It was a pleasant day. Although there were clouds in the sky, they didn't completely block out the sun. This meant that the temperature remained relatively stable. It was perfect weather for a meeting. Claire knew this because she was in the middle of one. She sat at a picnic table with Ellie, discussing very important matters.
"So, what are you saying, exactly?" Claire asked, "Are my horns supposed to be breasts?"
Ellie shook her head.
"No, but they produce milk. Lily needs both milk and regurgitated plants to stay healthy."
Claire gulped.
"I'm not sure how to-"
"It'll come to you naturally," Ellie said breezily, "Once she starts crying, you'll throw up."
"Throw up?" Claire echoed.
"Well, you'll expel a malty substance from your smallest stomach."
"How many stomachs do I have?"
"Three."
Claire looked down at her belly with disgust.
"I know next to nothing about this body. It took me ages before I discovered my ability to fly, even."
Ellie shrugged.
"All you really need to know is that you're biologically sound. If you encounter a problem, I can always fix it."
Claire looked out at the field. Lily was picking flowers. She stared at her pensively.
"What about Lily? She's a double hybrid. Is she going to have developmental problems?"
Ellie nodded.
"Most likely. But it's nothing you can't overcome. You just have to- LIAM!"
Ellie ran over and caught her raptor son, who was chasing Lily.
"Liam, don't tease the herbivores!"
The raptor wiggled out of her arms.
"I was just playing! Honest!"
Ellie crossed her arms and frowned.
"Go back to Isla Nublar."
"But-"
"Go. I'm in the middle of an important meeting, and I can't have you goofing off."
Liam pouted, but turned around and walked towards the portal that led to the other world.
"I was just playing . . ." he muttered.
When he was gone, Ellie sat down on the bench and rubbed her forehead.
"Sorry. I should have known that he'd cause trouble. I'll just leave him with Alan next time."
Claire picked up Lily and gave her a gentle squeeze.
"I'm worried, Ellie. I know nothing about raising children, and less about raising dinosaurs."
"Well, neither did I, when I started. Now five out of my six children are dinosaurs."
Claire blinked.
"Five dinosaurs?"
Ellie nodded.
"I adopted a T-Rex yesterday. We tried to find him a good home, but along the way, I discovered that he'd be happy with my family."
Claire smiled.
"That sounds nice. Do you think Lily will be happy with Owen and me?"
"Do you love her?"
"Of course!" Claire affirmed.
"Then she'll be happy," Ellie stated.
Claire looked down at Lily, who was sucking on the tip of her tail. She smiled at her mother and gave a little squeak.
"You know, when I first found out that I was going to have a baby, I was terrified that she'd turn out to be a hybrid. Now, I look at her, and I can't imagine life any other way."
Ellie smiled.
"Funny how that is."
Claire held Lily against her chest.
"Yeah. Funny."
***TSJWFEW***
"Apple . . . APPLE. Say 'Apple'."
Zara held a flashcard in front of Lily's face. Both parties were getting frustrated with each other. It was only a matter of time before someone snapped.
"Apple. A-P-P-L-E. Apple."
Lily leaned back, not wanting to play whatever game Zara was forcing upon her. Noticing her distress, Claire and Owen ran to her rescue.
"Um, Zara, I don't think she wants to do that," Owen mumbled.
Zara scoffed.
"She has to. She must learn to speak, or she'll have delayed development."
Claire rubbed her front foot nervously.
"Look, Zara, I know you want to help, but Lily isn't a regular child. She might not ever speak."
Zara pointed to a parenting book that she just happened to bring with her.
"It says here that the earlier you develop a child's social skills, the more success they have in life."
Claire gave an awkward rumble.
"We can't raise Lily like a human child. She's special."
Zara crossed her arms.
"Great. First you turn down the potty, now this."
Claire smiled helplessly.
"Lily knows to go outside. And I don't see the point of using flashcards. She might not even have vocal cords, and there's no proof that she understands us."
They turned as they heard a surprised grunt. Lily was lying on her back. She had obviously tried to do some sort of complicated maneuver. Owen ran over and scooped her up as she started to cry.
"Oh, baby. Did you hurt yourself?"
Lily looked up at him with a trembling lip. Owen kissed her hand.
