Ben stared up at the geodome towering over him, ignoring the crowds of people yelling and waving and all of the cameras pointed in their direction. He didn't like things he couldn't figure out and the geodomes were an enigma to him. Of course they were a publicity stunt, everyone knew that. Everyone. But that didn't explain how they seemed to just pop up overnight, or the tech involved in them. They were indestructible, he had seen dozens of youtube videos of people trying. Even C4 and thermite. Not even a scorch mark. If the videos weren't fake then that was impossible. That made the geodomes more than they seemed.
Still, it hadn't kept him from answering the invitation to come and see. What was the worst that could happen? At worst, it would be a boring weekend with a bunch of douchebags like the two boys he had already met. One a twitch streamer, the other a youtuber both teaming up to make a vlog all weekend. They were in line now, talking over the top of a short girl who was as out of place as Ben was. Most of the girls were the hot, social types, outgoing and loud. Perfect hair, perfect make-up. The kind Ben liked to look at and wished he could snag, at least for a night.
He glanced behind him and down at the girl behind him. She was waving and smiling for all she was worth. Her perfect black hair in a severe ponytail and not a single hair out of place. Her make-up so perfect, she looked like she did tutorials for it online. She may very well do just that.
"Hey, I'm Ben," he offered.
Her smile faltered as she looked up at him, then rolled her eyes. "Not interested. You know it's like over eighty out here right? What's with the jacket?"
Ben gripped the lapels of his jacket anxiously, feeling defensive. "It's a '9-for-nine' jacket. You know, the anime?"
"Anime? Porno cartoons for weirdos?"
"That's Hentai, not anime..."
"Whatev's. Not interested, perv."
Ben turned around, his face red. Bitch. It didn't matter, it's not like he would have to see her again after this weekend, or the other girl he had introduced himself to. She hadn't even spoken, just turned her nose up and turned away. His best friend had promised him he wasn't ugly, he was even hot in a geek-cute way. His problem was his demeanor, not his looks. So she swore. Her girlfriend agreed, saying he was just way too intense for the average girl. And he needed to smile more. And be less obscure with his references.
He was yanked out of his thoughts.
"Go, perv!" the girl said loudly.
He was next in line, the door was open, waiting for him. He went in, scowling. He would have to avoid being around that girl on camera, she was the type to cause drama just to cause it.
He went through an air blast room, then an ultraviolet room. He didn't know that for certain, it was just what he called them in his head. In the larger room with the others, he moved back against the wall to watch all of them. See their dynamic. Who was nice and who was a douche. He noticed the short girl standing off by herself as well, her head down. He wouldn't know she was a girl if she didn't have a long, curly ponytail poking out the opening of her snapback ballcap. It was faded red, with a tractor supply company on it. It looked older than she was. She had on overalls that looked like they were bought in the little boys section and a t-shirt with actual holes in it. It was like she was purposefully thumbing her nose at the snobbish and perfectly coiffed girls surrounding her. Even the guys looked more hot than her. He wondered why she came if she was obviously so disdainful of all of the publicity. This was nothing but publicity. Unless she assumed it wasn't? Maybe she thought she knew something the rest of them didn't? He wondered about her now.
He tabled her for later now that the mean girl was in. That was all of them.
"Now that you have all arrived," the feminine electronic voice intoned, "please step through to the main pathway and follow it to the first guide dome."
The door on the far side opened. Ben fell in behind everyone else so he could watch the others. The short girl had been near the door and she was eagerly the first person through. She was excited. Not for the publicity, it had to do with what was inside.
When he made it to the door, he looked around and was a little disappointed. It was... like being in the country. Not really different from where they were at all. He had been hoping for something out of a movie, but it was a giant dome filled with... the countryside it was built on. The only difference was the path and the smaller dome building he could see in the distance.
Everyone was walking along the path, talking loudly, laughing, joking, calling out and acting like they were being filmed. For all Ben knew, they were.
He paused next to the short girl who was knelt down on the path, her fingers in the dirt. "You good?" he asked her.
"Yeah... It's not local," she said, sounding surprised. "It's nutrient rich and..." she trailed off, standing suddenly and turning away from him. Not that she had ever looked up or shown her face, hiding it under the bill of her cap. She started down the trail, hugging herself. Ben followed, scowling. Her rebuff hadn't been cruel or mean spirited, she was shy. Still. He was 0 for 3.
He caught up with her, not wanting to be left behind when they got to the next dome. "You from here?" he asked her.
She shrugged.
"I'm from Beaumont. I am going to go to college in Fayetteville though. You?"
"I'm not. I'm just a farmer."
"Oh. Well, couldn't tell," he joked lightly.
She hunched in on herself further.
"I don't know why I am bothering with college though," he went on, trying to get her to relax. "It's not like I need it. I know what I am going into and I have a job lined out. Mom just made me swear before... anyway. I'm sort of a techie. Not to be confused with a trekkie. Electronics too, but mostly coding and junk. You like computers?"
"Not really. The new combine has a sophisticated system on it, but that's it. I don't think I could fix it... I can fix the old Massey though. No electronics, all mechanical."
"Yeah? Like a grease monkey?"
She had been starting to relax a little, but now she hunched down again.
"That's cool," Ben said quickly, trying to fix it. "I wish I knew more about mechanical stuff. You really 18? I know they said we all are, but what are you? Not even five feet."
Her pace quickened.
"No offense! I mean, I hear shit about my height all the time. You know? Get called stupid names. Just opposite end of it. So are you? Even five feet?"
"No," she answered angrily.
Ben sighed dismally and followed her into the little dome building. It was round and it was like a small theatre with 3 rows of 6 seats. Water and food on a back shelf. Ben sat in the seat closest to him in the back, watching the short girl sit in the closest seat in the front row.
"Please be seated and watch the live coverage about to be presented," the feminine robotic voice said.
