Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Who knew that fresh air could feel so stuffy? Not you, that’s who. You weren’t exactly someone who’d leave the house every day, not enjoying the outdoors. So you couldn’t really judge how fresh air could be, but this sea air just seemed too fresh.  

Luckily, a ‘thunk!’ interrupted your thoughts, and then a hand shooed you off the boat until your feet met the gray concrete docks.  

Looking around, you surveyed the faces of five other people, all varying in looks. The most notable one to you was the guy standing on your left. He wore a bright green jacket, with a face that resembled a similar color. You felt bad for him; but you would not mix the smell of puke with your own—beautifully non-pukey fragrance, so you’d keep your distance for now.  

You shimmied a little to the right, almost bumping shoulders with one of the teens, though you skillfully avoided that using something called spatial awareness. 

Another person was this girl with a rather long, black ponytail who seemed too busy inspecting her surroundings to notice a pink-haired girl sneaking up on her with a cellular device in hand.  

Your eyes widen as you realize exactly who this pink haired girl is, which is the famous Brooklynn, of course. You weren’t really a fan, but it’s hard not to know her, considering her social status.  

You tear your eyes off the two girls once the taller one pushes Brooklynn’s camera out of her face forcefully. Instead, you focus on the dark-skinned boy in front of you, wearing a yellow jacket with black stripes on the sleeves. He was looking around excitedly, practically bouncing on his feet—no, scratch that, he was. You hold back a chuckle, not wanting to be a creep, and jump when someone elbows you gently. 

“So… Jurassic World, huh?” You look behind you when you hear a southern accent directed your way. The culprit is a girl with a pink headband, wearing a black leather jacket.  

“Uh, yeah. That’s–that’s where we are. Haha.” You grimace at your attempt at a conversation, though the cowgirl doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, she seems happy just at the fact you responded at all.  

Before she can speak again, the man who had just been humming a Lady Gaga song and staring at a clipboard finally speaks up; prompting everyone to form a group in front of him.  

“Welcome to Isla Nublar, campers!” The man has pale skin and a yellow bandana that forces his hair upwards. He carries a carefree smile and continues talking as he walks back and forth ahead of your group. 

“You are the chosen few, the first kids in the entire world to ever experience the awesomeness…” He pauses, and everyone—despite not knowing one another—looks at each other in excitement. 

“... that is Camp Cretaceous.” He folds his hands behind his back and walks to the left. 

“I know—the trip from the mainland was rough on some.” He nods his head towards the green jacket teen. 

“Hello, Ben.”  

Said boy turns towards the man to give him a thumbs up, right before spinning back around to barf again over the edge of the dock. 

You raised a brow. When had he left the group? 

The older man shouts, “But you made it! I’m Dave, head counselor. You heard that correctly—head honcho, big shot.”  

Dave’s interrupted by the sound of screeching wheels, and everyone turns once they notice the dust flying from the vehicle that just pulled up.  

The mystery person pushes the driver’s seat door open, and a brown-haired woman with sun-kissed skin jumps out.  

“Ah, so sorry I’m late!” She has to shout over the commotion she herself had created. 

She begins her own introduction as she makes her way towards the group. “Welcome, campers! I’m Roxie, head counselor of Camp Cretaceous.” Her words cause a silence to overcome everyone.  

You, along with the other teens, stare down Dave with judging eyes.  

He fumbles with his words, chuckling with embarrassment. “Haha–well, it’s sort of a co-head… counselor sort of situation.” His hands point at the air, as if trying to summon something to back him up.  

“Is it?” Roxie snickers. 

Dave clears his throat, desperate to steer the conversation away from his failed leadership role.  

“Anyway, some of you won contests to be here, some of you had VIP invites,” During Dave’s speech, Brooklynn spins her phone around, recording the area; along with the ponytail girl. The black-haired girl blocks the camera’s view of her face before walking away completely. Rejected but still determined, Brooklynn instead turns her phone towards the rest of the group, which includes you. 

The boy in the yellow jacket gives a double thumbs up at the camera, in addition to a bright smile. The cowgirl then notices the camera and leans over the dark-skinned boy to throw up a peace sign. Even Ben gives a small smile at the camera.  

You glance at the camera, eyes widening before giving a quick wave and hurriedly turning the other way. The action causes Brooklynn to raise a brow, but she doesn’t investigate further. Rather, she swivels her phone to face Roxie and Dave as they continue their speech, which you now realize you hadn’t been listening to.  

You pick up on Roxie’s words, “As our first campers, we’ve lined up exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of Jurassic World.”  

There are varying shouts of eagerness, along with Ben’s whines of fear. Roxie goes on to list the various activities you’d all be taking part in before the dark-skinned boy to your right cuts in to shout:  

“Dinosaurs!?” His hands are suspended in front of him, balled into fists that shook with fervor.  

After a beat of silence, he puts his hands in his pockets and stares down at his shoes. You reluctantly pat his shoulder, offering a small smile when he turns towards you out of confusion.  

Lucky for you, he smiles back because that would’ve been really awkward if he got creeped out by you touching him or something. You let out a relieved breath from the positive interaction.  

Roxie picks up from where she was interrupted, “Yes…” She spares a brief glance at the clipboard in her hands before continuing. “...Darius, plenty of dinosaurs.”  

“So, ready for an adventure?”  

Brooklynn doesn’t miss a beat and immediately responds, “Absolutely!” She looks towards her phone and seems to be a bit dissatisfied at something before turning her eyes back towards the two adults. “But I’m gonna need that speech a little shorter, and really try to lean into the majesty of this place.”  

Roxie and Dave stare at the girl with furrowed brows before Dave chuckles and claps his hands together. 

“Okay, we’re going now. Let’s get the seven of you to camp!”  

Ben slowly raises a hand in an almost robotic motion, “Uh, there are six of us?” He looks over the group to make sure he isn’t wrong before turning towards the red shirt wearing adults. 

“Wait.” Dave pauses to count heads, verbally announcing names to check off a figurative list.  

“Dino-kid, Track-star, Internet Girl, Wordsmith, Barfy, Texas.” Everyone gives differing reactions towards the nicknames. He gave you a positive one, at least.

“He’s right. Where’s seven?” Dave looks around, as if the teen would suddenly appear out of thin air. 

Roxie checks the board, most likely for a name, and then scoffs.  

Soon after, the sound of a helicopter’s rotor blades whirring enters your ears, and you rush to cover them. Number seven really did appear out of thin air, huh? 

A grown man hops out, opens the door, and hops back in. Roxie holds a hand out, gesturing towards the aircraft with a well-deserved snarl. Your group all shields their eyes from dust once again, and you hope this doesn’t become a common occurrence. Your glasses can’t keep getting dirty because of people’s dramatic entrances. 

Once the dust clears, you spot a confident-looking guy stepping out, wearing a purple collared shirt and carrying a blue case of luggage. He even sported some black sunglasses, extra much? 

“Greetings, my dudes. Kenji is here, so let the party commence!” He walks towards you all, confidence practically radiating off of him.  

Roxie sputters at the dust remnants, and it doesn’t help that this so-called Kenji throws his luggage at her before saying, “Put this in my room.”  

“So, what’s your deal?” He asks Darius after pulling his sunglasses down in an exaggerated manner. 

He’s then promptly shoved to the ground by his own luggage, which was thrown at him by none other than Roxie.  

“Okay, let’s go!” She announces, after dusting her hands off.  

Texas climbs onto the trunk of the car Roxie had driven there, while Track-star skillfully jumps over the short wall of said trunk and plopping down next to the other girl.  

Ben unwillingly sits near the edge, next to cowgirl, though you usher him away from it because you didn’t want to sit near Brooklynn or Kenji; who were going to sit on the opposite side, since your side was full. 

“Thanks.” Ben mutters, and you nod. 

Brooklynn poses and snaps a photo, and Dave pats your side of the truck to an unknown rhythm until he reaches the car door. Darius sits down, facing Brooklynn, likely planning to start a conversation before Kenji intrudes by sitting between the two. He even goes as far as putting an arm around Darius’s shoulders despite the annoyed face the poor boy is making. The engine starts, and everyone screams as Roxie speeds up. Darius buckles his seat belt, causing a chain reaction of seat-buckling.  

“I hope you got my mom’s note. I don’t do well on windy roads.” Ben nearly shouts, twisting his body so that he could face the road that the car’s driving on.  

Your face twists with a grimace as he gags, “Really?” You ask, almost out of annoyance, but you can’t really blame him for having such a weak stomach. He spares you a fleeting look of guilt before hurling, and you grip the back of his jacket because you’re not just going to let him fly out of this speeding car.  

“What’s good, Brooklanders?” the internet star says, starting a video as she points her phone to the road and then her own face. “It’s your girl Brooklynn coming at you from the best place ever: Camp Cretaceous!” She throws an arm out, gesturing towards the passing trees.  

“Like and subscribe to join me as I unlock: Jurassic World!” She stops and looks at everyone in the trunk, giving you a bad feeling. “Okay, I need you all to say who you are and a little about yourself.” 

There it is, your bad feelings never fail you. 

“And action!” She points her phone at Darius.  

He sputters, “Oh! Um…” He thinks for a moment before continuing. “I beat this awesome VR dinosaur game. I’m Darius by the–”  

“I’m sorry,” the cowgirl interrupts. “I just can’t believe… you’re Brooklynn!” The pink-haired girl smiles at the attention. 

“I’m Sammy Gutierrez, total Brooklander!” Sammy grabs hold of Brooklynn’s hand and shakes it with all her might.  

She shoots finger guns, ending it with the imitation of gunfire. 

She seems to realize that she didn’t fully introduce herself, and she suddenly stops. “Oh, also, my family supplies all the beef for the parks, and that’s how I got here.”  

“Great to meet you, Sammy.” Brooklynn grins. 

Darius looks around, trying to spot confusion on anyone else’s face before asking it himself, “Um… What’s a Brooklander?” 

“Oh, that’s just what my online followers call themselves.” Brooklyn explains.  

“Uh, all 27 million of us.” Sammy imitates gunfire again. Kenji’s eyes widened in interest. 

“27 million? The last time I checked, it was 25 million.” You say unintentionally, causing Kenji’s already widening eyes to almost bulge out of his head with your contribution, and he excitedly shakes Darius.  

Brooklynn furrows her brows at you, opening her mouth to say something before she’s cut off by Track-star, who you should really ask the name of.  

“Yep, that’s why she’s the only one who gets to keep her cell phone. She’s famous.”  

Kenji butts in, “Hold on. Rich…” He points to himself, “... and famous?” He turns his hand to Brooklyn. 

“Oh, meant to be.” He snatches her phone out of her hands before leaning against her and taking a picture of the two of them.  

Ben’s still throwing up, and you’re still holding onto the back of him. While he takes the attention of practically everyone by grossing them out, Brooklynn takes her phone back from Kenji.  

Suddenly, the car comes to an unexpected stop, nearly causing Ben to slip straight out of his seatbelt if it weren’t for your hold on him. You both grimace, and he slithers back into his seat while you finally release your strong grip on his jacket. 

“Urgh, thanks… again,” He pauses, staring at you as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.  

You take a few seconds to realize he’s waiting for you to give him your name. “Oh! Uh, no problem. It’s y/n, by the way.”  

He nods, smiling as happily as one can when you have bile coating the insides of your mouth. “Thanks again, y/n.”  

He then turns to ask Dave what’s going on, holding his stomach while doing so. Hopefully, they have some Tums or something at the actual camp. 

“Nothing you need to worry about.” Dave assures, though it’s not very helpful with the following sentence. “But you should all definitely stay in your seats.”  

Ben whimpers, and of course, as soon as Dave says that everyone gets up and crowds around your side of the trunk to see what’s happening.  

You unbuckle and observe the adults, watching as they wave around electrified sticks with caution. 

Ben continues to whimper. Whether it’s out of fear or stomach pain, you’re not sure. However, you don’t take your eyes off the only adults in the area until Darius hesitantly whispers something you can’t quite make out. 

You turn to look at Darius, then in the direction he’s staring, and see some bushes rustling. You slowly grab a hold of the trunk wall in preparation to jump out if needed. The bushes continue to rustle, becoming more violent, and Darius keeps trying to gain the attention of people other than you.  

It’s only when something jumps out, and Darius shrieks, that you jump out of the car trunk and watch as everyone else tumbles out or attempts to. Though when the screams stop and you realize the culprit of it all is a little compy, you sigh. Then, you turn around and watch as Ben slips in the damp dirt while trying to get onto his feet.  

This goes on for about 10 more seconds until it’s awkward on both ends, and you grab him by the hand and forcefully pull him up. “Tha–”  

“Third time. You can’t thank me anymore, Ben.” He squints his eyes at you out of befuddlement, then squeals when Roxie pounces on the compy that had been standing on Darius.  

She aptly wraps the small dinosaur in a blanket, patting it before delicately placing it in a cat carrier.  

“Crisis averted.” She says smoothly. She then places it in the car’s backseat. “These things are always getting out of their enclosure.”  

Darius climbed over the head of the trunk and gasped, “A real live Compsognathus!”  

Kenji scooted into his seat, huffing at Darius’s enchantment. “Oh, please. It took a blanket and a cat carrier to catch it.” He sighed. “Boring!”  

Darius gives him a deserving side eye, “Scared you pretty good.”  

The rest of the group giggled at the Dino-Boy’s counter, including yourself. Brooklynn took a picture of Kenji’s surprised expression, most likely for her blog. Kenji furrowed his brows at Darius in return. 

The ride kept on with peace, at least until the car reached the Camp Cretaceous gate, and everyone praised the design with sounds of amazement. You were worried though, sure this was fun, but they couldn’t seem to keep their dinosaurs in check. That worries you. 

Your thoughts were interrupted when you noticed everyone hopping out of the car. Seems like you reached your destination. You look up and immediately let out a gasp, seeing a humongous tree house that looked like it was 50 feet in the air.  

“Seems safe from dinosaurs, at least.” You turned to your left, seeing Ben still in the trunk. You huffed. 

“It looks like mushrooms.” And the conversation was officially over. 

“Hey, Brooklanders, check this place out! Is this not the most amazing place you have ever been!?” Then the loud voice of Brooklynn drew your attention. Already recording another video for her channel. 

Kenji intrudes as he walks into the camera frame, “If you think this is cool, you should see my dad’s penthouse in the main park.”  

Brooklynn deadpans before lighting up, seeing a girl she had gotten nothing out of yet. “Yasmina!” Oh, so that was her name? 

You watch their interaction for a bit before walking off to explore. You assumed you wouldn’t die immediately by walking away from the group for now. You nudge the circle made of short, wooden trunks with your shoe; looking up when you feel a tap on your shoulder.  

“Hey,” it’s dino-boy. “Um, not really an important thing, but I wanted to say thanks. For… patting me, y’know? Sorry, that sounds weird, actually.”  

You stare in silence for a few seconds, before realizing he expected you to respond. “Oh, it’s fine. Like you said, it’s not an important thing. I just kind of felt bad.”  

He made a face. Oh, that might’ve come out wrong. “I mean, it’s reasonable to get excited by dinosaurs. They’re cool, right?” At this, he smiles brightly.  

“Yeah! They’re awesome. I have so many books on them, figures, MOVIES!” He gasped, almost as if he didn’t know he had these things, before apologizing. “Sorry, if you couldn’t tell, I just really like dinosaurs.” He rubs his neck sheepishly. 

You kick at the wooden stubs again. “Nah, it’s fine. I don’t mind you going off about them. I have a bunch of books on them, too.”  

He raises a brow. “Really? What kind?”  

“Just encyclopedias, some stories, the usual.” Despite you brushing it off, Darius gets excited either way. 

“So cool. Maybe we could exchange books sometime. If we’re even on the same continent.”  

You snicker, thinking about being dinosaur pen pals with a teen you just met.  

“Sure.” 

You jump when Dave suddenly yells, “Listen up!”  

You look his way, noticing the lazily thrown luggage. Did he really just toss those in any random direction? 

“Announcement time from your co-head counselors.” 

“Psst, still not a thing.” Roxie quietly adds, before continuing on her own, seeing as Dave wasn’t acting seriously. 

“Okay, everyone, there are some ground rules to cover.” She quickly lists them off, “Curfew at 8:00 p.m., and lights out at 9:00 p.m. sharp.”  

“What?”

“Lame.”

“Fine.” 

Ben does this stupid-looking fist pump thing that makes you chuckle.  

“This is for your safety,” Roxie assures. “We are in a dinosaur-filled jungle.” You could understand that with or without her Australian accent. Was it Australian, though? You could never really tell. 

“You must always keep your distance, or you could be seriously hurt, if not worse.” You can see Kenji sulking in the corner. Honestly, how old was he to be acting the way he has? 

“Define worse.” Ben says in exasperation.  

He’s ignored in favor of Dave pointing upwards, stating the obvious. “Cabins are up that-a-way.”  

Yasmina then shouts, “First one there gets top bunk!” She pushes right past Kenji, as if he wasn’t even there.  

Then everyone else races past, though despite this, you keep your speed at a minimum since you couldn’t be bothered. There wasn’t that big of a difference between top and bottom bunk. You’d probably fall right off the top bunk, anyway.  

You briefly look back, watching as Darius runs up to the truck. You wondered if you should follow him, but ultimately decided that it’d be weird to do that and went where everyone else had.  

You pause once more when you feel a rumbling, and then hurry to meet up with everyone else.

Chapter Text

You stand atop a frighteningly tall tower, along with the other campers. And if you weren’t so entranced by the dinosaurs right in front of you, you would’ve gone into full Ben-mode and puked from how high up you were. Instead, you let out excited “ooh’s” and “ahh’s”, only becoming more enchanted when the dinosaurs continued to bellow.

“Dinosaurs!” Darius whisper-yelled, leaning over the wooden railing. He continued, “There’s Brachiosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus!” Pausing between each name, not truly able to believe what he was seeing.

“Wow, you really know your stuff, dino-nerd.” Brooklynn complimented.

Kenji, panicked for attention, made a guess. “Check out the… Brontosaurus!”

“They don’t have those here. Common mistake.” Darius said with a smile. Then he gasped, pointing somewhere in the dinosaur-packed herd, although no one would know which one he was referring to because of their distance. “Are those Sinocceratops? When did you get those!?”

“They are cooking up all kinds of dinos in that lab.” Dave said as Darius turned to him.

“Whoa!” Sammy squealed. “Where are they herding ‘em to?”

Her country accent was especially apparent now that you were standing next to her. You hadn’t noticed earlier because your nerves were fried. Now that you had the time to pay attention, you could really see how different everyone here was.

Tuning back in, you realized Roxie was answering her. “They’re herding them back to their nighttime enclosures.”

Suddenly, Dave walked towards an opening in the railing. “Enough banter!”

It was only then that you noticed what he grabbed ahold of.

“It’s zip-line party time!”

Dave immediately buckled Ben in. A bad choice for being the first person to go, but Ben had already brought up that point multiple times.

“Me?” He sputtered, gripping the pole connecting the trolly to the actual zipline as if his very soul would splatter onto the ground below if he didn’t.

“Maybe Yasmina should go first, or… y/n? Darius?” His eyebrows raised with each name listed, an attempt to egg on Dave to switch him with someone else.

You almost had the heart to be offended that he’d offer you up, but to be completely honest, you’d do the same thing if your roles were switched.

“Or anyone!” He yelled, “I really don’t-”

Dave pushes him off the edge. Ben’s last words being screams of terror and jumbled sentences that weirdly resembled that of a birthing mother.

After that whole situation, everyone else had gone. Including you, although reluctantly. Despite your initial fear, it was honestly fun. More akin to that of a swing than the death ride you believed it to be earlier. You could feel yourself laughing, although it went unheard because of everyone else yelling and cheering in delight.

Now below you, the dinosaur’s bellows were evermore apparent. You only took your eyes off the dinosaurs on the ground when the screaming from Ben picked up again. Then you saw one of the Brachiosaurus lifting its head towards you all, and if you weren’t afraid of your arm being torn off because of your speed, you would have reached it out in an attempt to touch the animal.

And with that, zip lining was over.

Later, when everyone was sleeping, you lay awake. Sure, you were tired, but you always had a hard time falling asleep anywhere else but your room. Unless that somewhere else was a car, but that’s a different story.

Although you believed you were the only one still awake because of all the snoring, the creaking on your top bunk said otherwise. Darius had asked to bunk with you, saying you were both “dino-buddies”. However, you’re sure it’s mostly because you were the only one he’s really spoken to.

You were originally going to just let him be. After all, you could understand how excited he must be. Though when you saw him climbing down the latter to your shared bunk, you had to ask.

“What are you doing, Darius?”

He froze, arms in a sneaking position as he slowly craned his head towards you. “Uh… bathroom?” .

The two of you stared at one another, him hoping you’d believe him, and you because he was so obviously lying.

“Oh.” You turned to lie the other way. It really wasn’t any of your business what he did. And if he ended up becoming a chew toy for a dinosaur or getting kicked off the island for breaking the rules, you really couldn’t care. It wasn’t any of your business what he did, plus he probably wouldn’t want you to get all nosy. So you’d lie in your bottom bunk, and mind your business like you should.

“Y/n?”

God dammit.

You turn over, and Darius is standing over you, a hand stretched out.

“Uh, could you come with me?”

“To the bathroom?” Your face scrunched up in both confusion and a bit of disgust.

