Pilot - The Rift

Public school. It was a big change from the hallowed hall of Dalton Academy, but it wasn't a big chunk out of his family's budget anymore, and especially with all the hospital bills from his dear sister and that liver transplant a month ago, it was saving them a ton of money. He would miss his old school though, especially his friends Wes and David. Plus the kids here in Lima seemed to think that William McKinley was a strange place.

Which Blaine noticed as well when he saw how jittery everyone was about him. One guy even came up and passed a hand over Blaine, like he was making sure the new kid was real. "Oh thank god," he said, and ran away.

Blaine took note of his mannerisms and decided he was one of the 'messes' the band Bowling For Soup was talking about in their song 'High School Never Ends.'

At lunch, he was offered a seat next to some friendly-looking football boys. Finn, Puck and Mike talked about the cliques of the school: the football team, the band-geeks, the cheer-squad, and, of course, Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry.

"What do you mean 'of course?'" Blaine asked as several of the Cheerios decided to join the football team.

"Are you talking about Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry?" A blonde girl with a perky ponytail asked. She was introduced as Britanny.

Blaine nodded, "What's… What's so special about them?"

"They're out-of-the-closet, for one thing," Mike said, "Which is totally awesome for them. I mean, I'm not gay, but it's totally awesome for a couple of awesome freaks like them to be out…"

Blaine decided to keep it down about his own sexuality, just in case being a jock and being gay was taboo. It hadn't been at Dalton, but Blaine didn't want to take any chances.

"The other thing," another beautiful blonde, named Quinn, said, rolling her eyes at Mike, "since being gay isn't as horrifying as other things here, is that Rachel and Kurt are the two people standing in the way between us and… them," she said, pointing upwards.

Blaine hadn't looked up at the ceiling since entering the building, but when he did—Oh-hell-no—he noticed the wibbly-wobbly… timey-wimey… space-time… blue-white… tear that was there. "What… what the hell is that?"

"That's the Rift," Finn said, following Blaine's hazel eyes. "That the opening to the Spirit World. Only people who are registered as students and faculty can see it, for some odd reason. Oh… and psychics. But here, only Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry are actual psychics. So they protect the school and this world from… that world."

Blaine was in awe of this place all ready. It certainly would be a lot more… different from Dalton.

After learning that being gay was definitely not as horrifying as the Rift that was floating above his head, Blaine came out to nods and finger-pointing about who else was gay in the group (so far, Karofsky was grudgingly all gay, Quinn, Santana and Britanny were bisexual, and Puck just didn't care who he hit on, but the rest were either questioning/experimenting or all straight). He was also pointed in the direction of the soccer team (Blaine's sport of choice was a year-round league that centered at McKinley, thank goodness), which he signed on for right away, just as the bell for his fourth period Spanish class was sounding.

On his way down the eerily dark hall (save for the light from that damned Rift), he suddenly found it a bit cold. Others looked around nervously, but they seemed safe. Blaine continued his way. If this school had a spiritual police of two psychics, then Blaine would continue to attend… not like his parents could actually see what was going on anyway. They weren't students or faculty. They'd never believe him. He was stuck, apparently, at a haunted school. Great.

"Who this? A new kid for me to play with…?" a voice said. Blaine paused, looking around him. "Oh, you won't find me, pretty little human boy…" the voice hissed again. "I'm a tricky little girl, always playing my pranks. You don't have any amulets or jewelry on you, tsk tsk…"

"What? Who are you? Are you one of the spirits of the Rift?" Blaine asked, turning in circles like a puppy might chase his tail.

"Oh no, funny little boy. They would let me into the rift. Tricksy little girls who kill themselves over teachers don't get access unless they stay with the dragons. Dragons didn't like little tricksy Suzy. Didn't like her at all…"

Blaine was suddenly without his books, as they had clattered to the floor. "What the—What did you do and why didn't I see it?"

"I merely swatted at your books. You're not wearing repellent, so that Hummel boy hasn't gotten to you, and I can play with you all I want." Suzy replied. "You're on my turf, as well, so I get to play with you all the way until the class bell rings, making you late to Mr. Schuester's class," the girl… ghost… thing let out a high-pitched giggle at made everyone else in the hallway cover their ears.

"Wait, repellant? What the hell is going on here?" Blaine shouted.

Suddenly, there was a girl wearing what looked like something Blaine's grandma would wear swinging a silver pendent at thin air. Suzy was screaming and whining, but all too soon she was gone. The girl looked down at Blaine and knelt down, helping the curly-haired male get his books into place.

