Soo, I decided since Christmas is coming up in this story, I'd release that chapter on Christmas. Only problem is that there's several chapters in between that one and this one... So (hopefully) I'll be releasing more chapters more frequently so that I can fit the schedule I set. *Sighs. Think I can complete it on the schedule I set? (why do I torture myself like this? XD)
Enjoy!
Darius falls asleep that night depressed and upset. His attempts to fix the team's problems had backfired royally: Yasmina was completely pissed at everyone, Kenji's ego was more inflated than ever, Brooklynn had stopped asking questions completely and Darius wasn't sure why, and he hadn't even gotten to talk to Sammy! After his failed attempts with the others, he wasn't even sure if he should try to talk to her.
After a restless night of sleep and nightmares, Darius lays still. The sun had yet to rise. The young boy didn't want to wake up, wishing he didn't have to do anything. His spectacular failure as leader and mediator had discouraged him greatly.
As he lays there, wallowing in his sorrow and feelings of inadequacy, he hears soft sobs. Opening his eyes, he sees Sammy sitting up with her back towards him. She must've been given the night watch. Darius strains to hear her. "God, forgive me. I know I've sinned… especially with the Mantah Corp thing… and I repent for my sins… I guess… I'm not sure what I'm scared of more. Dying, or where I might go if I do… Being on this island has made me question things. Such as your love… And I know that your Word says to count it all joy but… it's really hard to do that, especially when some of us are so negative… I'm trying, God. I'm trying to stay in faith and believe that you'll save us, but… it's really hard. And sometimes I even wonder if I'll go to Hell… I just want to get right with you, God…"
Darius quietly sits up as she sobs. "I thought I was the only one."
Sammy startles. "Darius," she whispers, wiping her eyes. "I thought you were asleep."
"You're…" Darius stops talking to allow her to finish with her religion.
"Christian?" Sammy finishes.
"I thought I was the only one," Darius says with a small smile.
"Wait, seriously?" Sammy tilts her head, then chuckles. "I just assumed everyone here were Atheists or something. I was kinda scared to say anything about what I believe, for fear that the others would make fun of me."
"Yeah, same," Darius nods. "Kenji already seems to think of me as a little, ignorant kid. I didn't want to get teased."
Sammy nods in agreement. "I mean, it makes sense that there would be other religions in the group, since we're a good representation of what American teens are. I still assumed that I would be made fun of, though… I would be surprised if Kenji and Brooklynn were anything but Atheists. I'm pretty Yaz is, too…"
"Ben strikes me as Catholic," Darius shrugs. "Brooklynn might believe parts of the New Age movement. I honestly don't know, though. I never asked any of them."
"That sounds about right," Sammy nods. "Do you want to pray with me?"
Darius nods, and the two hold hands and pray. They pray for wisdom and guidance to make it through the island, and protection as they go. After they finish, Sammy looks around at her sleeping friends. "I'm still scared they'll find out. Particularly Yaz. She already doesn't like me. I just don't understand why she acts the way she does."
Darius inhales and finds the strength to speak. "Well… Yaz doesn't have to be friends with you, you know? It's not like we're going to be in trouble if, when we get off this island, we decide never to speak with each other again. No one says we have to be friends with each other. It's sad to think about, but it's true. But, unless you're the one to break off the relationship, I expect a text message or phone call at least every day and a hang out in person at least once a month when we get back. You got that?"
Sammy laughs. "Yee, it will be more than one text message or phone call each day if I can help it."
"Yaz is tired of everyone trying to force her to be friends with you, specifically," Darius says. "I got my head yelled off yesterday about that. She's very cynical and has severe issues with trust, I know. But she's got a point about us not having to be friends. And I know you'll hate to hear this, but she's not wrong to distrust you. You did break the law and lie to us. I understand why you did it. If someone had a way to save my Dad, well… I might be in your position. I'm not saying it was right, but I get why you did it."
Sammy nods, lowering her head.
"I'm sure Yaz understands why you did it, too," Darius continues. "She seems like she cares a lot about her family, so I doubt she'd do anything different in your situation. And Yaz can be a reckless daredevil; I bet she would've helped you if you told her. What she's expressed is distrust. Her problem with the situation is that you lied about everything. She didn't like that breach of trust. She shouldn't be forced to open up to someone she can't trust."
