Sunset Rising

“We are here tonight to toast this young man, Jack Ke

“In two days he will be joined with my most prized possession—my daughter, Leisel. This will mark the first time in the history of the Dome that the Holt and Ke

The crowd clapped, and a cheer went up.

“I won’t lie to you, Jack. It won’t be an easy task for you and my daughter. These are turbulent times. It has been almost three hundred years since the enemy dropped nuclear bombs across our lands. Almost three hundred years since our people were forced into the bio-dome to seek refuge from the fallout of those bombs. And almost three hundred years later, here we all stand.” He paused to look around the room, giving an air of drama to his words. “A testament to our strength and power. Despite our enemy’s best efforts to a

All the guests were clapping again, shouting “President Damien Holt” at the top of their lungs. The bridegroom was no exception. They all seemed a little crazy. Then the president raised his hand, and the crowd immediately fell silent again.

“I know there have been rumours, my friends. Rumours that our food is ru

The president was yelling so loud that it hurt my ears. The bridegroom continued to stand beside his future father-in-law, vigorously nodding his head in agreement. Holt straightened his tie and then smoothed back his hair in what looked like an attempt to regain his composure. He took a few deep breaths.

“These vicious rumours are causing u

The crowd nodded their heads and a few yelled, “Yes!”

“And do we not continue to provide shelter, despite their growing population and despite their growing demands on our food and water supplies? The Dome is capable of providing enough for everyone if we continue to live sustainably. So I say to our neighbours in the Pit that we must all do our part to maintain harmony and balance within the confines of our refuge!” As he spoke, his voice became steadily louder until he was yelling again. The guests shouted their agreement, giving the president their full support. He held up his hand to silence them once more.

“We can continue to grow strong, but it is up to each and every one of us to make that happen. And the marriage of my daughter to this man, Jack Ke

He reached for Jack Ke

It seemed like an eternity before the two men finished patting each other on the back and the president took his seat. Everyone else followed suit. The camera crew packed up and left. Our supervisor ushered us back to the kitchen and ordered us to start taking the food out to the guests.

The girl in front of us turned to look at Summer and me. “Since you’re new, I’ll help you out.” She was the same girl I’d spoken with downstairs. “You’ll be assigned a number when they give you a tray. Go out through those doors and find the table with your number on it. When you serve, you put the plates down gently between the cutlery in front of the person at the table. Usually you serve ladies first, but this is a bachelor party for the groom so there are no ladies here tonight. When everyone at the table is finished eating, clear the plates away. Then you can serve the next course.”

“Thank you,” I said. I had no idea it would be so complicated. “I’m Su

“I’m Wynd,” she said, and gave us a halfhearted smile.

We were each given a tray holding four plates. We had to balance the tray on one hand so the other was free to set plates down. I was afraid I would drop it, but when I focused on just putting one foot in front of the other, I made it to the dining room with no trouble. I’d been assigned table nine. I searched out that table and headed toward it.

There were twelve men sitting there, all oblivious to my arrival. I set the plates down at each place setting just as Wynd had told me. No one complained, so I assumed I was doing it right. I expected them to start eating right away. I would. The food looked and smelled delicious. But they just continued talking among themselves, ignoring both the food and their server. My tray empty, I made my way back to the kitchen for more. My tray was refilled with four more plates, and I returned to table nine. Still no one had eaten. How could they ignore all that food? It was taking every bit of my will power not to eat it myself. I delivered the plates and went back for more. When I’d served all the plates, the men finally began to eat. I joined the other servers standing at the back of the room as we waited for our tables to finish.

While I was waiting, Wynd told Summer and me that the bourge ate their meals in courses. Tonight the first course was salad, the second soup, the third a plate of meat and vegetables, and the fourth—and final—dessert. It was going to be a very long night.

With each course I served, it became harder and harder to ignore the smells wafting up from the food. I was practically drooling. I was certain that the sound of my stomach growling was loud enough to be heard over the din of conversation and music. But on and on they ate. I delivered a full plate and took it away only half empty. Finally I served the last course—dessert. It looked scrumptious.

“Listen up girls!” our supervisor called out. “After you finish cleaning off your assigned table, wait by those doors for further instructions.” She pointed to the doors we’d come in through earlier. “Once you’ve been given something more appropriate to wear for the evening, you’ll be brought back to the dining room. Under no circumstances should you approach any of the men. If someone wants your company, he’ll let you know.”