A Hole in Time

The Dome - Chapter 3 - A Microchip?

I wake up, another morning, thanking the Designers for the safety and security that comes with the Dome. This is something I have always done. I do not even know why. I know my brother does not do it, Scarlett does not do it, and my parents do not do it. Liam does thank the Designers, so I am glad I am not alone in it. Although, this is not exactly a good thing. Liam and I have so many things that are different from everyone else. I do not know why this is, or why even my own twin brother thinks I am different. How can I be different from my own twin brother?

I brush these thoughts off, like all other thoughts that the Hierarchy might consider treacherous. I dress, again in my drab gray school clothes, the garments that declare me to be Healers class, and still wonder why we have to wear such strange clothes. Gray clothes do not inspire confidence or put people at ease. If we Healers are supposed to help people, why are we not dressed in a different colour? This is another thought that I push away with all the others.

I go through the motions of breakfast, saying goodbye to my parents, greeting my principal, and listening to my teachers. I continue through the day, uneasy, but unsure why. The bright spark in my day is seeing Liam after school. I can feel the weight lift off my shoulders at the mere sight of him. We walk away from school, as close as Hierarchy regulations allow. When we reach the edge of our field, we relax. Liam steps off the path first, and I can see the relief on his face. The softness of the grass underneath our feet is relaxing. 

As I sleep, Liam decides to sleep next to me. We know It is dangerous, being so close to each other, and alone in an unprotected place, but there is something inside us both that itches to be different from the other uniformed robots, no matter what colour or class they belong in. Here in the safety of our personal paradise, I allow myself the thought that has been plaguing me all day. What if Liam and I do not just behave differently, but are actually, I do not know, wired differently? Yes, that is the point. 

"Lee, I have a thought. Why are we different to our twins? They seem more than happy to operate, basically, within the Hierarchy's regulations, but we cannot stand to blindly follow rules. But we are identical to our twins, so why are we different?" Liam moves, propping himself up on one elbow to look at me. "I do not know, Gracie. I think you have a theory, so spill it." I roll closer to him, onto my stomach and prop myself up on my elbows. I start to whisper, so Liam moves closer. "Yes, I do have a theory. You know how you are always joking that the other kids are mindless robots? Well, what if that is almost true. We know that there is something mechanical about our beds. Mine broke down a few years ago and a technician had to come and fix it. What if that is the connection to the Hierarchy? What if It is like a thought download or something?" Liam reaches up to my temple and taps. "You are the smart one, are not you? Have you ever noticed that our parents and twins, everyone actually, tend to rub their left temple when they are not focusing?" I nod, remembering that my parents rub their temples a lot. "I want to try something tonight, Lee. Let's not sleep in our beds. Try sleeping upside down or something. But do not put your head on the pillow." I can see that Liam is confused, because his eyebrows scrunch up. "Gracie, will not the Hierarchy know? If they do monitor us in our sleep, will not they notice that we aren't, well, sleeping?" I shake my head. "Not if my theory is correct. All pregnancies have to be approved by the Hierarchy and implanted by Healers. What if, either at the moment of implantation, or at some other point during the pregnancy, a microchip is implanted into the baby? If it happens at implantation, that would explain us." Liam shakes his head in confusion. "How does that explain us? Although, it does sound plausible." I sit up, starting to get into what I am saying. "Think about basic biology. The fertilised egg splits in half to form twins. If ONE microchip was implanted, the other twin would not have one, would they?" Liam nods, agreeing that it is possible. "We can test your theory tonight, okay?"

We walk home, like normal. In fact, the only break in our normal day's schedule is when we go to bed. I know Liam will have do it too, so I do not feel silly when I climb into bed upside down. It is a strange feeling. I can feel the softness of the mattress, the coolness of the sheets, and the warmth of the blanket. I feel safe, just like I do in the field with Liam. I start to close my eyes but then snap them open again. I have not thanked the Designers for the Dome yet, but somehow I do not feel like it. Things look a lot different from this angle. I know that I am different, but I do not yet know how or why. One thing I do know is I am going to find out what makes me different from everyone else.