Chapter 1: First Day of Camp

Friday, August 11, 10:00 AM, Carter High School Band Room

Get ahold of yourself, Persephone O’Hara told herself. You have a boyfriend.

She couldn’t help but tense up as her new classmate approached. Her eyes scanned his body, starting from his near jet-black hair. Unlike most of the guys at Carter High School, he took the effort to style his modest mane. Seph found herself grateful for this since it kept his hair out of the way of his piercing blue eyes. His strong jawline accented by the hint of a beard breaching his otherwise unblemished skin. So many have been trying, most failing, to grow out their facial hair only to have it reinforce their boyishness. This is a man.

“Miles,” he offered his name with the confidence of someone who wasn’t coming in for an audition. He removed his leather gloves and extended his hand out for her.

The firmness of his handshake caught her off guard, sending shivers down her spine.

“Se-Seph,” she replied. She’d meant to be friendly but now found herself unable to wipe the grin from her face.

“And I’m Kristina,” the Drum Major beside her announced. Miles shifted his attention to the other girl and offered her his hand as well. Kristina broke eye contact and let out a quiet giggle that didn’t go unnoticed by the others.

“Ladies,” the band director’s tone snapped them to reality, before turning his attention to the newcomer.

“That’d make you Mr. Boon?” Miles asked as he extended his hand out again.

“Very excited to hear you play,” the man said instead of answering. “Is your sister not joining us?”

“Oh, she’s setting up her schedule and joining after. We figured she’d probably be finished before I was done with my auditions,” he set his gear down and stood to his full 6’5” height. “Did you want me to start on trumpet or guitar?”

“I don’t have a preference,” he turned toward Seph. “Miss O’Hara?”

Shit.

“Um ... Let’s do trumpets first.”

The boy removed his leather jacket and draped it over the back of his chair.

Oh, my.

He bent down and undid the latches to his case. Readied its stand, then retrieved the horn. He fingered the pistons to ensure they were gliding smoothly. Briefly, he buzzed air out of his mouth to loosen his lips, did the same with the mouthpiece, then brought the instrument up and rapidly traversed through a basic scale. Finally, he removed his tuner from its slot, and made sure he was set right, then placed the silver horn across his lap. He smirked at Boon.

Cocky! Seph had always heard that confidence was a turn-on, but Miles was making her weak in the knees.

Boon, seemingly approving of the boy’s challenge, produced a page of sheet music and placed it on the stand in front of Miles. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Miles looked the page over quickly. Then double-checked just as fast, before bringing his horn to his lips.

No way. Seph furrowed her brow. It took me nearly twice as long to feel like I caught all the subtleties in the piece.

Her eyes darted across her copy of the music as he played.

He’s good.

Once Miles finished playing, Boon warmly congratulated him. They turned toward Persephone, hoping to read any glint of a reaction from her face.

She refused to give him the satisfaction. Instead choosing to remain stoic. She had worked her ass off to gain her position. Too hard to let someone rattle her so easily. Besides, her classmates didn’t see her solely as ‘First Chair Trumpet’. They viewed her as a leader for the brass section as a whole, and their representative if ever there was a reason to challenge a decision being made regarding the band.

I’m not just going to roll over and give up my spot. But there’s no point pretending he’s not good. She smiled and looked the boy over again. Damn good.

“Shoot,” she exhaled. “You could actually take my seat.”

A smile washed over Miles’s face at the comment.

“ ... If something were to keep me from playing, that is,” she added with a wink.

“I take it you’re ready, Ms. O’Hara?” Boon asked, with a tone that would kill any further flirting, at least for a few moments.

“Mm-hmm,” Seph hummed as she sat upright and pulled her instrument up to her lips. She played the song identically to how Miles just had.

Mr. Boon switched them to other pieces and the duo ran through a couple more exercises, he occasionally asked one or the other to replay a certain phrase. Once all the pieces had been played, they discussed the performances.

They came to the agreement that Seph would maintain her position as first trumpet, but, unless someone else had drastically improved over the summer, Miles would hold the next seat. With the option to challenge for position remaining open.

As Miles went to put his trumpet away and retrieve his guitar, they heard the door open. Miles continued setting up as his twin sister entered the room.

