Chapter 3
The Backpack

By lunchtime on the fourth day of band camp, nobody was talking about drill anymore.

Nobody cared about music rehearsal.

Nobody cared about section competitions.

The only thing anyone wanted to discuss was Ethan Parker.

The missing drum major.

Even Director Barnes seemed distracted.

He tried to keep rehearsals moving, but students could tell he was worried.

Alyssa certainly was.

She sat beneath the stadium bleachers with Jake and Tyler, picking at a sandwich she wasn't hungry enough to eat.

"You really think the key means something?" Jake asked.

Tyler nodded.

"I know Ethan."

He stared across the field.

"If he told me about that key, it was for a reason."

Alyssa leaned forward.

"Did he ever mention where he found it?"

"No."

"Any clue at all?"

Tyler thought.

Then shook his head.

"Nothing."

Jake sighed dramatically.

"This would be so much easier if Ethan would just stop being missing."

Alyssa rolled her eyes.

"Very helpful."

"I try."

Before either could reply, a voice called from across the parking lot.

"Alyssa!"

The three looked up.

Mia Chen was running toward them.

The sophomore clarinet player rarely ran anywhere.

She was usually quiet.

Calm.

Careful.

Today she looked anything but calm.

"What happened?" Alyssa asked.

Mia stopped to catch her breath.

"You need to come with me."

"Why?"

"They found something."

Alyssa immediately stood.

"What?"

Mia looked around.

Then lowered her voice.

"Ethan's backpack."

The three students exchanged stunned looks.

"What?" Jake said.

"It was in the leadership office."

Tyler was already moving.

The others followed.

By the time they reached the band room, a crowd had gathered.

Students filled the hallway.

Some stood on chairs trying to see inside.

Others whispered excitedly.

Director Barnes stood in the middle of the room.

At his feet sat a black backpack.

Ethan's backpack.

There was no doubt.

His initials were stitched across the front pocket.

E.P.

The room buzzed with nervous energy.

Tyler stared at it.

"That's his."

Director Barnes nodded.

"It was found in the old leadership office."

"How?"

"No idea."

Alyssa frowned.

"Has anyone checked that room already?"

"Twice."

The students exchanged uneasy looks.

Twice.

Yet somehow the backpack had only just appeared.

Director Barnes slowly unzipped the main compartment.

The room became silent.

Inside were ordinary things.

Folders.

Pencils.

A notebook.

Nothing unusual.

Nothing mysterious.

Then Barnes opened a side pocket.

Something white was folded inside.

A sheet of paper.

Several students moved closer.

Barnes unfolded it.

His expression changed.

"What?" someone whispered.

The director stared at the page.

Then slowly held it up.

Written in thick black marker were six words.

THE MUSIC IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS.

Silence.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

The words seemed to hang in the air.

Jake blinked.

"Okay."

Nobody answered.

"That's weird, right?"

Still nobody answered.

Tyler stared at the note.

Alyssa stared at the note.

Mia stared at the note.

Six words.

That was all.

No explanation.

No signature.

Nothing.

"The music is not what it seems."

Director Barnes read it aloud.

"What does that even mean?"

Nobody knew.

The students immediately began offering theories.

"It's a code."

"It's song lyrics."

"It's a clue."

"It's a warning."

"It's nonsense."

The debate continued for nearly ten minutes.

Then Mia quietly spoke.

"I think it's intentional."

Everyone looked at her.

"What do you mean?" Alyssa asked.

Mia pointed toward the note.

"Ethan chose every word carefully."

"You think so?"

She nodded.

"Look at what's missing."

"What?"

"He didn't say music isn't important."

The room became quiet.

"He said it isn't what it seems."

Tyler frowned.

"So what does it seem?"

Nobody answered.

Because nobody knew.

For the rest of the afternoon, the mystery consumed the band.

Students searched for hidden meanings.

They examined music selections.

Show themes.

Drill charts.

Leadership notes.

Nothing made sense.

When rehearsal finally ended, Alyssa, Jake, Mia, and Tyler stayed behind.

The four sat in the empty stands overlooking the field.

The stadium lights flickered on.

Long shadows stretched across the turf.

Jake kicked at a loose pebble.

"So now what?"

Alyssa looked toward the empty drum major podium.

"We investigate."

Tyler nodded.

Mia agreed.

Jake smiled.

"A detective squad."

"Please don't call it that."

"Too late."

The others groaned.

Then something happened.

A sound.

Faint.

Distant.

Almost impossible to hear.

Three trumpet notes.

Clear.

Short.

Mysterious.

The four students froze.

The notes floated across the evening air.

Then vanished.

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Slowly, Mia stood.

"Did everyone hear that?"

The others nodded.

Alyssa looked toward the far side of campus.

The sound had come from somewhere beyond the stadium.

Beyond the practice fields.

Beyond the places students usually went.

And for the first time since Ethan disappeared, the mystery felt less like a question.

And more like a trail.

One that someone wanted them to follow.’