Luciana

III

The control room is quiet when Claire and I rush in.

"Everyone remain calm."

There's no response from the shaken attendants and the solemn expressions on their faces makes my mouth go dry. What just happened was an atrocity but it would pale in comparison to what would happen if Isla were allowed into a populated area.

"The implant will shock it if it gets too close to a perimeter fence," Claire says clearly and rushes to lean over Lowery's computer.

"Okay, it's moving really fast," he comments uneasily. Vivian promptly taps her headset and begins issuing an alert.

"This is control, put out a park-wide alert-"

"Hang up the damn phone, please!"

Masrani barks and Vivian halts mid sentence.

"Sorry, I'm getting new information. Everything is fine," she lies in a shaky voice.

"Let Asset Containment capture it quietly. The very existence of this park is predicated on our ability to handle incidents like this," Masrani advises calmly. "It was an eventuality, okay?"

"You should put that in the brochure. Eventually, one of these things will eat somebody," Lowery snarks, not at all impressed with how Masrani wants to handle this. I don't agree with him at all but I can see his reasoning.

"That paddock is four miles from the closest attraction. ACU can handle this, no one else is gonna get-"

"Eaten?" Lowery finishes for Claire.

Claire looks to me and I meet her gaze while swallowing down the growing lump in my throat.

"I'll call ACU and discuss details," I volunteer and turn my back on everyone while briskly exiting to escape the cloistering tension.

Organization and attention to detail have always been my strong suit so I can do both under stress.

III

Alexandra

III

The raptor research arena is abustle when I pull up in my black Subaru.

Parking, I shut the car off and step out of the AC and into the beating sun. Sunglasses shield my eyes from the worst of it but the heat makes me regret wearing a jacket.

Strolling up to the raptor holding area, where I usually find Owen Grady, I instead come upon Barry and Hoskins.

They are closely watching the raptors in their separate body cages and Barry is softly stroking Echo.

"Barry!" I call and his gaze jerks up. The man smiles at me and comes around to let me in to the feeding area.

"Aakarshaka! This is about the intern earlier?" He questions and I chuckle. Barry has never shied away from calling me by my real name and not the easier American version.

"Barry you know it is. As the parks Employee Safety Supervisor I have to investigate all incidents involving foolish interns and hungry raptors as well as heroic trainers," I respond, somewhat sarcastically. Taking a short investigative glance around before, I lean in to whisper a smug comment to Barry. "Sometimes I swear you're the only sane person around here."

"These people never learn," he concurs and I chuckle.

"At the very least I'm getting paid to clean up their messes." Lowering my voice to an even quieter level I shoot Hoskins the tiniest of looks and pose a question to Barry. "We don't like him do we?"

"Not at all," he murmurs back and then in sync we both turn back to Hoskins and give fake smiles.

There's a second of silence before Hoskins opens his mouth to ask the most basic of questions.

"How fast can they run?"'

"Forty," Barry responds and moves to stroke Delta. "Fifty when they're hungry."

"You ever open them up, see what they can do?" he continues and I frown.

"No," Barry replies the second I snap out a similar response.

"Of course not."

Promptly at our words Delta jerks and growls at the offending man.

"Shit!" He swears and jumps back. "That got me. It got me."

"What do you think? Want to take one home?" Barry teases.

"That'd be a mess of paperwork," I grumble and cross my arms.

"Hey, don't joke," he says and then launches into a story I care not to hear. "When I was your age, I rescued a wolf pup. It was, like, two months old. It could barely walk. It used to sleep by my bed. Watch over me." He pauses and I raise an eyebrow. "My wife, she came at me with a steak knife. It took a chunk out of her arm."

Suddenly there's burning question in my head, what did he do to his wife to make her want to attack him?

"Did you put him down?" Barry queries, a safer question than the one I have in mind.

"Hell, no. We had an unshakeable bond, you know? Just like you and..." Hoskins trails off and rudely points at the raptor. "What's his name?"

"Delta. And she's a girl," Barry states calmly and I roll my eyes.

