No Good Advice

"I'll buy you all new clothes," Claire flung over her shoulder, switching her phone off completely, looking almost comically relieved as she did, "I'll have them with you by tomorrow."

"How?" Cassandra snapped. "Magic carpet?"

"No, courier," Claire said, looking at her as if she were mad. "I have connections."

"To what, Fed-Ex?"

"No, the Mafia!"

"Har-di-ha."

"Look, just shut up and trust me, okay!?"

"You keep saying that."

"And I'll keep saying it."

Cassandra shook her head. "This trip just keeps getting better and better," she declared, flinging her hands dramatically up in the air.

"At least the children are having a good time," Claire pointed out acerbically, "well, when you're not texting Zach every two seconds, that is."

At this, Cassandra tensed, thinking of Zach's painfully brief texts that simply said yes or no to her worried questions. And even with her phone now switched back on, it had only been to see that Karen had made no effort to contact her whatsoever, despite doggedly pursuing Claire. "It's called being a parent, Claire," she then said, glancing about the dark tunnel they were now traversing, "or so Mom used to say whenever we ragged her about nagging too much."

"Mom does nag too much," Claire said, rolling her eyes. "But never mind the nostalgia, just get a move on."

"Where the hell are you dragging me now!?" Cassandra complained, shielding her eyes with the back of her hand as Claire suddenly led her out into blinding sunlight. "Hey, what's with the crazy flying machine?" she said in disbelief as they stepped out onto the concrete surface of a landing pad where a helicopter was waiting.

"Come on, we can't keep Mr. Masrani waiting," Claire said, picking up the pace, "we've only got a small window."

"What, we're actually going on the helicopter!?" Cassandra squeaked. "You know I don't do great heights!"

"You can handle a plane, can't you!?"

"Just barely!"

"Well, you can handle this, Cassandra," Claire said firmly. "Trust me!"

"So you keep saying!" Cassandra trilled, her voice becoming hysterically high.

"And I will say it again," Claire said even more firmly. "Just-trust-me."

"I can't!"

"What, me or the helicopter?"

"Both!"

"Don't think about it!" Claire said, dragging her on. "Just come on!"

Before she could blink, somehow Cassandra found herself being shoved inside the helicopter and strapped in beside Claire, the roar of the rotors deafening. Sitting in front of them was the pilot and a man in a wrinkled blue suit, his dark eyes amused as he studied the sisters over his shoulder.

"Mr. Masrani, are you going to be our co-pilot for today?" Claire said in surprise, shooting Cassandra a pointed look to pull herself together. "I didn't realise you were expanding your range of expertise."

"I got my license," Mr. Masrani shrugged.

"In two days you will," the pilot corrected him, swiftly starting to flip switches and pull levers, "let's not jump the gun."

"Two more, shu-more," Mr. Masrani shrugged again, "makes no difference."

Claire just nodded, used to his eccentricities, before gesturing to Cassandra. "Mr. Masrani, this is my sister, Cassandra Dearing," she said as Cassandra forced herself to take the hand he proffered, being almost too terrified to move, "she's very excited to hear your thoughts on her work."

"She seems almost too excited," Mr. Masrani said, arching an eyebrow, "she's practically shaking."

"Cassandra has a little phobia about flying," Claire said hastily, "but she'll be okay."

"Like she said," Cassandra choked out as the helicopter then began to erratically ascend, making Masrani hurriedly adjust the controls, "don't mind me, Mr. Masrani."

"Just Masrani, please," he said, raising his voice above the racket, "only your sister calls me that."

"Masrani, then, sorry," Cassandra said awkwardly, bile rising in her throat.

"No, it is I who should be sorry," Masrani said, shaking his head, "I must apologize for how out of the blue this is, but I am very much a man of the moment, so much so, I plan to have Carpe Diem tattooed on my fingertips so I can literally seize the day."

