Chapter 38

January 8, 2013

Walking down the streets of Lima Blaine was reminded why he didn't like winter or living on the streets. Adding those two together made it plain awful. He walked in nothing but an undershirt and a cardigan while tiny snowflakes fell on him as a cruel reminder that it was only the beginning of January and soon things would get even worse. He sighed wishing he could have stayed with the Hummels.

The boy couldn't help but imagine Kurt waking up from his nap and subconsciously reaching out for him but finding nothing. He would lie there for a few more seconds until he would properly wake up from his sleepy state. He would look around the room and when he wouldn't see him, he wouldn't think much of it. Until the ring on the desk would catch his attention. It would be the ring he would grab first because it would tell him something was wrong. Only then he would take the letter and read it. His heart would break at the first words but he would continue reading it. After the day of crying he would cry some more. All because of Blaine.

He walked for a few more minutes, not even sure where he was going. It wasn't dark yet and some passersby threw curious looks at him. He knew he must have looked ridiculous to all of them. But the boy just continued walking ignoring them. He was thinking of going back to the factory but he knew it would be the first place Kurt and Burt and maybe Puck would go looking when they found out he had run away. He was thinking of the so called haunted house but some kids might be playing there. He could also just keep walking until he got tired and hope for the best.

It was getting close to the time when people finished work and more cars appeared on the streets. Blaine didn't pay much attention to them until one slowed down and the window opened.

"Need a ride, kid?"

The slave looked at the car and stopped. The car stopped too.

"I–"

"I like taking a walk myself sometimes but personally I don't like dragging a bag with me or going out in winter without proper clothes," the man in the car said with a laugh. "Come on, hop in."

Blaine watched the window close and sighed defeated. He opened the door and sat down in the front seat.

"So how was the walk?" the man asked facing him and not showing any intentions of driving, just increasing the temperature in the car.

"Listen, Burt–"

"You should pray Kurt hasn't noticed you are gone yet."

"You said I could leave whenever I wanted so I chose to leave now," Blaine said.

"Without a goodbye?" Burt asked.

"I left Kurt a letter," the boy said defensively. "I wouldn't just disappear without a word, not after all you've done for me."

Burt nodded in understanding. "Can you tell me why you left?"

Something told Blaine that the man knew why but for some reason he wanted to hear it from him. "Because I don't want you to go to jail because of me," he said looking through the front window.

"Okay, so why haven't you come to me to talk about it first?" the man asked. "Since it has something to do with me?"

"Because you've dealt with way too much already. I knew you wouldn't let me leave so I wanted to make it easier for you. Don't pretend you don't think your life would be better without me," the boy said more harshly than he had planned.

"Better? No. Easier or more peaceful? Yes, I won't argue with that," Burt said much to Blaine's surprise. "But you know, if I got a chance to go back in time I would change one thing only. You know what?"

"What?" the boy asked reluctantly.

"I would have invited you to stay with us earlier. I wouldn't have waited for you to be hurt and nearly die. The moment my son came to me and told me about the homeless slave he had met, I would have driven all around Lima looking for you. And then I would have offered you a place with us."

"I would have said no," Blaine spoke after a while.

"I know, but it doesn't matter," Burt said with confidence. "You would have agreed eventually after some awfully cold night. And it's going to get very cold soon. That's just a random observation."

Blaine looked at the man and all he could see was sincerity. "I can't go back with you. It's too risky. Angry Dave is bad news and now he must be furious. He will go to police, I'm sure."

"You know the guy?" Burt asked.

"I... yeah, I do. I used to live with the Karofskys," Blaine carefully chose his words.

"You were their slave?"

"No, not really," the slave boy said and started playing with the strap of his bag.

Burt waited for a few moments but didn't hear any explanation. "You know, there is a way to get out of this situation."

Blaine looked up at him again. "What?"

"The only way for us to live in peace and sleep well at night is if I buy you. If you are legally our slave, then nobody could say we are doing anything wrong."

Blaine shook his head quickly. "No, no, I can't go back to my owners. She will kill me," he said starting to panic.

"Calm down, kid. Why do you think your owner would kill you?"

"Because she was planning to," the boy swallowed hard. "She wanted to kill me so I ran. My brother wouldn't have done it but she said she would..."

