It's In The Genes
By Jeune Ecrivain
Rating: T
Summary: When the Bolton family goes on vacation in 2030, history repeats itself. This time, however, there's a bit of a twist.
"Chris, I think you've done enough reading for today, especially considering where we are."
Chris Bolton looked up to find his mother, Gabriela, smirking gently at him as she pulled his Latin primer out of his hands. "Sorry, Mom," he said. "I'm just really into this stuff."
"Just like your mother was into math and science," a male voice interjected. "You're not exactly one to talk about having your nose stuck in a book, Gabby." Chris' father walked up and sat down on the couch next to his son.
"Yeah, but at least I was always reading something different. Your son here has reviewed the same chapter half a dozen times," Gabriela told her husband.
"That's the way it is with a foreign language," defended Chris. "If you don't stay in practice, you lose it."
"I'm still trying to figure out how basketball player plus math-slash-science whiz equals foreign language prodigy. That's some funky genetic math, if you ask me," observed the elder Bolton male with an impish smile on his face.
"Troy, we're at Disney World!" Gabriela reminded him, ignoring her husband's attempt at humor. "Would you please tell your son he needs to get his nose out of Cicero long enough to have some good old-fashioned fun while we're still here."
Troy smirked gently at his wife and turned to face Chris. "Well, as much as I admire your passion son, your mother's right. This is vacation! You'll have plenty of time to brush up on your Latin after we move into our new house in California."
"They're having a dance in the ballroom for all the older kids at the resort. Why don't you go check it out?" Gabriela suggested.
"I guess you're right," Chris replied, thinking that it might be fun to leave the room for a while. He couldn't help but smile in amusement as he rose to his feet. Sometimes, his mom was actually quite cool. Other times, she was just the typical doting mother. Yet, Chris wouldn't have it any other way. He sighed as he approached the door, reminding himself that one never knows what could happen. He'd been told the story of how his parents met enough times to have that concept pretty well ingrained in his thinking.
"Be back by 11," Troy called over his shoulder.
"Not a problem, Dad."
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"Give me an S! Give me an E! Give me a…"
"Emily, don't tell me we traveled all this way just so you could do more cheerleading!"
The energetic cheerleader put her pompoms down and looked at her father, her wavy blonde hair falling to rest on her shoulders. "C'mon, Dad! I'm working on my own original cheer routine!" she protested. "Boy, if my coach likes it…"
"Emily, it's Disney World! You can do plenty of cheerleading at home, but while we're here, you oughta be out there seeing the shows and riding the rides."
Emily sighed. "I know. I just really wanna get this thing perfect. I'm the captain of the cheerleading squad. Sooner or later, they're going to expect some original material from me."
"Then worry about the 'later' instead of the 'sooner,'" supported Emily's mother as she emerged from the bathroom. "You're a talented girl. I know you'll come up with a great cheer. But for right now, just go out and have some real fun! That's what your father and I are doing."
Emily looked indecisive for a moment, but then, she smiled warmly at her mother. "You're right, Mom," she decided, throwing her pompoms aside. "I heard there's some sort of dance going on in the ballroom. Maybe I'll drop by." She headed for the door. "Might even meet a cute guy!" she added over her shoulder as she opened it.
Her father squirmed. "Wait a minute. Emily, maybe you should work on your routine after all. Practice makes perfect, you know."
Emily giggled before disappearing out the door.
"Isn't it a little cold to be wearing that skirt?" her father called out.
Emily's mother rolled her eyes at her husband's change of heart. "Let her go, Oliver."
---HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM---
Chris weaved his way awkwardly through the crowd. The dance had turned out to be quite lively. The attendees ranged in age from about 12 to about 18, and the DJ was playing various tracks from the DisneyMania series of albums. As far as youth parties went, it was one of the more suited to his tastes. He inwardly expressed gratitude to the whole Disney atmosphere for keeping things light-hearted as he made his way to the refreshment stand. When he finally reached his destination, he was quite pleased to find that the line was quite short and promptly staked out his place in the shortest one.
Meanwhile, the charismatic DJ let the last song fade out and leaned slightly into the microphone that was propped up in front of him. "Well, folks, we've heard some of the best Disney classics sung by today's hottest stars, but I say we shake things up a bit. Forget the stars for a moment, and let's hear what some of you guys can do with these Disney tunes. That's right, people! It's random karaoke time!"
This'll be interesting, Chris thought to himself as he watched two spotlights start wandering about the ballroom in search of its victims. His idle amusement stopped, however, when one of the headhunter spotlights landed squarely on him. He froze like a deer in headlights. Oh, stercus (A/N: stercus is Latin for "dung" or "feces." Just think of a four-letter synonym for that, and you'll get his meaning.) He grinned nervously. "I don't think so," he said as casually as he could. "I can't sing. No, really. I can't carry a note! No, seriously!" It was no use. Before he knew what was happening, he found himself ushered onto a central platform with a microphone staring him in the face. He was soon joined by a blonde girl about his age who looked a little more confident than he was sure he looked but still a little unsure of herself. Looking beyond the girl, however, was a very intimidating crowd. Chris looked around anxiously, not sure what to do. He glanced at his female companion for possible support, but she seemed to be looking for the same thing from him. He realized his indecision had cost him the opportunity to bow out with some amount of dignity when the first chords of a familiar song began playing. Chris exhaled, closed his eyes, and decided that he had nothing more to lose. He waited for his cue and began to sing.
