Dialectics are interesting because they can be applied to almost any situation with some degree of analytical honesty on either side of the argument. In many cases, more than one thing can be correct at once, and that speaks to the nuance we so often forget when approaching serious issues. That's not to say that truth lies exactly in the middle. More often than not, the best course of action must be chosen on a case to case basis. There are no acts that can universally be called the right choice, because life is complicated, and people are too.
Kayla, Age 9
The bird's eyes were closed, and it was breathing softly. It had fallen asleep in Kayla's hands. She ran her thumb over the wing, feeling the down-covered chest pressing against her palm with each inhale.
"It's okay. You're safe with me."
The bird looked at her, eyes gleaming. She held it against her shoulder, smiling warmly.
"I'll take care of you, I promise."
She jumped as a high-pitched shriek cut through the air. Her mother ran across the yard.
"Kayla, put that thing down! You'll get mange!"
"But Mama-"
"KAYLA!"
She placed the bird back in the bush where she'd found it, but kept her hands on the branches.
"He's just a baby, Mama. He can't fly."
"It's probably covered in disease. Wash your hands."
"But-"
"Wash. Your. Hands."
She huffed and ran inside. When she got to the bathroom, she furiously scrubbed her hands, then ran right back outside. Her mother had already placed the bird in a shoebox.
"I'm sending this thing to an animal rehab clinic."
"No!"
Her mother frowned.
"Kayla, you can't take in wild animals. Especially sick ones."
"He's not sick!"
"Then why did you pick him up?! Is he hurt or not?"
Kayla crossed her arms and looked away. Her mother leaned closer.
"Well?"
She looked down, kicking the grass bitterly.
"He was flapping around. I thought that he needed help."
Her mother's face softened.
"Baby Girl, he was just learning to fly. You got in his way. I know that you want to help, but birds know what to do. You just gotta leave them be."
Kayla's face fell.
"But what if I can help him?"
Her mother knelt down.
"It's wonderful that you wanna help others, but some people don't need it. And sometimes, even when they need it, they'll turn you away. You gotta learn to let go."
"But-"
"Let go, Kayla."
She sighed.
"Can I at least say goodbye?"
"Sure, but don't touch it."
Her mother walked away. As soon as she was gone, Kayla pet the bird on the head.
"Hey, don't forget me, okay? I'll bring you lots of food if you visit."
The bird looked away, anxious to get flying. Kayla held him down as he started hopping through the branches.
"Wait! This is important! I need you to be my fr-"
The bird flew away. Kayla watched him leave, then sunk a bit.
"See you later."
She wanted to be hopeful, but she knew that he was never coming back. Still, she walked over to the birdbath to see if he'd land. When he disappeared over the trees, she slapped the water with frustration. She felt raindrops on her arm, then looked up at the cloudy sky and felt her vision blur with tears. She sniffled, gazing down into the water.
As she stared at her rippling reflection, she wondered what it was about her that made everyone leave.
Soyona, Age 7
The constant yanking on her hair made Soyona's eyes water. She squealed as Gertrude pulled her skull back, but was ignored.
"You'll never have a proper family if you look this ratty. You need to learn to take better care of yourself."
"You're hurting me!"
Gertrude sighed and let her go. She stumbled away.
"Go on, then. See if anyone wants you like this."
Soyona looked down. Gertrude pointed.
"And don't forget to smile."
Soyona winced, then jumped a little as her wrist was grabbed by a volunteer whom she hadn't yet learned the name of. When they reached the lower floor, her grip loosened, and by the time they were in sight of the guests, it appeared as though the gesture was nothing more than a gentle hand-hold.
Soyona approached a friendly-looking couple. She forced a smile.
"Hello."
They turned at the sound of her voice, but when they actually saw her, their smiles disappeared. Soyona wiped her cheek.
"I was just playing outside. I'm not always this dirty."
She took a step forward, and they stepped back in turn. Recognizing a hopeless situation, she moved on to another couple consisting of two women. They seemed more open to her.
"Hello. I'm Soyona."
One of the women crouched down.
"Hey, Soyona. How are you today?"
Before she could answer, the other woman whispered to the first. Soyona couldn't hear what was said, but she assumed that they had been warned about her. She tried to maintain her smile, but it was clear that things weren't going well.
"If you're worried about the cat incident-"
They were already leaving. Soyona sighed and looked around. This was going about as well as every other time. When no one was looking, she snuck upstairs and ran to the bathroom. She splashed water on her face and desperately tried to look presentable.
As she leaned forward to study her reflection, she decided not to pick any more fights on visiting days.
Blood didn't wash out easily.
