5
The three Mitchells stared at Claire, digesting what they'd just been told.
"That poor child," Karen said quietly.
Claire was stern. "You can't tell anyone."
"We won't," Gray said immediately.
Owen leaned forward. "We're serious about this, guys. You've seen firsthand the way genetic manipulation can get out of hand, and we don't know what would happen if the wrong people found out."
"We're serious, too," Zach said, looking straight into Owen's eyes. "We won't tell anyone."
Owen smiled. "I know you won't."
Lucy had been dormant on the carpet during this conversation, so when she suddenly sat up, ears perked, everyone turned in time to see Maisie disappear back up the stairs.
Claire made to follow, and Zach grabbed her arm.
"Let me and Gray talk to her." Seeing his aunt's hesitation, he added, "She needs to know that her secret is safe with us."
Claire nodded reluctantly. "Okay."
Owen blew out a breath. "We really need to have a talk about eavesdropping."
Upstairs, Gray knocked on his bedroom door. "Maisie? It's me and Zach. Can we come in?"
"It's your room," came the subdued reply. The brothers looked at each other and decided to take that as a 'yes.'
Maisie was huddled in Gray's beanbag chair in the corner, clutching a journal to her chest and staring down at the floor. She didn't look up when they walked in.
Zach sat cross-legged on the floor a few feet away and Gray perched on the bed, swinging his legs.
"Maisie," Zach began, "It doesn't matter where you came from."
"I think it's awesome!" Gray exclaimed, ignoring his brother's warning look. "You're the first human clone ever!"
"Gray, not the time," Zach hissed.
Maisie slowly unfolded her legs and turned to face them. She sighed. "I'm not even sure what's bothering me the most. I just feel betrayed. Grandpa lied to me, and now he isn't here to explain why. It feels like everything came crashing down at once, and I don't know where I fit anymore. And seeing what happened with the Indoraptor…I don't want to be turned into some kind of science experiment."
"We aren't going to tell anyone," Zach assured her.
"We wouldn't do that," Gray added. "But not because there's anything wrong with you. You're just…different."
"I don't want to be different," Maisie whispered.
"I don't think we get to choose," Gray said apologetically. He nodded at the book Maisie was holding. "What's that?"
"It's Grandpa's secret journal. He's never let me look inside, but I took it from his bedroom," Maisie admitted. "...do you think that's okay?"
Zach shrugged. "If you're the only family he had, I think that means it belongs to you now."
She flipped it over, and then over again. "I'm afraid to read it."
"Why?"
"He always kept it so private...what if there are more secrets in here? Things I might not want to know?"
Gray slipped off the bed and joined the other two on the floor. "But what if it answers some of your questions?"
Maisie ran her fingers across the cover. Then she reached between the pages and pulled out a photo. She looked up at the brothers, almost shyly.
"The thing is, I knew something was off. I saw this photograph." She held it out. It looked like an old snapshot of Maisie herself, but when the brothers looked at her questioningly, Maisie shook her head. "It's not me. I mean, it is me, but…it's not."
"Wow," Gray said, looking from the picture to Maisie.
She slid the photo back into the book. "If there's more Grandpa was hiding, I'm not sure I want to find out."
"Do you want one of us to look at it?" Gray asked.
Maisie chewed on her lip as she considered the offer. "No," she decided. "I need to do this myself. I'm just not ready yet."
:
Zach woke early the next morning, after a surprisingly solid night of sleep.
He rolled over and pulled his phone off the charger. It had become a morning ritual to check the news first thing, in case he needed to run damage control with his mother or brother.
The past few mornings had held little of interest, but today there was a red banner across the top of the screen and the first word his eyes caught was 'killed.' Reluctantly, he tapped the link and skimmed the article grimly.
Tyrannosaurus Rex…attack at the Sacramento Zoo…happened after hours…three employees killed…
Zach grimaced. Sometimes having 24/7 access to news really sucked.
He found his aunt and Owen in the kitchen, making coffee.
"I don't think we should watch the news this morning," he said, holding the screen out so they could see.
Owen cursed and rubbed a hand down his face. "Well, it was going to happen sooner or later."
Gray chose that moment to walk in. He saw Claire, whose eyes had filled with tears, and stopped short.
"Aunt Claire? What's wrong?"
She brushed at her eyes and tried to laugh. "Nothing, sweetie."
Pursing his lips, Gray turned to Zach, who reluctantly handed over his phone. Gray read the headline and his shoulders slumped.
"Let's not tell Mom and Maisie."
"Tell me what?" Karen padded into the room on slippered feet.
Owen, a much better actor than Claire, adopted a "caught in the act" expression.
"Well, we were gonna surprise you with breakfast, but looks like that ship just sailed."
If Karen suspected anything, she didn't show it. She laughed and helped herself to the rest of the coffee.
"Hey, if you want to make breakfast, go right ahead. I'll consider myself off duty."
"In fact, why don't we leave you boys in charge this morning?" Claire suggested.
Owen looked vaguely panicked. "Claire, I'm not so sure that's a good idea. Remember when I tried to make you breakfast in bed?"
Claire smiled slyly. "Oh, that was one time. I'm sure you won't set my sister's kitchen on fire."
"Fire?" Karen squeaked.
Gray gave her a gentle push in the direction of the living room. "Relax, Mom. We'll have Owen butter the toast."
:
Sometime after breakfast, Zach traipsed into the living room. It was empty except for Maisie, who was curled up in an armchair with a book in her lap. There were several more stacked on the end table next to her.
"Do you mind if I hang out in here with you?" She shook her head, and he flopped onto the couch. He eyed the books at Maisie's elbow. "You like to read, huh?"
She blushed. "I like to learn new things."
"I'm not much of a reader," Zach confessed, holding up his phone. "So I've been looking at lists of interesting dinosaur facts online." He glanced at the screen. "Listen to this one: some dinosaurs swallow rocks."
Maisie nodded, launching into lecture mode. "Sauropods use them for digestion. The rocks, called gastroliths, grind down their food, and then they spit them out."
Zach squinted. "And…which ones are sauropods?"
She smiled. "The really big ones with long necks, like the brachiosaurus, brontosaurus, and apatosaurus."
"You know a lot about dinosaurs, huh? So does Gray."
"What's it like to have a little brother?" Maisie asked curiously. "I always sort of wished I had one."
Zach made a face. "Annoying, mostly." He grinned. "I'm kidding. I mean, he drives me crazy sometimes, but he's okay."
"You seem to get along pretty well."
"We didn't always," Zach admitted. "What happened at Jurassic World changed a lot of stuff."
Maisie set her book aside. "Will you tell me about it? The park, I mean. Was it as amazing as it sounds?"
Zach's eyes glazed over as the memories of those first few hours on the island returned. He recalled the awed look on Gray's face when they'd first arrived at the resort, and the way his own heart had soared guiding the gyrosphere across the grassy plain.
He smiled. "Yeah. It was incredible."