A Hole in Time

The Dome - Chapter 2 - The Field

Liam and I walk around the perimeter of the Dome every day. We reach the field that has become our sanctuary and collapse to the ground. No-one else comes to this field. In fact, no-one else likes to spend much time Outside at all. That is why John and Scarlett went straight home. Every other student at school will have gone straight home. They will each sit at the dining room table and do their homework. Like cute little robots. Liam and I have darker skin than all the others because we spend time out in what is the Dome equivalent of sunlight. 

The warmth of the sunlight and the comfort of Liam's company make it easy for me to fall asleep, which is what happens. Liam wakes me up, as usual, two hours later, and we start to study our homework. Liam spent the two hours like he normally does, gathering flowers in the field and tending the garden that we planted years ago, and watching me sleep, just like a true romantic. The Hierarchy tell us that flowers are poisonous and are weeds, but Liam's ancestor brought a gardening book with her into the Dome. We use it each day to take care of our garden and we used to take the flowers home. Our parents were scared of the flowers, so we stopped taking them and just cultivated them in our own little paradise. 

As the light starts to fade, we start to make our way home. We walk hand in hand until we reach our street. The Hierarchy tell us not to show any affection, so this is another thing I find myself doing against the rules. As I get older, my thoughts and actions are starting to become dangerous. I would be arrested in a second if the Hierarchy knew even half of the things I find myself doing. We drop hands and walk an arms-length apart until we reach my house. Liam and I turn to each other and bow respectfully. I move towards my door and whisper under my breath to Liam. "Have a good night, Lee." I hear his reply just as he walks away towards his house. "You too. Sleep well, Gracie." 

Liam is the only one who calls me 'Gracie'. My brother and teachers call me Grace and my parents only call me Grace-Anne. Liam and I have grown up together, but it was not until we turned ten that our parents finally told us about our betrothal. After our tenth Birthday, we started to walk around the perimeter and that is when we found our field. That field became our paradise, our sanctuary, the place we felt safe and we could say what we wanted. There was one day, my favourite memory, and it was just the two of us in the field. 

"Grace, we will be getting married in 8 years, so I think it would be cute if we had special names for each other. What should I call you?" I tucked my hair behind my ear and smiled. "I do not know, Liam, what would you like to call me?" He scratched his chin and then clicked his fingers. "How about Annie?" I laughed in his face. Annie was another young girl in our class and she was the complete opposite of me. "No, I don't think that is a good name. What about you? What do I call you?" Liam reached over and ran his finger down from my forehead, down my nose, and over my lips. "How about Gracie?" I smiled and nodded my head."I like that one. It is different, but not noticeable. That way our parents will not know." Liam smiled and reached for my hand. "You are amazing. I would never have thought about hiding it from our parents. So, what are you going to call me?" I stared down at our entwined fingers. "How about Lee?" He chuckled, and raised his spare hand to my chin, tipping my head up to look at him. "I like that, Gracie."  

I can never think about that day without smiling. I quickly wipe the smile off my face. My parents do not like the fact that Liam and I do not come straight home. They do not like that we spend so much time out in the open and not safe in a building. My parents will never say it out loud, but I think that they worry just as much as I do about the strength of the Dome shield. 

I walk past the dining room, smiling when I see how close John and Scarlett are sitting. They are adorable together. They sit just as close as the Hierarchy's regulations will allow, but they both have smiles in their eyes. They were told about their betrothal the same day as Liam and I, and they have been just as inseparable ever since. Unlike Liam and I, John and Scarlett do not have a sanctuary where they can be alone. I only have to look at John and Scarlett to realise just how lucky Liam and I are to have the field. We have had six years in paradise, getting to know each other, and John and Scarlett have been stuck inside the house, under the watchful eyes of my parents. 

I find my parents in the lounge, bow respectfully, and go to my room. My room has a window on the side of the house, and my window is directly opposite Liam's. I see him sitting at his desk, finishing off his homework. He looks up, sees me looking at him, and smiles at me. We sit there, at our desks, half focusing on our homework, half distracted by each other, for the rest of the day until 8pm. That is when the sun goes down and we have half an hour to get ready for bed. The Hierarchy decrees that everyone needs ten hours sleep every night. I change my clothes and climb into bed. I join every other person in the Dome saying thanks to the Designers and thanks to the Hierarchy for keeping us safe. My last thought before I drift off to sleep is of Liam.