Cassandra blinked, startled. "How… original," she managed to say as Claire primly folded her hands in her lap, face wearing its usual atypical martyred expression whenever she was around her boss.

Masrani bowed his head. "It is truly wonderful to finally meet you, Cassandra," he then said sincerely, "I have long followed your work, it is exquisite."

"Thank you, Mr – I mean, thanks, Masrani," Cassandra said with great difficulty, "I am glad you like it."

Masrani studied her for a long moment. "Perhaps we should continue this discussion on terra firma," he said, exchanging a knowing glance with the pilot, who hurriedly leaned over and pressed a button Masrani should have pushed.

"I think that would be a good idea," Cassandra said before being suddenly and violently sick over the side.

"Isn't this exciting?" Claire beamed, making Cassandra want to throttle her.

"Isn't it just?" Cassandra said sarcastically, collapsing down into a wicker chair, the conference room strangely decorated like an English conservatory, conflicting with the ulitarian lines of the primary containment facility's architecture. The helicopter trip here had served as a backdrop to a pow-wow between him and Claire, Masrani quoting hammy philosophy inbetween demanding to know how his investments were faring before winding up with him instructing Claire to spend the day at the beach. Cassandra didn't quite know what to make of him, and was now nervously anticipating the journey back, Masrani not exactly proving the competent co-pilot.

"Cassandra," Masrani intoned as he came over to them, armed with two glasses of iced lemondade, "to cut a long story short, I want you to immortalize me."

Cassandra blinked, a habit she realised she was beginning to pick up around Masrani. "You want me to make you a god?" she then said, recovering herself, crossing her legs at the ankle as she did. "I'm afraid that is a bit beyond my powers Mr – I mean, Masrani, no matter how much money you have."

Masrani threw back his head, roaring with laughter. "I knew I would like you, Cassandra," he said, setting the glasses down on the table, "there is an honesty in your art that is also in the woman who wields the paintbrush."

"I only capture a moment," Cassandra said simply as she helped herself to a slice of watermelon from the array of fruits on offer.

"Well, I want you to capture me," Mr. Masrani said just as simply, "warts and all."

Cassandra swallowed hard. "I haven't done anything beyond domestic for years now," she said nervously, lifting the slice of watermelon to her lips with both hands. "It's been mostly mothers and children."

"I've seen Distant Horizon," Mr. Masrani said unperturbed as she then took an enthusiastic bite of watermelon, unexpectedly spraying juice everywhere, much to Claire's horror, "it's an extraordinary piece of work, Cassandra, even if you think it's a departure from your usual style. But I think Distant Horizon embodies who you really are as an artist. Maybe you should go back to your roots and see where you came from in order to learn who you really are. "

Cassandra awkwardly wiped the juice from her chin, wondering what she should do, never having been offered an opportunity like this, and in such a bizarre way. She glanced up, only to see Claire eyeballing her to accept, all but ready to wring her neck if she didn't. She then looked at Masrani, his gaze holding hers almost hypnotically. He nodded at her encouragingly, and to her surprise, she found herself nodding back, wondering too late at what she had just agreed to and so impulsively. Normally she liked to mull over a prospective commission to see if the sitter or subject was suitable. It was an unconventional approach but she preferred to pursue her own projects, even as it meant she accepted very few commissions. Yet here she was, committing herself without a thought to the consequences.

"Excellent," Masrani beamed, clasping his hands together before him, only for his face to suddenly fall. "Again, I apologize for the inconvenience, Cassandra," he then said, looking comically contrite, unaware of Claire silently jumping up and down on the spot as she gave Cassandra the double thumbs-up sign behind his back, "and the manner in which this was arranged. It was very much a spur of the moment thing, I'm afraid. I am not very often in this neck of the woods."

"No worries," Cassandra said, taking a sip of iced lemonade, avoiding eye contact with Claire. "We're all good."

Masrani clapped his hands together this time. "Excellent," he beamed again. "My people will be in touch with your people." Rumpling up his dark hair, he then turned to Clare, making her hurriedly hide her hands behind her back. "Shall we go and see my newest acquisition, then, Claire?"

