I know this story has been updated very rarely; sorry! Sometimes it's the time issue, when I just can't sit down and write because there are other things I have to do. Sometimes it's because I can't get to a computer or get on the website to update. But, I think it's mostly because it's so hard to remember the past and write it down for others to read. I mean, these are things that have happened and mean so much to me, but it's difficult to pull those thoughts out of my head and write them in a way to be fair and give the reader a full story. Memory is mostly snippets of information that mean something to a person. I have to expand on those bits and pieces of the past while including my friend's point of view (something that's hard when they don't want to work on the story or can't remember something, too) and making sure I have everyone's permission to write about the events. I don't want to offend anyone whatsoever, but I still have to remain faithful to what happened and not "alter" any more than I have to.
Here is another chapter! Be sure to enjoy and tell me what you think!
Chapter Eleven: The End Of The Honor Band
That honor band had been the best Arianna had ever been a part of. She was surrounded by friends, musicians, and professors who actually cared about the music as more than just a way to be recognized. It was a way to express how people felt and relieve tension and give a deeper meaning to anything in the world. Arianna had realized what her problem had been, the inner struggle she had dealt with, the pain she had caused herself:
She had been frustrated with the music.
Arianna had lost the drive, the motivation, the pleasure she took in the music. Dr. Doss had showed her there was a teacher out there who loved and understood the music and all those who loved and respected him learned so much more about themselves through his teaching. Arianna knew Mr. Marah had been a disaster for her music, for her personality, for her way of life. She realized that day that Marah had not taken her or any other student to an honor band. He had forced the music from the band, taken something from the students. He had taken something from her that had cut deeper than any emotional, physical, or mental wounds he had caused her already. Arianna realized it that night.
She supposed it was music therapy, in a way. She laughed during light songs, cried during sad songs, and used each song to teach herself something new. There was a magic in the honor band, a power Arianna had been looking for. The conductors were magicians, the sorcerer, Dr. Ross, using the musicians as tools to cast his spells of beauty and emotion upon the audience. Mr. Vogl, looking tough and proud in his military uniform, performed with his band before sitting in the audience to watch his students. Arianna saw the stage lights reflecting off his glasses from where he sat and was proud he could see her and her classmates perform.
After the concert, Arianna had roamed the reception hall before preparing to leave. Other students sat in the annex, waiting for Mr. Vogl and Arianna to come back so they could go home. To them, this was an experience to remember, but it held no where near the meaning it had for Mr. Vogl and Arianna. Mr. Vogl was represented by his students and represented his school, all he had worked so hard in college for. Since the honor band was held at his old college, he knew nearly everyone there and Arianna could tell by the look on his face that he was proud.
"Excuse me?" asked a college student, one of the girls who had helped set up before the concert. Arianna jumped, nearly spilling her glass of punch, and tore her gaze away from where Dr. Doss and Mr. Vogl were talking, smiling at the girl with the blonde hair, her thin body dressed in black.
"Yes?" Arianna said, smiling wide. To be honest, she was scared and taken off guard, no clue what this was about.
"I just wanted to say you were really great tonight," the girl said earnestly. "You played with such emotion, it was inspiring. You really felt the music."
Arianna stood there in shock. This was one of the highest compliments she had received that night, or, as a matter of fact, from any honor band she had been a part of. And Arianna couldn't think of a thing to say in return.
"I would give you such a big hug right now," she stammered, "But I wouldn't want to spill my drink on you!"
Arianna gave a light chuckle as the girl laughed and smiled. They hugged anyway and Arianna thanked her once more before the girl wandered off and disappeared into the crowd. Ari was so embarrassed she had bumbled her way through such a pleasant conversation and the awkward feeling that she should have said something else and not babbled about spilling her drink. She went to find the girl again, but stopped and sighed. Why go back and embarrass the girl? Arianna regretted not getting her name; she would have liked to talk with her again. It was apparent the girl was a student of Dr. Doss.
"Ari," Mr. Vogl said, causing her to turn. Mr. Vogl subtly waved her over and Arianna obeyed, setting her punch down on a tabletop and smoothing her letter jacket. Dr. Doss was breathtaking in his coat-tail jacket and dress attire and Arianna just about tripped over her own feet looking at him.
"Thank you, Arianna, for being a part of this band," the conductor said, taking Ari's hand in his own. "You played with a passion and emotion I don't see from many students. Thank you."
"Oh, thank you, Dr. Doss!" Arianna squeaked out, terrified of talking to such an amazing master of music. "You were inspirational! I absolutely love your conducting style and hope to come back someday!"
Mr. Vogl smiled as Dr. Doss bowed and excused himself after briefly talking about his music program with Arianna and asking her to come back for a tour. Arianna looked at her hand and bit her lip, too excited and stunned to say anything.
"Have you talked with the other directors yet, Ari?" Mr. Vogl asked, walking with her across the reception hall. "If you would like to, we should hurry to get home before all the other students fall asleep in the annex or wander off in search of food."
Arianna joked and obliged, Mr. Vogl smiling as she left his side.
The van ride home was uneventful, for the most part. Arianna asked all of her classmates to sign her program so she wouldn't forget who had gone with, one of the students sending around an invisible document to sign.
"What's this for, Peter?" Mr. Vogl asked, pulling out of the parking lot behind the military band trailer.
"It's a document stating that no one will look in the backseats while people get undressed from their concert clothes and into pajamas."
"Oh," Mr. Vogl said, pretending to sign the invisible document handed to him at a stop light with utter seriousness.
They shared pizza after making a stop at a gas station and pizza restaurant, Mr. Vogl telling Arianna all about the military band and what it was like traveling with them. Nearly everyone slept in the backseats, resting on each other like a litter of puppies. It was very late by the time they got back to the school, everyone unloading their things from the van. It was cold outside and slightly wet from the storms earlier in the day. Arianna didn't want to leave the cold van and good company, shuddering as her feet became wet and the bottom of her skirt dripped with dirty water.
"Goodnight, Mr. Vogl," Arianna said to him as he prepared to drive the van back to the bus garage. "It was a great night!"
"You did a good job, Ari," he said with a smile, "Dr. Doss was impressed with you. You played very well and I'm very happy. Get some sleep and I'll see you later."
"Thanks, Sarg.," she said, her band director laughing as she waved goodbye, running to her father's truck where he waited to pick her up.
That night, all she talked about was Dr. Doss and the concert, how much fun she had had with her classmates, and what a great guy Mr. Vogl was. Her parents rolled their eyes, her sister laughed, and her friends who had not gone to the honor band had no clue what she was talking about.
Arianna gently set away her wet concert clothes and hung her letter jacket over a chair to dry, turning her phone off for the evening after making all her calls. She slipped into pajamas, her long wet hair making her shiver, and Arianna dreamed of the concert, Mr. Vogl smiling, Dr. Doss conducting, and the music from her flute sweet and beautiful.
There we are! This was actually a fun chapter to write! I know that the chapters for this series are a little shorter than some people would want, but I just sort of wanted this to be a transitional chapter, going from one point in time to another. Three chapters of one honor band is a little much, too, and I hadn't wanted to spend as much time on it as I did. But, I did and it was important, so there you are! Thank you so much for reading and let me know what you think! Generally, I want a few reviews per chapter before I move onto the next one, just to see if anyone is reading. I love hearing from readers, too, because then I can write for them and work on things I might not catch, being the author! Thanks again!!!! Happy Reading!