Ramsay, Age 8
"Can I at least redo the test?"
"No."
"I didn't realize that it was a closed book quiz!" Ramsay protested.
"Too bad, so sad. Try studying next time."
He really didn't like this teacher. And she was about to find out.
"You're just mad because your husband got caught sleeping with the vice principal! Everyone knows it!"
Well, that did it. He was sent to the time-out corner. He stared at his warped reflection on a coat hook.
He definitely wasn't getting a redo now.
Rainn, Age 5
As the sun set that day, Rainn rotated a tennis ball delicately between his fingers. It was stained red. He prodded at the splatter with a lump in his throat. Tears were stinging at his eyes, but he held them back.
He flinched as he heard the door slam shut downstairs. Hiding the ball under his bed, he sat up straight as his father nearly ripped the door off its hinges. Rainn shrunk into his sheets.
"Well, I hope you're happy. The dump wouldn't take it, so I had to drive out to the country and leave it in the ditch. I almost got spotted by the cops. I should'a let them take me. Maybe if I went to jail and let you rot, you'd learn your lesson."
Rainn sniffled. His father lifted his hand to point, making him flinch.
"Stop that. It's your own fault. Grow up and take some responsibility."
Rainn wiped his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"I'm not getting you a new one, no matter how hard you cry."
"I don't want a new dog. I want Rooster back."
"Then go drag him out of the ditch, you ungrateful little-"
His eyes fell on a glass box with a large crack in the side that was sitting near Rainn's bed.
"What the hell is that?"
Rainn gulped.
"An aquarium. I found it in the alley. I thought that I could catch a snake and-"
"Again with the snakes. Will you ever let that go?"
"I saw one! I did!"
"There ain't never been a snake in this house."
"But if I find one, I can keep it in the box, and it'll eat the rats in the garage."
"That'd make it more useful than you, at least."
Rainn didn't answer. His father grabbed him by the wrist.
"I drove all that way. You gonna thank me, or what?"
"Thank you," Rainn whimpered.
His father flung him back on the bed.
"That's better. And no more snake-talk. You imagined that snake. It's not real."
Rainn looked down at the floor. His father's lip curled.
"You're worse than your mother, you know that? She was always making shit up."
Rainn's eyes lit up, just a little.
"Did she like snakes too?"
"How should I know?"
"Can you tell me more about her?"
His father leaned in close.
"You wanna know about your mother? She walked out the door as soon as she got the chance. Do you know what that makes her?"
"I don't know."
"Smarter than me."
Rainn looked down, sniffling. After a pause, his father seemed to get tired of the silence. Rainn didn't dodge his backhand in time, but it wasn't the worst he'd received. Still, he couldn't hold back the tears. His father grabbed him by the hair and pushed his face into the bars on his bed frame.
"You'll be out of here the second you turn eighteen, mark my words. And then you can kill all the dogs you want. Piece of shit."
He let him go, then smacked him once more. Rainn's face crumpled up, and he hugged his knees. His dad marched away and slammed the door shut. When he was far enough, Rainn stopped holding back and let his crying become audible. When he remembered that Rooster wouldn't come to sit with him, he cried even harder.
After a half hour of shaking on his bed, he realized that his father was stumbling down the hall. Luckily, he didn't come into his room this time. When Rainn heard the muffled sound of a creaking mattress, he snuck downstairs and grabbed an empty blue bottle from the floor. He quickly ran up to his room, then preemptively shoved some tissues into the hole in his window.
Shivering, he turned on his lamp and pulled out a piece of paper. With great care, he drew the outline of a snake, then filled in every detail he could remember. He opened his top drawer, then compared it to his other drawings. It looked about the same, just more refined. He breathed a sigh of relief, then pulled out another piece of paper and began to write.
Dear Mom,
It's Rainn. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm still here. I promise that I'll be good if you come back. I don't know why you left me, but whatever I did wrong, I won't do it again. Please come back. I love you.
He signed his name, wiping his eyes so that the tears wouldn't drip onto the page. Then, he rolled the paper and corked the bottle with the note inside.
Quiet as a mouse, he snuck downstairs and out the front door, grabbing a flashlight. He ran down the road until he came to a small creek, then dropped the bottle in the water. He watched as it drifted into a pipe. When it disappeared, he turned away, but froze when he heard a clink.
Suddenly alert, he stumbled into the river and shone his flashlight into the darkness. When the beam refracted off hundreds of bottles, his lip began to quiver. Head held low, he limped back home. The moonlight illuminated a small puddle at his feet along the way.
Seeing his red eyes, he kicked it with frustration.
