Eternal Flame

Chapter 3

Jackson

The outside of the Dome is crowded with hundreds of people scattered across the field, all waiting for the competition to start so they can finally have a seat. Most are talking among each other, with a few who're just people-watching. The place is buzzing with a pleasant energy, something that isn't seen a lot in this town. But then, there are rarely any events in this town. These are the only times when they can be happy. Just for a few hours.

Police line up all around the Dome, guarding it for who knows what reason.

The Dome looks as if it was placed in the middle of nowhere, which is half the truth. It's located on the outskirts of the town, but with the newly built houses we live in, it's only a three-minute walk. Since it was built in a forest, no one bothered to cut down the trees that're crammed thickly together around this place.

The Dome looks exactly like what the name is: It's a dome. A half-dome without the sometimes-invisible protection screen. As to why the protection layer is invisible was always the question I thought about every time I came here. Maybe an alarm system goes off if someone ever tries to break in. Maybe someone had-

My thoughts stop. The trees closest to the Dome all have that red blinking light I saw before installed in them. I walk over to one of the trees and touch the bark; At first, I can't feel anything. But then, an unfamiliar buzzing from within the tree makes my hand flinch. The hum isn't strong, but you can still feel it. I put my face in front of the camera, examining it. Except for the blinking light every few seconds, nothing else is there that can be seen by the eye.

A hand suddenly grabs my right shoulder, making me jump. I whip my head around, ready to attack.

"People were staring," Kyle says. Beside him, Taylor tilts her head to try and see what I was so focused on.

I think I had wandered off by myself without knowing, since they didn't seem to have followed me when I left them. I could remember things perfectly clear, but sometimes it was as if my body moved on its own.

"You alright?" Taylor asks, her eyes full of concern. "You look a bit pale."

I nod and force a smile. "I'm fine. Let's go inside before we're late."

I let Kyle and Taylor walk in front of me, and while they talk, I think back to my little discovery. Cameras don't usually vibrate, and I have never seen a camera in a tree before. In fact, I have never seen a camera at all. I know they're everywhere, but either hidden or invisible. And why would they blink?

I shake off the questions and the feeling of unease as I get scanned by one of the police guards outside the Dome. When his scanner turns green, he mumbles for me to go, and I cautiously start to walk inside, afraid that I might hit the veiled protection screen.

Inside, it's almost silent. Every kid is running over their speech to themselves, some walking back and forth from one side of the room to the other. The invisible screen is evidently sound proof, since I can't hear the chatter outside. I realize, as I'm looking at the contestants in this room, that everyone is here for a reason; Some came because they have a family to support, some came because their family forced them to. But whatever the reason, no one is here to have fun- This is a real  competition. No playing around anymore.

I look around quickly. The walls are fading brown, tinted with gray. The ceiling is invisible, but if you look closer, you can make out the lines of the borders. It looks like the construction workers got too tired and stopped trying to match the elegant outside of the Dome with the old-looking inside, and other than the desks set up for contestants, not much can be seen from the entrance. But then, this place is bigger than anything outside of the downtown area, so there're probably more.

A guard comes over to us, asking for our names. When he's done recording our information into a purse-size device, he gives us each a number.

"For your personal belongings," His voice sounds like a robot, without any emotion. "It's in the corner over there," Robot points to a corner where only two guards stand by the outside of a door.

We follow his instructions, and Kyle mutters a 'thanks' to the guard as he starts to walk. Taylor follows without questioning, her eyes trained on Kyle's back. Her body is tensed, and her hands are clenched around the rim of her dress. She doesn't bother to look around, as if afraid of something. I catch up to Taylor and start to walk beside her, but she doesn't acknowledge me at all.

"Taylor?" I ask, touching her arm lightly.

She flinches and jerks her head towards me, her eyes wide with fear and surprise.

"Are you okay?" I ask, trying to sound as calming as possible.

Kyle stops and turns around, looking at Taylor then back at me. His brows are arched in concern, his lips pressed together, and his body tensed, just like Taylor. It was like everyone who enters this place are lost in their own world, practicing and praying to be the winner of this contest.

Taylor casts her eyes to the floor, so I look at Kyle for an answer, but he just shrugs. I glance at the direction of the locker rooms, then raise my eyebrows in hope for him to understand my gesture. He nods, seeming to know.

"Hey, I'm going to go ahead, if you guys don't mind. Need to stop by the bathroom for a minute." Kyle touches Taylor's arm, then nods again to me before turning to go.

When he's far from ear-shot, Taylor speaks. "I saw what you saw in the trees."

"What?" Her words catch me off guard. "What are you talking about?" But I knew exactly what she was talking about. Those lights. The cameras.

As if reading my mind, Taylor shakes her head. "They're not what you think they are. It's not cameras."

My attention is fully on her now, waiting to hear more.

"I don't have proof for this, but..." She trails off as a guard brushes past us.

"I don't know if this is true, but I've heard some people talking about them," she waits a little before continuing. "Apparently the government plant them to control the nature."

"What?" Isn't that just pointless?  "Why? What's the point?" I ask, suddenly laughing from the absorb revelation.

"They want to control everything and anything they can get their hands on." Taylor says, her face grim. "Don't you get it Jack? This is why we haven't had a natural disaster in decades."

I am speechless. Why the need to control even the weather? Was it really necessary? But then it hit me. This is their way of telling us that they can take hold of anything they want, anything and everything they wish for. The government's power was increasing every day, and this was their way of telling us that one day, we will be left with nothing. One day, they will be able to take away anything they want from us. Nothing will be real.

End of chapter 3