"Hey Al, have you got anything planned for tonight?" asked Tina as she rummaged through the kitchen cabinets.

Dorothy Alice (who'd gone by Alice for years now, even before Stephenie Meyer and the Cullens) dropped her spoon in her bowl of fruit loops and shrugged. "I don't know. If I can catch a ride, I want to go to the away game. We're playing Holton, and I've heard they've got a stellar band."

Tina stopped pulling out food and turned to look at her daughter sympathetically. "Al, come on. Cheer up. You heard what Mr. Tyler said. They'll probably have someone by semester." Alice, sitting on the counter next to the sink, offered her mother a smile, so that she would stop fretting and go back to her morning preparations. Tina took the smile, squeezed her daughter's knee, and held up a box of trail mix. "Do you know where the Ziploc bags are?"

Alice sat her bowl in the sink and hopped off the counter to pull open drawers. "I don't know. They're here somewhere." The third drawer revealed the yellow box, which Alice held up triumphantly. "Ta da!"

"Thanks, babe," her mother grabbed the box and pulled out bag after bag, dumping snack foods into them and sealing them up. Alice watched her mother silently, and Tina noticed. She again stopped what she was doing and turned to her daughter. "Are you ok? You're just so… quiet. It scares me a little."

Alice forced herself to smile cheesily. She laughed, but it sounded hollow. "Mom, I'm fine. I swear. I'm just… tired. I stayed up too late online," she said, laughing, this time for real. Tina looked at her daughter carefully, and then grabbed her in a hug.

"Things are looking up, ok? I promise you. It's all coming together for us." Alice hugged her mom back, tightly. "I promise. Ok? Cheer up."

"I'm cheered!" Alice twirled away from her mother, and held her arms out in their small kitchen. "Just like magic." Tina smiled and shoved the bags she'd made into a carry-all.

"I've got to get going or I'm going to be late! Al, can you put the rest of this stuff up before you leave for school? Thanks! Love you!"

"Ok! Love you too!" she called after her mother. The door shut, and Alice yawned. The clock read six thirty, and she had to be walking out the door no later than seven thirty. Quickly she appraised herself in the full length mirror that was hanging on cabinet door across from the fridge. She'd showered last night, but slept on wet hair, so that had to be dealt with, and she was still in her pj's. Nothing she couldn't handle in an hour.

As she sifted through her closet to decide an outfit, she thought about her freshman year. It felt like years ago. She'd been at a different school, a different state, a different house. And she'd actually been in a band. The little things you could take for granted every day, not even realizing how lucky you were. She'd been in band since her fifth grade year, and never thought about it all that much, only because it was always a part of her identity.

She was Alice: saxophone player, blonde hair, blue eyes, 16. It even went first in her identity. When Tina had announced their big move from Illinois to Missouri, the first thing Alice had wanted to know was not when or why, it was if Tina knew where in Missouri, what school, and did they have a band? Tina had assured her that yes, they had a band, she'd already asked. It was a new school, a "progressive" high school, and Alice was going to be in the first sophomore class ever.

The local conference had decided the schools were getting crowded, and pulled together a new school from the three most crowded schools. Thus was the birth of Soskatona High, and the Soskatona Lions.

Alice finally decided on a yellow shirt with some dark wash jeans and red high top Converse. "There," she said to her reflection, "school colors. Yay, school spirit!"

In Illinois, Alice had been finishing up the year, saying goodbye to friends and getting advice from graduating seniors and her band director. She was part of a huge band, but it was like a huge family reunion every day. Alice loved it. In Missouri, buildings were being finished and teachers lined up for each position. Students were being transferred and schedules mapped out. And while Alice attended end-of-year parties and endured playing Pomp and Circumstance for what felt like an hour, contracts were being signed and necessities were being ordered.

Halfway through the summer, Alice and Tina packed up and moved to Missouri and went to Soskatona's campus to enroll her. Again, Alice had been assured that she would be part of a band, a good one.