Kayla, Age 19
Anita wasn't happy with Kayla. That much, she knew. She was still smiling, but it was a bad news kind of smile. And she had brought her to the university's most secluded bathroom during lunch, which wasn't a good sign.
"Hey, I know that you had a hard time coming out, but I think we gotta talk about what's happening here."
Kayla tensed up.
"Yeah?"
"You're experimenting. That's great. But it kind of feels like I'm collateral."
"What do you mean?" Kayla asked.
"Well, did you date me because you actually like me, or is this just to prove to your parents that you're into girls? Cuz it kinda feels like-"
"Please don't leave me."
"Kayla-"
"If I haven't been good enough for you-"
She held up her hands.
"You're fine. But I don't think that you really want this. Do you like me specifically, or is this more about proving your parents wrong?"
Kayla sighed.
"Anita, I like you-"
"But you don't like me like that. It's okay. I get it. And by the way, you're still bisexual. It's not about who you're with. It's about who you are."
Kayla was crying. Anita smiled warmly.
"Hey, you'll find someone special someday. Or maybe not, and you'll kick ass just by being you. Either way, I'm proud of you for coming this far."
Despite everything, when Kayla looked into the mirror, she didn't feel sad.
She felt whole.
Soyona, Age 17
It was dark, but that wasn't a problem. Soyona had a useful habit of closing her eyes under every streetlamp to keep her night vision fresh, in case she ever needed to make a break for it. She approached a couple who looked lost. They spoke to her in German, then gestured.
"Bar? Bar."
She smiled and leaned in close to give directions. The older of the two grinned as she whispered in his ear. She patted his back, rounded a corner, then counted the money in his wallet.
She found a family photo and stopped. She looked over her shoulder, and was about to turn around, but someone caught her by the hair. She screamed, feeling him yank. The pain shot through half of her scalp.
"You got no business being here."
She was still struggling, but she barely felt it through the fear.
"Maybe you didn't hear me. I'm gonna-"
She reached back and grabbed a knife that she had cleverly concealed, slicing off the restrained hair in one quick motion. Then, she slashed at him, opting for a series of long and shallow wounds rather than one deadly blow. She was too overwhelmed to aim properly, but her method got results. The man fell forward, and she was almost certain that he wouldn't survive without medical attention. She spat on him and left him bleeding.
When she finally crawled through her window, she was startled by the sound of footsteps. The lights flicked on, and Soyona glared at the woman in the doorway.
"I told you to knock."
The woman covered her mouth. She was joined by a man, who froze at the sight of blood. The woman stepped forward.
"You are to leave our house this instant."
"Oh, so it's yours now? I thought that we were a 'family'!" she cooed maliciously.
"You ungrateful-"
"I should be grateful that you're dumping me out on the streets?"
"You should be grateful that we're not sending you to jail."
"I'd kill you both before I let that happen."
She smiled, seeing the fear in their eyes.
"Go on. Let me pack."
They shut the door. She locked it, then started gathering her things. When she saw herself in the mirror, she stood up straight and pushed her hair back.
She was stained red, but despite everything, she looked good.
Ramsay, Age 18
It was his first time being slapped. He didn't enjoy it, obviously. His friend laughed.
"Wow, I take it she said no?"
Ramsay faked a laugh.
"Ha-ha. Very funny."
"What did you even SAY?"
"I was honest, that's all."
"You know, there's such a thing as over-communicating. Do you keep anything to yourself?"
"One thing."
"What is it?"
"Nice try."
He took a swig of beer and stared at his reflection in the mirror across the bar.
"Next time."
Rainn, Age 15
The truck was refusing to start again. Rainn gritted his teeth as it protested, whirring as though in pain. He smacked the wheel with frustration, then jiggled his key. Finally, the engine roared to life. He pulled out of the parking lot and made his way home.
When he arrived, Rainn jimmied the front door open, then set aside the screen behind it. His father was on the couch, snoring. Rainn glared at him, then kicked the coffee table. Several cans fell to the ground. His father awoke with a snort.
"Oh. It's you. What do you want?"
"I'm leaving."
"You don't need to announce it."
"I'm not coming back."
His father gave a crooked smile.
"This some kind of attention-grab?"
"No, I mean it."
"You're too young to leave."
"I got a fake ID."
"You'll get caught."
"I don't care. They'll never bring me back here, in any case."
His father laughed. It made Rainn sick.
"You'll be back. You can't keep pretending like you're something you're not. You'll fuck it up like you always do, and you'll beg me to take you back."
