Full Summary: Arthur has lived his entire life separated from the outside world by the large dome that surrounds the city. With the hooded praying statues that cover nearly ever corner and the suspicious ceremony that occurs every May 19th, who wouldn't be suspicous? Two months before Arthur is suposed to go through the ceremony himself, he soon finds himself in more danger than he had ever imagined. Good thing a blonde runaway is there to save him.
Things that you need to know: This is an AU that takes place somewhere in the future. In this future most of the world is in ruins and the only (known) civilizations are large cities inside domes that are scattered across the world. This one happens to be in the United States. It's somewhere in the southeastern states either in (what used to be) North/South Carolina, Georgia, or Tennessee. Each families' house is built exactly the same with three bedrooms and one full bathroom on the upper floor. On the lower floor there is a living room (to the left of the front door), a kitchen (to the left of the front door), and a bathroom under the stairs (right in front of the door).
Pairings: USUK, Spamano, GerIta, PruCan, FranceXSeychelles, Giripan with a sprinkle of Turkey, RoChu, PrussiaXHungaryXAustria, LietPol, SuFin, DenNor, Hong KongXTaiwan, ThailandXVietnam, RomeXGermania, NetherlandsXBeligum and other couples.
Minor Characters/Characters who I've given human names or do not have well know human names: Kaoru (Hong Kong), MeiMei (Taiwan), Bella (Belgium), Abel (Netherlands), Vy (Vietnam), Michelle (Seychelles), Gupta (Egypt), Carlos (Cuba), Ismet (Turkish Republic of Nothern Cyprus), and Monaca (Monaco).
Characters who appear that need names: Cyprus, Thailand, Wy, Seaborg, Wy, Picardy, and Osaka.
Genderbent Characters: Petey (Sealand), Emile (Iceland)
Warnings: Brainwashing, disutopia, kidnapping/saving (your choice), creepy hooded praying statues, France, swearing, created (fake) religon, evil concil members, probably blood later on, sarcastic author, bored author, school, theivery, breaking and entering, France, and brainless people.
Ideas from: The Giver (Lois Lowry), Doctor Who, and Museum of Thieves (Lian Tanner).
Please note that the author disapproves of making utopias. As shown in The Giver (Lois Lowry) utopias do not always work. The author also disapproves of making a religon were creepy hooded praying people are the Gods. As shown in Doctor Who they might not have heads then they will pull out lightsabers out of no where and try to kill you. The author does not think that people who smile constantly are brainless however they do agree that people who are smiling constantly have something to hide. This story should not be taken seriously and neither should the author.
On a final note, the author has been a sarcastic smart ass lately. Please disregard any insulting comments for the author was attempting to be funny and failing.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia I just have an overactive imagination and no life.
Dome
Chapter 1: A Not So Ordinary Day
It was the same thing every day.
6:45 AM – Wake up
6:50 AM – Get dressed
6:55 AM – Make the bed
7:00 AM – Brush hair and attempt to make it look nice
7:02 AM – Put on shoes and socks
7:05 AM – grab books and double check everything
7:09 AM – Head down to the kitchen
7:10 AM – Sit down and eat toast and eggs
7:25 AM – Gulp down orange juice
7:26 AM – Thank parents for breakfast while putting the dishes in the sink
7:27 AM – Head back upstairs
7:28 AM – Brush teeth
7:32 AM – Wash face
7:40 AM – Go back downstairs
7:41 AM – Say goodbye to parents
7:44 AM – Go outside
7:45 AM – Get into the line for boys in alphabetical order
8:00 AM – Arrive at school
8:10 AM – Start class
8:12 AM – English class
10:12 AM – Math class
12:12 PM – Lunch and break
1:12 PM – Safety class
4:12 PM – Be escorted home in the lines
4:30 PM – Freedom until dinner
6:00 PM – Dinner
7:00 PM – Thank parents and wash the dishes
7:15 PM – Shower
7:45 PM – Get dressed
7: 50 PM – Brush teeth
7:55 PM – Say goodnight to family
8:00 PM – Go to bed
Repeat.
The same damn routine every. Single. Fucking. Day. This is what I thought able as I stared tiredly at the clock on my night stand. The red numbers gleamed as if mocking me. I felt the sudden urge to throw it against the wall and watch it shatter but this would get me into trouble. Trouble was not allowed. Not here.
I pushed myself out of bed and pulled on long brown pants that were neither dressy nor casual and a short sleeved button up white shirt. As I went through my daily routine thoughts ran through my head.
