Chapter Two: Under the Sea

It was an artificially sunny day in dome number four, not unlike every “summer” day. As it was, the domes simulated seasons for the sake of traditional farming. It was winter over in dome two right now. Maybe she’d visit later…

Chic white cloth draped down the branches of a birch tree, gently billowing in the soft breeze. She was listening. She was watching. She heard the sound of a finch call. Golden and purple colors swirled about her vision in tune with the short chirp, floating away as soon as it ended. A crow called. Suddenly there was a dark gold before her, drawn through the air in thick lines. Naturally, the screech of the bluejay was blue, but it was harsh and demanding.

She hated that about bluejays. The blue of their call always forced itself into her vision, smothering her. Her peaceful smile turned into a frown of disturbance and she shifted on the branch she sat upon. She sat up and let her legs dangle, gazing over her family’s rolling hills of grass and crops. Their little white house sat on the far side of the fields. She could hardly see the blue roof and shutters from where she was. She could clearly see, however, the red of the surrounding fence that she had insisted on painting herself when she was only a small girl.

As she gazed dreamily upon the red fence from afar, the pesky bluejay landed directly beside her and cried out at the top of its lungs. The flash of blue startled her and she fell out of the tree with a squeak, eyes wide. She landed in the soft grass on her back with a thud and spend the next couple seconds gasping for air. When she regained herself, she sat up on one arm and used the free one to brush the long blonde hair out of her face so she could properly glare at the smug little blue bird up in the tree where she had just been moments ago.

She stood and composed herself, brushing dirt off her white dress. The breeze picked up and she felt something tickle her face, jumping a bit. She looked up and saw her sheer shawl caught in the branches above and heaved a heavy sigh. Reaching up, she tugged it until it drifted softly to the ground. She pulled it up and around her arms once more, her silvery blue gaze drifting along the horizon.

Of course, she knew, the hills were not the only sight to behold in the underwater domes in which she lived. As she looked up and around, she saw straight through to the ocean, in every direction. On days where she felt adventurous, she would venture all the way to the edge and press her nose against the thick plexiglass. There wasn’t much life, as they were indeed very deep.

But every now and then, something magnificent would happen. One time she saw a whale drifting through the gentle currents. One time, even, she found a place where the biggest squid she’d ever seen had stuck itself to the other side of the dome, and she had gone so far that she was the only one around to see it.

The experience had been beyond anything she could imagine. Most people, she figured, wouldn’t have the interest to stick around or the persistence to follow it for three hours until it swam away beyond her reach. The fascination in her was her simple undoing, as it was with most things. She never stopped marveling about life, plants, existence in itself.

Nothing ever failed to catch her interest. What is it? How does it work? Why does it exist? These questions she asked about everything. However, the squid is what always stood out in her mind. It’s thick beak, the way it’s tentacles curled at the end, it’s big, intelligent eyes, and the red of it’s color.

She remembered it now, as she gazed out into the open ocean from below. She had a terrible desire to start running to the edge and not stop until she reached it, though she longed to go further. She took one anticipated step, the soft grass tickling her bare feet, before the town siren sounded and she jumped back, nearly losing her balance. That was the signal for a town meeting.

She looked at her house and smiled to herself before she took off running to the little white house. She figured what she was wearing would suffice enough for a town meeting. A simple, white dress that stopped at her knees and a golden belt around her torso. Her dress became sheer as it reached her collarbone, which extended to the sleeves that only reached her elbows. The opaque collar was rounded and neat; all she needed was shoes.

As she swung open the red gate, it made a creaking sound, and she slowed to a walk down the path to her house. She opened the door to find her father reaching for his hat while her mother fussed over his tie, and she couldn’t help but smile as they playfully struggled with each other.

“Adsen, you can’t possibly think I would let you out of the house with such a crooked tie!” she teased, a firm grip on his necktie. Her mother was tall and thin, looked much like her, with pale skin and silvery eyes. Her hair was up in a messy, dull blonde bun and a soft smile played on her lips.

“Marina please, the tie can be fixed on the way,” her father insisted. He also had blue eyes, though darker, with dark hair and neat scruff lining his face.

She loved the familiar color of their voices; bright clouds that created a haze of color when they spoke. Her mother’s was yellow when she was happy, dark blue when she was angry or sad. Her father’s was a bright teal that turned black in the same cases.

They both stopped and looked at her when they heard her coming through the door. While her father was distracted, her mother yanked him forward and fixed his tie. “There,” she said with a smile. Her father heaved a sigh and placed his hat on his head.

“Are you ready for the town meeting, Arvia?” her father asked, gently tugging at the tie twisted around his neck.

She looked at him quizzically. There was a serious tone in his voice; a darkening of the haze. He only ever called her Arvia when he was angry with her, or distressed, which was rarely. Arvie was the name she was used to, and though only one sound was changed, the difference in meaning was significant.

Arvie nodded and leaned down to pick up the white flats on the ground in front of the door. “Just needed my shoes.” She watched as her father nodded slowly, struggling to keep up the facade. She wondered if it had something to do with the meeting. After all, her father did hold a seat in the city council. He would know.

Trying to sound as casual as possible, Arvie asked, “What’s the meeting about, papa?”

He looked at her and then at her mother, who by now also looked a bit concerned, and smiled with a shake of his head. “We will find out soon enough. Now let’s head out, shall we?” He urged her mother forward gently with a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Arvie turned and walked out the door that was already open.

Since their house was fairly close to the city tunnel, they only had to walk. There were few other families living in their dome- somewhere around fifteen. Most of which had their houses built close to the city tunnel.

It took about twenty minutes to make it to town square at the center of the central dome. It was a big courtyard, big enough to fit the entire population of the dome standing, with a raised platform in the front that acted as a stage. Speakers were spread out along the edges of the courtyard so everyone was able to hear the address.

They were able to get a spot near the front, since people recognized her father and made way. It got more crowded over the next few minutes. All the different voices made a constant slew of colors at the edges of Arvie’s vision. This was why she prefered to be out in the quiet fields alone, where the occasional burst of birdsong makes the experience enjoyable. Generally she avoided noisy situations such as this because of how overwhelming the sound became. However, as she got older, it became easier to focus it to the edges of her vision, though she had to concentrate considerably.

The noise began to dim down and she looked up from her slump to see why. A tall, neatly dressed and handsome man confidently stepped onto the stage before them and stood behind the podium, adjusting one of the microphones.

‘Thank you all for coming today, as there is an important announcement to be made,” he said with a flash of a white smile. Arvie recognized him as the head of council, and she rolled her eyes. His voice was a deep red that seeped thickly out of the speakers like blood. “For those of you who may not know, I am Coto Vatre, head of council, though I’m sure you knew that.” Another sickeningly charming smile.

Suddenly, his tone lowered and became more serious. “As you may or may not have heard, there have been rumors circulating of signs of life on the surface. These rumors… Are indeed true.” Gasps and exclamations from the crowd. Coto Vatre held up a hand and silence grew over them once more. “These signs cannot go ignored, and I have spoken with the heads of the other colonies. We have developed a program, Iota Beta, to each send four researchers and explorers to the surface. Now… All we need are volunteers.”

His smile grew again, clasping his hands before him and surveying the crowd. “This is the rarest of opportunities! If you would like to make history, please come up and stand beside me!” Silence.

Arie was shocked. Could this really be true? Life on the surface? Her heart pounded and the blood road in her ears. She felt her mother’s hand lay on her shoulder and looked up at the nervous eyes of her father. She was excited! She was afraid. She wanted to discover, to learn, but her feet would not move.

Just as Coto Vatre began to look impatient, there was a shuffling near the back of the crowd. As it got closer, short cries of annoyance escaped the people around them. The shuffling made its way to the stage, and a man hopped up beside the head of council.

The man was tall and heavy built, somewhere in his twenties though it seemed the heavy smell of scotch and the cigar between his teeth had aged him. He had brown hair, short and messy. He also had patchy scruff on his face. He wore a stained uniform-looking coat and cargo pants with heavy duty boots.

Coto Vatre looked at him as if disgusted for a split second before looking out at the crowd. “Ladies and gentleman, our first volunteer!” A half-hearted applause escaped the mass of people, but the man bowed like he had won a medal.

It seemed as though he had sparked the confidence, because two more bodies shifted near the front of the stage. They made their way to the side and actually went up the stairs. Arvie’s eyes widened. She knew them! The Glendower twins, Cassy and Caspian. They lived in her dome, had gone to the same school. Cassy’s short blonde curls were pinned back but still bounced. Caspian’s hair was just as curly, though much shorter and much darker. They had matching blue eyes and freckles sprinkled over their faces.

A spark of envy ignited inside of Arvie. If they could go, why couldn’t she?

Coto Vatre induced another round of applause. “Only one more volunteer, folks, and we can be a part of history!”

Arvie took a step forward impulsively. She was held back by her mother’s hand. She turned into the faces of her parents, shocked and hurt. Her expression softened and she simply looked from one to the other. Her parents exchanged glances and her mother began to tear up. “Arvia…” her father began. “Be careful.” Her mother shot a shocked glance at her husband, speechless. He simply gave her a nod and the tears began to spill.

Arvie was also tearing up, but she smiled. She hugged them both. “We love you,” her mother wept.

“I love you, too,” Arvie said.

Her father pulled away and put his hands on her shoulders. “Alright, now go before someone else gets up there before you.”

Arvie hesitated, but then smiled and turned to leave. Behind her she heard a call from her father. “Make history!”

Arvie smiled at the words of her father, tearing up as she walked through the murmuring crowd. I will, she promised silently. She felt the eyes trained on her, each displaying a different emotion. Her heart beat faster as she made her way to the edge of the stage, walking up the stairs the twins had ascended before her. She stood next to Cassy and exchanged a nervous glance with her.

It was silent until Coto Vatre started the cheering again. Arvie had never heard anything louder. Whether it was of encouragement or outrage, every voice in the courtyard sounded. Every color played in her vision, threatening to blind her, and she did her best not to panic, but focused on diverting them to the corners of her vision, to no avail. Blood red then began to seep through the crackling colors once more.

“These four young souls will ascend to the surface, meet with ten peers, and discover things never before known to the human race!” Coto Vatre then walked from behind his podium with a microphone and stood beside the first volunteer. “Now, I’m going to ask you all your names before we continue so we can all have a proper idea of who you are.” He held the microphone before the scruffy man.

“Niles Calder,” the man said in a deep, dark yellow voice after removing the cigar from his lips. Coto Vatre then made his way down the line.

“Caspian Glendower.”

“Cascade Glendower.”

“Arvia Brimlad.”

“Niles, Caspian, Cascade, and Arvia!” He shouted joyfully, walking back to his podium. “Remember these names because these are the people that will be risking their lives for the sake of discovery!” The crowd cheered again. He then turned to the four in a line. “Everything you need had been pre-packed and is ready for you to leave immediately in a submarine by the main piers.”

Immediately?  Her eyes desperately sought her parents in the crowd. It didn’t take long to find them. Her father had his arm around her mother, who was crying into his shoulder as he tried to comfort her. He looked up and met Arvie’s eyes. He gave her a quick nod and a reassuring smile. He was sad, she knew, but she also knew that he didn’t want to hold her back from her wanderlust.

Blue and white rode in stripes past her vision as the national anthem played through the speakers. Suddenly, Coto Vatre was herding all four of them off the back of the stage. She looked over her shoulder, looking at her parents until she simply could not any longer.

A heavy sense of dread filled her and she had the urge to cry and run back. She wanted to scream, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I won’t go, I can’t go, I’ll never leave you again!” But there was a lump in her throat and her legs felt numb. She knew if she went back now she would regret it for the rest of her life. She made a silent vow right there to come back home. She wouldn’t die, she wouldn’t get lost, she would always return.

The herding stopped and she looked up from the floor. A white limo was parked before them and Coto Vatre opened the door, gesturing for them to climb inside, and they did. After they were in, he got in himself. They all sat in the back facing him sitting alone on the other side. They were all quiet, as if rethinking their decisions. He simply clasped his hands and rested his elbows on his knees.

“You are all very brave,” he began in a low voice, much more serious and less showy than he was on the stage. “On behalf of this colony, I welcome you to project Iota Beta.” He paused, looking for the right words to say.

“Don’t we have to go home and pack?” Cassy said in a flat voice.

He shook his head. “Everything you need has been packed for you and waits on the submarine for your arrival,” he assured her. “It will take the better part of a day to reach the surface. There are pamphlets for you to read. Warnings about the nuclear radiation and whatnot.” It wasn’t a long way to the piers. Soon, the car slid to a stop. “The best of luck to you all.”

They all hesitated before Niles opened his door and walked out. They each followed and stood in a group staring at the piers. This was the place where a controlled flow of water was released to create canals and irrigation throughout every dome. Big buildings for processing the water and fish that came through were lined along it. There were small tubes along the edge of the dome that led to the submarines. They were sealed as well to control the flow of water. The tunnel that opened led to a bigger submarine, meant for more than one person like most were.

Coto Vatre had silently climbed out and stood beside them, hands clasped before him, giving them a moment to stare at their future. One by one, they glanced at him, unsure. He nodded towards the tunnel, and again, Niles was the first to go. He took long, confident strides towards the open tunnel and through the open hatch of the submarine itself, whose lights had flickered on moments before.

Arvie took a deep breath as the rest of them made their way into the submarine after them. Once she walked through the doors, she could no longer hold her tears back. She collapsed in the nearest seat and sobbed uncontrollably. She didn’t mind, however, because she wasn’t the only one.

Author's Note

What is your opinion on Arvia's nickname? Should it stay Arvie or be Arie?