{Meredith} Holy is the Lord

[sarahj512]

Sarah sat at her computer and opened up her Internet Explorer. She clicked on the bookmarks, and scrolled down to her favorite, a chat room she went to often. She opened the link, and the soft blue background loaded, then the JavaScript (TM) kicked in, and opened the bar where she could enter her name and join. sarahj512. Her fingers glided effortlessly over the keyboard, since she had been entering the site for months.

Sarahj512: Sorry, I haven't been online in a couple days. What's new?

Christianrckr: Not much is happening here. We have a concert this weekend though.

Sarahj512: Good luck.

There weren't many people online. She saw three sign in, and watched those three plus one more leave. There was nothing to do at the moment. Her friend wasn't online, so she couldn't really discuss her new reading from the Gospel of Mark.

Sarahj512: Have you read Mark yet, Christianrckr?

She knew he was supposed to be doing his reading, too. She doubted he did though, and then she saw a name she'd never seen before sign on.

[Meredith Beckendorf]

Meredith had been bored all day. She was sitting on her laptop, flopped across the bottom bunk. Her new roommate hadn't yet arrived on the scene, but the move to the thirteenth year dorms had been pretty easy. Even with all the junk her step-parents dumped on her, most of it was left packed up due to lack of use. Seven or eight tabs, as usual, were open on her browser, and she had about four of them dedicated to random chat rooms.

Chewing on the back of the pen hanging from her lips had become a habit. Rarely was she caught without something stuck between her teeth, some unconscious need to saw down the canines that often cut her lower lip.

She'd been flying between the chats for a while, and this boy with his religion denoted on his screen name had gotten a few pot-shots already made at him.

You have entered the chatroom
AllYourBase421: Hiya, Cain!
Blondie222: whats ^?
Alien_Man: no i didnt... u sed we were going out n never showed up.
Alien_Man: hi.
Cain_Hargreaves: ... Hi, everyone.
Riff whispers: You're late. I've been waiting a while.
To Riff: I slept in. Sorry. Why'd you want to be in this chat?
Christianrckr has entered the chatroom
Riff whispers: I can't get into any others from this computer.
AllYourBase421: Hiya, Christianrckr!
Cain_Hargreaves: Christian Rocker? What a f**kin' name.
Blondie222: yo darlin
Christianrckr: Hi guys.
Cain_Hargreaves: Don't you have some sort of identity other than your religion? F**kin' sheep.
Christianrckr: Sounds to me like your the sheep. Using a cuss word every sentence.
Blondie222: fights comin on
Cain_Hargreaves: Ah, so I'm following society by using the language to its fullest extent while it would ask me, instead, to omit words so that your God would be unoffended.
Christianrckr: Whatever.
Sarahj512 has entered the chatroom.
Sarahj512: Sorry, I haven't been online in a couple days. What's new?
Riff whispers: I don't think he understood what you said.
To Riff: I wouldn't expect him to. Idiots like that just annoy the crap outta me--Bible-thumpers waiting for God to make what they are doing all right or something.
Christianrckr: Not much is happening here. We have a concert this weekend though.
Sarahj512: Good luck.
AllYourBase421: Hiya, Sarah!
Blondie222: Alien, ASL?
Alien_Man: 14/m/ohio
Blondie222: 16/f/FL
Blondie222: wanna chat?
Sarahj512: Have you read Mark yet, Christianrckr?
Cain_Hargreaves: Tell me please that "Have you read Mark" is in reference to Mark Antony and not the book in the bible written by the first person to establish the popehood that now is calling for no birth control so the population can spread uncontrolled?

