From: eah4@po.CWRU.Edu (Elizabeth A. Hlabse) Newsgroups: alt.ql.creative Subject: There But for the Grace of God, Part 1 Date: 27 Mar 1993 20:08:49 GMT Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA) Lines: 312 Message-Id: <1p2c8h$ksm@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> Reply-To: eah4@po.CWRU.Edu (Elizabeth A. Hlabse) Nntp-Posting-Host: slc8.ins.cwru.edu Usually disclaimers and such apply. Hope you like my little story. Write to me if you do or don't. I want to know either way. THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD by Beth Hlabse As the quantum fire faded from his eyes, Sam Beckett looked around in surprise. He was on the sidelines of a football field on the bottom row of a human pyramid. His arms began to shake and he could hear the squealing of the girls above him as his elbows gave out. He shook his head as the puramid tumbled, finally noticing that he was dressed in a green and gold cheerleader's skirt. "Janice," one of the girls said to him as she pulled him to his feet. "I thought you said you could handle being on the bottom." "Uh, yeah, I was just distracted," Sam answered her weakly. "Yeah, I bet you were," the girl answered, looking out onto the playing field where the football team was practicing. "Mark is a real looker. And those pants. God, I love them. They are so tight and..." "Toni!" The reprimand came from the woman who appeared to be the cheerleading coach. "Pay attention to what you're doing and not to what's on the field." "Sorry, Miss Mathews," Toni answered with little apology in her voice. Toni went back to getin position as Miss Mathews came over to Sam's side. "Are you all right, Janice? You looked a little dazed there for a minute." She laid a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder. "Yeah, I'm fine, Miss Mathews. Just got the wind knocked out of me, I guess," Sam answered her. "I'm sure Mark wasn't hurt by that tackle. Come on, I want to have this routine perfected by the end of practice." ********** After what could only be considered a grueling practice, Sam followed the other girls into th elocker room. Glancing around, he noticed that the girls weren't changing, just picking up book bags and heading out. With a sigh of relief, he began his search for "his" books. "Hey, Janice!" It was Toni. "Yeah, Toni?" Sam called back, heading in her direction. "Do you think Mark would consider going out with me?" Toni handed a bag with the name 'Janice Miller' on it. "I mean, I know I'm your best friend and all and he's know me forever, but I'd really like to go out with him, but he seems so shy sometimes. Could you ask him for me?" Sam was at a loss as to how to answer. He didn't know his relationship to Mark and didn't want to make promises that Janice wouldn't be able to keep when she got back. "It's okay, Sam. Tell her you'll talk to him." It was Al, Sam's holographic friend and only contact with his own time. "Mark is Janice's twin brother." "Sure, I'll talk to him," Sam answered Toni dutifully. "I don't think he'll mind that we're friends." Toni threw her arms around Sam in an enthusiastic hug. "Thanks, Janice. I really owe you for this. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, the girl ran out of the locker room, whistling to herself. Sam lowered himself to a bench and looked up at Al, who had pulled out the handlink to Ziggy. "If I'm here to get Toni and Mark to go on a date, I think I'm going to be sick." "No, Sam, you're not here for that." Al had a very thoughtful expression on his face as he whacked the side of the handlink, causing it to squeal in protest. "You're name is Janice Miller. You live in Leeper, Pennsylvania... hey, Sam. You leaped in Leep." Sam glared at the hologram, not really in the mood for jokes. "Spoil sport. Anyway, you're 16 years old and have a twin brother named Mark, who, by the way, is a scant two hours older than you. You live with your fater, John. Mother died last year from cancer. Let's see... Ziggy says you're here to per ... pervert ... no, that can't be right. Oh, prevent. You're here to prevent Mark from..." Al paused and swallowed hard. "...from committing suicide." Al read the message that scrolled across the screen and his face got even more pensive. "In two days, Mark is found dead in his bedroom. Seems he swallowed a lot of sleeping pills. Too many, damn it. Three months later, you, or rather, Janice, runs away from home and ends up on the streets. Kid's killed by her pimp in '92. It's October 14, 1987, by the way." "Why did he do it, Al?" Sam looked decidedly green. Just once, he wished he'd get an easy leap. Perhaps rescue a kitten cought up a tree or something. After another whack to the link, Al answered. "Don't know. Mark didn't leave a note, or if he did, there's no record of it. Kid had everything going for himself, too. Captain