June 19, 2009
Annie closed the door behind her and saw the looming shadow of the other raptor trainer, Owen Grady. She looked up and saw a smirk on his lips, making Annie shake her head.
"What do you want raptor boy?"
"Can't I come and see the sexiest dinosaur trainer on the whole island?"
"Are you looking in the mirror again?"
Annie said, cracking a smile making Owen laugh. She walked closer to the other trainer and couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she looked up at him. Him and Barry had lasted longer than Annie had thought, and she was happy about that. Her two fellow trainers had become her closest friends on the whole island. Owen understood Annie in a way people didn't. Ever since they first met they had been able to read each other. Over the past year there had been back and forth flirting with the pair. Nothing serious had ever happened between them, other than harmless drunk kisses in Margaritaville. Training some of the most deadliest creatures this world has never seen with bits of flirting in between was the life of Annie Hammond and Owen Grady.
"I heard we're wanted in paddock nine."
Annie frozen and looked at Owen with a small amount of terror in her eyes.
"Paddock nine?"
"Come on. We don't even know why we're wanted in there. It could be perfectly harmless."
She just nodded at him, not believing his words in the slightest. Nothing in Jurassic World was harmless, this was an island filled with dinosaurs for god sakes. She felt Owen wrap his arm around her and hug her.
"It's going to be fine. Let's go."
Annie shrugged him off and walked out to her truck.
Owen and Annie walked into the viewing point at the paddock. The first person Annie noticed was Vic Hoskins, making her roll her eyes in disgust.
"I knew it smelt like shit in here. And look there's a big hot steaming pile right here."
Owen let out a laugh at Annie and the look on Hoskins face was unamused. Then Annie saw that Masrani, Claire Dearing, Barry, and a few other people she didn't know where there.
"Annie, Owen the two best trainers in the world."
Masrani said to the group of people. Annie wasn't paying attention to the humans in the room, her eyes were looking out into the paddock. She could feel something looking at her from in there, making her feel uneasy.
"Annie."
Owen moved his hand in front of her face, breaking her stare off into the distance. She looked over and saw that was Barry now standing with them.
"You know what they're doing, don't you?"
"No. Why?"
"They-"
"Ms. Hammond, would you come over here please."
Claire asked the other woman. Annie sighed and started to walk towards her and the other group in the room.
"Annie, we we're wondering if you would go in there."
Her face must have turned pale. She followed Masrani's finger to see that he was pointing to the paddock.
"S-sir I don't think I'm the most qualified to do that."
"You're the only one on this island that has come in contact with her and has lived."
"That was when I was 14 years old… I'm not going in there. Who came up with this?"
Then she heard someone walk up behind her. She didn't even need to turn around to now that it was Hoskins. She had what Barry liked to joke about, 'Raptor Sense'. She could always sense when someone was in the room, even if they were dead quiet. Barry and Owen always joked that she'd been around the raptors for too long and started to develop some of their behaviors and habits.
"You're telling us, that best dinosaur trainer in the world is scared to get in the cage with a T-Rex?"
Hoskins said from behind her. His words made her turn on her heels and glare up at the man.
"She's an apex predator, you moron. Anyone in their right mind wouldn't go in there! Her kind and mankind have been separated by millions of years for a reason! These two predators were NEVER supposed to meet!"
All Hoskins did was smile at Annie. He never took anything Annie or any of the other trainers said seriously, all he wanted to hear is what he wanted to hear.
"Then why is there one on the other side of the glass, sweetcheeks?"
She went to say something when he cut her off, continuing his counter argument.
"We've proven we are the supreme apex predator. You go in there and show him who's boss."
Annie's glare didn't break. She took a step closer to Hoskins and got toe to toe with him.
"First of all, I'm not one of your little soldiers and I don't take orders from you. Secondly, it's a female. Thirdly, I'm not going in there."
"What are you scared? And you call yourself the best trainer in the world? You're a pathetic excuse of a trainer."
Everyone in the room waited for how Annie was going to react. Both Owen and Barry took a few steps towards her, just in case she went after Hoskins. All Annie did was look the larger man dead in the eye and called out.
"Open the paddock!"
Owen and Barry looked at her in shock, Hoskins smiled at Annie and turned away from, a few men went over to the control panels, Claire got on the phone, and Masrani smiled and started to talk to the investors. Owen was the first to Annie's said as she made her way over to the paddock door.
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm not."
"Annie, you can't go in there."
"And let everyone think I can't handle myself? Lots has changed since I was 14."
"Annie, listen to me. This is a bad idea."
Barry added in as he caught up with his two co workers. She just shook her head and looked at the large super reinforced door. One of the men came over to her and pinned a small camera on the outside of her shirt and handed her an ear piece. She took it and put it in her ear.
"I'll be fine. Thank you."