This wasn't the reaction he'd been hoping for. He hadn't expected his father to be upset that he was leaving, exactly, but a small part of him still wanted it. Even now, at the end, he couldn't muster up one scrap of sympathy for his own son.
"You're a piece of shit," Rainn said quietly.
"Yeah, so are you."
"I know."
"Well, at least you're self-aware."
Rainn turned his head.
"I'm getting a tattoo, by the way."
"So?"
"I was gonna go this morning, but I didn't want you to see, in case you tried to identify me to someone."
He grunted.
"Now, why would I do that? They'd just bring you back here."
Rainn nodded.
"I hope you rot."
His father didn't answer. Rainn turned away and slammed the door behind him. He looked back, but only to remember the moment when he first felt free.
That night, he slept in his truck. Well, he didn't exactly sleep. He shivered in his seat, badly missing his bed. He had prepared for this, but not enough. There was a rough life ahead of him. He looked into the side mirror and saw the etchings of what would become a constant worn look on his face.
At the very least, he swore that he'd never be cold again.
Kayla, Recently
Denise's arm was resting on the edge of the convertible. Her driving hand was barely touching the steering wheel, and it made Kayla nervous. As they sped down the highway, she wondered if they might get into an accident. At least she wouldn't have to have the much-dreaded awkward conversation.
"I think that went well," Denise remarked, "Your parents seem to like me, anyway."
"Yeah."
"What? They seemed okay with us dating."
"Yeah."
"Is something bothering you?"
Kayla shook her head.
"I'm just hungry. Can we stop at the next gas station?"
"If we have to, I guess."
They took the next exit. When they were parked, Denise leaned back in her seat and started texting. Kayla cocked her head.
"You coming?"
Denise handed her the credit card.
"You go."
Kayla rolled her eyes, but froze up when she saw a sheriff's car. She turned back to Denise.
"The cops are here."
"They're probably just getting doughnuts."
"Can you come with me?"
"You're being dramatic."
"Please."
"Fine."
She slammed the door shut as she got out of the car.
"You know, they're not so fond of queer people either, so if you're looking to fly under the radar-"
"I just don't want to be alone, okay?"
Denise sighed.
"Fine. But you owe me one."
Kayla's heart sunk.
"Denise, that's not funny."
"Come on. I do everything for you. Especially recently. I can't be flying across the world every time you have an emotional crisis. It's unfair."
"I told you, I was going through some shit. I didn't want to be alone."
"Which one of us literally owns a plane, Kayla?"
"I can't just fly whenever I want to."
"Neither can I! Look, I was okay with upgrading this relationship when you caught feelings, but I have my limits."
"I'm not trying to push you. You agreed to everything I asked."
"That's not the point. I flew all the way from Italy for you that day, whereas you can't even buy your own candy. And by the way, I wasn't keen to meet your parents, but I did it anyway, because you wanted me to. When have you been there for me, Kayla? Help me out, once in a while."
She looked down at the dirt and gravel, speaking quietly.
"I'm giving you as much as I'm able to give right now."
"Well, if you don't give more in your relationships, no one's going to stay with you."
There was a heavy silence. Kayla looked down. Denise sighed.
"You know I didn't mean it that way. Look, I'm not asking you to go out of your way. Just help me out, every once in a while."
"I don't want to suffocate you. I'm gonna overdo it, then you'll think that I'm clingy."
"You kind of are. You escalated our relationship way too quickly."
"I thought that you were okay with it . . ."
"I was, but it was weird, Kayla. You told me that you loved me after our first-"
She saw someone walking by and lowered her voice.
"Anyway, you do realize how strange that is, right?"
"I said it because it was true."
Denise sighed.
"Listen, I've been hung up on people too. I know that it's tempting to speak your mind, but just dial it down, okay? It's a bit much."
"Okay," Kayla said quietly.
"Okay. Problem solved."
"Yeah."
Denise nodded, then gestured to the gas station.
"Let's go."
When they walked through the door, they saw someone being pinned down on the counter by cops. Kayla immediately backed out and fast-walked to the car.
"Nope."
Denise grabbed her by the wrist.
"Come on, he's just some petty thief, I'll bet."
"That's not the part I'm worried about."
"Look, I'll go inside and ask them what's up. There's nothing to worry about."
She left, and Kayla felt as though she was suffocating in the vast expanse of countryside. Everything was so open and wide, and she was just a tiny speck. She wished that she was in her plane. At least the wideness of the sky felt like an adventure. With both feet on the ground, she was reminded of how restricting the world truly was.
She jumped at the sound of a bell. Denise had opened the doors again.
"It's fine. They're bringing this guy upstate from that French-sounding city South of us. He tried to make a break for it."
