The Other Side of the Dome

Prologue

"Sadie! Sadie!"

I groaned pulling my pillow over my head. I just needed thirty more minutes. That was it.

"Sadie Melgrove! Wake your ass up!"

Something hit me in my back and I groaned again.

"If you don't get up, I will drag you out of that damned bed."

Reluctantly I sat up. Even with my eyes closed I could tell the sun was up. I was unusually warm in the room and my skin was sticky with sweat. Something else hit me in the chest.

"I'm up!" I whined and opened my eyes to see two stuffed animals lying on my blankets. A gray and white sock monkey and Hanna's favorite neon blue bear.

"You need to get ready," Hanna scolded. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and a toothbrush stuck out of her mouth. "We have to leave in thirty minutes."

She was my roommate and my best friend. We'd met freshman year in Human Anatomy. She was in Nursing and I was working towards becoming a doctor. We hit it off. Sophomore year her roommate dropped out and she offered for me to move into her dorm. The rest was history. She was honestly one of the best things that happened to me. She made sure I got up for class, made sure I ate when I stayed up late playing video games, and made sure my homework was done. Not that I couldn't do any of that for myself but it was nice to have someone looking after me. She reminded me a lot of my mom, who passed shortly before I started college. I felt that my mom had sent her to me.

"Sadie!"

"I'm going!"

I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower.

In the mirror, I could see that my green eyes were bloodshot. My damp curly brown hair hung wildly at my shoulders. I leaned in a little to inspect the pimple rising on my chin. I sighed at how red and irritated it looked.

I looked at the numerous skincare products Hanna had scattered across the countertop. Trying to remember one of the routines she'd posted, I tried to clean my face. It was fruitless, I just ended up getting some in my eyes and cursing myself. Abandoning the assortment of torture creams and potions, I just rubbed my face with warm water and called it a day.

Back in the room, Hanna had dressed in a pair of black sailor shorts and fishnet leggings. Coupled with a sheer white button-up tank, you could just barely see the bralette she had on under it. Her straight black hair was slicked back, a single pink streak on the left side. Hanna was shorter than average and liked to compensate with heels. Today it was a pair of black platform sandals, bejeweled up the straps. She sat at her vanity, her phone on a tripod recording herself as she applied makeup.

"Now," she stated, picking up a tube. "I'm going to add just a bit of highlighter to my cheekbones and cupids bow."

I tiptoed to my bed, careful not to get caught on camera. I dressed quietly, pulling on a ratty band t-shirt I've had since high school and a pair of jean shorts. I sat cross-legged on my bed and began combing through and braiding my mass of hair.

I sighed and gazed longingly at my pillow. I could just lay back down and go back to sleep but then I remembered, we had a school trip to go on. Most Med students got to take this trip, for educational purposes. It was a look into the past. I was excited enough to to keep me awake.

"...and that is my look for the day." Hanna clasped her hands and smiled at the camera. "Thank you for joining me with another 'Get Ready With Me' and I will see you all, tomorrow." She blew a kiss to the camera before stopping her broadcast.

She stood and tossed me a small drawstring bag. Inside was a blanket, a water bottle, some snacks, and a phone charger.

"The packet they sent home with us said there would be outlets on the shuttle to charge our phones. Even though there won't be service out there, I did download some movies for us to watch." She said throwing her tote bag on her shoulder.