Holy shit! Seph audibly gulped, I thought he was hot, but she’s absolutely incredible.

Seph looked over at Kristina, who accidentally let out a quiet “Woah” to herself as the girl strode into the room.

“Hey,” beamed the new girl. “You haven’t been waiting for me, have you?”

“Yes, Zo,” Miles chuckled as he slung the instrument’s strap over his back. “As usual, the world waits for you.”

She smirked and rolled her eyes.

“Hmph,” Boon grunted his amusement at the interaction.

Miles’s eyes shot to the band director, “Sorry, sir.”

“Siblings banter,” the older man shrugged. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

“What he means is, after having my brother and I in his class, you two are going to have to step up your bicker game,” Seph chuckled. “I suppose you caught that he hasn’t done his audition for guitar yet.”

“Great,” she continued genuinely, before adding, “I’m Zoe,” with a smile and a wave.

Persephone found herself trying to process what she was seeing.

Is she as tall as her brother? No, she’s got heels on, but she’s still incredibly tall. Maybe 6’1. Shit. Did she go to a salon before coming to audition? Perhaps she thought she was auditioning for a modeling agency?

She had to acknowledge that not only was this girl a natural beauty but even more dangerous was that she knew how to utilize makeup to accentuate her features. Her clothing preference seemed to harken towards rockabilly, which would have the same effect as a foreign accent at their school.

Get ahold of yourself. She was slightly irritated to have to remind herself again. You have a boyfriend.

“Erm ... Miss White,” stammered Mr. Boon, “I trust you’re aware that, come the school year, that attire wouldn’t be deemed appropriate.”

Seph realized part of why she’d immediately felt threatened by Zoe was that she was perhaps the most put-together person she’d ever seen. Her shorts came a quarter of the way down her thigh, and her tight vest drew the eye to either her cleavage or her exposed midriff.

“Yessir,” Zoe responded cordially. She reached up to remove her sunglasses, drawing Seph’s eyes to the fingernails matching not only her crimson lipstick but also the pinstripes on her top, as well as the straps on her sandals. Seph hadn’t realized she’d been gawking at the new girl for several seconds until Miles interrupted her train of thought.

“Do you have a piece you’d like me to sight-read for this? Or should I play something I know?” He inquired.

Again, Mr. Boon provided sheet music. Miles familiarized himself with it, quicker than he had for the trumpet pieces, and played flawlessly.

It went unnoticed by the others, but Seph had spent enough time working with the conductor to realize when he was unsettled. She also knew that he picked pieces that challenged those auditioning. The idea that Miles could familiarize himself with the notes on the page so quickly was almost alarming.

Seph admired the skill Miles displayed for them. She was a fairly proficient guitarist herself but focused her musical prowess on trumpet since its market was marginally less saturated. Had she been asked, she would have conceded that transitioning to French horn would have been a much more logical choice, though not one her ego would have been satiated with. Regardless, hearing Miles play assured her that the jazz band would benefit from his abilities.

“That- that didn’t provide much of a challenge for you, did it?” Mr. Boon tentatively asked.

Miles, who minutes earlier nearly came off as arrogant, broke eye contact, looked at the floor, and quietly admitted, “No, it wasn’t very difficult”

“Could you humor me for a second?” As Boon asked, Miles’s eyes snapped back to attention. “Would you mind playing something you find more challenging?”

A smile briefly flashed across Miles’s face, and he was about to play, but then a thought gave him pause, “Do you want me to play something popular or would it be alright if I played something I came up with?”

It was Boon’s turn to smile now. “Whichever you prefer should be fine.”

Of course, he writes his own songs. Persephone cursed inside her head. Please be derivative or cliché or even just ... lame.

Miles set his plectrum down and instead began fingerpicking the instrument.

The piece was likely intended for an acoustic guitar, regardless, Miles understood how to get the notes to sing with the emotion he wished to convey.

Dammit! Seph was actually beginning to feel intimidated by his abilities on these instruments.

As Miles finished playing, the others were nearly left speechless.

“Fantastic!” Bellowed Mr. Boon, “That was completely original?”

