“Anyone can have a new start when they give themselves over to the Lord. Sarah struggled with the temptations of homosexuality...”

Blaine let his mind wander while the man on stage droned on. Josiah was trying so hard to make Camp Reflection sound like some magical, storied place they would remember for the rest of their lives. Blaine only hoped that he could forget the place the minute the week was over. Unfortunately, the way things were shaping up, the camp was likely to scar him for life. The bus ride had been long and uncomfortable, with Blaine curled up in the back doing his best to sleep. Now, though, he wanted nothing more than to be back on that bus again, speeding away from there.

Blaine curled his lip in disgust as he briefly tuned back into Josiah's speech. The prospect of a talent show would ordinarily make him giddy with excitement, but somehow this place could even suck the fun out of performing on stage.

Performing. A pang of loneliness hit Blaine's heart as he reminisced about the feeling of putting on a performance, of being on stage... of being part of a group and the thrill of working together to put a smile on people's faces. He had always loved those feelings, but this past year of performing with the Warblers at Dalton Academy had been something else entirely. There was so much of a sense of belonging, almost a brotherhood, and it would shine through during their shows. His Freshman year had made up for so much pain and rejection in his life up to this point, both at his prior school and at home.

Home. If anything, Dalton was more of a home to him than his parent's house. Blaine had been put on the bus that morning in Columbus, only having found out the night before at dinner how he was going to spend the next week. Blaine felt like he had been sent off from his “home” the way one might put out the garbage. Or ship back a purchase that had arrived broken.

Weren't your parents supposed to be the ones who loved and accepted you unconditionally?, “Acceptance” was a dirty word at his house. “Conformity” would be a better slogan for the Anderson household. Blaine's father had made his feelings about Blaine's orientation... his “inclinations”... very clear. He felt that an expensive preparatory school where everyone looked the same, dressed the same and seemed to act the same would straighten his son out. In every sense of the word. Fortunately for Blaine, he had been very wrong about that. Blaine had made a point of not correcting his misconceptions.

Blaine wasn't going to lie (even to himself), he also liked being the center of attention in the Warblers. Even as a Freshman, the other members of the group had embraced his voice, his debonair side and his goofy side. Dalton was a place he could truly express himself. Maybe not through fashion, but in every other way that mattered.

Blaine had already landed in trouble earlier that day for “self-expression.” Truth be told, that nasty girl from Team Bird deserved every bad word he had called her. She had snatched his favorite sunglasses off of his face, saying they were “super gay,” and the counselors didn't do a thing to her or even try and get them back for him. So he'd given her a piece of his mind, that was all. Maybe his temper had gotten a little out of control. But he thought the coming punishment, restriction to his room after Worship, was too harsh. Would they even bring him dinner?

His mind snapped back to the present as Josiah picked up his guitar. He stood quickly to join as the entire auditorium began to sing along. He knew this song by heart from the first chords. Singing wasn't the same without his Warbler friends, but maybe singing together with the other campers would make him feel a little less alone.

“Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.”

As the first lines of the hymn rang out all around him, one voice carried over the din. It was clear, and captivating, masculine and feminine at the same time. Blaine twisted around in his seat, searching for the face that belonged to that voice. He knew he had found it the instant he laid eyes on him.

The voice belonged to a boy. A beautiful boy. He had translucent skin, brown hair that was styled to flatter his cheekbones, long legs and surprisingly broad shoulders in proportion to his waist. He was wearing a simple t-shirt, but something about the way he wore it still managed to flatter his long, delicate neck. The voice fit perfectly, as the boy had masculine and feminine elements that combined in a compelling way. Blaine couldn't tear his eyes off of him.

There was something else, too. A hard edge etched into his face, around his eyes, and a tension about the shoulders. Was it... pain? Stress? Anger? Whatever it was, it was buried deep beneath the surface, held tightly at the boy's core. Blaine's eyes roved that face. He wanted to know everything there was to know about him. He decided to start with the eyes. What color were they?

When the boy locked eyes with Blaine, he briefly lost the capacity for thought. The eyes, let's call them “blue plus,” had noticed him. Blaine felt vulnerable, but he somehow couldn't look away. When Blue Plus looked up at the overhead screen, Blaine used the opportunity to look away as well and take a steadying breath. But he needed more.

Trying to be a bit more casual this time, he glanced back behind him. Blaine couldn't help but smile when he saw that Blue Plus was already staring at him. The boy blushed and ducked his head, causing Blaine to chuckle softly in delight. The boy hadn't just noticed him, he seemed to like the way Blaine was looking at him! Could it be... what are the odds, especially in a place like Camp Reflection? Suddenly, Blaine regretted that morning's decision to go gel-free, figuring his hair would just get squashed on the bus.

Blaine continued to sing, fascinated with watching the blush blossom and fade on the porcelain cheeks. If he likes me staring, I might as well enjoy the view, he thought. Unfortunately, the boy seemed to be very intrigued by his own shoes, and didn't look up again as the song ended. Blaine tore himself away from the spot and hurried for the exit, needing to see those eyes again but not wanting to push his luck with the counselors. He had to be in his room ten minutes after Worship ended.

Screw the counselors, he decided. He had to see Blue Plus one more time, just in case this was all some kind of weird dream. Blaine turned in the exit and took two steps back. His eyebrows knit together as he considered the possibility that he'd never see that boy again.

But then their eyes met and time stopped. The crowd, however, did not. The other boy smiled radiantly back at Blaine as the crowd surged, and Blaine was caught up in the wave of bodies and deposited outside the door. Blaine stood in the spot for a long minute, steadying himself, knowing Blue Plus wouldn't appear but still unable to move.