Disclaimer: I do not own the Jurassic Park franchise or any of it's characters; I only own the characters and plots of my own mind.
6. Welcome To Jurassic Park
With the encounter with Wu fresh in their minds, the small group Hammond had been leading began to descend the main staircase. Alan kept his hand firmly planted on Gwyn's shoulder, keeping her close to his side. There had been a swift rush of anger that had swept through Alan's body when Wu had approached with Gwyn's arm curled in his grasp. The man had rubbed Alan the wrong way initially, but now he was sure that, should he see the scientist again, there would be many strong words. Words he had, moments ago, refrained from saying in front of his daughter and their present company. Ellie looked none too pleased with the encounter either, her brows having crinkled together in concern for the eleven year-old's well-being. Though Gwyn had seemingly handled it well, and had only come out disgruntled; and likely with a grudge towards the man who had dragged her upstairs. The fact that she had handled herself so well in such an uncommon and upsetting situation gave Alan reason to be proud. She was a self-assured girl; and that was something he hoped she would always hold on to.
"You five are going to have a little company out in the park. Spend a little time with our target audience," Hammond informed brightly. Alan pulled his brows together at the mention of a 'target audience.' He briefly contemplated who Hammond could have meant––paleontologists? Scientists? Millionaires that had money to invest? Alan wondered who he would be stuck with for the remainder of the weekend, and lamented the fact he would likely not enjoy their company.
"Grandpa!" exclaimed two young voices. Everyone's attention was directed to the lobby, where two children around Gwyn's age had appeared.
"Kids!" Hammond replied, equally as enthusiastic. The two children immediately rushed for the stairs, barrelling past park workers who smiled in their wake, and met Hammond half-way. He laughed heartily as they attacked him in a simultaneous hug, which effectively knocked him to the steps.
"Careful with me!" he chuckled.
"We missed you!" exclaimed the older of the two kids, a blonde haired girl in a baseball cap.
"Me too!" called out the younger one, a blonde boy with a backpack.
The family reunion continued, with excitedly exchanged words and thanks for gifts. Gwyn leaned into her father's side so she might peer around Ellie, trying to get a better look at the new arrivals. Alan gave her shoulder a little squeeze as he shared a look with Ellie. It was a look that conveyed his less than enthusiastic attitude towards having more children join the group. Gwyn being his daughter, he knew how she would react what was to come on the tour; but these children were unknown factors. At first impression, they did not seem to have the maturity that Gwyn did. They reacted in the manner that most children did and spoke quickly and over one another, trying to have their voices heard at the same time. And that sparked a little surge of dread inside Alan's stomach.
"Oh, children, children, help me up," insisted Hammond, holding out his arms. Both kids aided their grandfather in standing, smiling brightly the whole time. Hammond then turned to face the rest of the group, proudly placing a hand on the girl's left shoulder, and the boy's right. "Everyone, may I introduce you to my grandchildren––Lex and Tim Murphy."
"Hi," they both chorused, voices going a little quiet with shyness. Hammond chuckled at them and then swept a hand forward to gesture to the group that stood before them.
"Lex, Tim… this is Mr. Gennaro, Dr. Ian Malcolm, Dr. Ellie Sattler, Dr. Alan Grant, and his daughter Gwyn."
Hammond had gestured to each of them as he said their name, a friendly smile plastered on his face as he did so. With introductions made, the group on the stairs said their first hellos. Gwyn felt excited that there would be kids her age on the island. While she loved spending time with her father and Ellie, she was still generally treated as a child; and that was often times how she spent most of her days. The only child surrounded by a handful of adults. And it was sometimes infuriating, because she felt as though she was so mature for her age, and no one ever really acknowledged it. So it would be nice to be on the same footing as someone else, if even only for a little while.
They were then prompted to step outside so they could begin their tour. Before leaving the visitor's center, however, Ellie hung back and kept Gwyn at her side. She bent down on one knee and clasped Gwyn's face between both her hands. Concern crinkled her eyebrows and turned her lips into a frown, as she have the eleven year-old a once-over. It wasn't hard to guess why Ellie looked so concerned; it was lingering from the encounter with Wu at the top of the stairs. That look of concern was directed up at Gwyn's face, as Ellie was now shorter than Gwyn in her kneeling position.
