The Dome

Chapter 3

When Nick returns, he starts the fire, and I gladly reposition myself next to it.

"Well, Vic, what's for breakfast?" Lachlan murmurs, propping himself up on his elbows so he can give her an amused look from his spot on the ground.

Victoria turns so quickly that I hear a swoosh. The look in her eyes is absolutely murderous when she faces Lachlan. He gulps.

"You little-" she goes on to say nasty things. "Make your own breakfast, stupid boy."

I feel kind of bad for Lachlan, but then he does the unthinkable and pushes her even further. I watch, frightened, as he gets up and follows her to her sleeping bag.

"You're cute when you're angry. Your British accent flares up."

Lachlan goes down the hard way, with a square punch to the face.

"Hurry up and make breakfast, Lach, I'm starving," Victoria mumbles, shoving a backpack at him. He clutches his nose and takes the bag resentfully.

The sun starts to peek out of nowhere, and gradually things grow brighter. The sunrise is just as beautiful as the sunset.

Dally huddles up next to me, and together we watch Lachlan cook our food. He seems to be having quite a bit of trouble.

"Dally," I say, quiet enough so that no one else will hear me. "Do you think one of them could've done this to me?" I gesture toward Lachlan and Victoria. He meets my gaze, eyebrows quirked.

"Why would you think that? I've known these people for years. I trust them." He frowns. "Is it Nick? Is he scaring you? I know he can be pretty intimidating."

I shake my head, closing my eyes and leaning on Dally's shoulder.

"Never mind. It was a stupid question."

Victoria passes around grapes, which taste like heaven compared to the canned food that we had in the Dome. Lachlan eventually finishes cooking the bacon, and we all chow down hungrily. It's the best meal I've ever had.

"How are you holding up?" Lachlan says, scooting over towards me. I smile faintly at him.

"I'm alright," I say quietly, looking down. His blue eyes are playful, and he runs a hand through his crazy, white-blonde hair.

"Don't let Victoria fool you, I'm a good guy. Most dogs even like me." He flashes an amused smile, and I try to figure out why he gave me such a random piece of information.

"Dogs only like you because you are one," Victoria calls from her spot across the fire. She winks at me.

"Whatever, Vic. Dogs are a great judge in character."

"Do you have a dog?" I ask curiously, and he raises his eyebrows.

"You've never seen one, have you?" He inquires. I shake my head, never having really thought about it. There weren't any animals in the Dome. "Oh man, just wait. Old Jo has a few. I'll take you to see them when we get in town, but you strike me as more of a cat person."

"I'll hold you to that," I say, cracking a grin, even though I have no idea who Old Jo is. It's hard not to smile when Lachlan is so enthusiastically upbeat. He practically radiates humor.

"If he's bothering you, just tell me," Victoria mumbles. Lachlan grits his teeth, feigning annoyance. I don't understand why they argue so much.

"I'm not bothering her. Stop being such a drag."

"Stop bickering, you two," Nick butts in, rolling his eyes. "You're not old and married yet."

I hear a faint rumble in the distance, and it startles me.

"What's that?" I ask, licking my lips.

Victoria squints, looking out towards the sound, and a smile breaks out onto her face.

"The truck!" She exclaims, jumping up.

I look in that direction, and see it. It's forest green and old looking. It looks big enough to fit about four people.

As it nears, strange music blares louder through the air. There is a girl in the front of the truck, waving and grinning.

We start to pack up camp, and a knot of excitement and nerves grows in my stomach. I'm excited to see my new home, but I'm still weary of leaving my mom, and everything I've ever known, behind.

The creaky wheels send mud into the air as the truck pulls up next to us. A girl with chin length brown hair steps out of it, a smile spreading easily across her face.

"Hey, guys," she says, rushing over to help us put everything into the truck.

"May, this is Ash, Ash this is May," Lachlan says. May grins at me and pulls me into a hug.

"Nice to meet you. And nice to see you, Dal." She raises her eyebrows at Dally and he blushes. I've never seen him blush before.

"Uh, hi, May."

I know that Dally's visited the new settlement before, but he seems to know May better than the others. She must've grown up with him in the Dome.

"Well, let's get going," Victoria says, eyeing May disapprovingly. "Uh, Dally can ride with May in the front. The rest of us will... Pile in the back."

I shoot Dally a look of confusion and he smiles apologetically. I watch as he climbs into the passenger seat, his face still bright red.

"C'mon," Victoria says, pulling me by the hand to the truck bed. Lachlan and Nick are already sitting inside, and Victoria clambers up the wheel quickly. I follow suit, plopping down next to the other three.

"This'll be fun," Lachlan says, his grin bigger than I've ever seen it.

Let's just say that I had no idea what I was in for.

I'd never rode in a moving vehicle before of any kind.

May revs the engine and then we all pitch forward with the sudden movement. I steady myself, and watch as the spot where we took camp fades into the trees.

The wind whips at my face, and it feels amazing.

"WHOO HOO!" I hear Lachlan shout and turn to see him standing up, his arms spread wide.

"Sit down!" Victoria yells, looking a little green. "I forgot how much I hate this."

We hit a bump, and Lachlan tumbles down, straight onto my lap.

"Ow," I squeak through my laughter, and Lachlan blushes, pushing himself away. That just makes me laugh more, along with Nick and Victoria.

The rest of the ride is so fun that I completely forget about how Dally sat up front with May.

Soon, I can see huge buildings ahead. Some are completely see-through, while others are dark, reflecting surfaces. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen.