Chapter Twelve
Once the others had left, Kurt settled back in the seat beside the bed, and glanced at Blaine, who was shifting around on the bed. "Are you okay?" he asked the younger boy.
Blaine let out a sigh. "Being stuck in this bed is actually making me a little stir crazy. Would you mind helping me to the couch?"
"Are you sure you're okay to move over there?" Kurt asked. "I wouldn't mind helping you of course. I just don't want you to overdo it or something."
"I'll be fine," he said, and then another thought occurred to him. "Although maybe I should use the bathroom first. I just realized I haven't peed since yesterday."
Kurt flushed at the very idea. "Okay, um…" he said, at a loss for words at the moment.
"You don't have to help with that, just help me get into the bathroom. I can take care of business myself."
Kurt nodded and stood to try and help Blaine out of the bed. He wrapped an arm around the boy's waist and placed his other hand on Blaine's arm, taking slow steps as he guided him towards the bathroom. "You aren't dizzy or anything, right?" he asked, fighting down the blush at being so close to Blaine.
The shorter boy shook his head. "No, just a little weak still. I think once I get some real food in me and maybe another night's sleep, I should be fine."
"I really hope so. I missed you at my ceremony." Kurt blushed when he realized what he'd said.
Blaine smiled at him. "I'm disappointed I wasn't there to see it. I bet you looked good in whatever outfit you chose to wear."
"Pfft, I look good in everything I wear," Kurt said as they reached the bathroom door.
Blaine laughed. "Glad to see you are so modest."
"Well, I do have an eye for fashion. And I take a lot of pride in my appearance. Go on. I'll be right here."
The other boy leaned on the wall inside the door as he made his way to the commode, leaving the door partially open in case he needed help after all. Once he'd finished and washed his hands as well as he was able, he started back for the door, cursing when he banged his knee on the bathtub.
"Blaine!" Kurt called, hesitating because he wasn't sure if the other boy actually needed him or not. "Blaine, are you okay?"
"I'll live, but now I really need help walking. I banged my kneecap."
Kurt frowned and opened the door to the bathroom, hurrying in to give the boy some support. "Sweetie, what happened?"
"I just misjudged my step and ran into the bathtub. I'll be okay, it just hurts like a son of a Biotch."
Kurt paused for a moment, and then he started laughing. "I'm sorry, just hearing you say that was funny for some reason," he said. "Come on, I'll help you to the couch."
They made it to the large, overstuffed leather couch, and Kurt eased Blaine down, before taking a seat a few inches away. At first they just sat there in a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. It was Kurt who eventually spoke. "Do you think they ever figured it out?" he asked.
"Hm?" Blaine said, turning to look at the boy. "Who and what are you referring to exactly?"
"Ethan and Devon. Do you think they ever figured out they were madly in love with each other?"
"I don't know," Blaine said honestly. He gave his head a short shake. "We know now that they both realized they were in love with the other, but we don't know if they ever realized the same was true for the other."
Kurt sighed. "I just hope that if I were ever to fall in love with someone, I'd have the courage to admit it, even if it meant getting my heart broken."
"Impossible," Blaine said. "Any guy would be an idiot to break your heart."
They stared at each other for a moment, and Kurt was tempted to lean in and taste the lips that Blaine was currently biting, but all but jumped back when there was a knock, and David entered, carrying a large tray.
"Dinner is served! Blaine what are you doing out of bed?" David said.
"Maintaining my sanity. If I had spent one more minute in that bed when I'm not sleepy, I would probably start cursing everyone around me with boils."
"Right, let's see how well you manage to curse Kurt then," David said, setting the tray down on the table in front of the couch.
Kurt sneered. "I'd be there helping him cast the curses."
David didn't bat an eye and moved to sit in one of the vacant chairs, opening a magazine he'd been carrying beneath the tray.
Kurt studied the contents of the tray. "Which do you want to try first, the BLT, or the broccoli and cheddar soup?"
"Goddess I miss bacon," Blaine said.
"BLT it is, then," Kurt said, picking up the plate and handing it to him, and then poured both of them a glass of water before helping himself to the grilled chicken sandwich. "This is amazing. I never considered marinating the chicken in teriyaki sauce."
Blaine chuckled, pulling a strip of bacon from his sandwich and popping it in his mouth. "Did the other boys forget to mention we have real chefs here at Dalton?"
