Author's note: Hellosesies! Squiggles here. I'm still not entirely sure if I should have posted this as a crossover or not. Let me know what you think, please!

Six down, one to go, I thought as I opened the bandroom door. Today was my first day as a student at Wonderland High School. So far, things had been okay, but it could never replace my old home.

In spite of all of the differences between there and my old school, a bandroom was always a bandroom. People were running in every direction and it was near impossible to hear myself think over the sounds of warm-ups and shouted conversations. I guess some things never changed, no matter what school you were in.

I dodged various other band members as I sought out the director. I finally found a man sitting in the office playing a violin. I rapped on the door and he motioned me in.

"You picked the perfect time to come in here!" he exclaimed. "I've almost mastered this piece. You have to hear it!"

He proceeded to play the most horrendous, earsplitting noise that I had ever heard. I went to cover my ears then stopped myself so as not to offend the man that would be running my life for the next four years.

When the torture had finally ended, the man looked up at me for my verdict.

"Um . . . It was good," I lied.

"Finally someone who appreciates good music," the old man sighed. "These kids will play it, but they refuse to listen to it. Every time I get my violin out, they go running."

"I can see why," I concluded under my breath.

"Did you say something?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Oh well. I am M. Gowland, but you may call me Gowland. And you are?"

"Alice. I just transferred."

"Nice to meet you, Alice. What do you play?"

"Clarinet."

"Perfect," Gowland said. "We just lost a clarinet player. . . Go ahead and sit at the end of the clarinets, for now. Just pull up a chair next to the bass."

I grabbed my case, headed toward a stack of chairs at the back of the room, and grabbed one off the top only for it to be taken out of my hands.

"Allow me," a boy with white hair, red eyes, and rabbit ears insisted. "Do you need a stand too?"

"Yeah, I do, but I can get it myself," I assured.

"I couldn't do that," the rabbit-boy said. "For a beautiful creature such as you, carrying a stand is not something to do."

". . . Thanks," I said a bit frightened.

"I'm Peter. Peter White."

"Alice Liddell."

Peter carried the chair and stand over to my assigned place. He refused to let me sit down until he had adjusted it perfectly into the ark and raised the stand for me.

"There you go, Alice," he said.

"Thanks," I said through gritted teeth.

"Hello," said the person next to me. "My name's Elliot March."

"Nice to meet you, Elliot," I said turning away from Creeper Peter. "I'm Alice."

I heard Peter walk away from us muttering something about a "stupid hare."

"Are you new here?" the bass clarinet player asked.

"I just transferred to Wonderland High this morning." I noticed that he, too, had rabbit ears, but his were tan corresponding with his blonde hair.

"Welcome to Wonderland, then," he told me. "Did you put a spell on Peter White or something? He's usually so sullen."

"I have no idea. I just went to get a chair and he started trying to help me. He wouldn't leave me alone."

"Weird. I've never seen him act that way," Elliot informed.

Just great, I thought, I have a stalker. I quickly put my clarinet together and, then, Gowland called the band to order.

"We have a new student joining us today. I'd like you all to welcome her. Alice, can you come up here and get your music, please?"

I walked to the front of the room and felt everyone's eyes on me. Quickly, I grabbed the sheet music that Gowland held out to me and set back down.

"A few things you need to know about this band," Elliot instructed. "Gowland sucks as a conductor, as he does at just about everything music-wise. So, don't ever actually follow him. Instead, watch the first flute player, Vivaldi's, feet. She always mark times to the actual beat of the song."

This sounded a bit odd to me, but I nodded anyway.

Soon after, Gowland began to count us off for the first tune. Elliot elbowed me gently and gestured to the purple-haired flute player with his bell as a reminder. I winked back to assure that I had gotten the message.

Gowland managed to get off by the first beat, so I never took my eyes off Vivaldi. After Gowland stopped to work through a rhythm with the trombones that they had gotten right the first time, I looked at Elliot, horrified.

"How did this man make it out of beginning band, let alone college?" I asked.

My rabbit neighbor shrugged. "We've been trying to figure that out for years. Just ignore him and you'll do fine."

I decided to just go with it, despite my objections.

Soon after, class ended. I had finished putting my clarinet in its case just as Gowland came walking up to me.

"Alice, would you happen to be interested in joining marching band?" he asked.

His offer surprised me. The season should have been in full swing by now and it wouldn't be prudent to suddenly let someone else in. "You're willing to let me join midseason?"

"Normally, I wouldn't allow this, but we have a hole due to losing a member recently and I was hoping you could fill it."

"Can I have a night to think about it?"

"I guess so," Gowland sighed. "But, I'd like to know what you plan to do by tomorrow morning."

"I'll tell you as soon as I can," I promised. I was in marching band through middle school, but I couldn't start back this year because of the move. I really missed it, but I wasn't sure about having to learn a whole new show on such short notice.

"We have lockers in the storage room. Just find an empty cubby and you can claim it."

"Okay, thanks," I said heading toward the room that I assumed was for storage.

By the time I got in there, only a few people remained. I looked around trying to figure out where to go. Seeing my confusion, a boy with long navy hair beckoned me to a corner at the back of the room. I hesitantly went toward him.

"The clarinet lockers are back here," he said. "I suggest picking this one." He pointed to a spot in one of the middle rows on the very edge of the room. It could be easily reached, I would have one less neighbor, it was unoccupied, and it was being offered to a freshman. Something didn't seem right to me.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked.

"Nothing," the boy guaranteed. "This locker belonged to the former clarinet player. She just quit today, so no one has gotten it yet, but if you don't claim it now, someone else will and you'll most likely end up with a poorly placed sideboard."

Nervously, I lifted my instrument into its new location.

"Thanks."

"It's of no inconvenience," the boy supposed. "I'm Julius, your section leader. If you need anything, I suggest coming to me."

"Okay, thanks," I replied.

"And I hope you consider joining marching band, Alice," Julius told me.

"I'll think about it," I promised.

With that, he strode out of the room, leaving me alone. I looked about the storage room; at all the lockers jammed full with instruments and mementoes of previous, and current, years. Then mine, which was completely bare with only a clarinet to declare it as my own. It was easy to tell who the new kid was. I wanted to change that, though. Overall, with one exception, I really liked my new band-mates. I would definitely consider joining marching band.

Author's Note: If you actually take the time to review this, plaese review honestly. If I deserve flames, then flame me! Please let me know if anyone was out of character -cough- Julius! -cough- Also, who does everybody want her to meet next? I'll go ahead and tell you that there will be a small amout of Boris in the next chapter.

Until then, goodbysesies!