When the Sun Begins to Die

Chapter 3

Cadence P.O.V

As we walk silently through our new home town I see many upsetting sights. Children are crying, clinging to their mothers, while others cry alone, no one to comfort them. It is obvious that those are the children who belonged to parents who only had enough money to save them.

I try not to focus on any of it. I don't want to get comfortable here. I know things will only get worse once everyone is settled. In theory, this dome seems like a good enough plan, but it's not.

From the looks of things, this place seems pretty organized. Families are housed in duplex homes and those who do not have parents are housed in apartment-like structures by age. Children five to twelve in one building, thirteen to eighteen in another. Obviously, there are more buildings per age group. I figure that children under the age of five are taken care of somewhere else.

I sigh and look at the building where I have been told to go. Sandra is nineteen, meaning she can live on her own in an apartment. I still have about six more months until I can live closer to Sandra, although I'm not sure I will want to. Six months is a long time, but I don't think we will talk much during that time.

I walk up a few flights of stairs before reaching my designated room. I open the door slowly, seeing two beds. In one is a boy, around my age. He looks rather upset.

"Sorry, I must have the wrong room," I say, figuring that he will most likely want to be alone.

"Are you Cadence?" he asks, looking up to get a better look at me.

I nod slowly, opening the door a bit more. He gestures for me to come in and gestures to the bed across from his.

"You have the right room. I've been hearing that everyone has a roommate," he explains.

I sit down on the edge of my bed and slide my bag off my shoulders. The room seems rather bland when it comes to color, but I suppose it doesn't matter. I have all of six months in here before I live on my own. I'm not preparing to get close to anyone in that time. It's better for me that I keep myself distant.

'I'll probably be kicked out once the two years are up. Having a child is the cost of my rent in The Oasis. When you don't pay your rent you get evicted. I seriously doubt that they would let me stay if I explained that I'm transgender. It just doesn't seem likely.'

"I'm Josh," the boy, now known as Josh, says after a few awkward moments.

"I'm Cadence, nice to meet you," I say, being awkward about talking to my new roommate.

"Likewise," he says softly.

I can tell that he is socially awkward as well. Although, stress could be a factor in his behavior. Josh probably just lost his entire family and all his friends. He has every right to be upset.

'That's another reason I didn't allow myself to get close to people. Others denied the inevitable, but I knew the truth. I was cutting myself off from the rest of the world so it wouldn't hurt as much. Now I see that it actually worked.'

He shares a small smile from across the room. I don't want to hurt him any more than he already has been for today, so I smile back at him.

'I have to keep my walls up.'