The Dome (Part 1 of the KaiSoo Fanfic Series)

Chapter IX

His guardians didn't question his quiet state when he arrived back to his living quarters the previous night, but Asher did. He tried talking to his brother before he went to bed, but he only smiled at him and shook his head, telling him that everything was alright just like he always did. The young boy knows better than to believe him, though, because when Jongin says everything is alright, nothing is alright.

Sometimes, Asher thinks Jongin doesn't take him seriously. He knows he may only be ten years old and that not a lot of ten-year-olds know the things he knows, but he thinks his age is hardly a good excuse to not talk to him. He tells his hyung everything and he wishes he would tell him things, too, because talking, he thinks, makes you feel better. At least it's proven to be that way for him. Jongin always manages to see through him and even though the elder doesn't think it, Asher can see right through him, too. He knows something is taunting his older brother, it's the what that he has yet to figure out. 

Another sigh tumbles from Jongin's lips as he sits on his bed, his head hung low and his back arched downward while his arms lay on his thighs. His mind can't seem to wander away from the experience he had the day before. The sights and the smells of such a foreign yet familiar place, the sounds and the vibrations of the music that blasted around him: it's all swirling around inside of his head, making it even harder for him to cope with the lie he lives in. 

Some part of him is mad at whoever caused this stupid Invasion in the first place. How can a person deliberately strip a person of their basic rights and enjoyments, and then make them believe none of it ever existed at all? He can't believe someone would ever even think of doing that, let alone make it a reality. But then that raises questions in his mind. Who is the person that conspired and constructed The Invasion? But more importantly, why did he construct The Invasion? What was its original purpose supposed to be and who was it targeted at? Jongin remembers what was taught to him in school. 

"The Invasion was an evil plan formulated by government outsiders that wanted all the power for themselves."

That's what every book and adviser told him. But he knew there was more to it, he knew. What was the truth about The Invasion and what does it have to do with the Government? All Jongin wants is the truth, but he knows that in The Dome, the truth isn't exactly a simple request.

"Hyung," Asher says softly, knocking on the door before opening it and walking in. Their eyes meet as the elder's head lifts up. "Our parents wanted me to tell you that morning meal is ready and that you need to come eat."

Jongin sighs again. "They're not our parents," he mumbles, lowering his head back into his hands and pushing back his hair. 

Asher furrows his eyebrows and walks over to sit on Jongin's bed. "What do you mean, hyung?" he asks. "Obviously, they're our parents, otherwise, we wouldn't live here with them. That's what you said a home is, right? A place with a family and a family has parents and kids."

Jongin scoffs. "Just because they take care of us doesn't mean they're our parents," he says as Asher blinks. 

"What are you talking about, hyung?" he says, turning slightly on the bed. "Why are you saying that this isn't our family?"

The elder male sighs, dropping his head for a moment again. "Listen to me," he says as he shifts to face Asher, "I can't tell you much right now, okay? But I can tell you this, those people out there, they're not our parents and this isn't our home. Our real home is far away from here and our real parents..."

"Are they far away, too?" the younger interjects. Jongin can only look at him because he doesn't know where their real parents are or if they even have real parents. All he knows is that wherever their home is, their parents must be there, too.