Ch 1:
The crowd was enormous as Sierra stepped off the boat onto the wooden dock. She was jostled a bit back and forth, but made sure to stay close to the CPS woman who was traveling with her. Despite her short stature, Sierra kept trying to go on her tiptoes to see over the sea of faces, trying to spot a familiar one.
They walked about halfway up the dock before she spotted the face she was looking for over the rest of the crowd, which was parting around him like a stone in a creek.
A grin broke out over Sierra's face despite only seeing him a couple days ago. She broke into a run through the crowd. "Owen!"
He spotted her right as she called his name and a matching grin crossed his face, too. He opened his arms and she flew into them, jumping and wrapping her arms around his neck. Her toes dangled in the air since he was about a foot taller than her.
It had been just over seven months since that fateful video call with her brother. And an eventful seven months it had been.
Well, not at first. At first she honestly thought nothing was going to come of their chat, despite getting her hopes up.
She'd gone to school the next day and went to the counselor, not even trying to hide the then-obvious black eye. The counselor, and any teacher in the school, had seen enough fights over the years to recognize a black eye caused by a fist. She anxiously informed the counselor that her father had gotten angry and hit her, and that she was honestly afraid to go home if he found out she spoke to them. She also told her about her older brother and how he said he was looking into getting custody of her.
The counselor called CPS, who started an investigation. Unfortunately, they "could find no actual proof of abuse or neglect". Apparently, her father claimed she came home from school with the black eye, so the only solid evidence she had in that moment was essentially null and void. It was a he-said-she-said case. But CPS made it clear the case wasn't yet closed and they would continue investigating and checking in.
When she went home that evening, she insisted she hadn't told the counselor anything and that the teachers had simply jumped to conclusions. Didn't stop her father from hitting her again.
So, while Owen started the process of filing for custody, Sierra did what he told her to do. She started collecting evidence.
She obviously took pictures of the black eye, and any bruise that happened to appear over the next several months.
There were a couple times when her father was away for a night that her mother brought home yet another strange man. Sierra made sure to start filming with her phone when that happened. She'd start in her own room and make sure to get a good look at her alarm clock on the video, showing what time and day it was, before traveling into the hall and the room next door, emphasizing the thin wall that separated her room and her parents', and she'd end the video by cracking the door open and briefly filming the filth that was happening in her parents' bed. She sent those videos to Owen so he could make sure Barry's sister, who eagerly took on their case, would have copies.
Her birthday came and went during those seven months. And Barry actually sent her a small camera, similar to one of those nanny cams that people hid in their houses to keep an eye on babysitters and such. Sierra hid it between a couple encyclopedias on the living room bookshelf, where it had a clear view of most of the living room. Most of the footage was relatively uneventful, partially because her father was deployed for three of the seven months. But the camera did capture some informative little tidbits.
It captured all the men her mother had brought home over the four months the camera was set up. Sierra thought the lawyer counted 19?
It captured the several fights between her parents while her father was actually home.
And it captured a couple times when her father hit her.
In less-eventful, unrelated news; during those seven months Sierra also got her first period just before turning 13, and had to move up from just using a training bra. She was officially a teenager. And her brother hated to be reminded that she was growing up. Whenever the talk of periods came up he reverted to a preteen boy, even plugging his ears and going "la-la-la" to avoid hearing about it.
With all that evidence, CPS finally took Sierra from the home and put her with a foster family. She was fairly certain Owen must have threatened someone if she was mistreated or harmed, because she was actually placed with a very nice family, a middle-aged couple with a couple younger foster kids and a dog.
She only stayed with them for a couple months while everything was finalized regarding her custody. Owen's job was sorted out and he was eventually approved as a suitable guardian.
Which is what brought her here after a long boat ride.
Jurassic World.
You would think after the disaster that was Jurassic Park in the '90s, that rebuilding such a park would be little more than a pipe dream. But no, someone, Sierra wasn't sure who, had decided to rebuild a new version of the park on the island Isla Nublar. The new park, opened in 2005, was named Jurassic World. It was like a combination of a zoo and Disney World. It had a luxury resort, hotels, restaurants, rides, and, of course, dinosaur exhibits.