I thought about how stupid everything was. How we had to go through the same thing every day never taking a break except for the holidays. That is if they still allowed them. They would be cancelled every-so-often for this reason or that, but we all knew (or at least I knew) that the holidays had been cancelled simply because they were too fun. There was no school which made children do things on their own. This led to free and creative thinking which in the adult's minds caused chaos. And this was something that the town leaders hated. Actually it wasn't the town leaders that hated this. Anyone with a good head on their shoulders could see that the Mayor was just a pretty face. Of course there were very few who could figure this out. Anyone over sixteen was a mindless, smiling idiot. Once a year the people turning sixteen would all walk through the town and into the building were the Mayor and the town leaders worked. There would be a huge celebration and everyone would crowd around them and cheer. When the last person was inside the large doors would slam shut and the crowd would disappear. Each child would come out with a large smile on their face and a look of utter happiness in their eyes after two hours. No one knew what happened to them. No one talked about it either. Whoever did was not seen again.
I attempted to straighten my hair but failed miserably. Huffing I gave up and set the brush down. And searched for my shoes and socks. Both were brown and boring. I always thought it had something to do with the multiple statues of hooded praying people whose faces were hidden from the world. They littered the town and there was at least one in each home. 'Guardians' the adults called them. 'Gods' said the Mayor. 'Watching out for us' hinted my best friend, Kiku. I looked at the small shrine we had in the living room with one standing on top of it. Watching us indeed, I agreed silently. Listening too. I walked into the kitchen and sat down to the normal breakfast of two eggs and two buttered triangular pieces of toast. I ate quickly my thoughts still wondering. I would finally get to find out what happened to the sixteen year olds this year since I was turning sixteen myself. May 19th at exactly noon. The same day and same exact time as everyone else. Though honestly I was terrified to find out what was going to happen. I didn't want to come out smiling forever and brainless. I liked my brain. It wasn't going anywhere in my mind. Of course I couldn't just play sick. Very few got sick here. The ones that did disappeared. Our city was 'perfect' we were told. And no one argued.
I spit out the mixture of water and toothpaste. And grabbed a bar of soap before splashing water on my face. I only had two months left before I lost myself. Just two. It was such a short period of time. Not long enough for things to be changed. No it'd be many years before things changed.
Quickly I hurried out the door with a quickly goodbye to my parents and my little sister, Petey, and fell into order. With the other male children whose last names started with K. I could see Kiku just a few people up from me. His head was facing forwards but I could tell there was a faint smile on his face. I smiled softly as well even though he couldn't see it and headed to the school.
The school building was a large white building in the center of town. It was one of the four buildings that surrounded the Mayor's office. The walls were made of large slabs of sandy stone. A large red wooden door sat upon white stairs made of the same material as the walls as if it were sitting on a throne. There were no windows to let in light from the fake sun that shone down upon us. The group split into four groups. Some of us turned right. Some left. Kiku's went straight and downstairs. My group went straight and upstairs. I looked at Kiku with sadness in my green eyes and his brown eyes returned it. I didn't like being separated from him. We were much stronger when we were together but I guess that is why the classes were split up like they were. There was no rebellion wanted in this city. Two people together was something that the leaders feared. They did not want anyone to be smart enough to figure anything out so they kept close people apart when they could. This is the same reason we did not learn about anything that happened in the past. And to them science was a useless skill. English and math were taught because they didn't want people to be completely idiotic and they were the two things needed for jobs in the town.
Finally English and math class ended and we were free to go to lunch and take a break. I waited at the bottom of the flight of stairs I went up and the top of the stairs that Kiku had gone down. The hallways slowly cleared and I became worried since I had yet to see my friend. Finally, a teacher, dressed in a long black robe ushered me away from the stairs and to the cafeteria. I grabbed a sandwich, water, and an apple and sat down at the usual table where Kiku and I sat along his friends. They all got along with Kiku but for some reason they all seemed to hate me. Especially the one with dark brown bushy eyebrows that was called 'Koaru'. He liked to sit across from me and smirk as if something dark had just crossed his mind. I could only hope it didn't have to do with me but yet, I knew it did. Out of the six people that sat at our table MeiMei was the only girl. She had long and wavy chestnut brown hair and her smile was as sweet and as heavenly as a smile could get. Though one wrong move and her glare could make a grown man fall over and die. Nice girl. Im Yong was the loudest person I had ever met but thankfully Yao (the voice of reason at the table) had managed to always calm him down before he got into trouble.