"Are you trying to tempt me to transfer with the promise of gourmet sandwiches?"
"Depends," Blaine said, pulling out another strip of bacon. "What would work better? Gourmet food, or me?" He blushed almost immediately. "I mean...um…"
"Real subtle, Anderson," David said from across the room, without looking up from his magazine.
Kurt couldn't help the little bark of laughter that brought, even as he blushed as well. They continued to eat in silence, until Blaine got full halfway through the bowl of soup.
"Did the food help?" Kurt asked.
"It was nice to eat something real for a change," Blaine said.
Kurt just smiled gently at him. "Will you be alright for a moment while I step out to make a phone call? I promise I'll come right back afterward."
Blaine nodded. "I'm feeling stronger now. Maybe while you make your call, David can help me back into the bathroom to at least take a sponge bath before I have to get back in bed?"
David smirked from behind his magazine. "Right, because I won't be all thumbs from staring at you naked."
Both younger boys flashed him the one finger salute. "I'll be back shortly," Kurt said, standing and pulling his phone out of his pocket.
The pale witch stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed, blocking out whatever banter had just started between the two boys and dialing his dad's number.
"Hey, kiddo. I thought you'd be home by now. What's up?"
"I know dad, and I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner. I'm sure Mr. Thompson and Mr. Anderson filled you in on the mystery they've been trying to solve for years. And well, I kind of wanted to talk to you about something."
"Go on," his dad said in that I'm-not-going-to-like-this-am-I tone of voice.f
"I accepted my place in the Dalton Circle," Kurt started, biting his lip.
"And that means what, exactly?"
Kurt sighed and slid down against the wall, sitting on the floor beside the door. "That it would be more beneficial for me now to transfer to Dalton. But before you say anything, staying at McKinley would mean me driving four hours at least twice a week for Circle business, which would break the bank on gas, and Dalton has a zero tolerance no bullying policy."
"Kid, we ain't exactly made out of money here. Isn't that place pretty pricey?" Burt said. Kurt was surprised his dad wasn't outright saying no.
"That's what I said. But Trent told me that because Dalton was originally built as a cover up for the Circle, all Dalton Circle witches are immediately granted full scholarships. And Wes said once we look into Ethan's estate, it will give us enough money to live on for a while."
There was silence on the other end of the line as his dad took in that information. "Are those the only reasons you want to transfer?"
Kurt blushed, knowing his dad could probably see right through him. "They're the reasons that would count?" he said, posing it as a question rather than a statement.
"Uh huh. And the reason that wouldn't count?"
"Is really sick right now," Kurt said. There was absolutely no way he was going to tell Burt that Blaine was in serious danger. That would probably be enough to make his dad drive up that night and take him home himself. "I'm trying to help him recover."
Burt sighed. "When?"
"Probably as soon as possible. I don't want Rachel asking questions, and you know she will. Wes said David's dad can get started on it right away. And that it will go faster since I'm in the Circle."
His dad sighed again. "Are you coming home tonight?"
It was Kurt's turn to sigh. "Probably not. I'm sorry dad."
There was another pause on the line, before Burt answered him. "I want you to come home tomorrow, at least for a while, so we can talk this out some more. Besides, if you are transferring, I'm guessing you're going to want to pack up some stuff to take back with you."
"I'll come home tomorrow. I promise. If it's not too late, maybe you can treat Carole tonight," Kurt said with a grin. "And not worry about me interrupting."
"Goodnight, kiddo." Burt said. "Love you."
"Goodnight, dad. I love you too."
Kurt returned to the room to find David sitting back in his chair, doing the crossword puzzle in the back of the magazine, and no sign of Blaine. "Is he still in the bathroom?"
"Apparently, perfection takes time," David remarked, not looking up from his crossword. "How did your phone call go?"
Kurt shrugged and sat in the chair beside the bed, the demon vessel rolling over until it rested against his foot. "Dad wasn't happy, but he didn't demand I come home tonight. He does want me to go home tomorrow to talk, but only for a little while, before I come back here." He glanced towards the bathroom door. "Is he going to be okay in there alone?"
"Don't worry, I've cast a spell to alert me if he needs any help. He's fine for now," David said. "Trent can take you back after classes tomorrow if that's okay. With Mercedes and Santana returning then, we should be okay without you for a little while."