"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked gently. Gwyn nodded as a loose strand of hair was swept out of her face by Ellie's caring fingers. Those same fingers then trailed down her arm, stopping at the elbow that Wu had been gripping only minutes before. She gently turned her arm this-way-and-that, examining the flesh for bruises in the manner of a concerned mother. "He didn't hurt you at all, did he?"
"No. All he did was interrupt my exploring…" Gwyn's face twisted into a distasteful look as she recalled the entire encounter with Wu. "I told him he didn't have my permission to take me upstairs, but he didn't listen. And I tried to get away, I really did; all I managed to do successfully was drop a piece of cake on his foot."
Ellie laughed, then, a loving smile appearing on her face. Gwyn's face brightened once the concern had disappeared from Ellie's face. "Is that what was on his shoe?" she giggled. Gwyn bobbed her head enthusiastically.
"It was frosting. It wasn't intentional, but sometimes I think things are just meant to happen," Gwyn informed. Ellie beamed and nodded her agreement, having shifted her weight back onto her foot so she could stand again.
"I think so, too; and it serves him right, having frosting on his shoe, after he didn't listen to you. He's lucky that you didn't get the chance to lecture him!"
"He's lucky dad didn't get the chance to lecture him. We would have been here all day." Gwyn let her head loll back dramatically, imagining the talking-to Wu would have gotten if he had stayed a moment longer. Ellie laughed and placed her hand on Gwyn's shoulder, giving her a fond squeeze as they exited the building. The sun blinded them momentarily, leaving both of them squinting as their eyes adjusted to the tropical sunlight. Heat and humidity also washed over them, inspiring their skin to already begin sweating again.
"You're right, we would have been here all day. But that's because your father loves you very, very much, and he would never let anything bad happen to you. I'm honestly surprised that he didn't launch into lecture mode," Ellie told her. Gwyn fondly rocked her body into Ellie's side, smirking that cheeky Grant smirk up at the blonde paleobotanist.
"I'm surprised you didn't."
"Oh, I was about to, sweetie, believe me!"
Gwyn grinned at Ellie and wound her arms around her in a tight hug. The embrace was returned and Ellie dropped a kiss to the crown of the girl's head. Gwyn hadn't grown up with a mother, but she was entirely sure what it was like to have one. All of the affection and love and support that she received from Ellie was exactly what she figured having a mother was like. Someone who was there to comfort you when you cried, hug you when you were scared, and laugh with you when you were happy. Whenever Gwyn was posed with questions about her mother, Ellie was the first person to come to mind. It had been that way ever since they had met.
"Love you, Ellie," Gwyn said quietly, her face turned into Ellie's shoulder. She felt Ellie still a little bit, her head pulling away from where it had been resting atop Gwyn's. The words had left her mouth before she could even consider them; it had been as if she was saying it to her father. A natural, easy phrase that she meant every word of. Pulling her head away, Gwyn looked to Ellie and saw that she was grinning, and her eyes were a little misty.
"I love you, too, Gwyn," Ellie replied. Gwyn mirrored her grin and gave Ellie another happy squeeze before she pulled away and bounded down the visitor's center front steps. She barrelled straight down to the bottom step and came to an excited stop beside the two Murphy children.
"Now, kids––move away! Not too close to the cars!" warned Hammond.
Ian reached out and gestured for the three children to step away from the paved road. Along said road two cars, brightly colored and emblazoned with the park logo, rolled along at a moderate speed. The strange thing was, Gwyn realized, no one was driving them. The driver's seat was completely empty, and the rest of the seats were void of any passengers. She stepped forward curiously, but she heard a muttered 'hey, hey, hey' as Alan grabbed hold of the back of her shirt and pulled her back.
"Aren't they lovely! Aren't they glorious––these will be your transports for the afternoon," Hammond informed, as they began to circle around the first car. Lex jumped into the back seat excitedly and Gwyn watched as she pitched forward to inspect a screen set into the dashboard up front.