"Okay, you got me confused here," Burt spoke. "Could you explain maybe?"

Blaine looked at the man contemplating his question. He could trust the man, he knew that much. He just didn't know if he could trust himself to relive his memories. It was hard enough to think about his past but saying those things out loud would be much more difficult.

"I'm trying to help you here, buddy," Burt nagged him.

"Okay," Blaine said finally after taking a deep breath. "You probably guessed already that I wasn't born in slavery. My parents sold me when I was fifteen so a bit over three years ago. We used to be close, my parents and I. But I made a huge mistake by coming out to them when I was fourteen. They became distant, they just stopped loving me. But it wasn't until a year later that they finally snapped. They saw me kissing another boy. I guess they were alright, well maybe not alright with me being gay but for as long as I didn't act on it they could pretend I was straight. After seeing me with a boy they could no longer pretend.

"Next day my dad took me to the slave training centre in Columbus. I didn't know what that building was so I went in without resistance. I didn't even question where we were going. It wasn't until my dad signed some papers and some tall man handcuffed me that I understood what was going on. Just like that my parents sold me."

The boy was about to continue when he felt Burt's hand on his shoulder. He looked at him with a grateful smile.

"The centre... It was awful," Blaine continued. "They taught us how to be obedient, taught us about punishments and such. It was humiliating, degrading... Half of the time there I wanted to die. The rest of the time I was in the slave mode already and felt nothing. I was taught that as a slave I wasn't meant to feel anything. I didn't deserve to feel.

"Soon I was ready to be sold. I was dreading it. I was already used to the centre and the change scared me. I remember being told I had been bought. I started crying. I cried all the way to my new owner's house. The driver told me I should stop crying because owners usually don't like seeing their slaves cry so I would get immediately punished and it would be a bad start. So I tried to stop but it got even worse. I could hardly breathe at that point.

"We pulled over not long after and the driver pulled me out of the van. The house we stopped by looked really familiar the moment I saw it. Before I could even remember where I knew it from someone hugged me and started telling me everything would be okay. I recognised that voice. It was my brother."

"Your brother bought you?" Burt's surprised voice interrupted him.

Blaine nodded and took his locket from under his clothes. He opened it to reveal the photos of two young kids. "The older one here is my brother Cooper. I'm the little one," he explained showing it to Burt and closed it afterwards. "It was summer when I was sold, the end of July to be precise so my parents told him I was in a summer camp. My brother was sure I would have told him because we talked on the phone a lot but he didn't question it until I didn't come back after two weeks. But my parents fed him new stories.

"Luckily, his friend was looking for a slave to buy for himself and he saw me on the website. He recognised me because I spent one summer at Copper's place in Columbus, right after coming out to my parents. So he told Cooper and when I was put on sale, my brother bought me. That's how I ended up living with him and his wife Cassandra."

The boy dried the first tears that appeared, knowing it would just become harder as he spoke. He took a few calming breaths and Burt squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"I lived with them for about a year until... until Cooper died," he said and no longer cared about the tears. "There was a horrible car accident and he didn't make it. And after the funeral... Cassandra wanted to get rid of me. I always thought she liked me but apparently she didn't.

"A couple of weeks after my brother's death I overheard her talking to her sister. She said things like 'it would remind me of Cooper' and 'I don't have time or energy for it' and such. Her sister tried to argue that it's a human life she was talking about but Cassandra didn't care. I got scared and I ran away. I packed a few things, took the locket that Cooper had given me and left that night.

"I walked mindlessly without any real plan until I got too tired. It was the middle of October and it wasn't too cold yet. I slept in the bus stop until a car honk woke me up. A man in the car asked me if I was alright. I don't know why but I just told him. He seemed nice and I was scared and I just needed some guidance. I thought he would give me some advice. He did better. At least at that moment I thought he did. He offered me to stay with him and his family.

"This is how I ended up in Lima. Living with the Karoskys."

"What?" Burt gasped and Blaine looked at him to see shock on his face. "You lived with the guy who hurt Kurt?!"

