The bird sat in the cage, looking at Kurt, flexing her wing. The bandage had been removed yesterday. He had taken the little pigeon to the vet when he got it home almost two weeks ago. The wing wasn't broken, just banged up a bit, so she had put on a bandage and said the bird should be able to fly by the next Saturday. Kurt changed the water and the paper at the bottom of the cage, then gave the little bird some seed and a bit of gravel.

“It's okay, baby, you'll get your freedom on Saturday. We'll be back near Westerville tomorrow, sweet thing,” Kurt cooed at the little bird.

Kurt had done a lot of thinking about the message he found on the bird's leg. He had shown it to his dad, but Burt shrugged and said Kurt was being too romantic and it was probably just some hoax some kids were trying to pull. He finally gave up, thinking the police would think the same thing. Maybe that was all it was, so Kurt had tried to put it out of his mind.

“Finn, Kurt!” echoed down the hallway, announcing the arrival of Puck. He had been hitching a ride to school with the boys every morning, he didn't like to drive his work truck to school.

“In here, Puck!” Kurt shouted, and Puck came down the hall to his room.

“Hey, how's the little cheeper doing?” Puck asked, moving his finger to the bars of the cage, whistling to the bird.

“She's ready to fly by Saturday Dr Fitz told me. I can't put too much of a burden on her leg, but I wrote this out,” Kurt said, handing over a small piece of paper to Puck:

HOLD ON, I'M COMING

“I think that will do just fine. We'll let it go when we mow the Anderson's lawn on Saturday morning,” Puck said, and Kurt nodded. He was worried about the person that wrote the first message, but had no idea what to think about it. He and Puck had talked it over – Puck knew the Anderson's had a son, Cooper, but he was at college in New York. Maybe the bird had flown from a nearby estate and just got stuck in the Anderson garden? Who knew. It just made no sense at all.

“You guys ready to go to school?” Finn called, going down the stairs to breakfast before they left for school. Puck and Kurt hadn't discussed the message on the bird's leg, not for any specific reason, they just seemed to want to keep it between themselves.

School was typical, the end of the semester approaching quickly and the students were acting up most days. It was nice for Kurt to be able to walk into Glee and feel like he was finally surrounded by friends.

“What's up, lady lips?” Santana said, sitting by Kurt and Puck. She nodded at Puck, a rare smile on her face.

“Satan.” Kurt nodded at her, wondering what she might want. She was never polite to him unless she had some sort of agenda.

“Puck told me about the bird,” she said in a quiet voice. “I want to know what happens.”

“What concern is it of yours?” Kurt snipped.

“None. I just want to know. If somebody's in trouble, I just want to help,” she said in Kurt's ear. He looked at her, finding it hard to believe she would care. “Just let it go at that, Porcelain.”

Puck and Kurt exchanged looks, Puck shrugging his shoulders. When Mr Schue walked into the room. The rest of the students turned to see what the assignment would be.

~KBKBKBKBKBKB~

Saturday morning found Kurt and Puck on their way to the Anderson's estate to mow the lawns and clean the pool. They had a regular gardener for the flowers, but Puck had been able to get the mowing duties for the whole summer.

“Okay, do you have the bird ready?” he asked Kurt.

“Yes, her little message is taped to her leg. I guess we should let her go in the garden where I found her,” Kurt said.

They took the bird from the cage and Kurt placed a tiny kiss on the head of the pigeon. “Go find your master, little one.” He flung the bird into the air, and the wind caught her and her wings flapped. She flew to the top of the house, resting on the roof before circling and flying into the same window where Kurt had seen the hand two weeks before.

“Did you see where it went, Puck? That's the window. That's it. I know something bad is happening in there.” Kurt touched Puck's arm, “Maybe we can help?”

Puck grimaced. “Mrs. Anderson is gone today, and her husband is still in New York. Maybe we can sneak into the house somehow. I have the key to the mowing shed, but not to the house. Plus, they have an alarm.”

“Well, we better get our work done, Puck. We can think about what to do while we get it done.”

The boys got the work done in a few hours. Kurt had put the mower away and went back to finish the trimming around the garden wall when he heard a noise. Something had landed on the gravel path a few feet from him. He looked up at the window and saw the hand, trying to get through the bars to wave. Kurt waved back and picked up the object. It was a heavy chess piece, a rook shaped like an elephant and made of marble. Tied around the rook was a leather string, holding a key and scratched into the side of the chess piece was the word 'Cairo'.

“Puck?” Kurt ran into him, stuttering in his anxiety. “This came down on the path from the attic window, no note, just this key and the word scratched into the side of the rook.”

“It may be the key to the house. The maids don't work when the Anderson's are away, so the house should be empty.”

Kurt looked at him in question.

“I hooked up with one of the maids last summer,” Puck admitted. “She hated working here. Said the Anderson's weren't nice. She left after a few weeks.”

“If nobody is here, we can get inside and look to see what's going on in that attic. I just have a terrible feeling, Puck. I can't leave feeling like someone is suffering.”

“I agree, Kurt. Let's go. I'm going to move my truck outside the gates in the thicket of shrubs so nobody can see iy from the road, just in case, wait for me.”

Puck came jogging back and Kurt met him at the back door. They tried the key and it opened the door. Inside was a box with a keypad, and the screen on the box said “ARMED”. Kurt keyed in the word 'Cairo' and the alarm shut off.

