Kurt blinked and closed his gaping mouth. He was about to shake his head and walk away, but something stopped him. He realized that he'd never forgive himself if he didn't ask about it. There were too many questions these days, and he didn't want all of them to stay unanswered.

"Actually," Kurt said, almost cringing at his insecure voice as the guy turned back towards him. How was he going to phrase this?

"Those marks on your neck... Would you mind if I asked how you got them?"

The guy looked at Kurt oddly, bringing a hand up to rub at his own neck, right over the marks in question. He shuddered visibly.

"I was bitten by a snake. Just my luck, you know?"

"A snake bit you in the neck?!" Kurt practically yelled in shock. How did something like that even happen?

"I mean- I'm sorry… that must've been a horrible experience."

The guy shrugged.

"I don't doubt it was, which is why I'm so glad I don't remember any of it."

Kurt frowned.

"Then how do you know what happened?"

"Last thing I remember is walking into the forest for a smoke. Damn new school policies can get you expelled if they catch you, you know. But then I must've blacked out or something, because next thing I know I'm in the nurse's office. Nurse thinks the trauma made my brain shut it out."

The story was incredible to say the least.

"Still, a snake..."

"I wouldn't have known if it wasn't for that guy, um... Todd. He was there in the woods, probably smoking too, and he saw the whole thing. Said it was dreadful, and that the snake would've strangled me if it hadn't been for him. Apparently I tripped, the snake got me, and it almost ate me alive. Todd tore it away from my neck by its head, like a freaking Australian or something. Anyway, I'm just grateful everything turned out okay."

"Yeah, I can understand that." Kurt bit his lip. "That Todd guy sounds… incredible. You wouldn't know his last name or where I could find him or...?"

"Sure," the guy said, nodding to the other side of the room, "he's right there."

If Kurt wasn't suspicious before, he certainly was now that he'd gotten a look at Todd. The deep crease between the guy's eyebrows seemed almost threatening as he stared back at Kurt intently. Feeling uneasy, Kurt thanked the guy with the dubious snake story and escaped the party. Kurt was unable to know for sure if Todd wore a blue crest without seeing his blazer, but he thought he knew anyway. He was an observer; the least he could do was spot the pattern of stern-looking faces leading back to the crest.

On his way down the hallways back to his dorm, Kurt thought about and realized that the whole crest mystery was getting completely out of hand. The snake story he'd just been told had obviously been a cover-up – even an idiot could see that – but the question was; for what? Kurt knew what the bite marks�looked�like, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Those kinds of things weren't real.

Kurt rubbed a hand over his face and sighed, speeding up his walk. His head was pounding and he was starting to regret going to the party. He just wanted to get some sleep now.

He rounded the last corner before his own room, lowering his hand from his face just in time to walk straight into a tall, soft�someone.

"Mr. Hummel, is it?"

Kurt looked up, eyes wide and terrified. He was staring right into the face of Mr. Sullith, the night guard on 6th floor.

Shit!�Kurt thought.

He'd forgotten about the guards. He must've left the party right in the middle of the last round for the night. If only he'd waited a few minutes more at the party, this never would've happened. Now he was probably going to be sent to the principal's office, and they would probably call his dad, who'd be so disappointed. Not to mention, he could get suspended if they realized he'd been drinking. What if they noticed and forced him to rat out everyone at the party, or-?

A firm hand grasped Kurt's shoulder, and he recoiled in surprise. The hand squeezed gently before letting go.

"I won't put you through any trouble, sir," Mr. Sullith said in his deep, northern accent.

"What with ya being a newbie, first time getting caught 'n all."

Kurt didn't understand. Why wasn't he getting into trouble for this?

"But I will escort ya back to yar dorm," Mr. Sullith continued. "Folks like yerself shouldn't be wandering the halls so late. Very bad behavior, it is."

"I'm sorry," Kurt managed. What was he supposed to say?

"It won't happen again."

They walked down the stairs together. Kurt's tread was light and silent, while Mr. Sullith's feet made loud thuds with every step he took on the old wooden stairs.

"See, I'm sure it will," Mr. Sullith said after a moment.

"People like you don't c'mere offen, and ya don't stay long. Too curious; more willing to go on adventures than to just let things be."

It took a while for Kurt to catch up with what the bald man was saying, but when he did he stopped dead in his tracks. He watched Mr. Sullith walk away for a few seconds before he managed to make his feet move again.

"So you know what's going on here, at this school?" Kurt asked, daring to hope for some answers.

Between that car ride Mr. Sullith had given him and Blaine and not taking Kurt to the principal now, Kurt decided that Mr. Sullith was a decent man. You just had to be straight with him.

"All the grown-ups do," Mr. Sullith said pensively, and hummed.

"Quite extraordinary how they keep the school up and runnin' as it is, if ya ask me. Shoulda shutted down long ago, in my opinion."

Kurt scoffed.

"You can't expect me not to be curious when I hear things like that."

Kurt shook his head in disbelief and observed Mr. Sullith's complete lack of facial expressions.

"I don't suppose you'd let me in on the secret so I could give it a rest?"

They arrived at Kurt's dorm room door. Kurt wasn't sure how Mr. Sullith knew which one was his. The mysterious natures of all the inhabitants of the school never failed to amaze and bewilder Kurt.

Mr. Sullith's mouth shifted into a firm, straight line, and that was all the answer he gave Kurt.

