Here's chapter 2! Upcoming chapters will be longer, I promise. I will update every Sunday, usually a lot earlier than I did today. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
The drive to the raptor paddock wasn't necessarily a long one, but it wasn't close either. Zara texted her every five minutes to remind her that Mr. Masrani wished to speak with her as soon as she was done.
Normally, Claire's work would've been her top priority, but after the Indominus Rex incident her priorities had changed quite a bit.
Unwanted thoughts gnawed at her mind as she put her car into park and stepped out in her black high heels and work outfit, but she stubbornly pushed them away.
"Look who decided to drop by!"
Claire froze as she heard a voice she was unfortunately familiar with. The redhead turned to see Hoskins giving her a nasty grin, and she felt her blood run cold.
This wasn't right. No, this couldn't be happening. She could still smell the metallic tint of blood in the air and hear his screams as Delta tore into him.
Ignoring Hoskins, she turned her attention to the only person there she could necessary tolerate. "Barry, where's Mr. Grady?"
Barry observed her curiously. She tried to keep an emotionless look on her face, but she knew that he could see the sheer terror in her eyes. She couldn't thank him enough for not mentioning it.
"He's with the girls."
The park operation manager flashed him a quick, grateful smile before making her way towards the paddock. Her stride faltered when she spotted him. His back was facing her, and he was slowly stroking the side of Blue's muzzle.
Come on, Claire, you can do this. The words were repeated over and over in her head, trying to convince herself that she was not about to make a complete fool of herself. She was about to yell out 'Owen', but giving the evidence she decided upon something seemingly more appropriate.
"Mr. Grady."
When Owen looked up at her, the only emotion apparent in his face was confusion. "What do they want now?"
There aren't words for the pain Claire felt. She never thought she would be the kind of woman that relied on a man for anything, and even though she had stuck by Owen after the Indominus incident, she hadn't really considered what that had meant in the long run. It was just survival…
But now she knew. The way her heart shattered when she gazed into his eyes and saw no sign of familiarity or the horror that was expected after what they had seen, she knew it had been so much more than survival.
She left without another word. Hoskins yelled something after her, but her complete indifference blocked out his words. She simply walked to her car and left. She drove and didn't stop. She didn't think; she didn't pay attention to the constant ringing on her cell phone.
She didn't do anything until she stopped the car five miles away and quickly got out of her car.
Walking as swiftly as she could in heels, she went up to the staff door on the side of the paddock she had driven to and entered. She wasn't sure why the room that was supposed to be filled with trainers was empty, but she certainly wasn't complaining.
The only thing Claire managed to do was lock the door before she collapsed against the glass wall and slid to the ground. Violent sobs racked her body. Her breathing became labored. It wasn't real. None of it was real. It had all been just a dream.
A nightmare. Those were the right words for it. The whole Indominus Rex incident had only been a nightmare. She should've been relieved. Her boss and assistant were alive. Her nephews hadn't been through a trauma that would without a doubt cause PTSD. Owen still had his raptors.
But Claire wasn't relieved at all. She was horrified. Her nephews hadn't seen her in seven years, and she couldn't remember the last time she had talked to her sister. Owen didn't care about her. The only thing he knew about her was that she was a stuck-up control freak that didn't care about any of the dinosaurs in the park and pretty much ruined their first date.
God, she was such an idiot.
After what seemed like forever, Claire ran out of tears to cry, but she still felt horrible. She glanced through the glass, searching the lush forest in the paddock. Nothing was there.
Suddenly, a low growl rang through her ears as her eyes snapped to the dense foliage in the paddock. Huge amber eyes stared back at her.
Most people would've seen their life flash before their eyes, but a ghost of a smile appeared on Claire's lips.
She didn't know what to do at this point. Everything that she believed to be true turned out to be just a dream, and every awful thing she had discovered about herself was still true. She was alone. She was known as heartless. Her world was crashing down around her. So she turned to the one thing that had saved her last time she needed to be saved.
"Hey, Rexy."
So there you have it. Please let me know what you think if you have time! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! I'm looking forward to writing it for you guys. Have a great week
pure-black-wings