Sammy nods again. "I know."
"I get that this is hard to hear," Darius says, "but if Yaz doesn't feel that she can trust you, who's fault is that?"
"Mine," Sammy says quietly.
"I'm willing to believe that you're normally an honest person and that this whole thing is purely situational," Darius says. "But the fact is, you still lied to us. That's all Yaz knows, and she doesn't trust you. What bothers her is that she feels forced to open up to you. She's tired of you invading her personal space. I don't think you get that you're intimidatingly friendly sometimes."
Sammy chuckles slightly, then stops. "You think I'm pushy?"
Darius nods. "You're very sweet, Sammy. But I don't think you get how exhausting you can be to someone who's naturally shy. I'm not super shy, but you can be…"
"High maintenance?" Sammy suggests quietly.
"Yeah," Darius says. "I'm not trying to be mean. You're very sweet and nice, and your positivity is very encouraging in this situation. But I think your extrovertedness clashes greatly with specifically Yaz. She needs her alone time, and she needs a break from even those she loves. And the rest of us, to a degree, feel the same way. After a while, social interaction can get tiring."
Sammy looks down at her hands.
"From the beginning, Yasmina was avoiding interaction with the rest of us," Darius says. "Honestly, I think her shyness was a little on the unhealthy side. She probably needed that push to open up to the rest of us, even though your attempts scared her and annoyed her in the beginning. But she's opened up and has some form of relationship with all of us. So we shouldn't try to force her to open up more. If she wants to open up more, it's up to her."
"So… you're saying that she needed that push I gave her during the dino drive, but because I'm socially clueless, I'm pushing farther than I should?" Sammy asks.
Darius nods. "Basically. You've tried to apologize and make up, so now it's up to her. And if she doesn't want to fix her relationship with you, you have a part in that. You've done all you can do, so let her know that you're ready for a relationship. Don't push her, though. It's not really her fault the friendship has broken."
"Yee," Sammy says sadly. "I'm sorry if I haven't been sensitive. I thought I was… I didn't know that I was invading others personal space. I'm sorry that I'm clueless." She starts smacking her forehead.
"It's okay, that's why I'm telling you," Darius smiles. "I'm not trying to down on you, but I think a lot of tension might be fixed if you don't push Yaz farther than she wants to go."
"Sorry," Sammy apologizes. "I'll try to be aware of that. I just don't understand. She was open and more trusting until two nights ago. I thought we were getting better, but I don't know what I did."
"I don't have an answer for that," Darius says. "But she's treating Kenji and Brooklynn the same. Yaz is… special. I think anger and irritation is her way of expressing her fear and sadness about the situation we're in. Sometimes it feels like she's trying to be a butt, though…" Darius brightens. "Wait, when do you think she started distrusting you again?"
Sammy hums. "I feel like it was around the time we stopped to rest and her and Kenji fought. I don't know if the crazy egg conversation had anything to do with it. It just feels like something we did that night reawoke that distrust in her."
"That would actually explain a lot of her behavior," Darius says, on the verge of smiling. "I wonder if this is her reaction to grief. Maybe it was Kenji's comments that woke something up. She hasn't been the same since we confirmed Ben's… death… Yaz is very strong physically, and mentally too. But I don't think she knows how to deal with emotional pain, so she tries not to. You know how she thinks we're not going to make it. Maybe she's trying to draw back emotionally from the rest of us to prepare for our eventual deaths."
"She's trying to put a wall between us so that if I died, it wouldn't hurt as bad," Sammy nods. "That makes sense."
"Thank you, Sammy, that actually explains a lot of her recent behavior," Darius nods.
"I get that," Sammy says. "I don't agree with it. I'd rather have close friends than draw away from fear of loss."
"Well, you've probably experienced death a lot more than she has," Darius says. "Given your ranch background. It's not like her fears are totally irrational—don't tell her I said that, though. Not all of our relationships are going to end happily. Sometimes the people you trust and care about will hurt you irreparably and some will leave way too soon. Things aren't always going to end happily ever after."
