>> "He certainly could. The school is open to anyone, we just usually get older kids because most mutations don't manifest so early. But yes, if an eight-year-old wanted to go to school here, we could arrange that."

"Good," Chase beamed as he took a bite out of his sandwich, his primary concern quelled. Even at his young age, he knew that school was important, and was eager to get back into it. The fact that it was a mutant school made it all the better. His curiosity compelled him to ask more questions.

"When do mutations normally-" what was that word Gemma had used? "-manifest?"

>>"Good. When do mutations normally -manifest?"

The boy looked cheerful about the prospect of school. Gemma smiled to herself. She already knew that she won.

"Well" she explained, standing up to find glasses for two "Most mutants find out about their powers when they are teenagers. Some of them even later. I am not a mutant, but something very similar, and I did not know about my ability until I was already a grown-up. It really depends on what your ability is." she glanced at him "But using it so early as you do, it's rare."

To say the least.

>> "Well... most mutants find out about their powers when they are teenagers. Some of them even later. I am not a mutant, but something very similar, and I did not know about my ability until I was already a grown-up. It really depends on what your ability is... But using it so early as you do, it's rare."

"Oh," was the slightly confused and disheartened response. He didn't know if that "rare" was a good one or a bad one. Chase surveyed his sandwich shyly.

"So I'm... weird?" he tried to clarify.

>>"Oh. So I'm... weird?"

Gemma laughed a cheerful, good-natured laugh at that.

"No. You are just unique." she smiled at him "One thing you can learn from all the different mutants with all the different mutations: everyone is special in their own way. And if you ask me, that's a good thing."

Opening the fridge, she looked at the organized chaos inside.

"So, what would you like to drink?"

>> "No. You are just unique. One thing you can learn from all the different mutants with all the different mutations: everyone is special in their own way. And if you ask me, that's a good thing."

"I haven't met many mutants," Chase confessed. He looked down at his hand, counting off how many he had met, "Four, I think. And you." Even if Gemma wasn't technically a mutant.

Chase had always been taught that different was bad. He figured that, if there were certain differences were unavoidable, he could at least be the same as people who were different like he was. He didn't want to be special. He never had. He wanted to be just like everyone else.

>> "So, what would you like to drink?"

"Milk, please?" Chase inquired sweetly.

>>"I haven't met many mutants... Four, I think. And you."

That really wasn't a lot. Gemma nodded. So, he had not spent a lot of time among mutants. That explained a couple of things.

"Well, you will meet more of them here." she smiled.

>>"Milk, please?"

Pouring a glass of milk for him and for herself, she returned to the table.

"So" she said, as she sat down "Do you want to tell me about how you ended up in the bus stop?"

She needed to find out. Maybe he had family looking for him.

>> "Well, you will meet more of them here."

Gemma smiled at Chase, and Chase gave an uncertain smile in return. They were both pretty sure that Chase would stick around, at least for a little while. It was an unspoken fact that neither acknowledged, but both were fully aware of. Gemma poured them each a glass of milk, and passed one to Chase.

"Thank you," Chase murmured, taking a grateful sip. It wasn't whole milk, but the creaminess of the dairy product hit him. He hadn't had much milk since he'd left, and man, had he missed it! Absence had made the creaminess of it so much more apparent. Chase took a short swig, than sighed in relief.

>> "So... Do you want to tell me about how you ended up in the bus stop?"

That was a funny question. Chase set his glass down, his gaze shifting from the milk to Gemma. What she didn't know was that she had to be very specific with Chase, when asking questions. Whatever she asked, she'd get an answer to, but he tended to not elaborate.

"Well, I was going to catch the bus, so I walked over to the bus stop," Chase began, absently turning his glass with two hands, "And, I'd just eaten a hot dog--" a stolen hot dog, but that was irrelevant, "--which made me really sleepy. So, I sat down to wait for the bus, and fell asleep, so I missed the bus." He gave a nod, took another bite of his sandwich, "And then you came."

>>"Well, I was going to catch the bus, so I walked over to the bus stop. And, I'd just eaten a hot dog --which made me really sleepy. So, I sat down to wait for the bus, and fell asleep, so I missed the bus. And then you came."

Gemma smiled. He was being careful. He was not going to tell her the whole story, not yet anyway. But at this point, she decided to give him a little nudge anyway.

"I see" she nodded "What I meant was, how did you end up traveling alone?" she looked at him with all sincerity "Many of the kids in this school have no other home. They come from all kinds of families, or no families at all. But if you want to stay here, I need to know what to expect, so I can protect you. Do you understand that?"

Because the last thing she wanted was another flaming angel in the house.

>> "I see... What I meant was, how did you end up traveling alone? Many of the kids in this school have no other home. They come from all kinds of families, or no families at all. But if you want to stay here, I need to know what to expect, so I can protect you. Do you understand that?"

If that was what she had meant, why hadn't Gemma said so? Chase nodded his head slowly... yes, he understood, but-- why that? Gemma was a nice lady, but even the nicest adults were obligated to send children back to where they belonged.

Chase fussed wordlessly with his sleeves, weighing his amount of trust in this woman. They had only just met, and Chase liked her well enough. But well enough to risk his freedom?

