The Dome

The Diary

The next day, Minski came over and the two looked at the 'Our History' book together.

"Huh, it's a diary," Minski said as she flipped open the book to the first page, "Doesn't that mean it isn't all that reliable?"

Silasque knew she was asking the question to herself, but she answered anyway, "Not necessarily."

"Hm," Minski considered it as she skimmed through the first page, "Read this line."

Minski pointed her finger at one small paragraph and Silasque read it aloud, "We packed our stuff and we're ready to go. It's my only hope that we won't get caught."

"I wonder who 'we' is," Silasque said thoughtfully as she read the two lines.

"Well, whoever they are, they sound like my kind of people!" Minski grinned and flipped to the next page, "I wonder what they were attempting to do."

"Wouldn't you like to know," Silasque laughed and started reading the next page along with Minski.

"Here, let's flip to one of the later entries," Minski suggested, "I want to know if they completed their mission or not."

"Sure, but can we go back and read the earlier entries later?"

"You can take the book home and read them if you like," Minski offered, flipping to the middle of the journal.

Silasque nodded slightly and read the page.

Dear diary,

This day marks the end of our first month outside the Dome. There are real, living and breathing people, plants, and animals out here. I know I've said this in almost every single entry since I escaped the Dome, but it still fascinates and awes me every single day. There aren't deep fissures in the Earth, and the atmosphere is most certainly NOT toxic!

Today, Peter and I got to meet some people who know of the Dome. They offered us a delicious drink called tea. These people claim there used to be more Domes, ones that were destroyed once the atmosphere on Earth was livable again. They, themselves, have never seen or lived in these domes, but their ancestors have.

Everyday, I am learning the ways of this population and I can honestly say that their lives are so different from the lives of those who live in the Dome. So I wonder, were the societies in those other domes like the society in ours? Is there a valid reason we are being kept from life outside the Dome?

Yours truly,

Maritha Sina Guardian

"Wow," Minski whispered, clearly as speechless as Silasque was, "That was... informative."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Silasque mumbled, trying to process everything she just read. There was just no way, no way anything this Maritha girl said was real but was there truth to it? It sounded too sophisticated to be made up.

"Her last name is Guardian," Minski observed.

"Out of all that, that's what catches your attention?!" Silasque felt a rush of emotions as she tried to calm herself down. She reasoned with herself, saying that Minski's observation was very much similar to how she only noticed how the tiles differed from each other when she went to the Square every Sunday.

"I'm sorry," Silasque looked at Minski apologetically, "I shouldn't've shouted at you."

Minski looked at Silasque quietly, eventually deciding that she'd forgive her, "It's okay, I understand. But seriously, no one in the Dome has the last name 'Guardian.' Do you think it's just a coincidence?"

"I don't really believe in coincidences," Silasque replied quietly, "But this all makes me wonder if there is life out there."

"Yeah, imagine there is," Minski smiled in a dreamy sort of way, "You know what this means?"

Silasque shook her head, "What?"

"It's...mission time!" Minski chirped excitedly, getting up and jumping up and down, "We're gonna need code names!"

"Um," Silasque didn't know what to say.

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Minski flashed that infamous mischievous goofy grin of hers and pointed at the book, "Plus, what if there is a chance that there's a better life out there?"

Silasque didn't want to burst Minski's bubble, but everything she'd been taught as a child came flooding back to her, the very things she'd been taught that had kept her safe and out of trouble for years, "I think...I think we're getting ahead of ourselves. I think... you just need to learn to appreciate this life."

And as soon as those words came out of her mouth, Silasque mentally slapped herself and wished she could take them back.

Minski's eyes widened, "Wow, just wow. You know what, fine, if you don't want to do this together, I'll do it alone, just don't tell anyone what I'm doing."

She looked at Silasque with hurt painted all over her face. Minski felt like Silasque had just punched her in the face. She felt betrayed, hurt, disappointed. Silasque was just like everyone else... Minski's whole life, she had never appreciated 'this life.' She had dedicated everything to proving there was a better life. There had to be. What Silasque had just told her was what people had told her her whole life, and Minski told them she wouldn't, couldn't accept this life. No one had ever taken her seriously, and when the Guardians had burned all the copies of the book 'Our History,' Minski finally had a chance to find proof, to prove everyone who had walked blindly through this life and doubted her wrong.

Minski grabbed the book and got up to leave, and Silasque fought the urge to call out to her and tell her she'd changed her mind. And as soon as she'd left, Silasque wished she had agreed to Minski's mission.

A hand gently touched her shoulder and Silasque's mother came and sat down next to her daughter on the couch, lightly pushing Silasque's hair out of her face. Silasque looked up at her through brilliant amber eyes that were just like her mother's.

"You heard everything?" Silasque tensed at the thought of her mother having heard about what was in the journal.

Her mother simply nodded but said nothing more.