Summary: Ellie Grady has the busiest parents in the world. Her dad is always with his raptors, and they require so much care that he barely has any free time, and her mom being the CEO of the Park barely sleeps at night.
Ellie's getting bored around the park, so she signs up for the new raptor programme but that proves to be a very difficult job than she originally thought it would be.
AN: I'm just going to post the first chapter of this and see what type of feedback I get. If it's good, I'll continue, and if not, I'll just delete it! Enjoy.
Chapter 1: Ellie Grady
For a 15 year old, Ellie considered herself to be fairly smart. She didn't go to school like other teenagers her age, but instead she took online classes. She enjoyed learning; something other children would've given her funny looks for saying. Maybe it was just because there was nothing better to do on this island.
Isla Nublar was extraordinary. Well, that was probably an understatement. Ellie had loved growing up here. The sun, the beach… it was like living in a dream. Then there were the dinosaurs. Tyrannosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Triceratops, the lot. Ellie was amazed at the sheer beauty (and size) of them all. She felt small, obviously, but that just puts things into perspective.
Sure this island was great at first, and she can understand how exciting it would be to come on holiday here, but if you've lived here all your life, you might look at things differently. The moans and groans of animals kept her awake at night, and the hot and humid air made her sweat, constantly. And when it rained (which was rarely) it rained for days on end, and if you took one step outside, you would be soaked instantly.
Ellie had grown bored of the tropical dream island. She needed something better to do.
Her parents were always busy with something or another, and life in her dad's bungalow was far from exciting.
Her mom, Claire, was the CEO of the park. She was always working through piles and piles of paperwork, going to very important business meetings, or visiting the 'assets' as she liked to call them. (Ellie's dad would then snap at her, saying they were living things and then there would be a full blown argument so Ellie usually had to leave the house). Her mom loved her. She knew that, but sometimes Claire had a funny way of showing it. Her mom was very… precise. She was organised and prepared. She liked doing things her way, so she would always be in control. Her dad on the other hand, was the exact opposite.
Owen was more carefree. He was relaxed, and unlike his baby-mommy, he was very composed. They would butt heads all the time when Claire came round to see Ellie. It wasn't very often, of course, but when she did, it would be a battle for dominance.
Today was one of those days when Ellie would go visit her dad at the raptor paddock. She loved watching her dad's relationship with the raptors. It was very unique.
She finally reached the paddock after about half an hour of walking, and climbed up to the catwalk, greeting people as she went.
Her dad noticed her, and grinned. Sweat covered his brow, glistening in the hot sun, but he didn't seem to care much.
"Hey Princess." He called. Ellie hated the nickname, but her dad would just tease her more if she said anything, she kept her mouth shut.
"Hey dad." She licked her dry lips and pulled out her water bottle, taking a long drink and then wiping the corners of her mouth where water had dribbled down the side.
She leaned over the edge of the catwalk, careful not to go too far, and whistled at the raptors.
They came bounding out of the forestry, and skidded to a halt, sending mud flying over the paddock. Their heads tilted upwards, and the chirped at her as if to say hello.
"Hey girls." Ellie cooed. Blue barked, and kicked her foot behind her, not threateningly, just a little agitated at something.
"You want a treat?" Ellie asked. The raptors cocked their heads, and purred. Ellie smiled before reaching into the bucket of mice, and pulling out for.
"Charlie," She threw the mouse right into Charlie's waiting jaws. The dinosaur snapped it up, and it disappeared between her sharp teeth.
"Echo, Delta," She called. They both gave a tiny mewl and Ellie chucked the mice again. They caught it easily, springing through the air to snatch it up.
"And Blue. This one's for you, baby girl." Ellie said to the final raptor who had waited patiently while her sisters had been fed. She clicked, as if to say she was ready to catch it. Ellie threw it to her, and she ate it in one bite.
Owen then took over, signalling for their eyes to raise, before telling them they could go. He wrung his hands together as he watched them run off before turning to his daughter.
"Well done. You really had their attention." Owen commented, slinging an arm around her shoulders.
"That's because I had food in my hands Dad." Ellie rolled her eyes at her father's praise. "Of course they're going to respond if I'm holding mice."
"No no, I really think they understood you."
"They're animals. They may understand the tone of my voice, but not what I'm actually saying."
"Blue understands me." Owen said, and it was true. Owen and Blue had a special connection. One that you only saw in movies. The man and the velociraptor.
Barry came up to them, and congratulated them, well mostly Owen, on the trial run today. He and Owen started to talk about Charlie's sudden attitude towards the raptors when they heard a loud laugh and a man calling Owen's name.
"Owen." He laughed. It sounded forced, but Ellie let it slide.
Owen sent Barry a side glance, and Barry just smiled apologetically.
"Hoskins." Owen muttered, sounding tired and slightly annoyed.
"Very well done. To the both of you." Hoskins grinned. He then turned to Ellie. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Vic Hoskins."
"I'm Ellie Grady." Ellie replied, shaking his outstretched hand. She smiled politely, but it was really just to cover up the grimace.
"What a lovely name. I didn't know you had a daughter, Owen." Hoskins sounding genuinely surprised.
"Well I do."
Hoskins looked like he wanted to know more, but he pursed his lips and kept quiet.
"Well, I'm not just here to catch up." His tone changed from the fake happiness, to a little bit dark and menacing.
"I figured." Owen started to walk down the catwalk, pushing Ellie in front of him. "What are you here for?"
"I want the updates on the raptors behaviour by tomorrow."