Kurt nodded. He sat there for a few moments as a thought formed in his head. "I know I'm supposed to be a memory reader, but so far I haven't really had any control over it. I was wondering if there was a way to try and access specific memories?"
David looked up from his magazine finally. "I don't know," he said. "You'll have to ask Trent. That boy is like an encyclopedia when it comes to powers."
"There's no spell that can help me?" the younger witch asked.
"I suppose I could make one, but I'd need to know more about how memory reading works. It's a really rare skill."`
Kurt considered for a moment. "Is it too late to ask Trent to join us tonight to talk about it?"
"Wes relieved him of any duties tonight, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you wanted to ask him to come up. Trent is always happy to help." David wondered why Kurt was so adamant about this, but opted not to ask.
"Could you call him, please?"
"I'll shoot him a text," David said, pulling out his phone. As he was typing, the bathroom door opened, and Blaine stepped out, wearing clean pajama pants and a white t-shirt. His freshly washed hair was free of gel, and no longer matted with sweat and sleep. Kurt's heart skipped a beat as the shorter boy spotted him, and smiled.
"I feel more witchy now," Blaine joked.
"I think you look handsome," Kurt said, blushing and ducking his head.
David glanced between them. "Shall I leave you two alone for five minutes?"
Blaine threw the older witch a glare, which only caused David to laugh and shake his head.
"Nice try, Blaine. You're about as menacing as a bunny rabbit."
Kurt glanced at the darker skinned witch, one eyebrow raised as he gave him his level two Bitch face. Level one usually was enough to have people groveling at his feet. "Is that so?" he asked, tone menacing.
David threw up his hands in surrender before returning his attention to his crossword. "Hey, it's not my fault Blaine is too nice to master glaring at people," he said.
"Well, fortunately for you and the rest of The Circle, I'm a Grand Master in glaring. Is that Trent?" Kurt asked when David's phone pinged an incoming text.
"I'm trying to see how that is fortunate," David teased, pulling out his phone. "Yeah, he'll be here shortly. He just got caught up with something," he said, not taking his eyes from the phone.
Kurt nodded and turned back to Blaine. "Do you need help getting back to the couch? Or do you want to lay down again?"
Blaine frowned. "Couch, please. Those sheets probably need changing."
"Okay," Kurt said, smiling at him and helping him over to the couch again. "Would you like a blanket?"
The shorter boy shook his head. "No, thanks. Why is Trent coming?"
"Kurt has some questions about memory reading. I told him only Trent would be able to answer them," David said, not looking up from his crossword.
"What do you want to know?" Blaine asked Kurt as the pale boy busied himself putting the dinner dishes back on the tray, and pouring Blaine a cup of tea.
Kurt shrugged. "I was wondering if there is a way to access a specific memory, or if it is purely random."
Blaine looked at him. "What memory are you trying to access?" he asked, a curious expression across his face. "I'm no expert, but I would think it would be like other abilities, in that what you can do with it, depends on how practiced and experienced you are with it."
Kurt frowned. "I was hoping to access the memories of everyone involved that night. Well, Ethan, Devon, and Winston, anyway. I really don't think I want to even touch Smythe's memories."
"I don't think you'll be able to access Winston's memories," David said. "Unless Trent has anything of his. Wes had Hunter seal Winston's room after we got Blaine out. There's too much dark magic left in there and it's not safe."
A tap on the door signaled Trent's arrival. "You rang?"
"I had some questions about this memory reading thing," Kurt said.
"Oh? What do you want to know?" The younger boy shifted into what Kurt was beginning to think of as his Educator mode.
"Can you access specific memories at will or is it just kind of random?" Kurt asked.
The other boy looked stumped for a moment. "I don't actually know the answer to that. Maybe? I mean, if you had something to use as a focus, it would probably help you choose which memories you want to see."
Kurt frowned. "I asked David if there was a spell that would help, but he said he'd have to know more about Memory reading. Do you think the two of you could work together and see what you can come up with?"
"I suppose we can, but I can't guarantee you that it will be ready quickly. It's not something that we've ever tried before," Trent said. "I can also call my dad and see if he knows anything I don't. But Memory reading is so rare, not a lot is known about it."
Blaine seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Wait, Kurt, we've deduced you got Memory reading from your mom's side. Is there anyone in her family still alive? The best person to give you the best information is someone else who can do it."
Kurt's face lit up. "Jackie! She was my mom's aunt, although she hated to be called aunt Jackie. She lives in Massachusetts. Maybe I can call her."
