JOAN'S FLASHFORWARD

(Disclaimer: I have no business connection with JOAN OF ARCADIA or FLASHFORWARD. My only purpose in writing this story is to have fun and maybe share it.

(FOR FANS UNFAMILIAR WITH JOAN: JOAN OF ARCADIA was a fantasy series about a modern girl who, like Joan of Arc, thought she was getting messages and missions from God. God appears to her in human form, as various strangers. The series ended in Spring 2005, with Joan a junior in high school, so I've aged her up to Fall 2009)

(FOR FANS UNFAMILIAR WITH FASTFORWARD: FASTFORWARD is a science fiction series in which the entire human race receives a vision of the future (or a potential future) six months from their current date. A disastrous side-effect was that thousands of people died because at the time of the vision they were in the middle of actions requiring alertness, such as driving a car or simply crossing a street. Flashforward seems to be set in a slightly alt. universe, with different presidents and no mention of an economic recession)

(The story is set in October, 2009, as is the first episode of FlashForward)

(I made some modifications in this chapter after "twin who likes to travel" pointed out some inconsistencies in the back story.)

Chapter 1 Pre Prophecy

Joan Girardi-Rove walked down the path between the Law and Literature buildings of Baconia University. She was deep in thought. What did the future hold?

It was her senior year and she was trying to interview for entry-level positions in some law firms, but none of them had panned out yet. All they would offer were unpaid internships, which the Girardi-Roves could not afford at the moment.

Although neither of them liked discussing it, it was clear to both Joan and her husband that she would be the breadwinner for a while. Adam was a good artist, and had developed a lot of skill and technique during his four years at college, but art was unlikely to be a steady job. At best it would be expensive commissions separated by dry periods. The plan was for her to go back to law school once Adam had achieved some success (and money). She had faith that Adam WOULD be successful.

To be sure, Joan was not the usual twenty-one year old, to whom the future was an utter mystery. For years, mysterious strangers had been appearing to her, sending her on little missions. Each mission had good consequences – good ripples, as Joan liked to call them – but they did not seem to be independent chores. It had been obvious from early on that she was being prepared for something. But what? She still didn't know. Something important to do when she reached maturity, was what she assumed.

On the other hand, she knew that she couldn't just lie back and expect God to smooth the way for her, although a part of her had to admit it would be nice. There had been tragedies in her life. A little boy for whom she occasionally babysat had contracted a fatal disease and died. Her best girlfriend had gotten involved in drugs and was murdered by a trigger-happy drug pusher. Her brother Kevin had been paralyzed in an auto accident and eventually died of complications, leaving behind a wife and small daughter.

"Hello, Joan," said a familiar voice. Joan turned and saw the bizarre figure she called Goth God: spiky hair, chalk-white makeup on the skin, oddly sensitive eyes. The other students ignored Him, either because He was invisible to them or because they were used to eccentric people roaming about.

"Hi." She didn't bow or address Him as My Lord. He never expected that when He was in human form. Once she had even made a joking insult and He took it in stride.

"What are you doing at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon?" He asked.

"I've got a math class. You should know that. You're omniscient."

"I always think it's polite to ask. Joan, you must be home at 2:00 tomorrow. Don't go outside. Don't even walk up or down stairs."

"Why not?" A sudden dread shot through her. "Is the end of the world going to start tomorrow at two?"

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean, not exactly?! You can't have a sort of apocalypse, can you? That's like talking about being a little bit pregnant!"

"Warn Adam, Luke, Grace, your mom, Sister Lily, and anybody else who will listen," said Goth God, dodging the crucial question as He usually did. "Advise them that sitting down at 2:00 is probably best."

"Warn them of WHAT?" Joan was trying not to freak out, but it was difficult.

But Goth God walked off, with His usual backhand wave.

Joan stood and tried to get her jitters under control. "Well," she said to herself, "I guess the good news is, I may not have to worry about my future career."

Joan had one big advantage in sending out the warning. Over the years she had revealed her secret to most of her family: her brother Luke, his girlfriend Grace, her sister-in-law Lily, and her Mom. They were used to getting cryptic instructions from the Deity. Her Mom agreed to try to protect Dad; Adam would talk to his father, Grace would contact her parents. Joan also called Veronica Mars, in Califormia, and Marghareta Speranza, in Italy; both knew her secret. Joan tried to talk to some of her college friends, explaining lamely that she had heard that there was an earthquake coming (which was not very likely in southernl Pennsylvania). She hoped they would take the advice.

At 1:59, Joan and Adam were lying in bed withe their arms around each other, not to sleep or make love, but because that seemed the most stable place to be. They stared at the clock. Joan had deliberately synchronized it with the official time over the Internet.

2:00 came, and the flash hit her.

TO BE CONTINUED

(NOTE ON TIME: The Flash happened at 11:00 AM Pacific time, according to the FlashForward series. Joan lives on the east coast, so there is a three-hour time zone difference and the Flash would hit her at 2:00 PM. In my first go at this story I got the time wrong, and thought it happened at 10:00/1:00)