But I've seen it all from where I'm hiding

Baby cause I'm sliding, out of control…

Shaking her head, Cassandra stowed her phone away, Zach's replies still limited to yes and no. She would have been happy with an okay or sure thing, something a bit more expansive so she could gauge if things were cooling down between them after his outburst, but he was giving her nothing. Exhaling sharply, she got up from her chair, hesitating before going over to where Claire and Masrani were standing before a sequence of large glass panels interspersed with soaring pillars, both of them looking out at the view beyond of a lush green paddock thickly bordered by trees, the prospect deceptively pastoral.

Wringing her hands, Cassandra glanced out at the distant treeline, remembering the restricted access sign on the door. She knew she shouldn't be in here, even as Masrani had insisted she accompany them to the viewing room, saying it would benefit her artistic instincts to be 'up, close and personal with visceral nature.' She had wanted to refuse, but didn't know how to, having no desire to dally with dinosaurs of the living or dead variety.

"Are you sure I should even be here?" she said for the umpteenth time, wringing her hands, not liking the way her voice was beginning to take on a whine. "Don't you want me to wait in the conference room? I mean, isn't all this dinosaur stuff confidential?"

Masrani looked at her for a long moment, brow furrowing. "I sense you are having quite the day, Cassandra," he said, still studying her, "you look like you've been through the mill."

Cassandra shrugged. "What doesn't kill makes you stronger, right?" she then replied somewhat tersely, still not quite sure what to make of him.

"Well, for all your nerve and pluck, I don't think you could withstand the Indominus Rex," Masrani said, glancing downwards, a shadow falling across his face. "Nobody could though but that's the whole point."

Cassandra followed the path of his stare, only to see the panel had been damaged, the sight of the fractured glass disquieting her just as much as his words.

"Well, there's been a few teething problems," Claire said uneasily, looking as if she wished Cassandra a world away, "the asset began to anticipate where the food would come from, then one of the handlers nearly lost an arm and the others threatened to quit if I couldn't guarantee their safety."

"She's intelligent, then?"

"For a dinosaur."

"Well, I like her spirit," Masrani said, watching Cassandra as she wandered over to the cracked window, tracing the pattern of broken glass with her fingertip.

"I personally think she'll terrify the kids," Claire said nervously. "I'm not sure that's a good thing."

"No, it's fantastic," Masrani breathed, turning to her as he spoke, face suddenly alight with exultation, "this is exactly what I want. She will give the parents nightmares, never mind the children. I wanted louder, scarier and cooler and that's exactly what I got."

Claire just raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"Is your dinosaur monster thing out there right now?" Cassandra asked awkwardly, making them glance at her in unison. "I mean, she can see us, even if we can't see her?"

"She can sense thermal radiation," Claire explained, "like snakes."

"The paddock is quite safe," Masrani assured Cassandra, even as he looked at Claire to confirm it.

"We had the best structural engineers in the world working on the construction," Claire said promptly, folding her hands in front of her.

"Still, best get Mr. Grady to cast his expert eye over it," Masrani frowned, sucking on his teeth.

"Of course."

Masrani studied the cracked glass for a long moment, before staring out at the wild landscape where miles of tree and verdure stretched out as far as the eye could see.. "Wait, was there not two of them?" he then said suddenly, brow furrowing further.

"Yes, there was a sibling in case this one didn't survive infancy," Claire said hesitatingly.

"Where is it?"

"She… ate it."

Cassandra swallowed hard. "Well, we've all felt like that about our siblings sometimes, haven't we?" she then said laughed nervously, recovering herself. "Dinosaur or not."

"The difference between us and them is that we haven't acted on it," Claire retorted, pulling out her phone and switching it back on as Masrani abruptly left the room without a backwards glance at either sister, her fingers frantically punching buttons.

"Yet," Cassandra said smartly.