"No drivers?" Gennaro inquired.
"No, no, no, no, no! No drivers; they're electric! They run this track in the middle of the roadway here." Hammond gestured to a slightly raised steel track that jutted out from the middle of the pavement. "Totally non-polluting. Top of the line! Spared no expense."
Gwyn stopped in front of the car, one foot on either side of the track, and appreciated the bold color choices made for the vehicle. It was a vibrant electric green, which transitioned into an even brighter yellow. Stripes of red decorated the hood around the logo, which was also painted in large red letters across the side of the vehicle. Rising up on her toes, Gwyn realized that a portion of the car's ceiling was made of fiberglass, which would likely allow for a good view of any dinosaurs that loomed above them.
"Lex, you're all right in there," Hammond told his granddaughter, who nodded in acknowledgement. The older man then turned towards the group at the hood of the car and smiled at Gwyn. "Gwyn, dear, why don't you ride with Lex? I'm quite sure the two of you would get along very well."
Gwyn nodded, smiling brightly. She figured that the second car would be all adults, so they could talk 'business.' Not that she really minded being put in the kids car, this time around. When she interacted with children her age at school, she never really got to interact with them in her element. Most of the kids at the schools she attended thought it was cool her family dug up dinosaur bones, but whenever she tried to go into detail, they would opt out of conversation in favor of playing with toys or talking to someone else. "Alright!"
"Dr. Sattler, come with me. Dr. Grant, come to the second car!" Hammond gestured for them to follow as he turned on his heel and started to walk away. Ian trailed after Ellie, much to Alan's visible discontentment. He was quick to follow with determination in his step, lips evened out in a tight line. Gwyn made a face, having recognized her father's distinctly upset expression.
Deciding it would be best to be as far away from her father's potential wrath, Gwyn walked around the other side of the car, and pulled the door open. The interior smelled of fresh upholstery and the air was pleasantly air conditioned. She slipped inside just as Gennaro got into the passenger's side up front. A smirk played across her face as she scooted to the middle of the back and leaned forward between the front two seats.
"Hi," she said, startling the lawyer into jumping. He swore under his breath and placed a hand over his heart. He acknowledged Gwyn with a frown and let his head bob in awkward acknowledgement. Gwyn, mildly pleased at having startled him, sat back with a little giggle. The man clearly did not have an affinity towards children; and she wondered how he would fair with being in the vehicle where he would likely be the oldest one. The prospect of his gaunt, exasperated face was amusing.
The door that Gwyn had closed moments before was opened again. Alan had tugged the door open and Tim had jumped up onto the seat, seeing as he had been trailing after Gwyn's father. The young boy pointed up at Alan smartly.
"––and then my teacher told me about this other book by this guy named Bakker. And he says that––" Tim was cut off by Alan pointedly shutting the door. He gave his daughter a look through the window, which was unapologetic, and then he walked back towards the second car.
Clearly undeterred by Alan's cold response, Tim eagerly turned to Gwyn, grinning broadly.
"I'm Tim!" he excitedly introduced. He shifted the book he had been carrying––Alan's book––from his right arm to his left, and offered a small hand. Gwyn smiled at his enthusiasm and clasped her hand around his, shaking it up-and-down a few times.
"I'm Gwyn; it's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, too!" The door to Gwyn's right opened, and Lex slipped inside. Up front, Gennaro groaned. "This is my sister, Lex!" The blonde girl leaned forward to look around Gwyn.
"She knows, Tim, grandpa introduced us inside, remember?" Lex pointed out. But she turned her attention to Gwyn with a friendly smile, regardless, and offered her hand, just as her brother had. "It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too."
"You're Dr. Grant's daughter, right?" Tim asked while he removed his backpack and put the well-read book back inside. At her affirmative nod, his smile returned full-force. "That's so cool! Do you get to go on digs and stuff?"
"I do! Whenever my dad goes on one, I go with him. I'm not allowed to do much digging yet, but I hope that I'll get to soon," Gwyn explained. She ducked to the side so Tim could toss his backpack over the backseat and into the trunk of the car.
"That's so cool, though," Lex said beside her. "Tim goes on and on and on about dinosaurs when we're at home; I think that he wants to be like your dad when he grows up. A, uh… what's his job called?"
"Paleontologist," both Tim and Gwyn answered at the same time. Shortly afterwards, the three dissolved into giggles, shifting around excitedly as the car began to crawl forward.
"Well, you're kinda dressed like him, so that's a start," Gwyn joked, having gestured to Tim's blue button down, which hung open over a striped shirt, and the blue bandana looped around his neck. The boy beamed at the likening Gwyn drew between him and her father.
The three chatted excitedly as the car started to wind its way down the road, which gracefully transitioned from pavement to dirt. They quickly discussed ages at Tim's prompting––Gwyn was the second oldest at eleven––and then turned the conversation back to the excitement at hand. They peered through every window as the car speakers explained to them how to use the interactive CD Rom player at the front of the car. That was when Tim pitched forward and leaned up against the driver's seat; he thrust a hand forward to point through the windshield.
"Hey, look!"
Gwyn sat forward as well and watched as they approached the true entrance to the park. The gate stood impossibly tall, and was made of rich, dark wood; it was supported on either side by tall sloping pillars of rock, which joined together in an arch. At the top of that arch, set between two flickering braziers, were the massive words JURASSIC PARK, all done up in red. Gwyn's lips pulled into a grin and her heart beat faster in excitement.
"Are we gonna hit that?" Lex asked, seemingly to herself.
Then, over the speakers, the voice introduced the beginning of their journey:
Welcome to Jurassic Park!
The gates opened on their own accord, as though possessed by magic, and the cars bumbled through without incident. The cars were then flanked on either side by dense foliage, and Gwyn felt a little disappointed that Ellie wasn't there to point out specific flora and fauna. While the eleven year-old might have been good at identifying fossils, she was still not as well-versed in extinct plants as Ellie was. After a minute or two, they drove over a bridge that spanned a relatively shallow ravine, and approached their first dinosaur paddock.
If you look to the right, you'll see a herd of our first dinosaurs on tour, called dilophosaurus.
Excitement suddenly spiked in Gwyn's chest. It was strangely mixed with fear, as she knew the terrifying potential the dilophosaurus held. It's hunting habits had been painstakingly relayed to her by her father, who had gone into every specific he possibly could. Gwyn allowed Tim to scramble across her so he could clamber into his sister's personal space; then she, too, crowded the window, craning her head around eagerly. She braced one knee on the seat and raised up, gaining a little height advantage. She hoped to catch a flash of skin, or the swift shifting of foliage as it dashed away––or towards––the moving cars. The road was enclosed on one side by an electrified fences topped with flashing lights; just like the ones they had passed through earlier in the day. Except the sign on this fence asked for the tourists to keep their windows up.
One of the earliest carnivores, we now know dilophosaurus is actually poisonous, spitting its venom at its prey, causing blindness and eventually paralysis, allowing the carnivore to eat at its leisure. This makes dilophosaurus a beautiful, but dead addition to Jurassic Park.
The excitement that had risen up in Gwyn's chest had begun to wane when it was plainly obvious that they would not be seeing a dilophosaurus. They all wilted back from the window, with Tim pouting in disappointment. Gwyn gave a little shrug and picked at the hem of her shorts.
"I mean, I guess it's kinda like any zoo you go to… can't always guarantee you'll see everything," she tried to reason. It's not like Hammond had insisted that all the dinosaurs be trained; or had ordered their habitats to be small enough to consistently guarantee that every dinosaur would always be seen.
"Yeah, I guess…" Tim trailed off. Gwyn nudged his shoulder with her fist, smiling at him once he turned his attention over his shoulder.
"I bet we'll see cooler things than a dilophosaurus." A little more excitement returned to his eyes as they all relaxed back into their seats till they approached the next paddock.