Sammy blinks back tears. "I know. I just wish it wasn't true." Darius and Sammy embrace. "I'll stop making Yaz feel forced into a relationship she's not comfortable with," Sammy says, drawing back. "But… I guess I'm not sure when enough is enough yet. So… let me know if you think I'm pushing too far."
"I think Yaz will make sure of that," Darius chuckles. "But I'll be sure to help you know where you went wrong."
The sun rises and the rest of the campers wake up. Darius watches Yasmina for any signs that she overheard their conversation, but she was just as grumpy as usual. "You're not a morning person, are you, Yaz?" Darius asks.
"I'm a night owl," Yasmina yawns.
"Well, I'm a morning bird," Kenji declares. "And you all know what kinda bird I am at night. A kookaburra!"
"Facts," Brooklynn chuckles.
Kenji, Brooklynn, and Sammy head out to scavenge for more food, as they wanted to stock up before moving from their spot. Darius stays behind to protect Yasmina and elevate her ankle. With her ankle propped up on his knee, he stares out into the trees, uncomfortable in the silence. Their argument was fresh on his mind, and it still stung. Darius and Yasmina had a different friendship. From the moment the I-rex attacked, the two had had an unspoken relationship with mutual trust and respect. Neither one had to ask for help; the other just sort of knew. Yasmina started out as the strong one, but it didn't take long for Darius to step up and rescue her.
Darius never realized how much he treasured her friendship until she yelled at him. She had never questioned his leadership or his abilities, despite him being at least three years younger than her. She was thoroughly loyal to him and encouraged him. With her blatant trust issues, it warmed Darius's heart that she had such strong faith in him. He just hoped that he hadn't lost that trust by bringing up Sammy. In a way, he felt as if he had a divide between him and the others, and he didn't want that between him and Yasmina.
Tears start to slide down his cheeks without permission, and he tries to hide it. But Yasmina was not as oblivious as he had hoped. "Darius?" Yasmina asks. "You okay?"
Darius sniffs. "I'm fine," he says.
"Right," Yasmina smirks. "Darius, I should know better than anyone when someone's hiding pain. What's wrong?"
The boy sighs. "...Am I likeable? Am I respectable?"
"Of course," she says, confused. "Why would you ever think otherwise?" Then she softens. "I'm sorry if I made you feel unloved last night."
"It's not just you," Darius says, starting to break down a bit. "It's all of you. I want good friends, and I've found good friends, but sometimes I wonder if I'm too different. And I'm afraid that if I'm not a good leader, I won't be able to keep you guys, anyway. I just want friends…"
"To fill in the void your father left?" Yasmina quietly finishes.
Darius nods, tears streaming down his cheeks. "It's not that I want to replace him, but…"
"You want someone to talk to and pour your heart out when you're sad without judgment," Yasmina finishes again. Darius nods. "Come here," Yasmina whispers, gesturing to him. Darius shifts her leg to rest on a stone and then crawls into her embrace like a child to his mother. He curls up in her arms and rests his head on her chest; nestling his head underneath her chin. Yasmina holds him as silent tears leave wet marks on her jacket.
"Have you lost someone?" Darius asks softly.
Yasmina hums. "Sort of. The friend kind, though. I don't remember the loss of my grandparents, and I lost a friend through other means. I can't imagine the pain of losing a loved one to death, though. No one will be able to replace your father. From what I've experienced, there will always be a hole in your heart where they left. I don't know if that hole will ever heal, but the pain lets up as time goes on. And it helps to have family and friends to lean on."
"I know," Darius says. "I'm just worried that I'll lose my friends to a dinosaur. I just… I don't think I'm on the same level as you guys. I don't know if I can lead you."
Yasmina starts chuckling, but she tries to smother it. "All right, please explain how you're not on the same level as us and how you can't lead us."
"Well, I'm just a dino nerd," Darius says sadly. "My reaction to pain was to stay in my room and play video games. I'm younger than you guys, and I just feel so different sometimes. I don't have anything in common with you all. And how am I supposed to lead you with book facts and inspirational speeches? It's good at the moment, but when push comes to shove, do I really know what I'm doing?"
"Do any of us know what we're doing?" Yasmina asks. "None of us have any clue what to do, Darius. We're all flying by the seat of our pants, trying to figure out what to do in a split second. It might be more luck than anything that we've made it this far. Do you think I knew if I would make it out of the Mosasaurus lagoon alive when I decided to save you and Sammy?"