"I haven't got a family looking for me," Chase finally crumbled, intently peering at his glass of milk. How much was too much information? He was scared of going back, but it was easy to live in denial of it, so long as nobody asked. He knew that the State was looking for him, but not his family, "I ran away a while ago-" Chase paused, inhaling shakily, "-There are kids here, without families? Is this some kind of foster home?"

Because if it was, he was leaving. Chase shifted his eyes towards Gemma, eyes that were colored by fear and uncertainty. He didn't realize that this could be a piece to the puzzle-- that average eight-year-old's had probably never heard of foster homes, nor knew what they were. To Chase, it was just an innocent question.

>>"I haven't got a family looking for me. I ran away a while ago -There are kids here, without families? Is this some kind of foster home?"

Oh. That made sense. He ran away from home, and he knew what a foster home was. Another piece in the puzzle.

"No" she shook her head with a smile "Officially, it's a school. A boarding school, where students have a place to stay."

Officially.

"Unofficially, it's a safe place for mutants. As long as they don't make trouble they can stay here, even if they are not kids. And we protect each other from people who want to harm us for being different."

Even though Gemma was not a mutant, she was not quite human either.

"So, Chase. Do you want to tell me why you ran away from home?..."

>> "No... Officially, it's a school. A boarding school, where students have a place to stay. Unofficially, it's a safe place for mutants. As long as they don't make trouble they can stay here, even if they are not kids. And we protect each other from people who want to harm us for being different."

Chase took a speculative sip of milk while Gemma spoke, gears obviously turning in his head-- right, she had called it a boarding school. But, it was also a "safe place" for mutants without homes. Even adults. Kind of like a foster home, except for mutants of all ages, rather than just kids without families. He nodded slowly. Protection-- that was something that he was in need of-- somewhere to hide.

>> "So, Chase. Do you want to tell me why you ran away from home?..."

Chase bit his lip, and shook his head in negation. He didn't want to talk about it. It was a long and unhappy trail of discontentment, its root lying in his mutation and his parents' loathing of it. Chase continued to shake his head, like a stubborn child who reffused to eat his vegetables. With a tight, uneasy tone, his polite reply was, "I don't want to, Miss Gemma."

Not that he wouldn't tell her, but that he would rather not-- if Gemma made him tell her about why he had run, Chase might buckle. Or, he might bolt. He shifted uncomfortably, nibbling on the bread crusts, the last remaining parts of his sandwich.

Was that too abrupt? Chase felt his face heat up as he added on, "I'm sorry-- I meant, you wouldn't like it, Miss Gemma. It's just... not a very good story."

>> "I don't want to, Miss Gemma... I'm sorry-- I meant, you wouldn't like it, Miss Gemma. It's just... not a very good story."

Gemma nodded, to let him know she took everything he said very seriously.

"I know. None of them are" she said with a small smile "And you don't have to tell me right away, but you will have to tell me eventually. I need to know so I can help."

She finished her sandwich and sipped her milk. The boy was so young, and he was already so suspicious of grown-ups. That was sad in many ways.

She smiled at Chase.

"All right, how about this. Do you want to show me what you can do with your mutation?"

Gemma nodded slowly, and for a second, Chase feared that he offended her. His eyes colored with embarrassment. He couldn't keep his gaze still-- he actually liked this lady, and now he'd offended her. He frowned, took a hesitant sip of his milk.

>> "I know. None of them are. And you don't have to tell me right away, but you will have to tell me eventually. I need to know so I can help."

Chase looked up, trying hard not to look alarmed. He didn't have a very strong poker-face. He didn't have to tell her now, but maybe later, so that she could help .What a novelty! His face heated once again, and Chase toyed with his glass once again. Miss Gemma was so nice. If the State ever stopped looking for him, he might actually tell her how he came to run away. He was scared, beyond scared-- but eventually didn't have any time specifications. It was on his own schedule.

"Okay," he agreed. Chase nodded, shyly smiling, and gave Gemma an earnest gaze. He was a boy of his word. Eventually, he would tell her about why he ran away.

>> "All right, how about this. Do you want to show me what you can do with your mutation?"

This request was met by a more open smile, and a more enthusiastic nod. Perhaps it would have been better to inform Gemma of what he was going to do, but Chase was more of a "take requests" kind of entertainer. He slid off of his stool, away from the table, and continued to peer up at Gemma.

"What do you want me to do, Miss Gemma?"

He agreed. Sooner or later he was going to tell her his story. She had no doubts about that.
He looked much more enthusiastic about demonstrating his powers though.

"You can do whatever you want" she smiled "Just take a few steps back until you are out of my aura. I just want to see how your abilities work."

It was going to be interesting. It had been a long time since she had seen a human shifter. And she had never seen one so yougn before. Just the fact that his powers were already active was more than rare.

>> "You can do whatever you want. Just take a few steps back until you are out of my aura. I just want to see how your abilities work."

Chase was indecisive, remaining in his natural form as he shuffled back. How big was Gemma's aura? He looked towards her to be the gauge. He wasn't used to just being asked to show-off, so hadn't anything specific in-mind. Again, he offered options to Miss Gemma.

"Well, um-" he began hesitantly, "I could do something little, like voices, or just change hair color... Or, I could change everything. I could pretend to be you, or put on my human-face... But if I pretended to be you, I'd have to borrow something..."

Chase shrugged and came to pause as he said, "Whatever you wanna see, Miss Gemma. But if I change everything, you have to promise not to get grossed out."