The cars entered a tunnel that would take them through a small mountain, which bathed the car in dim orange light. They remained quiet as they trundled along and pondered what it was they would see next. When they emerged back into the daylight, which grew more grey with each passing minute, Gwyn saw another stretch of electric fencing, which gave away that they were at their next destination. It was announced they were approaching the tyrannosaurus-rex paddock, and Gwyn felt her heart leap. If she got to see a t-rex, it would simultaneously be the most terrifying and most exhilarating moment of her young life. The cars came to a slow stop and Gwyn shifted over to the left side of the car, peering through the window. There was maybe two or three feet between the edge of the car and the fencing; just barely enough to open the door, should the need arise. Behind her, Lex and Tim crowded towards the window.
They all waited silently, watching as the breeze toyed with the trees. They all listened for a sound they had never heard before, but were instead greeted with the bright tittering of birds. The chirping of insects. Above the trees, Gwyn could see the tops of nearby mountains cutting into the grey sky, making her feel incredibly small. Nothing gave away the location of the king of dinosaurs. Queen, Gwyn mentally corrected herself. All of the dinosaurs on the island were female, so that would make this particular t-rex a queen.
There was a melodic chirping sound and a slight hiss of static from the speakers. "We'll try tempting the Rex now. Keep watching the fence," came a voice over the speakers.
From the ground, a small cage rose, inside of which was a goat.
"What's gonna happen to the goat?" Lex asked, clearly worried for the animal's well-being. The cage walls retracted into the ground as the animal bleated helplessly, as it was left chained up and out in the open. Lex reeled around to look at Gennaro, realization coloring her face. "He's gonna eat the goat!?"
"Excellent," drawled Tim with a grin.
"What's the matter, kid? Never had lamb-chops?" Gennaro inquired blandly, without any real interest.
"I happen to be a vegetarian."
Gwyn hummed and quirked an eyebrow at Lex's comment. "Well, the tyrannosaurus-rex is a carnivore, so I don't think you two would get along very well… Also, it's a she, not a he." Gwyn balled up a fist, propped her elbow on her knee, and let her cheek sink down against it. She considered the unmoving goat critically for a moment, eyes narrowing. "I don't think she'd want to eat something that's not running away. This is too easy for a highly deadly predator that enjoys killing things that run away…" The goat slowly lowered itself into a resting position and Gwyn sighed. "We might be here for a while…" And with that, the four in the car reclined in their seats, disappointment palpable.
As they waited in disheartened silence, rain had started to drizzle, flecking the windows with droplets of water. Approximately four minutes passed before the car slowly started to roll away from the still-waiting goat, and the t-rexless jungle that surrounded it. Gwyn sighed and let her head loll back against the seat, staring up through the fiberglass ceiling. With nowhere to channel her previously build-up excitement, she shifted around continuously, trying to find a comfortable seated position. Slowly, the terrain began to change. The mountains became hills, and eventually died down into grassland. Thickets of trees became more sparse and what trees were there were shorter. It reminded Gwyn a little bit of home. With another built-up sigh, Gwyn turned around in her seat so she could peer out the back window. Both of her eyebrows creased when she saw one of the doors of the other car open. A brief moment later, Alan slipped out the door and made a beeline for one of the fields on the left side of the road. With curiosity blooming inside her chest, and her restlessness reaching its height, she popped her door open and quickly pushed herself out of the still moving vehicle.
Gwyn stumbled as her feet met the ground, and her arms flailed as she regained her balance. She jogged after her father, who was quick to disappear down the slight slope at the side of the road.
"Dad!" she called out, sliding down the decline after him.
"Alan! Gwyn!" Ellie cried from behind her.
It would seem that Alan's sudden departure from the tour vehicle had prompted everyone else to do the same. Soon enough, the entire group was headed into uncharted territory. Alan was on a set path and hadn't said a word to anyone, not even Ellie or Gwyn.
"Like I said, there's this other book by this guy called Bakker, and he says that the dinosaurs died from disease," Tim told Alan, continuing where he had been cut off earlier.
"Alan, where are we going?" Ellie asked from beside Gwyn.
