Chase was messed up, big time. It was like he fell off the roof of a building and took a hard spill. This wasn't good. He was so screwed now. There was no way on earth he would be able to just wave this off as never happening. The kid's mom worked there, he didn't know who she was...but she worked there. Parents had a way of finding out everything. Shaking his head a bit, he tried to dry his hair a bit more. He needed to get inside for himself, but now he really needed to get Chase some place where someone would know what to do.

Looking the fence over, the though came into mind of tossing the kid over. He just was struggling so much trying to do anything. He didn't know who he was, and didn't seem to know much of anything. He had this strange feeling that he was walking a wet lost puppy...a very lost wet puppy. "Seriously, you don't know your name?" He couldn't tell the kid he knew his name, that wasn't the point.

Taking a hold of the fence, Hokee pulled himself to the top. Straddling the top he leaned over. "Try." If need be, he could give the kid a heist over. The metal between his legs stung worse then a bee. If his pants got stuck to the metal, the kid would be paying for new jeans, and they weren't exactly cheep. He had to get the perfect kind, mainly ones that fit nice and tight and showed off his best aspects. "When is your birthday?" Keep the kid thinking, keep him moving, keep the police away from this...

“ I kn-kn-know my n-name!” Chase protested peevishly, stamping his foot with emphasis. He just couldn’t remember it. And this guy wasn’t helping by not telling him anything. He shivered and tried to look cross, but really couldn’t.

The long-haired boy hoisted himself up onto the fence as a means by which to describe how they'd gotten in there.

>> “Try.”

Chase flexed his numb hands, curled them around the bars, and tried to pull himself up. It felt all very mechanical, for he couldn’t feel his arms very well. At first, nothing happened. Chase released his hold, biting his lip, and tried once more. He managed to clamber up, in a fashion similar to how he’d climbed over the first time, though this time, he was much shakier and a bit more awkward, and he nearly fell as he reached the top.

>> “When’s your birthday?”

“I don’t know,” Chase huffed. Really, if he didn’t know who he was or where they were, how was he supposed to know his birthday? But, any answer was better than none, “January, I think. Maybe February.” He sat there, carefully perched atop the fence, and looked down. No way was he going to climb back down So, instead, he swung his leg over, and jumped.

Chase managed, by some grace of God, to land on his feet, but his legs did this awkward, numb, wobbling thing when he did. He couldn't feel his legs, at least on the outside. Chase didn't fall, though. Not completely. Chase tried to summon up the urge to shift, but couldn't find it. So he remained looking like... well, a shapeshifter unshifted.

Chase didn't know his name and didn't know his birthday. It seemed like the basic information everyone knew from the age of three was lost. This was not good in the slightest measure. He knew from the earlier conversation that he had a mother that worked at the school, but he had no clue. Since Chase could change his appearance, he had a feeling that looking for someone that looked like him wouldn't be all that useful either.

If the kid didn't look good to begin with, watching him try and climb the fence was painful. He looked like at anytime he would keel over and drop on the spot, yet somehow he got up and over the fence. This was just...remarkably horrendous. When the kid landed on the ground, he couldn't believe he was still standing. As shaky as he looked, he was holding his own, but it couldn't last forever. Making his own dismount, more graceful then the shifter, Hokee looked over the tyke again.

"You look like sh....crap." Would the kid even remember if he swore or not at this point? It wasn't like he knew him for long, but still. Today was a good reason why he shouldn't stay at the mansion, he just didn't know how to deal with crap like this. Taking care of someone else was not his thing. Well...a hot girl was another story. Cursing under his breath he looked at Chase. "Listen, kid...if you don't get inside fast, you will die. I'll carry you inside, but I don't know where you're room is..."

"I'll die?" Chase echoed, his voice sounding rather small. Chase rubbed his face crossly, blinking back tears. He was going to die? Chase didn't want to die. That did seem rather extreme.