"There. All better. You okay, baby girl?"
Lily was not okay. She whined pitifully and hugged his neck. Owen sighed and rolled his eyes.
"She's a bit of a drama queen. I think she gets it from Claire."
Claire snorted. Owen smiled and carried Lily up to her room. Zara dropped her flashcards and crossed her wings grumpily.
"I don't see what the problem is. Lily came from two intelligent parents. She should be normal."
Claire sighed.
"I don't want to put too much pressure on her. Lily is her own person. She may have come from Owen and me, but that doesn't mean she's exactly like us."
Zara growled.
"I would have thought that you'd be aiming for an honors student."
Claire smiled.
"I would have thought so too, but that was before I met Lily. She's so sweet and innocent and wonderful . . . I love her infinitely. I don't need to change her, and I don't think I could if I wanted to."
Zara pouted.
"Lucky you. You get to have a perfect child."
Claire cocked her head.
"Zara, is something . . . wrong?"
Claire jumped as Zara wheeled around and started shaking her tail.
"This is what's wrong, Claire! For over a year, I've been trying my best to forget the fact that I'm stuck in the body of a blubbery whale, but now everyone I know is getting married and having kids, and I spend my free time alone!"
Claire bit her beak.
"Zara, I'm sure there's someone out there for you . . ."
She snorted.
"Yeah. I know. I've been seeing someone."
"Really?!" Claire gasped excitedly.
"I've been talking to this guy online," Zara muttered, "He's very kind, and I've grown to like him. Given the circumstances, he's been very accepting, but it'll never work out."
Claire twisted her beak.
"How do you know?"
"He lives in this world, for one thing . . ."
Claire wrapped her tail around her front feet.
"Look, Zara, I'm sorry you're stuck this way, but a lot of us are. We just have to stay positive."
Zara frowned bitterly and turned around.
"That's easy for you to say. You have a family. I have no one."
Claire felt her heart pang with guilt as Zara slid away. More than anything, she wanted to help her friend . . . and she knew exactly what needed to be done!
***TSJWFEW***
"Ellie, I need some information," Claire announced as she galloped towards a small pond, "Zara met her soulmate online, and I want to set up a surprise date for her. Tell me who she's seeing."
Ellie scooped a beaker of water out of the pond and tapped the side, letting the scum settle. Claire tapped her toes anxiously as she waited for a response.
"That's personal information," Ellie said, still staring at the beaker, "If I give it to you, I'll be violating her right to privacy."
Claire rumbled angrily.
"It's going to benefit her in the long run."
Ellie shook her head.
"Doesn't matter. I can't do it."
Claire hummed.
"What will it take to get you to agree to this?"
Ellie sighed.
"God, I wish you'd drop this. Fine. My grandmother wants to make a talking stuffed animal based on you. Make a voice recording for her, and we'll talk."
Claire raised her eyebrow.
"What do I have to say?"
Ellie shrugged.
"Something like 'My name is Claire!', 'I'm a stegoceratops!', and 'I love you!'. You know: the basics."
"And then you'll help me find this mystery man?"
Ellie nodded.
"Yes, but if things go wrong, don't blame me."
Claire gave a triumphant laugh.
"Perfect! Everything is going according to plan . . ."
***TSJWFEW***
Claire felt very pleased with herself. Not only had she found Zara's crush, but she had arranged for him to visit Isla Nublar. He lived in Milwaukee, but fortunately for him, Claire had an abundance of wealth (due to the royalties from her voice recording). She bought him a plane ticket, and he agreed to spend a few days on the island. He seemed very excited to meet Zara, which made Claire confident that things would turn out just fine.
When the day of the big meeting came, Claire and Owen brought the man, whose name was Michael, to Isla Nublar (via portal, as per usual). He was shocked that Claire was a dinosaur, which was odd, considering Zara had supposedly mentioned her several times in their little chats. In any case, he was still excited for his date, so much so that he barely noticed all of the dinosaurs that passed them on the road.
Owen had to leave Claire to supervise Lily during her afternoon nap, which meant that she was free to carry out her mission alone. She couldn't help but feel proud of herself. All of Zara's dreams were about to come true, and it was all thanks to her. It was nice to know that she hadn't lost her people skills, even after letting them sit for so long.
