Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Jurassic World or Jurassic Park.
Two
Three weeks later I found myself stumbling off the ferry, thankful I hadn't vomited on the choppy ride over. At least I could report back to Lauren and Emma that my fear of sea travel was no longer unfounded. The humidity was not quite stifling yet, but I had been warned (mostly by excessive amounts of Internet research) that Costa Rica was approaching one of two high rainy seasons.
I pushed my sunglasses on top of my head and lugged my suitcase, duffle bag, and backpack to where a few people were lined up and waiting for the monorail. Apparently, what March lacked in friendly weather it made up for by keeping the tourists away. I offered a small smile to kid who was excitedly clutching his mom's hand, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. He turned toward me, giving me his full attention. "I wanna see the Stegosaurus!" he proudly proclaimed, holding up a plastic one in his free hand. I gave him an excited thumbs up.
"Is that one your favorite?" I asked as the monorail pulled to a stop in front of us.
The entire ride to the park we talked dinosaur shop. When we finally departed, his parents thanked me over and over for keeping him entertained. "Seriously, he's been going on and on, non-stop, about the park since we told him we were coming."
"Absolutely not a problem. Really. I'm always up for talking about dinos and he's got quite a bit of knowledge."
"Our little paleontologist." She looked down at him and smiled. "Well, thank you again!"
A chubby little hand waved at me and I waved back. "Bye, buddy! Have fun with those stegosauruses!"
As they walked off, I looked around for the person who was supposed to be meeting me. Half of me was nervous while the other, stronger half couldn't wait to be free from the burden of baggage so I could explore. Talking to that little boy had re-ignited the spark of excitement I had been trying so hard to keep under control.
Finally, I saw her, holding a mini board with my name on it. I sighed exasperatedly at the sight of her. Why wasn't her hair a gigantic poofy mess from the humidity? Mine had gone immediately into a ponytail when I'd stepped off of the plane. I wheeled my luggage over to her. She extended her hand, very stiffly. I shook it and she pulled it away almost immediately. Ah. The overly professional type. "Ms. Marsh?"
"You can just call me Rebecca. Zara, right?"
"You're late." She frowned and then checked her phone which had beeped several times in the few seconds we'd been in each other's presence. "I'm going to deliver you to Ms. Dearing's office where she, and Mr. Masrani, are waiting for you. That," she gestured to the duffle bag and suitcase. "I will drop off at your trailer."
Oh boy. "Uh… thank you?"
"Of course." She led me to her Jeep, thumbs flying wildly across her phone screen. I loaded my stuff into the back and then hopped in the passenger side.
As we drove, she pointed out various things along the Main Street. I only partially listened, painfully eager to see something. "And down that stretch of road is the Mosasaurus feeding show. You can see it from the underwater observatory too." I shuddered. Maybe not that eager. I had looked up clips of the show on YouTube and if I thought I had a fear of deep water before… well, the existence of that particular dinosaur did nothing to help it.
The Innovation Center sat at the end of the street and hadn't been that far from the monorail. Zara parked off to one side and I followed close behind her as she led the way to the elevator. I caught sight of a holographic dinosaur in the middle of the room and was glad I didn't have to navigate this place on my own. There were far too many distractions.
The floor we ended up on was a long corridor full of offices, each one labeled with a title only. Zara, distracted once again by her phone's inbox, knocked on a door that opened into an office so pristine and sparsely decorated that I couldn't believe anybody actually worked in it. Behind the desk sat an equally immaculately dressed red head who stood up when we walked in. Another person with perfect hair. I sighed, suddenly feeling under dressed in my khaki shorts and plain dark blue t-shirt. Simon turned around in the seat he had taken in front of the desk and grinned, standing as well.
"Ah! Rebecca, you made it."
Zara slipped out, leaving me to fend for myself. Traitor. I gave a little wave and stepped forward. Claire came from around the desk, heels clicking on the tile. I winced, looking down at my Converse. "Welcome to Jurassic World. I'm Claire Dearing, operations manager." She gave my hand a firm, vigorous shake.
My sister would have loved her.
"It's really nice to meet you."
She stared at me, like she was trying to assess just how much of a hazard I posed. I stared right back then remembered she was not an animal. "Likewise." She offered a smile that clearly meant she did not find me threatening. "If you need anything- really, anything- while you're here, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. We've set you up in a trailer, away from the hotel. It's near a little beach so you should have plenty of quiet to work. If you feel as though you're lacking anything, you can leave a list with Zara and we'll make sure we get it to you. We want to make things here as easy as possible for you." She held out a card. "This will allow you admittance to places we don't allow guests to go. It's not an all-access pass, but I think we've managed to add all of the areas you would need to be in. If something doesn't work, again, let me know."