"Sorry about her. Obviously, you didn't check in with Kurt or me when you arrived. Those jocks forgot to tell you, I guess," the brunette mused, handing Blaine his books and standing up straight. Blaine followed her, and she stuck out her hand, "I'm Rachel Berry, one of the Paranormal Police, as we're called here."

"Blaine Anderson. And… thanks for saving me, I guess."

"Saving you? Oh dear. Suzy Pepper is a harmless poltergeist compared to some of the characters that come out of the Rift. Anyway. Since you're new, you can have this pendent. Poltergeists hate silver like the plague, so she'll stay away from you if you wear anything silver. All students now wear silver to get away from Suzy," Rachel said, swinging behind the boy and clasping the necklace around his neck. "It may be girly, but you can take it off and replace it with more manly silver jewelry if you wish."

Blaine fiddled with the little figurine in the pendent: a little canary, it looked like. He suddenly saw a flash of a face, something of a memory. A woman's face, beautifully hallow-looking, with long, wavy brown hair and eyes like crystal, flashing green then blue then grey. The image faded, and Blaine was back in the dark hall, the light from the Rift shining down on him and Rachel. He stared at Rachel for a moment, getting his land-legs back, so to speak. "A-Anything else I should know about this school?"

"The Rift is the boundary between the Spirit World and our world?" Rachel prompted.

"Was told that," Blaine replied, nodding his head.

"My best friend Kurt and I are the only people here that can save you from the spirits that leak out of the Rift?"

"Told that too."

"We happen to be the only psychics around as well?"

"Yeah, kinda knew that as well."

"Only people registered here as students or faculty can see the spirits," Rachel said, sure that the boy didn't know that.

"Knew that too," Blaine replied, smirking lightly.

"Well… you're on your way, Mr. Anderson. Just… beware of what can leak out of the Rift. Kurt and I have gotten into some sticky situations, and they have involved people from this school. We wouldn't want you going crazy or leaving us or anything," Rachel replied.

The bell for class rang, and Blaine was reminded he had a class. "Shit. I'm late…"

Rachel smiled, "Have a good rest of the afternoon, Blaine Anderson…"

"You too… uh… Rachel Berry…" Blaine said, running for the door to the classroom without looking back.

Rachel sighed and took out her phone. "Stupid jocks not telling him to check in with us," she muttered as she sent a text to the only person who would really listen to her.

New guy. Didn't check in. Suzy up to her usual tricks. –Rachel

New kid? We don't have a lot of those. We'll have to keep tabs on his assimilation in WMHS. See to it that he doesn't get hurt in his first few days. I'm glad you go on patrol in your free time, Rach. –Kurt

Kurtie… he blanked out when I put your pendent around his neck. Think he's… awakening like I did? –Rachel

Keep an eye on the new kid for now, Rach. I'll meet you after school by the angel. –Kurt

Blaine's new house was a quaint little house, a perfect size for a recluse sister, her parents, and her brother, now the proud owner of a silver pendent to ward of poltergeists at his new school. What was odd about the house was that it was made of wood, but the porch and walkway were littered with little stone angels. Blaine's mother and father thought the angels quaint and pretty, even though they were much too lifelike for Blaine's taste.

His little sister, Mallory, ever since getting her transplant (and even before) had been hospitalized too frequently to go to school, so she was taken out to be homeschooled. Blaine's mother was thrilled to have something to do at home besides be the housewife that she just kept Mallory at home at taught her herself. Blaine's father worked in insurance, and kept a roof over the family's head, as well as food on the table. With Blaine as the only child going to school, the family was able to send him to Dalton Academy for Boys. Then Mallory had been terribly sick, and a liver transplant was the only thing that would save her. The Andersons couldn't pay both Dalton's tuition and for Mallory's transplant, so Blaine was now at William McKinley, and the family moved to Lima as the best transplant center was there, as well as Blaine's new school.

Blaine hardly spoke to his parents as he slammed the front door and climbed up the old, winding steps to his bedroom. There were only two bedrooms on the second floor, but there was an awesome attic bedroom at the top of the steps, and Blaine had claimed this one as his own.

As he threw his backpack on the floor and flopped onto his stomach on unmade bed, he suddenly thought back to the face he had seen when Rachel had put the pendent around his neck. Flipping over to his back, he took another look at the silver canary on the silver chain. Rachel had given to him to be his, but before it was his… who's was it? If it was one of the psychics' pendent, then… did he just have a little psychic moment rub off on him? Was it was one time deal?