This was the big surprise job offer Owen had mentioned months ago. Well, technically, he was hired by InGen Security, but that was essentially the same thing to Sierra. Apparently they'd heard of his work with animals like dolphins in the Navy and wanted him to be a part of the research they were doing with the Velociraptors.
Apparently, Mr. Masrani was so desperate for Owen to work for them he made all kinds of accommodations regarding Sierra to make that possible. He organized a decent bungalow to be built somewhere on the island for Owen and Sierra to live in. He had also offered a few options regarding schooling; she could take the boat ride to the mainland each morning to attend school or he could bring in a personal tutor. They eventually decided that she could sit with a tutor for six or so hours a day during the week, and then every two or three months she would take the boat to the mainland to sit quarterly tests to ensure she was keeping up with other kids her age.
When Sierra's feet touched the ground again, Owen smiled and shook the hand of the CPS lady with her. They'd met a few times in the last several months while she helped them with their case. It was easy to see how the woman went from being dubious of Owen's ability to raise her to subtly impressed by the lengths he was willing to go for his sister.
"It's good to see you again, Owen." the woman greeted him on a first name basis after the first ten times of Owen insisting she not call him 'Mr. Grady'.
"You too, Nicole." Owen returned the greeting before grinning widely down at Sierra. "So, you ready to take the rest of your stuff to your new home?" She'd had a few things shipped ahead of time, but her and Nicole both had a small bag each of the rest of her things.
"Yes!" Sierra beamed.
"Then, right this way, ladies." Owen waved his hand ahead before politely taking the duffle bag from Nicole and leading them down the dock. Parked at the end was a Jurassic World jeep. At Owen's instruction, Sierra got in the back seat with the bags while Nicole got in the front passenger seat and Owen got behind the wheel.
It was a bit of a drive. They wove in and out of the crowded main street before taking a back road that consisted only of employee vehicles, and finally ending up on a worn path through the jungle. Eventually they ended up on a road that followed a lake until Owen slowed the jeep to a stop next to a small bungalow.
Sierra took it all in while slowly getting out of the jeep, shouldering one of her bags.
There was a small shack-like building sitting on a porch that went around three of the four sides of the building. The fourth wall, farthest from the lake, was connected to a long, metal trailer. There were solar panels on both the trailer and the shack, as well as a satellite dish. Owen had clearly already made himself at home in the nearly four months he'd been living and working on the island. There was a picnic table on the grass outside, as well as some lawn chairs and other small knickknacks. Some fishing poles were leaning against the wall, making Sierra sure that her brother had already gone fishing out on the dock not far away.
"You can leave your bag in the car while I give you a quick tour." Owen told her as he rounded the jeep to lead them to the house.
Sierra tossed her bag back into the backseat before following him, Nicole a step ahead of her. Owen lead them across the stretch of grass and up the wood steps to the porch. He opened the front door of the shack, holding it open for them to step inside.
"So, the shack is mostly my bedroom and bathroom, basically." Owen explained as they stepped into the small house. Everything about it screamed "Owen" in Sierra's mind. It was simple and mostly necessities with the occasional random knickknack. There was a worn futon near the closest wall, probably one that could fold into a bed, and it had a shelf under it. Owen's battered laptop sat on it. There was a small dresser in the corner. The far half of the building had a folding wall, probably hiding the bathroom he mentioned.
"It's…cozy." Nicole commented after a moment. Owen and Sierra exchanged a glance behind her back and both had to smother smirks. As nice and helpful as Nicole was, her tastes were obviously less simple.
"Like I said, this is mostly my space. I wanted to make sure we'd both have our own space." Owen explained before opening the door again. "The trailer is where pretty much everything else is. Including your bedroom." he added to Sierra as they stepped back outside. They went back down the porch steps to the grass and only a few feet over to the steps that lead up into the front door of the metal trailer.
"Ladies first." Owen stopped next to the steps and waved Sierra up first. She hesitated for a second before opening the door and stepping inside. She was in a small kitchen and dining room setup. To her right, against the wall closest to Owen's shack, was a lounge-style dining area. A comfy gray booth was on either side of a wood fold-up table. Directly across from the door was a small oven and stove, next to which was a sink. To her left against the same wall as the door was a mini fridge with a microwave on top of it. Sierra took a few steps until she was in the middle of the kitchen, taking it all in. In the corner, hidden behind the fridge where she hadn't seen it from the door, was a cupboard, probably for dishes and things.