of the football team in his sophomore year, class president and good looks. Colleges are already looking at him now, for both football and academics. "That doesn't make sense, Al. A kid that has all that going for him doesn't commit suicide. There has to be a reason. Did he do really bad on an exam? Blow a game? Problems with a girl? What?" "Nothing here, Sam. According to Ziggy, he didn't have a problem in the world." Al punched the exit code for the Imaging Chamber. "I'll go do a little more digging. I'll be back as soon as I can. Have fun." "Thanks a lot," Sam mumbled to himself as the glowing door closed behind his friend, cutting him off from his own time. Sam gathered up his books and headed out of the locker room, wondering where he was supposed to go. He was saved that problem by the sight that greeted him as he exited. Toni was talking with a teenage boy and from the look on her face, it could only be Mark. "Come on, sis," the dark haired boy called out, confirming Sam's guess. He was standing next to what had to be the family car. "See you later, Toni. I'll call you tonight." He pulled the door open for Sam and waited for him to get in. "Bye, Mark." Toni leaned down to whisper in Sam's ear. "I didn't even need you this time. He asked _me_ out. See you tomorrow." Toni backed up as the motor started and waved as they pulled out of the parking lot. "You looked pretty good out there, Jan. What made them decide to put you on the bottom of the pyramid?" Mark chuckled. "It looked great, watching all of you take a tumble like that." "Very funny," Sam mumbled back, easily slipping into the easy banter that th etwo seemed to share. It reminded him of times with Tom and Katie back home. "How about that terrific pass that ended in the opposition taking it back for a touchdown? Do that during a game and it's goodbye game." "Yeah, I know," was the quiet response. Sam looked over at Mark and decided to see if he could figure out what was troubling him. "Listen, everybody makes a mistake or two. Even you. Don't let it bother you." Sam was looking at Mark carefully and noticed a slight shudder. "What's the matter?" "Oh, you know. I don't want to disappoint the team." "You won't disappoint them. I was watching. You're really good." Mark made a small sound that could have meant anything. "I mean it, Mark. All those colleges already looking at you and you've got to be one of the most popular peaple in the class." "You're not feeling left out again, are you, Janny?" Sam shook his head when Mark looked over at him. "I don't know, Jan. Sometimes, I feel like I'm pushing you into the background at school. I mean, for my sister, you're not bad looking and people seem to like you a lot. One of the guys on the team even asked me if you were dating." "What did you tell him?" Sam felt a little apprehensive at the mention of a date. So far, he'd been able to avoid this type of thing, for the most part, when he was a woman, but if Mark was setting him up with someone, he didn't know what he'd do. "I told him 'no' and that he'd have to do his own asking." Mark chuckled. "You sounded almost scared, Jan. What's the matter? Not interested in dating yet?" "Just not sure I want to date a football jock," Sam retorted easily as they pulled into the driveway of a small house. "You know how they are ... all brawn, no brain," he said as he got out of the car. "I'll get you for that," Mark yelled, getting out of the car and giving chase. Sam dashed for the door and made it in just before Mark could grabhim in retaliation. The two were laughing when the ran into an older man, obviously their father. "Have a good day at school, Janice?" he asked. "Yes," Sam answered truthfully. What he had had of the day had been good. "I have homework to do," he said, hoping to avoid any intimate conversation until he got his bearings. "You can do it later, Jan." He turned to Mark. "How did football practice go?" he was asking as Sam headed into the living room. Sam could hear Mark answering him softly and then his father yelling. "How doyou expect to get a football scholarship if you mess up in practice?!" Sam came back into th ehallway just in time to see Mark headed down a side hallway and slam the door shut with a resounding BANG! He looked down the hall briefly and then at the man standing next to him. "What happened?" "Nothing you need worry about, Jan. How about I treat you to dinner out?" He was smiling as he grabbed his coat. "Uh, sure, but I have to change first," Sam said, looking down at the cheerleading outfit he stil wore. "Won't take long." "I'll be waiting in the car," he said as he went out the door. Sam headed down the hall and knocked softly on the door that had been so forcefully slammed shut minutes earlier. He heard a muffled "Come in" and did so. The room was dark, blinds closed against the