Alice turned on the news and flopped on the couch with her notebook for a minute. She still had some time before she had to leave, and she could work on homework while she waited.

Two weeks before school, band camp was scheduled on the football field. Alice had been ten minutes early, deciding it would give her a chance to socialize, and figure out her section. Apparently, everyone had the same idea, because there was a crowd sitting on the new aluminum bleachers. Alice nervously stood to the side for a minute, before taking a deep breath and jumping in head first. She'd never make friends standing to the side. So, she sat on the bleachers next to a tall, lanky boy and stuck her hand out. "I'm Alice, from Illinois. Saxophone."

The boy smiled at her. "Jesse, from here. I'm drum line." Alice had looked at him, surprised.

"You guys already had try-outs?"

"No. But look around. We haven't got enough people in any section. I'm pretty much positive I'll be on the field." Alice had looked around and decided Jesse was probably justified in his assumption. There were thirty people, max.

And that was all that happened. No director ever showed up. Eventually people started going home. Jesse, a junior, offered Alice a ride home, and she'd accepted gratefully. The next day there was a phone call from the principal. He said that there was a parent/student meeting in the cafeteria that night instead of band camp. Tina had to work, and asked if Alice could take notes. In the cafeteria that night, there was a middle-aged man waiting for them. Alice recognized him as Mr. Tyler, the principal. After a little bit, he spoke up. "Is this everyone?"

No one was sure, since this was only the second time they'd ever been together as a group, but it looked like mostly the same people as yesterday, so they all said yes. "Alright, I have some bad news. The man we hired as your band director, Mr. Maxwell, can no longer be your director. He… became very ill." Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded. A trombone player named Robert spoke for the group.

"So… what are we going to do?"

"Well, we're still trying to figure that out. At this point in time we haven't got a replacement yet. But we're looking."

"So… no band?" asked Robert's mother. Everyone looked at each other, confused. Mr. Tyler spoke.

"Er… at the moment, no. But we are looking for a replacement, please don't worry, your children will have band this year." Diana, a girl who Alice was pretty sure played clarinet, nudged her father, who spoke up.

"Mr. Tyler, what are our kids going to do once school starts? Band is a class."

Mr. Tyler coughed, and looked at the group of students and parents nervously. "We're hoping to have a teacher by the time the school year starts. This is very unfortunate, but we're going to get past this. What we want is a growing, learning environment for your children, and we want to nurture their talents. That includes band, and choir, and music."

After twenty more minutes of unhappy questions from parents, the meeting was over. No one left though, because there was plenty of talking to do. Like salad dressing, parents and students separated to different groups. Alice stood in the circle of students listening.

"What are we going to do if we don't have band?"

"They can't even find a sub?"

"Surely they'll find someone."

"But what if they can't?"

"We can't go an entire year with no band. It's probably in some law or something."

Apparently it wasn't a law, because they started school with no band director (or choir director: Mr. Maxwell was supposed to be both). Mr. Tyler subbed the band class, which for the time being was free study.

Alice grabbed her backpack and headed out the door. Soskatona operated on a block schedule, five classes one day, and five different classes the next day. Today was a Red day, and Alice had band first hour.

As she walked into the band room, it was quiet. She dumped her bag and looked around. Back in Illinois, the band room was never quiet. There was always activity, whether it be taping someone into a locker (or case, or anything that can be taped shut), or practicing music. But this band room was always quiet. It wasn't right.

"Hey, Alice!" Alice turned to see Marcy, a flute player, enter the room. Alice smiled.

"Hey Marcy. What's up?"

"Nothing. Did you get your math done?"

"Yeah, this morning." Marcy laughed.

"Can I compare answers this hour? I don't really understand it."

"Me either, but yeah, you can see mine."

"Thanks."

The bell rang, and more students came in. People started setting up chairs and stands, pulling out homework to work on. Alice watched and sighed. This wasn't what band was supposed to be. Band was supposed to be music and instruments. Not homework.