Between the sink and the cupboard was a doorway covered by a beige folding door, but something was hanging from the ceiling right in front of the door at about eye level. Stepping closer, Sierra saw that it was a round, wooden sign, a bit smaller than a dinner plate, and it was hanging from a thin leather cord. The familiar Jurassic World logo was burned into the wood, showing a T-rex skeleton in the circular logo, but instead of "Jurassic World" being printed under it, the sign said "Sierra's World".
Sierra felt herself starting to smile, her hand gently touching the sign as she took a closer look.
"Turn it over." Owen whispered playfully.
She did as he asked, and promptly laughed. The back was nearly identical, except for the slash marks covering part of the sign, as if done by a dinosaur's claws. And how instead of saying "Sierra's World", it said "Danger".
"Just in case you're in a mood." Owen joked.
Spinning around, Sierra threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "I love it!"
Owen hugged her back. "I saw a gift shop here that sells them when I was given a tour early on. They also said you can order personalized ones and I figured I had plenty of time, so why not?"
"It's awesome!" Sierra exclaimed as she pulled away. "So, is that my bedroom?" she checked.
"Bedroom and bathroom." Owen nodded. "Go ahead. Check it out. All your stuff that was sent over ahead of time is in there, but you can decorate and organize however you want."
Spinning around, Sierra slid the door open and stepped into her bedroom.
There was a narrow path that lead to another folding door straight ahead, this one light blue and likely the door to the bathroom. To her left, the same side of the trailer as the front door, was a simple twin bed with wooden pullout drawers under it. A couple of her suitcases were sitting on the bed, like Owen said. To the right it appeared someone had built-in a closet for her clothes. She smiled. It was all very simple, but it was like a blank canvas. She could only imagine how she could make it hers.
Continuing through the room, she slid open the final folding door to reveal her own bathroom. She'd never had her own bathroom before. She'd always just had a bathroom, which the whole family used. And she wasn't allowed to lock the door back then, either, after a particular incident where her mother woke up hung-over and needed to throw up, but couldn't get into the locked bathroom while Sierra was using it. This resulted in a pile of vomit on the floor and a ban on locking the bathroom door.
But this bathroom was all hers.
It was small and simple, like the rest of the house, but it was perfect to her. The toilet was right across from the door. To the right and left of the door were a couple small wardrobes, which she could use for towels and things like that. There was a shower stall to the left of the toilet, and a sink to the right.
Turning back around, Sierra closed the door and rejoined her brother and Nicole in the kitchen. She beamed at them.
"I love it! Can I go get my stuff and move everything in now?" she asked eagerly, making both adults try to stifle their smiles.
"That was kinda the plan." Owen agreed jokingly. "Is there anything else you needed, as well, before you head out?" he checked with Nicole.
"Not really, no." Nicole answered, writing something in a clipboard. "I've seen the house and everything seems in order. Someone will need to check in on how you're both settling in after a month or two, but I'm pretty much done for the day."
"Perfect." Owen turned to Sierra. "I can give her a lift back to the docks while you start getting settled in. I should be back within the hour. I might even be able to pick up some dinner or something if you want. Think you'll be good?" he checked.
"Yeah, I should be fine for an hour or two." Sierra agreed with a nod.
"And I have the next couple days off work unless some kind of emergency comes up. We can use that time finishing up whatever you need, and I can give you a grand tour of the park."
Sierra grinned. "Sounds perfect."
Owen helped her carry the rest of her bags into her room before leaving to take Nicole back to the main park so she could catch the next boat.
Plopping down onto her bed next to her bags and suitcases, Sierra took a look around the small room. Her room. She grinned again. Her life had completely turned around from less than a year ago. Who knows what the next year might bring? Or the many years to come?
She finally had a future to look forward to.
AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! I'm glad you all like the story so far. Hopefully you liked this chapter, too.
If I got anything wrong regarding the CPS and foster system, I apologize. I'm nowhere near being an expert on the subject.
Let me know what you all thought of this chapter! The next couple chapters will probably be a bit slow, but we'll get to meet the baby raptors in a couple chapters!