Miles hesitated to answer, “Uh ... I think I was trying to come up with something like Wild World by Cat Stevens and Going to California by Zep ... but trying to do what Rodrigo y Gabriella did with Stairway.”

The girls found their voices and began complimenting Miles on his tune.

Having not spoken for several minutes, Zoe finally interrupted the group and asked, “Still want me to audition?”

“Sorry, dear,” Boon shook his head. “It seems we were all quite impressed with Miles’s performance. If your abilities rival those of your brother’s...”

Shit! The thought had lingered in the back of Seph’s mind, but Boon’s statement brought it to the forefront.

Zoe blushed and looked at the floor.

“Again, I should apologize,” Boon shook his head and chuckled to himself. “That statement wasn’t the most professional. Are you comfortable on the marimbas?”

“Y-yeah, that should be alright,” Zoe responded with a hint of reluctance.

Oh, thank God. The hesitance in Zoe’s voice assured Persephone that Zoe was indeed human.

With sheet music in front of her, Zoe began playing the piece Mr. Boon provided.

Kristina uttered a few disapproving grunts whenever Zoe’s rhythm wasn’t perfect.

Careful, Kristina. Miles looks more and more annoyed every time you do that.

The others reading the song didn’t feel as though those discrepancies were significant. As he had for Miles, Mr. Boon had intentionally chosen what Zoe would sight-read to test her abilities.

After finishing, Boon asked her to revisit a couple of measures, which Zoe immediately realized she’d misread on her initial play-through.

They repeated this process on the tubular bells, and eventually the timpani.

She’s nowhere near the musician that her brother is, but she’s not bad. Seph studied the girl again. She probably isn’t going to need many talents to stroll through life.

“And you said you’ve never done marching band?” Mr. Boon recalled from their correspondence earlier in the week. “But you’ll be joining us for the retreat, right?”

“Yes, we’re nearly ready for that,” Miles answered eagerly.

“Great. Well, I think we’re all set here today. The girls can help get your lockers set and give you a bit more insight into how the next couple of weeks will go. I have some things to finish up on in my office if you require me. Otherwise, it was a pleasure to meet you both. I’ll see y’all Monday,” Boon declared as he departed. As he opened the door to leave he remembered to add, “Oh, and welcome to The Wildcats.”

As the door shut, the atmosphere of the room changed. Without supervision, the teenagers had the freedom to be themselves. Or would have if they didn’t find the fear of first impressions so restrictive.

“How long have you been in town?” Seph asked, attempting to break the awkwardness.

“Not quite a week,” Zoe spoke up, as Miles started packing up his guitar and coiling his cables.

“Woah! And you’re going on the retreat? Have you even unpacked?” Seph blurted.

“The retreat is not optional,” Kristina interjected before the twins had a chance to reply. “Maybe you can be in band, or jazz band, or even pep band for the basketball games, but you won’t survive marching band if you don’t make it out to the retreat.”

Typical Kristina, Seph shook her head a bit. She’s right. If someone tried skipping the retreat, they’d never last. But it’s our job to encourage our bandmates. Will she ever get that?

“We’re going,” Miles assured.

“My only hesitation came when I thought it might mean we’d miss the eclipse,” Zoe said. “Once I knew we’d catch it I was on board.”

Seph noted Kristina wince at Zoe’s statement. Just because she doesn’t want to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity doesn’t mean she’s not dedicated to the band.

Seph shrugged. “Last year, everyone who missed the retreat wound up dropping out of marching band by October. But since you two are going, you’ll be fine.”

“You might be fine,” Kristina snorted.

She’s going to have to take orders directly from you. You don’t gain respect by being a bitch about things.

“Basically, it’s boot camp,” Seph explained. “And it’s going to completely wipe everyone out. Seriously, kids will drop out of band during the retreat. There’s a lake that you can relax in to get your muscles to unwind at the end of the day. For the first week, we won’t even play a note. It’s basically just marching in the mud, lugging your gear around, and getting yelled at.”

Kristina couldn’t help but smile, “And this year I get to do most of the yelling.”

Way to give them something to look forward to.

“Oh yeah,” Seph continued. “It’s also Lord of The Flies. The chaperones will be there to make sure there’s enough food, and to make sure we don’t kill each other. But the section leaders will lead a lot of the drills. Tune will guide us, but really it’s gonna be us training the new students the same as we got trained.”

