Mr. M studied the class. Watched each person as they settled into their chair. He heard Clarinets holding their daily screaming match and trumpets cracking jokes. Just to think, soon they would be fighting for their right to go on as they had been for years. He sighed, waited for the section leaders to sit, and began his speech.

"I know non of you have seen me in a week and my reasons for being gone are soon to be revealed. But first I'm going to tell you a story. I'm sure no one here has heard of it because it was purposely kept from your ears. Six years ago a town called Everville, not too far from our Marque, mayor was approached by the school. The school board, the football team and the parents of the team were the prominent speakers, but everyone was there. Does anyone want to guess what the issue was?" He looked around and heard the tuba player Jerry say loudly, "probably complaining about the food." Everyone laughed even their director. "No" said Mr. M "Unfortunately it isn't that simple." The laughter died out as everyone processed the fact that their fearless leader looked grim.

"The school's goal of talking to the mayor was to rid themselves of the band." He continued over their gasps of outrage. "They said the band was becoming too cult like and the director was poisoning the peoples' minds. Another major argument was that it wasn't good for the children to be isolated from the other students, as the band people tend to be. They said that the children should also be relieved of the option to be in band and that society would accept them better if they weren't included in it's numbers. The money that was put into supporting the band program was better off used to fix the fields and to raise the teachers pay. You know this last is what got the teachers to agree.

Anyway the mayor approached the band students and asked what they thought of the idea. As you all would probably be, they were went stark raving mad. They all wept and begged not to be split up and the mayor almost ruled in their favor. Until a large amount of money was placed in a certain doctor's band account and that doctor came forward with 'proof' that the band students were better off separated. Since the mayor wanted to be voted into office again, and he had a doctor saying his way was right, he removed band from the school's curriculum. The rest of the town, discluding the band of course, supported the decision and he stayed in office for years to come.

But the band didn't take getting split up lightly. They held secrete meetings and played their music. They still marched outside of their town and they were well accepted by the other areas, until word reached the school board. They stopped everything. The director was banned from town and the band students couldn't see each other. The town demanded that the disobedient kids be punished and that's when the playing of any instrument was banned. It was a sad day for the band people. But they continued to play. The football team saw all of the attention centered on the now non-existent band and they didn't like it. They resorted to violence. Every wooden instrument was burned. Saxes, trumpets, tubas, any thing that played music was melted, burned, made unplayable in some way. The band people were spiritless and they gave up on any and all forms of happiness. The town turned a blind eye on the football players' show of hatred because, just like in every other town, the football team are treated as gods.

Since then the breaking up of bands has been occurring all over this country. My knowledge is from the purest source and I must tell you we are in bad shape. As of right now we are the last band left." Stunned silence met the end of his words. Several of the flutes and an oboe began clinging to people and crying. Everyone else looked around at the familiar faces of their family in wonder. What would it be like to no longer be able to sit in this room? To not see these people everyday. The only people in the world that really understands them. He watched as heads started shaking. People began getting determined looks on their faces. No. It wouldn't happen. Each and every one of them thought at the same instant. They wouldn't be split up. Not now and not ever.

A saxophone, Hannah, raised her hand. "Are they after us now?"

"Yes my dear I'm afraid so," Mr. M responded. "But I think that with the people in this room we have the ability to keep the splitters at bay. For we are not alone in this world. We have the support of every other band member from the other towns. They will be hard to contact, because of their situation, but we can find help. Right now our dear Tiffany, beloved member of the flute section for three years, is out among the rest of the school relaying information to us. She is the one that told me of our dire situation and of how it just turned for the worse. Until now our school board has fought breaking us up with tooth and nail but just yesterday their hold was broken. They were bribed with money and blackmailed with pictures of their indiscretions so they had no other choice but to bend under the pressure. Today our town and the football players of Everville are in a meeting to discuss what course of action is best followed. We have Tiffany wired and we discovered, before the rest of the school found out, that they are declaring full scale war on us in ten days time.

For these ten days they are going to try to become buddy buddy with us. You may respond as you would have under normal circumstances but don't let anything slip. Make sure they aren't aware we know anything. Your section leaders will be acting as relays between me and you. If anyone has questions please don't seek me out. Ask your respective leader and they may have the answer. Corey will be second in command under me. I've known her the longest and you all seem to listen to her well. Everyone is going to have to listen to all orders and behave well and we may have a shot at sticking together. Anyone against this course of action?" Mr. M scanned the crowd. No one raised their hands. "Okay then we will get started tomorrow. When you first come in the room I want anyone that knows a lot about the computer to meet in the west corner of the room with…Angelia, and she will give you your assignments.

People with mechanical knowledge or with weapons ideas to the east corner. Johnny and the leader of the clarinets Jonah will be there. Anyone else with any sort of idea meet in my office with Corey, Janet and Betsy. Everyone else bring anything you think may be useful. Extra money you may have, anything we may be able to find a purpose for. You will all meet in the center of the room with the Color Guard leader, Max and the other section leaders. May the band be with you and hopefully we can survive this test of our unity. Corey."

As Mr. M stepped off the right of the podium Corey stepped up on the left. " You all know that there is a great amount of love in this band and you know that we will never be split apart. I don't need to repeat anything else so…" she began screaming

***"Drill to the position of attention!

Heals? Together!

Toes? Apart!

Stomach? In!

Shoulders? Back!

Head? Up!

Eyes? With pride!

Eyes?! With Pride!!

EYES?!! WITH PRIDE!!!

Band attend hut! GO

Band dismissed!"***

And that was the beginning of something colossal. The biggest fight to hit Marque was about to start and the band would be the victors. They would see to that.

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Tiffany walked down the hall with the disgusting arm of Bubba, the football team captain, wrapped around her waist. She smiled a secrete smile as she heard the faint echo of the dismissal.

"Aren't you glad that finally we're getting rid of that money wasting band?" gloated Bubba. "I like to think it was mostly my doing. I did bring up the fact that we're the only school in the area to still house a band. And soon we will be like the rest of the schools. Bandless. Almost makes me want to jump for joy." He spun her around and walked away.

"Yeah Bubba" she muttered, flipping blond hair over her shoulder, "whatever you say."

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The *** mean that I didn't make that part up. That is the dismissal of the Laingsburg High School Marching band and I needed to get something of my school into this.

So tell me what you think? Please??? And thanks to the two reviews I got last chapter. I didn't think anyone would read this. Until next time.

~Bop