“No!” He almost yelled, but when the snoring in the room paused, he did as well.

When it resumed, he spoke again in a hushed voice. “I lied, about the bathroom, I mean.”

He leaned forward, cupping a hand to your ear as he spoke.

“I want to see some dinosaurs.” He whispered, and your brows furrowed.

Pushing him back, you got off the bed and walked out of the shared bedroom. Only then did you ask what he meant.

“You saw some today didn’t you?”

Now that you were in the ‘dining room’ which is what you assumed it to be. You didn’t know the specific house room terms, you spoke a bit louder.

“Well, yeah but-”

You both gasped as the lights suddenly came on.

“Oh, hey there, dino-nerd.” Kenji stood in the doorway, leaning against the door frame. His eyes met yours and his face wrinkled.

“And… you?” To be completely honest, you were glad he didn’t seem to think much of you.

He continued, “Whatcha doing?”

“Huh? Uh, nothing!” Darius unhelpfully added. You hit his shoulder with your own. Even someone like Kenji could see through a lie like that.

Darius winced. “We were just, uh, heading out ‘cause…” He stared down at his hands, which were pointing in opposite directions.

“Thirsty.”

Kenji smirked and pointed to some water dispensers on the other side of the room.

“Oh, yeah.” Darius nervously giggled. “I… I meant, um… hungry.” He slowly walked towards Kenji, along with you. Because honestly you didn’t know what was going on.

Kenji patted one of the many cabinets, which you assumed was full of snacks. Man, he really paid attention when Dave was telling everyone where the consumables were.

“Oh, heh, look at that. Thanks, Kenji!”

As Darius grabbed the cabinet handle, Kenji grabbed ahold of his hand and forced it to slam shut.

“Look, bros.” He then grabbed your arm too, pulling the both of you into this weird, half-hug-not-hug.

“I don’t want you to be intimidated by me just because I’m rich, my father owns a few condos on the island, and I’m rich.”

“Uh, I’m not intimidated by you.” Darius said, weirded out by Kenji’s words.

“I don’t think anyone is.” You muttered.

“Oh, good.” Kenji leaned down a bit, brushing some nonexistent dust off of Darius’s jacket. “I just want us to be friends, and friends tell each other stuff.”

You three were most definitely not what you’d call friends.

“For instance, what they’re doing out of bed after curfew.” Kenji’s head swiveled in your direction. “What do you think?”

“Uh…”

“I think you best get your arms off us, friend.” Darius said, saving you from having to talk to Kenji.

“Oh! Why don’t you make me, friend?”

Right as it was getting too awkward to bear, the flash and click of a camera shutter alerted the three of you to a new presence.

“Huh,” Brooklynn murmured, “So that’s what toxic masculinity looks like.” She said as she scrolled through her phone.

Darius immediately stepped up to apologize, while Kenji simply crossed his arms with a smug smile. “Uh, sorry, we woke you. I-”

“THEY were sneaking out, but I set them straight.” Darius’s eyes widened as he shook his head.

“Look, I try to look out for the younger kids. It’s who I am.” Kenji bragged.

“We’re the same age.” You said, in absolute disbelief at how big this guy’s ego was.

He looked back at you for less than a second before looking away. “Oh, right.”

“You guys don’t understand.” Darius spoke up. “I’ve been waiting my whole life to get here, and I’m gonna make the most of it.”

His whole life? Were there really people that liked dinosaurs so badly they’d wait their entire life to see one?

Darius turned to a window. “Those lights must be coming from the Compy enclosure. I gotta check it out!”

Brooklynn intercepted, “Sneaking out to see dinosaurs in the dead of night,” she listed, Darius turning to her with his brows raised.

“Mad danger of getting caught, great mood lighting…” She sighed with intrigue.

She can’t be serious.

“I guess that means…”

There’s no way.

“We’re going rogue!”

She’s serious.

“Um, not to be a downer or anything, but I think I’ll pass.” They turned to you.

Darius sputtered. “What? But we’re dino-buddies! Don’t you want to see some up close?”

“Yeah but, not this bad.” You walked back to the shared bedroom.

“Do whatever. Just keep me out of it.” You didn’t want to appear cold, but you would not get kicked out of Camp Cretaceous because of some kids you barely knew.

You heard a muffled, “loser!” which was definitely from Kenji, but all you could focus on was getting back to bed.

You picked up your covers, prepared to dive under before a weird sensation came over you, like that feeling when your stomach drops because you forgot something. You turned and counted the empty beds. One, two, three, that’s right. But as you looked to where Ben’s was, you noticed he was gone. He probably went to the bathroom. It wasn’t any of your business.

You pulled the covers back up and fell into the bed. Sitting there, you couldn’t help but wonder where he was. You should probably be more concerned about Darius and Brooklynn, not including Kenji, because he was a jerk. After all, they could be completely dissolved in some dinosaur’s stomach before the sun rises!

Yet you couldn’t stop thinking about where Ben could be. He was clumsy.

….

He was really clumsy. You remembered how many times he had slipped trying to get up after stumbling out of the trunk.

….

Oh God, what if he fell off the tree house?

You got up in a hurry, because he was probably enough of an idiot to do it. You speed walked past the beds, and the balcony–before backtracking and looking back at the balcony. There Ben stood, FannyPack and all. What was he doing outside this late? Wasn’t he all about the rules?

Well, now, you were curious.

You slowly walked up to the balcony window, peering through it with squinted eyes.

….

He was just standing there menacingly! What was he doing?!
At this point, you became frustrated, and knocked on the glass. You almost laughed when he jumped. Maybe he really would fall off the treehouse if you kept that up. He was quiet as you walked onto the actual balcony area. And even once you stood next to him, looking down at the ground below, he stayed silent.

“Aren’t you a rules guy? Why are you outside of bed after curfew?” You said, resting your forearms on the railing.

Ben’s fingers anxiously tapped against said railing, and he cleared his throat awkwardly before saying anything.
“Uh, you won’t laugh, right?”

Your brows furrowed as you stared at him through your peripheral.

“Right, I didn’t think you would. I just wanted clarification.”
You nodded. His off-putting behavior was really getting to you now.

“I’m just… homesick, I guess.” He whispered, scared of being too loud although you were both alone on the balcony.

“Oh.”

Well, that was much more normal than you expected. It was also nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re pretty sure everyone would be homesick if they weren’t so focused on the exciting experience.

Your eyes widened as you stared at Ben’s face, the way his lips pursed and his eyes searched for a predator that didn’t exist. This wasn’t an exciting experience for him. That was the problem. The only aspect of this trip he seemed to openly enjoy so far were the rules, and he was already breaking them.

“So, why did you come here?” You realized you sounded rude a bit too late, as Ben immediately replied.

“I didn’t want to.” He sighed, not one of relief or exasperation, more so of anger. An emotion you didn’t expect from the boy. “My mom made me go. She works for Mr. Masrani.”

He continued, brows furrowing with every sentence. “She said it would help me face my fears but…” He paused, mouth closing as if he came to a conclusion in his mind.

“I won’t say I get it–because I don’t. But, I understand.” You said, avoiding Ben’s stare. “This whole thing must be more of a chore to you than an exciting adventure, huh?”

He huffed, a smile resting on his face. “Yeah, that sound about right.”

Okay, so what you just said wasn’t total bullshit to him. Good. The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a bit, at least until Ben randomly stood up straight and walked into your personal bubble.

“Uh.” You muttered, copying his stance, and almost chuckling at the constipated look on his face.

However, you went quiet when he stiffly wrapped his arms around your taller frame.

….

Okay, now this was uncomfortable. Ben seemed to agree as he let you go not long after initiating the hug.

“Uh, sorry.” He apologized, avoiding your gaze.

“No, it’s fine, man.” You pat his back, attempting to relieve the tension. “We kinda had a moment there, guess this makes us friends.”

His eyes seem to light up at that, and he grips his shorts in exhilaration. “Really?” He asks, almost in wonder.

“Not if you act like that, no.”

He huffs, rolling his eyes. Though, he reluctantly agrees not to act like it’s such a foreign concept, as he walks back with you back into the treehouse.

After that, you slept quite well.

Chapter Text

You covered your nose in disgust, though it did nothing to protect you from the stench in front of you. What the hell did those three do last night that required a punishment such as this?

“Enjoy cleaning this up, boys,” Roxie said, throwing shovels into both of their arms. What confused you more was the fact that Brooklynn wasn’t being punished. Curiosity burned within you, but the thought of asking her about it was like a cold bucket of water. That curious flame died out quicker than it was lit.

Your eyes turned to Ben briefly as he gagged. No matter what happened, you were just glad you decided not to take part. Kenji may call you a loser, but who’s the one shoveling dinosaur poop? Not you, that’s for sure.

“We’re going to the genetics lab,” Roxie finished, walking away from the revolting sight the group currently stood by. As she walked, the rest of the group followed. Except for Brooklynn, who stayed behind a bit to take a photo of the unfortunate fate the two boys were suffering.

Darius sent you a sad look, one of which you returned with a dead stare. It wasn’t your fault he was impatient. If he had waited just one night, he’d be on his way to see some baby dinosaurs. Darius’s stare broke as Dave threw something towards him.

“Cologne.” He specified, “That’ll help with the smell. And the ladies! What-what?”

He casually put an arm on the truck behind him. “But mostly the smell. The stench of dinosaur poo can really linger.”

Darius attempted to say something, but the sound of the engine drowned his voice out. His figure quickly disappeared as the vehicle sped off.

Brooklynn scoffed, “Ugh. I’m still dropping followers?” She read a comment aloud. “‘When are we gonna see cool stuff?’”

“Chill, dude. I just got here.” She huffed, slouching in her seat.

“So, when’s your next video?” Sammy interjected. “Ooh, maybe there’s baby dino eggs in the lab. Everyone loves a baby video!”

Brooklynn looked at her phone with newfound determination. “Whatever it is, it’ll be cool.”

You furrowed your brows at Ben as he hummed. He was slapping sanitizer onto his arms like it was lotion, like a weirdo. It seems you weren’t the only one disturbed as he quickly paused his humming to stare back at Yasmina.

He immediately defended himself. “Sanitizer. Who knows what kind of creepy dino goo is at that lab?”

He poured an unhealthy amount onto his leg. “Gotta be ready for anything. The world is a grab-bag of gross, and we’re all just along for the moist, sticky roller coaster ride called life.” He finished as he rubbed the sanitizer into his leg. He really was treating it as if it were lotion.

Despite that, Yasmina seemed to believe his paranoid speech and poured some into her hands as well. And while you weren’t scared necessarily, you followed in her footsteps. She was probably one of the few you really respected here.

You grimaced at Ben’s groaning once he massaged even more sanitizer into his neck. Thankfully, Brooklynn took your attention off him by starting another one of her videos.

“What’s good, Brooklanders? Today, I’m coming to you from one of Jurassic World’s coolest remote genetics labs!”

The surrounding equipment trilled as you entered.

“It’s so shiny in here!” Sammy gasped

You couldn’t lie about how excited you were to be here. After all, you were a pretty big fan of dinosaurs. It was a dream to be in the place where they bring dinosaurs to life.

“This is a rare window into the park’s inner workings.” Roxie began to monologue. “Not just anyone can come here, you know.”

Dave stood proudly, hands on his hips. “Yep, this is where the magic happens.”

“Doc Wu-Wu!” He suddenly shouted, pumping his fist.

The doctor in question slowly turned as Dave continued blabbering. This didn’t end until Roxie ordered him to stop.

Your attention drifted as the supposed adults continued their conversation. Honestly, with how old Dave seemed to be, you’d think he’d be more mature than the kids he was in charge of.

Ignoring your growing annoyance, you instead surveyed the genetics lab. Surrounding you were shelves full of amber, a fossilized mosquito occupying each one.

That’s right, these scientists originally brought back dinosaurs from the blood left inside a fossilized mosquito, didn’t they? It still amazed you now, as it did when they first announced it. You remember sitting on your couch, your eyes rereading the article on your laptop until you were sure what you were seeing was right.

“Young lady, no recording in the lab,” Doctor Wu addressed Brooklynn, a hand on her shoulder.

Oh right, you’re in a dinosaur lab. Enough memories for now. This was something you couldn’t take for granted.

Brooklynn immediately went to defend herself, with Wu clearly not fully paying attention. At least until Brooklynn mentioned how she simply wanted her followers to meet the genius behind Jurassic World. Obviously, it was a ploy to get permission to record in the lab, but it seemed convincing enough for Doctor Wu.

And that’s how you got here, with Doctor Wu going on an interesting rant about the genetics lab of Jurassic World.

Sammy cuts in as she notices a random eyeball lying on one of the lab tables. “Woah! Eyeball!” She makes an ‘ooh’ sound when a scientist nudges it with a tool.

You couldn’t comprehend why they needed an eyeball, but then again, you weren’t in this camp because you were a scientist now, were you?

At least it was a little entertaining when Ben audibly shuddered. His hands held to his chest as if the separated body part would reach out and grab a hold of him if he didn’t keep them in place.

Sammy explored around the lab, asking questions left and right yet never allowing Doctor Wu to answer them before interrupting him with the next one.

“You guys, look!” Dave called the group over. “Oh, I think one of these eggs is about to hatch.”

“That’s not possible.” Doctor Wu says as he comes closer, confusion lacing his words.

Everyone gathers around the incubator, watching as a singular egg gains more and more cracks.

Yasmina gasps, “Is that a tail?”

A large egg piece falls from the source and baby dinosaur goo lands directly on Ben’s shirt. You muffle your giggles with your hand as he shouts in disgust.

“Get it off me! Get it-” Ben abruptly pauses.

The baby dinosaur is now fully visible, the only egg piece left laying on its head. As it attempts to push the piece off with its feet, it ends up flinging itself backwards. Luckily, Ben catches it before it ends up on the ground.

This surprises you. Isn’t he a total germaphobe?

Ben gently sets it back onto the incubator, taking the egg piece of the baby’s head while doing so. The baby dinosaur squeals, and you’re now sure it’s an Ankylosaurus.

As if a switch flipped, Ben coos at the baby despite his hands being covered in goo.

“One of its head bumps is bigger than the other!” Brooklynn remarks, her camera recording the baby.

You lean over Ben’s shoulder to get a closer look, him tensing briefly. Brooklynn was right, which confused you. Seeing as they made these dinosaurs in a lab, organic mistakes like this shouldn’t be possible.

This is further proved when Doctor Wu walks over to the group surrounding the baby. “Asymmetry? In my lab?”

“She’s so… tiny.” Ben remarks. She was about the exact size of his hands, which was obvious in the fact he only needed one to hold her.

“But she won’t stay tiny for long, right?” Roxie looks to Doctor Wu, who stood behind Brooklynn, Ben and you.

“That’s the idea.” Doctor Wu comes closer, taking a better look at the baby dinosaur. “All the dinosaurs go through an accelerated growth cycle.”

That would explain why they always had dinosaurs ready to be on display. They didn’t have to wait years for them to grow.

“They’re supposed to incubate for 13 weeks with no noticeable defects,” Wu continued. “But apparently this one slipped through.”

Your eyes caught onto Brooklyn sneaking away. You weren’t a snitch, so you did nothing other than give her a questioning gaze. She didn’t seem to notice.

When her figure disappeared, you turned your attention back to the baby Ankylosaurus. It was now rolling about on the incubator. Ben’s hands hovered over the baby, ready to catch it again if it were to roll off.

As it squealed, you couldn’t help but smile. Who knew that baby dinosaurs were so cute?

“Do you wanna hold it?” Ben suddenly asked. You briefly thought of saying yes. This baby was just too cute not to at least consider it. However, one thing was holding you back.

“No, it still has egg goop on it.” You brought a finger up to its shiny head, rubbing gently. Ben didn’t seem to mind your answer. It was clear by the way he brought it up to his face. He couldn’t get enough of this dinosaur.

“Well, that’s it, Ben. Looks like you live here now.” Roxie teased.

Doctor Wu immediately shattered the light-hearted mood when he stormed in, dragging Brooklynn behind him. “Time for you all to leave.”

“Hey!” Brooklynn scoffed as he pushed her.

“Clearly, this group has no respect for my lab.”

Ben instantly brought up the baby dinosaur, who he seemed to have named Bumpy.

While he asked about what they’d do with it, your eyes drifted back towards the incubator. The egg shells left by the baby dinosaur caught your eyes.

You remembered how your group left Kenji and Darius behind to clean a pile of dinosaur waste. You couldn’t care less about Kenji’s disappointment in the punishment. He completely deserved of it. Darius, on the other hand…

He likes dinosaurs. No, actually he loves them. You could tell by the way he acted. His hands would ball into fists, and he couldn’t seem to stay grounded. He wanted to see some dinosaurs so badly he made an entire plan to sneak out to do so. And it ended up going terribly, that much you could tell.

Which is why you were stuffing the Ankylosaurus egg shells into your pocket.

You didn’t feel bad, really! There was no reason to! Darius did something stupid, and he’s getting punished for it. It’s how it should go. But you can’t help but feel like he deserved some slack. Especially with Kenji influencing him.

So you’re definitely not doing this because you feel bad for Darius. You’re doing this because, hey, who doesn’t want some dinosaur egg shells? Definitely the reason.

Dave’s voice catches your attention. “Let’s hit the road. We are not wanted here!” He says sheepishly.

Doctor Wu ended up taking back the Ankylosaurus. Or Bumpy, as Ben had named her. Though that was to be expected, you can’t exactly keep a baby dinosaur in the camp. Despite that, Ben still seems pretty bummed out about it.

Once you’re all seated in the jeep, it speeds off. You catch Ben staring at the floor of the trunk. You offer him a simple pat on the back, as you’re not sure what else to do. He smiles a bit in return, so you consider it comfort worthy.

“Hey guys!” Darius shouts once the jeep pulls in where they left them. Weirdly, they were out of breath.

Roxie voiced your curiosity. “Why are you two so out of breath?”

“Just doing the job we’re told.” Darius answered, though you’re sure that wasn’t entirely it. “How was the field trip?”

“Oh, well, um, Ben fell in love with a dinosaur,” you grinned at Yasmina’s words. “And Super Star here got us booted from the lab.”

“That is not what happened!” she defensively shouted.

Sammy changed the subject. “How’d poop patrol go?”

“Uh…” Darius stilled at her words, the shovel he was holding almost falling from his grip.

“Awesome!” Kenji interjected. “You all should’ve seen how I owned-”

“This valuable experience!” Darius cut in. “Um, learned a lot about ourselves and, uh… yep!” He smiled.

It was awkwardly silent for a moment until Roxie got a whiff of their stench. “Well then, hit the showers. And maybe stay in there for a while?”

“Use soap.” Ben added as the jeep drove off. “Lots of soap!”

And that was the end of the genetics lab ordeal.

Later that night, your self acclaimed dino-buddy is talking up a storm with you. Or more like asking. He even invited himself onto your bed! At least he showered. You didn’t want his previous poop cleaning stench to wear off on you.

“A baby Ankylosaurus hatched while you guys were there? What the heck!?” He held his head in his hands.

As expected, it befuddled Darius that so much cool stuff happened while you all were at the lab. You also thought he’d be more jealous than he is about your entire dinosaur experience.

This just further convinced you he and Kenji were up to some odd dinosaur business before your group came back.

Talking about the baby Ankylosaurus reminded you of something else that you had forgotten. You shoved a hand into your pocket, feeling the shells. Your face burned as you thought of bringing up your little gift.

“And you said it had asymmetrical horns, right? Man, I wish-”

“You don’t have to.” You randomly interrupted.

Darius paused his ramblings and looked up at you, brow raised in confusion.

“Wish, I mean. You don’t have to wish.” You fumbled with your words. This was new to you. Your brows furrowed in frustration as you thought of what to say next.

You grabbed the eggshells from your pocket and forced them into Darius’s hands.

“It’s gross, I know. But it was the only thing I could take without messing up lab progress or whatever.” You paused, looking up at Darius’s expression. Upon seeing his still figure, you continued anxiously.

“Actually, you don’t even have to keep them. It’s weird that I kept those in my pocket. I should’ve left them in the lab. You can-”

Your anxious words cut off as Darius suddenly lunged at you. Your first instinct was to pull him off you, but as his arms wrapped around your torso, you realized he was only hugging you.

Oh.

He was hugging you.

“This has got to be the coolest gift I’ve ever gotten!” He said excitedly.

When he pulled back, you saw his happiness. Not only in his smile but also in the crinkle under his eyes and the dimples on his cheeks.

And though he ducked his head as he inspected the pieces you did your best to keep from breaking within the confines of your pocket, you saw something else.

You saw Darius.

Chapter Text

“We thought it’d be fun,” Darius narrated as the fire crackled. “We thought we’d be safe, but…” 

You listened patiently as he went on; he was certainly good at creating a sense of unease with his words alone. Ben’s fearful grip on your arm distracted you from his storytelling, however.

“We didn’t realize the… horror waiting for us on the island. Claws… teeth… screaming…”

Sammy let out a startled gasp, her knee clutched tightly to her chest.

“So much screaming.” 

“How much screaming?” Ben’s hold on you tightened momentarily as he asked for clarification.

Kenji quickly shushed him. “He’s getting to the good part.” 

Darius continued, “The T. Rex stalked closer, her jaws opened wide.” His arms stretched out to mimic his description. 

And just as his mouth opened to describe what you thought was going to be a gory death, a camera flash and shutter interrupted him. 

