Once again, a big thanks to everyone who has read and contributed feedback to the story. AuroraIncident, adub, and Boots continue to help me with each chapter. I'm also still trying out other Beta Readers in hopes of further refining things, reducing spelling and continuity issues, and really building a believable reality in this universe that AuroraIncident lets me play in.
As always, any characters involved in sexual activity of any kind are at least 18.
9 - A Very Different Week at Camp
Tuesday, August 22, 4:00AM, Belews Lake Cabin
Restless nights from the week prior weren't welcome upon their return. Nor was the compunction that had settled in his lower intestine. Yet Miles had another night of almost no sleep.
Guilt is a funny emotion.
Humans feel guilty for things out of their control just as much as they feel it for the things they have complete control of. In the hours he'd laid awake hoping for sleep to overtake him, he had a lot of time to think about it. He could only stifle a laugh as he tried to determine whether an emotion like guilt itself was something humans had any control over.
His guilt gave him a headache.
He wanted to be there for his sister. Wanted to ensure her safety. Wanted to supervise her friends who claimed they'd be keeping watch. Wanted to make sure the people who attacked her got what they had coming to them. Wanted to know why she'd been attacked at all.
But most of all, he wanted to know what he'd done to upset her.
He hated not knowing.
Almost as much as he hated knowing that neither his sister, nor her attack, were the source of his guilt.
His guilt could be traced back to the dock at the lake. Not the one where she was attacked.
That dock he'd missed as he wandered, nearly blind, through the woods. When Chris had led him to the lake in the middle of the previous week, he'd chalked it up to seeing it in different lighting that made it so unfamiliar. But after spending hours there as they waited for the first responders to do everything they needed to, he was certain it wasn't the same. Somehow, he'd wound up at the dock to another campsite.
And Pixie had found him at that other dock. She'd let him hold her. Kiss her. Caress her. Fondle her. Taste her.
The source of his guilt.
Not that he felt guilty about fooling around. He'd spent enough time like that last week.
His guilt was because last Tuesday, at 5 in the morning, he'd been holding someone else. Kissing someone else. Caressing... fondling... tasting...
And now, one week later, he was no closer to finding out who she was.
Yet, he was drawn to her.
He couldn't determine if it was because of the mystery of not knowing who she was or if it was some ineffable connection that neither logic nor science could explain.
His heart raced as he got out of bed. With every step toward the door, his inner monologue cursed at him for taking Pixie for granted. There was a real connection with a person whom he adored. More importantly, he knew. Her name. Her face. Her personality. Things that actually qualify as a connection.
The girl from the lake? It started and ended with mystery.
And a little sluttiness.
He couldn't ignore the appeal of that.
He took hold of the door handle, unable to ignore his desires that had been halted so abruptly a week prior.
Slowly, he pulled. There was no concern that it might creak or get stuck. But swinging it wide and fast could still rouse one of his bunkmates.
Glancing out, his heart sank.
Two figures, making their rounds on the path. Chaperones that had been tasked with keeping watch.
Their presence eliminated his chance to sneak out to the lake. And with it, the last opportunity he'd have to find out who the girl was.
7:22 AM
"After everything that happened yesterday, I can't believe you snuck out again," Cleo chided.
"You'll be happy to know that there were multiple chaperones out and about by six this morning, and even more when I was walking back," Zoe glanced at her watch. "You're up earlier than usual. Something up or...?"
"Too excited to sleep. I nearly followed you to get a makeup tutorial but figured I'd sweat it off in like an hour or so."
"I'd hook you up with stuff you can rely on," Zoe smiled and rolled her eyes. "But a tutorial would take way longer than we had time for."
"Well, it's not like I don't know anyth-" The look on Zoe's face warned Cleo that she might as well be telling a flat-out lie.
"Don't worry. We'll get your makeup game on point," Zoe assured. "Are you more nervous about the new position or having to work with Kristina and Boon?"
"Well, it's not Boon I'm worried about," Cleo contemplated which of the alternates was most accurate.
"Boon'll make sure she's not too brutal," Amber spoke up without a trace of being sleepy.
"Does anybody sleep in this cabin anymore?"
"Probably not," Lindsay said as she sat up.
"Don't worry about the Drum Captain responsibilities," another girl stated from further in the cabin. "If Tamera could do it, then you definitely can too."
Zoe smiled at the vote of confidence Cleo was receiving from girls outside of their small circle of friends.
