>>"Well, um- 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... Whatever you wanna see, Miss Gemma. But if I change everything, you have to promise not to get grossed out."

She smiled.

"I promise I won't get grossed out. I have been working with mutants all my life, I don't think there is anything that could gross me out. Especially not shifting."

Famous last words. But still.

"All right. Show me what you can do on your own."

That was the important part. If he could copy people, that was a whole new level; but first she wanted to see what he was capable of on his own.

>> "I promise I won't get grossed out. I have been working with mutants all my life, I don't think there is anything that could gross me out. Especially not shifting."

"Especially not shifting?" Chase countered skeptically, a little smile tilting at his lips. Gemma had never seen him shift, though. Chase couldn't help himself-- he gave Gemma a dubious glance, and this time, it colored his gaze. The only one to ever be intentionally shown Chase's shift was Lizard Man, and even the giant, mutant Lizard Man couldn't handle it. Ironically though, Miss Gemma seemed tougher then Lizard Man.

>> "All right. Show me what you can do on your own."

"'kay, on my own," Chase agreed, nodding his head, "Got it."

He shed his coat shyly, depositing it on the floor. He hated shifting with long sleeves, even though shedding the jacket made him feel ten times more self conscious. He closed his eyes as if he were trying to recall a poem, and urged himself to shift. Human face, he though, I'll do my human-face... it's easiest.

He felt the shift start to take hold, the coils that composed his skin slithering and tightening, starting to compose a lightly freckled, ivory skintone. These tendrils slid into place all over his being, before latching down and hiding the previously noticeable sections of skin. HIs hair followed, as if teased by an unseen wind, adopting its typical blonde hue. Chase stood stock-still, a few moments after the change, keeping his eyes shut. He was quite anxious about opening his eyes, lest Gemma be wearing some sort of funny, uncomfortable expression. Or even worse, if she looked scared or frightened.

Chase dared to open his eyes, smiling uneasily in Gemma's direction with essentially-human eyes, spare the flickering irises.

"This is my human-face," Chase chirped, taking a pose that said "ta-da!". He didn't expect applause, but he struck the pose nonetheless, "Not too different from my normal-face, just... camoflauged, yes? I can never get the eyes right, though."

>>"Especially not shifting?... kay, on my own. Got it."

Gemma smiled and nodded encouragingly to Chase; he really had nothing to fear. The Mansion was a safe place, and she was not one to freak out over mutations. She had seen too many of them. Heck, she had seen her own boyfriend melt into a puddle of water...

She watched him shift. It was not gross at all, but it sure was fascinating. The boy shiften into an ordinary human form that no one would have looked at twice on the street. Perfect camouflage. He was lucky, he could pass for human any time he wanted. As long as he did not run into someone like Gemma.

>>"This is my human-face. Not too different from my normal-face, just... camoflauged, yes? I can never get the eyes right, though."

She smiled and clapped once the transformation was over.

"Chase, that is amazing! I mean, you have a great power, but you also seem to be controlling it very well." she smiled at him "So, that is how you look when you want to hide?"

That was good to know.

Gemma smiled at Chase once the shift was over and, of all things, applauded him. Chase blushed deeply at the applause, and a shy smile touching his face. His eyes were colored by pure delight.

>> "Chase, that is amazing! I mean, you have a great power, but you also seem to be controlling it very well... So, that is how you look when you want to hide?"

"Thank you, Miss Gemma," he murmured, shy smile growing to a luminous grin, and rosy-hued gaze remaining. He was a sucker for compliments, and no one had ever complimented his ability before. He fussed with his sleeves, still grinning like an idiot as he corrected, "If I want to look human... I've had a lot of practice with this face, so it's easier to hold on to, if that makes sense."

He eyed his milk, and before going back into Miss Gemma's, he dropped his human face readily, reverting to his normal form with ease. Chase trotted to his milk glass and took a swig. He didn't even draw his hood. Anyone who could not only watch him shift, but thought it was cool, was fine to see his normal-face. He was exceedingly pleased that Miss Gemma liked his power, and it most certainly showed.

>>"Thank you, Miss Gemma. If I want to look human... I've had a lot of practice with this face, so it's easier to hold on to, if that makes sense."

She smiled. It was obvious that no one had complimented the boy before on his abilities; it was something she held very important, seeing how many mutant kids had issues with their powers. And human shiftin has always been one of the most important and the most complicated...

"I can see you have a lot of practice" she smiled "So, that is your own. And you said you can also copy other people?"

Because that just made the power all the more interesting...