"I did," Blaine nodded. "It was... they treated me like a slave, a proper slave, not how my brother or you treated me. I got beaten and starved, everything you can think of. They couldn't afford to buy a slave so I was perfect for them. A slave for free, just walking into their arms.

"I lived with them for a little less than a year until someone saw me somehow. Police came and took Paul Karofsky, Dave's father with them. I was kicked out and luckily I managed to snatch my bag. But before I left Dave told me if I tried to leave Lima, he would kill me. I didn't believe him and tried to leave and that's when I got close to death for the first time. Dave and his friends came after me and beat me up so badly that I couldn't stand up for over a day. I didn't want to die so I stayed in Lima.

"At first I was allowed to sleep in one of the city churches but later... it was Christmas time already... the priest told me people didn't want me to stay there anymore. He kicked me out. It was late in the evening and I didn't have anywhere to go so I just curled up in an alley trying to protect myself from the wind. That's where Dave's friends found me. They wanted to beat me yet again but one of them stopped me. Any guesses who that was?"

"It was Puck, wasn't it?" Burt guessed immediately.

"Yeah, my guardian angel," Blaine smiled through the tears. "He told them off and took me to the factory. I lived there until you took me."

"What happened that night?"

"They came after me on Friday. It was evening and I was already in the factory getting ready for the night. I don't know how they found my hiding place... I guess I had been lucky to be able to hide it for almost a year. So they came and beat me up. Nothing new except how ruthless they were. Even worse than the first time. Dave said something about finally taking care of me. I don't remember much. At some point I lost consciousness. I woke up in Kurt's bed."

"God, kiddo," Burt said before pulling Blaine into a tight embrace.

The boy relaxed ignoring the uncomfortable position and cried into the man's chest. He felt sick talking about his past but now he felt relieved as if some weight was lifted off his chest. It felt good.

"I promise, I won't let you down," Burt said and Blaine pulled away.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to you," the boy wiped his nose. "You are too kind to go to jail. You don't deserve it."

"I won't go to jail, we'll figure it out. Do you remember Cassandra's phone number?" he asked and Blaine shook his head. "How about her address?"

"I–"

"I just want to talk to her. I'll offer her some money. It's the only option," the man pleaded him. "You won't survive this winter and Kurt will kill me if I let you go. Please, just tell me."

Blaine looked at the man. It was over for him no matter what. If he left, he would die of cold. If he stayed, Burt would go to jail and he would be kicked out, also resulting in his death. If Cassandra got him back he would either die or be sold, both equally terrifying. It was over for him but he could at least try. For Kurt.

Defeated Blaine told Burt the address in Columbus and they drove back home. Blaine dropped his bag on the ground and took off the shoes, feeling a strange sensation in his heart now that he was home.

"Let's go get some tea," Burt suggested. "I don't want you to catch a cold."

"Okay," the boy said and they entered the kitchen. "When are you... going to Columbus?"

"I'll leave early in the morning so I can catch your brother's wife before she leaves for work," the man explained and put the water to boil. "I asked the kids if one of them could let you stay for the night, just as a safety precaution. They said they would ask their parents. Well, Rachel's dads would probably come barging in here themselves if they found out about you but Puck and Lauren said they would see what they could do."

"Lauren is scary," Blaine smiled a little.

Burt laughed and was about to say something when they heard shouting upstairs.

"Oh shit," the man cursed.

"Dad! DAD!!! Blaine left!" they heard Kurt's voice and soon the hurried steps upstairs. "Blaine ran away! Dad, come on! We have to go!"

Blaine stood up and was about to go show himself to Kurt when the other boy ran into the kitchen.

"Dad!" he yelled and noticed Blaine standing there. Blaine saw his expression change from fear to anger. "You!"

Kurt walked up to him and hit him in the chest with fists, walking forward all the time. "You asshole! Jerk! You, you... bad person!" he yelled until Blaine hit the kitchen counter and couldn't move anymore and then wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck. "You aren't allowed to leave! I'll order you, I'll make it a rule, just, please, don't leave... Don't ever leave me..."

Snapping from his initial shock Blaine encircled his arms around Kurt's waist gently. "I'm sorry, Kurt, I'm so sorry..."