I can show you the world,
Shining, shimmering, splendid.
Tell me, princess, now when did you last
Let your heart decide?
To his surprise, he seemed to at least have no trouble staying on key, and several faces in the audience actually looked a little impressed. This spurred him on a little, and his voice grew somewhat stronger.
I can open your eyes;
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways, and under,
On a magic carpet ride.
As the music swelled, so did his boldness. He allowed himself to belt out the first chorus freely.
A whole new world;
A new fantastic point of view.
No one to tell us no
Or where to go,
Or say we're only dreaming.
As he carried the last note of the chorus, the most angelic sound he had ever heard floated into his ears. A glance at the girl next to him confirmed what he had heard. He stared in awe as her melodic voice joined in.
A whole new world;
A dazzling place I never knew,
But now from way up here
It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world
With you.
As he echoed her last two lines, he saw her catch his eye. Whatever shyness she had was suddenly gone from her face, and she smiled happily at him. Despite himself, he found himself grinning back as he listened to her sing the next verse. She was actually starting to enjoy herself, and her enjoyment was contagious.
Unbelievable sights,
Indescribable feelings;
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling,
Through an endless diamond sky.
They were both now singing wholeheartedly. All insecurity had left them, and each felt a unique sense of companionship with the other. Neither knew where their courage was coming from, but what they did know was that they were actually having fun. Their feet began dancing seemingly of their own accord, and they looked into each other's eyes like longtime friends as they sand gleefully.
A whole new world;
(Don't you dare close your eyes)
A hundred thousand things to see.
(Hold your breath. It gets better)
I'm like a shooting star
I've come so far.
I can't go back to where I used to be.
A whole new world,
With new horizons to pursue.
I'll chase them anywhere
With time to spare.
Let me share this whole new world with you.
Hardly believing his own audacity, Chris stepped closer to his partner as the song began to dwindle. Her eyes seemed to welcome him, and the two grinned broadly at each other, each spurring the other on.
A whole new world
(A whole new world).
That's where we'll be
(Where we will be)
A thrilling chase,
A wondrous place
For you and me.
As the last notes faded, their expressions changed from one of delight to one of awe as they stared at each other, only somewhat noticing the thunderous applause that had erupted in the ballroom.
A short while later, Chris and Emily stood next to the refreshment stand having a rather animated conversation. Neither had yet completely grasped what had just happened, but that simple song had brought them together in a way that somehow just seemed to beg for further exploration.
"You're voice is amazing!" Emily exclaimed. "I don't know why you looked so nervous at first! You sounded awesome!"
"I could say the same for you! Man, you sounded like you belonged on a CD cover or something!"
Emily blushed. "Thanks. What about you? Where'd you learn to sing like that?"
"My showerhead taught me," Chris quipped. Since when did I have such wit? he marveled to himself as soon as the words had left his mouth.
Emily giggled. "That was just so cool! That's the first time I've ever done something like that!"
"Me too," Chris replied. "And that applause! Man! I think I owe it mostly to you. There's no way I'm that good by myself!"
"You are too! You have a wonderful voice. So soft and yet so manly at the same time."
It was Chris' turn to blush. "Thanks. But I still think you were the one who really carried the performance. Your voice is amazing! In fact,…do you mind if I try something?"
Emily shook her head. "No. What is it?"
"Do you know 'Best of Both Worlds' by Hannah Montana? My parents are always listening to their old CDs and stuff. Apparently, she was really popular when they were my age."
"Are you kidding? My dad has, like, every single album she ever made!" Emily answered.
"Great! Could you just sing a few lines for me. I'm curious about something."
Emily gave him a curious look, but obliged him tentatively.
You go to movie premieres,
Hear your songs on the radio.
Living two lives is a little weird,
But it's cool because nobody knows.
Chris nodded. "Yep. It's official. There's something very Hannah-Montana-ish about your voice. You sound a lot like her."
Emily looked pleasantly surprised. "Really?"
"Totally. In fact,…you look a lot like her, too."
"Are you serious?"
"Absolutely! If they ever make a bioflick about her, you'll be a shoe-in for the title role!"
Emily blushed and slapped him on the arm playfully. "You know…" she said in digression "we just had the time of our lives together, and we've been talking for a while now, but we still don't know each other's names."
Chris slapped his forehead and chuckled. "Where are my manners?!" He then made a show of formally extending his hand, which made Emily giggle. "Chris Bolton" he introduced himself.
His female companion took his hand warmly and responded in kind. "Emily Oken."