Almost involuntarily, you groaned at Brooklynn’s interruption. It seems it wasn’t too hard for others to follow in your footsteps as a series of confused muttering filled the air. 

Brooklynn instantly held her phone up. “For the vlog,” she simply stated, before adding more fuel to the fire. “Keep telling your little story!” 

Although the scary mood dampened by her intrusion, Darius brought his hood back over his head and continued where he left off. 

“Oh, here we go.” Kenji eagerly whispered. 

“The T. Rex sta-”

“Dang!” Brooklynn cut him off yet again.

Kenji let out a misery filled wail as he covered his eyes.

“Out of space. Wait, I’m sorry, hold on.” She scrolled through what you assumed to be her photos before adding on. “I just don’t want to delete my selfie on Mount Everest, you know?” 

Sammy let out an amazed, “Ooh!” As Brooklynn showed said photo off. 

“Maybe I should start over.” Darius said in a defeated tone.

Ben immediately disagreed. “No! In fact, you can just stop!” 

“Dude, chill. He’s not even telling the story right now.” Kenji reasoned, which was rather unexpected. Though telling a scary story over a campfire seemed up his alley, so it wasn’t too odd. 

You shook Ben off your arm as his hold was becoming rather uncomfortable with each passing second. However, it appeared fruitless when he only squeezed harder as Darius started the story up again.

“So, the T. Rex stalked-” 

“Shouldn’t we call Yasmina over? I bet she’d love this story.” This time it was Sammy who interrupted. 

Exasperated, Darius flopped onto the wooden bench he was originally just sitting on. Now, he laid down completely, as it was obvious no one was going to let him finish his narration. 

You huffed in disappointment; it was just getting interesting too. 

“Maybe she wants to be by herself.” Brooklynn answered.

There was a pause as Sammy continued to stare at Yasmina.

“I don’t understand.” Sammy said with a dead stare.

“You know how sometimes people just want to be… left alone?” Kenji tried.

Sammy stared at him for a few silent moments before bursting out into laughter. “Kenji, you’re hilarious!” She slapped her knee as she laughed.

Suddenly, you realized Ben’s cheek was resting on your forearm. Since the scary story was over, you nudged him off of you to which he reluctantly allowed to happen.

“I think she’s just shy and doesn’t know how to make camp friends.” 

In a flash of light, thunder struck and everyone let out surprised yelps. Just as instantaneous as the thunder, rain began pouring down.

“Maybe we should go inside!” Sammy yelled, her arms covering her head. 

“Way ahead of you!” Ben yelled, and he literally was. By the time your eyes found his form, he was sprinting up the path to the door. 

There were various complaints as everyone ran for the door.

“Aw, man!”

“Oh, it’s coming down fast!”

“Well, that was a waste of time.” 

Noticing Darius’s unmoving figure, you stayed behind.

When he made a move to get up, it was with a scoff and a sarcastic, “Thanks, Brooklynn.” 

Right, she kept interrupting him, not to mention that last remark. Her rudeness was likely because of her not getting any footage tonight for a new video, but that wasn’t an excuse.

As Darius pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, you gave him a sympathetic pat on the back, similar to the one you gave him when you first met. 

His eyes met yours as another clap of thunder rolled. 

“Your story was cool while it lasted. If you wrote it down, I think the others would read it.”

He pursed his lips in thought and shoved his hands in his pocket. “Would you read it?” 

Your eyes drifted to the side in contemplation before answering. “Yeah, as long as your handwriting isn’t too bad.”

At that, he cracked a smile, as did you in celebration at successfully lifting his mood. 

However, that mood instantly went back down as Ben bombarded him with unnecessary criticism. 

“Darius, it just wasn’t that great of a story. I wasn’t engrossed or anything.” 

“You seemed engrossed by my arm.” 

He didn’t seem to have any complaints after that comment. 

It seemed Kenji decided it would be fun to play a game of Foose, whatever that was. And so you five went off to do whatever while Sammy made it her mission to become Yasmina’s first friend.

You’re just glad Sammy didn’t deem you pathetic enough to do the same, or maybe you were just lucky that she hadn’t noticed your reluctance before Darius and Ben forced their friendship onto you. 

Remembering both the balcony incident and the egg shell incident, you quickly reminded yourself that you partially started these friendships. Therefore, you definitely couldn’t say they forced their friendship onto you, definitely not in the way Sammy was forcing hers onto Yasmina. 

But really, who were you to judge? Perhaps you wouldn’t like it if someone did that to you, but maybe Yasmina was someone that needed a little push. You definitely couldn’t decide for her, and you didn’t want to. 

So with that, the campfire story night ended.

The next day rain clouds were prominent in the sky, which worried you a bit considering the activity for today. 

Despite that, everyone else seemed excited, particularly Darius. 

“Yes!” He screamed. 

“This is gonna be so much fun!” Sammy added.

“Oh man, I’m driving.” Ben whimpered. 

Darius put a hand on one of the clear spheres in front of you all. “We get to drive gryospheres? Cool!” 

“Saddle up dudes and dudettes. We’re going on a cattle drive, but with dinosaurs!” Dave strolled over with his clipboard in hand. 

He did a strange pose while making a connection no one else would make. “It’s a dino drive!” 

Ben walked forward nervously. “And just to be clear, all these dinosaurs are herbivores, right?” He fiddled with his fanny pack while awaiting an answer.

“Well, they only chewed on the last kid a little, so we’re like… 99 percent sure they’re cool.” Roxie teased.

Ben grimaced, holding his arms to his chest like he always does when he’s scared. Which is something you’re not sure why you noticed.

Roxie explained what exactly your group was going to be doing for this day. “Park personnel are moving a group of dinosaurs to fresh grazing lands across the island, and we get to ride along behind the herd.” 

You wouldn’t deny how excited you are for this, perhaps not on Darius’s level of excitement, but definitely excited. 

He proved this by holding his hands to his head as he shouted, “Are you kidding me? Dinosaur migration patterns are my jam!” 

“You may wanna consider a new jam, bro,” Kenji said as he put a hand on Darius’s shoulder. 

After Kenji showed his concern for Darius’s jam, he sauntered towards the Camp counselors and put his arms around their shoulders. “So, uh, you sure these things are waterproof?”

He pointed to the dark storm clouds above them as he carried on. “Looking pretty grim out here and hair this awesome does not come easy.” 

Ignoring the hair comment, you’re glad that you’re not the only one to notice the dark sky. 

Flipping through the papers on his clipboard, Dave assured Kenji that his hair would be fine. “Storm has already moved up the coast, away from us.” 

Kenji pumped his fists. “Cool! Time to show these fools what a gyrosphere master can do.” 

Right, Kenji’s dad owned a condo here or something, so he probably had experience with the gyrospheres. 

That must’ve rung some alarm bells in Roxie’s mind because she snatched his wrist and said, “No way! You are riding with Ben. As a passenger.” 

Alright then, that knocked Ben off your list of people to drive with. Now that left Darius and… actually, he was the only person left on your list.

Your eyes quickly searched for him, determined not to be seated with someone you barely knew so that you wouldn’t have to deal with any avoidable awkwardness. 

However, as you were doing so, you realized something that made you nervous. Nervous enough that you questioned the counselors, which was always the last resort. 

“Um, why are there only three gyrospheres?” You asked, and it seemed the others noticed now too.

Darius spared a look around before agreeing. “Yeah, there’s only two seats in each, and there’s seven of us.”

Roxie apologetically smiled. “Yes, we thought there’d be problems like this down the line.” 

With the confused stares of the children put in their care, Dave butted in. “Ya see, there were originally going to be eight campers, but one of you didn’t show up. Super rude, especially since we already planned everything out with eight people in mind.” 

“But that doesn’t explain why there isn’t another gyrosphere.”

Roxie nodded her head, “Yes, well gyrospheres need balance. A gyrosphere with only one person would be unbalanced and henceforth unrideable.” 

You really didn’t like her explanation, but it seems like they already set it in stone. You just hoped it wouldn’t be you. 

But of course it was. 

Sammy and Yasmina got in one together while Roxie practically sentenced Ben and Kenji to one another. This just left Darius, Brooklynn, and you. You weren’t fond of Brooklynn, and considering last night, you thought Darius felt the same. But she was better than Kenji, so you won’t complain. At least not in her face. That’s rude. 

However, you are going to complain about being sentenced to sitting with Darius in your lap. Now that’s just weird.

“Can’t I just sit this one out?” 

Darius grabbed you by the shoulder and shook you, while Dave simply laughed. 

“There’s no way I’ll let you miss out on this! Does being Dino-buddies mean nothing to you?!” 

“He’s right, sport. You guys are friends anyway! Sometimes friends are close like that. It’s not the weirdest thing!” His addition to the conversation just made it feel weirder.

“If it helps, you can sit in my lap instead?” Darius offered.

You shuddered, “No way. That’s even worse.” You sighed.

To make matters worse, Brooklynn was not-so-subtly recording the entire ordeal. To save yourself the embarrassment, and to just get it over with, you sat in the driver’s seat of the gyrosphere. 

You tried not to be too tense when Darius inevitably sat on you. You could see over his head, so you weren’t too worried about that. What you were worried about was the snickering coming from your side. 

Taking a glance only made you more annoyed. Although she was no longer recording you, Brooklynn didn’t need her pink phone to make you feel embarrassed about the entire situation. When she finally took her eyes off the two of you, it was to check on new comments. 

“Alrighty campers!” 

Seems like the so-called dino drive was starting.

“The headsets are for emergencies. You can always reach us on channel six,” Roxie helpfully added.

“Let the herding begin!” Dave narrated as if this were some sort of race.

The view was amazing. It was as if you were a dinosaur yourself; the herbivores didn’t bat an eye at your presence. You supposed they were used to ogling eyes, considering this was Jurassic World after all. They weren’t wild. 

If it weren’t for your predicament, you’d be thoroughly enjoying this ride, however Darius’s head would occasionally bump into yours given the proximity of you too. Not to mention that he kept whipping it around because of his excitement. Every time he would apologize, but after the 4th time he seemed to deem the apologizes a waste of time, as did you.

At least Darius didn’t make it too awkward. His attention was solely on the dinosaurs. That was until Brooklynn read some of her comments aloud. 

“Used to be cool? You made Jurassic World boring? Lame. Lame. No one likes you anymore?” 

Her comments weren’t only getting to her, but to Darius as well. 

He tried redirecting her attention. “Uh, hey, can you believe that an Ankylosaurus’s tail is strong enough to shatter bone?” 

“Can you believe I don’t care?” 

With this, Darius couldn’t bring himself to talk with her anymore.

You’d pat his back, but it’d only seem like you were pushing him off you because of your closeness. Which is certainly not what he needed right now. 

Your hands gripped the seat harder as you wondered what you could do in this situation. Really, this was between Darius and Brooklynn, but you were trapped so you couldn’t just walk away from the situation like you wished you could.

For what seemed like an eternity, there was tense silence. Until Brooklynn finally realized how unnecessarily rude she was and apologized. 

“I- I’m just… having one of those days.” 

Darius didn’t respond, but you could tell he was listening as his head tilted towards her. 

“There’s a lot of pressure when your whole life is about being popular, and I’m not like you.” 

Definitely not an excuse, but it’s an explanation, at least.

“I can’t just tell a lame story and move on.”

“Wasn’t that lame,” Darius mumbled under his breath. 

Brooklynn’s explanation really wasn’t doing much, considering the fact that she kept giving backhanded compliments. You couldn’t really blame her though. When you’re raised by the internet, nothing can seem as genuine as you’d like it to be.

“Trust me, it was. It totally was, but you’re not even fazed.” 

Darius opened his mouth to once again insist that his scary story wasn’t as bad as she was making it out to be, however Brooklynn continued before he could get any words out.

“I just need people to… to like m-”

Her words seem to get caught in her throat, and with the curious eyes of both you and Darius, she can’t seem to bring herself to admit the truth.

With a solemn expression, she turns away from the both of you. “You wouldn’t understand.”

The rest of the ride is draped in an uncomfortable blanket of silence.

It looks to have ended early when Dave drives the car in front of all of you.

“Hey, gang, new plan. Storm’s getting worse, so we’re all going back to camp. Fun, right?” 

You’d think he was being sarcastic if it weren’t for the smile on his face. 

You’re thankful it ended early, considering the tense atmosphere inside your gyrosphere. As soon as the circular doors opened, you would’ve shoved Darius off of you if it weren’t for him having the same idea of getting out of that ball as fast as possible. 

There were multiple complaints coming from your fellow campers.

“Don’t blame me. Blame the storm.” Dave sighed. 

“I blame them both.” Roxie said from the driver’s seat of the car.

“We’re not gonna let a little rain stop us, are we?” 

Darius made an attempt to persuade them, though Roxie only had to deny him once for him to stop.

She spoke into her two-way radio, “Hello, hello! Roxie here. Can you hear me? Anyone?” 

The radio crackles with static, and though you hear indistinct chatter, no one clearly answers Roxie’s call.

“Okay, new, new plan.” Dave says with a wave of anxiousness. “Storm’s interfering with the radio, so Rox and I will drive ahead and tell the others we’re pulling out.” 

That sounded like an absolutely terrible plan. There’s no way they’d leave the seven kids put into their care all alone on an island full of dinosaurs.

“We’ll be right back. Stay together and stay behind the herd.” And with that, they drove off.

Wow.

Seeing as you couldn’t do anything but follow their instructions, you got back into the suffocating gyrosphere. 

As soon as the circular doors closed, thunder crackled, frightening a sinoceratops into running away from the herd. 

“That sinoceratops is gonna get lost. We need to go after her.” 

 Brooklynn shrugged. “You heard Dave. Let’s just chill out and wait here.” 

You nodded, for once you agreed with Brooklynn. “She’ll probably get back to her herd once the storm passes.” 

“I’ve read everything about sinoceratops’s behavior. We can get her.” 

Noticing that Brooklynn wasn’t entirely listening, Darius sweetened the pot. 

“Plus, your followers might really love a thrilling dino-chase.” 

“Is that what this is?” You mumbled. 

Darius spared an apologetic glance, but it seemed he would not change his mind. It was times like this that you really wish you weren’t trapped in a gyrosphere with the Dino Maniac and Ms. In-On-Anything. 

Brooklynn thought it over for just a few seconds before grinning at Darius. That was enough of an okay for him, and he sped off. 

As soon as you did, the headset on all of your left ears crackled to life. 

“Wait. Are you guys going after her? I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” Sammy said with concern. “I’ve seen cattle spook before, and-” 

She’s randomly cut off, most likely by Yasmina. Her words echo in your brain, and you’re now more concerned than you were previously.

“Hey, don’t you think we should listen to what Sammy says? She literally lives on a farm.”

Darius scoffs. “So? What’s a farm got to do with dinosaurs?” 

You go quiet at that. He made a point. Cattle and dinosaurs were not the same. 

“Almost got you, girl.” Darius says once the gyrosphere is right next to the sinoceratops. 

Brooklynn holds her phone up, and for some reason Darius seems to look through the camera instead of the gyrosphere glass. Because of this, the sphere drives into a short uphill.

You all yelp but quickly get back on track despite the mess up. Brooklynn almost drops her phone and lets out a relieved sigh once she gets a good grip on it.

“Sorry, that was close.” Darius apologizes.

“This is why I don’t go along with your dino adventures, Darius.” You say, out of anger or fear, you’re not too sure.

He once again spares you a glance, though this time it’s not filled with sympathy. It’s filled with determination. And if that doesn’t confuse you, then what Brooklynn does next certainly does.

She sends a smug look your guy’s way, and sticks the gum she was previously chewing to the back of her phone. And then she stuck it to the little dashboard between the two of you.

“Voilà! Instant phone mount.” 

Darius shares a concerned look with you, but responds to Brooklynn with positivity, as always. “Great idea! And also… ew.” 

“Gross.” You grimaced at the thought of her picking the dried gum off later. 

The headset came on once more when Sammy began talking again. “Um, let’s just settle down a bit. We don’t wanna get too close or-”

She cuts herself off with a yell and you look back in worry. You watch as Ben and Keiji almost hit their gyrosphere with a sudden swerve.

Brooklynn told Darius to get closer, and Darius gave out orders to the rest of the group. This went on for a bit, and you were getting more and more anxious as Sammy’s attempts at speaking up were continuously ignored.With one final movement, Darius maneuvered the sphere in front of the sinoceratops in order to cut it off from spooking the herd.

One second, you all were driving just fine, but with a simple flick of the head from the prehistoric animal the gyrosphere spun out of control.

Darius’s head hit into your nose, causing you to yelp as your glasses made a sickening ‘crack!’. Everyone started screaming when the spinning wouldn’t stop. You couldn’t get a grip on anything but the seat you sat on, so all you could do was sit and wait for it all to stop.

To make matters worse, the out of control gyrosphere collided with some dinosaurs in the herd, and the next scene played out like a game of pinball. Even when the sphere stopped the spinning torture, spooked dinosaurs hit the sphere left and right. And then the spinning started up again.

It was like a sick and twisted carnival ride that you were forced into. You surely would’ve thrown up if you were someone like Ben. For a second the spinning stopped, as did your guy’s screaming. But it wasn’t long before the tail of a brachiosaurus sent you all flying once more. It seemed almost never ending. And with a liquid you didn’t have time to identify leaking out of your nose, you were becoming lightheaded. 

Eventually Darius got control of the gyrosphere back as fewer dinosaurs were making collisions with it. You breathed heavily through your mouth, but you weren’t sure why until Brooklynn gasped. 

“Your nose!” Her brows furrowed with worry. 

You couldn’t convince yourself to let go of the seat to feel the damage, instead you held it tighter.

Darius attempted to look back at you, only to scream as he spotted an ankylosaurus running straight for the sphere.

It seemed to spot the rolling vehicle at the same time you all spotted it, as it let out a bellow before swerving to the right. Its side spikes briefly hitting the sphere with urgency.

The sphere stopped suddenly, and with a quick look back, you all realized you would be trampled if you stayed in place for too long.

“Go, go, go, go, go!” Brooklynn hurried.

Darius shakingly gripped the gear stick and pushed it forward. It delayed for a second, and in that second, the dinosaurs caught up to the sphere.

You never thought you’d hold a fear for herbivores, but before this, you never considered the possibility of being trampled by them.

The gyrosphere rushed into the forest, thunder crackled and the sky lit up for a short moment. Overall, you three were utterly terrified.

Eventually you came to a clearing, and the sphere slowed to a stop. The sphere was filled with huffs and puffs as your bunch caught your breaths.

“I think we lost them.” Darius said with an exhausted sigh, leaning back into you. 

“I think we lost everyone.” Brooklynn said grimly.

As if he suddenly remembered you existed behind him, he gasped and spun around. His eyes surveyed your face and your worry grew as he grimaced. 

“Did I do that?” He muttered.

“What? What’s wrong with my face?” You said hurriedly.

Brooklynn’s hand grabbed hold of your chin so she could get a better look. Normally you’d call this invasive, but you’d let it happen because you couldn’t look yourself.

Her fingers gently pressed on your nose, and upon seeing no reaction from you, she let go of you with a relieved sigh.

“Okay, it’s not broken. It is bleeding, though.” She took another look. “A lot.” 

You huffed in annoyance. Darius made it seem like something way worse.

“Also, your glasses cracked…”

Your head spun towards Brooklynn, before you finally let go of the seat you formerly had a death grip on. Reaching up towards the frames on your face, your fingers delicately traced a foreign pattern that now decorated them.

“Shit.” You cussed. 

Darius suddenly sat up. “Look!” He pointed, moving the gear stick to rotate the gyrosphere.

In front of you stood the same sinoceratops that had flung your vehicle. You gulped, hands flying back to your seat just so you could have a hold on something.

“Okay, think.” Darius said, turning towards Brooklynn since he knew you weren’t one for risky adventures. “Sinocceratops’s are fast on open ground, so we just need to corner her, then we can get back to the herd.” 

“Haven’t we done enough for this dinosaur?” You whispered, fearful of the sinoceratops noticing you all.

Darius gave you a pleading look. “Come on, we can’t give up after doing so much!” 

You wanted to correct him that doing too much is what got you all in this situation, but you didn’t want to argue with the boy. Although reluctantly, you allowed Darius to continue explaining his plan.

“Great. Here we go! Another Brooklynn exclusive!” Brooklynn said excitedly, pushing a button to open the gyrosphere doors after she undid her seatbelt.

“Keep watching, ‘cause it’s about to get real!” she said as she leaned in front of her phone. 

It was now that you realized the pink device had been recording the entire ordeal. Oh, that’s right, this all started because Darius wanted to gain brownie points from her by offering a cool video prompt.

Darius hurriedly unbuckled his own seatbelt while yelling hushed pleas for Brooklynn to wait for him. As they both got out of the gyrosphere, you stayed in place. You were scared out of your mind, you’d admit it. It didn’t help that only seconds later, the sinoceratops let out a bellow, with Darius and Brooklynn’s screams following not long after. 

“Too real! Too real!” Brooklynn yelled as they both rushed back into the gyrosphere. 

Darius had barely buckled his seatbelt back into place before the sinoceratops came running towards the gyrosphere. A flick of the head and the sinoceratops’s horn busted through the glass of the sphere. 

No matter how much you bent your limbs away from its horn, you fell back towards it. The dinosaur raised its head, taking the gyrosphere with it as it tried to shake it off. 