"Is there anyone else who thinks we shouldn't be out here!?" Gennaro exclaimed from the very back.
"––and his book is a lot fatter than yours, it's like…" Tim tried to show an estimated thickness of Bakker's book, to which Alan just raised his brows.
"Really?"
"Yours was fully illustrated," Ellie pointed out, tone a little playful.
Alan shot her a wry look over his shoulder, a look that was swiftly moved in his daughter's direction as she snorted in laughter. It was then that Lex suddenly stumbled and fell, her hands and knees briefly meeting the dirt. The moment was brief because Alan's reflexes had kicked in, and he stopped to help her up, a parental hand grasping hers.
"You okay?" he asked, tone suddenly gentle. It was the kind of voice he used with Gwyn––lighter than his typical drawl, and with a little more inflection.
Once she was standing again, Lex simply didn't let go, smiling at the man who had helped her. Alan tried to shake her off as though she were some kind of sticky goo. Gwyn giggled behind him as his shoulders slumped. Tim continued to try to get Alan to listen to him, and Lex held tight to his hand, which hovered up by his hip. It was very rare Alan interacted with any child who wasn't Gwyn. In fact, he tended to avoid it. He had never been particularly good with kids until he'd had one of his own; and even then, he was only really comfortable with his own child. Alan knew how to speak to Gwyn and could predict how she might react to something. He had raised her. He knew who she was as a person, and she knew how he was as a father. Other children didn't. They didn't know how blunt he was when he spoke, or that physical affection sometimes confused him, or that despite his deadpan and gruff exterior, he was actually a quite a caring man.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Alan voiced, halting his progress forward. He finally managed to slip his hand out of Lex's, his gaze never leaving the sight before him. "Everyone stay here…" He slowly began to move forward again, the grass whipping at his legs and shoes. Gwyn made a sound at the back of her throat, more than a little annoyed her father hadn't been outwardly saying what he meant since he'd leapt from the car. Such was why Gwyn decided that if he wasn't going to listen, then she wasn't either. She marched after Alan with her arms swinging at her side, face locked in determination. Once again, Ellie was left calling after her, her voice pitching up a little bit when she started to utter Tim's name as well.
The sight that Gwyn came across next was something she was not prepared for. Lying on a bed of flattened, dying grass was a triceratops that groaned with every few slow breaths. Gwyn froze, eyes wide, and stared. That was all she could do as the awe of being so close to such a beautiful creature took hold. However, the triceratops' prone position and lack of large movements betrayed its sickly nature. Its eyes were barely open, and appeared to be tinged with red; her beaked mouth hung open and white froth had gathered at the corners. The groaning seemed exhausted and low, as though the effort of breathing was painful.
Gwyn watched her father approach the triceratops once they nearby park employee gave him the go-ahead. She rocked forward on her feet, palms itching and excitement building. The employee waved her forward before gesturing to the rest of the group as well.
"Don't be scared. Come on, it's okay. Muldoon tranquilized her for me."
Gwyn stepped forward and stopped to crouch down by the side of the triceratops' head. The dinosaur's eye opened a little wider before narrowing tiredly, a groan escaping with a puff of warm breath.
"She's sick," Alan proclaimed as the others approached.
Gwyn gently reached out and placed a hand on the creature's neck frill. A smile spread across her face as the warmth of the triceratops' skin met the heat of her own palm. It was further proof that all the dinosaurs were real; they were living, breathing creatures that had beating hearts and flowing blood. That hand traced a slow path along the frill, fingers dancing over the bumps and creases of the earth toned skin. Across from her, Alan was touching the cracking horns with soft reverent hands. Gwyn's own hand stopped beside the triceratops' eye, which was glass and red with irritation. Gwyn cocked her head to the side sadly, beginning to sense just how much distress she was in.
"It's okay…" she murmured, placing her other hand on the snout that curved up into another horn.
Alan stepped up to Gwyn's side, a hand resting on the neck frill. He chuckled under his breath and shook his head in mild disbelief.
"She was always my favorite when I was a kid… and now that I see her, she's the most beautiful thing that I ever saw!" Alan beamed at Gwyn and Ellie, who was crouched by the triceratops' snout.