"You weren't thinking it all the way through," Darius chuckles.
"Good point," Yasmina laughs. "But I still made a reckless decision in the heat of the moment without knowing what would happen. We're all doing that, Darius. Not knowing what to do doesn't make you a bad leader. Not in this situation. The reason we follow you is because you can actually rally us together and make a pretty good decision in the heat of the moment. And you do have more knowledge about dinosaurs than the rest of us, so in a way, you know more about what to do than we do. That's why we follow you."
Darius sniffs. "I think I got snot on your jacket."
"It's not the worst thing that's on it," Yasmina snickers. "As for your likeability, Darius, we like you because you're different. We're all flawed, Darius. And compared to the rest of us, you're perfect. Your cute dino nerdiness and inspirational speeches draw us to you. The only flaw I could pick for you off the top of my head is gullibility. And that flaw isn't unlikeable. You're just a loveable cinnamon roll who we can't help but fall in love with."
"Am I actually loveable, or are you just trying to make me feel better?" Darius asks.
"Darius, how many issues have I had with you versus the others?" Yasmina asks. "Last night was the only time I've snapped at you, and that was because of me, not you. I was feeling grumpy and snappy and you happened to catch the explosion. You're the only one who hasn't annoyed me or put me off with your personality. And no one else has really had an altercation with you. Do you think that says something?"
"I guess it does," Darius says. "About last night, I just wanted to help you. Everyone's been having trouble and there's so much tension among everyone. I just wanted to help everyone fix the problems, but I made them worse."
"Darius, I appreciate you trying to help," she smiles. "But other than making sure the group works together to survive, it's not your job. You can try to help your friends get along, but in the end, it's their relationship. You can't have a relationship for them."
"So you really don't want a relationship with any of the others?" Darius asks, sad.
Yasmina bites her lip. "I'm wary of trusting people who've broken my trust or show signs of lying and faking. Past experiences have shaped my outlook on friendships, and honestly, I don't really want to explain it. It's not you, I just don't like to talk about it. Try not to worry about me. I know that you want me to open up to the others and be friends, but I just don't want to. That's not going to change how I feel about you, though."
"Okay," Darius whispers sadly.
"Does it bother you when we call you Dino nerd?" Yasmina asks.
"Not exactly," Darius says. "It just reminds me of how different I am. I know you guys are being nice, but nerd just feels like it separates me. You guys don't have to stop calling me that, though. It's not a super bad nickname."
Yasmina thinks for a moment. "How about I call you Chhota Bhai? It means 'younger brother' in Urdu."
"What?" Darius asks.
"My great grandparents came from Pakistan," Yasmina explains. "I've learned family terms from Urdu, the language spoken there. Now I can remind you that you're family when I call you by your nickname."
Darius giggles. "I like that." The two lay there embracing each other. "To be honest, I thought your irritation stemmed from Ben's death," Darius says.
Yasmina's breath hitches ever so slightly. Darius continues. "I thought that Kenji made you feel worse with his comments because you feel bad. I thought that you felt like you were responsible for his death and could've done more to save him. You felt the need to make up for your 'mistake' by sacrificing yourself for the rest of us, and used your injury as an excuse. And you were drawing away from the other three for fear that they would die and their death would hurt. So you were trying to distance yourself and save you the pain of loss."
Yasmina sniffs. "Well… you're not… wrong…" she sniffs again, tearing up. "There's some truth… to that. I just… I just sort of froze on the monorail… I should've helped him. I should've helped. Kenji is right. And I just wish I could make up for my mistake…"
Yasmina starts to cry, holding Darius tighter. He hugs her back, comforting her like she did him as sobs racked her body. Her sobs subside and she kisses the top of Darius's head. "Thank you, Darius. Don't you ever think that you are unloved."
The two lay in silence, enjoying their comforting company. "Ooh! Are we havin' a snuggle party?" Sammy's Texan voice interrupts the silence. Yasmina sighs and Darius smothers his chuckles. "Well, it's not a proper snuggle party if there ain't more than two!" Sammy exclaims. She lays down next to Darius and cuddles with him.