With one final aggressive tilt of its head, the sphere soared across the forest. Trees and bushes alike failed to stop the rapid speed of the gyrosphere. Though after some time, it came to a stop.

You all gasped for air, out of breath from your screaming. And once Darius pushed the seatbelt off of you both, you guys broke into chuckles. You weren’t sure if they were out of relief, or if your brains had become mush from all the spinning. Either way, the chuckles came to an abrupt stop once you all realized that the gyrosphere was sinking. 

It seems the thing that had put a stop to your spinning had been some sort of muddy quicksand pit. Or perhaps it was a quagmire? Either way, you all were sinking, and it wouldn’t be long before you all would be six feet under. Or however deep this pit goes.

Brooklynn immediately spoke into her headphones. “Help! Can you hear us?” 

You had half the mind to tell her that she shouldn’t waste time asking if anyone could hear her, and instead tell them your guy’s situation. You kept your mouth shut though, because you didn’t want to worsen the situation by being nitpicky. 

“We’re stuck… mudhole and we’re sinking! Help!” Her words were jumbled in panic.

You three waited for a reply, or some sort of assurance that someone was listening, but nothing came. Your breath quickened as you surveyed the gyrosphere. Considering the hole made by the sinoceratops, eventually the mud would leak in and you’d all drown. 

You had to calm down, but really, how could you? There was nothing you could do in this situation. You couldn’t break the glass, you’d need a force stronger than a bullet. So that was a no-go. 

There was nothing you could do. Once that fully sets in, you sit back in your seat. You sat silently as Brooklynn and Darius yelled for help. 

You should yell too. You should do something, anything. But you just couldn’t bring yourself to do anything but stare at the mud encompassing the gyrosphere. Everything around you felt like a blur, like you were looking back at a memory, and that everything happening right now was set in stone. 

You only snapped out of it when Brooklynn tumbled to the other side of the sphere. You wanted to tell her to move back to the right, so that you all didn’t fall deeper. But it seemed so pointless. One of them grabbed your shoulder, and your eyes met theirs for a second before you went back to staring at the color surrounding you. The gyrosphere was clear, but now brown is the only color you can see. 

Your shoulder is shaken, and your name is called. The ringing in your ears blocks their voices out. At least until a voice appears right inside your ears, the voice of Sammy.

“Brooklynn? Darius? Y/n?” she asks, though the answer to who’s present should be obvious.

It’s only then that Darius releases your shoulder as he speaks into the earpiece. “Hello? Sammy?”

“Do you read me? We’re coming to help!” 

You all crowd the left side of the gyrosphere. Looking above the mud, you see one gyrosphere heading your way. Brooklynn and Darius started up their pleas for help, and this time, you joined in. 

Yasmina and Kenji tried pulling or even pushing the gyrosphere out of the mud, but because of its circular shape, they couldn’t get ahold of it. You suppose that would be good in the event of a carnivore attempting to attack one? However, in this situation, it was more than just an inconvenience.

“It’s going to pull you under!” Ben warned.

As Yasmina and Kenji ran out from the pit, you noticed the sinoceratops had made another appearance. It seems Ben noticed too, as he called out nervously, before falling over in a heap.

As the dinosaur bellowed, Sammy made a proposition. “What if…” she muttered before standing up. “I have an idea.” 

Your eyes widened as she calmly strolled up to the large creature, fallen tree branch in hand. As she inched towards it, she turned the branch around, showcasing the leaves it held. 

It roared, and she merely flinched before continuing. She spoke, her words so calm and quiet that you weren’t able to hear her from your sinking state. 

Her bravery astounded you. You couldn’t imagine yourself in her place. In fact, if you had been riding with anyone else, you would’ve simply stared at the sinking gyrosphere in pity. 

After all, if things didn’t concern you, you couldn’t bring yourself to care. It was the same when Darius wanted to sneak out to see dinosaurs. It was the same when Darius stared at you with sad eyes as Roxie punished him and Kenji for doing that previous thing. And it was the same now, fantasizing about being someone else staring into the gyrosphere and doing absolutely nothing to help Darius and Brooklynn. 

Really, why did you force yourself to care? Especially when doing so just got you involved in Darius’s horrible ideas? This was really all his fault. If he wasn’t so desperate to earn brownie points from Brooklynn, you wouldn’t be in this situation. Maybe you would’ve lived if you simply got into Sammy and Yasmina’s gyrosphere. Maybe you should just avoid Darius altogether, that is, if you get out of this.

You’re pulled out of your thoughts when the sinoceratops bites down on the branch Sammy was holding. A touching moment, it seems. Brooklynn agrees, though it’s definitely not the time. And you all beg them to hurry it up because you’re all still sinking in a mudhole.

They immediately go into action, doing what? You’re not sure, the mud is now almost completely surrounding you. They threw a vine across the hole made by the sinoceratops, and Brooklynn makes quick work at grabbing it. 

Not so long after that, the mud pours into the gyrosphere as you and Darius tie the vine to the seats of the sphere. 

You three sat with bated breaths. There was a chilling silence as mud slowly filled the sphere. You assumed they were going to use the sinoceratops to pull you all out. You just had to hope it would be cooperative. 

Finally, you all appeared to be out of the pit, though it was certainly hard to tell because of all the mud covering the glass. You were only completely sure when Yasmina forced open the doors to the sphere with a stick. 

As she turned towards you three, Darius let out an awkward, “Hey.” 

Yasmina falls backwards and laughs. Out of victory or relief, maybe even both. Everyone gave out cheers of joy. 

“Cowgirl for the win!” Kenji shouted, clapping hands with Sammy. 

“Seems Sammy knows more about dinosaurs than you do .” You muttered towards Darius. 

Ben let out a yelp when he caught sight of you. 

“Are you alright?” He hesitantly whispered your name, catching the attention of the others. They shared varying looks of concern once they saw the blood staining your lower face, along with the noticeable crack decorating your glasses. Their cheerful smiles are gone in an instant. Their wide eyes only stray from your form once a car pulls up. 

“Hey look! Dave and Roxie!” Sammy says in relief. 

Darius, Brooklynn, and you peer out of the gyrosphere at them. While you’re happy the adults were finally here, you couldn’t help but dread the oncoming lecture you knew was coming. 

Back at the camp, a lecture is exactly what greets you.

“You could have been killed! What were you thinking?” Roxie shouts as she presses the button for the elevator.

“That we found a lost dinosaur… and Darius, Brooklynn, and Y/n.” Sammy says proudly. Though her proud look vanishes once she utters your name. She sends a look back at you, staring openly at your stained face.

This causes a wave of looks that makes your brows furrow in annoyance. It was a bloody nose, nothing to be too worried about. What they should worry about is your glasses. You didn’t have any spares, and you couldn’t get new ones while you were at this camp. Your only options were to either deal with the cracks, or just not wear them. Luckily, they weren’t an absolute necessity.

There’s a bit of chatter about the victory of saving you three, though your little accident seemed to dim it a bit. 

“Now stay in your bunks, you hear me?” No one objected to Roxie’s orders.

The ride up wasn’t too bad, at least for everyone else. For you, it was suffocating because of Darius’s ogling. You’d think you would be immune to a suffocating atmosphere considering you almost suffocated in a sphere, but no. Apparently Darius made the impossible possible, and if he didn’t? Well, he’d try his hardest.

When the elevator comes to a stop and you all walk out, Darius grabs your arm. “Hey, I’m really sorry about your nose.” He pauses, noticing the absence of an accessory on your face before adding on. “And your glasses.”

You pull your arm away before nodding. “I just hope this stain comes out of my sweater.” You pull the collar of your sweater up, revealing a blood stain. 

Darius purses his lips, brows lowering in guilt. “Sorry, I should’ve been more careful or…” He couldn’t seem to come up with a scenario where this didn’t happen. 

“It’s whatever.” You said with a sneer. 

He winced at your tone, head lowering but eyes still staring up at you. “Are you mad?” 

You don’t answer.

“I managed to get all the mud off,” Brooklynn suddenly butts in, sensing the growing tension. “Which is more than I can say for these fingernails.” 

You all sit on the lounging couch, already tired of standing because of the ‘adventurous’ day.

“Never a dull day at Camp Cretaceous, right?” 

You cross your arms and stare off into the blurry distance. Darius doesn’t respond either.

Brooklynn leans forward in concern. “Hey, what’s up with you two?” 

You stay silent, but Darius speaks up about what’s troubling him. 

“I thought I knew everything about dinosaurs, but… all I did was mess up today.” He sighed. “I… I just wanted…”

“People to like you?” Brooklynn finished for him. Darius briefly cast his gaze in your direction at her words, before meeting her eyes. 

“Yeah.” He tried to smile, but it quickly fell. “Guess we have that in common.” 

“Well, tomorrow’s a new day.” Brooklynn encouraged. “And thanks to you, I’ve got a new video to show the Brooklanders, so, um… I’m gonna go edit it and post.” She chuckled awkwardly. “Later, dino-nerd and so-called wordsmith.” So she remembered that little nickname Dave gave you? That’s surprising. 

With her departure came a heavy silence. 

“You can be mad at me. I mean, I definitely deserve it.” Darius murmured.

You huffed at that. 

“But, just so you know, I really just wanted to do something cool with you.” He rubbed his neck. “And Brooklynn too, of course.”

You let out a hum to show you were listening.

“I care about you, so I’ll try not to include you in any future crazy ideas of mine.” He laughed sadly. 

You stared at him in confusion. “Why? You don’t know me.”

His eyes wander across your form, as if he was scared to truly lay his eyes upon you. Fearful of what your eyes may tell him if they were to meet.

"I’d like to.” He murmurs.

It’s quiet for a time. The quiet isn’t uncomfortable for once, but you feel bare. And perhaps vulnerable.

“Maybe tomorrow you can start. It’s a ‘new day’ or whatever Brooklynn said.” 

Darius smiles, and for the first time in a while it stays on his face for longer than a second. “Yeah, now that’d be cool.”

You laugh and he follows. Then you call it a night.

As you’re lying down in bed, Darius peacefully asleep in the bunk above you, you come to a conclusion that you don’t know what to do about. You probably should’ve come to it sooner. It seems obvious now that you’re truly thinking about it.

Darius’s words echo in your mind. He cares about you. Despite only knowing about you for a few days. Despite your cold gaze and your dismissive words. Despite everything wrong about you. He cares when you never will. 

Just earlier that day, you were thinking about never speaking with him again, yet his care for you never once faltered. You just couldn’t understand how he could care for someone so quickly. Someone like you.

You think you’re selfish.

Chapter Text

It was a bright morning when you awoke from a restless slumber. Your sleep felt as if it only lasted a few minutes before your body unwillingly thrust you into the day.

Your hand immediately went to the nightstand beside you, seeking your glasses. When the search proved fruitless, you finally opened your crust-filled eyes to seek them out with your less than average vision.

It was only when you recognized Darius’s soft snores did you remember what happened to your glasses. Thinking about it now, perhaps you could have kept them? Though you quickly shoved those thoughts away with logic.

Not only would the cracks strain your vision and lead to headaches, but it also risked the pieces loosening and falling straight into your eyes. It was the safer option to just throw them out. After all, you weren’t blind without them or anything.

Rubbing the crusts out of your eyes, you made your way to the bathroom. Doing your daily routine of washing your face with a clean washcloth, before pushing any stray hairs away from your damp face.

Staring at the mirror with half-lidded eyes, you decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a shower. You were still wary of the mud beneath your fingernails, and possibly elsewhere. Of course, you took a shower not long after your conversation with Darius; although it was a quick one filled with thundering thoughts.

It’d be nice to have a shower with music and not just your thoughts to fill your mind. Though you’d have to ask Brooklynn if you could borrow her phone if you wanted to listen to any music. And though you had grown closer to her, you still wouldn’t speak with her of your own free will.

And so you had a shower with nothing but your thoughts to occupy your mind.

By the time you finish your shower, it seemed Darius had finally woken up. Given the fact he had just barged into the lounge while shouting a greeting. He sure slept in a lot despite being a so-called dinosaur enthusiast.

You sat next to Ben, who offered a crayon to you. With a confused glance, you took it before your eyes lowered to what was taking up his attention. He was coloring in those kiddie drawing pages. You joined him with a shrug.

“Not in a ‘whoo-hoo’ mood this morning, Darius.” Kenji addressed him as he leaned back in a wheeled computer chair. “Not after yesterday. Trekking through a rainstorm will do that.”

Ben momentarily stops coloring to argue, “We only had to walk because you crashed our gyrosphere.”

When Kenji meets his eyes with a glare, Ben squeaks before leaning backwards behind Darius’s standing form.

Darius ignores the obvious tension and instead focuses on the positives. “But today’s a new day! Kayak day!” He said excitedly.

As he passed by Sammy and Yasmina, he continued to rant about how exciting it would be to kayak alongside dinosaurs. Though you weren’t too excited considering how riding along with them in the gyrospheres went.

Darius pauses his ranting as his eyes search the lounge room. “Wait, where are Dave and Roxie?”

“The babysitters took off early and left this,” Kenji says angrily as he uses the chair to glide over to Darius and slap a sticky note onto his chest.

Darius reads the note aloud. “BRB. Gotta go. Boss-talk. BB. Later. Smiley face. Is that a dinosaur emoji with a thumbs up?” It was quite apparent who wrote it.

“It’s Dave talk. Roxie translated on the back.” Kenji huffed.

Turning the note around, Darius read the note once more. “We have to go talk to our boss. Stay inside until we return. Draw, bond, whatever. The radio’s set for channel six in case you need us. Stay inside, stay inside. Do not leave. Kenji, looking at you.” Darius chuckles.

“Sorry for the kid’s menus, it’s all Dave had...” Darius finished as he turned around to stare at the kiddie menus.

Kenji complained about how the counselors didn’t consider how old they all were.

“I mean, when was the last time you saw a crayon?” Kenji questioned no one in particular.

Ben happily turns the paper he was working on around to showcase a crude drawing of him and Bumpy. You barely held back a snicker at his proud smile.

Yasmina hummed pointedly, “I have notes.”

“Yasmina!” Sammy shoved her playfully with a giggle.

The double doors draw everyone’s attention as Brooklynn aggressively slammed them open.

“What’s new on the internet, superstar?” Yasmina addressed her. With her crossed arms and scowl obviously present on her face, you couldn’t help but grimace at whatever was to come.

“I wouldn’t know. Because when I went to get my phone from its charger, it wasn’t there!” She said, her voice a touch away from a shout. Scratch that, she was definitely shouting. Damn. The things technology does to society…

“Someone stole my phone.” She declared.

Yasmina dismissed her accusation with a sigh. “Brooklynn, who hasn’t had your phone?”

“I-I needed to check the weather last night…” Ben stuttered.

“Dr. Sattler posted a new column on microfossils yesterday…” Darius held his hands behind his back.

“... too good to miss the selfie opp, but I haven’t used it since then, I swear!” Kenji admitted with a smile. His words mixed with Darius’s as everyone scrambled to defend themselves.

Brooklynn rolls her eyes in disappointment, though her gaze ends up locking onto Sammy.

“I… haven’t seen it either.” Sammy said nervously when Brooklynn’s stare didn’t waver.

“Really?” Brooklynn almost growled.

Darius stepped in before the fighting got out of hand. “Hey, hey, it’s okay! Since we’re not kayaking till later, we’ll have plenty of time to look for the phone.”

However, it appeared his attempt at defusing the situation didn’t satisfy Brooklynn in the slightest.

“Oh, I think I know exactly where to look.” She spoke with confidence as she strolled up to Sammy.

“I also think that whoever took the phone might be trying to hide some of the things that are on it.” With a single brow raised, she glowered at the girl sitting before her. “What do you think, Sammy?”

“Um, what?”

Yasmina jumped to defend her. “What is your deal? Sammy said she didn’t touch it! Ever think you might have just lost the stupid thing?”

While it was really none of your business, you sided with Sammy too. Brooklynn wasn’t making any sense, and despite you becoming closer with her yesterday, you felt that logic overpowered that closeness.

“Yasmina’s right. What reason would Sammy have to steal your phone?” Ben briefly distracted you by snatching the crayon you were holding. You didn’t mind, you don’t feel like drawing anymore.

A flash of betrayal crosses Brooklynn’s face, while a prideful smirk grows on Yasmina’s.

“See? You’re just making random accusations over a phone, of all things.”

Brooklynn’s brows furrowed as she hummed sarcastically. “Well, let’s check her bags and test that theory out.” She made her way towards Sammy’s belongings before Yasmina blocked her pathway.

“You do not get to go through anyone’s stuff. I don’t care how famous you think you are!”

Sammy held a pained face as she tried to talk to Brooklynn. “I didn’t—”

Darius, once again the peacemaker, interrupted before a full-on fight could break out. “Brooklynn, guys, come on! We can’t be this upset over phones. Let’s make the most of this incredible opportunity! This is Jurassic World! It’s—it’s—”

A deafening roar interrupts him before he can finish. The camp goes still in silence as everyone processes what they all just heard.

“What was that?” Brooklynn’s eyes bounced around the room as if the roar had come from within it.

“Um, a T. Rex?” Kenji guesses.

Darius shakes his head. “Mm-mm. I don’t think so.”

“Then what kind of dinosaur does it sound like?” Ben asks, though it’s in vain considering everyone is running to the balcony to see the culprit of the roar.

He says something else, but you’re not sure what it is as you rush towards the balcony to get a look.

“Where’s it comin’ from?” Sammy pushes her dark hair out of her face. She’s outright avoiding Brooklynn’s death stare by looking at everything but her.

“Can’t see anything from here. The trees are blocking everything.” Yasmina answers.

“Maybe they’re moving a new dino from the lab to another enclosure.” Darius gasps. “We can probably see it from the observation tower! Could be cool.” He grins.

Sammy pushes herself away from Brooklynn’s hard stare and grabs hold of Darius’s forearm. “Wow, that’s a great idea, Darius! What are we waiting for?”

With Sammy rushing the lot of you into the elevator that leads to the bottom floor, you can’t help but feel uneasy.

There’s just too many things going on. First Brooklynn accuses Sammy of all people of stealing her phone, and now there might be a dinosaur out and about the camp?

The second one you’re less surprised about. It was plain to see with the compy on the first day that these people obviously didn’t know how to handle these prehistoric creatures. Although you hoped no problems would arise during your stay, it seems you really couldn’t hope for anything these days.

The first, however, you’re still confused about. If you were going to accuse anyone of stealing Brooklynn’s phone, it would be Kenji. And even then he’d probably do it more so in a teasing manner, like those boys who shut girl’s chromebooks in school and such. You didn’t think he’d outright steal it or anything. But you truly couldn’t understand how Sammy made her way to the top of Brooklynn’s suspect list. And with the other things Brooklynn said, you were even more confused.

With a sigh, you decided that thinking about it with such little context would go nowhere. For now, you could only hope to satiate your curiosity about one thing; the roar. And then, hopefully, Dave and Roxie would come back and scold you all for leaving, despite their instructions. Then you’d all either kayak anyway, or you’d all be sentenced to staying within the camp grounds. Which you didn’t really mind. But like you said, you couldn’t hope for much nowadays.

That statement echoed inside your mind as you watched the two (supposedly) strongest campers struggle with the blue gate blocking your guys’ entrance to the observation tower.

Your disappointment grew with each time Yasmina and Kenji shoved their weight into the metal gate.

“It’s locked.” Kenji stated, and you couldn’t help the snicker that escaped you. Kenji’s gaze snaps to you, and you turn your head away with a deadpan expression.

Luckily, Ben draws his attention away from you before he can get too offended. “Oh, wow. Guess we can’t get in. We should all go back before someone comes along and we get in trouble.”

While looking at Ben’s retreating form, Kenji seems to notice the lack of the security. “Wait, where is everybody?”

Everyone spares a glance around as he continues. “Uh, there’s usually someone around.”

For once, Kenji is right. And your chest tightens in unease. Something was going on, yet without the camp counselors that were supposed to be responsible with you all, you had no means of knowing what was going on.

Your brows furrowed, and you remembered something. Wasn’t there a walkie talkie that Roxie and Dave left your group to communicate with? That would be really helpful right about now. You could tell the responsible adults (who never seemed to fit into their role) what you all heard, and also find out what was going on.

As you solidified your reasoning, your shoes did a 180 as you turned around to head back to camp. You guys weren’t getting into the observation tower, no matter how big Kenji said his muscles were. Might as well get some info.

“If we’re doing this,” Brooklynn says as she pulls out a Bobby pin from her hair. “Then we might as well do this.”

Wait what?

In a matter of seconds, Brooklynn swings the metal door open. “Ta-da!”

Why did Brooklynn have to be so good at everything? It was times like this that you wished you could’ve gone back to a time before your parent’s pity parties. If it weren’t for their lack of responsibility, you wouldn’t even be here right now.

“You coming, Dino-buddy?”

Darius’s voice pulled you away from your thoughts, his hand resting on your forearm. He seemed hesitant to grip your arm with any actual strength.

“Maybe they’d rather go back to the camp? Y’know, it’s just the safest option. I bet they understand that.” Ben dragged you into his anxious precautions.

You could go back and get in contact with some adults, but where have adults gotten you so far? On a dinosaur filled island with a bunch of people you have nothing in common with. It’s a little too obvious what your choice was.

“No, I’m coming.” You forcefully tugged your arm out of Darius’s grip and began trudging towards the now open observation tower gate.

