Chapter IV

                                    

                                          
Jongin wakes up with an odd feeling. It's one he's never before experienced. He doesn't quite know how to react to it. He thinks it might have something to do with that emotion he was feeling yesterday, though. What was it again? He scrunches up his face and cocks his head as he stands in front of his mirror and tries to remember. Oh, right. It was annoyed. He was annoyed. He was annoyed with Yoochun because he told him to put all those books back after he already did that. Maybe that was why he didn't want to go back to the library today. Because he didn't want to see Yoochun and hear him tell him to do his job correctly. What was the name for that, though? That's what he wanted to know. But then a word pops into his mind. Dread. He quickly scurries over to his closet and pulls out his book of common words used in The Origin and looks up dread. 
                          
"Great fear or apprehension," he reads. He remembers what it means to be apprehensive. It means to be nervous or scared. He puts his book away and then continues to finish dressing. It would make sense that he is feeling dread because he was annoyed with Yoochun the day before and now that he has to go back and possibly be annoyed by him again, he doesn't want to go back. He's not sure if he's correctly feeling dread, but he thinks he is. Maybe he can ask Yoochun later when he's at the library if he's not annoyed with him like he was the day before. 
                          
He completes the task of dressing and then proceeds to exit his sleeping quarters. His clothing is nothing special. It looks exactly like what the other citizens in The Dome wear regularly. The pants and top are a murky gray color and Jongin hates them. That's why he calls them murky. Because he knows murky is a bad descriptive word and those clothes are bad. He also knows that people in The Origin used to wear lots of different colors and patterns on their clothing and that's why he hates the clothing given to him in The Dome. He'd try to have it changed to a bright color like yellow or blue, but Jongin knows if he does that, the Counsel will think he is filing a complaint against the rules imposed by the Government and anyone who files a complaint against the rules imposed by the Government can end up in a great deal of trouble with the Government. Sometimes if the rule is important enough they disappear from the Dome altogether. That's why he doesn't try to change it and just wears it each day. 
                          
He enters the dining quarters and sits down on the chair he sits on for every meal. His guardians join him at the table next and he greets them with a bow of respect. Asher joins them next and he greets his guardians and his brother with a bow of respect as well. But Jongin can tell that he isn't himself this morning. He's not smiling or opening his mouth. He's just sitting there and eating his meal like he is supposed to do. This worries Jongin because he doesn't like it when his brother is feeling upset. 
                          
"Jongin," one of his guardians says and breaks the silence between the four of them. 
                          
"Yes?" Jongin replies. 
                          
"You must stop by the hospital on your way to the library this morning," he instructs. "We are out of medicine."
                          
"Yes, I will do that," Jongin says. His guardian nods and smiles at him and Jongin nods and smiles back. "I could also take Asher to school if you like."
                          
"That will not be necessary," his other guardian says. "You have to be at the library at nine o'clock. We will not have you late. Asher can walk himself to school." Jongin turns his eye to Asher and sees him sigh at his guardian's words. 
                          
"No, it will not be a problem," Jongin insists. "It is still eight o'clock and I can stop by the hospital and take him to school and still be on time."
                          
"Are you sure?" he says. 
                          
"Yes, I am sure," Jongin says with a nod. "I will not be late."
                          
"Very well," they say after a moment of thought. "But do expect to hear from us if we found out you were late to the library."