Here's the rest of chapter 15. 8D Since I spliced it in half. So it's a bit on the shorter side. BUT LOVE IT ANYWAYS!
Raptor
Chapter 16: Guide
He wasn't exactly sure how his little brother felt. The kid seemed to be having fun with their aunt. But Zach would have much rather stayed with Owen. He pulled out his phone as he leaned back at the table. They were in a too fancy restaurant and Gray was talking. Again. He was telling their aunt everything they'd seen and done since they got there. And everything Owen had done. Zach wondered how Owen would feel about that. He wanted to tell to tell Gray to shut up, because he didn't want the man to get in trouble. But he couldn't get Gray's attention, at least not without alerting Claire in some way. Zach gave up. Idly, he wondered what Owen was doing. And wondered just how inappropriate it would be to text him and see. And then Zach thought he was being a pathetic, creepy teenage stalker. Which he totally was. But he was also wondering if he should give Owen a heads up, about possibly being in trouble.
It got quiet for a few minutes when Gray ran to the restroom. Claire breathed out a sigh of relief and leaned back in her seat. She watched as Gray disappeared in the direction she'd pointed. "He always that..." She paused and didn't finish.
Zach smiled slightly. It was hard to describe Gray's brand of energy in a word. He felt like he needed a book's worth of words to do it justice. "Yes." He answered.
She shook her head for a moment before turning towards Zach. "How are you doing?" She asked, her voice full of pity.
"Fine." He answered sharply without looking up from his phone. He was tired of being asked. He wanted everyone to just leave him alone about his stupid injured back.
Claire took the hint and nodded. "So you have a girlfriend?"
"Yes."
"Have you been together long?"
Zach shrugged.
Claire nodded again slowly. "Your mom tells me all the time about you being on the track team."
"I got kicked off." He stated dryly.
"Oh..."
"Failed a class." He continued. "GPA fell below the minimum requirement."
"Oh... I'm sorry."
Zach shrugged. "Coach said they'd let me back on in time for conditioning if I took summer school next month. Some online thing I think."
"Oh. That's good. She was telling me how good you are at it." She said with a smile. "You won some trophies."
Zach nodded slowly. "Yep. Best on the team. That's why the coach wants me back so bad."
"That's good." She said.
Zach nodded again. She was trying. And it was a good start. She sounded genuinely interested. But he really wasn't in a talking mood. He didn't feel like making small talk with her. That was Gray's job and Zach would leave it to him.
"You didn't eat." She said, her eyes dropping to his barely picked at plate.
Zach shrugged. "Not really hungry. We sorta just ate before you showed up."
"Oh." She breathed out and looked away. "Sorry... I didn't ask... I should have asked..."
Zach set his phone down on the table. He'd just been pretending to look at it, anyways. He leaned forward and looked at her. "It's fine. We can take it back to the room with us. We'll probably eat it later."
Claire looked back at him and smiled. "Gray said you guys had a picnic out at the volcano."
"It was safe!" Zach said quickly. "Owen said there weren't any dinos there. Just like... pigs and monkeys."
Claire let out a laugh and nodded. "I know. But you did have to go through the dinos to get there."
"Is he in trouble?"
"Did you have fun?" She asked.
Zach nodded his head quickly. "I did." He said. "It was pretty cool." He said and she smiled. It again looked genuine and Zach tried hard to remember the last time he'd seen her smile at him like that. He wondered if he ever had. But then Gray came back to the table, all smiles and excitement again. And he took over again. And that was fine with Zach.
They got boxes for the food and packed it up. Claire mentioned showing them something but a phone call stopped her. She hung it up and looked down at them. "I have to do something real quick..." She let out a sigh.
"It's fine." Zach said as they got into her car. "Just drop us off at the hotel."
She still into the front seat and glanced at him, hesitation on her face. "Are you sure?"
Zach nodded. "Yeah. Go do whatever you have to do. We'll be fine."