Owen stopped and twisted, a look of disbelief on his face. "That's impossible."
"That's too bad. I need them for InGen tomorrow, no exceptions." Hoskins ordered. He gave Owen one last stare, before turning to Ellie. "Nice meeting you."
"He doesn't seem too bad…" Ellie tried to sound open-minded.
Owen gave her an amused stare, and walked down the stairs to meet Barry who was waiting for them.
"What did he want?" Barry questioned. Owen sighed, and covered his eyes with his hand to block out the brightness of the sun.
"The usual. Raptor reports." Owen explained.
"That guy needs to lay off a bit. He cannot just expect all the work to be done for him and never do anything for himself. That's not how life works." Barry remarked, glaring after the InGen employee.
"He's never gonna learn." Owen answered, watching as Hoskins sped off in his car. Owen picked up his backpack and slung it across his shoulders then bid Barry goodbye before walking away towards his motorcycle.
"You're kidding, right?" Ellie complained looking at the run down piece of junk. She would never repeat that aloud in front of her dad though, because he would then launch into a rant about how long he had had it and whatnot, which she really didn't need to hear for the billionth time.
"Nope. Hop on, or walk. Your mom's coming over for tea tonight. She's bringing pizza, which I know you love so come on, Princess." Owen beamed.
Groaning, Ellie pulled herself onto the bike, clinging onto her dad's waist as if her life depended on it (which it probably did because she wasn't 100% her dad had passed his driving test for this thing).
She yelped when Owen started the bike, and clutched onto him tighter when he drove off, waving goodbye to Barry.
Ellie put three placemats down on the porch table, and then gave each set a knife and fork. It was pizza, but her mom was weird and didn't like to get tomato sauce on her hands for fear of it staining her work clothes.
"Ellie, would you put glasses out as well?" Her dad called from the kitchen where he was throwing together a salad.
"Sure." She responded. She took three glasses from the cupboard I the kitchen and then put them outside. It was too nice to sit inside. On a day like this, Ellie wanted to soak up the sun as much as possible.
The sound of tyres rolling up alerted Ellie that her mom had arrived, and she called to her dad who came out of the bungalow with a bowl full of lettuce and onions.
Claire stepped out the jeep in her high heels (Ellie dreaded the day where she would be made to wear them. She really didn't know how her mom spent her whole adulthood without wearing a pair of trainers), her hair up in a messy bun. She wore a checked shirt and some tight-fitted jeans, and it almost looked normal if you forgot the heels. She had the pizza boxes tucked under one arm.
"Ellie!" He mom exclaimed. Ellie smiled and moved forward to hug her mom.
Claire laughed. "It's been a while."
That was true. They had missed dinner last week because Claire had a very important meeting about introducing a new dinosaur to the Park, and they simply hadn't had the time to meet up since then, so it had been about 2 weeks which was a long time to go without seeing your mom.
Claire then looked up at Owen, giving him a tight-lipped smile. He smirked at her, and stood with his hand leaning against the post on their porch.
Claire blinked, and looked around. "We're eating outside?"
"Yup. It's too hot to eat inside."
"Okay." Claire nodded understandingly and stepped up onto the decking.
Ellie took a seat in between her parents and watched as her mom set the pizzas down. They smelled delicious and Ellie couldn't wait to tuck in.
"Pepperoni and a vegetarian," Claire announced. Owen liked the pepperoni, and it would most likely be gone in 10 minutes, so Ellie was quick to snag a piece, but she usually had vegetarian with Claire.
"So, how's school?" Claire asked as they enjoyed their meal.
Ellie poured herself some lemonade and shrugged, taking a huge gulp. "It's okay. I'm in the middle of a history course. It's fascinating. I'm learning about the Second World War and it's very interesting. I haven't got very far yet but I'm enjoying it."
"That's good. Anything else?"
"Uh… Not really… I have to read Pride and Prejudice for my English class, and then have a mini exam on it…"
"I haven't read that book. Are you enjoying it?" Claire wondered.
"It's okay. Not what I usually read, but I'm happy with anything."
Owen chuckled and grabbed another slice of pizza. "So what about you Claire. What's happening in the top end of Jurassic World?"
Claire sent him a small glare but composed herself real quick. "It's going well. Attendance figures have increased over the past month, guests are enjoying themselves, but we have had a few triceratops roam out of their area this week. Nothing ACU can't handle though."
"Good, good," Owen hummed.
They sat outside chatting amongst themselves until the sky darkened, and the sun disappeared over the horizon. Ellie tried to ignore the way her parents were treating each other, and instead, focused on the fact they were all together.
Claire helped wash the dishes, and clear the table, but she couldn't stay long because she had a meeting at 7 tomorrow and needed to be up early.
"I'll see you soon. I'll try and make some free time to stop by on the weekend, so I'll text your dad to let him know the details." Claire said to Ellie, glancing at Owen when she mentioned his name.
"Okay. Have a good day at work tomorrow." Ellie hugged her mom.
"Bye," Claire waved. "I love you."
"Love you too mom."
Claire then walked up to Owen, kissing him on the cheek. He pulled her into a half hug, and for a moment, it was almost like they were friends, but then they pulled away.
"See you later," Claire said to him.
She then turned on her ridiculously high heels and marched to her car.
Ellie and her dad waved her off, before Ellie declared she was tired and wanted to go to bed. He dad then kissed her forehead, and said goodnight.
"Night dad."
Maybe tomorrow would be a lot more interesting than today.