Dome (ON HOLD)

Chapter Two

12.40pm (Forty minutes past noon), 2 July 2011

Angus Webb couldn't sit still. Finally his class was sitting in the front row for assembly! May Palmer his best friend sat beside him and she was just as fidgety, her blonde pig-tails bouncing around. May was so pretty. But she had to have a disease or something because whenever Angus was near her he felt really funny.

And suddenly the assembly was beginning. A boy who was quite a bit older than Angus came on stage where a collection of space related photos had been glued to a canvas. "Hello," he began in a somewhat nervous voice. "I thought I'd share something you, my fellow peers, about the world beyond, well, this world..." Angus zoned out then, because a shadow was suddenly looming over him. He looked up and saw his role model standing beside him in his year nine prefect blazer, arms crossed, his trademark smirk on his lips, watching the student on stage with interest: Ross Martin in all his glory. When Angus was a year nine, he wanted to be just like Ross. 

Ross was one of the smartest students in the junior school and was definitely smarter than some of the seniors. He was handsome too. All the girls said so. His hair was a rich, glossy, dark brown and his eyes were a deep but light blue with hints of silver and green like the ocean's waves. His fair complexion wasn't unattractively pale, nor was it unattractively overly tanned. Apparently those were all attributes that made him a magnet for girls. He was great at sports too, especially swimming and football. Yup - Angus wanted to be just like him. 

There was a collective gasp from the younger students suddenly and Angus' attention returned to the stage where the boy was holding up a rock that looked like it had shards of green glass poking out of cracks. "This fell from the sky yesterday. I was not the only one who saw it either. My father watched it as it fell too. We saw the exact same thing. We believe this to be alien." 

May raised her hand. The boy on stage nodded at her hesitantly. "Can we pass it round?" she asked in her innocent seven year old voice. The boy looked like he'd rather have a foot chopped off than give up the pretty glass rock in his hand. "I guess..." Ross moved forward then and reached out a hand to take the rock. The boy glared at the prefect for a moment then realised everybody could see his facials and he blushed and handed Ross the rock. 

Angus stared at his hero in disbelief. Ross was holding the rock out for him to take. Him of all people! Ross was watching him, taking note of who he was. Ross knew he existed! Angus took the rock and found it to be very smooth. He'd expected it to be rougher. May nudged him impatiently and he handed the smooth rock with the glowing green glass to her and could only watch and wish he could have held it a little longer as it travelled down the line until it reached the end and was passed back to the second row. He even turned in his seat, something against the rules, to watch as the rock was passed to the third row. He didn't dare let it out of his sight. Ross was expecting him to hand it back safe and sound. 

"Hurgh." Angus turned at the noise, but only because it had escaped his hero's lips. Ross had turned a deathly pale and was clutching his stomach. After only a moment of consideration, the fourteen year old turned and headed for the hall's exit. And then Angus realised he didn't know where the stone was anymore. 

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12.49pm

It had been so sudden that Ross had barely managed to stop himself from vomiting there and then in front of everybody in the junior school. He had to get to a bathroom. One of the teachers, Miss Sanderson, gave him a questioning look as he walked past, but he didn't bother giving her an explanation. If she wanted an explanation he could throw up on that smart little dress she was wearing, how about that?