She smiled and nodded as she started the car. "Okay. I'll pick you guys up tomorrow at 8, alright? I've cleared my whole day and I thought I could take you around the island myself."
"Really?" Gray asked.
Claire nodded. "I can take you backstage." She said with a smile. "Show you all the behind the scenes stuff."
Zach nodded his head and fought back against rolling his eyes. Wasn't that exactly what Owen had said? Claire had asked him to show them all the super cool secret stuff. Zach didn't doubt that Claire had some secrets she could show them. And it might be interesting. Probably not. But Gray would probably like it. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad.
"And then..." Claire kept talking. "The day after, we're closing for a week. We'll be working all day on closing things down, getting all the guests out before the investors come. I thought I could show you the control room."
Gray's eyes lit up. "Where Lowery works?"
Claire tilted her head for a moment. "Yes."
"He talked to us when we were in the gyros." Gray explained before she could even ask.
Zach didn't say anything. He didn't really want to hang out in some stuffy office all day. But Claire and Gray both seemed really excited. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. It probably would be. Both days with her would probably be boring. But at least she was tying. Zach couldn't fault her for that.
Zach was lying on his bed, flipping through the channels on the TV. Gray was on his, rifling through a stack of brochures he got from the front desk. Zach glanced over at him and shook his head and smiled. Zach wasn't sure why he was even reading them. The kid already knew everything about the park and had been to all the rides and shows.
Claire had dropped them off an hour ago, promising again to pick them up tomorrow. Gray was excited and Zach was doubtful. But whatever. Hopefully she'd show and be able to spend a little time with them. For Gray's sake. Zach really didn't care. But Gray would. He glanced sideways at his little brother. Alone and back in the hotel room, and Gray was quiet. Zach wondered what the kid was thinking about, as he stared at the park pamphlets. "Hey... uh... you okay?" He asked awkwardly.
Gray looked over at him. He dropped the folded paper he was holding on the bed. He nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm okay. Are you okay?"
Zach nodded. "Yeah."
"Can I look?"
Zach nodded his head. He sat up slowly. It still hurt a bit. But now it felt more like a pulled muscle. He'd pulled muscles before in his legs. It was just a dull throb. As long as he took it slow and easy for a few more days, it was fine. It would hurt more if he didn't, he was sure.
Gray eased off his bed and stepped towards Zach's. He climbed up on the bed and sat behind Zach. He gently pulled up the hem of Zach's shirt and made a face.
"What's it look like?" Zach asked.
"Gross." Gray answered. "Blue and purple. And a little greenish yellow around the edges."
"Means it's healing, right?"
Gray nodded. "Yeah. Blood loses oxygen and turns the purple-blue color. And then your body starts producing these compounds to break it up, called biliverdin and bilirubin. That's why it turns green and yellow."
Zach kind of zoned out for a second. "Interesting." He said.
"It is." Gray smiled, dropping Zach's shirt. He pulled his legs up under him and sat back. "But you don't really think so."
"Not really." Zach shrugged slightly as he turned a bit, looking back at Gray. "You sure you're okay?"
Gray nodded again.
"Just... quiet." Zach said.
Gray breathed in deeply and nodded. "Tired." He said.
Zach watched him for a moment longer, wondering. "You wanna just put on a movie and go to sleep?"
Gray nodded his head. "Can I lay here with you? For just a little bit?"
Zach nodded. The king size bed was ridiculously big and easily fit them both comfortably. Gray put on some dumb, low-budget dinosaur monster movie. It was really bad and really funny and both brothers laughed loudly. For a moment, as the so-called dino trainer paraded across the screen, Zach thought about Owen. He thought about the way the man reacted when Zach touched his leg. Jumping up so dramatically with just a touch. And neither confirming or denying the possibility of a boyfriend. Zach would bet the man was bisexual, at least. He wondered if Owen was really attracted to him? And if so, why? Because he was younger? Zach didn't really care. He'd be an adult at the end of the year and he'd be gone from the island in a week anyways. Well... 9 days. He wasn't exactly counting down the days. Because maybe, despite being stuck with Gray and their uncaring stranger aunt and being injured, he was sort of having fun. Maybe he was having fun.
