AN: Hey anonymous reader – yes, this is a work of fiction! We know DCI would never act this way, but for the sake of the story, it’s kind of fun to play “what if?” It’s the same premise for the prequel, DCI (to my knowledge) does not have Finals Interns, however, it was a great way to get our characters together and fun to explore the whole ‘what if’ aspect. :)

We do own the characters – and I have missed me some Bronwyn!

Note from Somewei: The stupid line breakers aren't working...I'll get to it later!

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Chapter 12: I am Woman – Hear me Roar!

Our camp went by quickly – quicker than I could imagine. It seemed like there was barely enough time in the day to roll out of bed, then run, practice, and repeat. I didn’t have time to worry about Tony, but fortunately, he was in exactly the same place I was. Well, he probably wasn’t seriously stressing about our upcoming first show/performance like I was, but I was in a bit of a different position. Although I didn't really broadcast it, I was taking the stress of the Top Three verdict a lot more than I let people know. To my section, I tried to be nothing but supportive, but in reality, I felt the pressure of future generations of Cadettes bearing down on me. I had already come to the decision that if we didn't make top 3, then I wouldn't be returning for a follow up season. What would be the point? I didn’t think I would be able to show my face in DCI ever again if we didn’t place.

Forcing myself to stay awake, and recognizing that we could not have a relationship built on texting, I called Tony late on the night before our first competition. It was nearing the end of June, and graduation felt like a distant memory now. I was well on my way to the most permanent sports-bra-carrier tan combo that I had ever had…and that was a lot given I’m more prone to freckling than actual tanning.
I sighed loudly, recognizing for the one millionth time, that due to the geographic distance of our respective corps choices, we weren't going to overlap that much. The first time we would even have a chance of getting to physically see each other wouldn't be until July. Until then, it would have to be phone calls.

"Hey."

Just hearing his voice, and knowing that he was actually ‘live’ on the other end was almost enough to send me into tears. Although I was appreciating my ability and resourcefulness to rely on myself, it was still soooooooooo good to hear Tony.

"Hey."

"So, how's it going?"

Tony knew about the drama with Brannon and Vanessa. In fact, I think that at some point Vanessa had actually reached out to my boyfriend directly. I always seemed to forget that they had become friends last summer, and had sporadically stayed in touch over the year. No one had been happier when we had finally gotten together than Vanessa.

Since we were both living and breathing drum corps, I decided to keep the conversation on a personal level, and replied, "Well, nothing's been resolved. I mean Brannon is still here, but Vanessa's pretty much not talking to him. He's still not over the fact that she wanted him to go, but can’t bring himself to actually leave."

"You can understand where he's coming from."

Even though I am pretty much terrible at flirting, I managed to ask, “So, would you march as a girl all summer for me?”

Tony paused a moment before we both busted up laughing. There is absolutely no WAY anyone would ever believe my boyfriend was a girl. Tony’s too tall, too broadly shouldered, and just no, it could never happen.

My favorite snare drummer finally replied in a serious tone, “Bronwyn, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

Tony wasn’t usually so forthcoming with his declarations of love, so I had to control my grin and tuck the comment away to savor at another time. However, it was enough to keep me going for at least another month. I finally managed to say, "So, anyway, every time I bring it up, Vanessa changes the subject. Personally, I think she’s created this weird thing in her mind where she can justify not being with Brannon, but only if we get Top 3."

I could see where she was coming from. In my time of liking and not liking Tony, I had come up with all sorts of weird techniques and excuses before finally realizing that all even with all that had happened in Tony and I's long and interesting relationship, at the end of the day I was much happier being with him than denying my feelings.

"And the ex-boyfriend?"

“Well, he’s still out of the picture, but I mean, what a complete dick! Who would do that? Break up over the phone? In the middle of camp?”

“You know, not everyone lives and breathes corps like we do…”

“I don’t care – you have to admit, it’s pretty inconsiderate.”

“Sure, but she’s not helping the situation by giving Brannon the silent treatment. He only wants to help her, am I right?”

I knew he was right, but Brannon wasn’t the only one getting the cold shoulder. It seemed Vanessa had locked herself off from me as well. I had tried numerous times to get her to talk, but she was always wandering off, saying she needed to practice or help some section. The dark circles under eyes were enough to make her look like a raccoon.

“You’re right.”

“Well, let me know if you want me to call her or something.”

“I will.” My eyelids were getting considerably heavier, so I continued, “Okay, well, big day tomorrow. We’d better get some sleep.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Tony was the one person I could admit my fears to.

“Flueger, I have no doubt that your Line is in the best possible shape they can be.”

I didn’t know how much I needed to hear those words until Tony said them. Trying to get the best of my emotions, I answered, “Well, text me after you guys play and maybe we’ll get a moment to talk.”