"Can I?" Hoskins gestures to Delta and Barry barely tilts his head. Hoskins pats Delta who instantly snarls insidiously. "Wow." Scoffing I shake my head at the scene.

Just as the conversation settles a sharp automated voice comes over the speakers in the same moment my phone and Barry's buzz.

"Code 19!"

Barry and I whip out our phones and the second I read the message my heart skips a beat. There was a breach in the new paddock, two men are down, and the asset has escaped.

"That's the new one! They said we lost two guys!" Barry shouts to his fellow raptor staff while I stare at my phone.

"What's a Code 19?" Hoskins questions.

"That's Indominus!" Barry yells and I pinch my nose. Barry turns to Hoskins and I, saying what I can't admit. "Asset out of containment. These people, they never learn."

Taking a moment I inhale and prepare myself for panic mode. Barry storms by us and Hoskins flips out his own phone. I must still look dazed because he holds it up and grumbles something to himself he wouldn't want me to hear.

"They're gonna learn all kinds of things about their new asset now." He dials a fast numbers and holds it to his ear. "Hey. Yeah, it's me. We might have an opportunity here."

My eyes narrow as he walks off and I huff. I leave the control room for one morning and all hell breaks loose.

My own phone comes up to my ear and I patiently wait for the control room to pick up. I have a royal scolding to handout.

III

Persephone

III

"You guys been here before?" The question is the cheesiest way to start a flirtatious conversation and it comes from Zach. He's trying his hand at flirting with the girls sitting behind us on the monorail, well behind Zach and Gray and in front of me. The seats are in pairs but you can turn any set to make a quad.

"If Mom and Dad get divorced, will one of us be with Mom and the other with Dad?"

The question is like a smack in the face, one that make me choke on the water I'm drinking. Zach whips around with wide eyes, his attention now fully on Gray. After a minute of stunned silence from Zach and shocked coughing from me, the two of us manage to compose ourselves.

"What? Why would you say that?" Zach demands and I swallow nervously. Oh the cat is out of the bag now, I knew it wouldn't take Gray long to find out.

"Because they are."

"No, they're not getting-" Zach stutters and glances at my revealing eyes. "They're not getting divorced."

"Look. You haven't been around long enough. They've always been that way," Zach reasons and ignores my nervous expression.

"They get mail from two different lawyers," Gray states.

"That doesn't mean anything," Zach snaps. He's growing frustrated in his disbelief.

"I googled. They're divorce lawyers," Gray deadpans and Zach sighs. He looks to me and I give a tiny nod of confirmation.

"I'm sorry," I murmur and Zach frowns.

"You've known this entire time?!" Zach hisses with betrayal painted on his face and Gray only gazed at me with heartbroken eyes. "Of course you have."

"It wasn't my place to tell," I say plaintively. "And I was trying to protect you."

"All right, whatever," Zach grumbles and shakes his head. He's angry but he's trying to brush it off and shield himself. "You know what? It doesn't matter, okay? I'm gonna be gone next year anyway." Gray flinches at the premise of being left behind and despite the compromising conversation I jump in.

"Zach," I warn and he rolls his eyes at me.

"I mean, all my friends' parents are divorced," he continues and Gray starts sniffling and crying. "Hey, knock it off. You're gonna cry?"

"Zach!" I snap and stand up, pushing Zach aside to squeeze in between the pair so I can comfort Gray.

"Look. You're gonna get two of everything, right? You're gonna get two birthdays, two Thanksgivings, two-"

"I don't want two of everything," Gray spits out, cutting off Zach's list.

"Yeah, well, it's not up to you. All right? There's a point you have to grow up. You shouldn't have even had a nanny this long," Zach sneers and I elbow him sharply. Gray, however, nods and pulls away from my arms. It's cold rejection and I hastily move back to my own seat.

Grey stares out from the glass window and it falls silent between the three of us.

In truth I haven't really been Gray's nanny for the past two years, I've been more of an older sister watching over him.

Outside the window am entourage of armored vehicles tearing down the dirt road catches my eye and peaks my curiosity.