"She's beautiful…" Gwyn whispered. Alan placed a hand on her back as he rose to his feet. Gwyn leaned forward and lay her head on the slight curve of the neck frill as it joined to the jaw. She ran her hand across the space beneath the eye, taking in the whole of the mighty creature she leaned against. "But she's so sick…"
Ellie leaned forward and picked something off of the triceratops' tongue, pinching it between her thumb and pointer finger. It was green and covered in saliva, but it didn't stop the blonde paleobotanist from examining it closely. "Microvesicles. That's interesting. Ich…" The park employee that had gestured them forward approached Ellie and offered a flashlight, which she took with a nod. "Thanks. What are her symptoms?" She shone the light into the triceratops' mouth and continued her examination.
"Imbalance, disorientation, labored breathing. It seems to happen every six weeks or so," he informed, recalling the information easily.
"Six weeks…" Ellie shifted to the other side of the triceratops' head, shining the light into its right eye. "These are dilated. Take a look… That's pharmacological. From local plant life…" Ellie murmured, turning her attention to the plants that surrounded them. Suddenly on the hunt for whatever it was making the triceratops sick, she ventured into the grass with Tim and the employee following closely behind.
Gwyn shut her eyes and continued to rest her head against the triceratops'. Her fingers brushed across skin dampened by tears beneath the eye. Her lips tugged into a frown as another groan escaped the animal's mouth. Quietly, Gwyn continued to speak to her, rubbing the warm, bumpy skin with gentle movements.
"I wouldn't be so close to that if I were you," Gennaro voiced, giving a half-hearted point to Gwyn and the triceratops. Gwyn shot him a look out of the corner of her eye, not heeding his advice in the least bit. She'd had enough of pushy adults for the day.
"Are you scared?" asked Lex, who had been keeping a considerable distance between herself and the dinosaur. Gwyn shook her head and ran a hand up along one of the slightly curved horns. A slight smile perked up the corners of her mouth.
"No. Triceratopses are herbivores, so I don't have to worry about her wanting to eat me. Besides, she's sick… it's nice to have someone comfort you when you're sick; and right now, it's like comforting a very sick, very tired dog," Gwyn told her, lifting her head away from the neck frill. She smiled over at the girl in the purple cap. "You can get closer, you'll be fine."
Lex shook her head in refusal, eyeing the dinosaur warily. "So is this what you want to do when you're older? What your dad does, I mean." Gwyn nodded eagerly, baby hairs falling out of her braid to tickle her face. "Or maybe you could be a vet," Lex suggested brightly. She gestured to the hand that Gwyn had been continuously stroking the triceratops with. Gwyn arched her brows curiously. "You look like you're very good with animals."
"I've always wanted a dog, but my dad and I are never home, so it wouldn't make sense," Gwyn said matter-of-factly, her voice a little wry. "Do you know what you wanna do?" Lex shrugged and clasped her hands behind her back, eyes shifting to the sky while she thought over Gwyn's question.
"I dunno. Maybe something with computers. I mean, they've already done so much with computers here, so I can only guess what they'll be able to do in the future," Lex suggested, shrugging for a second time. She jumped, then, as the triceratops let out a loud groan. Gwyn was quick to make shushing sounds to the uncomfortable animal, leaning in close again. The lawyer, who had been watching the children converse, gave a little scoff.
"How could you know what you want to do? You're only, what, ten?" Gennaro inquired, pushing his shirt sleeves up past his elbows. He had been looking miserable ever since he begrudgingly got out of the car, the heat clearly not agreeing with him. Gwyn shot him another look, again looking frighteningly like Alan.
"Eleven," Gwyn corrected in a deadpan.
"Twelve," Lex stated proudly.
"Regardless, you're much too young to be making life plans like that."
Gwyn shook her head and turned back to the triceratops, ignoring Gennaro's presence entirely. Alan and Ellie came back over, crouching by the triceratops' mouth as they began to examine it again. After a couple minutes of quiet conversation, a disturbingly loud crack of thunder rocked the sky above them. Everyone jumped a little bit and turned their attention towards the sky, which was covered in a blanket of darkening clouds. The air was thick with humidity and smelled of rain.