"Tomorrow's gonna be a sunny day, I can feel. Good thing, too. We could use a lil'… light about now."

Kurt watched with a curious expression as Mr. Sullith strolled back down the hallway and rounded a corner as if he didn't have a care in the world. Yet somehow, despite his care-free air, Kurt sensed that the older man was full of secrets and worries on the inside. Kurt clicked his tongue and shrugged to himself, unlocking his door. His room was pitch black as he closed the door behind him and reached for the light switch.

When he turned back around, Kurt's heart nearly stopped. Then he recognized the form casually splayed out on his bed, hands folded under his head, soft smile on his face.

"Miss me?" Blaine cooed.

"Terribly," Kurt said sarcastically, pulling his shoes off.

"How did you even get into my room? The door was locked."

"I thought you knew by now that I have my ways," Blaine shot back, shifting so he was leaning on his elbows.

"It gives me mystique, don't you think?" he asked, tilting his head to the side but failing to hide his smile.

"Maybe if someone would just tell me what is going on, I wouldn't have to ask so many questions," Kurt muttered, starting to feel a light throb in his head. He'd barely had anything to drink, so he must just be tired.

Sitting down at the foot of the bed, Kurt pulled his cardigan off and folded it in his lap. He kept his eyes on it and ran his fingers over a small crease on one of the sleeves over and over again. A long breath escaped his lips as the bed dipped behind him. Warm arms snaked around his waist, and he let himself lean back against Blaine's firm body.

"What's got you down, baby?" Blaine asked quietly as he nuzzled behind one of Kurt's ears. He pressed a small, lingering kiss there and exhaled warmly.

Kurt felt the tension slowly leave his body.

"I just… I don't know what I'm doing here. Everything's just getting more and more complicated, and I can't make sense of anything, and it's driving me nuts. It's all I can think about when I should be studying for my exam next week. Instead, my mind is constantly puzzling over all these secrets, distracting me, and I'm just so�tired."

"So let it go. Knowing about the people at Dalton isn't gonna do you any good. In a little over a year, you'll be graduating from high school and you can leave this entire thing behind. It doesn't matter if you spend your time here in ignorance. Ignorance is bliss, after all. Right?"

Closing his eyes, Kurt tried to visualize what Blaine was describing: his life after Dalton, growing up, leaving, forgetting about the blue crests… but he couldn't do it. It wasn't because those things seemed too far away, but because there was something else inside his head, a trapped thought trying to break loose.

"I guess I could try to let it go," Kurt said with a yawn.

He didn't protest when Blaine's arms tensed around him, easily pulling him back onto the bed.

"Try to get some sleep," Blaine said, pulling up the covers around them.

"I'll be here in the morning."

Kurt opened his eyes again and thought about everything Blaine had said.

"Maybe you shouldn't be," Kurt said suddenly, turning to look at Blaine's puzzled face.

"You're part of the mystery, Blaine, you've said so yourself." Kurt pulled his hand away from where Blaine hopelessly tried to grab it under the covers.

"I think you should go."

Blaine sat up with a serious frown on his face. His annoyed glare made Kurt feel small.

"That's it?"

"It's just for a little while," Kurt amended. "I think I just need a little rest from all of this, and that includes you."

Kurt wasn't sure if Blaine was listening to what he was saying, because he wasn't looking at him anymore. Blaine seemed to have gone somewhere else, leaving his body behind, slumped and gazing distantly at his fingers as they moved soothingly.

"Blaine?"

Taking a deep breath, Blaine hid his face in one of his palms. He shook his head slowly and dropped his hand again, glancing quickly at Kurt before averting his gaze to the windows.

"It won't be for just a little while, Kurt. I know how it goes. I know how people say it's temporary, but they end up closing a door in your face that they never open again. They just leave you without the decency of telling you to not wait up."

Blaine looked back to Kurt, his eyes soft.

"But in the end it's just me who's the idiot, you know?"

Kurt sat up too, laying his head on Blaine's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said, placing his hand over one of Blaine's. He wasn't sure why he was apologizing for whatever had happened in Blaine's past, but it felt like the right thing to do. It was warm, maybe even a little damp, and silky to the touch.

"Please stay."

Neither spoke as Kurt lay back down, pulling Blaine along with him. He kept an arm around Blaine as he turned off the light on his nightstand, clothes, teeth and skin be damned for the night. It was worth it to be in that bed with Blaine with Blaine's loose curls tucked under Kurt's chin as he hugged Kurt back tightly.

The embrace was a little awkward, but Kurt felt secure, cozy and safe. They stayed like that for a long time, until Kurt drifted soundlessly to sleep.

000

The music box was clasped tightly in his hands, playing its lulling melody softly. He closed the lid abruptly, and the music cut off. The room echoed with the silence. The people in his room were already fast asleep, on the couch and on the floor. Of course, the music hadn't had any effect on him.

Putting the music box aside, he stood up and strolled over to the mirror in his bathroom. He looked at his face, the face that should be wrinkled with age, yet hadn't been altered the slightest bit. He looked at his clothes. The snug Dalton uniform was completely unoriginal, and he knew he looked exactly the same as hundreds of other students at the school. Only God knew how different he actually was, and that he was only pretending to be just another student.

He chuckled lightly to himself in the dark, quiet room. He really did fit right in.