“Tune?” Miles questioned.

“Sorry,” Seph blushed. “Mr. Boon, I don’t know when he got that nickname, or even who gave it to him, but it’s what the students have called him ever since we got here.”

After the gear was stowed, Seph grabbed a couple of small notebooks and handed them over to Miles and Zoe.

“These are your dots.”

The twins peered inside and confirmed she was correct, there were many dots inside the spiral-bound pages, as well as graphs and even some text.

“The Dot books show our routines. Someone might refer to them as drill books, but it’s just the same thing.”

“Have that on you at all times during the retreat,” Kristina added, as they ambled towards the parking lot. “By the end of the first week, I expect my section to have their parts memorized.”

Could you relax a little?

“ ... If we have them memorized, then why would we need-” A look from Kristina told Zoe not to finish what she was saying. “On us at all times. Got it.”

Seph had to stifle a laugh. Kristina’s gonna love that. A drummer who isn’t just kissing up to her and actually questions when she does or says something stupid.

“Here, lemme show you some things,” Seph opened Miles’s book and went over some routines, “See, this way you can get a jump start before Monday.”

He even smells nice.

Instead of offering to assist Zoe with her Dot Book, Kristina just rolled her eyes. “Your comment seemed pretty smart. Probably don’t need anyone’s help figuring out your Dots.”

Seph and Miles both cast a glance at Zoe. The girl opened her book and looked at the symbols on the page, sighed, and closed them again.

Can’t invite her to join us after Kristina was so dismissive, Seph acknowledged. Better make sure Miles is comfortable enough with it to pass along the knowledge.

“You mentioned the food earlier...” Zoe perked up once Seph and Miles were ready to reengage in the conversation. “How’s that?”

“Ugh, it’s the same slop we get in the cafeteria here,” Kristina uttered miming sticking a finger down her throat.

What are you trying to do? Scare them off?

“Uhhh ... some of the cafeteria workers come out with us, and share a cabin ... Err ... two?” Seph hadn’t ever paid much attention to the arrangements of the chaperones and cafeteria staff. “I think they can volunteer if they’d like, make a bit of money before the school year officially starts. Otherwise, some chaperones have helped in the past.”

“And who makes up the chaperones?” Miles wondered aloud.

“Parents. Maybe some boosters ... some members of the community who think they’ll stand out by getting involved in things like this. It’s more likely just a way for someone to show off that they have money.”

“Gotcha. So, meals are taken care of.”

The way Zoe said it told Seph they’d already been informed of this, but she still appreciated Seph’s attempt at keeping them abreast of the situation.

“Afterward, we trade off who’s stuck with dish duty by cabin,” Seph continued. “They try to set it up so your cabin doesn’t have dishes the same day you do laundry, but occasionally it just lines up that way.”

“And on Laundry day, your cabin works with another cabin to wash all the gym uniforms,” Kristina contributed.

“And we’re basically wearing gym clothes the whole time?” The expression on Zoe’s face told them all she wasn’t looking forward to wearing something so conventional.

I was wondering when she’d get around to that, Seph smirked. Though I’m sure she’ll find a way to look spectacular in sweats and a T-shirt.

“For the first week. Second week, we’ll do our marching in uniform, so we get used to it.”

“And don’t mess up the marching uniform,” Kristina warned.

Good luck with that. We’ll be slogging through the mud before the week is up.

“Speaking of...” Seph looked Miles up and down. “What’s with the getup?”

“Oh, hah,” Miles tried to hide his embarrassment, “Wasn’t thinking when I got dressed this morning.”

Zoe saw the confused look on the other girls’ faces and laughed before explaining, “Miles rides whenever he can. Weather permitting. Pretty much always looks like he’s going to hop on a bike.”

“Like, a ten-speed?” Kristina asked.

“Uh ... well, we’re from Redmond, which claims to be the bicycle capitol of the Pacific Northwest, but no, I ride a Triumph.”

Seph bit her lip. Since when am I into the thought of a guy on a motorcycle?

“Weather’s nice today,” Kristina pointed out. “Wouldn’t today have been a good ‘riding day’?”

