'I think it belongs to Kurt Hummel,' Blaine told her, holding up the satchel. 'I'm sure he'd like it back.'

The receptionist viewed it silently. 'Can you show me what's inside, please,' she answered after a while, and Blaine didn't fault her for treating him with suspicion. He opened the satchel and removed the folder, showing her that it contained nothing else.

'Visiting hours aren't for another ten minutes,' she replied, looking up at the clock on the wall. 'But seeing he doesn't get many visitors, we are willing to make an exception this time. You may hand it directly to him, if it suits you.'

'Sure.' That had been Blaine's plan all along.

'I'll get Officer Sylvester to accompany you,' she added as she picked up the phone. Less than a minute later, an officer with blonde hair greeted him, and Blaine recognised her as the woman he had seen the previous week. This time, she was in uniform; a khaki shirt and pants combination in the one shade of grey.

'You want to see Hummel, huh?' she asked Blaine, raising an eyebrow. 'Well, seeing as his alabaster skin makes him shrink from contact with direct sunlight, I guess it would be good time for you to see him in his natural environment. What do you say to that?'

Blaine couldn't say anything to that, so he just nodded.

'Okay, sweet-cheeks, follow me.'

'Wait,' Blaine replied, looking down at his uniform. One of the other perks of attending Dalton Academy was the opportunity to wear the revered blazer, as it had remained unchanged ever since the school's early beginnings. Each student was taught to have pride it in, as it represented the values of the school from the moment they placed it over their shoulders. Some took their pride a little too far; Blaine knew of students who attempted to pick up girls with it on weekends. But this was no place for pride. Hastily, he undid the button on his blazer and removed it, stuffing in unceremoniously in his own satchel.

'Smart move,' Officer Sylvester remarked. 'Off we go.'

Blaine was led up to a door made of steel bars, waiting patiently as Officer Sylvester flicked through a set of keys attached to her belt. Blaine felt that that his hand that was holding the satchel had started to sweat, and he swapped it to his other hand as the officer placed a key in the lock by the wall.

'Welcome to hell,' she announced, sliding the door across with a clang and ushering him in. 'Not really of the standard you future business investors and lawyers are used to, but to me, it's paradise.' Locking it up after him, she closed it shut and led him down to another steel door, again unlocking it to pass through. She swung the door to close it behind him, slamming it back into place when it became jammed. The sound reverberated down the corridor into an eerie silence. Blaine felt both his palms were sweating now, and he could hear the faint noise of boys talking loudly and cursing. He was grateful for the officer's running commentary on the place, even if it offered him little comfort.

'We don't often send you good folk down here, but you can tell your peers afterwards that you have seen how the other half live,' she continued, her keys jingling from her belt as Blaine struggled to keep up with her pace. 'They attend classes in the girls' building. Trust me, if I take you there, they'll eat you alive.'

She turned a corner and led him down a long corridor, this one darker and more dimly lit than the others. On either side were doors with small windows looking in which Blaine guessed were individual...well, Blaine didn't want to call them cells. The laughter and noise reached its peak and Blaine noticed that it was coming from an open room at the very end of the corridor. From a short distance, he could see a few McKinley boys standing around, supposedly watching something over at one side of the room. Another officer, a tall and robust woman with curly hair, stood guard beside it.

'Get me Kurt Hummel,' Officer Sylvester ordered. The other officer looked at Blaine curiously before slowly turning around to face the room behind her. Blaine thought she was deliberately taking her time.

'Hummel!' the officer barked, motioning to someone in the room. The noise level died down quickly and Blaine noticed a few other boys scramble over so that they were in sight of the room's entrance and Blaine. He heard whispers and sniggers, but he ignored them, moving his eyes over to the wall beside him.

'Nasty little hobbitses,' one boy with blonde hair remarked, drawing a fresh round of sniggers. Blaine focused on a small crack in the wall, noticing how the paint had started to peel away from its edges.

At least some of them are cultured, he thought.

Kurt glided out of the room and into the corridor, stopping in his tracks as he caught sight of Blaine. His eyes registered genuine surprise but it was quickly overshadowed by a look of contempt.

'I thought I had left something behind,' he murmured as he walked towards Blaine, chewing what looked like flavoured gum. His light brown hair, which had looked neat the last time Blaine saw him, was pulled back and styled upwards, giving him the appearance of one who was slightly unhinged.

Blaine cleared his throat, careful not to let his eyes linger on Kurt too much. 'I thought you'd miss your satchel,' he replied, holding it up for Kurt to retrieve. Kurt stared at him, making no movement to claim the satchel from his hand. 'By the way, I'm quite partial to Etta James.' When he realised Kurt would not budge, Blaine slowly placed it against the wall beside him, feeling Kurt's eyes still watching him.

'You gonna fuck him or what, Hummel?' yelled a boy from the room.

'Shut it!' barked Officer Sylvester beside Blaine, making him jump. She crossed over to the entrance of the room, looking in. From the way she kept her distance from the other officer, Blaine sensed that neither were on the best of speaking terms.

'You know,' Kurt purred, stepping forward slightly so that he and Blaine were the only ones in earshot. 'I've always wanted a rich, pretty little Dalton boy all to myself.'

Blaine stood motionless, willing himself not to shiver. But he drew in a sharp intake of breath as Kurt leaned forward.

'The other boys here like it rough, but I'll be gentle on you.' Kurt raised a finger to his lips, chewing slowly, his eyes taking in the sight of Blaine's white shirt and tie.

'Careful, Porcelain,' a female voice behind Kurt warned. Kurt smiled, but it came out looking smug.

'Oh, I'll be careful: I'll make sure you're well taken care of…'

Blaine bit his lip. His body certainly wasn't objecting to Kurt's suggestion, but he had to say something to counteract the offer. But the protest was caught in his throat as two hands reached over to cup his jaw and he felt a warm, mint-scented breath whisper to him softly.

'But first, let's see what you taste like.'

Blaine heard a collective sound of shouts and wolf-whistles but they faded away as a pair of soft lips came into contact with his. They pressed down on him firmly, and hungrily. Blaine's mouth parted slightly, both in instinct and surprise, and it was enough invitation for Kurt to coax his tongue in, curling around gently in Blaine's mouth, tasting him. Then he heard a loud shout from somewhere in the distance and Kurt's lips were being ripped away from him as the taller officer grabbed Kurt by the arms, pulling him back. Blaine stood in stunned silence, hearing the jeers and whistles of the other boys return to him in full force. Wordlessly, his eyes searched Kurt's face for an explanation. But Kurt responded with a victorious smirk, not resisting the officer as she held him away.

'You'd better go,' the officer called out to him, but he didn't need to be told. He turned and stormed out of the corridor as Officer Sylvester trailed close behind him. He felt something warm and moist still in his mouth, and he realised that Kurt had passed his chewing gum on to him. As soon as he greeted open air, he spat it out on the ground.