Darius and Ben shared a look before following your form.

At the top of the observation, everyone panted out of exhaustion, admittedly even you. Now, you didn’t run or anything like that; you don’t enjoy putting in more work than necessary. Let’s just say that Jurassic World needs to consider adding a lift to this tower of theirs.

Your group’s panting paused as a rumbling overtook the silence of the island. It almost sounded like footsteps.

“There’s something out there,” Brooklynn whispered.

“Something big.” Darius added.

You all stood in anxious anticipation as the crashing footsteps got closer and closer. It was only when a brachiosaurus came into view as it bellowed that you all let out a relieved sigh. Some more out of disappointment than relief.

From his previous crouching position on the floor beside you, Ben stood up. “Ooh! Mystery solved. Guess we should head back now.”

However, Darius seemed less than satisfied. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Brachiosauruses don’t roar like that.”

You had to agree on that one, both from what you know and research you’ve done. Brachiosauruses only let out those low bellows. There was another dinosaur, but where?

Your lips pursed in agitation as Darius gave a bad impression of a brachiosaurus bellow to prove his point.

“Didn’t quite catch that. Uh, one more time?” Kenji razzed.

The sound of shouting from below immediately took your guys’ attention. Two men ran up to the base of the observation tower and yelled nonsensical words at your little group.

They were little blurs to you, because of the distance, but you could tell they were upset.

“We should probably get down. Roxie’s going to throw a fit.” You didn’t include Dave because he didn’t seem to mind much when you all were in danger.

Darius glanced at you and nodded. “Yeah, but they seem really adamant about something.”

Your jaw clenched as your gaze met his. “What do you think they’re adamant about, Darius? We’re not supposed to be up here.”

His eyes widened at your tone. “Okay, what is up with everyone today?”

“I told you we’d get in trouble!” Ben wailed, gripping the railing as he stared down at the men.

“You’re gonna have to speak up!” Kenji shouted at the men. You wondered why he thought they could hear him when your group of 7 couldn’t hear a single word they were saying.

With a screech that only vaguely resembled its usual bellows, the brachiosauruses suddenly fell behind the trees it was grazing.

Your heads snapped to the sudden movement, and varying cries of surprise rang out across your bunch. Only a heavy silence followed.

Despite the event, the men below were undeterred. Instead, they kept yelling. If it weren’t for your blurry vision, maybe you could’ve expected what happened next. Or maybe you should have, despite it. After all, it’s a bad idea to make so much noise after a humongous dinosaur like the brachiosaurus got taken down.

Either way, the men’s bodies ended up as stains on the ground below. The only indicator that they didn’t just suddenly implode was the blurry white, almost gray blur hovering over their corpses.

You couldn’t even identify the creature. You wanted to blame that on your lack of glasses, but you’ve never seen, nor heard of a dinosaur like the one beneath you.

It didn’t even eat them. Their mangled corpses were still visible. At least the red of their corpses was. That was the biggest blur out of all. Just red.

“What is that?” Yasmina muttered, her voice barely audible against the wind.

Ben grabbed your shoulder as he screamed, “It got him! It got him!” His eyes were wide with terror.

You could hardly imagine what this scene might look like to those with better vision. To the rest of them, these aren’t blurs, these are living creatures. Or at least two of them were living creatures.

“Dr. Wu’s lab!” Brooklynn gasped. “There was a dinosaur. In--”

“Indominus Rex.” Sammy whispered.

Brooklynn turned to her with raised brows. “How do you know that name?”

Sammy stayed silent.

Darius stammered. “But there’s no dinosaur named--”

“There’s no time. We need to leave.” Sammy said with a serious voice. Which you never expected to hear from someone like her.

“Now, now, now! We have to go!” she hurried.

Kenji pushed against the stair railing as he leaned away from the edge of the tower. “Up here is safe, down there isn’t. Besides, this high up, it’s not like Whatever-Rex can even see us.”

The so-called Indominus Rex certainly had better vision than you, because once its head turned towards the tower, it let out a roar as it came stomping closer.

Kenji just had to say something.

With a flick of its head, the blue gate that you all had been stuck in front of became a maimed jumble of metal bars.

The tower shook as the creature attempted to climb up with terrifying intensity. You all yelped and grabbed a hold of anything around you to keep your grounding. Apparently, for Ben, your left leg appeared to be quite grounding.

If it weren’t for the situation at hand, you’d have asked him why he trusted you enough not to kick him off and leave him to the wolves. Or dinosaur, in this case. Was it even a dinosaur, though? It couldn’t be anything else, especially with Brooklynn and Sammy’s little exchange.

Dr. Wu’s lab? Indominus Rex? What the hell was going on today? You couldn’t think on it any longer though, because the very structure keeping your group safe above the ground was crumbling from the weight of this monstrous dinosaur.

Normally you wouldn’t call any dinosaur a monster, a circle of life and all. But this one was a special case.

Screaming filled the air as you all tumbled about, balance thrown off by the constant motion of the tower. In only a few seconds, Sammy had fallen over the railing, her savior being Yasmina’s quick reaction.

“Sammy!” she yelled.

Seeing her vulnerable state, the creature briefly paused its climbing and opened its jaws impossibly wide. Mouth snapping with each desperate swing of Sammy’s body. It even jumped a bit to meet her halfway, as if she was a little toy dangling just out of reach.

You pulled yourself out of these thoughts as Darius grabbed ahold of Sammy’s forearm and reminded yourself that one of your fellow campers was literally dangling from the edge of the observation tower.

You grabbed her right arm, and not too soon after, you all pulled Sammy from the railing with the help of the rest of the camp. And though she almost fell back because of the creature below ramming itself into the tower, she quickly regained her bearings as she pulled herself up and over the railing.

“The zip line. Go, go, go!” Darius pointed.

Brooklynn and Kenji shoved Ben into the seat first. Ben yapped at the sudden push.

With another swing of its head, the tower shook again because of the dinosaur’s assault.

“I can’t! I can’t! I can’t!” Ben wailed as he relentlessly attempted to buckle the zip pine belt across his torso.

With everything going on, you knew it was only natural to panic over little things such as this, especially someone like Ben. But you couldn’t help but get a bit agitated at his continuous whining.

“Here!” you barked, grabbing his hands and forcing them together as the belt let out a satisfying click. With the belt locked on, the seat automatically turned and moved at an excruciatingly slow pace.

Kenji, seemingly at a similar level of doneness as you, pulled Ben’s chair backwards and shoved it forwards with a force that you’re ashamed to say impressed you.

Ben screamed the whole time, but he appeared to have a safe descent. However, you couldn’t say the same to the rest of your group.

With the dinosaur’s relentless attacks on the tower, the rest of you were hurrying to get into the zipline seats. Sammy, Kenji, and Brooklynn’s seats all bumped into Ben’s as he suddenly came to a stop.

You could hear them all yelling, and it only got louder as your seat came at theirs at full speed. You gripped the seat bar tightly and held your head away so you wouldn’t bump it against the bar like Kenji.

You and Brooklyn yelped as you two collided.

“Sorry.” You whispered. She only looked at you with conflicted eyes.

“Ben, what did you do?” Kenji accused.

“Nothing! It just stopped!” Ben cried out.

Hearing more shouting from behind you, you turned your head and immediately regretted it.

Darius was hanging off Yasmina and her seat, and they were coming at you all, full throttle.

You would’ve screamed if the collision didn’t happen sooner than you expected. Luckily, Darius and Yasmina’s risky decision making got you all moving again.

“It’s working! It’s working!” Darius shouted.

So this was one of those crazy plans of his? You had to admit; they came in clutch.

You quickly took back that statement when the wire you all were zip lining on went slack, and the chairs detached from it. However, the chairs weren’t the only things that had detached, the seat belts keeping you in the seats had automatically released as well. Leaving you all to plummet to the ground below.

Though in retrospect, that was a good thing, at least now your bunch won’t break any bones under the weight of the seats.

At least that’s something you’d think about if you didn’t black out before you could even hit the tree line. Suppose it was a convenient thing to happen, since you didn’t get to feel the way your body aggressively hit the ground.

Or at least you believe it did. You could’ve gently floated all the way down like some sort of holy being for all you know. But you know fully that something like that isn’t possible. Mercy isn’t something granted to those on Isla Nublar.

You’re certain that’s true when you come to and all you can feel is pain. It’s almost a guarantee that you’re gonna have some bruises later. Possibly a concussion if you’ve run out of your bit of luck.

You’re still trying to recover from the rough fall when your body is violently shaken by no other than Ben. Not only that, but he’s muttering your name in this pathetic tone like you just died. You almost wish you did if it stopped you from experiencing this nightmare.

“I’m fine.” His hands don’t move from their place on your shoulders and you’re forced to shrug them off. “And stop that.”

He huddles closer to you as you look around, noticing the rest of the group conversing.

“Stop what?” Your head turns, and he’s right in your face.

With a jolt, you bring your hands to his chest and force him away from you.

“Being so touchy!”

With eyes like a kicked puppy, he apologizes. However, he doesn’t stop despite your complaints. He still keeps himself uncomfortably close to you, shoulders hunched and eyes searching for the monster from earlier. He shows some understanding and stands farther than he was before, at least.

Although even as you walk over to the rest of the group, he refuses to be more than half a foot away from you.

“The observation tower was that way? Or was it that way? I…” Brooklynn sighs.

A hand grabs your shoulder and you’re just about at your limit with Ben. Though when you turn around to scold him once more, it turns out to be your alleged dino-buddy, Darius.

“Are you okay?” He asks, eyes searching your form for any visible injuries from the fall.

“Yeah.” You say curtly. You watch out of the corner of your eye as Darius chews his lips anxiously, and you almost apologize.

Before you’re able to, Darius is patting his chest for something, and then his eyes widen and he searches his clothes for something unseen.

“Where’s—No, no.” He whimpers. “My necklace, I left it in my bunk!”

A roar rings out across the forest, causing your group to huddle together in fear.

“We’ve got slightly bigger problems than—”

Another roar, this time sounding closer than before.

“We have to run now!” Sammy warns.

You wish you had picked up exercising as a hobby. Maybe then this whole experience would be easier on you.

“Everything will be fine when we get back to camp,” Darius huffs as he runs.

You wish you could agree, but when you all finally get to campgrounds, it’s all just a pile of broken wood on the ground.

There’s a solemn atmosphere surrounding you all as you explore the wreckage.

“Dave, Roxie, the other workers, they must’ve all gotten away!” Sammy says positively.

“Not all of them.” Ben gasps as he retreats from a flipped jeep.

With a grimace, he returns to your side shakingly. It’s easy to assume that he regrets his attempt at searching the debris.

When he reaches out to hold your arm, you don’t stop him this time. Only because you’re sure whatever he saw wasn’t pretty.

“Hello?” Yasmina talks into the walkie-talkie left for you by Roxie and Dave. The same one you almost came back for.

You’re not sure if you’re happy that you didn’t come back to camp or not. On one hand, you might’ve been able to call for help. On the other, you’re not sure when the dinosaur from before had wrecked the place.

It could’ve been right after you all left, which would’ve left you and Ben at the dinosaur’s mercy. And based on what it did to the brachiosaurus and those men, you’re certain it has none.

Or it could’ve destroyed camp after you guys fell. You’re not sure how long you were out for. You just can’t help but wonder if you’ve made the right choice or not. Could you have called for help? Or would trying to do so only put you and Ben in danger?

Well, the what-ifs don’t matter. Either way, the fact is, you and your fellow campers are on their own.

“Give me my phone!” Brooklynn suddenly shouts as she runs up to Sammy

The girl in question raises her head. “What?”

“I don’t care about you sneaking into Dr. Wu’s lab, I don’t care about whatever you did with the skin samples you took from the sinoceratops—” Brooklynn’s rant is cut off by the rest of the confused campers. However, she ignores the rest of you in favor of continuing her tirade.

“I don’t even care that you stole it now! All I want to do is call for help! Where is it?” She cried in exasperation.

Sammy was silent for only a second before she shook her head in confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.” She walked away from Brooklynn and towards the rest of the group as she continued. “Skin samples? Sneaking into labs? You made up some crazy thing in your own dang head!”

“Back off!” Yasmina yelled. “Not everything revolves around you and your phone!”

The two came face to face as the arguing carried on.

“It isn’t Sammy’s fault you lost it!”

Ben intercepted worriedly. “Would you guys please keep it down?! There’s a big--”

“A big, scary dinosaur?” Kenji cut him off. “Of course there’s a big, scary dinosaur! There’s always a big scary dinosaur.”

“Don’t get mad at him just because he’s right!” You didn’t mean to, but you jumped to defend Ben from the likes of Kenji.

“You’re always such a big-mouthed jerk!” Ben adds with furrowed brows.

“Give it back!” Brooklynn yells at Sammy.

“Back off!” Yasmina shouts.

Kenji fumbles for a comeback. “Yeah? Well, at least I don’t play with crayons!”

“With your maturity level, I’d expect you to!” You can’t help but shout.

“What is your problem with me? I’m trying to get us all out of this mess!” Brooklynn asks desperately.

“I didn’t lie to you about it!” Samny defends herself.

“Just stop!” Brooklynn screams.

“Well, my dad—” Kenji’s interrupted as Ben yells.

“Money isn’t going to help us out of this! No one’s getting out of here! We just saw people get eaten!” He says, weariness overtaking him. “We’re alone, we’re defenseless.”

He brings his knees to his chest and holds them close as he finishes. “We’re dead.”

The rest of the group scoffs and walks off. And while you wished to do the same, you couldn’t bring yourself to.

Instead, you sit next to Ben and put a hesitant hand on his back. He doesn’t react verbally, but you can tell that he appreciates it.

“We’re not giving up.” Darius says firmly.

Everyone’s head turns to look at him in bewilderment.

“I get it. It’s scary. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.” He sighs. “Things aren’t always gonna go your way. Life is messy and sometimes…”

Everyone comes closer as Darius goes on.

“... things fall apart.”

He smiles. “But that’s okay because when that happens, we pick up the pieces and keep going. And we never give up.”

Your companions stand in silence before Brooklynn breaks it reluctantly.

“What about your necklace?”

“It’s not important. I’ve got the memories right here.” Darius touched his chest as he beamed.

“What are we supposed to do?” Yasmina asks.

“Go south to the park. Get help. And the only way we’ll make it is if we do it together.” He asserts. “We’re a team or we’re nothing at all.”

Ben holds up a finger as he argues. “Or, you know, we don’t go back into the jungle.”

“You can wait for the negligent babysitters, but I’m with Darius.” Kenji states.

“Wait, really?” Darius raises a brow.

“Dude, there’s no way I survived a dinosaur attack…”

Ben yelps when a board of wood falls right in front of Kenji.

“... only to be taken out by cheap camp debris. Kenji ain’t goin’ out like that.”

Kenji walks, dragging Darius along as he concludes. “We’re going south. The rest of you coming or what?”

“I’m in.” Brooklynn decides as she begins to follow the two.

“We’re in, too.” Yasmina makes the decision for her and Sammy as she slings an arm around the girl.

“Me too.” You say tersely.

Ben holds his hands up to argue, but with your added contribution, he just whines and runs after you lot.

“It’s just one dinosaur.” He utters continuously. Whether it was to console himself or to remind you all, you couldn’t be sure.

And so your horrible Jurassic adventure begins, or maybe Cretaceous would be more accurate. Either way, something new is starting and you’re not sure you’re going to like it.

Chapter Text

Flies buzz around you, or perhaps they were mosquitoes? Either way, they’re bothering you all to a catastrophic level. One had flown into Kenji’s mouth earlier, and you’d have laughed if one hadn’t flown into yours as soon as you opened your mouth to do so. You were still grimacing from the taste of it when, out of the blue, Ben screams. Prompting the rest of you to turn around and scream as well.

“Sorry, I stepped on a twig.” He apologizes with a crooked smile.

Various complaints rang out. The only ones who don’t rag on Ben being Darius and you. Though you said nothing only because the damn taste was still in your mouth.

Darius reassures him kindly. “It’s okay Ben. We’re all on edge.”

“And lost.” Yasmina adds.

Sammy nods. “Yeah, we’ve been out here for a while now. Darius, you sure we’re still headed for the park?”

“Well, we’d be sure if I still had my phone,” Brooklynn jabs. “Because it has a GPS, a compass app, and is also a phone!”

“Sammy didn’t steal your phone!” Yasmina shouts as she shoves Brooklynn away from the girl. “No one stole your phone! Can we please stop talking about the phone?!”

Ben interrupts worriedly, “You guys! You guys, you guys, you guys. Could you all yell at each other quieter, please?”

“My fellow campers, chill!” Kenji yells, ignoring Ben’s concerns. “What we need here is someone who can make the hard call on what to do next. Since I’m obviously leadership material…” Hard, disbelieving stares are the only response Kenji gets. “... I’ll do this. And my first decree as leader is… for everyone to stop talking and just listen to Darius!”

Ignoring the decree as leader part, you actually didn’t mind Darius being in charge. He probably knew the most about dinosaurs apart from you, and you certainly weren’t looking to be in a leadership role anytime soon.

Though this forced leadership role only seemed to confuse Darius. Kenji hung an arm around Darius’s shoulder and gave him what you could only assume to be a pep talk.

“So, which way, Darius?” Kenji asks, this time within hearing volume.

“Please, you’re just trying to cover up the fact that you’re lost, too, Mr. VIP.” Brooklynn accuses. “None of us know where we are.”

“I know where we are!” Darius suddenly yells. “We’re by the Carnotaurus paddock! I thought this place looked familiar.”

Darius runs off, while Kenji brags with a smirk. “Am I an excellent leader or what?”

He’s passed by with no second glances as everyone follows Darius without another word.

“I remember the fence!” Darius’s face goes from a carefree to fearful once he finds what he’s looking for. “The broken, ripped-down fence.”

“That means… that means Toro is out here… with us,” Ben whimpers worriedly.

“Now we have to deal with the Indominus and Toro.” Darius says grimly, before raising his head in confusion. “Hold up. How do you know about Toro?”

“We all know. Kenji told us, like, the day after it happened.” Yasmina says as she walks past the three.

Darius eyes Kenji with a disappointed stare, but continues being the Kenji-assigned leader he is.

“We know this enclosure is due North of the main park. So, if we keep going that way, we’ll hit the visitors’ center. We’re sure to find Dave and Roxie, or someone else there in charge.” He announces.

“Yes! Exactly what I was thinking, as a leader, which I am.” Kenji gloats. “Follow me!”

Everyone adheres to Kenji’s words, all except Darius, Ben, and you.

“I don’t think finding an adult is going to help.” Ben admits. “A terrifying, camouflaged dinosaur trashed our camp. No way they have a plan for that.”

“You saw what that thing did to those men at the observation tower, and the Brachiosaurus too.” You remark with crossed arms.

“I know, it’s scary. But this is Jurassic World. Dealing with dinosaurs is what they do.”

“They didn’t deal so well at their last park, did they?” Ben hums sarcastically.

“Everything will be okay. Trust me.” Darius asserts with a hand on Ben’s shoulder. To you, he smiles, but his eyes seem to search your own for something out of reach.

Once Darius walks out of range, Ben looks up at you in question. “Do you trust him?”

You don’t answer. Stuck, glaring in the direction Darius had gone. Instead of giving a verbal response, you simply grab ahold of his sleeve and begin pulling him with you towards the rest of the group.

For the time being, Darius was your best bet out of this. So you’d stick with him if it meant you’d get off of Isla Nublar alive. Plus, you had to figure out why he looked at you like that.

The group pauses their trek once you all come across what appeared to be a massacre. A stray gyrosphere lay with an enormous hole broken into it, along with an Ankylosaurus corpse. From this distance you could see how the creature was torn into, yet its body was ultimately intact. Scarily so.

“Predators don’t kill prey and then just leave without feeding.” Darius says with a dejected face. “This… this isn’t right.”

“That thing did the same with those men, didn’t it?” You question, eyeing the corpse. “It’s killing for fun.”

A rustling in the bushes grabs your guys’ attention, and you all run to hide. From behind the broken gyrosphere, you have a clear view of the bushes. The rustling only gets louder, and with a snarl, something busts out.

Everyone screams, but you could only stare at what had emerged. With a scoff, you stand up and push Ben towards the baby Ankylosaurus as she bellows. His eyes light up at the sight of her.

“Bumpy!” He shouts in delight, running towards the little one as she meets him halfway.

The little Ankylosaurus was still evidently a baby, but she had grown since the last time you’ve seen her. Now you could confidently say that she was about the size of a small dog–a wide, small dog.

Ben rubs his face against the baby as he laughs, Kenji complaining about how smelly she is.

“How do you even know that’s the same dinosaur?” He asks with a raised brow.

“Her big head bump! Dr. Wu said she’s asymmetrical, but he’s wrong that it’s bad.” He says with glee. “And so what if she’s asymmetrical? There’s nothing wrong with being different, or bumpy, or getting tired after reading an overly thrilling book! And maybe if her parents had listened to her, she wouldn’t have come here and gotten attacked!”

You have an inkling this isn’t about the little dinosaur anymore.

“As fun as this reunion is, shouldn’t we keep moving south?” Kenji wonders, with a thumb pointing behind him.

“I’m not spending another hour walking through the jungle, hoping that we don’t run into that Indominus.” Brooklynn huffs. “We need a new plan.”