He would have protested about being carried inside, but it took too much coordination, too much balance, and too much strength to walk. It was easier and more practical to let the long-haired boy carry him. But not bridal-style or anything like that-- if Chase had to be carried, it would be piggy back-style. So he hobbled back over to Hokee as his means of saying, "Okay, carry me."

Chase didn't know where his room was, either. It was amongst the basic knowledge that he couldn't recall.

"M-maybe there's a nurses' office," Chase suggested, lacing his slender, frigid arms around the long-haired boy's neck, and waited to be hoisted up, "Or a teacher or someone who'll know what to do?"

»»»«««

((ooc: Permission to have Hokee give him a piggy-back ride back inside? I had Chase sort of preparing for that at the end, but if that isn't what you had in mind, I can change it.))

He was crying. He got stuck with a crying little kid that had no clue at all what was going on or where he what not to even mention Chase didn't even know who he was. Temptation to just leave the kid out in the snow right now was escalating, but there was the little problem about his mother working there. There was no choice in the matter, if he wanted to keep the cops off his back he had to get the kid inside, even if that meant having him cry all over his back and in his dreadlocks.

"No blowing your nose in my hair." Squatting down, Hokee held his place till he felt the damp body cling to him. With his back wet, he wanted to get inside faster now then ever. Tromping through the snow, he didn't even bother to try and find the sets of foot prints he took and made to get there in the first place. This was a full out, get the hell out of there situation.

Snow sneaking in between his shoes and skin brought an irritating sensation on his ankles. This had to be the hugest downfall of winter. The burn that snow and ice could do against the skin. With the added weight on his back, the rubbing of his shoes against his flesh was more then it would have been without Chase dangling off of him. His strides grew as his pace quickened. The damn shoes had to come off soon and the kid needed to be ditched. Once this was all done and over, he'd find the kid later and tell him about how he saved his life. It would be something he could use to his benefit later. Saving one's life did have an implication that they would owe him later in life.

As his fingers wrapped around the door knob, the weight of the situation sank in. "Hey....anyone?" Of all times for him to really want someone else to be there, this was the one time they weren't there. His feet slipped against the floor as he tried to peal down the hall. "Sh...Son of a...where the hell are you people?"

>> "No blowing your nose in my hair."

"I won't," was the cross and murmured reply. He wasn't crying all-out, not yet, but Chase was certainly getting there. Hey, you would be, too, if you were eight-years-old, temporarily suffering from amnesia, and told by some long-haired big kid that you were going to die. Not exactly the best choice of words, in retrospect.

As Hokee trotted through the snow, Chase went silent, pushing the older boy's hair aside (lest he actually start crying) and setting his head on the older boy's shoulder, so that he could see. He had funny hair. The older boy jogged towards the building in went inside, and the two of them were met by an enormous, silent residence.

>> "Hey....anyone? Sh...Son of a...where the hell are you people?"

Judging by the long-haired boy's reaction, it wasn't always empty like this. Chase shifted his weight.

"We're inside now," he observed. The long-haired boy had said that if he didn't get inside, Chase would die, and that he'd carry him inside. They were inside now, so Chase expected to be set down, but... he was tired. So, if the long-haired boy carried, he wouldn't complain.

"There has to be... someone here who knows what to do?" Chase mumbled into Hokee's shirt, "Know of anyone?" Chase didn't. He was just along for the ride.

The small head on his shoulders was rather wet and rather cold. Though the small hot breaths on his neck were rather irritating. He had every right in his mind to tell the kid to stop breathing on him, but the little warm breaths at least told him that Chase was indeed still alive. The suggestion previously to go to the nurse seemed like a good idea, just he had no clue where it was in there. His wanderings in the school didn't exactly take in much of the offices or classrooms, he had other things to look for instead.

"Someone...anyone...." There was only one office in the whole damn place he knew where it was, the office he tried to avoid at all costs. With a scowl on his face, he had a feeling the best option was to take him to the one place he honestly didn't want to go. This sucked majorly.