"I guess someone's having a worse day than me," Kayla quavered.
"Relax, you're not going to prison."
"Right . . . Um, I gotta talk to you about my career path, speaking of which . . ."
Denise groaned.
"Not this again! Kayla, you are NOT becoming a smuggler-"
"Keep your voice down!"
"Then drop it and come get your snacks!"
Kayla tightened her lips, then followed her in silence. She avoided looking at the cops, who were talking on their radios. The criminal was now handcuffed, but Kayla noticed that one wrist hadn't been secured properly. She frowned curiously, but said nothing.
Denise waved her over to the candy aisle.
"You want candy? They have a ton of Haribo junk."
Kayla reached for a pack of gummy frogs. Denise gagged.
"Come on, get the bears. I don't wanna think about slimy amphibians."
"Right, because bears are so much more hygienic."
"Don't get smart with me."
"I'm not! I'm telling you, you're-"
Kayla noticed the cop eying her. She lowered her voice.
"Forget it. Get the bears."
Denise reached forward, but suddenly, there was a flurry of activity. The criminal had broken free and elbowed the cop in the nose, and the second cop, who had been looking out the window absentmindedly, rushed to stop him. He hopped the aisle, but was soon caught by the waist. As they struggled, Kayla reached forward on impulse and grabbed a bag of gumballs, then tore it open and poured them onto the floor in one quick action. They both fell, and the criminal scrambled away. She stepped back as he ran past her, and he rushed out the door in a blur, grabbing an armful of candy along the way. The cops, still reeling from their injuries, hobbled out the door. As Kayla peered out the window to check where the perp had run off to, she saw their car speeding away. They must have lost him. Denise, meanwhile, was fuming.
"Kayla, you shouldn't have done that."
"You said that I should help others more often."
"How does letting a criminal escape count as helping them?"
"I helped him get away."
Denise glared at her.
"Fuck, I'm so tired of your attitude!"
She stormed out. Kayla followed, then stood outside the doorway firmly, clenching her fists.
"I know that you've been cheating on me, Denise!"
She froze in her tracks, then turned around slowly.
"What?"
"Last week, when you asked me to pass you your phone, the screen lit up and I saw the texts. Did you think that I wouldn't find out?"
Denise huffed.
"If you knew, why didn't you say something sooner?"
"Because we had already planned the dinner with my parents, and I didn't want to be humiliated."
"So you lied to me?!"
"I'm not the liar here, Denise."
She shook her head.
"Fuck, and you had to do this right before a road trip. Real nice."
"It's only a few hours."
"And then we're over, is that the idea?"
Kayla nodded. Denise frowned.
"I'm going to book two rooms at the nearest motel. I can't be around you right now. Unless you're down for one last-"
"No."
"Alright. Then wait in the car."
"Don't tell me what to do," Kayla muttered, though she was already walking.
As she plopped herself down in the passenger's seat, Kayla felt her heart sink. She tried to hold back the tears, but she couldn't help but sniffle a bit. After a pause, the dam broke. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, sobbing noisily.
Out of nowhere, something hit the side of her head. She jumped.
"Oh!"
She looked down and saw a bag of gummy frogs in her lap, then turned just as the lid of a nearby dumpster closed softly. She batted her eyelashes with surprise, then gave a half smile.
"Thank you."
A gloved hand emerged from the dumpster briefly to give her a thumbs up before disappearing again.
Well, the life of a criminal wasn't glamorous, but neither was she. Maybe she'd contact that Santos woman after all. She smiled, then looked in the side mirror and wiped away the makeup streaking down her face as Denise returned.
She suddenly felt a lot better.
Soyona, Recently
"I hope you're up for the task. It's not easy, even for accomplished poachers."
Soyona always made sure to put people in their place, lest they gain too much confidence. The man at the other end of the table nodded.
"It's one little raptor. How hard can it be?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"I'm sending O'Hara with you. After that blunder with the baby Triceratops, I'm not sure that you're capable of handling this alone."
"I have my crew."
She scoffed.
"They're incompetent boobs, all of them."
He shook his head.
"Not Wyatt. He's my right hand man for a reason."
"He hasn't been with you for long."
"Yeah, but he's already my best friend. We share a lot of common interests, and he agrees with me on almost everything. He thinks that I'm hot shit. He's the best."
"You sound ready to marry him."
"I don't think that he's gay . . . And I'm also not gay, to be clear. I'm very not gay."
Her jaw tightened.
"I see."
He leaned back.
"Yeah, I'm single right now for other reasons. But not weird reasons."
He coughed a bit.
"Point is, I trust Wyatt completely."