late afternoon sun. Mark was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Dad's taking us out for dinner." He got a 'hurumph' in response. "Aren't you coming?" "No." Mark turned over so that he faced the wall. "He doesn't want me along anyway." "I do," Sam said softly, coming into the room and sitting on the ont bed next to Mark. "Listen, just because he got a little mad is no reason to get this upset." "I can't do anything right, Jan. You know that. My grades aren't good enough. I make a mistake at football practice, or worse, during a game. I'm not dating the prettiest girl. Everything I do is wrong." Sam heard the Imaging Chamber door open and turned slightly to see Al standing there. "Everything seems to be going great. He says he's proud of me and then, for no reason, he pounces on me again." He abruptly stopped, as if he had said too much. "Go to dinner, Jan. I'll see you when you get back." Sam jerked his head at Al, silently telling him to follow. He closed the door and noticed the room across the hall. Definitely a girl's room. Janice's. He went in and began rumaging through the drawers for cloths, talking to Al as he did so. "Did you hear all that, Al? Mental abuse, at least, maybe something more. If what you said about Mark is true, and he's getting this from his father, n wonder he snapped. Maybe his dad did something the day he committed suicide that shoved Mark over the edge." "It's possible, Sam, I don't know for sure. "Most kids don't kill themselves just because someone yells at them." Al as watching Sam ery carefully, a worried expression on his face. Sam didn't notice as he continued. "But if it's coming from someone they really trust and look up to? I mean, John seem slike a ery nice person and he obviously caes about Janice and Mark." "Sometimes, those we trust can turn on us, Sam. A lving,supportive person one minute, on their back the next for every little thing that goes wrong, or doesn't go wrong. It doesn't really matter." Sam started at that, something nagging on at the edge of his memory. Al bit his lip, hoping he hadn't said something wrong. "Sam?" "No, I'm okay. That just sounded familiar." He pulled a sweater over his head. "Listen, I have to go to dinner. I'll see you later, okay? See if you can come up with anything." Sam was headed out the door and down the hall. "Sure thing, Sam," Al said although his friend was already gone and getting into the car. Al punched up the exit command. "Gooshie, find Dr. Beeks. I think I may need her for this one." The door opened and he stepped through, disappearing in a rectangle of white. ********** Sam arived back at his home of the moment, pizza box in hand. He and John had had a very good dinner, as long as the topic of Mark did not come up. Every time Sam tried to mention him, John had very carefully steered the conversation in other directions. Sam went down the hallway and entered Mark's room, after knocking. He hadn't gotten a response. "Mark? You in here?" He stuck his head in, not knowing what to expect. "I brought you some pizza. It's peperoni and mushroom." He heard a mumble coming form somewhere in the room and took it as permission to enter. "Thanks." Mark sounded sullen and Sam wasn't sure how to respond to it. "Just put it down on the bed I'll eat it later." "Do you want to talk? I'm a good listener." Sam wanted to help this young man and was rather surprised at the intense feeling of kinship he was feeling. Almost as if he knew exactly what he was going through. "No. Thanks, jan. I'll see you in the morning." "Mark..." "Just leave me alone. Get out!" Mark threw a pillow at Sam as he ducked out of the room. Sam went across the hall to his own room, feeling very despondant. He quickly changed his cloths and crawled under teh covers, wondering how he was going to get Mark to open up when he heard the Imaging Chamber door open. He sat up as Al made us appearance, closing the door behind him. "Have you found out anything more?" Sam whispered. "No, not really. I've been talking with Janice in the Waiting Room and she can't help. She knows her brother is upset about something, but not what." Al put the handlink in the pocket of his silver flight jacket. "I really came to check up on you. How're you doing?" "I'm fine." Sam looked at his friend in confusion. "Why do you ask? there's nothing all that unusual about this leap." "Oh, just checking," Al evaded. "Sometimes these leaps effect you more than you know." "Well, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." Sam lay back down as Al blipped out of sight. He closed his eyes and fell immediately asleep. to be continued..... -- Beth Hlabse eah4@po.CWRU.Edu Assistant Sysop The Science Fiction and Fantasy Sig (GO SCIFI) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vampires and Holograms have a lot in common. --Sam (Blood Moon)