Trent nodded. "You do that. Meanwhile, I'll see if my dad knows anything just in case. And David and I will work on something."
Kurt agreed, and once more stepped out into the hall to make a phone call. It took a while for the phone to be answered.
"Hello?" came a woman's voice when it was picked up.
"Jackie? It's Kurt." He realized then that the last time he had spoken to his great aunt was at his mother's funeral, and she might not remember him. "Elizabeth's son," he added.
"Kurt, dear, how are you? It's been so long since I've seen you or your dad."
Kurt smiled a little to himself. "I'm okay, all things considered. Listen, Jackie, I need to ask you about something."
"What is it, sweetie?"
"Well, it's about witchcraft."
"Oh my Goddess! Lizzie was right, wasn't she? You're a brand new Line! I knew it! She was the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter, after all!"
The boy frowned in confusion. "Seventh daughter of the seventh daughter?"
Jackie let out a little laugh. "Yes, legend has it that the seventh child of the seventh child will have extraordinary gifts. In this case it was passing magic on to her only child, a son, to form a new Line."
"I'm not a new Line, Jackie. It turns out the Hummel men are witches, too. Apparently my great great grandfather bound our magic after being influenced by dark magic. Dad and I only just found out about it in the last few days."
There were a few moments of silence on the line as the older woman took in the information. "I see. So, what is the Hummel Line's ability?"
"Telekinesis," Kurt replied. "But there's more, Jackie. I also inherited mom's memory reading abilities, and I need to learn how to use them, and fast. There is a mystery to solve, and a boy's life may be at stake."
"Where are you?" his great aunt asked.
"Dalton Academy, Westerville, Ohio."
"I'll be on the first flight out tomorrow morning." She hung up before he could ask any more questions. Stunned, he stared at the phone screen for a long time, as if willing it to provide the answers he needed.
…
Jeff lay with his head hanging off the side of the bed, reading his family's grimoire upside down, absently stirring the cup of tea sitting on the floor below him as Nick toweled his hair dry on the other side of the room, watching the blonde boy out of the corner of his eyes, a satisfied smirk on his face.
Nick thought about going over to the bed and distracting the other boy again, but his thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. Frowning, he picked it up from where it lay on the dresser and glanced at the caller ID.
"Hey, Trent, what's up?"
"Hey Nick," Trent replied. "David and I are working on something and we were wondering if you and Jeff could try tracking something for us."
The dark haired boy looked intrigued. "What are we searching for?"
"We wondered if you thought you could find something that belonged to Winston."
"Can you be any more specific?"
Trent thought for a moment. "Maybe something of value? Something that would have a lot of history in it. If you could find a journal of his, that would be perfect, but anything he might have had for years or cherished will work, too."
Nick considered for a moment. "It's a long shot, especially after all this time, and since Wes sealed the room. Do you want us to start tonight, or can it wait till morning?"
"I'd love to give you more time, but this is actually for Kurt's benefit, so tonight would be better."
He glanced over at Jeff once more, a pang of regret hitting him as he let out a sigh. "Give us five minutes to prepare and we'll see what we can find."
"Right, thanks, Nick," Trent replied.
Nick hung up. "We're back on duty. You might want to get dressed."
Jeff frowned. "What? But didn't Wes say we were free for the night?"
"Trent and David are working on something for Kurt that needs something of Winston's. Trent asked if we could find something."
The blonde boy frowned even more. "I almost highly doubt we'll find anything of Winston's," he said. "But Goddess, I was looking forward to round two."
Nick let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. After everything settles down, we'll have way more time together. I'm just glad neither of us was too oblivious to tell each other how we feel," he said, leaning over to kiss the other boy. "And maybe someday we'll let everyone else know, too."
Jeff mumbled something under his breath. "Trent owes us big time for this and I'm holding him to it."
Nick laughed again, rolling his eyes. "Come on, get dressed. I'll get the pendulum."
"You sure I can't just do this naked and then get dressed when it's necessary?"
"You really want the humans to see you walking around as the Goddess made you?"
Jeff sighed, tossing the grimoire aside and attempting to sit up, but only succeeding in falling completely off the bed and to the floor. "Damnit," he muttered.
Nick shook his head, biting his tongue as he reached down to help him up. "Doof."
"You know you love me."
The dark haired boy laughed and kissed the end of his nose. "I do."