She narrowed her eyes.
"But I don't trust you. You have poor judgment, and you're easy to manipulate."
He shook his head.
"Naw, if I was being manipulated, I'd know it."
Soyona smiled.
"Aren't you clever. I suppose that I can give you this job, but I'm reluctant. If you get this right, however, it could open a lot of doors for you."
"That's great! I love doors! Really. I'm all about the doors."
She nodded.
"Right, there's just one more thing to discuss. We've been searching for a girl."
"What species?"
"Human."
Rainn laughed.
"Ain't we all . . . Wait, you're serious."
"Yes. She's a clone. You've probably seen her on the news."
She slid a photo to Rainn, who held it with both hands.
"Oh, it's a kid. So I gotta track her down? Then what?"
"Notify O'Hara when you have her. She'll be taken off your hands."
Rainn's eyes went wide.
"Wait, you want me to kidnap her?"
Soyona could tell that he was having second thoughts, so she chose her words carefully.
"She's been living off the grid. We have a few ideas as to who may have taken her. One of them may also lead you to the raptor."
"But the raptor's the main thing, right?"
"If you find the girl, expect five times what you received for the last job."
He added it up in his head, then gave an expression of pure shock.
"You're serious?"
"Always. Are you in or out?"
He thought about it.
"What's gonna happen to the girl?"
"That's none of your business."
He stared at the photo, brow crinkling. Soyona frowned.
"Well?"
He looked up.
"Oh, uh . . . Yeah, I'll do it."
She nodded.
"Good boy. Don't you dare fuck it up."
"I would never-"
He dropped the photo as he reached out to hand it back to her, fumbled, then caught it with his other hand.
". . . fuck up. I would never fuck up."
She snatched the photo.
"I'll have more information in print tomorrow. You'll be told everything that is known about her, as well as her last known whereabouts."
He nodded dutifully.
"I'll be sure to read it over."
She knew that he wouldn't, but she smiled anyway.
"Congratulations. You've just made a very wise decision."
She stood up, smiling at the golden reflection in her ring.
Ramsay, Recently
Ramsay knocked on Dodgson's office door.
"Just a moment."
As he waited, he pulled out his phone and double checked the top news articles on social media. Nothing about the locusts yet, but soon, things were going to escalate. For now, thankfully, it was limited to jokes about giant murder bugs.
If only they knew.
The office door opened, and a woman in white marched past him, bumping his shoulder.
"Excuse you," she hissed.
Ramsay frowned at her, then turned to Dodgson.
"Who's that?"
"Santos is one of my brokers. Nothing to worry about, just had to give her details for an upcoming project."
Ramsay swallowed.
"Should we really be taking on new projects right now?"
"Trust me, this will all be worth it. We'll fix our mistake, once and for all."
Ramsay nodded, but he wasn't so sure. This felt like the kind of thing that people didn't come back from. One way or another, he was going to lose everything.
Dodgson leaned forward.
"Hey. Come on. It's fine."
He was close enough that Ramsay could see his own face reflected in his glasses.
He tried to look more certain of himself, but honestly, he was scared shitless.
Rainn, Recently
The parasaur tugged on the rope as Rainn led it away from the DFW rangers. He gained on Wyatt's horse.
"Hey, that guy still looking at me?"
Wyatt turned his head.
"Yup."
Rainn turned to smirk one last time, then focused on the path ahead.
"Man, that was easy."
"We almost got shot," Wyatt said flatly.
"Naw, he ain't a killer like me," Rainn boasted, "And I can tell you one thing. If this big guy was hungry, it'd be quite a show."
"That's a herbivore."
"Oh. Well, I bet he'd step on him or something."
He wiped his nose.
"Fuck, I'm cold!"
Wyatt nodded.
"Yeah. It's the mountains, so-"
"Soyona'd better appreciate this."
"You're on a first name basis with her?"
"Only in private. I've been working up the courage to ask her out."
When Wyatt laughed, Rainn turned to him with disappointment. He quickly cleared his throat.
"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure that you'll do fine."
"Naw, you're right. She's out of my league. I should probably focus on someone who's more on my level."
"Like who?"
"I dunno. Another poacher, maybe?"
When their eyes met by chance, Rainn quickly looked away.
"A girl poacher, I mean. I'm not gay."
They rode in silence for a few seconds before Rainn turned to Wyatt.
"Are you gay?"
"No."
"Oh, good. Cuz, I mean, I'm not gay, and nobody else here is gay, so it'd be weird. I mean, not weird. People are allowed to be gay. I'm just saying, it's nice that everyone here is straight, on account of relationships getting in the way of work. Not that I'd know. I'm single. Very single."
