On The Surface

Chapter 1 cont.

Jason paced across the small living area. How could he make his father understand?

"Dad, please, there is more to life than what is contained in this bubble. I just want to see it for myself. I want to see new people, new places. I've been trapped here my entire life!"

"Everything you need is right here in Atlantis" his father replied.

"No, it isn't! It might be enough for you, but it's not for me. I want to go to college, I want to see the world. There is so much I could learn on the surface. Just let me apply to university, at least?"

"We've already discussed this and the answer is no." His father rose and left the room.

Jason plopped down on the beige couch and threw his head back. He stared at the bare, white walls. The same walls he'd been staring at for the last twenty years. The same walls, the same furniture, the same faces. He was sick of it all!

He got up and walked to his room. It held the bare necessities—a bed, a chair and a small desk. A dark blue coverlet was spread across the bed, echoing the colors of the sea beyond the small porthole in the outer wall. He picked up a sheaf of papers from the desk. Columbia University was printed across the top. One of the few universities still in operation since the Collapse. He had printed out the application in the library that afternoon. The deadline was approaching. But his father wouldn't budge and he couldn't get the necessary financial assistance without his father's signature. He sighed and tossed the papers back on the desk.

A chime sounded and he glanced at his watch. Pressing the button to silence it, he turned and left his room, heading out of the pod. A clear tunnel passed through the water, connecting the living pods to the common area. It was movie night and it was his turn to pick the line-up.

He entered the common area and sat down at the computer. Beside him on the wall was a large flat-screen t.v., which was shared by all the families in the pod. Saturday nights the young adults commandeered the room for movies and popcorn. He began to scroll through the titles in the digital library, looking for something new, something interesting. It all looked the same. Lame comedies and stupid romances peppered the list. They'd already seen most of them. He scrolled down to the horror section. Now this was more like it.

He queued up In the Mouth of Madness, Videodrome, and You're Next, then went to the kitchenette to start some popcorn. His choices were going to piss some people off, but tonight he just didn't care. It was his turn to host and he was going to watch what he wanted for a change.

People began to wander in, taking seats on the big, white sectional. David and Carla were there. Steve and Connor bickered back and forth over the merits of League of Legends over WoW. Sara and Lisa were laughing in the corner and Kayla came in last, taking a seat on the end. Jason distributed the bowls of popcorn, found a seat and hit the play button on the remote.

The first movie started. Jason heard a couple of groans as the title scrolled across the screen, but nobody moved. Movie night was the highlight of their week and no one wanted to miss it. He smiled to himself and got comfortable, ready for some catharsis. Dark, eery music began to play as even darker images flashed across the screen.

Kayla got up and stormed out of the room. Jason watched her go. Maybe he should go after her? No. She was just being a big baby, and he wasn't going to miss out on movie night because of her.

 Kayla left the common room, infuriated. Jason knew perfectly well she didn't watch horror movies. There weren't a whole lot of secrets on Atlantis. And they had grown up together in the same pod. He was just being hateful, as usual.