Domed. (Previously Pageant To The Death)

T H R E E - Don't You Worry, My Darling

T H R E E - Don't You Worry, My Darling

He was just messing about. He always is. But I can't help worrying that one time, he really will be hurt. I can't even bear to think of it.

Ingrid is such a darling. We sit out on her beautiful, breezy balcony eating and filling ourselves with her delicious bakes. I don't know much about her previous family, but whoever taught her how to cook sure did a brilliant job. I beg her to teach me sometime, and she promises she would. She never talks about her previous family, and if I ever bring it up she says not to bother over silly things like that since David and I are her current family and that's all that matters.

I am seated on her balcony with my legs dangling over when I feel her smoothing out my hair from behind. I look up, smiling. "Full, darling?"

"To the brim," I chuckle, looking back down in the garden. "Sing?" I beg. She is the one who taught me about songs and singing. It is banned in the city. Music is banned. Adrig says in the past people used to bring others down with music and that some was very offensive. To rid the world of this problem they banned music as a whole. That's not much of a problem, though, because no one knows what music or singing is. All they know is it’s wrong. I didn't have a clue up until Ingrid told me. I wish, as I always do, that I live here with Ingrid and David, but that is just not an option. That I could wake up each morning to the sound of her marvellous voice. She doesn't ask which song, knowing I didn't care.

"When your hope is hidden, when there is no light,

When you've lost the difference between day and night,

Look at the plants and the flowers, aren't they such a sight,

Don't you worry, my darling, things will turn out right,

Take in the trees in all their towering height,

Stare at the rivers, the peace, no need to fight,

Appreciate the greenery, rather than plain black-and-white,

The sun will come out shining, it will shine so bright,

So don't you worry, my darling, things will be all right."

"How do you know that beautiful, sweet song?"

"It was the one my mother sang to me before she was..."

I nod, showing her I understand and she need not continue. "Where's Tilly?" I ask, having not seen my furry friend yet.

"Somewhere near the stream, playing with the fish," she waves her hand in the direction although I already know the whereabouts of the stream. I get to my feet and go to the centre of the tree house, where a slide is. I'd read about a similar slide in a story book, The Faraway tree. It is a very old children's book from centuries ago. All of Ingrid's books were from centuries ago, but this was very old. By a woman named Enid Blyton. The slide in the story is in the middle of a magical tree. The children and magic folk called it the 'slippery slip', and Ingrid admitted that this one was inspired by that. So David and I call it the slippery slip.

I slide down on my clothes instead of using pillows like the children in the book. I get to the bottom of the tree and roll out of a secret door. Behind the secret door is a bush placed there with the intension of hiding the secret door.

I run down the garden passing all the gorgeous, colourful flowers. I don’t know all of their names like Ingrid, but I know a lot. Roses, lilies, tulips, daisies, pansies, primroses, hydrangeas, those were all I know. Ingrid could name them all, and add some facts too.

When I hear the familiar, enthusiastic barking my thoughts immediately disappear. "Tilly!" I call out and hear the cute barking as a response. I grin, seeing the dog racing to me at a tremendous speed. The excitement just radiated off her.

I hold out my arms and she runs into them, leaping on me, causing me to fall over. This gives her the perfect chance to start planting lots of slippery licks on my face while I laugh because it tickles. "You know it's my birthday soon, right? Where have you been all day?" But all I got as a response were high-pitched barks.

"What were you doing at the pond?" I inquire, looking in her twinkling eyes. "I hope you weren't disturbing the fish!" She is silent, a sure sign she was doing just that.

"Can't believe you let the dog kiss you before me," I hear a complaining voice behind me and turn to David.

"Excuse me? The dog?"

"Sorry, milady, the queen of all your heart," He bows playfully.

Tilly barks as if to say, 'that's right!'

"You've been reading too much," I shake my head, laughing.

"I'm serious though." He doesn’t look the slightest bit serious. His hair is a wet mess because he washed out that disgusting gel. His lips were curved up into a playful grin.

"Yeah, you look very serious," I comment, clapping sarcastically. "Bravo, do you want a reward for that?"

"Yes, on my lips," he says, pointing expectantly, bringing me back to the previous subject.

I roll my eyes, chuckling. "I think Tilly would be too jealous."

He is now right behind me, and he lowers his body to the ground. "I don't care what she thinks." He whispers lightly. I lean in and peck his cheek, Tilly barking furiously and pawing at me.

"See? She's jealous."

"Well, so am I because she gets all the attention."

"You've been with me all day, David."

"Either with Ingrid or people of Adrig watching us." He lay down on his back so he was staring straight up at the sky. "Now that dog wants to turn us into a stupid Twilight love triangle."

"Firstly, if we are a love triangle, we are The Hunger Games not Twilight. Secondly, that is by far the most ridiculous book reference ever."

"You're just jealous because you couldn't come up with a better book reference."

"Are you kidding me? The whole Hunger-Games-Twilight thing was way better than yours!"

"Do you really want to be in a death game?"

"I have Adrigen," I remind him softly, suddenly feeling sad.

He gets quiet. "I think I'll go inside and read." He says, seeing I needed time alone. He will never understand and he knows that. He knows it’s stupid trying to reassure me.

I watch his retreating figure hoping this day would last forever and the day I become eighteen will never come. But in the back of my mind, there is the painful reality that that isn't possible.

Dedication to: @a-dora-ble for the awesome new title!!