When they reached the lagoon, they found a mosasaur resting in the shallow water. Claire wasn't sure if it could speak, but she tried communicating with it anyway.
"Um, hello. Is Zara here?"
'Rhoo, rhoo rhoo. Rhoo rhoo rhoo rhoo rhoo rhoo.'
Claire didn't understand a word of what she said, but the mosasaur nodded before swimming away, which probably meant that she was going to send Zara over. Claire waited by the shore with Michael. He put his hands in his pockets and looked around awkwardly.
"Is Zara around?"
Claire nodded.
"I think the mosasaur left to find her. She spends most of her time here."
Michael peered into the murky darkness.
"Does she swim a lot?"
Claire laughed.
"Well, naturally. I'm pretty sure she has to, in order to stay healthy."
Michael hummed.
"She never mentioned anything about that kind of exercise."
"Well, it's probably not athletic swimming," Claire speculated, "I imagine she'd dry out if she were to stay out of the water too long."
Michael gave her a look of complete and utter confusion. Claire didn't understand why he was so perplexed by her words.
Unless . . .
Claire thought back to what Zara had said earlier: Given the circumstances, he's been very accepting, but it'll never work out. Claire had assumed that Zara meant that Michael had accepted the fact that she wasn't human, but that was not necessarily the case. When Claire replayed the conversation in her mind, she realized that Zara had never outright stated that Michael knew she was a Mosadon. And if he didn't know . . .
"We have to go. Now!" Claire gasped.
She pushed Michael away with her horns, but he darted to the side and jogged back to the lagoon.
"Why? We only just got here."
Claire felt her heart pounding in her chest.
"I just remembered: there's a . . . thing that we need to do first. Come on. Hurry."
Michael frowned.
"But we're already here! I want to meet Zara."
Claire dug her toes into the ground.
"We can't! She's-"
Claire's stomach did a flip when she saw a shadow approaching them from beneath the water. She tried to push Michael away one last time, but it was too late. Zara popped out of the water, sliding through the sand like a giant seal.
"Hi, Claire! Why are you- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
She screamed in terror when she noticed Michael. He seemed quite shocked to see her too, and promptly ran away at full force. Zara didn't stop screaming. At one point, Claire was forced to cover her ears, leaning forward on her elbows for balance. Finally, Zara had to take a breath. She stared at Claire with eyes as big as dinner plates (which wasn't even a hyperbole, given her size) and trembled like a leaf.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
Claire whimpered.
"Oh, god. Zara, I'm sorry, I didn't know-"
"WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"
Claire gulped.
"I was- Well, I thought it would make you feel better . . ."
Zara fell forward and placed her wings over her eyes.
"This is the worst day of my life!"
Claire looked away guiltily. When she heard Zara crying, she knew that she had done a terrible thing. Hoping to salvage the situation, she took a deep breath to calm herself down and planned a quick fix.
"Zara, it's going to be okay. I made a mistake, but I'm going to fix it. Wait here."
She ran away before Zara could say another word.
***TSJWFEW***
A few minutes later, Claire returned to the lagoon. Zara was no longer in the water, but the belly-drag marks in the sand gave away her current location. Claire followed her trail all the way to a large shed. She tried to open the door with her beak, but it was locked. She took a deep breath and knocked timidly.
"Zara?"
"Go away!"
Claire bit her beak and sat down.
"Zara, I'm really sorry. I had no idea you hadn't told him-"
"NO IDEA? Claire, why on earth would I tell him? Do you honestly think he'd still love me if he knew?"
"Maybe . . ."
"Not everyone is like Owen, Claire."
Feeling her stomach (or stomachs, plural) twist with guilt, Claire wrapped her tail around her feet and sighed.
"I talked to Michael. He's waiting in the Visitors' Center."
"Send him home."
"I don't want to do that, Zara. I explained everything to him, and he- well, he knows now . . ."
Zara gave a bitter scoff.
"Great. Have him sign a nondisclosure form, then send him home."
Claire shook her head.
"Zara, I think you should talk to him."
"Why bother? He'll just run away when he sees me coming."
"Maybe if you don't scream at him this time . . ."