>> "I can see you have a lot of practice... So, that is your own. And you said you can also copy other people?"

Chase nodded his head enthusiastically, and replied, "Oh, yes... but not on my own... I have to borrow something to make a believable someone else. Otherwise, it is just too much work."

Chase slid up onto his chair, eyes tilted expectantly towards the guidance counselor. Did she want to see that, too? Chase was willing to show her, if she wanted to see it. Since she wasn't grossed out by watching him shapeshift.

"The best things are those that you have around yourself a lot," he volunteered, if Gemma was contemplating seeing this prong if his abilities demonstrated, "Maybe a coat, or a favorite hat, or a piece of jewelry."

Chase smiled lopsidedly. It would be even more bizarre to turn into someone else, and to have that person watching. Chase hadn't really practiced this much, and it opened up a whole new level of self-consciousness. He was all about blending in, so showing this off was unheard of. Unless he was mimicking voices.

>>"Oh, yes... but not on my own... I have to borrow something to make a believable someone else. Otherwise, it is just too much work. The best things are those that you have around yourself a lot. Maybe a coat, or a favorite hat, or a piece of jewelry."

She smiled and nodded, slipping a bracelet off her wrist and handing it to Chase.

"Only if you want to do it" she told him "I know that using your powers needs a lot of concentration and many people get tired from that. So it you want to take a break and show me later, that's okay too."

He was just a kid, after all. He obviously enjoyed the attention and showing her what he could do with his powers; but he also looked hungry and skinny, and she did not want him to push himself too far out of sheer enthusiasm.

>> "Only if you want to do it... I know that using your powers needs a lot of concentration and many people get tired from that. So it you want to take a break and show me later, that's okay too."

Chase didn't know the meaning of pacing himself. He simply liked showing-off to someone who appreciated what he was capable of. As Gemma handed him her bracelet, out of habit, he enfolded it in his sleeve, to prevent himself from shifting until he was ready.

"I think I'll be okay," Chase assured her, wandering back out of her aura, "I mean, as long as I don't walk around as you for very long."

He paused and turned again, maneuvering the bracelet from its sleeve-sheath, into his bare hand. He felt the shudder pass over him as the residue of the cool bracelet met his skin. It was a sickening feeling, but Chase fought through it. He secured the bracelet on his wrist, allowing the change to start taking hold.

--Gemma Taylor, age 42, guidance counselor at Xavier's--

The surge of information hit Chase as his tendrils of skin contorted upward and outward, compensating for the woman's immense height. His body fluctuated and wove, adopting a statute akin to Gemma's. At the same time, his hair lengthened and bled to black, his skintone darkened, and the memory of his clothes transitioned effortlessly into the outfit that Gemma was wearing.

For a moment, Gemma's Doppelganger wobbled, before opening its eyes. The eyes were off, typically black gaze warbling with uncertain orange flecks. Its face was a bit different, too. It wore an expression of juvenile bewilderment, the expression that Chase generally wore. Gemma's Doppelganger leaned against the counter, too wobbly to move, and it flexed its hand experimentally.

"Miss Gemma," the Doppelganger murmured, its voice identical to Gemma's, yet touched by an innocent air, "You're very tall." The new height was a tad disorienting. Gemma's Doppelganger fussed with its hair, remaining propped up against the counter. The creature chuckled, "I don't think I could walk without falling on my face."

>>"I think I'll be okay. I mean, as long as I don't walk around as you for very long."

Gemma nodded again. If he wanted to do this, she would let him. He knew his powers better than she did; besides, if he exhausted himself, he was still in the safest place possible.

Gemma thought she was prepared to see him shift. He was not.
Seeing an eight-year-old shift into you is something surreal. She stared as his body changed, how did he even do that? A few wild minutes later another Gemma was standing in the boy's place. The real Gemma gasped.

>>"Miss Gemma, You're very tall. I don't think I could walk without falling on my face."

Oh wow. Even the voice was her own. She did not expect that.

"Whow..." she muttered finally, shaking her head "Chase... that's amazing. I have seen grown up shapeshifters who had problems shifting like that. And here you are. How old are you?..."

You can never know, with a shifter...

Miss Gemma gasped and gaped, to which her Doppelganger only smiled uneasily. It hadn't expected her to be as thrilled. Seeing a replica of yourself, Chase imagined, was probably an eerie thing.

>> "Whow... Chase... that's amazing. I have seen grown up shapeshifters who had problems shifting like that. And here you are. How old are you?..."

