The faculty at Foster's Academy for the Gifted are honored to extend an invitation to join our prestigious family for the 2013 Fall Semester.

It is my personal pleasure to welcome you to Foster's Academy for the Gifted. Founded in 1895 by Theodore Foster, the school started off as a single two story hall. Foster's son's passion for the arts were his inspiration to open the school. The first of its kind in New York.

Foster's Academy is a world renowned institution for gifted young men and women from around the world. The academy houses four buildings, our central Hall for the Arts being the largest. The others surrounding it house areas of study such as Mathematics, Natural Science and Literature. Because of the school's isolated nature, in order to promote focused study, all students are required to live on campus in our apartment style dormitories for their convenience.

We look forward to seeing you this fall and we hope you enjoy your time at the academy.

Once again, congratulations on your success and enjoy the remainder of your summer vacation.

Headmaster Alfred Newton.

----

"Get back to work, boy! We're not paying you to stand around dawdling!"

A smack to the back of his head and the letter was fluttering to the pavement. Blaine rubbed the tender spot on his head before glancing back at Old Margaret, as the students liked to call her. But not to her face, never to her face. The woman gave Blaine a pointed look before he turned to pick up the letter and toss it in the garbage.

"Don't spend your time day dreaming about things that'll never happen, Blaine." Her voice was softer now, though still held a firmness. "I've seen countless boys like you wishing for the impossible."

Blaine was quiet, avoiding Margaret's eyes as he reached for the rake and began working at the leaves. Fall was always his least favorite season. It meant the start of a new school year. It also meant he was a year older, further from his chance to finally have enough money to enroll.

Blaine Anderson had four younger sisters: Beth, Belinda, Bailey and Bri. Blaine hated that. It always got sort of confusing around the house. Their mother had passed away when Bri was three months old. Somehow, at the tender age of twelve, Blaine had taken the role of their mother, and more recently, their father, as Dad's health slowly deteriorated.

Rheumatic heart disease, the doctor's had told them. It was curable but terrifying. Dad couldn't work, because of the joint pain that he suffered from daily. They received aid from the government, but sometimes it wasn't enough. Blaine's job at school was what funded the little things his sisters didn't need, but deserved like a pretty dress for a birthday party or a trip to the movies.

Saving up for school now was harder than ever.

"We'll have to head inside soon, looks like it's gonna come down hard," Margaret said, peering up at the sky.

Blaine looked up, shaken out of his contemplation. Sure enough, he could see dark clouds slowly rolling in their direction. Thunder growled ominously and the wind whipped it's way through bony branches.

It was going to be a long year.
---

Blaine was only half soaked by the time he ran inside. He shook out his tangled hair, flinging water all over the newly waxed floor. He grinned at Margaret's exasperated face. "It's only a few drops of water, the kids at this school make a bigger mess than this every day," Blaine said as he reached into the coat closet and pulled out a sweater.

"Yes, but those kids are paying good money to be here," Margaret chided as Blaine tugged the sweater over his head. She patted Blaine's cheek before walking off, and called over her shoulder. "Give the upstairs boy's restroom a quick check for me, won't you?" Blaine nodded with a sigh as he patted down his unruly hair.

On his way up the stairs, a large group of boys flew past him. Blaine paused briefly at the top of the stairwell watching the students laughing loudly at something he couldn't make out before he went on his way.

There was another burst of laughter, this time coming from within one of the classrooms. One student darted out of the room, jogging towards the bathroom, leaving the classroom door propped open. Blaine peered in, stepping out of the way as a few students walked into the room.

Blaine had learned that the majority of the theater classes were taught in here, the room being one part lecture hall, one part stage. This wasn't the first time Blaine had eavesdropped on one of the classes. Each one hour session was different: sometimes he peered in on the beginning of Playwriting Practicum or watched the students move around during Advanced Stage Direction. Last year he had spied on nearly every Acting for Musical Theater lecture. All the classes were different but all were taught by the same professor. Through time, Blaine had gotten to know the professor from a distance. Professor Kurt Hummel.

