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>>"Abyss is m-my adopted father and Aura is my sister. I d-don't think you'd know them though."

She knew.
Well, not the father; but Aura's name was more than enough to shock her into stunned silence. Amber was... adopted into a mutant family that included Aura?!

>>"I can g-go outside while shifted, you know. In the sunlight. I d-don't know why its different. P-people tend to be a little afraid of dinosaurs though."

Gemma barely heard the girl's cheerful chatter as they walked on. her mind was racing. What was she to do? She was sure Aura was insane, and she had no idea about the father. Definitely did not sound like the perfect environment for a little girl. But who was she to decide?...

"That's very interesting" she forced herself to say, returning into the conversation. "I think I met Aura once..." I hit her with my car... "Do you like living with them?"

>>"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.

>>"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?"

>> "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.

>> "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?"

>>“Hey, some water splashed on me too, I’ll have you know. Besides, the rest of them ate like, yesterday. They’re completely good for now.”

"Oh my poor baby hero" Gemma grinned, handing him the food "There, it would be a shame if you starved to death."

It took him a moment or two to catch the meaning of her words; but finally he caught up to speed, and decided it was better to talk about the matter in private. Gemma smiled as she followed him. The man was a detective for a reason.

>>"I'm glad you she finally decided to talk. I've been searching about anti-mutant religious street acts, and I can tell you it's like looking for a fish in a fish tank. They're absolutely everywhere. I just need a few more details."

"Tell me about it" she sighed "I have talked to kids who have been through a lot, but this girl.... she is the worst I have ever seen. The worst sane one, anyway..." she added, trailing off as she remembered Aura briefly.

"Anyhow. The parents. Zacheria and Maria Nicholas. They are some kind of religious fanatics - the nasty kind, obviously, judging from what they did to their daughter..." she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair "They branded her, Jorge. She'll wear those scars for the rest of her life..." she took a breath "They own a store, it's called "God Watches All". And they have quite a few followers, some of them people with power, as far as Agnes knows."

She watched Jorge take notes, and wondered if it was really possible to bring those people to justice.

>>" What brings you by, besides this awesome and obviously homemade lunch? Just looking to feed a starving police officer? Or could you not go another second without seeing me? To be honest, I’m hoping for the latter.”

Gemma chuckled.

"If it was the first, I would give that food to your poor soaked non-mutant collegues" she pointed out "And as for the second... well. That's for me to know and you to wonder." she smiled for a moment, then sighed, and reminded herself why she was truly here.

"We need to talk. About the girl and her parents. I talked to her again, after the... museum visit."

One could never be too careful. They were at MRC, which was far from being the best place for this... but they were running out of time.