And yet, she didn't freak out. The doppelganger let out a musical laugh, and grinned like an idiot. Gemma was handling it rather well. And, agre was still showering him with praise.

"Miss Gemma, you've seen my real face!" the doppelganger exclaimed, "You know that I'm eight."

Or maybe she didn't, or maybe she wanted to know if Chase knew how old she was, which he did. The doppelganger wobbled, beginning to feel a bit uneasy.

"Seen enough?"

The other Gemma laughed at her. It was weird. But it was also a little funny. So she laughed too. She imagined Jorge's face if he happened to walk in in that moment...
... but he didn't.

>>"Miss Gemma, you've seen my real face! You know that I'm eight. Seen enough?"

"I know" she nodded with a smile "I just never have seen an eight-year-old with an ability like yours." she nodded "Yes, you can shift back. No need to confuse my students."

If Chase remained in her skin long enough, someone must have noticed, and then the rumors would spread like wildfire...

>> "I know... I just never have seen an eight-year-old with an ability like yours. Yes, you can shift back. No need to confuse my students."

The doppelganger smiled and nodded, readily sliding the bracelet off before delicately placing it on the countertop. A soon as the trinket left the doppelganger's hand, the form slipped.

Reverting came with greater ease, the tendrils unraveling and contacting until what was left standing in the place of the Doppelganger was only Chase, in all of his natural glory.

He gave Gemma an uneasy smile, looking a little queasy. You'd look sick, too, if you'd just grown and then shrunk two feet, and then went from being a little boy, a full-grown woman, and back again. It could have also just been the fact that he'd just shifted for someone, for the express purpose if doing so. Using his sweater's sleeve like a glove, he picked up the bracelet and meandered over to Gemma's side, delicately handing it back to her.

"Thank you, Miss Gemma," Chase mumbled, carefully picking his way back towards his stool. He was shivering slightly as he clambered back into his seat, "You're the first person I've ever showed that to on-purpose, so I'm really glad you didn't... Hmm, freak out."

He drew his hood again, not to hide, but only because Chase had gotten the chills. He couldn't understand why he was so panicked-- Gemma had been impressed-- but he'd been brought up to be so hush-hush about his powers, that he was beginning to feel subconsciously ashamed for showing off.

>>"Thank you, Miss Gemma. You're the first person I've ever showed that to on-purpose, so I'm really glad you didn't... Hmm, freak out."

She smiled at him as he shifted back. He looked tired now, which was no wonder, going from boy to woman was not some minor change in hair color. She felt admiration for Chase. He was alone, ran away from home, and still had amazing control over his abilities...

"There is nothing to freak out about" she smiled "I mean, it is weird to see myself copied so well. But it is more amazing than scary."

Chase sat down and pulled up his hood. He did look a bit wobbly.

"Hey" walking over to him, she put a hand on his shoulder "Are you feeling all right? Does your ability have side effects?..."

>> "There is nothing to freak out about. I mean, it is weird to see myself copied so well. But it is more amazing than scary."

Chase smiled graciously, combing his hair back with his hand. He wanted to explain that it wasn't anything special-- that the real trick was doing it without something to hold on to, and that by borrowing her bracelet was kind of cheating. It was hard for Chase to put that argument into words, being only eight years old, so he simply replied, "Thank you, Miss Gemma."

>> "Hey, are you feeling all right? Does your ability have side effects?..."

Gemma placed a concerned hand on Chase's shoulder, and the boy tried to stop his shivering. It didn't work as well as he hoped.

"I'm okay," he assured her. But, chills and feeling woozy was not okay. How much of it was nerves, though, and how much of it was shifting so quickly? And, Miss Gemma was probably smarter than to believe that he was okay, after shifting like that and now trembling and looking slightly nauseated. Thus, Chase confessed, "I just don't shift that fast. And, going from short, to tall, to short again... I'm just feeling a little dizzy."

>>"I'm okay. I just don't shift that fast. And, going from short, to tall, to short again... I'm just feeling a little dizzy."

And now Gemma was feeling guilty. She should have known better than to push the kid to show off his powers. It obviously took a lot more than she expected. And now he was trembling. She wrinkled her nose, then nodded.

"All right, Chase, how about this. We go find you a room and a bed, and you take a nap, okay? You need to rest after all this. And then when you feel better we can talk about the rest." she smiled. She was pretty sure Chase was going to stay in the school. But it was important to let him know that in the end, it was his decision.

Gemma cleaned up the table in no time at all, making sure she left everything he might want to eat.

"If you want another sandwich, you can take it up to your room."