There was an awkward pause. Before Rainn could dig the hole deeper, his phone rang. He answered a call from Soyona.
"Hey! What's up?"
"Have you found Grady yet?"
"Naw, we got a bit sidetracked. We stole a dinosaur off some guys who turned out to be DFW."
"DFW?"
"Yeah, the Department of Wildlife and Fish- Um, reverse those."
"Grady works for them."
"Oh!"
"His picture was in the file."
Rainn rubbed his forehead.
"Wait a minute! . . . Shit, I think that was him. He's the cute one, right?"
All of his men turned to look at him. His eyes went wide.
"I mean, from an outside perspective . . ."
Soyona sighed on the other end of the line.
"You know what to do."
And she hung up.
Rainn glared at the men, who were still staring at him.
"You'd best be minding your own business. And by the way, I'm not handling this beast. Y'all are gonna have to skin it."
He gave a definitive nod, then looked up into the sad eyes of the parasaur, seeing his own face reflected back at him.
He didn't like the way it made him feel.
Kayla, Even More Recently
"Sorry, I can't get involved."
Kayla walked away from the woman with her usual confidence, but she could feel her eyes lingering on her. She rounded the corner.
She had finally stood up for herself and set a firm boundary, but it felt different from how she'd imagined it. She knew that it wasn't up to her to solve every problem in the world, but she could have easily helped her. On the other hand, if she told her about the girl, would she think that she was part of the deal? She might end up in prison. Maybe. That was the worst case scenario. But the woman seemed genuinely distraught. Not the type to snitch. Still, better safe than sorry. She had made the right decision.
Yeah.
Finding the market unusually suffocating, Kayla stepped outside to clear her head. She walked to her favourite bar, but as she reached for the doorknob, she saw her reflection and turned away.
She hadn't realized that she'd been crying.
Soyona, Even More Recently
Soyona cooed as the Atrociraptors shook in their crates. She stroked Ghost's chin.
"There, there. It won't be long now. Soon, you'll have lots of room to run around free."
Red chuffed.
"You'll get to hunt, I promise," she added, "Just be careful, okay?"
Panthera clawed at the door. She smiled.
"You're so clever. But you can't come out yet."
She blew on Tiger's nose gently.
"Don't forget me, okay?"
She suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She lowered her voice so that her guards wouldn't hear.
"Even if we're apart, we'll always be family. I never had a mother to look out for me. I hope that I gave you everything you could ever ask for."
Ghost whimpered. Soyona bit her lip.
"Never forget how much your mummy loves you."
She stared at her reflection in their eyes and wondered if it would always be this hard to let go.
Ramsay, Even More Recently
Ramsay tapped his coffee cup nervously. He perked up when he saw Ian coming.
"Hey."
Ian sat down.
"What's going on? You're twitchier than usual."
"This is- Wait, am I twitchy? Nevermind, that's not important. This is hard to talk about, but here it goes. I've been working here for a long time-"
"Not that long. You have, what, two years on me? Don't try to measure your life with time. Remember the moments."
"Yes, well, my whole career path-"
"What, being a Yes Man?"
"No- Yes- No-"
"Honestly, I don't think this is the job for you anyway. You're too good for a place like this."
"I- Yes, that's what I wanted to talk about. I've been thinking about-"
"Quitting?"
"No, but I'm definitely gonna be fired after this."
Ian leaned closer.
"So what's this about?"
"Bugs."
"Computer bugs?"
"No. Locusts. Before I go on, can I trust you?"
Ian blinked.
"Probably. I don't care that much."
"Right . . ."
Ramsay looked into his coffee and realized just how much he was throwing away, but when his reflection rippled from the distant footsteps of dinosaurs, he realized that he didn't care much either.
Rainn, Even More Recently
Rainn nodded to his men, who grunted as they hoisted a large cage up the ramp behind an airplane. He pointed.
"Don't drop that, now. This is our make or break moment."
He turned to the pilot, who was filling out paperwork. She didn't seem to notice that he was there.
"That raptor's a real pistol, you know," he said, tossing his hair a bit.
She didn't look up from the paper.
"Uh-huh."
"Took a lot out of us to get her. She may be small, but she's fierce. Better be careful that she doesn't get loose."
She flipped the page, then started writing on the next one. Rainn stretched his arms.
"Yup. They're ferocious, those raptors. But not the toughest thing that I've dealt with. I wrestled a fully grown Triceramatops to the ground, once."
"Is that so," she said flatly, still writing.
"Yup. Almost got gored, but that's just the job. Say, I've seen you around a lot, lately. You been in the business long?"