He decided it was silly, that he wasn't a psychic now and he certainly wouldn't just… become one now. It was impossible. Just like… Rifts into the Spirit World and poltergeists and psychic humans who happened to be homosexuals. Oh-god-no-this-isn't-happening.

"He blanked?" the male said, handing his friend a Popsicle. He was enjoying a dipped cone. The ice-cream man had been around the block right before Rachel had gotten there.

Rachel touched the stone angel and nodded, "He jumped; like he had seen a vision or a spirit of a loved one—" here she got a slight glare from her partner in crime, but she continued, "—or something. And that was your pendent before you gave it to me to hand out to him," she added.

Kurt looked away from Rachel at that point. "My mom gave me that pendent. I don't know why I gave it to you for damage control with Suzy Pepper…" he mused, mostly to himself.

"Well… it's his now. If he was psychometric or something, the memories would go away," Rachel replied.

Kurt nodded and looked back at his friend, taking her free hand gently. "Oh Rachel, Rachel, Rachel Berry?"

"Yes, Kurt, Kurt, Kurt Hummel?" Rachel replied, grinning at their little inside joke.

"Tell me about this new kid? What have you gathered from the group that adopted him and his teachers and classmates?"

Rachel grinned, "He's a soccer player for the William McKinley Four Season Soccer League now… pretty good little forward, from the way he moved at practice today. That's why I was late…"

"Noted," Kurt replied… curtly.

"Puck said he was gay, but since he's a jock he might be soon taken by Karofsky," Rachel said, a hint of warning in her voice.

Kurt didn't notice the warning, nor did he make any other movement to tell Rachel he was interested. Rachel moved on, disappointed that no other gay guys seemed to pique her best friend's interest (anymore). It was like he wasn't gay but… asexual nowadays.

"He's a good student from his grades at his last school, comes from a decent family, though his sister is in and out of the hospital, poor thing… and… nothing out of the ordinary. Today must have been his first time, or something," Rachel replied.

"Or something. He might not even be a psychic," Kurt replied. "I wouldn't know the signs, either, as I was born one… you know about these… awakenings… far better than me," he said cryptically.

But Rachel knew what he was getting at. Another thing struck her mind, "Oh! The other thing is… he's moved into the… the Angel house."

Kurt's blue-green-grey eyes widened and he turned to look at his companion with them, "Oh no. When was this?"

"Only this past weekend," Rachel replied, her brown eyes matching him in width and emotion.

"Then they've noticed the intruders and will be attacking soon…" Kurt replied. "Did you warn him when you went on damage control, my precious Gooseberry?" he asked, both psychics pausing in their slow, thoughtful walk.

"I didn't learn this until after he had gone home when I asked Jacob for his file," Rachel replied, putting her hand over her mouth. "Should we… should we go over there now and warn the family?"

"No… no. We'll have to get them back into the Rift. We knew it would happen someday that someone would disturb the peace by moving in. The Angels had a deal that if they lived peacefully outside in the form of stone angels they could stay and watch over their beloved house," Kurt replied, sighing, "And the only way we're going to be able to keep an eye on the new kid is if we keep him here in this world."

Rachel nodded along with him, pulling him toward her house using their still clasped hands.

"I'll write him a note, and you deliver it, all right? Tell him to make sure his family gets out. Then we'll be able to eradicate the Angels from their stone homes and it'll be like nothing happened," Kurt told his partner in crime.

Rachel nodded, "I heard from Jacob that his father is usually away on the weekends. And that his mother and sister go on little mother-daughter dates on Saturdays. How much time do we need?"

"Oh, for the Angels? A lovely Saturday afternoon," Kurt replied, grinning cheekily at Rachel.

She mirrored his grin, "Of course, the great Kurt Hummel has a plan involving his faithful sidekick, the lovely Ms. Berry, right?"

"You have always been a part of my plans. Ever since our freshman year," Kurt replied sighing happily, "Now come on, Rachel, Rachel, Rachel Berry. Let's go study for the doom that is our morning Chemistry test, and then warn a certain new kid of the danger lurking at his house."

Rachel nodded, and with her Popsicle stick, saluted her friend with a rather drunken swagger. Kurt laughed and they continued on their way to Rachel's beautiful two-story house, the only one painted pink on a street full of drab grey and white ones. It paid to have to fabulously gay dads.