"And you should be," the boy said, tightening his embrace. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you–"

"And what exactly did you think would happen after I read your stupid perfect letter? Did you think I would do a little happy dance and wave you goodbye? Of course it hurt me!"

"I'm sorry..."

"I hate you! No, I don't... But I'm very angry right now," Kurt murmured still holding onto him. "I order you to stay with me. Here, I said that. You can't leave."

"Actually he has to," Burt reminded the boys of his existence. "Lauren's parents agreed to take Blaine in for the night. We should get going now just in case police is on its way. Sorry, kid, no time for tea."

"Oh, okay," Kurt said finally releasing Blaine and stepping back. "Let me go get my overnight bag ready."

"You aren't going, Kurt," Burt said and the boy was about to argue but the man cut in, "I'm sure Lauren's parents don't have enough space for two boys. And how would I explain my son's absence if police came?"

"A sleepover," the teen shrugged.

"On Monday? Nobody is stupid enough to believe that."

"But–"

"No arguing. Blaine and I are going. Is there anything else you need to take, Blaine?"

The slave boy shook his head and looked at Kurt apologetically.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked him. "Do you have Mr Honey with you?"

"I... actually I took it with me when I left," the boy blushed. "I wanted something to hold while sleeping and something to remind me of you... You gave it to me so I thought I could take it."

"Of course you could, it's yours," Kurt said and hugged the boy one more time. "Come back to me, okay?"

"I'll try," Blaine said, knowing well enough that he couldn't make any promises in the position he was in.

When Burt and Blaine finally rang the doorbell of the Zizes' house they both felt uneasy. They weren't sure if Lauren's family was really just kind enough to help them or if they were planning to rat them out. At this point they were ready to take any risks.

Moments later a tall bulky man opened the door. He had an impressive moustache and cold eyes. "Yeah?"

"Hi. I'm Burt Hummel and this is–"

"Come in, we don't want anyone to see this kid," the man spoke and they all went inside.

Blaine saw Lauren standing in the doorway and smiled awkwardly at her.

"So you are Blaine?" the man asked.

"Yes, Sir," the slave responded.

The man nodded thoughtfully. "Short, bones only," he observed, "of course you couldn't defend against your attackers."

"I was thinking boxing first," Lauren spoke and the man nodded in agreement.

"Those slave kids should know how to fight back. There are too many people trying to hurt them," Mr Zizes said. "Don't worry, kid, I'll teach you how to not get your ass kicked."

"Thank you for helping us out," Burt said, feeling slightly better.

"Don't mention it," the man said. "You can go now. We have lots to do with this scarecrow."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Blaine," Burt said. "Don't worry about anything, okay?"

"Thank you, Burt," the boy said and hugged him. "For everything."

January 9, 2013

Burt didn't get much sleep that night. It was difficult for him to fall asleep and when he did, his dream didn't let him rest. Throughout the night he woke up four times and in the end it wasn't difficult for him to get out of bed when his alarm went off.

The man got ready as silently as possible. He had promised Blaine not to tell Kurt about their plan because they didn't want to give him hope. The teen did try to ask question the night before but he told his son they would go with the kids' plan of forgery. It was good enough for an answer.

While driving to Columbus Burt imagined various outcomes of the talk with the lady. He imagined all possible conversations, arguments, counterarguments, begging. He had no idea how the conversation would go and he just wanted to be prepared for everything. He vowed himself to do everything in his power to keep the boy safe.

The navigation system told him he had reached his destination and Burt pulled over. He checked the address on the house and saw he was at the right place.

Here goes nothing.

The doorbell shrieked inside and soon Burt heard the steps. A beautiful blonde woman opened the door. "Can I help you?"

"Good morning, I'm Burt Hummel. You must be Cassandra Anderson."

"Cassandra July-Anderson," the woman corrected him.

"My mistake," Burt said. "I'm sorry I came here this early. You are probably on your way to work but this is very important."

Cassandra looked at him curiously. "What's so important?"

"It's about Blaine."

The woman's eyes widened in shock. "What about him?"

"I want to buy him from you," Burt explained. "How much would you want for him?"

"I don't want your money."

"Look, ma'am, I'm ready to pay you as much as you want. Just tell me your price."

"I told you already, I don't want your money. I want... I want Blaine."