"I wish I could take a picture of this," Brooklynn giggles as she lays down next to Yasmina. The athletic girl groans, but doesn't push her away.
"No party is complete without Kenji!" the alpha male exclaims, snuggling next to Sammy. The five relax, warmed and comforted by their friends. As the group cuddles, they hear a soft bellow and thumping footsteps. The campers get up quickly and look out through the trees. A triceratops herd was moving by them.
"Good morning, Bumpy!" Ben says cheerfully, standing up and stretching carefully. The Ankylosaurus shakes her head and bellows a response. Ben gasps playfully. "Oh, did you have a good sleep?"
Bumpy starts to jump around. "Well, that sounds like an interesting dream," Ben laughs. "Should we take a look around the park? We drove Toro out, so I guess we own it? I don't know how this works with dinos."
Bumpy snorts. "I take that as a yes," Ben smirks. He begins to walk through the park. As he heads towards the mainstreet, he begins to find wreckage. "Looks like the I-rex decided to pass by here," he says to himself.
Ben comes around a corner and finds himself face to face with a pterodactyl. He yelps in fear, then realizes it's dead. "I guess it wasn't the Indo," he mumbles, and finds a terrible scene in front of him. The vendors and buildings were destroyed and glass littered the streets. Dead bodies were lying around on the ground, along with pterodactyl bodies.
Ben gasps, horrified. Never had he seen such a tragic sight. His hands tremble as he numbly walks through the streets. Compies run through, tearing off pieces of flesh from the dead humans and pterodactyls alike. The sight makes Ben gag and tears run down his cheeks. He stumbles into a building and comes face to face with a dead pterodactyl again. He starts shaking as memories of the monorail and the dead workers he found at the treehouse flash through his mind. The boy begins to feel dizzy and slumps to the ground, hyperventilating. He feels his fingers grow numb and a painful feeling arises in his chest. As the world spins, his nerves force the contents of his stomach out. Bumpy moans, nudging him with her head in concern, but Ben doesn't notice her.
Darius chuckles happily. "Triceratops. They must be moving to another part of the island."
"Are they dangerous?" Brooklynn asks.
"All dinosaurs have the potential to be dangerous," Darius says. "But Triceratops are herbivores. If we could tame them, they might let us ride on their backs. It would give us a break from walking, and might give us protection from predators. Sammy?"
Sammy shakes herself loose and instructs the group to gather up branches. They timidly walk up to the Triceratops, wary of dinosaurs. Sammy tries the same technique she used on the Sinoceratops and tames two mother Triceratops. A baby Triceratops wound itself around it's mothers legs and pokes her little head out at Sammy, playfully. "Hi," the Texan smiles, offering a branch to the little dinosaur. The little baby takes it in her mouth and tears it from Sammy's hands. The campers chuckle.
"Kenji, you want to honor of naming our rides?" Sammy asks.
"Trishy," Kenji says, pointing to the baby. "Theresa," he points to Trishy's mother. "Tracey," he points to the second adult.
"Okay," Sammy says. "Does anyone know how to ride horses?" Most of the group shakes their heads. Brooklynn, on the other hand, nods eagerly. "Okay, Brooklynn, you'll ride Theresa," Sammy says. "Darius can ride with you, and so can Yasmina."
Said girl was avoiding the dinosaur. "She's not gonna hurt you," Sammy says, noticing Yasmina's hesitation. "She's pretty docile right now. It's like riding a horse."
"That's why I don't want to do it," Yasmina grumbles.
"You don't like horses?" Brooklynn asks.
"I got thrown off one as a kid," Yasmina huffs, crossing her arms. "Never liked them."
"Alright, change of plans," Sammy says. "Darius and Brooklynn can ride Theresa, and Kenji and Yaz can ride with me on Tracey."
Yasmina glares at Sammy. "Well, do you wanna ride with Brooklynn, who learned to ride for her channel, or with me, who's grown up around horses my whole life?" Sammy asks, slightly stern. Yasmina rolls her eyes, but quits glaring at Sammy.
