Lex was entranced as she followed the doctor around the labs, until they were in an office. It was sleek and white, like the rest of the complex, but was absolutely private.
"We're glad to see you here, Alexis," Dr. Wu said. "We've been expecting you for quite some time."
"I don't follow," Lex said, raising an eyebrow.
"You will, you will," he said with a pat on the head. "We'll be taking you out to Paddock 7 shortly. They've been moving a new asset out to the Verizon Wireless-sponsored paddock, and I've got to be there soon to make sure that they don't screw it up. But anyway, how are all of you?
A chorus of "fine" erupted all throughout the tiny office.
"Good," Dr. Wu said. "I've heard from Carlisle that many of you have been doing well on school."
"That's mostly Lex," Nessie informed him as she put a hand on Lex's shoulders. "The genius of the family, this one."
Lex felt a little uncomfortable, being the center of this stranger's attention and squirmed a little.
"Really?" He was intrigued. "Any particular areas?"
"Overall, she's the most clever girl at Forks High," Bella bragged. "But she's really good at math and science."
"Yeah, I love Bio," Lex said eagerly, instantly relaxing at the familiar topic. "It all makes sense to me, how animals work and such, and DNA is so fascinating."
"Couldn't agree more, Miss Cullen," Dr. Wu said. "You see, we're looking at a position for you at Jurassic World once you become of age."
"Really?" Lex bounced on the balls on her feet excitedly.
"Yes, Carlisle recommended you, and we're finding that you appear to be just what we're looking for," Dr. Wu said.
"Are you sure it's wise to tell her about the job now?" Carlisle asked.
"Her physicals are just as you said, Carlisle," Wu replied. "We can't wait any longer."
Lex sobered, suddenly uneasy by that comment. "What are you talking about?"
"What do you mean?" Wu asked.
"I get the feeling that you aren't talking about a job offer. Something's wrong," she explains. "While it's perfectly feasible that a dinosaur park would access to employees' physical, since they ought to be good at running from t-rex and the like, saying that you can't wait is a little unnerving. Especially when it involves a sixteen-year-old girl."
Dr. Wu glanced nervously at Carlisle. "You're right, young lady, but I-" he looked down at his watch. "And I've got to get down to the Verizon Wireless Paddock. Ms. Dearing will personally drive you to Paddock 7."
A woman in all white with perfectly trimmed red hair approached the office.
"Are you the Cullens?" She asked. After several nods, she shook Carlisle's hand. "Dr. Cullen, you have been a wonderful resource for the park. We hope that you will continue to donate towards the finances of the park."
"It all depends on this visit," Carlisle said honestly.
Ms. Dearing frowned, but then scanned over the faces of the Cullens. "Which one of you is Alexis Cullen?"
Lex, who was right in front of her, raised her hand slowly.
"Ah, you and Dr. Cullen need to come with me. The rest of you will be directed into the park where they will join you shortly," Ms. Dearing announced.
"Wait a minute!" Charlie called out. "Why do you need her? She's just a girl. Why can't the rest of us come?"
"That's classified, Chief Swan," Ms. Dearing said patiently. "All is fine, I assure you. You'll see her after about a half hour at most. Now if you'll follow Ben to the plaza, that would be appreciated."
Grudgingly, the Cullens and Swans filed out, following the assistant that looked a little traumatized by the beauty of the visitors. Only Lex and Carlisle were left behind.
Ms. Dearing then ushered them into her corporate-sponsored car as it began speeding through the jungle. In the backseat, where Carlisle and Lex were sitting, it was quiet. Lex held her cap in her hands, wondering about where she was going. Carlisle wrung his hands and wondered what he'd gotten himself into by sponsoring InGen when it first popped up on a whim of Alice's years ago.
Finally, the car stopped in front of a heavily-guarded fence with bridges going overhead.
"Charlie! None of that shit!" Lex heard a man's voice shout. As they approached, they saw a sandy-haired man barely dive under the closing gate in time. After saying something to a shaken employee, he got to his feet and walked up to a supervisor.
"That was amazing, Grady," the man said. "Imagine if the military had gotten their hands on that! The war against ISIS would be over in no time!"
The sandy-haired man listened uneasily, but then his eyes locked on Lex.
"What's a kid doing here?" Grady demanded. "Claire, you wanna explain this?"
"It's Dearing, Mr. Grady," Dearing said as she shifted uncomfortably. "This is Dr. Carlisle Cullen, one of the first founders of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World."
"How's he been alive that long?" Grady asked, looking at Carlisle's ageless face.
"My family's known forouthful," Carlisle said dismissively.
"And he's wearing body glitter!" Grady added, frowning. "Still doesn't answer the question of what the kid is doing here!"
Lex folded her arms over her chest defensively. What's going on? It's as if he wasn't expecting us- what's going on?
"She is Dr. Cullen's adoptive granddaughter," Dearing said with a glance at Lex. "And she's the first of Project VH, VH1, to come to the park."
Project VH? Lex frowned.
On the other hand, Grady's eyes bulged. "I thought Project VH was only a rumor! You mean that was actually legit?"
"Yes," Dearing said. "We're initiating the first stage."
"Look at her, Claire, she doesn't even know what you're talking about," Grady pointed out.
"Well, get on with it, and she will!" Dearing snapped.
"Can it go on the record that I think this is a very bad idea?" Grady complained.
The woman rolled her eyes, and he sighed and looked over to Lex.
"Look, I have the feeling you have no idea what's going on, and I think they're going to throw you into this. If things go wrong, run," he ordered.
Lex nodded, and she followed the man as Dearing and Carlisle climbed to the overhead walk. Grady stood in the safe area where he'd fled to earlier. Finally, Lex had a better look at the dinosaurs.
Velociraptors! She realized with a jolt. She turned to look at Grady.
"Is this some kind of human sacrifice thing?" She asked, panicking.
"As long as you follow my directions, no," Grady said with a glare at the overhead. "First, calm down. Like dogs, raptors can smell fear. Second, I want you to walk into the paddock as calmly as you can."
Lex took a deep breath, and as the gate opened, she slowly approached the four raptors inside.
"Hello?" She called.
"Who's the human?" She heard a feminine voice ask.
"Some idiot like the one that fell in," another said.
"Claire, look at them, they're surrounding her," Grady called.
"Please don't hurt me," Lex said. Or at least, that's what she thought she'd said. But what came out sounded like a series of chirps and growls.
"Why not?" One asked.
Lex's eyes widened as she came to a realization. "I'm one of you."
Then she turned and ran, because things had gone horribly wrong. She was part raptor. She then continued to run as fast as she could, past Mr. Grady, past any of the security guards, past the shouts for her to come back as she ran into the jungle.