“Uh, yeah, obviously we need a new plan. So, I had Darius figure out a new one.” He punches Darius’s shoulder playfully. “Lay it on us, bro.”

“Okay. So, uh… we need to find somewhere safe close by. If camp is that way, and the park is that way…” He gasps. “Isn’t Dr. Wu’s field genetics lab near here? You guys went on the tour. Does this area look familiar?”

You all spared a glance around, trying to spark a sense of familiarity.

“Um… yeah. Y-yeah.” Sammy stammers uncertainly. “I think it might be over that way.”

“That seems right.” Yasmina nods.

“Great! That’s where we should go. There’s bound to be an adult there who can help or tell us what to do. Right?”

Faint roaring ended Darius’s questions.

“Fine, whatever! Let’s just go to the lab. As long as we are moving away from that,” Brooklynn whispers shakingly.

“What about Bumpy?” Ben asks as the creature in question growls softly.

“She’s a dinosaur, bro. She belongs out here in the wild.” Kenji answers plainly.

“And she’ll just slow us down. We gotta go now.” Yasmina says urgently, not waiting for a response as she keeps moving.

You pat Ben’s back sympathetically, following the rest of the group so that he could say his goodbyes in peace.

As you all walked, Darius asked Kenji a series of questions, worried about his decision-making. Eventually, his worries rubbed off on Kenji, as he ran ahead of the group.

This just left you and Darius walking quietly in the back. You could feel him glancing at you every once in a while. You would’ve said something if his eyes didn’t wander behind you. Confused, you look behind yourself, now noticing the absence of a particular germaphobe.

“Wait, where’s Ben?” You say suddenly, causing the group to look back in concern.

A blue t-shirt eventually appeared from behind some bushes, Ben grunting as he tugs Bumpy along. She releases a low growl as he shushes her. Yasmina clears her throat, causing Ben to jump before shoving the dinosaur behind the shrubs.

He smiles awkwardly. “How’s it hangin’... dudes?” He mimics a surfer accent as he finger-guns you all.

“Ben, are you hiding Bumpy in that bush?” Darius asks in disappointment.

The Ankylosaurus bellows softly from the bushes as Ben shakes his head. “Nope. That could be anything. The jungle makes all sorts of weird noises.”

He grunts as Bumpy bursts through the undergrowth and knocks him off his feet.

“How did she get here?” He asks with an unconvincing smile.

“We don’t have time for this!” Yasmina says firmly. “There are dinosaurs eating people out here, and Bumpy can’t keep up!”

“She can move faster.” Ben defends. “Ankylosauruses run fast. Right, Darius?”

“When they’re fully grown, maybe, but she’s just…”

The baby Ankylosaurus cuts Darius off with a huff, then suddenly falls to the ground, snoring.

Kenji scoffs, “Wow! Yeah, total speed demon. Say goodbye, Ben.”

You’d defend him if you could, but leaving the dinosaur behind was the best option. However, you all paused when Ben abruptly shouted.

“No! You say hello, because she is coming with us. So… there!”

“Ben, you’re not thinking this through. Bumpy’s too slow.” Brooklynn explains.

She's right. If Ben wanted the best chance possible to survive, it’d be best to leave her here. You didn’t understand why he’d risk his survival to bring some dinosaur with you all.

“Then… then we’ll put her in the van!”

Huh?

Sammy scoffs in disbelief. “What van?”

Ben points behind your group. “That one!”

Lo-and-behold, a black van stood on the dirt road not too far away from you lot.

Running to open the back doors, Kenji gasps excitedly. “It’s an ACU transport!” Upon seeing your confused faces, he continues. “Asset containment unit. Got a tour of their HQ.” He climbs into the van, grabbing the hold handle as he does so. “Super hard-core dino-trapping security dudes.”

“Then where are they?” Darius questioned.

An air of uncertainty surrounded your group before Brooklynn yelled.

“Is that a tablet?!” She shoves Darius out of the way as she climbs into the van desperately.

After her, everyone filed in. It seems luck was upon you all, as Sammy found a stray walkie-talkie.

“Dave, Roxie! Can y’all hear us?” Sammy begs.

The only response she got was the crackling of static.

“And of course this doesn’t have communication enabled.” Brooklynn whines, her face illuminated by the green screen of the tablet. “Because you know what? Why would it? If I had my phone–”

“Enough already!” Darius screams. “There are bigger things going on here than your phone!”

Your eyes widen as he yells, though you couldn’t blame him. The constant fighting was getting on your nerves as well. Not to mention that Darius had been peacekeeping this entire day. Brooklynn went quiet at his outburst, though her attention drifted to the tablet as a beeping started up.

“There’s a map program with little moving dots on it.” She announces, and everyone huddles to see the screen.

“They chip all the dinosaurs electronically to track them. See? There’s us, and there’s…” Darius pauses at what was on the screen.

“Wait. Here’s the Brachiosaurus Grove on the map, so why are the Brachiosauruses way over there?” Kenji points out.

“I think maybe the fences are down. At least some of them.” Bumpy’s trilling interrupts Darius.

The little dinosaur ran in circles as she squealed in distress from her place outside of the van.

“Easy girl!” Ben instantly jumps out to console her.

The Ankylosaurus went still, as a rumbling could be heard from just half a mile away. It resembled footsteps, big ones.

“Guys,” Ben murmurs. “Something’s coming this way.”

Brooklynn stares at the tablet in confusion. “That’s weird. Whatever that is, it isn’t showing up on the tablet.”

The only visible dot near you was your guy’s own location.

“What kind of dinosaur wouldn’t have a transponder?” Darius whispers from beside you.

“I’m not in the mood to find out.” Kenji whines.

Bumpy kept squealing despite Ben’s efforts to silence her, causing both you and Yasmina to walk to the edge of the van.

“Ben, shut her up!” Yasmina hisses.

Ben didn’t get the chance to, as a deep roar rang out. And it was way too close for comfort.

“We’ve gotta go now!” Darius orders.

As Ben picks Bumpy up into his arms, you hold your hands out carefully. Heaving as he plops her into your arms and using all your weight to pull her into the van while Ben clambers in as well. You push the baby Ankylosaurus off of you and practically throw yourself into a seat next to Yasmina.

“Wait! Doesn’t anyone know how to drive a van?” Darius exclaims upon realizing that everyone had buckled their seatbelts, yet no one had gotten into the driver’s seat.

“No, but we drove gyrospheres, right? It can’t be that different,” Sammy said skeptically.

Ben shakes his head. “The gyrospheres had joysticks and a Jimmy Fallon tutorial. I don’t even have my learner’s permit!”

“I do!” Kenji grunts as he jumps up and onto the driver’s seat.

He hesitantly places his hands on the wheel. “Hands at ten and two–”

You all yelled at him to go, and he sped off… only to drive backwards.

“Wrong way! Wrong way!” Ben screams.

Kenji quickly shifts the gear at random to go forward instead. But with that added detour, the Indominus was now right behind the black vehicle.

“It’s gaining! Go faster!” Sammy urges him.

“I can’t!” Kenji whines.

He obviously had little to no experience in driving a car.

“You’re in the wrong gear!” You yell.

“Well, how do I shift gears?” Kenji spares a wide-eyed glance towards you.

“You just did!” you shout in bewilderment.

Everyone screams as the dinosaur comes closer and closer to the van.

“It’s coming!”

“Step on that thing!”

“Zigzag!”

“Are you signaling?!”

“Can everyone not yell at me while I’m saving our lives!” Kenji says in exasperation.

Sparing a look towards the back windows, you watch as the white dinosaur just barely grabbed hold of the van with its jaws. None of you were going to get out of this alive if Kenji kept driving like this, so you unbuckle yourself and lunge forward to grasp the steering wheel and turn it in another direction.

Unfortunately, that direction was a cliff.

The cliff was steep, so much so that the van practically glided down it at concerning speeds. Despite all the screams, Kenji tried his best at steering the van to avoid all the incoming trees. Eventually, the van swerved to its side as its tires screeched. The sound was like that of nails on a chalkboard; and you’d cover your ears if you weren’t already holding on to anything in your proximity for dear life. Soon, the van slowed its speed and bumped into a tree, almost tipping over before regaining its balance with a loud thump.

“At least we lost the Indominus.” Brooklynn pants.

“Now… where do we go?” Sammy wonders aloud.

Pointing towards the front of the van, Ben answers, “How about into the genetics lab?”

The lab stood not too far from where the van had come to a stop. Once again, Ben had summoned something out of thin air.

“It’s a gift.” He smiles smugly when everyone stares at him in shock.

The door hisses as your group steps in. It was dark, leaving only the red glow of the exit sign on the door to illuminate your way. Although, as you all walked further in, there laid a stray cake with some lighting of its own. A birthday cake, with candles lined up evenly on the top, and a salmon rose made of frosting. Suddenly, a man jumped from behind the cake, the candles illuminating his bared teeth. You all screamed in surprise, the grown man doing the same as he shined a lamp directly at your group.

“Not dinosaurs. You’re not dinosaurs.” The man groans as he collapses onto the same table that was holding the cake.

“This is the worst birthday ever.” He sighs.

After a conversation or two, everyone besides the grown man had a fat slice of cake. You sat in a stray computer desk, next to Ben’s crouched form. Shoveling a piece of the cake into your mouth with a fork left on the table. It was actually pretty good.

Looking down towards Ben’s form and watching as he wiped some dirt from Bumpy’s head, you noticed he hadn’t grabbed a slice. Perhaps he was a vegan? If he was, you wouldn’t be too surprised.

“Again, we are so happy we found you. Things are crazy!” Darius explains. “There’s a giant camouflaged dinosaur out there. Also, regular dinosaurs. We’ve been hoping to find someone–”

“You’re sure you closed the door behind you, right?” The man interrupts as he peeks from behind a corner.

It was silly that this man wearing a lab coat and a colorful party hat on his head seemed so paranoid. Despite being a grown adult, he couldn’t seem to stay in one place. He was constantly moving around, looking around for something out of sight. It reminded you of Ben, just a little.

“Uh…” Darius’s eyes roll to the side in thought. “... I think so.”

“You think, or you know?” The man turns around with raised brows and a wide stare.

Kenji’s belch draws both of their attention towards him.

“Sorry, did you want it back?” He offers the second slice of cake he was about to dig into.

“You know what? Doesn’t matter.” The man continues peeking around the corner, as if a dinosaur would walk through the door at any moment. “The dinosaurs got out, and no one bothered to tell me; they just ran. So why not? Knock yourself out.” This guy didn’t seem to know what to do with himself, let alone seven other teenagers.

You get up from the lab chair and plop down next to Ben and Bumpy. He turns to you with a raised brow, however you pay him no mind as you couldn’t stop staring at the man. He reminded you too much of—

“You wanna pet her?” Ben suddenly asks.

You turn towards him, then let your gaze wander to the dinosaur in front of you. With a sigh, you set your plate down behind you if only so Bumpy wouldn’t try to lick the cake remains.

With a shaky hand, you rub her head reluctantly. Eventually it travels to one of her horns, tracing the boney curve carefully. Bumpy bellows softly, pushing her head further into your hand.

“You’re a natural.” Ben laughs, and you’re embarrassed to admit that you laughed with him.

Ben sat up a bit and began petting her with you, his hands mimicking your own. The dinosaur huffs, pushing itself past you and Ben’s hand and flopping into his lap roughly.

He heaves, and a wide smile came across your face at his situation. Ben groans at her weight, but ultimately pushes through and continues petting the heavy dinosaur. Soon after, Darius draws your attention as he continues talking to the birthday man.

“The park obviously has a plan. So, what’s that plan? What do we do?”

“You’re asking me?” He laughs from his squatted position. “Asking me!” His laugh drags on, creeping the lot of you out.

“Is that, like, a good, freaky laugh?” Sammy asks hopefully.

The man stands to his full height, towering over Darius with a sour expression. “Do you not get it? We’re doomed. No one is coming to help!”

There are shared glances of concern, both because of his behavior and his words.

Kenji hesitantly speaks up, “But what about Dr. Wu, or—”

“Wu? Who do you think is to blame? Wu got greedy. And instead of dinosaurs, he built monsters.” During his charade, his hand flew to a machine, currently incubating some dinosaur eggs.

“Masrani, Dearing, they’re all clueless about what’s really going on here.” He says as he brings one egg to his face. “And after everything I did for the other guys–” He cuts himself off with a laugh.

Brooklynn turns towards him in the office chair she sat in. “Other guys? What other—”

The egg he’s holding cracks as he sets it down with a little too much force. “It doesn’t matter, does it? Jurassic World isn’t a park. It’s a powder keg, and it’s detonating all around us!”

Everyone jumps at his volume, guard officially up now that this man is showing off his deranged views. You rise from the floor and inch towards Darius, ready to leave at any moment. You aren’t going to get any help from this guy. You all would be better off on your own.

“We’re all going down. End of story!” He speaks gravelly.

Darius shakes his head in distraught. “No, you have to know what to do. You’re an adult!”

The man raises his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t look at me. I was just hiding until you all barged in.”

“But we drove all the way here ‘cause–”

Both you and the man’s eyes widen to the size of saucers, although for completely different reasons.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! You have a vehicle?”

“We ran. Couldn’t find any cars.” You intersect quickly, shoving Darius away from the man with your shoulder.

Darius gives you a confused glance, before moving his gaze to the man before you.

You grimaced when the man grabbed hold of your arms. “No, no, I heard that. He said you guys drove.”

“Well, you must’ve heard wrong.” You made a small attempt at pulling yourself out of his grasp, but his hold on you only became tighter. After a tense few seconds, he abruptly pushes you into Darius as he runs out of the building.

You already knew what he was going to do, so you ran after him as fast as you could. You definitely weren’t as good of a runner as Yasmina or anything, but you’d be damned if this man-child stole your guy’s only mode of transit. The others lingered behind, whether it was out of shock or because they had already put too much trust into this adult, you didn’t know.

You caught up to him quickly, as you had gotten a head start, however the most you could do was grab onto his lab coat and try to pull him backwards. The two of you grumbled out curses as he tried to shove you off of him while you tried your best to keep a hold on him. However, it all ends in a singular movement as he elbows you straight in the face.

A crack follows, and this time it couldn’t have been from your glasses. You seize in sudden aching pain, along with the realization that you can’t breathe through your nose anymore.

The man pushes himself out of your grasp, though he’s long forgotten with all the red covering your hands. You try to cup your nose, but hiss with the pain that wells up again.

It just keeps pouring and pouring. It seems as if it’ll never stop, and you’re not sure if it will. Your shoulders are grabbed, and you know it’s not Ben or Darius simply because you can see them running ahead of you with the rest of the group.

Oh right, a grown man was trying to steal a van from you guys.

You feel hands on your face, pushing you to look at the person in front of you. It’s Brooklynn, you can tell by all the pink. Normally you’d tell by just looking at her, her features would usually be easy to see from how close she was at the moment. But your watery eyes, which worsen your already not so great vision, blur your sight. She says something, and the ringing in your ears finally simmers down to where you can hear the last few words she utters.

“—back in place!”

Oh no.

In one motion, she lifts the lower part of your nose and sets it back in place with yet another crack. You yelp in surprise, a bit pathetically you must admit, and she immediately releases her hold on you.

“Sorry, sorry!” Brooklynn’s hands hover over your form nervously.

Blinking away the tears in your eyes, you can finally see her without the added blur, and you realize she still has that van tablet. Only it’s held between her tricep and her torso, leaving her hands unoccupied.

Luckily, all that’s left of the pain is a dull ache; ignoring the baffling amount of blood that’s still pouring out of your nostrils. You’re certainly going to have a nasty bruise on your face later.

You walk towards the remaining group because of Brooklynn ushering you to, watching as the man starts the van engine. He drives away, but Yasmina keeps up to speed with him, lingering behind the vehicle. Man, you’re glad to have an actual runner in your group.

Maybe you should have just let Yasmina handle this. Because then you wouldn’t be here with blood guzzling out of your nose like a waterfall while Brooklynn worried over you. You try to keep the van in your range of vision, hoping to see Yasmina catch up to the van.

Unfortunately, you don’t get to, and instead the van is suddenly tossed to the side by a familiar gray dinosaur. Its roar is deep and guttural, harsh on your ears that had only stopped ringing a minute or two ago.

The Indominus continues to play with the van like a cat to a mouse. The man inside fumbles about, trying his best to get out of the van in one piece. He bursts out of the back before crawling under the vehicle.

With one push of its head, the dinosaur moves the van off the man, leaving him bare. His screams fill the air as the Indominus tears into him without hesitation. The group breaks into a sprint, running opposite to where the Indominus is. In another unfortunate turn of events, a large gate meant to keep dinosaurs in their enclosure blocks your guy’s escape.

“Come on, are you kidding me?” Darius whines fearfully.

Kenji surges forwards, banging on the metal gate. “Perfect! The park’s only intact fence!”

The echoing roar of the Indominus influences you all to find cover instead of complaining about fences. Behind a pile of rocks with a large supply crate atop it, Yasmina finds it in her best interest to argue with Ben about Bumpy getting in the way of her reaching the van. You know nothing about that since you were busy bleeding out of your nose, which you still are, by the way.

“If it weren’t for her, I would’ve made it to the van!”

“And then you would have been eaten. Bumpy saved your life!” Ben defends.

When Yasmina opens her mouth to argue once more, you step in because is this seriously the most important thing right now?

“The van’s still there, that guy is gone, and the giant, man-eating dinosaur isn’t too far behind us.” You pull your hands away from your nose. The bleeding had stopped. “That’s what we should worry about. We can worry about Bumpy’s usefulness later.”

No one responds, and you don’t need them to. You were right; you knew that much.

“Did that guy do that to your nose?” Darius asks with a dejected stare.

“Well, I wouldn’t do this to myself, would I?” you answer with a scoff.

It’s quiet yet again, but Darius’s guilty look tells you more than words ever could.

Wiping your bloody hands on the grass, you sigh. “I’m fine. It’s mostly the blood that’s bothering me.” Your hands are stained, sadly. But at least they’re not drenched anymore.

“Y’know, without your glasses, you look a lot less nerdy.” Kenji says with a sickeningly sweet smile.

You look up at him with furrowed brows and a prominent frown. “If that’s supposed to be a compliment, I’m going to kill you.”

The conversation is cut short as a roar echoes not too far from your group’s hiding spot. Everyone huddles closer to the ground, and the steps had almost faded before Bumpy began squealing. Out of fear for everyone's safety, Darius crept to the edge of your guy’s hiding spot, looking around for the Indominus.

You tried your best to help Ben quiet Bumpy, but it’s in her nature to make a ruckus when she’s in trouble. It alerts her herd to protect her. But you all aren’t her herd, and you can’t protect her the same way they do either.

A growl from the Indominus bounces off the supply crates around you all. Everyone stands up, though still low to the ground, and waits for a signal from Darius. The boy in question gasps suddenly and makes a hand motion to tell everyone to get moving. Ben grabs ahold of his shoulder and shakes his head fearfully.

Darius puts his hand atop of Ben’s. “Trust me.”

And with that, you all run as quietly as you can from one crate to the next, using each container as a cover from the Indominus.

Almost immediately after your group gets to the next crate, the Indominus inspects your guy’s first hiding spot. It sniffs around before shoving its muzzle into a specific spot on the ground. The same spot you had wiped the blood from your hands. It looks up suddenly, and you have to resist the urge to gasp, scream, or make any noise at all. Because now it knows someone is here.

While trying to get past the crate, the Indominus appears suddenly, and Darius has to duck behind a barrel. It growls, and you can tell that it suspects something, so you all try to move discreetly to the next crate.

Only half of you get all the way behind the third crate. Ben, Kenji, and you have to hide behind some stray barrels as the Indominus forces itself through the narrow gap between one crate and another. Darius makes a come-hither motion to tell you three to move, but the growling you hear almost right next to you is enough to convince you not to listen.

Darius eyes the dinosaur, before picking something up and hiding behind the crate with the rest of the group again. And only a few seconds later, a clanging rang out somewhere far off from where you all are.

The Indominus lets out a grating roar, before shuffling towards where the sound was made. Kenji peaks from behind the barrels, then hurriedly crawls towards the rest of the group, as do you and Ben. Now that you're all in one group again, you finally have a clear shot to the van. Darius shuffles along the wall of a crate, and with a signal from him, you all make a break for the van.

However, from behind you, you hear Brooklynn trip and fall to the ground. The tablet she refused to let out of her sight fell to the ground and began trilling. She tries to turn the tablet off in time, however it's no use. The Indominus had already heard it.

Brooklynn whimpers as she tries to crawl backwards from the commotion the gray dinosaur was making. The rest of the group screams as the Indominus pushes through an onslaught of crates in order to get to Brooklynn. Sammy yells her name and forces her to stand before running off with her. The Indominus following close behind the two girls.

Seeing Brooklynn and Sammy in trouble, Darius hurriedly creates another plan in his head. He searches the surrounding area for any ideas, and eventually his eyes land on a thick stick left astray on the grass.

“You all get to the van. I’m going to help Brooklynn and Sammy.” Darius says as he grabs the stick from the ground. Without another word, Darius bangs the stick onto a crate while the rest of you run to the van. “Hey, over here!” He yells at the Indominus before throwing the stick and sprinting in another direction.

