When Blaine woke the next morning, the boy from the previous day was nowhere in sight. He sighed and got out of bed.

Maybe I did imagine him. he thought.

There was a loud banging on his door.

"Hey Cary Grant, up and at 'em!" he heard Ms. Sylvester bark.

Who the hell...?Then he heard Cooper laughing, saying something about 'Arsenic and Old Lace' and that everyone had told him it was a wonderful movie.

It made Blaine regret his condition more than ever. Bernadette wouldn't even take him to the cinema for a movie at night.

"I'm up," he called, rubbing his eyes before making his way to the door and pushing it open slowly.

"Well thank the Lord," said Ms. Sylvester sarcastically. "Now if you'll excuse me."

She disappeared down the darkened hallway and when Blaine tried to follow her, he tripped, and would have landed flat on his face had arms not caught him round his shoulders and prevented it.

When he looked up, he saw that it was the other servant girl, Quinn.

"Thank you." he said softly.

She merely smiled and nodded before disappearing down the hall.

It was then that he saw the brown haired boy again.

---

"What's keeping Blaine?" Bernadette eyed her son's empty chair curiously. "It's not like he doesn't know this house, he's made the trip downstairs without a candle or a lamp before."

Cooper just shrugged and took a bite from his toast.

"He'll be down, Mom. Relax."

She gave him a severe look.

"Cooper --"

"Mom, seriously. He'll be down in a few."

---

Blaine looked at the boy uncertainly."Who are you?" he asked. "Why are you in my house?"The boy looked indignant.

"Your house?" he snapped, "I beg your pardon but this is my house. My family is moving in."

The sick boy reached over to grab a nearby wooden table to steady himself.

"I don't know what's going on in your head, but you're not moving in. You can't live in a house that's occupied."

"What are you even talking about?!" the brunette was livid. "This house has been empty for a week!"

Blaine stared at him as if he'd grown an extra head.

"I -- You're insane. Get out of this house. Get out today or I'm telling my mother and she'll have you thrown out."

He stumbled past the other boy and headed for the stairs. When he got to the dining room, Bernadette was on her feet in an instant.

"Where have you been?!" she yelled. "I thought you'd broken your neck!"

Cooper rolled his eyes.

"Mom I'm fine, but I --"

"You should have called for me to come get you -- or even Cooper!"

Blaine sighed and collapsed into a chair across from his brother.

"Mom, I'm photosensitive -- not a cripple. I'm fine walking down halls and stairs in the dark." he said.He barely felt it when she struck him across the face.

"Mom!" Cooper shouted.

When she hit Blaine again, he stumbled backwards and hit the wall. He barely registered Cooper dragging her away, or that she was screaming how sorry she was at her younger son.

He could barely breathe. His vision went white.

Pillows...the feeling he normally got when rolling onto his stomach to sleep, except he couldn't lift his head from the pillow. Couldn't move...couldn't breathe...

Blaine felt someone pick him up off the ground, heard Cooper ordering someone to close the curtains.

He didn't really care -- not about the mysterious boy, or their conversation.

Maybe he really was losing it.

"You're okay, Blaine," he heard Cooper saying, "It's okay, Mom was just -- out of it."

He snuggled against his brother's chest, waiting for his breathing to slow, for his heart to stop pounding so fast.

I'm not okay, Coop. I'm not okay.