"Don't tell me what to do." Mason walked away from his sister without another word. The bright sunny exterior faded right before the eyes of those in the halls. The chipper smile he kept on in front of glee club became what everyone else saw, the same blank, meaningless stare he had on the majority of the time. By the time he made it to music appreciation, he was the only one there. The rest of the class were freshmen on some weird field trip. Even Mr. Schuester was gone. The substitute looked only a few years older than Mason himself at the most. He spoke, with his tone rather concise and cold, "Hello students, my name is," The young man finally turned to see the sea of empty chairs, aside from Mason's seemingly dead eyes staring back at him. "Wait, where's everybody else?" Mason merely murmured, "Freshman thing. It's just me." The sub sat on Mr. Schue's desk, his tone softening a bit from icy cold to an almost warm cheerfulness now that he realized he didn't have to manage a whole class, "Well then, why are you here?" Mason's tone was flat and despondent, "I'm a sophomore." The sub looked the curly haired teenager up and down with his bright hazel eyes, "Well, I'm Mr. Smythe. You can call me Sebastian." Mason nodded before asking, "Ok then Mr. Smythe, what did the teacher leave for me to do?" Sebastian glanced down at the post-it note of instructions and read it off, "Tell McCarthy to choose any song and write a two page paper about it. Wait, you are McCarthy right?" Mason nodded before pulling out his phone to look for a song to write about so Mr. Smythe could go back to whatever he was doing. He quickly clicked through and began to write, having his two pages, front and back done in about 20 minutes. "Did Mr. Schue leave anything else?" Sebastian glanced at his watch, "Wait, you're already done?" Mason ran a hand through his chestnut curls, "Yeah, it wasn't that hard to pick a song." Sebastian asked hesitantly, "Can I read it?" Mason stood up and handed the pages to the substitute instructor. Seb's eyes glanced around the text for a title, "We did this in the Warblers one year." Mason's eyes widened in awe, "As in the Dalton Academy Warblers?" Sebastian couldn't help his ever-so slight smirk, "You a former Dalton boy yourself kid?" Mason nodded, "Freshmen year. I tried out for the Warblers and became an alternat. So, my sister made me swear to her I'd transfer here this year to be with her and join the New Directions." Sebastian gave a knowing smile. He was aware how hard everyone who had the pride in calling themselves Warblers, even alternates had to work to keep their spots, even in his days. He couldn't imagine how rigorous it had to be now. He asked with a bit of happiness in his tone, "You know, since you're done for the day, and I've got nothing else better to do, I could teach you the old routine so you can amaze your little glee club." Mason looked a bit excited, "Kurt and Rachel tell us to come in prepared." Sebastian added, "Well then, tell Hummel and Berry that good old Sebastian Smythe is coming to visit today during rehearsal." Mason smiled as he stood. Sebastian helped him push a few desks out of the way so that he had ample space to teach Mason the choreography. He began "Ok, The sun goes out. The stars come down. Mason mimicked the steps beat for beat that he was being shown, even starting to sing as he did them, "And all that counts is here and now. My universe will never be the same. I'm glad you came."

Wow them in glee club he sure did. Once the music faded, Madison, Roderick, and nearly everyone else were on their feet applauding Mason's effort. Rachel remarked, "See guys that's the enthusiasm we need you to come in here with! Mason that was outstanding!" Yet, there was one person who was a lot less less thrilled at Mason's performance. Kurt asked, with a note of doubt in his voice, "Did you just totally rip off a Warbler routine?" Rachel's eyebrows knit in confusion, "I'm not so sure that's Dalton choreography. Going by the year they did that particular song at Regional, it means that would have to have been Sebastian's choreography." Now Sebastian himself stood in the doorway, internally cursing himself for missing a good chunk of Mason's performance. "Because it is my choreography, and no Hummel he didn'tsteal a routine, an old Dalton boy taught it to him." Mason Couldn't help but smile, "Mr. Smythe you actually came!" Rachel looked more than a bit confused, "Wait ?" Sebastian couldn't help his smirk, "I've been subbing around the district till my job is all sorted out at Dalton." Kurt couldn't help the venom in his tone, "Don't you need a degree to teach." Sebastian snarked, with a tone of sarcasm, "Don't you need a degree to be that annoying?" Mason gave him a pleading look as if to say, "Can't you play nice?", without the words leaving his lips. Sebastian added, "Either way, just as you and Berry should know by the fact you two are leading these five kids that you don't need a degree to coach a glee club." Rachel stood up and directed Mason back to his seat between his sister and Jane. She exasperated, "The Warblers were banned from competition for the next ten years!" Sebastian shot back, with his voice rising in volume, "Unless Dalton paid, which with it being a private school, they could afford to do, to keep the long illustrious history of the Warblers alive! So, we're back, and maybe even poaching one of your own to come on back to the red and blue." He gestured towards Mason and Jane, and no one knew which one of them he was referring to. Jane made the assumption, completely unaware Mason used to attend Dalton, "I'm not leaving these guys." Sebastian's icy cold demeanor returned, "In your dreams Hayward. I was talking about Mason." Mason cracked a slight smile as he stood and joined the adults, standing at Sebastian's side. Madison shouted, a bit of anger could be heard in her tone,"Mason already tried Dalton last year. He was even a Warbler. It wasn't a good fit for him. He told me himself that he hated it!" Mason spoke up in his own defence, "Madi, I wasn't even an actual Warbler, I was an alternat. As for the whole me hating it thing? I lied to you so you didn't feel bad for making me leave a place I actually enjoyed. There I wasn't "Madison's brother." I was Mason!" Madison tried to reassure him before he got actually angry with her, "Here you are Mason, you're just Madison's brother Mason." Mason could merely roll his eyes, "They already faxed Mom and Dad the paper work and has so graciously offered me a spot in the starting lineup, which I accepted." Madison couldn't help but seem hurt by her brother's words and disregard for their new found friends. She stood and took the steps forward necessary to grasp her brother's shoulders. "Mason, You don't just betray a twin like that." Mason merely shook off her vice grip and picked up his bookbag. He followed Sebastian out, yet as he stood in the doorway, he stopped and turned on his heel, "I will see you guys at sectionals."

In all honesty, his parents hadn't wanted Mason to leave Dalton in the first place, but Madison was tired of the catholic school environment of St. Ivy's and wanted Mason to leave Dalton and come with her to public school. It was sort of liberating. He was finally away from his overbearing, and slightly (7 minutes 15 seconds to be exact, of course he knew that) older sister. He heard someone yell, "Mason wait!" He assumed it would be his sister, so Mason spoke, his words cold and flat, "You're not talking me out of transferring Madison Claire so don't even try." He turned, now shocked as he came eye to eye with his new glee club director. mason asked, trying not to sound embarrassed that he'd just confused him for his sister, "Yes Mr. Smythe?" Sebastian took Mason's hand and slipped a piece of paper into it. "Text me if you have any questions, or just need someone to talk to." The curly haired young man asked, with a note of confusion, "Why would I need someone to talk to?" Sebastian answered him, "Because I was the only one in that room smart enough to see through your fake smile Mason. I see a great deal of myself in you and I don't wanna see a bright, promising kid like you go downhill." Mason nodded and slipped the number into the pocket of his hoodie before actually getting into his car. Mason was actually sort of hot in the confined space. Once he was sure Sebastian was gone, Mason unzipped and removed his hoodie. He took a moment to glance at the trails of cuts up and down his arms. He whispered to himself as he began his drive home, "Oh if only they knew…"