Instead of dropping Chase to the ground, he had a feeling it would go by faster if he left the guy where he was. Having a dude straddle his back was weird feeling, and he would just have to remind himself it was only a little kid. With a half jog walk, his shoes squeaked mercilessly across the floors. If that didn't catch anyone's attention, or his yelling...well the school was just plain dumb and deaf.

The pit of his stomach twisted in an endless cycle the closer he got to the door. As his hand touched the doorknob, he could feel the burning sensation in his hand. The cold water left its mark but his distaste of the guidance counselor ate him alive. Using his foot to kick the door open, the squinted eyes stared at the woman he loathed. "He don't know nothing." With a sideways glance away, he lowered his body some. "Thin ice....and its not my fault."

Nice quiet afternoon. Kids either in class or napping or having lunch or doing what kids do this time of the day; Gemma used her free time to cacth up on some reading in her office. If someone happened to walk in, that was fine; she did not have anything scheduled for the afte...

Someone kicked open her door.

By the time the basics registered in her mind, Gemma was across the room.

It was Hokee, carrying Chase on his back. Both were soaked and dripping ice cold water.
The pool. Didn't they have a fence around the pool?...

>>"He don't know nothing. Thin ice....and its not my fault."

Both of them were shivering from the cold; Chase seemed to be swimming in and out of consciousness, and not wearing his human face. Gemma lifted him off Hokee's back. His whole body was ice cold and wet.

"It's okay" she muttered, already out the door "It's okay. We need to take him to the infirmary. C'mon, Hokee. You too."

They needed to be warmed up first. Questions could come later. And oh did she have a bunch of them.

Chase might have fallen asleep while the long-haired boy was darting about. One second, they were darting down the halls, and the next, the older boy was kicking a door open. Chase lifted his head a fraction.

>> "He don't know nothing. Thin ice....and its not my fault."

Chase looked up at the woman Hokee was addressing. She looked familiar, but he didn't know how or why, really. The woman got up, walked over, and gingerly pried Chase off of the long-haired boy's back. Chase didn't protest, but rather nestled into her arms as she picked him up. He knew that he knew her, and that he liked her, so it was okay.

>> "It's okay, it's okay. We need to take him to the infirmary. C'mon, Hokee. You too."

On top of being a friendly, familiar face, the lady was also incredibly warm. The shapeshifter cuddled closer. He felt like an ice cube. Chase clung to the woman as she reassured them, listening quietly. He still trembled, but no longer looked to be on the verge of tears.

"It was an accident," Chase reiterated, as if the fact that it was an accident would prevent a visit to the Infirmary, "I can't swim, it was an accident."

He didn't want to get in trouble. Something within Chase told him that he shouldn't have done what he did. Perhaps the fact that he didn't mean to fall in would mean they'd be in less trouble?

"Do you know my name?" Chase asked the woman in low tones. He knew that he recognized her, so hopefully she knew his name. He kept his voice low because he didn't want "Hokee" to catch him cheating by asking the woman his name.

Having Chase plucked from his body was a weight off his shoulders that he could never fully explain. The smell of apples struggled their way up his nostrils as he found himself uncomfortably close to Taylor. Typically seeing her brought a bit of teenage angst, but he was semi glad she was there now. She seemed like the person who could handle the situation, if she could keep her cool when he held her hostage with a snow brush plus deal with his other encounters, this had to be a breeze.

He wasn't questioned, nor was he yelled at. This was bizarre. Standing still in the room, his eyes watched the reflection of her carrying Chase out of the room. He could see the markings on his body from where his damp body and hair had pressed into his clothing. Even with the heat from the building radiating from the coils by the window, he could feel a drafting breeze tickling his body into shivers. Her words lingered in the air as he continued to zone out looking at himself in the window. Who the hell am I right now?

Hearing his name, the teen snapped out of his drift. Making a growl into his reflection, he threw an empty punch into the air before turning around. He most certainly wasn't going because he liked the woman at all, he was only going because he felt slightly cold. Just to make himself seem tougher, he removed his most outer layer and tossed it on the floor in the hallway. He could pick it up later. As he walked, Hokee grabbed the bottom of his shirt and flapped it about trying to dry it while he walked. "I'm fine...I'll can go and change."

