Creation began on 08-24-15
Creation ended on 10-06-15
Jem and the Holograms
To part with a loved one
A/N: A what-if scenario.
As Jerrica Benton signed her signature on several forms in her office at Starlight Music, she thought back to the most recent visit of Ba Née and her father last week. It had been almost three months since Ba Née's father was found and said girl left to live with him; it was likely that the young woman that looked after so many of the Starlight Girls was still adjusting to the change in both the reduction of girls she provided for and the feeling of an empty-yet-meaningful space in her heart.
Then, as she was putting the forms in order, she noticed a letter written to Starlight Music that she was certain she didn't see a minute before.
Who's this B.C. of the Redemption Foundation? She wondered, unsure of ever hearing about such a thing. And what is this Redemption Foundation?
Deciding to answer her curiosity, she opened the letter up to read its contents.
"To Jerrica Benton of Starlight Music and the Starlight Foundation. As the owner of the Redemption Foundation for rebuilding, restoring and expansion operations, I seek the permission to rebuild over the ruins of where Starlight House once resided, as it has been more than a year since it was burned to the ground. I often visit the site and can't help but want to give back to the community a place where love and hope could be found."
As she read on, Jerrica remembered seeing Rio at the ruins of where Starlight House once resided, reminded of it being over a year since it was burned down.
-x-
Where Starlight House once resided, only charred remains of wood, glass and steel remained, degrading over time. Even weeds could be seen around the ruins.
As Jerrica came by to look at where she, the Holograms and Starlight Girls once resided, she noticed a stranger picking up a burnt book from the ruins.
"Excuse me, sir," she uttered to him, catching his attention. "What are you doing here?"
"Just a habit, ma'am," the stranger, a dark man, explained his presence to her. "I heard that the Starlight Foundation used to have a house right here until it burnt down over a year ago…and no attempt was ever made to rebuild where it once stood."
"Are you, by any chance, that B.C. person from the Redemption Foundation?"
"I am. Are you Jerrica Benton of Starlight Music and the Starlight Foundation?"
"I am."
"I enjoy the music of Jem and the Holograms. And the film Starbright. So meaningful, so benevolent and divine. I must say that this band is Starlight Music's greatest achievement. You have a lot to be proud."
"Thank you, sir."
The burnt book that he found had had half a cover of a young girl in a state of emotional sadness while surrounded by a photo of a house and a baby doll.
"'Looking for Home' by Jean Ferris," he expressed on the book's title. "I read this book a few times. I love how it ends."
He then offered Jerrica the damaged book, as it was still in good condition, despite its burnt cover. In his eyes, the book's decrepitude didn't hinder its value as reading material. In his eyes, if the book still had all of its pages and you could read them with little difficulty, then it was a book worth salvaging.
Jerrica accepted the book, recognizing it as a book her father had gotten for Kimber. For all she could suspect, her sister would probably be glad to have it back.
"If you were to rebuild where the Starlight House once stood," she uttered to him, needing to know something important, "would you rebuild it exactly as it was?"
"I would," he answered her. "While some say change is a good thing, some of us believe that, while change is still a necessity in the world, a piece of the past is just as necessary. Its foundation is still strong, the plumbing can be fixed, its electrical wiring replaced, and I see no reason to build something different from what once resided here."
"You should know that the old Starlight House meant a lot to my parents before they died. It meant a lot to my family."
B.C. then sighed and asked, "Could I ask you a personal question, Ms. Benton?"
"Feel free," Jerrica answered him.
"Your mother, Jacqui Benton… You were never able to say goodbye to her that night, were you? That night of the plane crash."
"That's…a little too personal, sir."
"I apologize. My reason for asking is…what would you do if you could go back to that night, just to say goodbye?"
Jerrica sighed and expressed to the man, "If I could go back to that night, just to say goodbye to her… I would tell her that I loved her and given her a hug and kiss. Did you lose someone that night, as well?"
"Many good people that night. Whether I knew them or not. Some people believe that time is immutable, due to being like a river. You can trow a rock or pebble into it to create a ripple, but the current will always correct itself."
"I'm familiar with that theory."
"But say that a tiny ripple were able to go by unnoticed? You don't change something major, but you affect something that's small…but meaningful."
"Like saying goodbye?"
"Like saying goodbye."
Jerrica then had to ask a personal question of her own to him.
"What does B.C. mean, sir?" She asked him.
"Brother Correction."
"Like the urban and old myth?"
"You're pretty much standing in front of the inspiration behind the myths."
"But that would make you…a lot older than you appear."
"Age is nothing more than an illusion. Time and death are an illusion, as well."
-x-
The rain and thunder were horrendous that night, as a younger Jerrica Benton found herself with her family at the airport as her mother was about to leave on her flight.
Strangely enough, from a distance, the older Jerrica Benton and Brother Correction were watching the scene take place.
"Brother Correction?" The older woman uttered, confused at how they were in the past. "How is this possible?"
"It's what I'm capable of," he explained, and they saw her younger self expressing her unhappiness at her mother being away most of the time. "It's all up to you now. Do what you know you should…and let her know that you care."
As Jacqui started to turn away to catch her flight, Jerrica stopped her…and hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry, Mom," she apologized to Jacqui. "I love you."
Jacqui held her close and said, "I love you, too, Jerrica."
They kissed and parted as Jacqui ran to catch her flight.
-x-
Jerrica stood back at the ruins of the Starlight House with Brother Correction, shedding tears as she recalled the forgiving memory that replaced the bitter one.
"Thank you, Brother Correction," she praised the man.
"You're welcome," he responded.
-x-
Several months later, as Jem and the Holograms performed at another concert, where the ruins of Starlight House once resided was the in-progress construction of where the new house was to be, with several of the workers listening to the music of the band.
Standing in front of the construction site, Brother Correction felt proud at helping Jerrica fix her one mistake that was easily forgivable, looking at a small photo of the music band.
"Heh," he chuckled, and then vanished when a truck passed by him.
The End
A/N: My first story based off the Jem series. Jem and the Holograms forever!