March 21st, 3026.
Yes, there are dates now. Time is a concept I only recently understood, and even now, there are far too many things in this world that I don't.
The walls are cold and white, but they don't emit light anymore. The floor isn't grass. That still feels wrong in a way I can't explain, like something that shouldn't have changed did anyway.
"FAILURE D!!!"
The voice comes before I turn. It always does.
It belongs to a girl around my age. Dark tan skin, green eyes that don't stay still for long, short wavy hair that moves every time she talks, which is often. She speaks clearly, properly, like her words know where they're going. They don't break halfway or get lost like the others here.
Her name is Naira.
Strange name.
But it suits her.
She's energetic, persistent, and somehow always one step ahead of everything. People here don't seem to like her much, but she doesn't seem interested in being liked. Personally, it doesn't bother me. I trust her.
I can't sleep.
Night is still new to me. This kind of darkness is different from the dome, not empty, not controlled, just there, stretching out without edges. It makes everything feel quieter than it should be, and at the same time, louder.
I close my eyes anyway.
It doesn't help.
The longer I stay still, the worse it gets. My body tightens without reason, the sheets feel colder than they should, and there's something about not seeing that makes everything else feel closer.
Then I hear it.
Breathing.
Slow. Steady. Unbothered.
I open my eyes.
Naira is lying beside me, completely still, like none of this matters to her. Like the dark doesn't reach her the same way it reaches me.
For some reason, that's enough.
My thoughts slow down.
She's my hope.
"Can you stop moving the sheets," she mumbles, voice heavy with sleep. "I'm the leader here. Try not to forget that."
Right.
About that.
We formed something like an alliance. Her words, not mine. We've got each other's back, no matter what happens. That's how she explained it.
It made sense at the time.
It still does.
By the time I properly register being awake, we're already in the lobby. People gather without being told, forming lines that aren't perfect but still happen the same way every morning, like something inside them already knows where to go.
Then the announcement comes.
"XX Rehabilitation Centre wishes you a good morning."
Same voice.
Same words.
Every day.
Naira starts earlier than I do. She's already holding trays of food by the time I reach her, moving through people without slowing down.
Meals.
I'm still getting used to that idea.
Back in the dome, all we had were nutrient blocks. Same shape. Same taste. Same everything. They existed because they were needed. Nothing more.
Here, it's different.
There are smells. Textures. Things that look like they were made to be noticed.
It feels unnecessary.
But everyone acts like it matters.
"D for Dork, faster."
She doesn't even look back when she says it.
Seems like i have to go...