“I love you, Bronwyn.”

“Love you too, Tony.”

Since we hadn’t been saying the ‘I love you’ thing all that long, I got all smiley and girly as I hung up the phone and I could hear Meredith rolling her eyes from her side of the room.

I threw a pillow at her and said playfully, “Aww, you’re just jealous.”

Meredith grumbled something and then rolled over. She had been picking up on the obvious dysfunction between Brannon and Vanessa had been trying her very best to get something going with the trumpet player, but thus far had not gotten much further than flirting. I knew Mere was definitely looking forward to tomorrow – if for the only reason that she would get a whiff of testosterone.

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I’m not sure how or when I slept, but somehow it was the next day, and we were pulling up in the busses to our first show. The warm up in the lot was intense. Of course, I always wondered how warm ups could really impress people, but we did draw quite a crowd. If my girls were nervous, it didn't show and I was proud. We powered through our warmups with only a bit of tempo fluctuation. Eric made his comments and tune ups as usual. We had already decided that we wouldn't be giving any of the show away just yet, so people were going to have to wait until the actual performance to see our book. What I did signal for was a quick ditty I had modified from the BHS Line – which included to awesome verbal, "I am woman hear me roar, I am too bold to ignore!" It had started a cheesy and fun, but now meant something a bit more. It was a tradition I wanted to continue, and even managed to draw some smiles from the crowd which had gathered. I hoped there were a few potential future Cadettes in the group and they would see we were not only good, but also had a good time being good.

And so, as I had been doing for the better part of my life, I marched out in the hot afternoon sun. Being a brand new corps was kind of a big deal, and being an all female corps on top of it had a lot of people excited. There was media not usually turned out for an early corps competition, but I figured anything that brought attention to DCI had to be a good thing. Ms. Arlint knew this was going to happen, and had prepped us accordingly.

Finally, I hear the words I’ve been dying to hear since being accepted as a Cadette in the winter. The announcer’s voice carried over the stadium, "And now the Cadettes bring you the story of one very important woman in their show entitled, ‘From the Sea...’"

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In the end, we scored a respectable 70.5, which gave us plenty of room to grow, but more importantly, was not a complete embarrassment. I was sure the tapes would give us something to work on, and Eric and the other instructors would also have ideas.

Sincewe're pretty kitted out on board – the busses have somehow been equipped with wireless hubs that allow us to check in on our laptops and stuff – it's easy to stay in touch with the gossip. Logging in, I’m able to see that sure enough, they’ve pointed out our weak spots, which Eric and I were already well aware of, but there were also a number of unexpected compliments – comments ranging about us as a corps and our overall ‘energy.’

It had been noted by the Instructors that when our corps was on the field, you literally could not take your eyes off of us. I had to agree. From start to finish, we had crafted a unique story. Somehow, over the past few weeks, the leadership had adapted 'From the Sea' to tell the story of one very important woman – no less than the goddess Venus herself. One of the guard members (who happened to be a spitting image of Botticelli's Venus) had been recruited for the lead role (who knew Venus was so talented with a sabre?). While I had my reservations in the beginning that it might be hokey and phony, it did somehow work. The selections we played could be considered anything from the sea on a calm day to underwater noises to the roar of an ocean storm with waves crashing loudly and powerfully, and through it all, Venus is triumphant. It didn't take a genius to figure out since we were an all female corps that Venus really spoke for all of us. I didn't care, to me, it was an expression of what music could do and I was proud to be a part of it.

Leaning back in my seat I thought about the day – my section was tight, not much more a Captain could ask for, however, I recognized the rest of the band was a bit more disharmonious. Two individuals particularly. It wasn't that Vanessa had done anything wrong, if anything, she had been borderline too intense. I had viewed a lot of DCI videos in my day and been to countless shows and performances, but I had never seen someone as crazy focused as Vanessa. In her current frame of mind, would she even listen to criticism?

When the buses stopped that night, I caught up to her, determined to see if I could get my favorite Drum Major back to normal. Going on one of the corps inside jokes, I asked playfully, “Did you have a ‘Venus’ moment today?”

"Are you kidding?" she asked in a tone I had never heard before.

Woah. Stand back, explosion. I cautiously continued, “You didn’t think the show went well?”

"Don't get me started," she growled at me.

Seriously, I had only known Vanessa for a year or so, but I had never heard her so pessimistic and I didn't want to get her started. Thus far in my life, I had always had a decent relationship to my respective drum majors. I didn't want to question her way of doing things, but her opinion seemed a little extreme.

I backed away slowly and sought out Brannon’s height at the gas station. This needed to end. Now.

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AN: There is technology that allows you to connect from the road - believe me, I used to work on a train, and it was m only link to civilization.