[sarahj512]

Christianrckr: Not much is happening here. We have a concert this weekend though.
Sarahj512: Good luck.
AllYourBase421: Hiya, Sarah!
Blondie222: Alien, ASL?
Alien_Man: 14/m/ohio
Blondie222: 16/f/FL
Blondie222: wanna chat?
Sarahj512: Have you read Mark yet, Christianrckr?
Cain_Hargreaves: Tell me please that "Have you read Mark" is in reference to Mark Antony and not the book in the bible written by the first person to establish the popehood that now is calling for no birth control so the population can spread uncontrolled?
Sarahj512:Hey, Base.
Sarahj512:Actually, it is a reference to that book in the Bible. Sorry, but my friend and I like to discuss those things.
Christianrckr: No I haven't yet. Sorry. I was really busy. You know how the whole band thing goes. Always running to practices.
Alien_Man: Sure, Blondie, I'd love to chat.
Sarahj512: You need to get on that... It's a really good story.
Sarahj512: Oh, and just because I read the book in the Bible doesn't mean I support what his church is doing now any more than you would. I'm not Catholic.
Steve whispers: Do you really think she'd understand that? She's got her own point of view, and I doubt she'll listen to anything you'd say. Just ignore her, okay?
To Steve: I know, but still. You'd think people wouldn't make judgments like that. I'm not going to go around saying that just because this random person on the internet doesn't read the bible that she's satanic or something. I think that's the same effect she's trying to say about us. We read the bible, so we must be bible-thumpers. I really don't like that attitude. It hurts.
To Steve: This is strange... If my computer isn't lying to me, she lives... in the same town as me? That's really, really odd. Go figure though. That tends to be my luck
AllYourBase421: Do we really have to fight about this here? It was so pleasant before we started discussing this.
Steve whispers: Ouch. I'm sorry.
AllYourBase421 exits the chatroom

Sarah looked incredulously at the computer screen. Her friend, Christianrckr, had let her down. He hadn't kept his promise, and was now in a sense trying to defend the other person. "Just ignore her, okay?" There wasn't a way to block people in this chatroom, so she couldn't do that and make the Cain person disappear. Plus, how weird was it that the person she was about to start arguing with seemed to live in the same town. She'd never met someone who lived in the exact same town as her. Not even a mile away.

She groaned, and looked around, trying to ignore the bleeps of the computer's speakers as new messages scrolled up the monitor. Sarah shook her head slightly, and waited for the next comments to come her way.

[Meredith Beckendorf]

Cain_Hargreaves: Tell me please that "Have you read Mark" is in reference to Mark Antony and not the book in the bible written by the first person to establish the popehood that now is calling for no birth control so the population can spread uncontrolled?
Sarahj512:Hey, Base.
Sarahj512:Actually, it is a reference to that book in the Bible. Sorry, but my friend and I like to discuss those things.
Christianrckr: No I haven't yet. Sorry. I was really busy. You know how the whole band thing goes. Always running to practices.
Alien_Man: Sure, Blondie, I'd love to chat.
Sarahj512: You need to get on that... It's a really good story.
Sarahj512: Oh, and just because I read the book in the Bible doesn't mean I support what his church is doing now any more than you would. I'm not Catholic.
AllYourBase421: Do we really have to fight about this here? It was so pleasant before we started discussing this.
AllYourBase421 exits the chatroom
Cain_Hargreaves: No offense, Kid, but just because one pie is apple and the other is cherry doesn't mean they aren't pies. Keep your religion in PMs, and I'll keep my assumptions to myself.
Riff whispers: So, how's school?.
To Riff: Hah. It's great, as usual. I'm telling you, you should be here!
Riff whispers: You know I would if I could.
Cain_Hargreaves: If you don't want comments, don't put yourself on display for 'em.

[sarahj512]

