One in a Million

by The Lonely Barrel

For Steve Grady, it was a no-brainer when his uncle Owen offered him a job at Jurassic World. His fascination with dinosaurs never died, even as a teenager. This job was one he needed to take on. What he didn't expect was to form a close bond with one of the raptors, Blue. This close bond will become useful, now that he finds himself alone on Isla Nublar with a bunch of carnivores.

1. 5-31-2013 - The Beginning

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May 31st, 2013

2:18 pm

Steve's POV

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"C'mon Steve, they're not gonna hurt ya!" My uncle Owen said, referring to the four baby velociraptors that were crowding him. We were currently inside the raptor paddock of Jurassic World, a dinosaur theme park on Isla Nublar. My parents shipped me off from Chicago to this island for a summer job, one my uncle had managed to get me. I was now considered an 'apprentice' raptor trainer. Today was my first day. I had already been nervous about starting, but being inside the paddock with the raptors left me mortified despite being a full fledged 16-year-old guy.

"A-Are you sure? I don't want a chunk of my arm gone, o-or any fingers missing." I stuttered nervously, standing a few feet behind Owen. He laughed at my paranoia, bending down to be closer to the raptors' level.

"See? They won't hurt me." Owen said. I scoffed, noting the flaw in his statement.

"Of course they won't, they know you by now. T-they might do something to me." I said, watching as the raptors ran around him, making chirping noises and squeaks. Owen had told me each of their names to help me remember: Echo was the one with rust orange skin, Charlie with pale green skin, Delta with forest green skin, and, of course, Blue with grey skin and a distinct blue stripe.

As I stood cowering behind Owen, I saw Blue peer past him and lock eyes with me, her golden eyes filled with curiosity. She immediately strayed from Owen and the other raptors and approached me, causing my heartbeat to skyrocket. When she reached me, she sniffed my shoes curiously, most likely gathering my scent. When Owen noticed this, he chuckled at the sight of Blue being so intrigued by me.

"She must like the blue hair you got going on there. Don't be shy, bend down and say hi." He told me, me exchanging a shifty glance between him and Blue. Maybe Blue saw me as a friend, since I was blue like her? I did have my hair dyed blue, so maybe that was the case. I finally decided that I need to take a chance, so I knelt down and held my hand out to the small raptor.

"Hey there, Blue. I'm a friend...see?" I 'introduced' myself, no longer stuttering but still having a nervous tone in my voice. Blue slowly moved her head close to my hand, sniffing my finger tips curiously. After a moment without a reaction, Blue chirped happily before nuzzling my hand. I stared wide-eyed at this before looking at Owen, laughing with relief.

"Uncle Owen, look." I said to him, Owen looking over at me before his eyes widened as well.

"Whoa...she's never done that to me. She must really like you, Steve." Owen smiled at me, me smiling as well. I looked down at the raptor, who was still nuzzling my hand.

"Hehe, you're a cutie, little Blue. I hope we can be friends." I said gently, finally allowing myself to relax. Blue chirped happily, looking up at me. She seemed to be smiling, but that was just how she always looked. I couldn't help but feel warm inside, knowing that a dinosaur liked me. It was a new experience, and I could tell that this job was going to be full of them.