I shoved the card into my back pocket with an eloquent, "Wow. Thank you, so much."
Simon clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Are you ready to see where you'll be working?"
I swallowed, trying to hide my eagerness. "Yes, please." He laughed and began steering me toward the door. "Thank you again, Claire!" I called over my shoulder. She gave a little wave and sat back behind her desk. As the door shut behind us I watched her put her hands on the desk and visibly exhale.
Simon's Jeep was idling at the front of the building, as if it had been waiting for us the whole time. I let out a low whistle. It was way nicer than Zara's had been. I climbed into the passenger seat and pushed my sunglasses over my eyes. "So, where would you like to go first? Trailer or the Raptor paddock?"
This time, it was my turn to laugh. "Travel lag can kick my butt later. Let's do this." He put his own sunglasses on and tore off in what I assumed was the direction of the paddock. My stomach churned, like thousands of butterflies were fighting to get out of it. I stared at the landscape, it was lush, green, and breathtaking in its own right.
"Ah. Claire may not have mentioned it, but your pass also acts like the wristbands you'll see guests around the park wearing. Should you choose to utilize them, you'll have access to the rides and attractions though I'm sure you'll want to spend more time behind the scenes." He shot a side glance my way. "Does it feel real yet?"
There was a loaded question. "Yes… and no. Give me a week and I'm sure I'll be complaining like everybody else." I paused. "But maybe not. It certainly seems like the novelty of this place hasn't worn off for you."
"Very observant of you."
I shrugged. "It's my job."
"This place… it's like a dream come true. I've worked very hard to make a better version of John Hammond's vision. I like to think I've achieved what I set out to do." He sighed. "Although, on the business end of things there's always room for improvement."
"Pfft. If you say so."
He pulled up to a highly secured area and was immediately waved through. A definite perk of owning the place if ever there were one. When the vehicle finally came to a stop, I moved so quickly that I practically tripped out of it.
A lanky, dark bald man approached. "Mr. Masrani, we weren't expecting you. Not that we ever do. Welcome." His accent was foreign- French from the sound of it.
"Barry, I'd like you to meet Rebecca Marsh. She'll be-" He paused, searching for the right words.
I held my hand out to him which he promptly shook. "Following you around, doing weird science stuff, and taking a lot of notes." They both laughed. Boy, I was killing it today in the people department. Lauren was going to be so proud.
Simon's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, took a look at the screen, and sighed. "Excuse me. I've got to take this."
"I can handle it from here," Barry assured him. Simon flashed him a thumb's up and jogged off in the direction of privacy.
I let out a long exhale while Barry studied me. "Tired yet?"
"Surprisingly, no. I think I'm just so pumped to be here that it's sustaining me all on its own."
He shook his head, smiling. "I was the same way my first day. Come on, I'll show you where your desk is and then we can see the girls."
It was, I realized, the first time I'd spoken to somebody working for the park who hadn't referred to the dinosaurs as assets. I decided I liked Barry.
My desk was in a cramped office setting where two other desks sat. One, which Barry claimed as his own, was piled with papers and photos of people I assumed were his family. The other desk looked like no one worked there although it had a computer and an in-tray. I knew which one mine was, though, because there was a mason jar in the corner with freshly cut daisies in water. Eye for detail, that Simon. I had to hand it to him. "Boy, the Masrani Corporation really spares no expense, do they?"
"No. Ask and you shall receive."
The door to the office burst open and a sweaty, extremely handsome man stepped inside. "Barry, do you know when the hell that new guy is supposed to get here with the pig? They're getting restless."
"Sorry, Owen. I haven't had time to install a GPS on him yet."
I snorted. I really liked Barry.
That brought the attention to me. "Who are you?"
Abrasive. Alright. Two can play that game. I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Rebecca Marsh, animal behaviorist."
He stared at me, hazel eyes locking on to mine. This guy had total Alpha male syndrome; he was rugged, but in a purposely cultivated way. If I'd had to guess he was former military, probably Army or Navy. I didn't shift my gaze in the slightest. Unlike Claire, this was a challenge and I was not about to back down. After a few moments that had to have been awkward for him, Barry cleared his throat. "Owen…"
Owen dropped his gaze first. A muscle in his jaw twitched with annoyance. Ha. "Owen Grady, head Raptor trainer."
"Charmed." I turned to Barry. "So… can I see them?"
