Before the Dome came down, before she came to Chester's Mill, Norrie was angry at the world and at society for putting her in a box with a label she didn't like and that didn't fit her: the lesbians' daughter. She was more than her mothers' daughter, she was her, Norrie. Not some product of a controversial partnership between two people who ignored social norms and lived their lives the way the want to. She was more than the daughter of the nation's future, more than the boundaries that have been drawn around her by people who have no idea who she is or what she needs.

When her parents told her that they were sending her to a military boot camp for girls with behavioral problems, she felt her stomach drop and her anger rise. They were joining that large group of people who didn't, or just wouldn't, understand her. She thought they would be the last people on Earth who would stop believing in her, who would stop trying to figure her out. But they had given up on her and were shipping her out like she was some late birthday present they forgot to give an aunt or uncle or second cousin. The whole thing made Norrie feel more irrelevant and replaceable than ever before.

Then the Dome came down, and Norrie was thrust into the life of Joe, the small town farm boy with the adorable awkwardness. He was soft and vulnerable while she was fiery and guarded; they were total opposites, but Joe looked at Norrie in a way that made her feel a little bit more innocent. It was a refreshing change, to feel like she wasn't a hard criminal in the making. She would never admit it, but Joe made butterflies swarm her stomach; he made her feel like she was on a rollercoaster, a really fun and exciting one at that.

Then the seizures started and she had a reason to hang around Joe. What had begun as a way to be with the guy she kinda, sorta liked, turned into a terrifying problem. Because of the seizures, every time she saw Joe, an unrealistic sliver of fear would coil around the butterflies in her stomach, pulling them down to the bottom of her stomach. But she put on a tough front and forced herself to deal with her demons, to deal with the problems the Dome brought to the surface. It was the only thing she knew how to do, the only thing she'd ever done.

Somehow, they became a couple, a strong one. They were connected because of the Dome, and stayed together because of their feelings. Being with someone like Joe was insanely different than her past relationships. All of her other boyfriends were boys with tattoos and scruff and were too old for her. They liked her alpha female attitude and her ability to throw back shots like a pro. Joe was soft spoken and incredibly nerdy, but cared for her. The whole thing was scary and exciting and new.

Norrie knew that Joe could maybe be The One because of one important thing: all it took for her fear to vanish was one endearing look from him.

(Maybe she could deal with this whole impending death thing after all.)