"Plus, everyone likes you. So, it'll be easier to work with you."
"See," Zoe leaned in so they could speak without having the rest of the cabin overhear. "You got this. Everyone has faith in you."
"What's one of the things I'm afraid of, " Cleo whispered.
10:30 AM Belews Lake Field
Instead of rehearsing together in the auditorium as had been scheduled, Boon and Kristina worked privately with Cleo to bring her up to speed.
While their marching band wasn't quite large enough to merit having a Brass Captain, it was understood that Seph was the de facto leader when the Conductor, Drum Major, and Drum Captain were absent. Her section had long exceeded her expectations, in no small part thanks to the observations and advice of Miles. They ran through a single routine without error, at which point she put Miles in charge of the next, while she went to check on how the other sections were progressing.
"Looking nice, Chris," she called after watching the trombones for a few minutes. Once they wrapped the exercise they were practicing, she stepped closer and spoke softer so the other members wouldn't hear. "Keep an eye on your rookies, I think one of them is having trouble keeping up."
He nodded and made a note to keep an eye out.
Seph moved on to her brother's section. They were doing fine, and she didn't have any comments to make.
Watching Pixie lead a group of her peers was a highlight to Seph. It helped that she was well-respected by those following her. The veteran flautists had all played and marched along with her for years, and she never asked them to give her any special treatment. In return, they saw her work hard to make sure she was always prepared and able to coach anyone who needed extra assistance.
"Squads looking good this year, Pix," Seph complimented.
"Fierce Floutists!" Pixie barked with more authority than Seph had heard from her before. As one, the group clicked their heels together and turned to face Seph. "An intruder has come to steal our secrets. Do what must be done!"
Without breaking step, the ensemble advanced on her, brandishing their silver pipes as if they had sharp blades instead of capped keys.
Wide-eyed, Seph wasn't willing to linger to discover what happened if they caught her. She turned and fled toward the next section. "Pix, I love you, but don't think I won't get you for this later."
As she sprinted away she heard Pixie give more commands to her section, "Nice work, Troops. The enemy is retreating. Back to one!"
Seph couldn't help but laugh as she processed what transpired.
When the heck did she find the time to get them to coordinate that? And more importantly, why?
Her eyes fell upon Mel's section and her heart sank a bit.
Instead of the rigid, almost robotic poses of the other sections, each of the sax players moved with a slight dip and swing to their step.
"Wha- Mel, what's going on here?"
"I figure Tune put the girl from
Nawlins
in charge of the funkiest section of the band 'cause he wanted some of that Mardi Gras stank to break up that stick-in-your-butt marching y'all got going on," several members of her squad had trouble keeping composure at Mel's statement.
"Kristina is going to crucify you," Seph marveled.
"Oh, shush, we saw what you were up to and were having a little fun," Mel stood upright and gave a fresh count for her squad to start on.
To Seph's relief, the squad fell into near-perfect traditional chair-step.
"Not funny," she called as she began moving to the clarinets. "By the way, it looks like a couple of your players can't shake that 'Mardi Gras stank' you introduced them to."
"
What
?" Mel shrieked and looked at the members of her squad, who were still dipping. "Noooo!"
Serves you right for teaching them that,
Seph laughed under her breath as she moved on to the next group.
She had nothing of note to provide Sam, who was leading the clarinets. Which meant Seph could either move on to the drums or go back to the trumpets. As much as she feared going to the drummers, she knew she was seen as a leader for the
entire
band and didn't want to let any section down.
"Amber!" She hadn't realized that one of the girls she'd been hanging out with at the bonfire would be leading the snares. Or at least, attempting to lead. There was almost no point in voicing the question. "How... are... things?"
"Let's take five, y'all," Amber called to her bandmates as she turned to face Seph.
"Is everything alright?"
"Nooooo," Amber, nearly in tears, whispered. "Tamara was center snare, then Cleo would have been the next best. I am way underprepared for this and they need a ton of work. We're a mess."
She looked over at Zoe who had come over to stand next to her. "No offense."
"Hey, it's not like I'd be doing any better," Zoe shook her head.
"Tam had us working on routines, but I'm afraid all I've done is set us back a day or two... or ten," she let out an exhausted sigh. "I think maybe I should just have us move back to conditioning. At least I can't set us back any further than I already have."
Seph bit her lip, unsure what she could say to give Amber the confidence she needed.
