Chapter 2
Cathy checked the clock. About an hour until she would have to leave to meet her parents for dinner. Glancing at her suitcase, she debated just continuing to pack, but she knew she would prefer to shower sooner rather than later, just to be sure.
Still, she wanted to look good for her parents. They, more than anyone, knew what she was like and still accepted her. Besides, they were going to a nice place, and she did not want to embarrass them.
Reaching into the bathroom, she flicked the lights on. Leaning a hand on the counter, she glanced at herself in the full length mirror that lay beside it. A couple weeks of not having to show up for class had made her lax about her appearance. Normally, she made at least an effort to tame her hair, but the mess of brown locks had given her the appearance of a wild child. The slight darkness under her eyes could be covered with a slight touch of makeup. Shower first, she reminded herself.
Once her shirt was gone, she was faced with her other trademark look. Even as time had gone on, the scars had remained in place. Snaking up from under her pants hem all the way up to her collarbones were collections of 'U' shaped marks, tinged with darker colour along their centres.
Bite scarring, she reflected flatly. She had seen the same marks on the dinosaurs in the park occasionally, no matter how hard the park staff tried to hide it. The narrow, thin bites were unmistakable; Compsognathus. The small dinosaurs moved in swarms, but were rarely considered dangerous. Hell, the park was content to pretend they did not exist.
To a small child though, they were nearly life threatening. It had been a miracle her parents were close enough to hear her scream, and even more so that the Compsognathus had backed off. The attack had almost killed her.
Had it not been for InGen footing the bill and stepping in, she might have. It had cost them, though. After all, an island full of dinosaurs was not to be taken lightly, especially when multiple incidents of injury and death had occurred. The already struggling company had received one too many nails in the coffin, and sank in the next few years.
Cathy's parents had acquired some of their property as part of the settlement. Most of the maps she had in her suitcase were part of that. Back then, it had simply been her father thinking she would like them, seeing as she liked maps. Now it was an important part of her plans.
Her accident had given her the opportunity to gain the tools needed to strike back, and make things right.
In the meantime, she had to get ready for dinner. As she worked her pants off, she was glad the scarring was less serious down there. The small dinosaurs had mainly gone for her chest, arms, and back, which made them quite convenient to hide. The Californian heat was less convenient, and she almost dreaded the weather she would have to face on Nublar, but anything was worth it.
Tossing aside the last of her clothing, she stepped into the large bath, reassured by the grips on the bottom. Looking around, she retrieved her sponge before turning on the water. In contrast to the pressure of her clothing, she had trouble actually feeling the water running over her body. It had taken the doctors a long time to explain it to her as a kid, but it was something she had grown used to. Her scars could sense if something moved or pressed against them, but anything else just rolled over them with no sensation.
There were times she was thankful for that, like bathing. When she had first been attacked, it had been hell, though only part of that had been because of the scars themselves. The bacteria in the wounds were the larger problem. Compsognathus were like Komodo Dragons in that their bites were laden with bacteria. Larger animals would largely be unaffected, but a small child was no resistance.
Washing the wounds had been imperative, but even by the time they reached Costa Rica, the bacteria had worked itself into her system. They had only been able to keep her stable. She couldn't remember much of childhood, but that whole ordeal was one large blank in her mind. She tried to ignore the heightened awareness of her own body, thinking about the bacteria still in her.
The archaebacterium had been resilient to everything, but eventually her body had managed an uneasy solution. Even now, the bacterium were still in her body, but she was able to live with it, with precautions.
Cathy snapped herself out of her thoughts by wringing her sponge out above her head, dousing her hair. Running the sponge over her body, she was just glad she could handle it now.
Once she got into the rhythm, she was easily able to clean herself off. Her arms and face were easier, and she didn't feel like wasting too much time on her appearance. Just enough to get clean. She had a sneaking suspicion that she would have to care more when she got to the park. A large company like InGen probably had some standards they wanted to hold their staff to.
Satisfied with her appearance, Cathy stepped out of the bath, taking up her seat on the chair once more as she began the slow process of drying herself off. Fortunately, she had gotten quite skilled at the process, guiding her towel over quickly in order to get the largest share of water off. The remainder quickly dried between the exposure and her hair dryer.
Slipping her underwear back on, she carried her clothes under one arm, depositing them to the side as she walked over to her closet. All things considered, it was pretty bare, and unvaried. Most of her clothing was dark and long. The more she could minimize skin exposure, the better. She didn't particularly mind the scars, but she hated the looks she got.
Still, she did have a couple of things that stood out, like the dress she was intending to wear to dinner. The high neck and long sleeves looked far too elegant for her to ever get much use out of it, but considering the restaurant they were headed to, it fit perfectly. One of the many times she appreciated the luck of her parents being wealthy.
It was relatively easy to fit herself into, as the fabric was quite smooth, and settled over her skin with no problem. It had taken her mother and her quite a bit of time to find a dress she would be comfortable in, but her mother had been exceptionally patient. It continued to surprise Cathy how hard they worked to accommodate her, even when they had their own concerns.
It was the least she could do to extend them the same courtesy. Glancing at the clock, she was happy to note that she was still going to be early.