“Well, I mean, I can put my guitar in a soft case and wear that while I ride,” Miles explained. “But getting my trumpet and amp anywhere is another matter.”

“Got it,” the Drum Major muttered, embarrassed she’d forgotten about the instruments she’d just watched him tuck away.

“It’s a good thing my main mode of transportation doesn’t come with such limitations,” Zoe grinned at her brother.

A subject of debate between the twins? Seph assumed as she glanced at the parking lot. Wonder if I can tell which is-

“Is that your car?” Kristina blurted as she pointed.

“Yeah, you guys wanna have a look?” Zoe offered.

“Definitely!” Kristina insisted.

Of course. Seph rolled her eyes. Once you see that she has something nice, you’re nice.

“Not gonna say ‘no’,” Seph said, weary of matching Kristina’s exuberance.

“I think I’m going to have to bow out,” Miles said, glancing toward the administration office. “Thank you both, for today and the heads-up on next week. I should really make sure everything is alright with my schedule, too. Zo, I’ll meet up with you in the parking lot after.”

They waved him off and proceeded to Zoe’s car.

“Alright, anything else I should know about Band Camp?”

“Uh ... nothing else comes to mind,” Seph shrugged.

Kristina paused and considered her response, “You’ll know soon enough.”

That sounds ominous as shit!

“Wait!” Seph corrected herself. She couldn’t decide how to phrase what she wanted to say. “Someone will probably sneak in booze, someone might sneak in drugs. Occasionally, they get caught. That’s never good for whoever does it. But...”

The subtle change on Zoe’s face caused Seph to pause. Something I said struck a nerve with her.

“But?” Zoe sounded unfazed enough that Seph doubted Kristina noticed the change.

“Well, you’ve seen American Pie, right?” Kristina finally added.

Zoe went wide-eyed and stifled a laugh. The response was enough to get the other girls going and all three girls found themselves overcome with a fit of giggles.

“Well, that’s no big deal...” Zoe said once she’d regained her composure, then added, “Besides, it’s not like I even play the flute.”

11:30 AM, Carter High School Administration Office

“I’m so sorry about that,” Ms Douglas had just been made aware of a discrepancy on the school’s website. “We haven’t offered that class since ... well, I think, since I was a student here. You must be the first student interested in taking it in the better part of a decade.”

“I understand,” the smile disappeared from Miles’s face. “Really wish I’d looked at what other electives are offered then. Once I saw Photography with actual film development, I figured I was set.

“It uh ... Says here ... Um...” she fumbled over his transcript. “You were on the swim team?”

“Yes ma’am,” he said. “We didn’t have a marching band, so I had the spare time.”

“You may be interested to know that you can take swim- Swimming as an elective, and it can count as swim team practice.” She didn’t remember the last time she felt flustered like this.

“Really?” Miles sat up in his chair.

“Miss Ashmore was a student here. She wanted to be on the swim team but had the same issue. So, when she came on staff, she argued that her class should count as practice. The way I heard it, she filibustered the school board until they conceded.”

Miles nodded eagerly, “Yeah, sign me up for that.”

“I thought you might say that,” she stated gingerly. “I should warn you. Because her priority at that time is the class, and it’s open to swimmers of all levels, she won’t be able to give you the same kind of coaching that she’s able to provide the team after school.”

“That makes sense,” he conceded.

“On the plus side, several other students from band will also share that class with you. So, you should already know some of the faces in the class. And I believe...” She glanced over at who was registered for the class, “Yes! Last year’s team captain is also in that class.”

She raised an eyebrow at the new expression he wore. “Judging by that grin on your face, I take it you’re already excited about that sort of camaraderie. Looks like you’ll fit in quite well here at Carter.”

“I hope so, ma’am,” he shook whatever thought had clouded his mind. “Is there anything else I need to take care of?”

She set a couple of papers on the desk.

“Normally, you’d get these from Miss Ashmore to have your parents...” Her eyes went wide as the words escaped her mouth. “Your ... mother sign these. I’m so sorry ... your sister mentioned-”

Miles put up his hand to stop her.

“Don’t worry about it,” it was clear he was used to the slip-up. “It happened a long time ago. We’re fine.”