Sarahj512:Hey, Base.
Sarahj512:Actually, it is a reference to that book in the Bible. Sorry, but my friend and I like to discuss those things.
Christianrckr: No I haven't yet. Sorry. I was really busy. You know how the whole band thing goes. Always running to practices.
Alien_Man: Sure, Blondie, I'd love to chat.
Sarahj512: You need to get on that... It's a really good story.
Sarahj512: Oh, and just because I read the book in the Bible doesn't mean I support what his church is doing now any more than you would. I'm not Catholic.
AllYourBase421: Do we really have to fight about this here? It was so pleasant before we started discussing this.
AllYourBase421 exits the chatroom
Cain_Hargreaves: No offense, Kid, but just because one pie is apple and the other is cherry doesn't mean they aren't pies. Keep your religion in PMs, and I'll keep my assumptions to myself.
Riff whispers: So, how's school?.
To Riff: Hah. It's great, as usual. I'm telling you, you should be here!
Riff whispers: You know I would if I could.
Cain_Hargreaves: If you don't want comments, don't put yourself on display for 'em.
Sarahj512: I have every right to discuss this stuff with someone I have been for over two months.
Christianrckr: So Sarah, what's new with you?
Sarahj512: Not much really. I'm stuck in this new school, where I swear, I'm the only person who is religious. This school is so weird though. I can't really tell you about it, but it's so strange.
Christianrckr: How was your day then?
Sarahj512: It was okay. I sorta tripped on the stairs in front of a guy, and then we got into an argument about religion... I don't really know who won.
Christianrckr: Well, hopefully your day is better tomorrow.

Sarah couldn't describe her school one bit. She wasn't used to slipping into the dream world when she fell asleep each night. And she definitely couldn't talk about that over the web, to someone she'd never met, in front of a girl who hated her apparently for her religion.

[Meredith Beckendorf]

Sarahj512: You need to get on that... It's a really good story.
Sarahj512: Oh, and just because I read the book in the Bible doesn't mean I support what his church is doing now any more than you would. I'm not Catholic.
AllYourBase421: Do we really have to fight about this here? It was so pleasant before we started discussing this.
AllYourBase421 exits the chatroom
Cain_Hargreaves: No offense, Kid, but just because one pie is apple and the other is cherry doesn't mean they aren't pies. Keep your religion in PMs, and I'll keep my assumptions to myself.
Riff whispers: So, how's school?.
To Riff: Hah. It's great, as usual. I'm telling you, you should be here!
Riff whispers: You know I would if I could.
Cain_Hargreaves: If you don't want comments, don't put yourself on display for 'em.
Sarahj512: I have every right to discuss this stuff with someone I have been for over two months.
Christianrckr: So Sarah, what's new with you?
Sarahj512: Not much really. I'm stuck in this new school, where I swear, I'm the only person who is religious. This school is so weird though. I can't really tell you about it, but it's so strange.
Christianrckr: How was your day then?
Sarahj512: It was okay. I sorta tripped on the stairs in front of a guy, and then we got into an argument about religion... I don't really know who won.
Christianrckr: Well, hopefully your day is better tomorrow.
Cain_Hargreaves: Did you ever think about the fact that you believe in something that is so contradictory--so lined with horror and evil--it triggers a fear so deep in most people that they just line up to try and convince you that the belief is wrong?
To Riff: I think this chick's from my school.
Riff whispers: Whaaaaaat?
To Riff: "I'm stuck in this new school, where I swear, I'm the only person who is religious. This school is so weird though. I can't really tell you about it, but it's so strange" she says. Her profile says she's from this town. There isn't any big, weird schools in this town but this one.
Riff whispers: Iiiit's a small world after all.
Cain_Hargreaves: And I'm betting you go to Somnium. Of course you can't find religious fuckers here. The main course of study is a religion that isn't your own--So, if you don't run from this school with your wee tail between your legs pretty soon, you'll be violating your religious doctrine... what is it... 2 Corinthians 6:14... "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God." So, yeah. Welcome to the new religion, Kid.
Riff whispers: I can't believe you can quote the damn bible. I found the thing atrocious--if not a little bit gory and horrifying.
To Riff: We're pretty horrifying ourselves, Riff-baby..

Meredith was chatting in three windows and going back and forth while staring at her roommate as she cleaned. It was a pretty fair bit of multi-tasking, but she was pretty pleased right now. After all, Jackie had IMed her, and soon she'd be saying bye to this girl and organizing her room with her new roommate... And besides, unlike this poor witless chit, she had nothing to lose in this argument. No self-confidence, no religion. Nothing.