I watch Owen fix his motorcycle, asking him time to time from far away. It sounds a bit complex to repair a bike. I smile at him while he's working, observing his movements. Not long after, the sound of a car pulled up takes my attention. I look to my right and slip back into the bungalow, hiding from the person that's in the car.
It's Claire.
"What do they want now?" Owen asks, looking at Claire. I can hear him talking slightly because of the walls that are covering it. I look out the small window, crouching down so that Claire won't spot me. What is she even doing here?
"Mr. Grady? I need you to come to take a look at something," she says while walking closer to Owen. Owen glances at her a few times, his hands still working.
"Why are you calling me Mr. Grady?"
"Owen. If you're not to busy."
"I'm pretty busy."
"We have an attraction."
"That's not what you said last time I saw you."
Does that mean Owen has seen Claire back then? Have they been dating? I furrow my eyebrows in confusion at his words but decide just to pay attention to their conversation rather than think hard about what they had in the past.
"I'm talking about the dinosaurs, Mr. Grady."
"Owen," he corrects her. Owen stands up from the stool he was sitting on, cleaning his hands with a rag.
"A new species we've made." I blink at Claire's words. People here made a new dinosaur? How is that possible? I thought they only could revive dead ones rather than creating a new species.
"You just went and made a new dinosaur?"
"It's what we do here. The exhibit opens to the public in three weeks. Mr. Masrani wanted me to consult with you."
"You want to consult here or in my bungalow?" Owen asks, standing in front of Claire with a smirk on his face.
I lower my face, feeling that I'm starting to get pissed with all the flirting he does with Claire while Claire just acts normal.
"That's not funny."
"A little funny."
"We'd like you to evaluate the paddock for vulnerabilities."
"Why me?"
"I guess Mr. Masrani thinks since you're able to control the raptors..."
"It's all about control with you," Owen cuts Claire off. "I don't control the raptors. It's a relationship. It's based on mutual respect. That's why you and I never had a second date."
So they did go on a date. Owen didn't tell me about that. All I know from him is that Claire is an organized woman and a hardworking one.
"Excuse me? I never wanted a second date."
"Who prints out an itinerary for a night out?"
"I'm an organized person."
"What kind of diet doesn't allow tequila?"
"All of them. What kind of man shows up to date in board shorts?"
"It's Central America; it's hot."
I scoff lightly at their bickering. It's funny to know how bold Owen is to go to a date wearing those kinds of clothes while Claire uses and itinerary. I thought that dates should just go with the flow they have.
"Okay. Okay. Can we just focus on the asset, please?" Claire asks, following Owen to a wood house next to his bungalow. Owen got something he needed then walks back to his bike, Claire standing on the steps of the wooden house.
"The asset? Look, I get it; you're in charge out here. You have to make a lot of tough decisions. It's probably easier to pretend like animals are just numbers on a spreadsheet, but they're not. They're alive."
"I'm fully aware that they're alive."
"You might've made them in a test tube, but they don't know that. They're thinking, 'I gotta eat. I have to hunt. I gotta...'." Owen trails off while thrusting his fist to the front a little. I blush at what he said. I'll act that I didn't see that. "You can at least relate to one of those things, right?" he continues.
"I'll be in the car. You might want to change your shirt. They're very sensitive to smell," Claire says before she walks over to her car and gets in, waiting for Owen. Owen walks over to the bungalow where I'm in, and I move away from the window, taking a seat on his bed.
The door opens, and Owen walks in.
"So, you've dated Claire before?"
He jumps at my voice and looks at me with a shocked face for a moment before he calms down. It's as if he forgot about the fact that I'm still in his bungalow. Damn him.
"Uh, yeah. We had a date once. But I guess she didn't like it," he says while rummaging through his drawer for a new shirt. I roll my eyes, quite annoyed by the fact that they dated once. Don't know why I'm annoyed, though.
"Can you get back to the dome by yourself?" he asks while taking off his previous shirt and putting on a new one. I whip my head away from his body, swallowing a lump in my throat as heat rose to my face.
"I can manage as long as I don't get spotted."
"Great. I'll see you later."
He wraps his arms around me, hugging me tightly for a split second before he walks out of the bungalow, shutting the door behind him.
"Bye," I sigh. I waited for them to leave this place so that I can have an opportunity to leave this place. Not long after, they finally go and, I walk out of Owen's bungalow, turn back into a raptor and rush back to the dome. Since I know that there's a gate now, I take the path to the entrance.
I stop at the edge of the forest that's near the dome, turning back into a human. Quietly, I walk over to the gate and open it slowly. They just have to make sounds when I open the gate. Some guards from above are on guard and looking around the place for anyone who's opening the gate.
The stupid thing is, they don't check the controls first. I open a small gap from under the gate and slip in, closing it again by pressing the buttons through the bars before I change back and look for the others.
"Blue!" I yelled at the blue raptor that's walking. She turns her head at me, and I jump at her, nuzzling my head against hers.
"Alpha? Where have you been?" she asks when I'm done nuzzling my head against her. I told her what happened last night from the beginning, and when I finish, she sighs in relief.
"That is a good thing to know. Charlie has calmed down, and she was worried about you this morning. She was looking everywhere for you."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Hard to believe."
"Go see her for yourself, and then you'll believe me, Alpha."
"Let's go then."
