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Sammy is given a pass to go see a crisis counselor.  There are a few other students in the office at the time, and there are about five counselors who have taken offices in the old administration section of the school.  One by one the students get called back, eventually Sammy is called back.

"Hi Samantha."  The man says, extending his hand, "I'm Dr. Hugo Strange."  Strange is a tall thin man, bald with round glasses and a fairly plesant voice.  "Please, sit down."  He takes a seat.  "I want you to know that anything you say here will be kept in the strictest of confidence.  Trust is the cornerstone of this type of counseling, so it's important that you know what you say to me will stay with me.  This is a preliminary meeting, and if I feel you might need the services of a counselor then we can schedule other appointments.  Okay?"

"Um, okay.  So, um, we're here to talk about Rory, right, and like, why it was scary and stuff?  What about the ice girl -- are we supposed to talk about her too?  There's a lot of weird stuff going on here this year.  I asked my mom if maybe I could transfer to Fenwick, but she said to wait and see if things got better.""

"We can talk about anything you want.  Rory's death and the other paranormal events are the main reason we're here, but we can talk about anything."

Sam fidgets on her seat and pulls at a loose piece of hair.  "I wouldn't mind... I mean, I was there for both things.  I saw the ice girl attack people in the locker room, and I saw the fight in the hallway, and I watched Rory..."  Her voice trails off.  "I watched Rory change into something.  I watched him get hurt, and change back into himself.  I watched him try to breathe.  He was dying."
She gets quiet again, then says "He got powers, didn't he?  He got powers, and he died.  Do... do you know if that happens a lot?  People all of a sudden finding out they have powers, then trying to use them and getting killed?  Or do they get lucky sometimes?"

"No, it's not common.  As rare as it is for people to get powers, it's even more rare for those powers to cause them to die."

"So, you saw what happened to Rory.  That must have been hard for you to watch.  Is there anything about it that upset you in particular, the events you saw that is?"

Sammy is visibly uncomfortable as she recalls the hallway fight.

"It... I wasn't scared about the fight, not at first.  I was mad, 'cause they were blocking the hall and I needed to get through to go to class.  There was a big crowd all around them, and somehow, I wound up getting shoved up to where I could see everything.  Then Rory turned into this... I don't know what he was, it was him, but it wasn't him, he was huge and red... I tried to get away, but couldn't.  Then I looked back at what was going on, and he was himself again, and he was hurt really bad.  He couldn't breathe...  I could see it, he needed air but couldn't get any..."  A single tear makes its way down her cheek.  "He needed air.  I couldn't help him.  Nobody could."

She takes a deep, shuddery breath.  "I kept thinking what it would be like, to have something like that happen.  I don't want it to happen, I'm not crazy, I just... its scary, that's all."

"That's a perfectly natural reaction Samantha.  Seeing something like that at your age is starteling.  Your fear of the situation is perfectly reasonable.  No one could have wathced that and not felt something."

Sam mumbles a reply.  "I guess."
She stares down at her shoes.
"What happened to the gym teacher?  Nobody ever said.  The ice girl attacked her, and the paramedics came, but nobody ever said what happened.  If she was dead, somebody would have said so, right?"

"She's fine.  I'm told that they were able to get her out of the ice and she's made a full recovery.  The girl that attacked her has been sent to a hospital for observation.  She let some anger issues build up inside, and when she got her powers she used them to vent her anger.  Not really the best way to express those feelings."

"Samantha, do you feel like you're letting things build up?"

Sammy startles and flushes just the tiniest bit at the question.

"I... um... you said I can say anything, talk about anything, and it stays here, right?"
[OOC, the answer is yes, but she wants confirmation]

She looks very uncomfortable.  "There's some family stuff.  I got in a fight with my mom last week.  She said some things that I didn't like, and I got mad at her, and she made me promise I wouldn't tell my dad or my sisters about any of it.  That's been bothering me, because some other stuff has happened since then, and I don't know what to do."

"Have you tried talking to your mother about the things that bother you?"

"Parents try to do what they feel is right, but they often make the same mistakes their parents made, or even try to compensate for those mistakes and make entirely differet errors.  If you don't think you can talk to her, you can always talk to me."

"You mentioned she didn't want you to tell your father or sister.  Is it something you feel they have a right to know, is that what's bothering you about it?"

"I'm afraid if I talk to her that things will only get worse, and she'll still want me to keep quiet, or even lie.  She really doesn't want them to know about... something... and she only told me because she didn't have a choice, she had to tell me the truth, but then she made me promise not to tell... but stuff is happening, and I'm afraid that if I don't tell," she blurts the rest of the sentence out "somethingwillgowrongandI'llwindupdeadlikeRory."

"Okay Samantha.  It's obvious this is really something that is bothering you.  Why don't we see if telling me helps.  If, after a few days, you still feel that it's eating at you, we can have a session with your folks and tell them together?"

Sammy sits there for a long minute, trying to decide what to do.  Then, slowly, deliberately, she lifts herself out of her chair and hovers in the air above it.

"I'm R factor positive.  I have powers.  I can fly.  The principal is hunting for kids with powers because there've been so many problems lately.  This isn't going to get me expelled, is it?"

Dr. Strange looks at Sammy over his round glasses and smiles.  "You have a gift, it shouldn't be something to fear."

"The principal isn't hunting for people with powers.  He's looking out for the safety of the students and staff.  You don't have anything to worry about."

He makes a quick note, "I'm wondering why you think your mother doesn't want you to tell your father or sister.  You think maybe she's worried that you'll be taken away or soemthing?"

Sammy shakes her head no.  "I think maybe she has powers and doesn't want anybody to know about it, but she had to tell me because she had me tested and I was positive too.  I guess she didn't want me to freak out if stuff started happening, but at the same time she wanted me to keep it between us."

"Well.  Remember what I said about parents wanting to do what they think is best?  Maybe she's had some trouble in the past and found it easier to keep it a secret.  Have you thought about what you'd like to do with your future?  Do you think having powers might change that?"

"I never thought about having powers before.  I just figured I'd graduate high school and go to college, regular stuff, y'know?"
She thinks about what happened the past weekend for a moment, but decides that if other kids want to come forward its their business, not hers.
"It might be fun to use them though, to help people if they seem like they are in trouble.  Except I don't know what I can do except fly."

"That's a very healthy attitude.  I think you might feel better if you experimented with them some.  Knowing your options is important.  Keeping your goals in mind is important to, don't let this gift take over your life.  Remember that you're at an age where you're being pulled in a lot of different directions, so the expectations of other people can sometimes cloud your own desires."

"Maybe your mother might appreciate an attempt to connect, a way to bond by helping you learn to use your powers, to control them.  She wants you to keep the secret, and in a way she trusted you with hers even if she didn't realize it.  That will give you a chance to talk to her, and find out why it's so important that the rest of your family not know.  That secret could do serious damage in the long run if she's not careful."

"OK."  Sam nods.  She has a lot to think about.

(OOC, I'm done for the night.  I need to shower and get to bed.)