"He was yapping like a dog then he went under." This was not his fault, there was no way he was going to get stuck in trouble for this. "He's from Syracuse and his mom works here." There, he proved something, he actually knew something about the kid. He knew his name as well, should he say that? Did he say to much already? "Shouldn't you get her or something?"

>>"It was an accident. I can't swim, it was an accident... Do you know my name?"

Of course it was an accident. What else could it be? Kinds playing on thin ice. Not the first case Gemma had seen. It could have been a lot worse. The memories will come back when the shock is gone.

"Chase" she muttered as the ice cold water soaked through her shirt too "It's okay, Mama's here."

Hokee was tagging along.

>>"I'm fine...I'll can go and change."

"You'll get warm in the infirmary" Gemma answered, only half listening as she looked down at Chase again "Walk with me."

She needed to find out what happened. Soon. And she needed to make sure Hokee was okay too.

>>"He was yapping like a dog then he went under. He's from Syracuse and his mom works here. Shouldn't you get her or something?"

"I'm his mom" Gemma answered, still only half in the conversation as she took the corridor in long strides.

They were in the infirmary in a matter of minutes. Gemma marched in with Chase still in her arms; DocProf appeared out of nowhere, looking as grumpy as he would get when he was worried.

"Fell into the pool through the ice" Gemma explained "His name is Chase, he is eight, and he is a human shifter."

"The hell are you waiting for, lady" Doc grunted "Get him out of those clothes."

He half-listened as the lady and Hokee spoke, his attention waning after he got the necessary information. His name was Chase, and this was his mama. No wonder he liked her. Chase smiled faintly, and if it were even possible, snuggled closer.

"Oh, hi Mama," he greeted. And then, Chase stopped listening. The conversation wasn't relevant to him, so he just rested against his mother quietly. He didn't speak, but his eyes were open, and were swimming with muddled, confused colors. His mind felt like a soup of emotions and thoughts.

Chase looked up when they went into a different room. This one had lots of beds and a stern-looking old man. Chase's Mama spoke to him about what had occurred, and the man gruffly commanded her to take Chase's clothes.

Chase was put-off by the man's gruffness. So, when the man gave the command, Chase involuntarily clung tighter to Gemma in a most-unhelpful fashion. He didn't like that man, and though the clothes were what was chilling him, he rather liked his clothes and didn't feel like giving them up.

He wanted to vomit, just flat out vomit. No wonder Chase didn't want to lie, his mom was freaking Taylor. Poor kid, he would rather run away to California and live under a bridge with a hobo instead of ever having her as a parent. It was bad enough she held authority in the place, and she wouldn't let him drive. If had know Chase was hers....wait....if he was hers, wouldn't it really piss her off if he got the kid to go against her? Oh this was awesome, he'd have to think of something.

He might be able to get Taylor off his back for a bit with being the hero and all with Chase, but when she least expected it...BAM he'd hit her hard. Following her down the halls was like walking through burning coals except his body was anything but warm. Lurking at further distances behind her, he couldn't help but wish for the day to end quicker. He was only tagging along in hopes to maybe get some points with her, just enough to lower her suspicions off of him.

Leaning on the door frame to the room, he couldn't help but muffle a snark huff. There was nothing like hearing Taylor being told what to do. Just the whole thing was funny. One thing that really stood out to him now was how distracted she seemed. In all the other rows he had with her, she never seemed as distracted at she was now. This was an element that would be key to remember. Was it possible that the key to manipulating her, was by using her own kid? There was sure to be a time where Chase would need something, and he could be the only one that could drive him where needed.

From behind, he could see the body of Chase clinging onto her. His face was really funky looking, and for a brief moment, he would actually prefer the company of the rabid monkey girl. At least she looked semi human, more then he could say for the little guy. The troubled shifted face reminded him more of a dead pig that had to be dissected then anything else. Looking away, he took in the sights of the room. The Doc seemed a bit ruff but eh, with all the mutants running around here he had to be a bit annoyed by stuff like this.

