Chapter 2 - Wilde
Somehow, even with three other people and a carload of stuff, the outside of Dalton seemed much bigger than when I'd last seen it. Much bigger and much more scary. When we'd pulled up Dad had raised his eyebrows and let out a long whistle.
"Well, at least we know our money was well spent."
As I lugged my case up one of the stone steps leading to the reception I caught my first glimpse of some students – a big group of them exiting from a classroom in a flurry of chatter and shouts. The smart blue and red uniforms seemed to blend together, apart from the distinctive Dalton crest, which stood out on every boy. Were they my classmates? I had no way of telling. Turning around I saw that everyone else had caught up and we went through into the main reception – the sounds of the excited class fading away into the distance.
I was surprised to see the receptionist was female – I don't know why but I'd expected the whole school to be male only. The sight of her smile brought comfort to me however, and I thanked the school that this wasn't true.
"Hello." She chimed brightly when we reached the desk. Her hair was long and chocolate brown, falling down in waves that could only have been created with a good quality curling iron. She was also wearing an exquisite knitted dress, teamed with a crisp white shirt underneath. If it was allowed, I was going to have serious fashion conversations with her over coffee.
"Kurt Hummel is it?" She continued, looking briefly at her computer screen. I nodded timidly, not really knowing what to say.
"Excellent. Welcome to Dalton."
"Very impressive building you've got here." Dad enquired in the gruff manly voice he saved for important occasions. Oh Gaga, please don't let him pull the 'embarrassing father' act – I wanted to make a good first impression.
"Yes, only the best for our students," the receptionist replied, flashing another delightful smile. I wondered if any of the other new Dalton students had been taken under her spell during their first few moments – I was gay and already found her fascinating.
"So…" Returning to her computer and tapping a few keys she brought up my details.
"You will be boarding in Wilde house in room nineteen. Your roommate is called Artem – he's another relatively new student that's just moved here from Russia, seems like a nice boy." My heart sank a little as Blaine's words came true, but I guess a Russian was more interesting than it could have been. As long as his English was good.
"I would offer to help with your things, but it seems you already have that covered." Releasing another smile the receptionist signalled behind me and I turned to see Finn's ears burning, his hands struggling to keep a grip on my other suitcase. Jeez dude – you have a girlfriend…
"Just follow the signs to Wilde and somebody will meet you there to take you to your room." I mumbled a thank you, trying not to laugh at Finn's obvious infatuation and turned to follow the first sign pointing left with 'Wilde' written on it in big fancy letters.
Just like inside, the grounds of Dalton were beautiful. Immaculately trimmed rose bushes and apple trees framed the walkways and quaint little benches sat amongst pristine flowerbeds and lawns. It was hard to imagine boys anywhere near these things – the only ones I knew would have destroyed the tranquillity and order within seconds. Following the signs we twisted through paradise until we reached a large white building with gilded windows and a slate roof. A tall attractive Dalton student who looked like a senior stood at the entrance, next to a plaque with the words 'Wilde House' and a picture of the Oscar it was named after on it.
"Hello Kurt." He said to me with a smile once we reached him, catching me slightly off guard, "I'm Nathanial, Head Boy for Wilde House." He held out his hand and for a couple of seconds I just stared at it, slightly overwhelmed, before eventually raising mine. He had a very strong handshake.
"Good morning Mr and Mrs Hummel." As Dad and Carole approached Nathanial greeted them too – I could see the excited looks on their faces as they heard their married status repeated to them once more. "And you must be…?"
""Finn. Kurt's brother." I smiled as they too shook hands, noting the fact that the word 'step' hadn't been used. Really, it felt stupid to be leaving my family just as everything had become perfect again. But I suppose they would always be there to come back home to.
"Right," Nathanial stated, rubbing his hands together once everybody had become acquainted, "if you leave Kurt's things here I'll give you a tour of the downstairs before showing him his room." Following his gesture to a space just inside the main doors we deposited my luggage and then convoyed after him down the main corridor.
You could tell the building was newer than the main part of Dalton, but the walls had been designed in the same way. In between more pictures and quotes from Oscar Wilde there were also awards people in the house had earned, along with plaques stating all the previous Head Boys and sports captains. (Nathaniel's name was on many of these – his surname Archibald.) We took a couple of paces down the hall before being stopped by a tall wooden door.
"This is the main cloakroom, where all your outdoor things are temporarily stored." Nathaniel stated. He pushed open the door for us to glance inside and I saw rows and rows of pegs with shelves for shoes underneath – rather like a primary school.
"Along here we have the kitchen." A few more paces down the corridor and we were taken into a room filled with titanium – titanium surfaces, titanium cupboards, titanium kettles.
"Of course, meals are provided in the main canteen for those that require them," Nathaniel added, "but the kitchen also offers the opportunity for those more experienced with cooking." I ignored the three glances all directed my way, instead admiring how spotless everything seemed. Either they had a regular cleaner here, or the room was barely used.
"There are a couple of boarding rooms downstairs for students that need easy access, but the only other room here is the common room." Now my stomach began to feel queasy. There would probably be students in this room – my housemates. Finn pushed me forward out of the kitchen and we walked back towards our things, stopping just before by a pair of double doors. Here goes…
As soon as the doors opened we were instantly met with a blast of heat – a roaring fire burned behind the grate in the centre of the back wall and filled the room with warmth and light. The interior was quite old fashioned, wing-backed chairs, antique rugs, yet more paintings and pictures adorning the walls – but far from making the room look regal and imposing, it only seemed to add to the charm. There were six other boys in the room. Three were perched by the fire playing some kind of card game, one sat in a wing-back reading the paper, one was picking out a book from the huge cases that lay either side of the fireplace and one was tinkling a tune on the grand piano next to the window. At our entry they all turned to look, their expressions inquisitive.