With Darius’s distraction, the girls run from their hiding place and head towards the van without disruption. Yasmina and Ben hold the back doors open for them, while Kenji gets in the front to drive again. You, however, are having none of that. Forcing the driver door open before he can close it, you shove yourself into the driver’s seat.

“Move.” You say curtly.

Ignoring his glare, you twist the keys to start the engine, before pausing and turning to look into the back of the van in concern.

“Wait, Darius isn’t here.”

Snarls and screams that could only come from the Indominus and Darius draw your attention. Sammy and Ben instantly unbuckle their seatbelts and throw open the backdoors. Just in time to see Darius running from the Indominus as it throws a crate out of its way with an aggressive push of its head.

As soon as the van doors close, your foot is hitting the gas pedal and speeding off. Seeing as the Indominus refuses to give chase to the van in the rear-view mirror, laughter is all that’s heard in the van. Even more so when the previously useless radio in the van crackles to life, a familiar voice calling out from it.

“Kids? Come on, pick up! There’s something going on. Stay at camp. We’re heading to you.”

Darius grabs the radio as he settles into a seat, responding to Roxie with vigor. “No, we’re heading to you!” He smiles.

“Darius! Wait, why are you–”

“We’re fine, but we had to leave camp.” He explains. “Long story.”

Yasmina pulls the radio from his grasp. “Short story: a dinosaur ate camp.”

Kenji then pulled the radio from her hands as he speaks louder than necessary into the little walkie-talkie. “Shorter story: epic leader Kenji somehow got everyone out safely.”

“That wasn’t any shorter.” You huff, fighting off a smile.

Ben leans towards the front car seat, taking the radio from Kenji. “And then we found a van and Bumpy!”

Brooklynn leans forward to talk into the radio. “And I fixed a broken nose!”

Both sides of the radio go silent at that, and you turn around and make a cutting motion to your throat.

“It wasn’t broken, actually! We’re all good!” She lies, realizing it would be better not to worry them.

With a sigh, you turn back to the road. This reunion is great and all, but as the only person who seemed to know how to drive here, you had to fit the part and resist crashing.

“So you’re all well?”

“Yeah, yeah! All good here.” Darius stuttered as he took the radio from Brooklynn. “We’re cutting through the jungle and heading to the main park.”
Eventually, the van heads down a gentle slope, and Darius happily continues. “We should be there soon.”

Turning off the radio, Darius turns to the rest of you with a bright smile. “We’re getting out of here!”

There’s an onslaught of cheering, and then a peaceful quiet.

“Good job not getting me eaten, bro,” Kenji congratulates Darius.

“Thanks, brah.” Darius responds, mimicking Kenji’s weird surfer talk.

“Oh, no, you–you made that sound weird.” Kenji shakes his head in mock disappointment. “No more bro-talk for you.”

A tranquil quiet is all that’s heard afterwards until Sammy laughs gleefully.

“We did it, camp family! And not a moment too—”

She cuts herself off with a grunt as the van shakes. You must be driving over a rock ridden road at the moment, nothing to worry about. Though, the uproar that follows after tells you otherwise.

“My phone.” Brooklynn mutters. “I knew it!”

You turn in shock, watching as Sammy surveys the group’s faces in guilt. Though when she turns to you, she can’t warn you in time for the crash that follows. All you hear are the screams of your fellow campers and the shattering of glass before it all goes dark.

Chapter Text

When you awaken, your eyes refuse to focus. Your sight is blurry, and it’s as if everything had been covered in black smog. A cracked windshield greets you once your vision clears, some small pieces hanging by a thread or just completely gone. You’d have to check yourself for any protruding glass later. Blinking away any lingering blurriness, you realize that the black smog was actually smoke coming from the hood of the car.

“Is everyone okay?” Darius mutters, his voice hoarse.

“Is everyone…?” Yasmina chuckles at his words, but you can hear the undeniable anger in her voice.

She trudges past everyone, throwing open the back doors and jumping out sluggishly. Oh right, what was even more embarrassing than crashing the van was the fact that Sammy had you all right under her thumb. Well, except Brooklynn, of course.

Sammy calls out to Yasmina, but she pays no mind to the girl and instead walks away from the van with a livid expression. As the two girls walk off, the rest of you hop out of the van to access the damage.

The front of the hood is crumpled, black smoke pouring out of it like a volcano about to burst. The culprit in the crash was a large rock, about the same size as the hood itself. Other than a singular crack running across the middle of it, the rock didn’t seem to be affected by you crashing into it. But of course, a rock is a rock, and a van is a van.

….

Do you have a concussion or something?

As you and Darius stare down at the hood of the car, Yasmina and Sammy’s argument continues.

“We’re in the middle of a jungle with a monster dinosaur out there, and you…” Yasmina’s words fall short, her rage overwhelming her. “You..!”

“Destroyed our only way to get help and lied about it!” Brooklynn finishes for her. “I told you guys!”

“So, you did take Brooklynn’s phone?” Darius says in disbelief, his eyes narrowed in a mix of exhaustion and betrayal. “Why? What were you doing?”

While Darius and Brooklynn walk forward to interrogate Sammy, you stay back to think about what to do next. Sure, Sammy’s deception was surprising, but the van was undoubtedly more important. Now, all of you would have to continue on foot, and so far that hasn’t gone too well.

“Probably trying to erase my video of her taking those samples from the Sinoceratops.” Brooklynn huffs.

Sammy gasps, her eyes full of guilt. She looks to Yasmina, but upon meeting her angered stare, she lets her gaze fall to the ground.

“And you knew about the Indominus rex because you were snooping around Dr. Wu’s office when I ran into you. I knew it!” Brooklynn yelled, her shattered phone held tightly in her hand.

Is that where they went? You noticed Brooklynn was gone, but Sammy had never even crossed your mind.

“I didn’t mean to destroy the phone. I fell on it when the zipline came down and–”

“But you did steal it?” Ben interrupts her. “You had it this whole time and didn’t tell us?”

Darius walks forward. “Hold up. What were you doing in Dr. Wu’s office, Brooklynn?”

“I…” Brooklynn begins, but when her eyes land on Sammy, she avoids the question altogether. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t break our only way to call for help and then lie about it! This is not my fault! This is her fault! She–”

“I’m here to spy!” Sammy shouts suddenly, her words causing a confused silence to fall across your group. “For a company called Mantah Corp.”

“Mantah Corp?” Darius wonders aloud, before explaining to the rest of you. “They’re a bioengineering company, big rivals with Masrani. They tried to make dinosaurs, too, but Wu beat them to it.”

“You doomed us all for some lousy company?” Ben snarls.

“Why would you do that?” You ask quietly.

Sammy pauses, her gaze wandering across everyone in the group. She wasn’t going to get out of this, so she might as well explain herself. And so, with a sigh, she does exactly that.

“Our ranch was in trouble, so my folks had to borrow a lot of money from some shady people. We didn’t know that they were fronting for Mantah Corp. They said we’d lose everything unless I spied for them.” She continued with a shuttered breath.

“Use the behind-the-scenes access I’d get at camp to gather info from Wu’s lab, and DNA from dinos, and whatever else they needed.” She spares a glance towards Brooklynn, her head lowering with guilt. “But then Brooklynn caught on, and I got scared, and then everything went wrong.” She walks towards Yasmina, her face wrinkled with remorse. “This is the last thing I wanted to happen.”

“Oh.” Yasmina scoffs. “To be next to a broken van on a killer dinosaur island? Hey, me too! What are the odds?”

“Yaz, I–”

“Was it all a lie, wanting to be friends? Pretending you cared about…” Yasmina’s voice trails off, before getting back on track. “You just needed someone to hide what you were doing. Tell me I’m wrong.”

The only answer she gets is a shuttered sob from Sammy.

“I’m such an idiot.” Yasmina murmurs before turning around and walking off.

Sammy follows her, trying to explain her actions. She places a hand on Yasmina’s shoulder to stop her.

“Don’t touch me.” With a tense jaw and clenched fists, she pushes the girl’s hand off her. “Go away, Sammy.”

With watery eyes, Sammy runs away from the group. With Sammy gone, Yasmina rejoins the rest of your group, who all stay awkwardly silent. Bumpy, unaffected by the sad atmosphere, rears her hind legs to get Yasmina’s attention.

“Not now Bumpy.” She whispers.

“Look, I know the situation we’re in is suboptimal–” Ben starts tersely.

“It’s trash. Just say it’s trash, Ben.” Brooklynn says as she pinches the bridge of her nose.

Ben’s about to continue his attempt at cheering the group up, but a sharp gasp from you distracts him.

“What?” Darius asks, ever the leader.

Ignoring his question, you pull a small shard of glass out of Kenji’s arm, prompting a yelp to escape him.

“It’s gone now.” You answer curtly, throwing the shard off to the distance.

Kenji stares at you in what you think is fear, and you almost laugh in his face before Bumpy grabs your guy’s attention. She jumps and squeals, causing Ben to look at her worriedly.

“Bumpy, what are you…”

A loud rumbling became obviously apparent, and only a second later, the Indominus rex burst out of the treeline. Everyone runs out of the way, and you hurriedly help Ben and Darius pull Bumpy out of the way so that she doesn’t get squashed.

“This is trash! This is trash!” Ben screams.

Hiding on the other side of the van, confusingly, the Indominus doesn’t bother with any of you. Instead, it bolts in the other direction as it roars.

“It’s running.” You state in a fit of confusion.

“What the…” Darius sputters.

The sound of rotors and gunfire soon invade your ears, a helicopter soon coming into sight chasing after the Indominus.

“Masrani’s helicopter!” Kenji yells as he points to the aircraft. “That’s his call sign on the tail!”

“They’re shooting at the Indominus!” Darius yells over the commotion, quickly pursuing the helicopter, causing you all to do the same.

Eventually, you all come to a stop as an enormous hemisphere comes into sight. Even without your glasses, the geodesic dome was large enough for you to recognize it as Jurassic World’s Aviary. It stored their Pterosaurs, although with the Indominus headed straight for the dome, that’s likely to change soon. Glass shatters loudly, and yet the helicopter continues its gunfire as it hovers over the dome.

“What was that?” Brooklynn yells.

“Yeah! Kick its butt, Masrani!” Kenji screams, his hands cupping his mouth. “We’re saved! Yeah, baby!” he turns to Darius, slapping his back playfully. “Ah! I told you, they’ve got it totally under—”

In an instant, the helicopter is falling through the dome, gray smoke trailing after it before an explosion sounds across the dense forest. A long string of blurs come after the explosion, and you can only hope that they aren’t what you think they are.

“Are those…?” You squint your eyes to differentiate the blurs soaring in the sky, but a tug at your wrists steals your focus.

Darius pulls you closer to the group as he replies. “The Pteranodons got loose. We’re practically sitting ducks! We’ve got to take cover!”

Kenji gasps as he takes the van tablet from Brooklynn’s hands. “The Kayak River!” He points to a spot not too far from where you all were. “The entrance is near here. It goes underground, beneath the ridge. If we follow it, it’ll take us right to the main park.”

“Then that’s where we need to be. Come on!” Darius shouts, and everyone immediately heads for the Kayak River.

However, Bumpy can’t seem to get the hint that you all need to go. Ben tries to pull her from one side, but with her weight, he can only move her an inch or two away from where she stands.

You run back towards the two, grabbing one side of Bumpy as Ben grabs the other. With a huff, you both hold her in the air as you run after the others.

“Come on!” Darius hollers towards you and Ben, running ahead but never straying too far from the two of you.

Screeching from above becomes fearfully obvious, and you can only push yourself to run faster. Your legs ache, and a cramp in your side steals your breath like a parasite. One Pteranodon dives, and Kenji, the appointed line leader, has to duck down to avoid its beak.

“Come on!” He yells as he changes course, running through some foliage.

Bumpy’s weight really begins to… well, weigh on you. Your breath comes out in shallow huffs, and a short glance towards Ben tells you he’s in the same boat. Just before you can reach the tunnel leading towards the Kayak River, Ben’s legs give out, and Bumpy’s mass is shoved onto you. Her weight forces you down to the ground with her and Ben.

In an instant, Darius is in front of you, trying his best to pull Bumpy towards the tunnel where the rest of the group had already gone. Ben and you try to push her as Darius pulls, giving up on the whole carrying thing. Still, she only shrieks in fear of the situation.

A screech from above finally scares her into getting a move on, and she rushes past the three of you. The victory is extremely short-lived as a Pteranodon dives towards you all with ill intention.

You yowl in fright, pawing at the dirt to pull yourself upright and into a running position. Darius and Ben scurry after you, screaming all the while. Running into the tunnel doesn’t grant you any safety, as the Pteranodon follows with determination. Its piercing cry echoing on the concrete walls.

Lit up by electric lanterns, a sliding door leading to the river attraction becomes your goal destination. Ignoring the soreness in virtually every part of your body, and the pounding in your head, you center your attention on the small gap between the door and the concrete frame.

Barging into the Kayak River area, twist your body in order to avoid stepping on Bumpy. With a leg up in the air, and your other foot bouncing to balance yourself, someone flings themselves into you before you can stabilize yourself.

You and the perpetrator fall to the ground, and though you expect to crack your head open on the concrete floor, your head meets a wooden dock instead. You can’t say the same for your back, sadly.

Pushing yourself up and onto your elbows, you stare with narrowed eyes at the culprit. Ben ignores your heated glare, koala-hugging you in response. You try standing, but the boy sticks to you like glue despite your efforts to peel him off. Gloomily accepting your fate, you survey your new surroundings.

Yasmina stands in front of the door, having been the one to slide it shut after the four of you ran in. The animalistic squeals behind the metal door give you tentative relief. Exhausted panting infiltrates the tunnel, everyone too busy catching their breath to discuss anything that had happened just yet.

“Jurassic World River Adventures,”

Ben’s grip on you falters as he looks up at the speakers in the ceiling. “What?”

“Prepare yourselves for the wonder of the underground river. Two adventurers per kayak. Life vests must be worn at all times. Adults, please fasten your own life vests before helping little adventurers. Remain seated at all times. Your journey begins now.”

In due time, Ben releases his grip on you and explores the tunnel with Bumpy. You gladly take a small break away from him. He was getting a bit too clingy for your tastes.

You pick up a stray life vest from the floor, the color a bright yellow hue. Both the vests and the oars had been left scattered around the Kayak River docks. The people down here must have been in a hurry to get out. Has the park already been evacuated? Striving to forget that thought, you pull the vest over your head and fasten the click belt.

“Brooklynn and I call the CKK.” Kenji announces, hands placed proudly on his hips.

“CKK?” Brooklynn asks.

“Cool kids’ kayak.” He answers, flicking open some sunglasses before putting them on smoothly.

Brooklynn huffs in annoyance.

“Ben and Bumpy can go on this one.” Darius points to a specific kayak.

“I’ll go with them.” Yasmina says as she barges past Sammy. “Let’s go, dude.”

Ben stammers as he’s pushed toward the kayak.

That leaves you, Darius, and Sammy. Seeing as they were nearing the weight limit on Ben’s kayak, and Kenji didn’t invite you to the quote unquote CKK.

And you’re definitely saying that while doing the air quotes in your mind, because honestly, you’re a little peeved that they didn’t invite you.

“Come on, Sammy. Let’s get out of here.” Darius addresses her after a long silence.

She follows quietly as you and Darius lead her towards your guy’s boat.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like to thank you for your patience.”

As you all begin your little kayaking adventure, the tunnel becomes darker and darker. Yasmina and the CKK have a little collision because of the darkness, but Kenji brushes off Yasmina’s annoyance.

Your stare travels from the kayaks in front of you to Sammy’s back. You’re not too mad about her betrayal. You’ve only spoken to her once, after all. You only wonder what the specifics of her situation are. Did her parents tell her to spy for them? Did she do it all on her own? What’s going to happen to her farm now with Jurassic World’s Indominus Rex situation?

You shook your head, putting your focus into paddling the kayak. You didn’t feel like asking her those things. It really wasn’t any of your business. You cast your gaze on Darius instead, who had his full attention on Sammy’s back.

Geez, he’s staring harder than you ever would. You slowly turn your head down towards the water beneath you. Along the walls of the artificial cave, a bioluminescent glow from the algae lights your group’s path.

It’s impressive just how pretty they made this place. You wish you could have come here in different circumstances. Words can’t describe the beauty of the waterfall in the Kayak River. And with the added bioluminescence, it has a magical glow that leaves your bunch gawking at the sight.

Your kayak sits in silence, at least until Sammy has enough of Darius’s prying eyes. Even the beautiful view can’t get her to ignore his prominent staring.

“Just ask.” She mutters.

Darius’s eyes widen upon being caught, his paddling pausing for a moment, though he adheres to her words, regardless.

“It’s just that you talk so much about your ranch and your family, but your family sent you here to break the law.” He draws out his words, awaiting a rebuttal from Sammy.

Sammy immediately turns to the boy, her brows furrowed. “Don’t, Darius. You don’t know anything about my family.”

“I know they put you in danger when they sent you to spy on the park. How can you still defend them?”

“Because they didn’t send me.” She admits. “They said no to Mantah Corp. I was the one who contacted the Mantah Corp agent. I agreed to come here.” She finally turns to look you and Darius in the eyes. “My family… they didn’t even know what I was planning until I was already on the ferry. Smashing the phone was an accident, but Brooklynn’s right.”

You and Darius’s paddling had just about completely stopped. It’s only when she pauses do you both start up the paddling once more.

She faces away from the both of you, shaking her head earnestly. “This is all my fault.”

“I still don’t see why–” Darius begins.

Sammy turns suddenly, a serious expression worn on her face. “If your family was in trouble, wouldn’t you do anything in your power to save them?”

You and Darius stop in your tracks, her words sinking into your minds like a snake’s venomous fangs. Right, many people would, wouldn’t they?A dreary atmosphere comes after. No words are spoken until everyone gets farther into the underpass.

“You guys, should the algae be moving?” Sammy questions, her voice loud so that the others could hear her from their kayaks.

On the upper cave ground stood two Parasaurolophuses, their bodies glowing a similar hue to the rest of the bioluminescent cave.

“Don’t panic, guys. They’re herbivores!” Darius reassures. “Unbelievable! Dr. Wu must have put the bioluminescent gene into these Parasaurolophuses.”

They growl deeply, watching calmly as the kayaks pass them by. When Bumpy squeals, however, the Parasaurolophuses crawl into the water. One emerges from the water right next to your boat, scaring the three of you from the sudden appearance. Darius quickly gets over his surprise, reaching out to stroke its glowing snout in amazement. You watch as a carefree smile stretches across his face.

Though it quickly reverts into an expression of shock when another Parasaurolophus bursts out of the water on the other side of your kayak, with about four more appearing soon after.

They groan and growl, pushing the kayaks against each other. It’s hard not to fall off of your kayak with the dinosaurs nearly shoving it underwater. The arm of one pushes your side of the kayak down and into the water. You push the arm away from you, aiming to stop the kayak from capsizing.

You can feel the chill of the water creeping onto your arm, and with a final push, the Parasaurolophus releases its grip from your side of the kayak.

Though with the freedom, you get tossed onto Darius’s legs while accidentally kicking Sammy.

She gasps, the kayak tilting to one end as she struggles to stay on board. Darius can only push himself into the kayak to avoid the neck of a Parasaurolophus.

Eventually it dives underwater, a bump coming from under your kayak as it makes its way towards Bumpy. With the disturbance gone, you help Sammy to the middle of the kayak, which settles the previously tilting boat. She sends a thankful glance, but your attention is solely on the group of Parasaurolophuses surrounding Bumpy, Ben, and Yasmina.

Bumpy’s squealing had drawn them in. Did they think you guys were hurting her? That would explain their rather abrupt attack on your group. Someone just needs to calm Bumpy down and the Parasaurolophuses should back off. Maybe.

“Calm–” you start, however the unexpected silence from the Parasaurolophuses stuns you into a silence of your own.

The flock of dinosaurs stand eerily still, all peering into the darkness of the tunnel further ahead. With a sudden cry from one of them, the group of dinosaurs dive into the water and swim opposite to where your guys were heading.

Without finishing your sentence, you stare at the retreating herd, to the darkness of the tunnel, and then towards the kayaks of your fellow campers. However, they soon disappear from your sight as in a thick layer of darkness obscures your vision. The colorful light of the algae from before is nowhere to be seen.

“Uh, cool kids to nerds, where are you?” A voice calls, and you don’t need to see him to tell that it’s Kenji.

“Over here!” Darius answers, ignoring the name-calling. “I think something scared the Parasaurolophuses.”

Sammy cuts in with a call of you and Darius’s name, her voice wobbly. “If we stopped paddling, why are we still moving forward?”

The two of you gasp, snapping your heads to the water carrying your kayaks forward all on its own. You hadn’t noticed because of the lack of light, but a current had forced your kayaks forward.

This isn’t right. As far as you know, the Kayak River attraction isn’t supposed to have a current. The fences are down, is that somehow affecting the water down here?

Your question is answered by two separate tunnels further down. One mimicking the artificial cave architecture the tunnels had until now, while the other is a simple circular passage.

“Paddle! There’s a current pulling us into a different tunnel!” Darius orders with a shout.

Everyone shoves their oars into the water to backtrack, but the pull of the tide is much stronger than your guy’s paddling. Inevitably, your kayaks drag you down into the tunnel, your surroundings turning pitch-black before you’re shrouded in the blinding light of the sun.

Wait, the sun?