"Sorta."
"Yeah, me too. You know, I used to smuggle exotics before this. Still have connections, so if you want a baby tiger or something-"
"No thanks."
"Maybe a dinosaur, then?"
"My ex got me a Lystrosaurus. I'm good."
He blinked.
"I don't know what that is."
"Biosyn exclusive. Ugly thing. Worse than ostrich-faced Denise."
"Huh?"
"I don't need another pet."
He leaned on a crate.
"Then maybe I can take you out for lunch or something."
She sighed and lowered her clipboard a bit.
"Look, not to be rude, but I'm on the clock. I'm not into chitchat."
He swallowed.
"Oh- Uh, yeah. Me neither. I'm- I'm very professional. I'm kind of well-known, actually. Rainn Delacourt, by the way."
"I know."
"So you've heard of me," he said, perking up.
"Through Soyona, yes. And your men have delivered cargo to me before. Seems like something that you should be keeping better track of."
"Soyona talks about me? What does she say? Good things?"
"She doesn't say good things about anyone."
"Oh."
"She's still mad at you for the Ornithomimus incident, by the way."
His face went red.
"I thought that that was a secret . . ."
"Eh, it's last week's news. Wouldn't worry about it."
He twirled his fingers.
"In my defense, I was really, really drunk."
"Charming."
"Cuz, you know, I don't usually ride dinosaurs on a bet."
"Mhm."
"Or fall off of them immediately."
"Hm."
"Or throw up all over people's shoes."
"I'll bet."
"So it was an isolated incident, is all I'm saying."
She sighed, dropping her arms.
"Look. I know what's going on here. And I'd normally be down for whatever, but I'm working right now. So unless you have a million dollars to spare, I'm too busy for this shit."
His face fell, but after a beat, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a dollar bill, then wrote something on it. Kayla read it as he handed it to her.
1/1,000,000
She smiled sadly.
"Cute. But I'm serious. This isn't a good time."
He shrugged.
"Well, it just so happens that I'm coming into a lot of money soon. Not a million, but I'm getting a hefty bonus."
"What for?"
His jaw tightened a bit.
"Uh . . . special cargo. But my point is, I'm gonna be sitting pretty. Tomorrow's the first day of the rest of my life, so to speak. And, you know, when things start going my way, I wouldn't mind having someone to-"
"Paperwork's done."
She handed him the form, nodding.
"Don't lose that. Santos will need it if I get stopped on my way to Malta tomorrow."
His face lit up.
"You're headed to Malta too? Maybe we can carpool. I mean, I get sick on planes, but-"
"I don't let just anyone on my plane."
"Oh, okay . . ."
Hearing the sincerity in his disappointment, she silently considered something, then nodded gently.
"Hey. I'll be in the Amber Clave Market all day tomorrow. Walk a little past the big barbecue, and you'll see me. We can chat."
He smiled.
"Yeah! I'll be there!"
She nodded.
"See you tomorrow."
"Yeah! See ya 'round."
He tried to strut away confidently, but his foot sunk into the snow. He got back his balance, then fluffed his jacket and continued to walk. As he hopped into his truck, he gawked at the reflection in the mirror.
He didn't realize that he was capable of smiling like that.
***TSJWDFEW***
Kayla laughed to herself, then stepped onto her plane. The little raptor was staring at her. She crossed her arms.
"What? He's cute."
The raptor chirped.
"What's wrong with a little fun? I still have standards when it's important."
The raptor sneezed.
"Yeah, well, I'm a weirdo criminal too, so . . ."
The raptor looked away. Kayla blew air in a half-whistle.
"Judgy."
She made sure that the cage was secure, then sat down in the cockpit and stretched her arms.
"This is gonna be a long night."
The Incident
At the Amber Clave Market, Kayla was approached by a woman who clearly didn't belong there. She didn't grasp the severity of the situation until she showed her a picture of her missing daughter. It was the same girl she'd seen on the airstrip. This rattled her, and she took a walk to clear her head.
When Rainn Delacourt entered the market, he kept an eye out for Kayla, but as he passed the barbecue, he realized that she wasn't there. Maybe he'd missed her. He would just have to wait until his meeting with Soyona was over, then he could check. But a part of him wondered if she'd stood him up.
Soyona, meanwhile, was waiting for Rainn and Wyatt. She was willing to trust the poachers with her Atrociraptors, after they'd proven themselves, and barring any major incident, this was looking like a valuable partnership.
Back at Biosyn headquarters, Ramsay wondered if he should have started his insurrection sooner, but figured it wouldn't have made much of a difference.