Zach's phone suddenly buzzed, drawing his attention away from his thoughts and the dumb movie. He let out a sigh as he rolled over, wincing just the tiniest bit. His phone was sitting on the nightstand, plugged in and charging. Another message from his girlfriend, probably. He really should have broken it off with her before he left. Maybe she was a bit more attached to him than he originally thought. And he felt a bit bad about that. He'd break it off with her when he got home. Screw waiting until after graduation. He grabbed the phone and pulled it closer to him. But it wasn't a text from her. It was a text from Owen. Zach's eyes widened as he opened the message and read the two words.
You busy?
Zach smiled and texted back. No.
Claire around?
No. Hanging at the hotel. Zach typed back.
Can I call you?
Zach glanced at Gray and the kid was smiling, still deep into the badly made movie. He cleared his throat and stood up slowly, moving a bit more awkwardly than he needed. "Getting a little stiff." He lifted his arms above his head, stretching out. It wasn't a lie, he was getting stiff. "Gonna go walk down the hall a bit."
Gray glanced up at him. "You need to drink more water. You're not drinking enough."
Zach rolled his eyes. "I'm drinking plenty."
"Don't go too far."
Zach rolled his eyes and waved his hand. "I'll be right back." He quickly texted a yes back to Owen as he slipped out into the hall. Almost immediately, the phone rang. Zach smiled as he started down the hall. He answered and pressed it to his ear. "Hi." He said softly.
"Hey." Owen breathed out with a heavy sigh.
Zach slowed. That sounded like more than a simple this-annoying-teenager-keeps-flirting-with-me sigh. "What's wrong?"
There was a pause. Then another sigh followed. "Fucking Hoskins." Owen ground out.
Zach tilted his head a bit as he ducked into the back stairwell. He closed the door behind him and shivered for a moment. It was a bit chilly in there. He eased down on the top step and leaned back a bit. He wasn't sure he knew the name. Or if he should. But he could guess from the anger and frustration he could hear in Owen's voice. "Your boss?"
"He's crazy!" Owen snapped.
Zach rolled his eyes and breathed out, the sound a halfway between a sigh and a laugh. That was rich coming from Owen. The guy who talks to dinosaurs and plays inside their cages and watches movies and wrestles with them.
"I mean really crazy." Owen added quickly, almost like reading Zach's thoughts. "Not like me crazy. Like real crazy, crazy."
Zach smiled. At least Owen knew he was crazy. That was something.
Owen continued on talking. "He thinks he can use my girls as weapons."
Zach frowned. "Weapons?"
"Yeah." Owen snorted. "Crazy shit. Thinks they can be trained and controlled to like... go into enemy territory and find and eat enemies."
"Like military?" Zach asked. "Terrorists?"
"Yeah." Owen snapped. "He thinks because I convinced them not to eat you and because I can go in the cage, they are fully obedient. And that obedience can be like... taught or transferred to someone else. Someone like him, I think."
Zach laughed and shook his head. "I can't see anyone but your crazy ass in there."
"Exactly!" Owen sounded exasperated. "I'm the only one they listen to." Owen's voice was almost a whine. "And Barry. Well sometimes Barry. There's a few others they'll tolerate. But that's it. Tolerate." Owen stressed the word. "The shit Hoskins is talking about... ain't no fucking way."
"Has anyone really tried?" Zach asked. "Like really tried?"
"No one besides Barry." Owen answered. "I don't think they'd listen to anyone new. Certainly not someone who pisses them off."
Zach flinched a bit. "Like me?" He asked softly.
"Well... no." Owen said awkwardly. "Didn't mean you. You didn't mean to piss them off."