Claire heard Zara's tail hit the ground.
"I don't want to see him again."
"But he came all this way for you."
Claire leapt back as the door slammed open. Zara stepped out and spread her wings.
"He didn't come for this, Claire. He came for someone beautiful, or at the very least not covered in scales. Do you honestly think he'll be okay with dating a monster?"
Claire looked away.
"Well, if he likes your personality-"
Zara growled.
"I have news for you, Claire. When you look like this, nobody cares about your personality."
Claire stepped back.
"But- Well- I mean-"
"You think that everyone is okay with freaky mutant hybrids, but you're wrong. You're a herbivore. So is Vivian. When you two act like dinosaurs, it's cute. But I'm not cute, Claire. I have a beak full of teeth, claws on my wings, and talons on my feet. People are afraid of me. Whenever they see me eating a hamburger, they wonder if they're next."
"But you wouldn't eat-"
"If you didn't know me, would you trust me?"
"Zara-"
She bared her teeth.
"Would you trust this?"
Claire rumbled guiltily and closed her eyes. Zara sneered and turned away.
"I didn't think so."
For a moment, Claire considered letting her go, but her conscience wouldn't allow her to stand idly by while her friend was suffering. She cantered forward and blocked Zara's path.
"Wait. Just wait a minute. I know I screwed up, but I want to try and fix this."
"How?" Zara hissed.
Claire stood a little taller.
"You're going to go on this date, and it's going to be wonderful."
Zara shook her head.
"I can't-"
"Look, you have nothing to lose, right?" Claire reasoned, "Why not try it out? I mean, it's not like you could have kept your secret safe forever, so you would have had to end it somehow. Why not end it like this?"
Zara frowned.
"Somehow, this isn't making me feel any better."
Claire placed her front foot on Zara's wing.
"Please. Can you just try?"
Zara glared at her.
"I'll talk to Michael, but only because I don't want him to think I'm a coward."
Claire wasn't entirely satisfied with her answer, but it was the best she could have hoped for.
***TSJWFEW***
Zara found her Internet lover sitting alone at a table on the patio of the Visitors' Center cafeteria. There was no one else around, so he was obviously waiting for her. The sun was beginning to set, and it cast beautiful shadows on the grass. Zara couldn't help but feel that the setting was gorgeously romantic. It was a shame that the real situation was anything but. What a waste. Here she was, about to meet the man she loved, and it would be a miracle if she could get through the night without crying.
When Michael saw her coming, he gave a little jump. Zara bit her lip and tried to ignore it. She sat down on the opposite end of the table and folded her wings behind her. Michael gave an uncomfortable smile.
"Hi. Claire told me-"
"I know," Zara said quietly, "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth sooner. I guess I just wanted this to last. I'm never going to be able to-"
She broke off, sensing a lump in her throat. Quickly, she dug her talons into her fins to keep herself from tearing up.
"I'm sorry."
Michael's mouth twitched a little, and he leaned forward on the table.
"You don't have to apologize. I understand."
Zara nodded solemnly.
"I'm sure Claire can send you home. If she can't, Ellie-"
Michael held up his hand.
"I'm not going anywhere. I came here to get to know you better, and that's what I'm gonna do."
Zara felt her heart growing less heavy with these words. She couldn't help but smile, though she knew she must look terrifying.
"You're staying?"
"For three days, yes."
Zara beamed.
"Thank you."
Taking this as a cue that things were going well, Ellie burst out from behind a black curtain with two plates of fried fish.
"Who's hungry?"
Zara blinked.
"How long have you been waiting there?"
"About thirty minutes. Just eat your fish."
She placed the plates on the table and jogged away, leaving the two of them alone. Zara looked down at her meal and licked her lips. She hadn't eaten all afternoon, and with a body like hers, she needed all the food she could get. She quickly dipped her head down and started pecking at her plate.
About halfway through her supper, Zara noticed that Michael was staring at her. Her eyes went wide, and she wiped her mouth with her wing.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"This is going to sound odd, but can I look at your teeth?"
Zara blinked.
"My teeth?"
Michael nodded.
"Yeah. I'm a dentist, so I thought it might be interesting to see how that all works . . . if you don't mind."