His words failed to wipe the frown that had corrupted her face. She looked over his classes again and had a realization. “You’re going on the band retreat, right?”

“Yes ma’am,” he retrieved the papers she had laid out for him.

“You’ll want these too, then,” she set a couple of envelopes down where the permission slips had rested.

“What are these?” He asked as he lifted them.

“Eclipse glasses,” she smirked. “Most of the places nearby are sold out. They might get more in before the 21st but...”

“We’ll already be at the retreat.”

“Exactly.”

He thumbed open the unsealed envelope and studied the items within, “I wonder how tricky it’d be to capture the event on camera.”

“That’s right,” Ms Douglas gasped. “Seeing as you’re a camera buff, you may want to snap some pictures on the trip. You know, that’s the kinda thing that can really help the yearbook look good. If you’re interested.”

“I’ve always been too busy to consider submitting pictures for the yearbook or a school newspaper. This is great!” Miles said, not bothering to hide his enthusiasm. “Wouldn’t hurt to get me to view things from a more professional standpoint. Thank you for the recommendation.”

Her smile finally returned and another thought invaded her head.

“Y’know ... the classroom itself has been taken over for another subject,” Miles gave her a confused look. “ ... But it’s not like we got rid of the darkroom. I think that it’s being used as temporary storage, but it’s nothing that couldn’t be kept elsewhere. So even without the class, you’d be able to develop photos.”

“Really?” Excitement radiated off the boy.

“Well, don’t get your hopes up just yet. I don’t know what all it requires to develop photos. Chemicals that I’m not sure the science labs have and I can’t imagine come cheap.”

“I’ve looked into it before. It’s not too expensive,” he said, then looked embarrassed at his own eagerness.

She grinned at his spirited attitude. “I’d love to be able to take your word on it, but you probably know there’s going to be more to consider than just the upfront cost anyway. Like supervision and safety.”

“I realize how much that must have come across like some kid saying whatever they could just to get a ‘yes’, but I really have looked into it,” he rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks still red. “I should really have stopped at ‘thank you’ shouldn’t I?”

Her eyes went back to his transcript. Thank God he’s 18. Regardless, I shouldn’t get this flustered by a student.

“I really can’t promise that it’ll for sure happen,” she confessed. “But I can promise that I’ll look into it. And if it gets approved, I’ll let you know at the first opportunity.”

“I would appreciate that tremendously,” he stood up and offered his hand. “Mrs Douglas, if you are a good representation of the other faculty at Carter, I gotta say I’m excited about the upcoming school year.”

He waved as he stepped out of her office and started down the hall.

“I- um ... thank you,” his comment had her so flustered she didn’t even note to correct him on her title. “If you ever need anything else, remember that my door is always open”

She closed the door as soon as he was gone.

“Pull yourself together, Somer,” she whispered to herself.

Monday, August 14, 9:30 AM, Carter High School Parking Lot

“Looks like we made the right call,” Zoe declared as they pulled in behind the cavalcade of parents dropping off their kids.

“I don’t think too many students want to leave their cars here unattended for like two weeks,” Miles observed.

“It’d speak volumes on the parents who let them,” their mother, Nicole, said. “You two sure you have everything you need?”

“Absolutely not,” Laughed Miles. “But y’know ... We’ll be smart, find who has the things we need, separate them from the rest of the pack, and take them down.”

“Or seduce them.”

“Zoe! We’ve been over this, no trading with other girls to get a smaller gym shirt.”

“But Mom, I don’t want them to notice how sweaty my face is. I’d rather their eyes be drawn elsewhere.”

Miles chuckled, “If you keep this up, she’s going to think you’re actually going to go through with the idea this time.”

“Nah,” Zoe shrugged. “She knows it’d be easier for me to just go without one altogether. Maybe even ditch the sports bra.”

“You kids know exactly what a mother wants to hear when her kids are going to be away for a couple weeks,” Nicole grumbled.

“Just means you’ll be more eager for us to get back,” Zoe gloated.

“Guys?” Their mother said sternly.

“We know, Mom,” Miles repeated the warning their parents had always recited to them growing up. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Hah, if I’m doing anyone, I’m not picking someone stupid,” Zoe said with a chuckle.