Pulling his own shirts off, Hokee tossed the damp clothing over his shoulder. "Nice family reunion and all, but shouldn't you back off the kid so his face will come back?" He knew he couldn't use his mutant powers if he was close to her, and sure monkey girl wasn't effected by Taylor's anti mutant bubble but the kid might be. Not that he was particular to the kid, just it be nice if he had a real face a bit more consistently.

Spotting a blanket, he strolled across the room trying to ignore the warm fuzzy moments Chase was having. If he wanted something warm and fuzzy, a blanket would be just fine. Maybe if he helped himself with getting a blanket he would be able to keep her away and off of him. The Doc, eh, he looked busy enough. There was no need for him to help him out. This wasn't the first time in the last month he took a swim in water that was colder then need be....true this time there was ice involved but that was okay. At least this time his body wasn't numb...but man he most certainly wouldn't mind having Cree there. She was hot. Throwing part of the blanket over his head, Hokee pulled the blanket around his chest and wandered back to the door frame. His clothes would dry near the heater in his room, once he got back there.

Chase clung tighter to her, as frightened kids do; maybe for warmth too.

"It's okay, baby" Gemma cooed softly "We are going to get you ot of these and you will be warm in no time, okay?"

Prying the boy off her she sat on the edge of one of the beds and held him in her lap as DocProf and her worked together on peeling the freezing clothes off. Good thing it was nice and warm in the Infirmary. Was Doc expecting cases like this? She was never sure with him...

>>"Nice family reunion and all, but shouldn't you back off the kid so his face will come back?"

"This is his face." she said shortly; she was still only half paying attention to Hokee, and was too worried to hide her annoyance. Once Chase was out of his clothes, they wrapped him in blankets, and lay him down on the bed, Gemma muttering to him softly, and DocProf gumbling about her powers.

"I am right here, okay?" she told the boy before she backed away enough to allow Doc some space, and walked over to Hokee at the door, finally turning her attention to him.

"Are you all right?..."

Gemma breathed reassuring words to him, but Chase didn't unfasten himself. He didn't like the DocProf very much at all, and he wasn't going down without a fight.

Chase squirmed faintly as his mother maneuvered him from where he clung to a more manageable position on her lap, attempting to shy away. It was impossible to escape them, though. He was literally caged-in by their immense, adult forms, and was essentially powerless as they took his clothes, article-by-article.

>> "Nice family reunion and all, but shouldn't you back off the kid so his face will come back?"

>> "This is his face."

Chase frowned lightly, looking down at himself. His attire had been reduced to no more than his boxers, and now he was really, really cold. He touched his flesh, which was so chilled that it was numb, surveying his skin. So he normally looked like this, but he could look like someone else. All pieces to the puzzle. He was soon cocooned in blankets,

>> "I am right here, okay?"

Chase nodded to show that he comprehended, snuggling down in the blankets and blinking blearily. He didn't lay down, bur rather propped himself up against the wall, to watch everyone. Gemma left and went over to Hokee, and the doctor closed in on him. Chase recoiled slightly, his expression puckering into a mild frown as he burrowed his head against his knees.

"Chase, they call me the DocProf," he introduced himself, taking on a more delicate and less direct approach than when he'd first come in, "I'm a mutant, too-- do you know what my power is?"

Chase shook his head, but kept it down. Was he supposed to? Was this like those questions that Hokee had asked him? The ones that he was supposed to have an answer to?

"I can heal people just by touching them," DocProf replied, "And I can tell if something is wrong just by touching them."

"Just by touching them?" Chase reiterated. He lifted his head a fraction.

"That's right," the DocProf replied, bobbing his head. He had Chase's attention, now, "If you want, I could show you?"

Chase's curiosity overrode his fear. He lifted his head and nodded, eyes glimmering curiously. The DocProf was playing him like a harp, but Chase didn't seem to care much.

"Come closer," the DocProf instructed. Chase did as he was told, inching over to the edge of the bed.