A/N sorry for taking so long…enjoy
Edwin Mellophone Hands
Chapter 7: To Be a Leader
Come as you are, as you
were
As I want you to be
As a friend, as a friend
As an old enemy
Take your time
Hurry up
The choice is yours
Don't be late
Take a rest
As a friend
As an old...
*~* Come As You Are, Nirvana
Lorelei walked into her bedroom and almost threw her trombone into its corner before flopping onto the bed. She had just gotten back from one of the bands new evening practices, where Sam, her section leader, had once again sat on the sidelines stuck inside his head. Sam made her mad sometimes; she wanted to scream at him 'GET OVER IT!' but she knew it wouldn't help, nothing could help him until he got over it which wouldn't be any time soon. The field show wasn't getting any better and the pieces that the band was supposed to play hadn't gotten any better. They sounded wrong with out the mellophone.
The next day when Lorelei walked into class the trombone section was all grouped together talking about something. This was unusual not only because the trombone section could not talk with out yelling, fighting or making a rude comment, but normally in the morning they were dispersed through the rest of the band teasing the freshmen, or putting some plot of theirs into action. It sometimes made Lorelei ashamed, but more often than not she joined in.
She walked over to her section, which was gathered around Sam who was holding something she couldn't see because Mark was in the way. She deftly pushed mark to one side, I mean after all she'd had years of practice, and when she saw what Sam was holding she gasped. It was Rachel's silver marching mellophone; Sam was too busy talking to notice that Lorelei had joined the group. "…sorry but I had to, Rachel meant so much to me, I just want to feel close to something she loved. I miss her and if this horn is cursed then at least I can join her" It was at this point the section all burst out talking. Sam managed to quiet them after a minute or two by threatening them with push-ups if they didn't shut up. "I have already chosen next section leader. They are the most qualified player and the one person in this section you are most likely to listen to not only because of who she is but because she can be a bit rough when she has to," the moment Sam said she Lorelei felt her face turn bright red as the entire section turned to stare at her. "Lorelei will you be the next section leader for the trombones?" Sam asked quietly, Lorelei pretended to think for a moment and then she flung her arms around Sam's neck and whispered "thank you so much," in his ear. Sam grinned and went off to tell Colonel Boom about the change in the ranks.
That night at the evening practice Lorelei was having her section warm up. She was smiling and laughing with the trombone guys like she always did when suddenly she looked up. Colonel Boom was towering over her 5'2 frame. "What is the meaning of having a girl for a section leader?" none of the trombones dared to reply, the way he had sneered out the word girl had shut them all up. "Girls are too pathetic to get you men to do anything, why would you accept her as one of you let alone your leader?" At this Lorelei got mad, and her section got mad and Colonel Boom was startled. Lorelei stalked up to the director with the rest of her section behind glaring at him menacingly. She raised herself up and poked a finger into his chest saying, "Listen to me buddy, I don't care who you are, no one insults me, girls, and especially not my section that way. I am a good section leader and just because you are a sexist pig doesn't give you the right to insult us like that." And with those words she stalked off with her section trailing behind.
Sam drove up to the school late. His younger sister had held him up; she had begged him to help her with her homework. He knew he had to hurry up, Colonel Boom never tolerated any lateness. The last guy that had been late ended up not only staying after to have a talk with Colonel Boom, thus becoming the last person in the storage, where he ended up getting 'accidentally' locked by Colonel Boom in the storage room for the rest of the night. Of course the Principle Withers believed him and no actions were taken against him. Sam popped the trunk only to find that he had left the mellophone at home. "DAMN IT!!!" he shouted, it would almost be better to not show up then to come with out your instrument. Sam decided against going back home for it and ran into the empty storage room, he searched in vain for a mellophone, taking every case out of its locker when he got to the locker his mellophone was normally in he passed over it, barely glancing at it. Then his eyes shot back towards the locker, there was something odd about the back wall, like it could be moved. Sam walked towards it cautiously, never letting his eyes leave the locker in case it could magically revert back. He half crawled into his locker and begin running his hands over the wall and tapping on it. After a few minutes he gave up, there was nothing different about this wall than any of the other walls. Sam sighed and rested his head on the wall. But the wall moved, its slid away revealing dust, Sam backed away instinctively. The black hole in the wall seemed to stare at him, the darkness was alluring, almost seductive, it seemed to call at him and before he knew what he was doing Sam had crawled into the hole.
The floor was covered in dust and old mellophone parts. His footsteps crunched as he walked along the narrow hallway, Sam began to wish for a flashlight because even though there was some light it was not nearly enough. Sam turned the first corner he came to, and that was when he heard the footsteps start. Sam tried to walk as quickly and silently as he could, he was about to reach a fork in the path one side was lit ever so slightly. Sam could hear the footsteps quickening and he began to get scared, he stood at the fork and as he saw a shadow round the corner he dove into the darkness.
