Please don't judge this story simply on the first chapter, stick around for one or two more. This was done in sort of a hurry but it's really just a chapter to get out of the way before I can really start writing the story that I want to. Please let me know that you think any feedback is appreciated!
"Aunt Rian! Aunt Rian, can you ask Mr. Alan to bring the velociraptor noisemaker again? Please?" Orion chuckles at the little boy no older than seven talking to her on the phone. She was balancing the device between her shoulder and her ear as she merged lanes onto the expressway on the highway. Her passenger shot her a rather disgruntled look but she ignored it.
"I'm sure Dr. Grant brought all sorts of cool things with him to play with you guys. Now I'm going to hang up because I'm driving, but we'll see you in about twenty minutes okay?"
"Okay Aunt Rian, love you!" She smiled softly at the young boy's enthusiasm for life.
"Love you too, Gray." As she hung up her cell and placed in in the empty cup holder in the car Orion glanced at the older gentleman who happened to be staring back at her.
"Thank you again for coming with me Alan. I really appreciate it and the boys absolutely love it when you tag along. Besides, it's good for them to have a good male figure in their lives besides their father." Alan shrugged in the noncommittal way that Orion had gotten used to over the years.
"Even though they're not technically your family they mean a lot to you." Orion shrugged and it almost looked identical to Alan's; it is a habit she'd picked up over the last three years she's worked with him.
"I have family in short supply so I care about the people close to me a little more than normal." Alan sighed at that statement.
"Your father would be proud of you kid." She winced only slightly. At first Orion couldn't stand to hear about her father, how she had his inquisitive eyes or his thirst for knowledge, but it'd gotten better with time. "Just like I am." That caused her to take her eyes off the road for a moment and shoot her mentor a grin.
"Don't go getting too soft on me Alan, someone's gotta be the rough and tough one here."
"Keep your damn eyes on the road. I survived on an island with rogue dinosaurs twice, but I did not survive to be killed by your reckless driving!" Orion grinned as she readjusted both hands on the steering wheel.
"That's what I'm talking about." She muttered too low for Alan to hear.
When Orion pulled her SUV up outside the Mitchell residence she'd barely gotten out of the car before Gray tackled her into a hug. She grinned bending to grasp the wriggling little boy in her arms and props him on her hip. She also greeted Zach who came out to watch over Gray and when they went inside the house she greeted their parents as well as reintroduced Alan.
Letting the two of them get into one of their little spats they all go outside to play in the sandbox Gray had gotten for his third birthday. Alan hides fake dinosaur bones for the boys to find and then tells them the story behind what creature it belonged to when they manage to unearth one. This activity even managed to capture the attention of Zach, who is starting to get more and more into technology rather than the real world as he entered into his teen years. It's now however that her phone rings and Orion frowns because there is really only two people who call her and one is inside the house the other only a few feet in-front of her.
She looked at the caller ID and saw that the call was coming from Claire Dearing, Gray and Zach's real aunt, and she frowns. Sure at some point in their lives, maybe three to four years ago they were close, but when they got to college and started building futures for themselves it seemed that their plans were very different from each other and they drifted apart. But in the end she knows that Claire will always be like family to her.
"Hello, this is Orion Maddox." She answered, but she wasn't going to pretend like they've spoken at all the past year and a half. Making eye contact with Alan she must have conveyed a sense of urgency with her eyes because he nodded at her and started to interact more with the boys. Orion got up and walked to the deck of the house.
"Ella?" She almost winced when she heard Claire's soft soprano voice coming through the speaker. It's hard to remember the last time she was called by her real first name. "Ella is that you?"
"Hey Claire…" She sounded awkward but she doesn't know how else she is supposed to sound. Why was Claire calling her after practically being radio silent after two years? "What're you calling for? Did Karen tell you I'm over at her place or something? You want to talk to the boys?" As soon as that phrase leaves Orion's lips Claire seemed to panic slightly.
"Oh, oh no, that's…that's quite alright. I'll call them later." Orion knows she won't but just nodded anyways. "I-I actually called to talk to you Ella, about a business venture I'd like to bring you on board for and have you be a part of." Now Claire had really gotten Orion's attention and her brows furrowed.
"What kind of business venture Claire? Last time I knew we had very different interests…" The last update she had received from Karen about her sister was basically the same story she'd known since college. Claire had sold herself to the big corporate, bullshit businesses in New York and hadn't once looked back.
"You're still working with Dr. Grant correct." Orion mumbled an affirmative. "I've gotten brought on to help manage this new development, right up your alley and oh Ella, it's going to be groundbreaking." Orion honestly started to get really curious. "You've heard of Simon Masrani right?" Of course she'd hear of him, he was only like the 8th richest man in the world and his advancement in genetics was also of interest to her. After Orion said that she had, Claire went on to tell her all about his plans for Isla Nublar and what she would want Orion to help them with. By the end of her what sounded like well rehearsed speech Orion had chewed on her bottom lip so much she was surprised there wasn't a hole and she thought she might be sick.
"This is a bad idea Claire. A very, very bad idea." Orion said over the phone lowly as she walked to the door of the house, keeping an eye on Alan and her practically nephews. "You know how things went the last time Hammond tried opening a park."
"It might be." Claire said and the tone of her voice told Orion that she'd had doubts about this as well, but that in the end this was business and a chance to make a name for herself. It might have been a year or two after college but Claire hadn't changed. "So are you in or not?" That was typical Claire as well. Always making sure that she made people feel inferior if they didn't do something that she approved of. Orion was about to say something when she heard Alan excuse himself from playing with the boys and head her direction.
"Claire I'm going to have to call you back, alright?" She doesn't give her time to respond rather clicking the button to end the call and shoving the phone deep as possible in her pocket. Orion jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turning she came face to face with Allan. The look on his face told her that he's not going to leave without knowing what the phone call was all about and she sighed.
"Jurassic Park is about to reopen for business."