Taking her response as a yes, Sammy and Kenji help Brooklynn and Darius up onto Theresa. The Triceratops was exceptionally docile about humans jumping on her back. Darius theorizes that they were used to humans manhandling them. After that, Kenji and Sammy helped Yasmina up. Kenji helps Sammy up, then there was the awkward struggle of trying to get Kenji up with no one to lift him. Darius and Brooklynn found it hilarious.
The group lets the Triceratops meander on without trying to guide them. As they go along, Kenji starts up another round of get-to-know-each-other. "How old is everyone?"
"Twelve," Darius states.
"Nuh uh," Brooklynn sputters. "No way! You're fourteen!"
"You gotta problem with me being twelve?" Darius sassily snaps back.
"I can't picture you being twelve," Brooklynn chuckles. "You act way too mature for twelve."
"Well, how old are you?" Darius tschs.
"Fourteen," Brooklynn answers. "Sammy?"
"Fifteen," Sammy says. "Yaz?"
"Fifteen," Yasmina shrugs. "Kenji?"
"Almost seventeen," he answers. "Oh, when's your birthdays?"
"September thirteenth," Darius answers.
"July fifth," Brooklynn answers.
"Oof," Yasmina chuckles. "So close to a holiday. Must be terrible."
"When's your birthday, if you seem to understand my plight?" Brooklynn huffs.
"April first," Yasmina says, deadpan. Kenji starts laughing. "See what I mean?" the athlete points at the alpha male behind her.
"You be kidding, right?" Kenji laughs. The two argue over Yasmina's birthday for a little bit, before she asks him when his birthday was. "December twenty-fourth," he proudly announces, to the guffaws of Yasmina. "I'm serious," he says. "Fine, I'll believe that your birthday is April Fool's Day if you believe that my birthday is Christmas Eve."
"Sure," Yasmina shrugs with a smirk.
"Mine's April twenty-fifth," Sammy says. "Yaz is twenty-five days older than me."
"That's fun!" Brooklynn grins.
As they talk, the two Triceratops begin to drift apart, forcing the teens to stop talking. Darius takes the opportunity to retry his previous conversation with Brooklynn. Before he can talk, she interrupts him. "Look at how irritated Yaz is." The two laugh as the athlete fumes; stuck in between an animated Kenji and Sammy. "Let's guess what she's thinking," Brooklynn says, then imitates Yasmina. "Ugh, I'm stuck with dumb and dumber."
Darius laughs. Yasmina glares at the two. "How dare you leave me with these idiots?"
Brooklynn laughs. Yasmina glares even harder when she sees them laughing. "Don't laugh at my suffering!" Darius exclaims, imitating his friend.
"I'd rather be stuck with Brooklynn than these two fartknockers," Brooklynn laughs.
"You really think she'd say that?" Darius asks.
"Yeah," Brooklynn shrugs, but her voice softens. "Yaz hates me. Idk why. Yaz always seems to have a reason to hate someone, but I'm not sure what I did. Maybe she's just annoyed with my Youtube self. She seemed to have it against me for being popular."
"I think she does like you," Darius says. "In the beginning, not so much. But like I told Sammy, now I think she's afraid of getting close to you and losing you on this island. And she's probably trying to cope with Ben's death like the rest of us and it's coming out in anger. So the two combine and the results are just anger and resentment."
"That makes sense," Brooklynn nods. "Guess she prefers the hurt of losing you over distancing herself from you." The two are quiet for a bit. "How are you holding up with Ben?" Brooklynn asks.
"I'm sad," Darius says quietly. "He finally faces his fears and then that happens. He was so scared when he fell. It was heartbreaking."
"Yeah," Brooklynn says. "It's a bad way to go."
"How are you doing?" Darius asks.
"Numb," Brooklynn says. "I was sad when he fell, but… my focus was on surviving." She bites her lip. "After we found his resting place, I cried. But since then, I've just been numb." She starts to sniff, her breath hitching. "I guess the grief just hasn't hit me yet. Does that make me cold? Even Yaz cried. I know your little snuggle party wasn't out of fun."
A small tear drips down her face. "There were so many things we could've done differently," she says, letting the tears flow. Darius hugs her from behind. "We could've saved him had we done things differently," Brooklynn sobs. "Maybe if we had gone back for him, he wouldn't have been eaten. Had I not insisted on getting to the boat, we might have saved him. It was pointless to try getting to the ferries; we wouldn't have made it anyway."
