A sound shattered the cold, crisp morning air. It could have been a scream, (It wouldn't have been unusual,) but the pitch was too constant. Too high. Almost like a humming.

This is what greeted Kurt Hummel every morning. Somehow, the rest of his dormitory managed to sleep through it; how, he did not know.

He swung his legs out of the creaking, single bed. The very same one he has always slept in, ever since he arrived at Boondock. The starched fabric of his issued night clothes rubbed uncomfortably on his chest, and the draft which greeted his bare feet when he placed them on the floor was unpleasant to say the least.

He allowed himself a few seconds to rub his eyes, pressing firmly till you achieve that uncomfortable pressure and see multi-coloured spots under your eyelids. The stainless steel bracelet on his right wrist pressed against his cheek as he did so, causing him to hiss with the chill.

He glanced down at the device. Imprinted was his official title: KEH. No one was known by their first names. Initials, yes. Surnames, occasionally. A small blue light blinked back at him, the numbers on the display slowly counting down. Slowly.

00:02:15:07:42:01

00:02:15:07:42:00

00:02:15:07:41:59

2 months, 15 days, 7 hours, 41 minutes and 59 seconds,

58 seconds,

Until he was 18. Until Kurt was free. Free from Boondock. Free to work for his selected employer. Free to do whatever they wished of him. He couldn't wait until that day arrived.

Kurt silently passed his roommates on his way to the bathroom, uniform tucked under his arm. That was one advantage of being woken up earlier than everyone else: The small amount of privacy he was allowed each morning was a godsend.

He placed his uniform on the benches, parallel to the sinks, then turning the faucet and watching the water swirl around the basin before looking up into the cracked, rusted mirror above the sink.

He had looked worse.

His hair flopping over his forehead, the bags under his eyes clearly prominent, even in the dingy light the bathroom provided. Kurt splashed his face with water briefly before reaching for his comb, rinsing it under the water and trying to style his hair into something more presentable.

He changed quickly, back into his issued uniform: Three white button ups, two pairs of black slacks, three pairs of white socks, three pairs of black underwear and matching leather belt and shoes, all to be kept pristine and polished. Prefects also wore a rectangular, silver pin on the left side of their chest, which must also be kept to the same standard of the rest of the uniform. Failure to do so will result in isolation.

Kurt walked swiftly back to his dormitory, making his bed, snatching the whistle off nail next to the door, placing it to his lips and blowing soundly.

'Wake up,' he stated. He didn't shout, only raising his voice slightly. He didn't need to shout. The effect was instantaneous. All the boys in the room left their beds, got changed, dressed in their uniform, identical to Kurt's besides the silver pin, and made their beds. They stood waiting to the right of their sleeping station, ready for inspection. That wasn't Kurt's job.

Boondock was managed by one woman. No one knew her name: Kurt had only ever known her as Ma'am, and she seemed content on keeping it that way. She wore a burgundy blouse with a black, floor length skirt. She was short and round, but intimidating none-the-less. The heels of her shoes sounding like gun shots as she strode slowly up and down the rows of beds in the room.

Kurt was lucky he was exempt from such ridicule. He allowed himself to slouch slightly, and his eyes to wonder. A small beam of light shone through the boarded walls, catching the flakes of dust and fibres as they drifted through the air. It was miniscule, almost unnoticeable, Ma'am wasn't one to let the little things pass, but today was different. There was only one reasons the building wouldn't be on lockdown; metal blinds open, doors unbolted, security devices inactive:

A new student.

It had been so long since they had anyone from the Outside come to join the establishment. The last had been several years ago: Michael. He was merely 5 when he arrived. Kurt wasn't a prefect then, he was only 13, but he could hear Ma'am speaking in her office. He knows he shouldn't have stayed. Listening in on your superiors is wrong, but he still recalls the murmurs of 'the boy is only young, he won't remember Before, no adjustment is necessary. It's not too late for him.'

He's spent nights upon nights wondering these words. No adjustment is necessary. What does that even mean? Adjustment to what? Adjustment to sleeping arrangements? It must have been.

Kurt was drawn out of his thoughts when the boys marched out of the room in single file, down to the dining hall. He followed suit. Down the staircase, turn right, second left, the dining hall, (first left being the kitchens.)

There were 4 long, wooden tables. The varnish long-gone thanks to the amount of scrubbing they had endured over the years. Each dorm had their own table; two for the boys, two for the girls. They had to eat separately, of course.

That was another rule. Young men and women were not allowed within one meter range of each other, so to avoid romantic attachment. But it did more than that. People were scared to even be friends with someone of the opposite gender, in fear of getting too close to them. Prefects where immune. As it was their job to keep order among the already strict regime, no matter which party they belonged to, they must listen.

Always obey your superiors.