Cathy supposed part of her training had come from trying to present herself well during dinners out. Her family weren't celebrities, but she was held to a certain standard of appearance when they went out. Especially when they went to nice places.
"Well look who it is." Cathy smiled as her parents stood up, moving in for a hug. Were it anyone else, she would have denied them. Instead, she threw up her arms, hugging them both. Between her father's tall frame and her mother's slender one, Cathy felt surprisingly comfortable.
Her father pulled away first, smiling down at her. "About time we all got back together. How have you been?"
"Busy. Working on packing, as well as wrapping up my studies," Cathy explained as she sat down.
"Have you been enjoying your time off? School ended a few weeks ago," her mother pointed out, picking up the menu off-handedly.
"Mostly just working. I had a lot of data that needed ordering and archiving. Especially with my upcoming job."
"You really should get out more," her mother chided.
"As I said, lots of work to be done. How have you been?" she asked, trying to draw the focus away from herself.
"Been working hard as well," her father agreed. "Business has been on the upswing. Lots of meetings with the higher ups."
"Hopefully this didn't cause you to miss anything important."
"Oh, no worries. Nothing was happening tonight, and besides, I have to celebrate my daughter getting her dream job."
Cathy smiled, partially because she could never resist it when her parents were happy, but also because of her father's words. No sense of hostility or bitterness in them. It seemed he had nothing against them anymore, which worked in her favour.
"Cathy, what are you having for dinner?" her mother interrupted. Cathy flicked through the menu quickly, skimming passed the light and frilly dishes.
"I'll have a steak, blue rare," she requested confidently. She had long learned that the key was to simply state what you wanted confidently. Even so, she caught he look that the waiter gave her, as if trying to make sure she was saying what he heard, but she simply ignored him. A part of her found it humorous that if her father had ordered the same thing, they would not have looked at him twice.
But even as the order came around to her father, she had to laugh as he ordered a specifically cooked and seasoned steak. The waiter walked away to convey their orders, and Cathy sighed as she began to compose her thoughts. She hadn't really come to this meal with a plan in mind, and that was not something she was used to.
"How were your classes?" her father inquired.
"They went well. I learned a lot that I cannot wait to put into use. I am just glad that I am done with some of my professors."
"They give you any trouble?"
"Not really," Cathy assured, glancing at her mother. She didn't want to hear about one of her professors getting into trouble. "We just had to work at communicating some of the aspects of my research over. Trying to convince the language department about the validity of my research was an uphill climb."
"Well, I'm glad you got through to them. You'll have to show us some of your work some time. Sounds fascinating."
"Sure. Maybe when I get back," Cathy half promised. She knew her parents weren't so interested in the actual content as just having her do something she liked. At the same time, she knew that no matter how old she was, the incident would always be fresh in their memories. Frankly, it was a miracle they had allowed her to pursue it this far.
It was partially their fault.
Cathy pushed aside the thought as food began arriving. Hungrily, she looked down at the meal before her. The outside had the look of being cooked, but that was where it ended. The center was still very red, and only a few steps above having been sliced straight off the animal.
"Thanks for taking me out." Cathy smiled as she took the first bite. The meat was quite soft, and she could practically feel it melt as she chewed.
"Believe me, it was our pleasure. Besides, not many places will serve that," her mother pointed out. Cathy had to admit it was true. "Speaking of, will you be able to get enough to eat when you start working?"
"Jurassic World has some investments by grocery suppliers. I know for a fact that there is a general grocery on the island. The employee housing also has kitchens, so I can prepare my own meals. No shortage of meat."
"Never would have thought my daughter would be such a carnivore," her father chuckled. Cathy had to laugh at that; despite the trouble it sometimes caused, she did find it funny. She watched passively as her parents took sips from their wine, glancing at her own water disinterestedly.
Had she a choice in the matter, she would have chosen water anyway, but her physiology did not play well with alcohol, or most fermented things for that matter. At least her parents wouldn't have to worry about her going and drinking.
"How much free time will you have?" her mother asked.
"Probably not a lot at first, seeing as I will be having orientations and such, but after that it will depend on the contract," Cathy explained vaguely. That would be the official terms of course, but she doubted she would let herself rest much even when she wasn't required to be working. Getting to this point had already cost her a lot of time, and she couldn't afford to sit around.
"Well, try and enjoy at least a little bit while you're there. Do you want the MV Interloper brought over, maybe enjoy some…"
Cathy tuned out her parent's suppositions of all the "fun" things she could do with the boat, as most of them revolved around spending time in the sun, or around other people, two things she was not keen on. However, it did make the gears in her head turn.
She had considered bringing the boat along, though she had long struggled to find a reason her parents would allow it. While it was technically hers, they had purchased it for her, so they technically had the final say. She wasn't quite sure what she would use it for, but it was always good to have.
"That would be wonderful," she finally agreed. There was a moment where she could see her parents waiting for her to continue, but it was thankfully short.
"I'll make the arrangement," her father promised before continuing on some tangent. She smiled and nodded occasionally, simply enjoying her parents' company. She laughed at her father's jokes while making a few of her own before both of them had to be reminded of etiquette by her mother, who just smiled slightly despite her advice.
Just for one evening, it all felt normal.