The Dome

Chapter 1

I don't remember a beautiful world. The Council tells us about one, though.

There was green grass, that stretched as far as the eye could see. Flowers, of all different sizes with gorgeous, vibrant colors and patterns. Snowy mountains, on which people would spend months just to reach the top. Lakes, rivers, oceans full of fish with beautiful blue-green colors. Animals with wings that could fly and soared high above the people who roamed freely on the planet.

The stories are hard to believe. If the world ever was so beautiful, how were people so ignorant as to destroy it? The Council says they polluted the world with trash. They put gases into the air and used the land as a dump. They stole the blood from the Earth to fuel their needs. They stabbed at the world, looking for more and more. Once they realized what they had done, though, it was too late.

First went the plants. The world was no longer green, but brown. The grass shriveled up, and the flowers hung their heads in disappointment. Some trees survived longer, but soon they withered away too.

All sorts of sea creatures began washing up on shores, dead. This was the least of their worries though, because slowly, all their food was dying.

Some thought God was simply punishing them. Others tried to pretend everything was okay. But now when they looked at their once beautiful home, they saw heaps of trash and death.

When the topic of polluting the environment came up, many people became very uncomfortable. Occasionally people in the government would try to do something to help, but if there were any small conveniences, most of the population would refuse. They would say that the environment wasn't any of the government's business, and there were better things to spend money on.

People were dying now of small illnesses, since medicine became very rare.

The world had been murdered and this was its funeral.

The Dome is my home, I've never seen the outside world.. Well, at least what's left of it.

Leaving the Dome is forbidden. The Council tells us that if we left, we would die, for the air is unsafe. Apparently living on a dead planet isn't exactly ideal, though its all I've ever known.

In the morning I wake up and put on my grey dress that reaches my ankles, and I twist my hair into a tight bun. Then I go to the dining hall for Meal One. My movements are almost robotic, for I have done this many times before.

After Meal One, I go to my history class. It lasts for an hour and a half. We learn the history of the Dome, and the importance of order. The teacher tells us of things that have been outcomes of unorderly communities.

Inside the Dome, there are three types of people. The Council members, the Citizens, and the Rebels.

The Council is made of the Dome's founding families. They were people who prepared for disaster. People who knew the world was being destroyed. The Council runs the Dome completely. They portion the food, set laws, and determine punishments. They are very feared, and in some cases, very hated.

The Citizens are people who are obedient, who live 'clean' lives. They believe everything the Council tells them, and they do everything expected of them.

The Rebels are those who hate everything about the Dome, and despise the fact that they live in it. We reveal all the lies the Council spits out, and we are all working on getting out.

In the Dome, asking questions is frowned upon. You learn what you are told, and you don't ask for anything more. The school curriculum is strictly learning the dangers of the outside world and anything technology related. I personally find it very difficult, not asking questions. I am always lowest in my class, and most of my teachers never like me much.