Blaine glimpsed around the hall before entering the classroom and took a seat in the very back of the room away from other students who might recognize him. Blaine was very much aware that sitting through a class that he wasn't enrolled in was very much illegal. But professors had multiple classes with different faces so there was no way Professor Hummel would realize he wasn't a student.

Besides, Margaret would always say they were paid to blend in the background. So technically, Blaine figured as he pulled up his hood, he was doing his job.

When Professor Hummel walked in, Blaine almost changed his mind and thought maybe he should leave. But it was too late now. If he suddenly walked out the professor would most definitely notice.

The students around him took their seats and Blaine sank deeper into his seat, hiding behind the girl in front of him. Blaine kept his eyes focused on his hands as be lay them on the desk. The students continued chattering amongst each other. A few minutes passed and Blaine dared to look up at the professor to find the man staring straight at him.

Blaine's heart stopped.

The professor knew. Blaine watched him look down at his laptop and he took that opportunity to stand and calmly walk towards the door.

Though when the professor looked back up Blaine was anything but calm as he took off in a run, too afraid to look back.

What if Professor Hummel tells Headmaster Newton? What if Blaine is fined? Or arrested? What was the penalty for sneaking into a class? Blaine couldn't afford to lose his job. Literally could not afford it.

When Margaret found Blaine later that afternoon he was sitting in the empty theater auditorium crying.

By the time Blaine went home, he managed to compose himself. His family looked to him for strength. They couldn't see him break.

---

Days passed and Blaine didn't hear from the headmaster. He wondered if Professor Hummel had forgotten. Maybe he was so caught up in his lessons that he had pushed the incident into the back of his mind. Regardless, Blaine was grateful and he promised himself he would never attempt anything so reckless again. Not when his family's financial status was on the line.

After a week, Blaine had forgotten about it and went on as usual. It was a sunny day, fairly warm for October. Blaine took the opportunity late that morning to tend to the greenhouse; pulling out stray weeds and watering the plants. He was alone today, Margaret out sick with the flu. To ease the isolation, he filled the silence with singing having forgotten his mp3 player at home.

'I felt the earth beneath my feet. Sat by the river and it made me complete. Oh, simple thing, where have you gone? I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.'

As he got closer to the chorus, his voice grew louder. No one ever came out here unless is was required for a class, and all of the students were in class at the moment, and it was far enough from the buildings that he wouldn't be disruptive.

'And if you have a minute, why don't we go? Talk about it somewhere only we know. This could be the end of everything. So, why don't we go somewhere only we know.'

Blaine bounced slightly to the tune in his head, nodding his head a bit. He began humming.

'This could be the end of everything. So why don't we go somewhere only we know?'

He continued to hum, and half way through he noticed movement a few feet away. Blaine's heart stuttered as he jumped back, instinctively grabbing at his chest. It was Professor Hummel. Blaine was at complete loss for words, face burning hot with embarrassment.

"That's quite a voice you've got," Professor Hummel stated as he reached out to touch a gladiolus, long fingers gently running over the flower pedals as he looked down at it.

Blaine mumbled a quiet, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Professor Hummel's hand dropped to his side as he looked back down at Blaine. "You were the boy who snuck into my class room last week, weren't you? You are aware that sneaking into a class is illegal, correct? Technically, it is stealing."

Blaine held his breath, silently praying that this was just a dream that he would soon wake up from. Unfortunately, it all felt too real. "Yeah," he finally breathed out. Before Professor Hummel could say anything else, Blaine continued, "Please, don't tell anyone," he begged, "I can't lose my job. I need it--"

"Hey," Professor Hummel cut off gently, "Calm down, if I was planning on telling someone, I'd have done it already. I won't tell."

Blaine sighed, relief flooding over him. "Thank you," he said gratefully.

"But," Professor Hummel continued.

Shit.

"On one condition."

"Yeah?" Blaine questioned, wary.

"You help me grade papers. And help clean my house. It's the cottage a few miles down the road."

Blaine nodded.

"So, what do you say?" Professor Hummel held out his hand.

Blaine took it and they shook hands. "Alright," he said.