Zach leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "So you think they'd listen to me?"
Owen was silent a moment. "I don't know if they'd be willing to." Owen said softly. "Maybe Echo. But certainly not Blue or Delta. They'd both just laugh at me for even letting you try."
Zach smiled. "Can I try?"
Owen laughed. "You wanna try working with Echo?" He laughed again. "Yeah, sure. Why not? You can try. Don't think it'll work. Actually I know it won't work." He added quickly. "She's the one who likes you the best. But she's the one who listens the worst."
Zach let out a laugh. "Then at least it'll be entertaining for the rest of you."
And Owen was still laughing.
"Tomorrow?" Zach asked.
"No." Owen breathed out, sounding full of real regret. "Not tomorrow."
"Why not?" Zach actually whined.
"Because Sir Dickwad lined up more demos for me to do without telling me. The entire fucking day, he's parading military investors through."
Zach raised an eyebrow at the maybe nickname. But he didn't ask. "Can't I... uh... we come and just watch."
Owen paused for a moment. "Why?"
"Because!" Zach said the word dramatically. He slipped off the step and started walking down them slowly. "She wants to take us around the park tomorrow." He whined. "Aunt Claire!"
Owen let out a sharp laugh. "Oh, I feel so sorry for you. It's gonna be the most organized and scheduled and fact filled tour of the part ever."
"It's gonna suck." Zach whined again.
"Probably."
"So save us!" Zach begged.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Come kidnap us again."
Owen laughed loudly. "She'd kill me."
"We can hide better."
"Did you miss the part where I have to work tomorrow?" Owen asked dryly. "I have a job, you know."
Zach rolled his eyes. "Your job is being an awesome raptor guy."
"Yes. And I have to do it tomorrow."
Zach sighed as he reached the bottom of the steps to the next floor. He turned slightly and leaned against the wall. "We can watch."
"No." Owen said quickly. "Not with Hoskins around. He's looking for any opportunity to screw me over."
Zach let out a groan. "Fine! What about the day after?"
"You don't give up, do you?"
"Never." Zach whispered.
Owen was silent after that. For a few long minutes. So long, Zach was certain the man had hung up. But finally, Owen breathed out, long and hard over the line. "About that..." He finally said, his voice low.
"You should just let the guy try." Zach interrupted quickly.
"Huh?" Owen sounded caught off guard.
"Hoskins." Zach said. "Let him in the cage and try."
"Oh." Owen breathed in and let out a loud laugh. "Maaaaan. You have no idea how close. Delta's been itching to eat him. Or anyone, really. She's always been a little... scary in that way." He sighed. "But then the paperwork and your aunt would probably be mad. So it probably wouldn't be worth it at all."
Zach smiled as he pushed off the wall. He took a few steps across the empty stairwell. "They all seem to... have different personalities."
Owen laughed again, softer this time, and it made Zach smile. "Yeah." Owen breathed out. "They do." He said fondly. "Charlie's the motherly one. Echo is the spoiled bratty baby. Delta's the loud one. And Blue's the boss who keeps them all in line. Well... she tries her best. And when it counts, they do listen."
Zach could hear the happiness in Owen's voice whenever he talked about his raptors. He'd seen the light in the man's eyes when they were together. Owen loved his raptors, more than pets. Like family, like his kids. And Zach wanted to listen to Owen talk more. "Was it... uh... hard to get them... to like bond with you? Like they're so... attached."
"Wasn't hard at all." Owen said. "I live in a trailer, far from the park shit. And I had them, all four, as eggs. Just me and them, alone in my trailer for months. Now that really had people thinking I was crazy." He said with a laugh.
Zach smiled again. "You are crazy."
"No." Owen said quickly. "The crazy thing was me carrying the eggs around everywhere I went, in this sling thing against my chest."
"You did?"