"Guys, this is Kurt Hummel and his family. He'll be a Wilde from now on." Filled with a sudden shyness I raised my hand in greeting, not really knowing where to look. The other stared at me for a moment, before smiling and waving back happily. Well, this wasn't so bad. As long as they weren't playing some kind of cruel game, (something I had seen too many times between McKinley girls) it looked like hopefully I would make a few friends here.
After exiting the common room with a new sense of optimism and returning to my things (which I noticed, had not been touched, despite their position. I loved this place already) we all began to re-gather and make an ascent up the white stairs. Nathaniel insisted on taking Carole's suitcase for her, something that made her visibly blush and prompted Dad to pile another bag on top of his load. When we reached the top of the stairs you could see most of the Dalton campus put of the large windows. Along with the main buildings and gardens there were three other houses, all a similar white colour, but with architectural differences that singled them out as individual structures. A brisk wind had picked up outside, making the nearby trees sway and brush against each other, and I was glad to be warm inside.
"These are the main quarters for Wilde students." Nathaniel began, gently placing down my suitcase so he could point out various places. "Freshman rooms are at the front of the corridor, followed by sophomore, junior and then senior. The Head Boy has his own room at the end of the corridor but also has a private study room in the centre in order to be able to keep an eye on everything that goes on within the house." Inwardly I gulped, wondering if we would have role calls every morning and room inspections. "The bathrooms are situated in the middle on the right and you are allowed a maximum of fifteen minutes shower time in order to avoid congestion."
"Woah, sounds pretty strict round here." Dad commented. He was staring down the corridor with a mixture of awe and apprehension across his face. Nathaniel smiled.
"On the contrary Mr Hummel – house rules are applied only to ensure that everybody is treated equally and no disputes occur. It is very rare that we have to reprimand students and privileges are often offered out to the well behaved."
"What, like twenty minute showers?" I hadn't meant my thoughts to be spoken out loud, my tone incredulous, so immediately slapped a hand over my mouth. Nathaniel laughed.
"No, more like off campus trips and extended curfew hours. Some students have even been allowed their significant others to stay for the weekend." Again I felt eyes on me, making my cheeks flush and my palms become sweaty. Well, I wouldn't be needing that privilege any time soon.
"Anyhow, let's get you to your room. Number nineteen?" I nodded briskly and everyone picked up their things again, making their way down the corridor. I noticed that on every door, as well as the room number, there was also a plaque with the names of the students living there on. For all the Freshman, Sophomore and Junior doors we passed, there were two names, however I noticed all the Seniors' further down only had one.
"Here we are." Suddenly we stopped, the action catching me by surprise so I nearly crashed into Nathaniel. Steadying myself I turned to the left and came face to face with a number nineteen. Above it, the names A. Chigvensky and K. Hummel. Gulp.
"Artem only moved here two weeks ago," Nathaniel stated, looking only at me, "he's found it quite hard adjusting but his English is great. We're thinking of trying to get him involved in a few house events soon." Oh great. I hadn't even met the guy and already I was being roped in to helping him settle.
"Sounds cool," I gulped, trying to disguise the nerves in my voice. Abruptly Nathaniel turned and rapped sharply three times on the door, making everyone jump. There was silence, the sound of rummaging and footsteps, and then the door opened.
Immediately my eyes widened in surprise. I don't know what I'd been expecting – bearskin hats, a bottle of vodka in his hand, some ridiculous moustache – Artem wasn't any of the typical Russian stereotypes. He did have a strong European build with muscles to rival Sam's, but his skin was tanned and he had short, curly brown hair.
"Heello Nathaniel" he said with a smile, greeting the Head Boy. The accent was definitely there, but his English was perfect.
"Hey Artem," Nathaniel replied, the most casual I'd heard him sound since we'd met. "This is Kurt." Immediately Artem's gaze fixed on me. His eyes were blue, something that surprised me, and for a second his forehead furrowed, bushy brown eyebrows almost joining together. However less than a second later he smiled, his whole face lighting up again, and held out his hand.
"Heello Kurt. I am very pleased to meet you." I met his hand with mine, relief flowing me and he shook it vigorously, making everyone around us laugh. Artem joined in too, his loud booming guffaw echoing around the corridor, before suddenly he wrenched the door fully open and pointed inside.
"This is our room." It was a decent sized room, almost symmetrical in it's layout – two single beds against either wall and a bedside table for each. There were also two desks and plenty of shelves to store books and other things. Artem's side of the room was already full with trinkets and gadgets – a had large poster with something written in Russian on and, interestingly, a fencing sabre resting by his bed. My side however, was completely empty.
"This is your side," Artem mentioned, as if I hadn't noticed and I nodded my head smiling.
"Pretty spacious in here," Dad commented, approval in his voice. Finn immediately rushed over to the sabre, which I presumed he thought was some kind of sword, and I slowly paced towards one of the large windows that let light into the room. As the last house of the four, the view looked out over the rest of the grounds, stretching out to what seemed like infinity – football pitches, tennis courts, more gardens…
"Hey," I suddenly chimed, spinning round so everyone stopped to look at me, "where are the closets?" Grinning, Nathaniel opened a door that I hadn't seen to reveal a large shared walk-in wardrobe. Yup, this definitely felt like home.