She looked over to see one of the workers was standing by, waiting for her to be ready to go. She made eye contact with him and held up her hand, then turned to Owen and Barry.
"I'll be fine. Lots have changed."
"You've told me yourself that you still have nightmares."
Owen said, making Barry look from Annie with eyes filled with worry to him with eyes full of confusion.
"When did she tell you that?"
Owen shrugged his shoulders and looked at Barry.
"She tells me stuff."
"She never told me-"
"I'm going."
Both the other trainers eye's whipped over to her, worry filled again.
"I'll be right here if anything happens, Annie."
She smiled then turned around to look at the door again, calling to the work.
"Open the door. And aw, that's sweet Owen, but I'll be fine."
As the door opened Barry and Owen took a few steps back and watched Annie walk into the largest paddock on the island.
"Your girlfriend will be fine."
"She's not my girlfriend."
Inside the paddock when the door shut Annie took a deep breath. She knew that somewhere in the jungle there was the one thing she was scared of the most. Letting out a whistle she heard it echo. Slowly she started to walk towards the viewing window. As she started to walk she felt it before she heard it. The ground under began to shake, making Annie stop in place. Turning towards the jungle her eyes scned the trees for any sign of the T- Rex. Then she saw a yellow golden eye through the leaves and her body froze.
In a moment all of her nightmares came running back to her. Less than 20 feet away from her stood the very creature that haunted her childhood and that her parents had spent thousands of dollars in trying to make her forget it. All the screams from her and her cousins almost 16 years ago rang clear in her mind as if they just happened.
"There… She's right there."
As the mighty Rex walked out of the tree line and towards Annie she saw backing up to the wall. Then when Annie came to the wall her back rested against the cement and she stopped moving, making the Rex stop for a moment, losing her in her sights. The Rex lowered her head towards Annie and started to sniff the air around her. The raptor trainer couldn't breath. Closing her eyes, she turned her head away from the carnivore and prayed that she won't see her. Annie felt the hot breath from the tyrannosaurus rex on her whole body.
"Annie, get out of there."
She heard Barry's voice through the earpiece. She did everything she could not to shake her head. Through gritted teeth and in a hushed voice she responded.
"I-I… I can't."
"Owen wait!"
Both females heard the door open and the tyrannosaurus was the first to look over, Annie followed the golden eyes to see Owen standing with a flare in his hand.
"Hey you big ugly bitch! Come and get it!"
Then he ran off in the opposite direction from Annie. Than the deafening sound of a T- Rex roar shuck Annie to her core. She watched helpless as the tyrannosaurus chased after Owen and the red light.
"Annie go!"
Trying to move her legs Annie looked down and saw that she couldn't take a step, her legs had become Jello. Barry yelled at her to move again through the earpiece and she shook her head, which only made him yell at her more. Then from the tree line Owen came running out like a bat out of hell without the flare in his hand. He's blue eyes were locked on the unmoving Annie in front of her. Annie just looked down and felt the large footsteps shake her. Then she felt two strong arms pick her up and then her whipped all around her from the air around her as Owen's legs ran to the safety outside of the paddock.
"Shut the door!"
Owen yelled as he ran out of the enclosure with Annie in his arms. The workers listened to him and the sound of the closing door was heard throughout the room. Owen finally stopped moving and looked down at the shaking young woman in his arms.
"Annie. What happened in there?"
"I-I couldn't…"
She was staring off, not really realizing that she was in Owen's arms. She didn't listen to much of what happened after Owen asked her the question. She did hear the sounds of Owen, Barry, and Masrani's voices, none of it she could put together in cocurrent words.
"This is unnecessary."
Annie said she should pushed the doctor away from her and getting off the examining table. She didn't listen to the protests of the doctor and walked out of the room to see Barry and Owen waiting for her. Before they could get a word in she gave them a look that would strike fear into a velociraptor.
"If you need me I'll be with my raptors."
Owen took a step forward and put a hand on her shoulder, only to have it smacked away.
"Annie..."
"What did I say?!"
The booming voice that came from Annie, Owen recognized as she alpha voice. Then when she turned around to look at him she had the same intimidating look of dominance that she had when she was with her dinosaurs. Annie held the look until Owen looked away, then she stormed down the hallway, leaving the two raptor trainers alone.
"Get a hold on your girlfriend, Owen."
"Shut up Barry. She'd never go for me, anyways."
The French man laughed and patted his friend on the back.
"You keep telling yourself that, my friend."
Author's Note:
Here we go, chapter 3. It would have been out sooner but I've been wallowing in self-pity all day because I failed my driver's test... by four points.
Anyways... There'll be more Owen and Annie in the next few chapters, don't worry.
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Also, if you have Vine you should follow me Raptor Trainer. I'm starting to post videos with raptors... hopefully people like them and think they're funny.
Ciao.
XOXO