"Yeah. And I talked to them." Owen sighed but it sounded like a content, happy sigh. "I was the first thing they saw when they hatched. Well... the first thing Blue saw. Then she sorta was first for the rest. While Delta was hatching, Blue stuck her nose right into her egg and chirped. I thought she'd end up deaf." He sighed again. "They were so small."
Zach closed his eyes for a moment, wondering what that picture would look like. Owen talking to a bunch of eggs. Then trying to wrangle four tiny raptors in a trailer. "Do you have like... pictures?"
"I do." Owen answered. "Pictures and videos. Lots of them. Had to keep records."
"I'd like to see them." Zach said. "Gray would too, I'm sure."
"Yeah, okay." Owen let out a sigh. "Not why I called." He mumbled after a moment. "But thanks for talking. Helped calm me down. You probably just saved that asshole's life."
Zach smiled again and felt his cheeks heat up. "Why did you call?" He asked softly.
Owen let out another loud sigh. "About... whatever... happened earlier..." He started awkwardly and paused. " I uh... I don't know what's going on with me... but uh... it uh... can't... happen." The raptor alpha was babbling.
"What are you talking about?" Zach played dumb. "What can't happen?"
"You little shit." Owen snapped lowly. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Zach swallowed. Yeah, he knew exactly what Owen was talking about. He bit his lip. "Why not?" His voice was barely a whisper.
Owen breathed in so deeply, Zach could hear it over the line. "Just can't."
"But..."
"Drop it, Zach."
Zach sighed. "Can we come over the day after tomorrow?"
"Because you want to try with Echo?" Owen asked, "Nothing else?"
"Yes."
Owen was silent again for a moment. "I got a thing I gotta do that morning. But I can come get you guys around noon. If that'll work."
Yes!" Zach said quickly, nodding to himself. "That'll work." That would work perfectly.
"Alright. Uh... bye, Zach."
Zach closed his eyes for a moment. "Goodnight, Owen." He breathed out. He hung up and sighed. He walked back up the stairs to their floor slowly. He sulked a bit as he headed back to the room. He eased the door open slowly and peeked in. Gray was asleep, laying on top of the blanket. Zach pulled the blanket off Gray's bed and threw it over the sleeping kid. Then he climbed in beside his brother.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Claire was prompt. She arrived exactly at 8. "Have you eaten?" She asked them. They both nodded and she smiled. "Good. Let's go." Owen was right. She had everything planned down to a science. Every moment was scheduled, including bathroom, snack, meal, and shopping breaks. She scheduled rides and exhibits in such an order that Zach never really tired. Short bouts of walking or standing, followed by things that required sitting. Zach had to give her credit. She really had it down to a science. And she never stopped talking. But it wasn't about them or family or even about the fun aspect of the park. It was about numbers and projections and ratings. Which exhibits were the most profitable, which cost the most, which were crowd favorites. And not just about the exhibits, but about every vendor they passed. She knew exactly how much it cost per portion of product that the cotton candy girl sold. And she told the brothers, as she offered to buy them some. Zach declined but Gray eagerly nodded his head and they waited in line. And Claire started rattling off statistics about the stone tiles on the ground beneath their feet.
Zach stepped a few feet away, across said stone tiles, and moved out of earshot. It was almost 3 in the afternoon at that point. He was mentally exhausted, listening to Claire and Gray talk. Owen could match Gray in energy. And Claire could match the kid in useless words. Zach glanced back at them, still standing in line. Claire was pointing at something, Zach wasn't sure what, but Gray was smiling and nodding and paying rapt attention. And maybe Claire was trying, as best as she knew how. She was a business woman, giving a business tour. That's what she knew how to do. And, at least to Gray, maybe she wasn't doing half bad.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Author's Notes: Up next... Zach goes to hang with Owen alone and Gray hangs with Claire. I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN?! MAYBE SOME REAL PLOT? Or just some more high-school-esc flirting? Or more of Echo mindlessly talking about Nemo? Or do you really care? 8D Just as long as I still bring the awesome?
