Claire tipped her head back, letting the water spill down her face. Engulfed in steam, she took a deep breath through her nose. Owen would be home soon. He would want to take a shower and would probably be pissed if there was no hot water left. Grudgingly, Claire squeezed the last suds out of her hair and shut off the water. She stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel. The bathroom was steamy and warm. Claire dried herself quickly before she got cold. She put on undergarments and soft cotton shirt. Then she paused to look in the mirror. On the side of her thigh was a white scar. It was an inch long and eighth-of-an-inch deep. Claire vividly remembered the Indoraptor digging its claw into her leg. She shivered. It was over. The Indoraptror was dead. She pulled on her pants and left the bathroom.
Coming directly out of the bathroom was the main room. Half of it was a kitchenette, the other half a living room with a couch and tv. To the left was the guest bedroom which was also storage, as it was barely ever in use. To the right was Claire and Owen's bedroom which also had a bathroom (but no shower). Above the left half of the main room was the loft, where Maisie slept. There were two windows on the front of the house, one on each of the two sides. The back was completely private.
"Hello?'' The front door opened. Owen walked in. He dumped his knapsack on the couch.
"Hey, big guy.'' Claire wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Hey, hottie.'' He kissed her head. "Your hair's wet. Did you use up all the hot water again?''
"No,'' said Claire, "I made sure I got out in time. I'm considerate, remember?''
"Mm. Your hair smells good.''
"Thanks.'' Claire rolled her eyes.
Owen went over to the refrigerator and started sifting through its contents. "Do we have any pizza left? I was thinking we could reheat it for dinner or something. Ah, here it is.'' He dumped the cold slices onto a plate and shoved it into the microwave. "How long do I put it in? You think thirty seconds would be enough?''
Claire rolled her eyes again. "No, Owen. At least three minutes.''
"'Kay.'' He pushed the 30 second button six times.
They stood in silence for a while. The only noise was the hum of the microwave.
"You know, you could have just pushed the three button,'' said Claire finally.
"Whoops.''
Claire smiled in spite of herself. She put an arm around his waist. Owen was a dinosaur exorcist. He was paid to guard parties, weddings, funerals. Two years ago, when the dinosaurs were first released into the wild, they had crashed countless festivities. The government finally hired retired/off-duty marines, soldiers, and navy officers to guard the events and protect the participants. Owen had immediately applied. He was immediately excepted because of his background in the navy and personal experience with the dinosaurs. It was a good job, paying well, and relatively safe as the dinos got the general idea and stopped showing up after awhile. Despite all this, Owen had limited knowledge of kitchen appliances. Claire found this tremendously amusing.
"Where's Maisie at?'' Owen asked.
"She's in the loft. I'll call her. Maisie! It's time for dinner! Please come down, sweetie!"
Several moments passed before the couple heard Maisie's footsteps on the ladder. Claire smiled fondly at her. Right after they signed their marriage papers, Claire and Owen signed Maisie's adoption papers. It was strange, Claire thought, to be married less than two years and have a twelve-year-old daughter. But although it was strange, they wouldn't have it any other way. Claire and Owen loved Maisie very much and she felt safe with them. And since Maisie was a clone she had never had parents in the first place. So it seemed only right she come live with them, in a the comfortable cabin Owen had built in a secluded forest in California.
"Hey, Maisie.'' Owen tugged her braid affectionately. "What were you doin' up there?''
Maisie smiled and snatched her hair away from him. "Drawing.''
"What were you drawing?" Claire asked as she took the pizza out of the refrigerator.
"Dinosaurs.''
Claire and Owen exchanged a surprised look. Maisie had used to love dinosaurs, but after the incident at Lockwood Manor she had shied away. Now she was drawing them?
"Really? What kind of dinosaurs?'' Owen asked casually.
Maisie bit into a slice of pizza. "Raptors.''
Owen sucked in his breath. When Jurassic World first opened he had trained four velociraptors: Blue, Delta, Charlie, and Echo. Five years later, there was only one raptor left. Blue, the alpha, beta, and Owen's favorite. She wasn't just his favorite; they had an understanding. He hadn't seen her for two years. She was still out there—there were numerous reports of her preying on livestock and, occasionally, people. But Blue seemed to have dropped off the radar. No one had heard or seen her for months. Claire knew Owen still had hope she was alive. She also knew Owen felt guilty for hoping. The world would be better off without a velociraptor.
They ate the rest of their dinner in silence. Maisie was the first to get up and take her plate to the sink. She headed for the front door.
"Where do you think you're going?''
"Outside. Into the forest.''
"Hm.'' Claire didn't like Maisie going into the forest surrounding the cabin. The only dinosaurs they ever saw were the occasional herbivore. Still, Claire worried. There could be carnivores. Probably not. But Claire didn't want to take any chances.
"I'll stay close, I promise.''
Claire turned to Owen. He still seemed a bit shaken from Maisie's comment, but he nodded. "She'll be fine, Claire.''
"Alright. Be careful.''
Maisie grinned. "Thanks, Claire.''
She pulled on her combat boots and hurried out.
Whenever Maisie directly addressed her parents it was always "Claire" and "Owen". It didn't seem to bother Owen, but Claire wished their daughter would call them "Mom" and "Dad".
"Do you think she's still out there?''
"Maisie?'' Claire asked, distracted. "She just left, hon.''
"No.'' Owen was quiet. "Blue.''
"Ah.'' Claire did not know what to say to make him feel better. Did she, Claire Grady, believe Blue was alive? Yes. "Yes.''
Her husband lifted his gaze. "Really?''
"If I wasn't certain I wouldn't have said anything,'' she told him.
Owen smiled sadly. "I miss her.''
"I know,'' Claire whispered.
"Stupid pet.''
Claire leaned over and kissed him. "I love you.''
"I love you too.''
''Now,'' he got up and stretched. "I'm going to go take that warm shower.''