When I sat down alone Yao's had a look of surprise and worry on his face. "Where's Kiku?" he asked.
I shrugged wrapping my sandwich but not intending to eat it. I could feel the rest of the table's eyes on me, each pair filled with worry.
"Arthur," Yao was about to continue but I stood up abruptly.
A smile crept up on me as I saw the jet black hair walk through the doors. I jumped out my seat and walked quickly over to him, since running was not allowed.
"Kiku, what happened?" I asked looking at him. My eyes were filled with worry but yet the happiness I was feeling was overflowing.
He pushed my hands off of his shoulders and his eyes traveled to the ground. "Nothing." He said simply.
I frowned. "But, Kiku, no one ever gets held up after class unless…" I trailed off not wanting the adults to hear.
"No really it was nothing." He walked over to the table and sat down.
Yao looked at him with concern. "Kiku, why are you late, aru?" he asked softly.
Kiku shook his head stubbornly refusing to tell us anything. He stared at the table for a moment before speaking up. "Are you going to eat your apple?" he asked quietly.
I handed it to him and began to pick at my sandwich.
"Later." I heard Kiku whisper quickly before taking a bite of his apple.
Safety class was right after lunch and it lasted forever. Seriously this class was three hours long. Each and every person in this city had taken the safety class every school year. It never changed except for a few added rules here and there but they all followed the same basic pattern. Don't cause trouble. Don't leave the city. Don't question what is done.
"I won't lie to you." Claimed the teacher, "The outside world is cold and cruel. Leave the safety of the dome and you will be captured almost instantly by slavers." I snorted. Did he think we were children? These were the stories told to children to keep them from doing anything that the city does not wish. "The dome is created to keep dangers like that out." More like to keep us in. "Every choice is made to protect you and keep each and every one of us in this city safe."
Another hour of lecturing and the bell finally rang. The students walked out of the building talking to their friends as they gathered their belongings and got into lines as they prepared to go home. I walked into the house and exchanged the normal greetings with my parents before placing my things in my room and heading back outside. I walked down the streets for a while before taking a quick turn into a narrow street. The street opened a bit to reveal an area no larger than the bathroom in my house. I placed an open hand against the dirty and rough wall. It was the outer wall of the dome and from what I knew this is the only place that you could actually go up to it and touch it. The small space was basically untouched and forgotten by all except Kiku and me. It had become our secret meeting place from the moment we found it. Here we could talk about anything and not be heard.
"Arthur?" I turned around hearing my name and saw the small form that belonged to Kiku.
"Yeah, I'm here." I responded.
He seemed nervous and on high alert. "Arthur, I… I have to tell you something…"
The breath caught in my throat. "Of course. What is it?" I asked worried for his answer.
And I will stop there for now. But don't worry, I'll be writing the next chapter after I finish this. Infact I'm probably typing it as we speak unless of course chapter two is already up. In that case I am not typing chapter two, but possibly one of the other chapters or another story. Or it is even possible that I am doing homework. Or perhaps I am slacking.
Screw it I'm more than likely slacking.
For the people reading my other stories: Sorry I got bored with them. I'll get back to them eventually... I hope... I have ideas for them they but they've morphed back into idea clouds. They are still in the works though. I don't want to abandon them!
For the people who do not know what Idea Clouds are: First off they suck. Its when you have an idea for a story or something but you barely know anything about it like where its going or what the characters are. You just get an idea and its forever stuck in your head and you cannot get rid of them until you figure out what you don't know. Sure you can put what you have on paper but this only causes the idea clouds to turn gray and violent. Soon they grow and grow and eat other idea clouds. Though they leave some idea clouds alone. Eventually they grow extremely large and start eating away at your math smarts. But that's ok because math smarts are yucky so they puke them bark up then hide in the farthest corner of your mind. And that, my dear readers, is an idea cloud.
Anyways... I'm sorry I've ranted. That won't happen as often now that the first chapter is out.
OH YEAH! I need help with naming some of the characters! I need: Cyprus, Thailand, Wy, Seaborg, Wy, Picardy, and Osaka. Please suggest names!
PLEASE REVIEW! It really does mean so much to us writers to know if our story is good or not. Please? Pleeeeeaaaasssseeee?
Other info: Published: September 1, 2011. Words: 2,014. Written: August 31, 2011.
