A Hole in Time

The Dome - Chapter 8 - Unchipped Kids

Liam is the first to break the silence. "Gracie, I think you are onto something. What if the Outside is fine and we could survive out there, but the Hierarchy do not want anyone to leave because then they cannot control us?" I had that same thought. "We have to figure out if the Outside is fine. But, where is the snow coming from if there is not a nuclear winter?" I feel Liam grab my hand. "Gracie, the snow is not there all the time. Remember, the garden book said something about seasons. The winter season is the one with snow. All the other seasons do not have snow." 

"Okay, Lee, that makes more sense. But the gardening book said that flowers will grow in the spring season. Our garden is in full bloom. So it cannot be winter Outside." My worry levels start to rise when Liam shakes his head and sighs. "Gracie, I do not know what the season is, but I do know one thing. If we have been in the Dome for 330 years, then all the problems here will not be fixed by two 16 year olds."

I stand up and start to pace. "You are right, Lee. Two 16 year olds should not be able to fix problems. But we are not ordinary kids. We are un-chipped kids. Maybe we are the only people who can fix the problems." Liam stands and stops my pacing by pulling me into his arms. "You may be right, Gracie. We will just have to wait and see. We cannot do anything if we do not know anything. Just keep listening to whatever you can hear. Set your senses to overload and take in as much information as you can get." I nod. "That sounds smart. See, I am not the only one with ideas. Do you still have those blank books that your ancestor brought in here?" 

Liam says yes, so I keeping going with my idea. "If we gather as much information as we possibly can, then write them into those books, we can keep a written copy of everything we hear without having to worry about the Hierarchy seeing the files on computers. And once we have gathered enough information, then we can go to someone in a higher place." Liam hugs tighter and then releases me to grab our school bags. "I love the way your mind works, Gracie. I will  make sure I put the books in my bag tomorrow. Will you be able to remember as much as you can until tomorrow?" I say yes and reach for my school bag. Liam pulls it out of my reach and says that he can carry it. He grabs my hand in his spare hand and we start to walk home together. 

I wonder if this is what life on the Outside used to be like. Spending time in the sun, in a field full of flowers, with the person you care the most about who care about you in return. How can the others here in the Dome go through life, day after day, in their drab clothes, going from building to building, never enjoying the feel of grass under their feet, or the smell of flowers, or anything that makes this life bearable? They are not allowed colours, or flowers, or laughter, or happiness, or love. I look up at Liam's face and wonder, how can anyone live without love?

When we reach the tree that signals proximity to home, Liam passes my school bag and we drop hands. I instantly feel the loss and I find it hard to stay an arms-length away. It is getting harder everyday to stay away from Liam. John and Scarlett still find it easy, but they have never held hands or hugged each other like Liam and I do, so they do not know what they are missing. 

Liam and I bow normally to each other and just as our heads go down, I see Liam roll his eyes. I can barely contain my laughter. Only Liam would be game enough to mock the Hierarchy's respectful bows. I step inside the house and find that everything is normal. My parents are in the lounge, reading up on medical reports for their sections, John and Scarlett are sitting at the dining room table, doing their homework, and I am the odd one out. I quietly climb the stairs and go to my room. 

I sit at my desk and finish my homework, painfully aware that there are two cameras watching me from John's doorway. I cannot find any cameras or microphones in my room, but that does not mean that they are not there. Paranoia is not going to help me finish my homework, so I focus my attention on the paper and almost miss my parents calling me for dinner. 

Sitting around the table at dinner, my parents ask both John and I how school went today. This is our normal dinner conversation and John is most happy to oblige. He explains how his class learnt about the building of the Dome today. John explains that the Designers made the Dome out of concrete and wire and the Dome itself is over ten metres thick. Inside the Dome is the energy shield that is an extra protection from radiation and it also projects the sunlight that is transferred via satellite. The Dome is over a kilometre high and five kilometres in diameter. I start to tune out, having already learnt this years ago, but Liam's voice comes into my head, reminding me to overload my senses with information. I listen to every word that John is saying, hoping to catch something that is important. 

John continues to speak about how the Designers built every house that is here in the Dome and they also built in all the furniture. The Designers gave us all the rules and instructions on how to keep the machinery working properly and they left the Hierarchy in charge, with a promise that they would be back. The Hierarchy have been looking for them ever since. I risk speaking to ask my brother if his teacher told them why the Designers built the Dome. John smiles at me. "The Designers built the Dome in case a nuclear war ever happened. The Hierarchy have equipment to test the radiation Outside. If a nuclear war ever happens, they will tell us. Until then, we can thank the Designers that we are safe from the possibility."