The boys began trying to find their way to the attic, starting with the back stairs behind the kitchen. It took about twenty minutes for them to find their way to the attic, and the door was locked. The back door key didn't work, so they tried to find a way to remove the door. Puck went back to the kitchen and found a broken chisel and they removed the hinges of the door. Time was marching on and Kurt was starting to get worried that someone might come home to find them, but Puck said his last message was that Mrs. Anderson was going to be gone for the rest of the week and Mr. Anderson wasn't due back until the end of the month. He replaced the hinges since the door unlocked from the inside and they could get out.

“It's awfully dark up here, I don't think any of the doors are open because there is no sunlight coming in,” Puck said in a whisper.

“What if we called out? I mean, if nobody is home, then whomever it was that sent us the message might answer?” Kurt said back in a stage whisper.

“Ah, okay...”

“Hello?” Kurt shouted, his voice going high in fear.

There was a knocking, as on a wooden surface like a door or paneled wall.

“Where are you? We're here, give us a clue where to find you,” Puck shouted.

The knocking became rhythmic, steady pounding and the boys were able to follow it to a door. Once again the door was locked.

“It's only the chain lock from outside the door...undo that and it will open. I stuck a piece of wood in it to keep the lock from engaging last time the watchman came,” the voice from inside the room came. It was really dark, but Kurt managed to find the doorknob and the chain lock. He undid the chain and opened the door, slipping inside the room. He turned, blinking in the sudden light from the window to see a long haired, disheveled boy, skinny, in clothes -really rags – that were just hanging on him. The boy practically launched himself at Kurt, throwing his arms around him.

“Oh, thank you, thank you! I haven't seen anyone but the watchman in three years, thank you!”

Kurt was shocked and when the boy landed in his arms, Kurt lost his balance and fell backwards, hitting the oak door and slamming it shut. The boy froze.

“Oh. My. God. Nooooooo!!!” he shouted. “No, no no....” pounding on the door with his fists.

“What? What's wrong?” Kurt asked, a little spooked.

“The door. It locks when you shut it. I had kept it open with a piece of wood, but that got knocked out of the way and it LOCKED.” The boy huddled on the floor crying, sobbing. “Now you're locked in here, too.”

Kurt turned and pounded on the door. “Puck? Puck! Let me out, Puck!”

He heard a scrambling at the door.

“Kurt, it's locked. I can't budge it.”

“Just take off the hinges like we did for the other door.”

“Okay.”

They heard metal on metal , scrambling and then several loud oaths.

“Puck, what's wrong, what's taking so long?” Kurt asked, beginning to panic.

“Ah, the chisel broke. There is nothing here to use to remove the hinges, they're fused together. I can't do it, Kurt. I'll go back and try to find something else.”

“No!” the boy said, “you can't. The night watchman will be here soon to give me food. If he catches you, he'll kill you. You're going to have to go out the back entrance and get away. I'll give you directions, then come tomorrow and bring tools. It's the only way. If you get caught here, he'll lock you in here, too.” The boy was hysterical. Kurt grabbed his arms, giving gentle pressure until he calmed down a little.

“Okay, tell us what's happening. Why are you here and what the fuck is going on that we can't just call the police?” Kurt was very calm on the outside, a little afraid of the boy.

“There is a room at the north end of the hall, it looks like a library. There is a panel that looks like a bookcase on the inner wall, you have to move the candle sconce between the bookcase and the wall. Pull it down and the panel will open. Once through the panel, there is a shelf with a flashlight and a switch on the wall. Flip the switch and the panel will close.

“Follow the tunnel to the end. There is a door when the wooden part ends, but it isn't locked. The tunnel is rock from that point and it will take you to a cave entrance by the river. Come back tomorrow after ten and before three. It's safe then. Please, can you?”

“Ah, yes. Kurt, I will come back. Why can't I come back tonight? What will I tell Burt?
Puck asked in a scared voice.

“You can't come back! If the watchman finds you, we'll all be locked in here. Please, please...come back for your friend. Come back for me....please,” the boy said, hysterical by now. “Hurry! You have to go NOW.”the boy shouted, his eyes huge and his face red.

”Go, Puck. Dad is in Washington, so no worries there, I'll text Carole I'm staying with you tonight. You better go. I will be okay. Bring Finn with you, and come back tomorrow. Now go!” Kurt almost cried to have to say that, but what else could he do?

“Okay, I'll be back tomorrow morning at ten. I promise.”

They heard Puck's footsteps hurry away down the hallway. Kurt sat on a trunk, not knowing what to say or what to do.

Kurt turned to the boy. He was about Kurt's age, maybe a little younger, as he was smaller. He had on rags, what might have been nice clothes at one time but had been worn for a long time from the smell. His hair was tied back with a piece of leather, but still reached down his back in a long tail of tangled black curls. His skin was a beautiful tan color, but had patches of rash and peeling skin all over, a scraggly beard covering his chin. He looked like a homeless person Kurt had seen in New York, but somehow worse. But those eyes. They were bright and hazel gold with little bits of dark mossy green around the edges. Kurt had never seen more beautiful eyes in his life.

He put out his hand and said, “I'm Kurt Hummel.”

The boy blinked and finally put out his hand, “Kurt? That is the name of my angel? I'm Blaine. Blaine Anderson. And God must have sent you to me,” and he fell to his knees, hugging Kurt and putting his head down, sobbing into Kurt's lap.

~KBKBKBKBKBKB~