Author's Note: I am probably the most sorry person on the planet this second right here! You cannot believe how badly I had writer's block. I would sit down and look at the computer screen for half an hour and not come up with a single thing to write about, which is why you're lucky I got this out in September instead of October. But, I sat down and wrote this in one day! Yay for me!

Chapter Twenty-six - Two Discoveries

I readjusted my quiver of arrows on my shoulder and wiped a bit of sweat off my forehead. I was off in a search for food. We couldn't eat the beans any more. It wasn't the fact that they were beyond gross and Sally seemed to throw them up every single time she ate them. But it was the fact that we were out of them and Raptors had gotten into the storage room they were kept in, which was in the compound.

When Eric and I had entered the now open room that morning, the cans that hadn't been carried away were bitten into and spilling their contents over the ripped up boxes and knocked over shelves. Since my arrows were the only weapons we had, I was out hunting. Hey, I was the only one who could shoot straight.

Eric was hunting as well, only he was using the sharp scraps of metal we'd found in the compound, thanks to the Raptors. But his prey was Compies. I was looking for something bigger to kill. Luckily (it sounds strange saying that), Sally was accompanying me. Even though we didn't talk as we walked, she was nice company to have around, which is extremely scary to think about.

I switched my quiver over to my other shoulder. We had been out all day long. If I didn't get anything, we were probably going to starve that night. Just getting one large thing would last us for a while. Eric had said that if we got something, I could stay by it to ward off any other animals that tried to eat it (and tried to clean up the blood) while Sally went to get him and Brad so we could carry it back to the tree.

"I still don't see how this is going to work," Sally hissed as I stepped over a root and she followed.

I shrugged my shoulders and kept walking.

BEEP!

I whirled around, an arrow in my bow in the blink of an eye. "What was that?" I asked.

"My watch," Sally said, pulling it out of her pocket.

I dropped my bow and ran to her side, yanking it out of her hands. I held the cold, scratched surface to my ear and heard the all so familiar tick. I sighed contentedly. "Proof that we actually did have a life before," I muttered.

"Yeah, right," Sally said. "Can I have it back now? I kind of don't want to lose it. I'm so going back to the hot springs when that time of month comes again."

I looked up at her. "What?"

"You know…" She said, a pink tinge creeping into her cheeks. I still looked at her quizzically. "It has the date on it…"

"OH!" I said. I looked back down at the watch and saw that it did have the date on it. July 29th.

My breath caught in my throat. July 29th. Today was Tina's sixteenth birthday. I stood stock still, staring mutely at the watch as tears gathered in my eyes. I watched the second hand tick around until my eyes were so full of tears, I couldn't see through their swimming masses. Tina was sixteen today. Was she even alive?

"Lane, can I have my watch back," Sally asked. "We kind of need to get moving. I don't think Eric will be very happy if we come back empty handed."

I nodded wiped my eyes, took one last look at the date and the time (noon), and handed the watch back to its owner. "Let's head back," I choked out. "I need something to eat or I'm going to pass out."

"Maybe you can eat some leaves," Sally said sarcastically, not noticing my tear stained face or my sorrow filled words.

I turned and began walking through the trees. "Hey, your bow!" Sally called after me. I paid no attention but kept heading in the direction of our tree. By the time I had reached it, my eyes had cleared and I was thinking more sensibly. I could hear Sally crashing through the bushes behind me, wishing she would be quieter.

As I neared the tree, Eric came through some rhododendrons on the other side with a handful of dead Compies. Brad followed with two more hands full.

"Got a whole bunch of 'em," Brad said when he saw us.

Eric grinned but this was quickly reversed into a concerned frown. "Lane, what's wrong?" He asked, taking a step towards me.

Not wanting to start crying again and not wanting those stinking animals near me, I took a step back (as if that would solve anything) and said without emotion, "July 29th."

"What?" Brad asked, looking from me to Eric and back again.

But Eric seemed to understand. His face filled with more concern and he said, "Sweet sixteen."

I nodded and headed over to the trunk of the tree where I sat down on a root and rested my head in my hands. I wasn't going to cry, I wasn't going to cry, I wasn't going to cry …

Eric handed his load to Sally (who wasn't pleased but she didn't complain and followed Brad up the tree) and sat down next to me. "You okay?" He asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I breathed in deeply and let the air out slowly. "Yeah," I said.

"Look, do you want to go to the hot springs?" He asked. "I don't know what it is with girls and getting clean, but it seems to cheer them up."

I looked over at him and smirked. "How do you get clean and ice cream mixed up?" I teased.

Eric grinned a lopsided grin. "Come on; I'll walk you there."

I shook my head. "Need to eat."

He nodded. "After lunch, then."

Nodding in agreement, I followed him up the tree for a meal of dinosaur sushi.

Sally and I slowly and silently walked through the trees. The faintest hint of hot springs smell was in the air and for the first time, I was glad to smell it. Maybe sitting in a rustic style Jacuzzi tub would do me good.

"I don't know how sitting in boiling water is supposed to feel good," Sally had said when I asked her to come along so that the guys could skin their catch. But she had come along anyways.

The smell began to get stronger and stronger until it was to the point where I wanted to stop and hurl. But once I got under the water, I wouldn't smell it. Because if I smelled anything under water, I would drown.

"There it is," Sally whispered.

I looked up and sure enough, there was the large, odd looking lava rock, sitting in the middle of a ton of decaying trees.

We walked around to the entrance and pushed the vines (with the leaves as big as my torso) aside and walked in. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a slender figure crouched by the waters edge. The person looked up. Even though her cheeks were hollow and smeared with mud, and her eyes were big and scared looking, I could have recognized that face anywhere.

"TINA!" I yelled.

Author's Note: Justto let you know, I'll be writing a sequel, which will probably be called Return to Jurassic: Annihilate 23. I'm excited about it.
Arch of Wand Yeah, I like "go sniff a cactus too". If you'll notice, my sister used it in her chapter and forgot to give me the credit! Because I did come up with it, you know. I did! I have the proof! I was on the IM with my friend and was really hyper and she said something … that I forget and I said, "Oh, go… sniff a cactus." And that's how it went. –nods-

Emery flutteryby Jerk-boy … hehehe.

Moonlights Sundance Yay! Look it, look it! I GOT A COOKIE! … What kind? -looks at M.S. suspiciously-

Kellyerielf YAY! Finally someone who understands why their relationship wasn't mended right at once! I'll make you a berry pie, I will … -runs off to make a pie then runs back- Oops … let me just … write this chapter first. (Author's Note: When this story was first posted, my replies to the review were posted at the beginning of a chapter, but for the convenience of the reader, I decided to move them to the end)

Mia Umm … ok. The teacher, Mr. Polycarp (I think. I can't be bothered to check at the moment), signed some sort of form that said that no matter what happens, the government doesn't have to do anything. If you'll remember from the third movie, the Kirby's couldn't get the government to help them either. So Hammond is having to do everything himself. Did that answer your question?

Rhapsody-child-of-the-sky That's a LOOOOOOONG name. Hehehe – Anyways, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for adding me to your favorites list. –grins- I feel special. And I'm glad that you liked my story, just don't … starve yourself, okay?

Serenawrosnki I completely understand because Lane and her friends annoy me as well. But please keep reading! Remember, you're only at chapter 8 and a lot of things can happen between then and now. Of course, you might not even read this far, but I hope you do!