassing I guess.”

There really was no other way to describe it. She was embarrassed. Gina had walked in on a very intimate moment between herself and Rhythm and on top of that she saw all the scars that she had been hiding since the beginning. How else could she feel? Was she supposed to just walk up to her young adopted sister and say “sorry for catching me naked with another girl! Want a chocolate bar?” the whole idea was just silly to Agnes, but she knew she had to give her the benefit of the doubt.

She just had to.

>> "Maybe she was just shocked…That is a lot to take in at once, walking in on a roommate, and seeing the scars too. Give her some time, she'll come around. And when she does, talk, okay?"

Agnes nodded, slowly starting to feel just a little bit better. She wanted to make sure that Gina and she would be okay. She cared too much for her to just let their relationship end like this. But this would be the hardest part. The waiting, the giving the time, she had to let Gina get used to the idea and hopefully…hopefully she would come to her when she was ready.

“I…I promise, Ms. Taylor. I’ll…talk.” Agnes said, sounding sure though still a little scared at the course of action. She hoped it would work. She sighed, though, as she turned to once more look up at the guidance counselor. "Um...t-there's something else. I...I dunno if you can help with it though." Nervous fingers picking at her jeans, Agnes sighed and smiled slightly at the much taller woman. "I...I feel like I need to start earning some...you know...money? Is there...anything you can do to help me get a job? Like...here? On the mansion grounds?"

>>“I…I promise, Ms. Taylor. I’ll…talk. Um...t-there's something else. I...I dunno if you can help with it though. I...I feel like I need to start earning some...you know...money? Is there...anything you can do to help me get a job? Like...here? On the mansion grounds?"

Gemma thought about that for a while.

"I am sure we can find something for you to do" she nodded slowly "There should be a few openings, people come and go all the time. I think..." standing up, she walked to her desk and rummaged around the stacked papers and notes "... I think we are in need of a gardener, for one. I am sure there will be other possibilities soon, if you don't like this one. We don't pay much to students, but you could start earning money, and it's safer than going outside."

For her. For now.

>> "I am sure we can find something for you to do…There should be a few openings, people come and go all the time. I think...I think we are in need of a gardener, for one. I am sure there will be other possibilities soon, if you don't like this one. We don't pay much to students, but you could start earning money, and it's safer than going outside."

Agnes tilted her head briefly. A gardener? She had a little bit of experience doing that at home since her parents, the majority of the time, attempted to grow their own herbs and vegetables. And because they did not want their only daughter to have “idle hands”, they forced her to keep as busy as possible. That was why she spent much of her time sewing, cross-stitching or gardening. Though she did not know if she could take care of an entire school, it was definitely a start.

After all, what better person to keep bugs from attacking the schools bushes and plants than a bug beacon like herself? It may not be the most money in the world but at least it was something that could keep her busy and give her some kind of income. Besides, she would hate to have to go out and find a job in the city right now. Especially since her parents could still be out lurking around.

The last thing she wanted was to run into one of them while working as a coffee barista at Dunkin’ Bucks or something…

With a small smile, and warming to the idea every second, Agnes nodded her head approvingly.

“O-Okay, I think I can do that,” she said with a smile. “I mean, I know a little about gardening and no bugs should be bothering the plants while I’m around.”

She sighed, really liking the idea but also extremely thankful to have someone like Gemma Taylor around. She was extremely happy to have such a woman as her guidance counselor, a woman whom she could turn to whenever she needed and who provided her with more guidance and attention than her real mother had ever given her in the 16 years that she lived at home. She counted herself lucky to know a woman such as her.

Standing, she looked around awkwardly, a little unsure of how to proceed before she suddenly wrapped her arms around the much taller woman and hugged her tight.

“Thank you! You know…for everything.” she said with a sniffle. “I appreciate it.”

>>“O-Okay, I think I can do that. I mean, I know a little about gardening and no bugs should be bothering the plants while I’m around.”

Gemma smiled. The girl sounded like she meant it, the whole thing with the job and earning money. And she had a point, a bug queen in the garden, that could be useful; both for the plants, and for herself. She would get more practice out on the mansion grounds than in the danger room... maybe it was the kind of practice she needed.

"I'll get you signed up" she nodded with a smile "And talk to Sam too."

Agnes hugged her.

>> “Thank you! You know…for everything. I appreciate it.”

"You are most welcome" she smiled, hugging the girl back "YOu are always welcome here."

Letting her go, she smiled at Agnes once again.

"All right, if there is anything else you need, you know where to find me. As for the rest, you are all grown up, I think you'll handle it just fine."

Almost as an afterthought, she added as Agnes walked towards the door "If you need someone of... you know, your age to talk about the girl thing, talk to Maya. She'll know."