That's how Kurt became friends with LQF. Kurt knew her name, but it was far too risky to be caught calling her Lucy, let alone Quinn. If anyone over heard them, they'd both be stripped of their prefect role and possibly given a new title.

Kurt remembered the day when Quinn first arrived at Boondock, barely two years ago. There were rumours that a new girl had arrived. Small whispers behind hands, someone overhearing another's hushed conversation in the bathrooms. Apparently it was someone Kurt's own age. He was the oldest; (besides the prefects) having someone he could potentially be friend with was exciting. He knew the meter-rule, but that didn't mean he couldn't speak to her. Rumours settled after a few days. This 'new girl' didn't appear until five days after they were first started. She was blank. Like an empty shell. She wouldn't talk to anyone. She just sat, quietly getting on with her chores, keeping her head down. That changed eventually. She began to talk about her past, to Kurt. Only to Kurt.

The two prefects stood at the head of their respective tables, overlooking this morning's servers dish out breakfast. Porridge. It was always porridge. If you don't eat it all, then obviously you're too full to eat anything for the rest of the day. There was to be no waste, or sharing of portions. Prefects where supposed to report such behaviour, but Kurt wasn't one to tell, the occasional time this happened. He knew what it was like to be hungry.

When everyone was settled, eating their food and the low sound of hushed chatter filled the air, was when Quinn came and stood by Kurt.

"New kid?" She whispered, still looking over to the girl's side of the room.

Kurt nodded in response. "I reckon. Did you see the light this morning, too?"

"I did. We won't see them for at least a week now. How old, do you think?"

"It's hard to say," Kurt wondered. "Someone young. We never get adolescents. You're an exception, Q."

Quinn hummed in agreement. "How old were you, again? When you arrived at Boondock, I mean?"

"Eight. Chances are they'll be younger than I was. Unless they're a transfer."

"Might be. We still have a few spaces open on our side."

"Us too," Kurt concluded, before the whistle signalling the end of breakfast sounded.

Ma'am stood in the doorway of the dining hall, waiting patiently. After students had successfully stacked their bowls, and lined up, other whistle was blown to announce the start of first lesson.

Kurt followed behind the last line. First was engineering, then home economics, followed by textiles, before lunch. Wednesdays were his best days. He was a skilled in all three of his morning lessons, and afternoons entailed the surveillance of today's kitchen staff, which just so happened to be his dormitory.

He walked into the workshop and stood behind his allocated seat. He checked his supply of washers and screws, made sure all of the tools where in the draw before taking out his apron.

"Mr. Hummel?" He stopped what he was doing, head turned towards the door. Ma'am was standing, a stern expression on her face.

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Could you please follow me?" She turned before looking back at him expectantly. "You're excused from first lesson."

They walked silently down the corridor, past the other classrooms, Ma'am pacing briskly in front as Kurt trailed behind. As usual, Kurt was fretting. It wasn't unusual for him to be called out of lesson. More often than not it was just a check up on how well behaved her students were, or something else she wished to add to the long list of rules already enforced at Boondock, but alas, it still worried him. Surely it was only a matter of time before he was shot down. Before he did something wrong. Before he was stripped of his role as prefect, his name and taken away.

He'd seen it happen before. Students taken away from Boondock. He didn't know where to, or why. It couldn't have been for the same reason he was brought here; Boondock is never full. There are always spare beds.

She opened the door to her office, sitting at her desk and waited as Kurt closed the door behind him. He turned to face her, putting his hands behind his back.

Only sit when you are asked to be seated.

"Please take a seat, Mr. Hummel," She gestured to one of the two chairs opposite herself.

After Kurt sat down, she began.

"Now, I know you are not new to this role, and between you and Miss. Fabray, I feel you are more suited for the job.

"If you remember, when I first appointed you as prefect, I told you of all the possible duties this role may include. Do you recall?"

"I do, Ma'am."

"Right, well this is the first time and hopefully the last time that you'll have to perform such a task."

She was rambling — Not getting to the point. She only did that when she was nervous. Kurt had only seen it happen once before, when Quinn arrived. She was addressing all the students about her arrival. That must be why she's getting so worked up. It's about the new kid. Kurt waited.

"We have a new student enlisting with us at Boondock, and it is your job to look after the boy until he is... ready, to join the rest of you. You are reliable for bringing him his meals, and you are also excused from your first period lesson every day this week. Any prefect duties you may have during that time will be temporarily taken over by Miss. Fabrey. Do you have any questions?"

"No, Ma'am." That was the truth in regards to the task, but he had a million more about the new boy.

"I trust you will show our new student right from wrong, and tell him about your responsibilities as a pupil here. Above all, don't believe anything he tells you about the Outside. We've heard from his... previous handlers that he is a deceitful boy: He's just trying to scare you.

"I will show you where you are to meet this boy each morning, but from then on he's your own responsibility. I have faith in you, Mr. Hummel, do not let me down; understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am."