Darius holds her as she cries. Her sobs eventually subside, and she hiccups. "We could've done things differently. I have forgiven Sammy, but times like these remind why I was angry in the first place."
Darius finds his opportunity. "How did you know that Sammy was doing something wrong?"
Brooklynn bristles. "It's not like I was doing anything illegal."
"Brooklynn, another reason why Yaz doesn't trust you is because you haven't told us how you know," Darius states softly. "Had Sammy told her about Mantah Corp, I'm sure she would've been fine. Might've even helped her spy. It was the lying that got her. And you haven't said how you know about Sammy or the Indominus rex. In her mind, you're no better than Sammy."
"Do you not trust me, either?" Brooklynn asks.
Darius bites his lip. "I trust you with my life. But I am… concerned. You still haven't told us what you were doing, and I would like to know. I'm not naturally cynical, but it does raise questions."
She sighs. "I was sneaking into Doctor Wu's lab to try to impress people on the Internet. I ran into Sammy on the way there. That's how I figured out the Indominus and that she was spying."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Darius asks.
"I… I was kinda ashamed of my actions," Brooklynn chews on her lip. "I guess that should've stopped me. I'm sorry I lied to you, Darius. To all of you. I truly am. I really have a problem with that. The doing questionable things for attention, I mean."
"Questionable things?" Darius asks.
"You don't want to know," Brooklynn says, a tear sliding down her cheek again. "You really don't. It's not all fun and games as a popular Youtube star. It's kill or be killed out there. You have to keep up with the game. Grit your teeth and do things you might not feel comfortable with to get higher up. Sometimes I think I sold my soul for the fame I got…"
"You don't have to sell your soul for real friendships," Darius says, hugging her again. "Your friendship isn't based on how well you perform. You don't need to feel like you have to pretend to keep us."
"I'm really grateful for your friendship, Darius," Brooklynn says, squeezing his hand. "I really am. You know that, right?"
Darius is about to answer when a roar spooks him. The Triceratops herd starts to bellow as Sarah the Ceratosaurus comes running towards them.
"Breathe, Ben, breathe," a small voice says in his head. Ben tries the breathing exercises that he uses when he has a panic attack. Within a couple minutes, Ben was breathing normally and not shaking as bad. Steadying himself, he stands up and checks every body he comes across, hoping that one might be alive. None of them are.
Disheartened, Ben is about to give up on finding survivors in the bloodstained, glass strewn streets when he hears a soft moan next to him. He whips his head around and finds an older woman lying on the ground. She had bite marks across her torso, and fresh blood pooled around her. She weakly reaches out her hand to Ben.
Ben kneels down and takes her hand. "Phillip," she says weakly. "You made it. I've been looking for you for a week, now. I thought you were dead."
Ben is about to tell her he was not Phillip, when she sighs. "I'm sure help will come, my son. Mommy's not going to be able to come home, though. I'm… I'm sorry. It's my time to go. Take care of Daisy, Phillip. Take care of your little sister."
Ben blinks back tears and nods. He didn't have the heart to tell her he wasn't her son.
"I'll see you both in Heaven someday," the woman says, barely above a whisper. "I love you. I love you both…"
The woman stills, and her arm goes limp. Ben gently lays her hand on the ground and looks around. Yards away, glazed over eyes stared back. The boy Ben sees bears an uncanny resemblance to him. In the deceased boy's arms was the still body of a young girl. The two shared similar features with the woman.
Ben looks around, whimpering. All around him were families, torn apart by death and destruction. Some died together, and some lost members. Parents were missing children. Children were orphaned. Brothers were crying for vengeance and sisters were mourning. Grandparents's hearts were breaking. Death and sadness hung heavily in the air, encompassing Ben in a suffocating blanket of despair.
The grief hits Ben hard in the chest, and he clutches his heart. The boy doubles over in pain and grief, uncontrollably sobbing. "Why? Why did this have to happen to them? Why did they have to suffer?"
Bumpy nudges him, and he wraps his arms around her, wailing in grief. Anguished sounds escape his lips as he cries for the lost and the broken. "Why is this world so cruel?" Ben desperately asks. But no one answered him.