Zara shrugged.
"It's fine by me."
***TSJWFEW***
Claire couldn't believe how stupid she was. She should have known better than to assume that Zara had told Michael about her . . . hybridness. In the same situation, Claire might have done something similar. She was just used to telling the truth because everyone who was close to her already knew her secret and accepted her for it. Zara had a point about being a carnivore: it certainly wouldn't be easy to have everyone thinking that they were about to become her lunch. She wondered if Zara really did have carnivorous instincts. She trusted her, of course, but since Claire often found herself eating grass (and flowers and ferns and leaves), she couldn't help but wonder if Zara was secretly suppressing the urge to eat her friends. Maybe that's what was upsetting her. Then again, Claire had no proof . . .
. . . except for the fact that Michael was standing in her mouth right now!
Claire trumpeted in alarm and charged at her friend.
"Zara, no!"
Surprised by the sudden noise, Zara shut her mouth, forgetting that Michael was still inside. She flapped her wings in panic, dry-heaved, and spat him out on the lawn. He lay on his back, trembling in fear. Zara gasped and fluttered down from the patio.
"Michael! Michael! Are you hurt?"
He made a quiet whimpering sound. Zara put her wings over her mouth.
"Oh my god . . ."
She turned to Claire.
"What did you do that for?"
Claire gulped.
"I'm sorry. I thought you were eating him."
Zara glared at Claire with resentment, then turned her attention to Michael, who was starting to get up. He tried to wipe the saliva off of his clothes, only to find that it stuck to his hands in goopy strings. Zara bent her head down to help him, but he jumped back in alarm. After an awkward pause, she turned away.
"This was a mistake."
Claire rumbled guiltily and trotted after her.
"Zara, I-"
"Just leave me alone, Claire. I don't want to talk to anyone right now."
Claire slowed to a stop, then sat down on the grass. Michael walked up beside her and sighed.
"She's really different in person. I got the impression that she was confident and outgoing, but she's so shy . . ."
Claire nodded slowly.
"That's my fault. If I hadn't meddled in her business, she'd have no reason to be so gloomy. I had no idea she was afraid of being hurt. I guess we all are, in a way."
Michael watched Zara inching away on her belly, her head hanging low. After a moment, he held his hand in front of Claire's face.
"Sit. Stay. I'm going to talk to her."
Claire frowned.
"I'm not a dog . . ."
Michael jogged after Zara, trying to keep up with her giant sliding steps. He reached for her hand, only to find that she had none, and settled on holding the tip of her wing. She slowed down and took a deep breath.
"What do you want?"
Michael smiled gently.
"Well, I thought we might be able to continue our date. You know, as long as that rhinoceros doesn't interrupt us again."
Zara stared down at him in disbelief.
"After all of that, you still want to stay?"
Michael nodded.
"Yeah. I've had worse dates. This one time, I was really sick, and I sneezed all over my girlfriend's spaghetti."
Zara crinkled her snout.
"Yuck."
Michael chuckled.
"That's not even the worst part. She kept eating, because she didn't want to waste food."
Zara gasped.
"Oh my god! That reminds me of this one guy I dated in college who would always lick his plates. He even did it in public. I had to go to the bathroom at the end of every date so I wouldn't be seen with him."
They continued to swap stories, making their way back to the cafeteria. Claire watched them from afar. Sensing that things were going well, she turned around and made her way across the island. On the way, she bumped into Owen, who was carrying Lily in his arms.
"There you are! We were starting to worry."
Claire smiled.
"You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself."
She stood on her tiptoes and gave Owen a kiss. He smiled at her deviously.
"Guess what we found while we were looking for you . . ."
Claire's face fell when he held up a stuffed stegoceratops. He squeezed its foot, and it started dancing.
Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing, yeah, yeah!
Owen danced along with it, making a point of swinging his hips. Lily raised her arms and squealed with glee. Owen tried to get Claire to dance too, but she simply rolled her eyes and bumped him with her tail.
"Alright. That's enough fun for one day."
Owen gave a snorting laugh and followed her into the portal that led home. When they entered their cabin, he raised his eyebrow.
"By the way, how was Zara's date?"
Claire gave a nervous laugh.
"It was splashing!"