"Doctors, if you please, I have to insist we get moving," Gennaro insisted with a shaky voice. Gwyn rose to her feet, giving the triceratops one last pat in well-wishing. As she and Alan made their way towards the rest of the group, Ellie hung back a little bit.
"Oh… you know, if it's alright, I'd like to stay with Dr. Harding and finish up with the trike," Ellie said whilst gesturing to the ailing dinosaur.
"Sure––I'm in a gas powered Jeep," the park employee agreed. "I'll drop her off at the visitor center before I make the boat with the others."
"Great; I'll catch up with you if you want to move on." Ellie had directed this comment to Alan. She had smiled gently and touched his arm, her hand then falling to brush Gwyn's shoulder.
"You sure?" Alan inquired, brows furrowing as the wind started to pick up.
"Yeah, I wanna stay with her a little longer."
"Okay, then."
Gwyn turned back towards the road as, simultaneously, lightning flashed and thunder cracked. The wind picked up even more, causing her to lean a little to the right to keep completely balanced. More hair was torn from the braid and the wind whipped it into her eyes, which were squinted and beginning to water. Fighting against the increasingly poor weather, the group finally made it back up to the road and returned to their original cars. Once in the back of hers, Gwyn and Tim started to chat animatedly about triceratopses, and he started posing theories he had as to why the creature had fallen so ill. Shortly after the cars had started up again, they were informed that, due to an incoming storm, they would have to turn around and head back to the visitor's center. Rain started to come down in sheets as they looped back on a service road that would connect back to the main path at the tyrannosaurus paddock. With her forehead rested against the cold window, Gwyn watched the lightening flash and pondered whether or not they'd catch a glimpse of the t-rex on their way back. That would be a fitting way to end their first day at the park, she thought. It would be absolutely fitting.
Afterword: It has been far too long since I updated this story. Life really got in the way of creativity, recently, but things are smoothing out and dying down, so it's time to jump back into writing! I had a lot of fun coming back to Gwyn and Alan; and I'm so excited for things to truly kick off next chapter!
Review Replies!
Dinosaur Imperial Soldier: In this chapter she did, indeed, meet Lex and Tim and started the tour. Next up, things will really kick off. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
The Redshirt who Lived: Gwyn figured out how to hold her own when she was pretty young; and a lot of that started here! I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
Gyromice89: Thank you; I hope you enjoyed the update! Thanks again!
RJ North: I had fun writing the little Wu and Gwyn moment last chapter, to showcase the singular moment that started their little feud. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
Pierce: I actually finished reading the novel in my very long hiatus. I wasn't terribly sad to see Wu go, as I've never been a fan of him; good on him for dying via raptor in the book!
MichelleJoy: I'm glad that you've been enjoying both stories that Gwyn has; I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
KD: I plan on having more moments between all the kids as everything happens. The beginning of the next chapter will be kid-car-centric, I just gotta figure out what they'd be talking about! I hope that you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
deangirl515: Here we go, a new chapter! Thanks again!
ZabuzasGirl: I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter, and hope you enjoyed the new one just as much. Thanks again!
PhAnToM1212: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
Guest: Finally, a new update! Huzzah!
Kernow85: I'm finally back into the swing of writing, and I've been dying to get this chapter up all week. I adore writing Dad Alan, because he's just so… unique in being a father. It's so unconventional, but it also completely works for him. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! We're getting ever closer to the moment that helps define Gwyn as a person… Thanks again!
Sophia Kaiba: It has been so long since I updated this, but I'm glad you've enjoyed it thus far! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and This Damnable Place as well; thanks again!
And thank you to those who added this to follows/favorites; it means a lot!
And that's it for now! The next update will definitely NOT take a year. I hope to get the next chapter up within the next week or two; we've got a t-rex to introduce! I thank you all for being so patient, and I hope you all are still enjoying Gwyn's story! Thanks again!
~Mary