With a hand hovering over your eyes, you check your surroundings. Though they aren’t too different from before. You all are still on your kayaks, floating on water, only now your group is in some sort of water stadium.

“We’re okay. We’re okay.” Ben sighs happily.

Sammy leaned backwards into the kayak, her back resting on your legs as she laughed.

You ignored her, your head swiveling around in all directions. This place was like a football field, both in size and in looks. Only instead of a field, it had an enormous pool. This must be an attraction of some sort that happened to be connected to the Kayak River.

Although, if that’s true, the only aquatic animal Jurassic World could recover is the Mosasaurus. And you really don’t want this to be the Mosasaurus attraction. A gasp from Kenji is enough confirmation that your assumptions are true. You hate being right sometimes.

“Why did you gasp? That didn’t sound like a good gasp!” Ben whines.

“Cause I know exactly where we are, guys.” Kenji mutters. “We’re in the Jurassic World Lagoon. And so is the Mosasaurus.”

His words bring about a quiet panic, one that has everyone looking every which way.

“I assume the Mosasaurus is some kind of giant fish dinosaur that’s gonna try and eat us?” Ben assumes with a whimper.

“Not exactly a dinosaur, but yeah, pretty much.” You correct, eyes searching for some kind of escape from the lagoon. But your lack of glasses makes it impossible. A low, raspy growl sounding not too far behind you gets a yelp out of Darius. Definitely your guy’s signal to get the hell out of here.

Harder said than done, especially when the Mosasaurus circles your group. Its body is just barely hidden under the blue water, almost as if it wants to be seen. And maybe it does.

“It’s circling, testing us. It’s acting like a shark.” Brooklynn says in a low tone. “We’re intruders in its domain, so it’s investigating us. Before it gets confident, decides to… to…”

A snarl interrupts her whispering, and Bumpy squeals at the noise.

“This is bad,” Brooklynn finishes.

“We have to get out now!” Kenji whines, holding his oar to his chest in fear.

“There’s a ladder by the spectator stands.” Darius points, and though it’s only a blur of colors to you, your eyes follow his hand, regardless.

Kenji winces at the distance. “How are we gonna–”

“Y’all?” Sammy draws your attention to the water.

Just like Brooklynn said, the Mosasaurus is getting more confident, now swimming directly beneath your kayaks.

“Paddle! Go, go, go!” Darius commands.

“This is not how Kenji wanted to go out!” Kenji yells, his sunglasses close to falling off.

“This isn’t on my to-do list either!” Yasmina hisses.

So far you’ve all made it almost half-way across the water with no disruptions from the Mosasaurus, but you’re sure that’ll change soon.

“Keep paddling!”

“Almost there!”

Bumpy squeals, fearful from the constant splashing and movement of the kayaks.

Another growl from the deep blue pushes you to paddle faster despite your sore arms.

The CKK, as Kenji had previously called it, arrives at the spectator stands before anyone else. And you wonder if your kayak will make it at all. With three people, your kayak’s been falling behind the other two. Even Bumpy’s kayak had gotten in front of you guys.

The three of you pant from exhaustion, shrieking at every wave made by the Mosasaurus. Because if anyone was going to get eaten, it would be the ones falling behind the rest. And admittedly, your kayak was doing exactly that. You don’t draw your attention away from the spectator stand. You may not see it too well, but you trust Sammy and Darius to guide the kayak in the right direction.

“Don’t look back! Just keep paddling!” Darius calls out to Sammy and you.

“I’m trying!” Sammy says as she forces her head away from the splashing behind your kayak. “What’s Yaz doin’?”

Her words cause you to divert your attention to your side. There stands Yasmina in all her glory atop a small foot area at the bottom of a large metal pillar.

The pillar in question is used to keep the meat conveyor upright so that it’d stay out of reach from the Mosasaurus. It’s not how it would’ve fed in the wild, but they’ve got to put on the show for the guests, don’t they? Taking your attention off the money hungry tactics of Jurassic World, you wonder why in the world Yasmina’s standing there.

You get an answer when she bangs on the pillar, shouting at the top of her lungs. You couldn’t see it, but judging by her laughter, you guess it worked. Either that, or she was just insane. Considering her antics, you wouldn’t be too surprised.

“She’s distracting it, buying us time. Keep going!” Darius ordered, more towards Sammy than you, whose gaze had wandered yet again.

With a thud, your kayak meets the spectator stand roughly. Sammy crawls out first, lending a hand to you when you crawl out after. She instantly turns her attention towards Yasmina while you help Darius out of the kayak on your own.

“We’ve gotta do something!” Sammy cries, watching as the Mosasaurus swims towards Yasmina. She tears off her life vest, face wrinkled in fear as she hurries up the ladder leading to the stadium above. Darius and you follow in her footsteps, although a lot less hysteric.

A mechanical stir followed by Kenji’s shouting leads you to believe that Yasmina might actually have a chance at surviving this. Or at least you hope so. She’s one of the few people you enjoy here.

Joining the rest of the group at the stadium, you watch as a thick wire rope cable emerges from the water, a hook at the end. Tossing her oar into the depths below, Yasmina jumps onto it, grasping the cable with all four limbs.

“Go, go, go!”

“Yasmina!”

Once the cable is pulled as high as it can go, it moves in your guy’s direction. Yasmina leans back with her legs out, and then forward with her legs in. Over and over she does this, most likely to build momentum. With the Mosasaurus circling her below, and no set drop point, she’s going to jump.

“Come on, Yaz!”

“Oh, no…”

“She’s not gonna make it.”

As those words leave Kenji’s mouth, the Mosasaurus breaks the surface of the water, flinging itself upwards to snap its jaws at Yasmina. In an incredible show of luck, the Mosasaurus latches onto the horizontal wire holding the line and hook. Its teeth cut the wire and Yasmina swings through the air. Can’t be too lucky, it seems.

With little to no time to prepare herself, she’s flung straight into the stadiums. She lands in a crouched position, her feet meeting the ground violently. Yasmina grunts at the impact and curls in on herself, clutching her left leg in pain.

“Yasmina!”

You all surround her, forming a circle of concern. Darius and Sammy help her sit up.

“I’m okay.” She assures you all, but a touch to her ankle forces a pained groan from her lips. “I think.”

“Uh, also, where’d everyone go?” Ben asks, looking side to side at the empty stadium surrounding your group.

“They must’ve evacuated the park.” You answer swiftly, gaze switching from Yasmina’s injured leg to the empty stadium seats.

With no further words, everyone explores the stadium for signs of… well, anything really. Yasmina sits grumpily at the very bottom of the stadium, forced to stay where she’s at because of her possibly broken leg.

Despite the pain, she continues pressing her hands against her ankle as if it would suddenly stop hurting. You watch Sammy approach her, but it doesn’t seem to go well, considering Yasmina stands up and limps away from her.

You sigh, heart still beating out of your chest from everything that’s happened so far. Bumpy bellows softly to your left, happily being used as a pillow by Ben. His eyes are shut, but you doubt he was actually sleeping. At least he feels safe enough to close his eyes at all. You wonder why that is. You jump and look away when he shifts from his previous position. He looks towards you, who pointedly looks the other way until he speaks.

“I’m… glad you’re okay.” A confused stare from you brings him to continue hastily. “I–I mean you, Darius, and Sammy.”

His words bring a perplexed look to your face, but you let a chuckle leave your mouth all the same.

“Thanks. Uh, you too, I guess.” Your words are lackluster, but his face lights up despite it.

It goes quiet between the two of you, but not in an awkward way. Which is a first for you. Ben lies back down, head resting on Bumpy’s back once more. And this time, he might actually sleep.

The blaring sound of a siren makes that an impossible feat, however, the noise invading everyone’s ears out of the blue. The siren stays at a steady pace, blaring its loud horn before fading and doing it all again.

The deafening sound of it forces you all into a wide-eyed daze, looking around like deers to the headlights of a car. You don’t want to ask, but you truly wonder how much worse this experience can get.

Chapter Text

The tapping of your shoes seems louder than usual as you speed down the stadium stairs, an automated voice compelling everyone to run down the stadium stairs to group back up.

“Attention. All park-goers must report to the South Ferry Dock for immediate evacuation. Last ferry departs in two hours.”

“That’s it? No explanations? That’s all we get?” Brooklynn complains ahead of you, her and Sammy coming to a stop as they huff. Darius jumps over the stair railing to stand in front of the two girls.

“We have to move. The only way we’re gonna make it is if we run.” Darius says, clapping his hands together urgently.

You hop over the railing, landing clumsily behind Brooklynn. You quickly fix your stance as the girl spares a glance behind her in confusion.

“Um… are we sure that’s the best way to get there?” Sammy asks, pointedly looking behind her at Yasmina. The usually athletic girl grunts with each step, limping towards the group.

“I’m fine. I’ve competed with a torn ACL.” She speaks confidently, placing her hands on her hips as she leans on her better leg. “You should be way more worried about Ben and Bumpy.”

Following her pointed thumb, sure enough, Ben and Bumpy run in your guy’s direction. And despite their rapid steps, their speed is… well, let’s just say that Yasmina was definitely right about where your worries should be. How did he linger behind for so long?

Skidding to a stop, Ben pulls a map from his fanny pack as he heaves. “What we should all be worried about is catching a boat out of here and, naturally, we have a problem.” He nods his head rapidly, placing the map on the bleachers.

“We’re here.” He points at the middle of the map before moving his finger down to the very bottom of the island. “The docks are on the southern tip of the island.”

You all crowd around him, watching silently as he points back and forth.

“Even if we ran at peak Yasmina speed, there’s no way we’d make the last boat out.”

“You don’t know that,” Sammy speaks defensively.

Ben scoffs, looking up at her confidently. “Yes, I do. I memorized the evacuation plan on the ferry ride over.”

You all groan in a mix of disbelief and frustration at Ben’s words.

“Okay, so we need another way. Um…” Darius stands on top of the bleacher seat he had been sitting on, spinning his head in all directions. Then, he jumps down and points at the kayaks you all had abandoned. “Can we use those somehow? Or send someone to tell the ferry people to wait? Or…”

“Or make a few jetpacks real quick? Oh! We should befriend a unicorn!” Brooklynn mocks, her head hanging low. “Face it. It’s hopeless.”

“We will be arriving at Main Street, your destination for fine dining—”

“Is that…?”

“—and shopping at Jurassic World.”

The automated voice drew you all to the edge of the stadium railing, watching as a train passed not too far from the Lagoon.

“Followed by stops at the Jurassic World Lagoon and the South Ferry Dock.”

“Monorail, what-what!” Kenji throws his hands in the air as he yells.

“Mm, nicely played, universe.” Brooklynn sighs, hands on her hips.

“Hurry!” Darius runs in the direction the monorail is heading, the rest of you following excitedly.

Your bunch runs up the stadium stairs, Darius staying back to make sure no one gets left behind. A hard feat considering how slow Ben and Bumpy are, not to mention Yasmina’s injured leg.

You linger, waiting for one of them to get a move on, but Ben only drags it on.

“It’s nice havin’ some company back here besides…” He pauses his sentence to catch his breath, and you roll your eyes at the mention of your name.

“I’m fine.” Yasmina insists, increasing her pace.

With Yasmina’s quickened pace, Darius runs ahead, catching up with the others. You follow Yasmina, shoes scraping the ground each time Bumpy would bump into you. The name Ben gave her is really coming into play, huh?

When the four of you reach the top of the stairs, you spot Brooklynn, Kenji, and Sammy sitting against the wall merging the stadium to the elevated ground of Main Street. You’re not too sure what lies beyond the stadium wall, but a low growl is enough of an answer for you.

Darius pokes his head out from the wall, looking across the street. A few more growls and thuds, then he’s turning to the rest of you and doing a come-hither motion with his hands. Ignoring the group’s hesitancy, Darius sprints over to the stairs leading up to the monorail. He crouches behind the solid stair railing, his face twisting in disbelief when he sees that none of you had moved from your spots.

He does another motion with his hands, urging you all forward with a grimace. Kenji shakes his head with wide eyes, but ultimately follows Brooklynn and Sammy when they make a move towards the stairs.

With the three moving forward, Yasmina moves closer to the edge of the wall, you and Ben following her lead. A snarl from the dinosaur has the three running back behind the stadium wall once again.

A loud thud rings out across the concrete street, a chilling silence ensuing. Heavy footsteps come closer to your group, accompanied by husky breathing coming from the dinosaur you hadn’t been able to get a good look at from behind the wall. Its breathing sounded similar to that of a person with mucus stuck in the back of their throat. It was pretty gross.

You push yourself up against the wall, as if trying to blend into it. The footsteps come closer, and you wince, squeezing your eyes shut in fear.

Your eyes snap open when something clatters opposite to you all, the mystery dinosaur finally coming into sight as it follows the sound. It was the horned dinosaur you came to know as Toro.

Darius reappears, this time on the other side of the stairs. He beckons you all towards him a final time, and your group runs to the stairs as fast as possible.

You never thought you’d crawl up a staircase again after elementary, but here you are, doing exactly that. Bumpy runs ahead without a care in the world, arriving at the top before anyone else. Kenji gets there second, almost screaming in celebration when the monorail arrives.

Brooklynn slaps her hand over his mouth, glaring at him for nearly blowing everyone’s cover. However, her efforts instantly go to waste as the monorail doors open, an automated voice echoing across the otherwise silent streets.

“Welcome to Jurassic World Lagoon. Next stop, Ferry Landing!”

Toro whips its head in the monorail’s direction, roaring painfully loud as it spots your bunch. It’s anxiety inducing, especially since the rest of you were still climbing up the stairs.

“Run!” Darius yells, and you all follow his orders without complaint.

You only look back when you hear the Carnotaurus snapping its jaws, watching as it just barely misses Ben each time. That boy keeps surprising you with how slow he can be.

Though it’s not just Ben who’s still lingering on the staircase, Yasmina hadn’t got to the monorail yet, either. Toro follows the two earnestly, even when the carnivore slips because of the uneven footing. The weight of Toro shakes the staircase, the tremors knocking the lingering few off their feet.

Toro pushes against the stairs, biting at Yasmina’s feet no matter how much she pushes herself backwards. Ben watches helplessly, as do you. You should help, do something, anything. But what good would that do you?

“Ben! Out of the way!”

Your gaze falls to Darius as he runs back down the stairs, pulling the girl away from Toro just as the carnivore drives his jaws into what would’ve been Yasmina. You watch with furrowed brows, utterly confused with both Darius and yourself. Why did he do that? Why didn’t you do that?

You push that nagging voice into the back of your mind, focusing on pulling Ben up from the top of the stairs. Ben pays no mind to you. His gaze stuck on Darius as he helps Yasmina up the stairs.

With a huff, you grip the collar of his shirt and pull him into the monorail. The Carnotaurus roars and screeches behind you all, wrecking everything around it to get to your group. One resounding thud later, and the four of you are crashing into the monorail.

“Doors closing.”

In an instant, the monorail is on its way to the ferry, leaving Toro in its dust.

It’s not long until the silence between you all is broken by Kenji, who goes on a rant of which you disregard completely.

Instead, you release your grasp on Ben and make your way to one of the train seats. You sit next to a window, watching through the reflection as Ben follows and sits right next to you without a word.

“Guys, we did it. We’re going home.” Darius grins.

It’s quiet for a moment, but it only takes a second for your group to be all smiles.

“Whoo-hoo!” Sammy screams suddenly.

Ben yelps, head hitting your shoulder at the unexpected sound. You push his face away with a forceful hand.

“Yeah! Whoo!” Darius yells, standing on top of the seat he had been sitting on.

Excited yells spread like a virus, everyone jumping merrily at the successful escape. Even Ben relaxes eventually, throwing his limbs in the air as he shouts. You pump a fist in the air, both to show your excitement and to push Ben’s arm off you subtly.

“This calls for a celebration!” Brooklynn laughs, scooting into the seat in front of you and Ben.

“I might be able to help with that.” The boy in question grinned, unzipping his fanny pack. “Stashed a few treats for the road.”

Out he pulls a bunch of snack bars and juice boxes, spreading them out in each hand like they were dollar bills. Words that just barely resemble ‘thank you’ come from your fellow campers before only two snack bars remain.

Ben smiles before turning to you. He nudges your shoulder with the one of the last bars, and though you want to decline, the immediate retching erupting from everyone else has you curious.

So you take it out of his hands, unwrap it, and take a bite. You don’t even get to chew before the taste hits you full force. Instead of the expected chocolate taste, it had a rather nutty flavor, with only a twinge of sweetness. Overall, it didn’t taste very good, but it wasn’t horrible.

“Ben, someone stole your candy bars and put dirt in ‘em,” Sammy complains.

You just about choke on your snack bar from her bluntness.

Ben ignores the insult and explains. “They’re carob bars. They pair perfectly with—”

“Carob juice. Awesome.” Darius struggles to keep the smile on his face. His grip on the juice box he had been holding loosened.

“Carob is nature’s chocolate. Just as delicious with none of the sugar or caffeine.” His gaze falls onto you, who munches on the bar regardless of the taste. “See? They get it!”

You huff, taking another bite of the carob bar. It’s not like it tasted good or anything. You were just hungry. That’s all.

“What’s wrong with sugar and caffeine? First thing I’m gonna do when I get home is hug my expresso machine.” Brooklynn hugs the back of her seat, showing just how truthful she was being. “I may never let go.”

“You know…” Kenji clears his throat as he hangs off the grab handles of the monorail. “I’ve often described myself as a tall, hot drink.”

Kenji’s words are met with scoffs and words of disgust.

“You could never be coffee.” Brooklynn glares.

Kenji casts his gaze to the ground, grumbling, “I could be coffee…”

“I cannot wait to be home.” Yasmina slides in. “Once my ankle’s better, it’s back to training. And I guess finding a new corporate sponsor, since mine was Jurassic World. But you know…”

“It’s gonna be weird for things to be normal again. Like, are video games gonna seem boring now?” Darius chuckles, meeting eyes with Kenji as they share laughs. “How about you? What’s the first thing you’ll do when you get home?”

“It depends on which wing of our mansion you’re talking about. East wing is usually off limits, but Dad and Candy are away on business, so I guess I’ll go downstairs to our bowling alley.” He smirks, but then his expression turns almost solemn. “Staff always lets me win. Life of a VIP.”

Lightening the mood after it had suddenly turned dark, Sammy leans over you and Ben’s seats. “So, what have you missed, Ben?”

“Oh! Let me guess,” Kenji cuts in. “You can’t wait to get home to your closet of dork pouches.”

Ben ignores the snickers coming from the rest of the group. “Ha, ha. Very funny,” he huffs.

“Seriously, Ben, you’ve had juice boxes for days!” Darius exaggerates. “How much stuff can you fit in that thing?”

“One, lots, and two, obviously the first thing I’m gonna do when I get back is restock it.” He laughs, prompting a fit a laughter to take hold of the group.

Kenji slaps his knee, still chuckling as he walks towards the end of the train cart you all sat in. He grabs a flashlight from a full rack of identical ones.

“Check it out.” He grins, switching the flashlight on and whipping it around while imitating lightsaber noises. Having enough, he flips it in the air. “I finally found the first thing in Jurassic World that works!”

The flashlight clatters to the ground as it misses his hand completely. He spares a glance at everyone, smile still frozen on his face before he quickly picks it off the ground. Clicking it on, the light still shines just as bright as it had before.

“Still works.” He chuckles.

“I still can’t believe how much went wrong.” Brooklynn giggles, leaning against the back of her seat. “Like that time we almost got eaten?”

“Which time?” Yasmina’s face twists in shock before covering it in her hands. “How was there more than one time?”

“Let’s all raise our carob juice. A toast!” Darius beams. “To not getting eaten!”

“To not getting eaten!”

Everyone sips their straws. Groans and gags follow soon after. Obviously the carob juice didn’t taste any better than the carob bars.

“To no more running away!” Brooklynn shouts as she stands, raising her juice box above her head.

“To no more running away!”

This time, no one drinks the juice except for Ben, having learned their lesson. Sammy pours hers out on the floor, letting Bumpy drink it.

“To the return of a low-level gnawing dread rather than an all-encompassing impending doom!” Ben yells, carob juice raised high.

“Why not!”

“To what Ben said!”

“Bad doom versus normal doom!”

“I got one.” Sammy smiles, but before she can say anything else, some sort of sound you can only describe as a ‘boom’ rings out across the entire forest. It shakes the train, and you all fall back into your seats.

“What was that?” Sammy asks shakingly.

“It sounded like an explosion.” Yasmina answers.

“Ugh, not again!” Brooklynn whines.

“I don’t see anything.” Kenji mutters.

“I don’t think it was near us.” Darius asserts. “We’re okay. We’re still okay.”

Despite his reassurance, the mood isn’t as cheerful as it was before.

“I know camp wasn’t what we thought it was gonna be,” Sammy starts. “But after everything we went through, at least we’re leavin’ this place with six new friends!”

She stands from her seat, holding her carob juice in the air as she shouts, “To the six of us being best friends for life! Clink!”

Silence is all that follows. Everyone either outright ignores her or pretends that they hadn’t heard her. You cross your arms and look out of the window.

“Wait, do you guys not see us as friends?”

“I mean…” Brooklynn sighs. “Doesn’t it usually take more than a few days to become friends with someone?”

“We were thrown together at random. We have nothing in common.” Yasmina agrees with a deadpan stare.

Everyone else averts their eyes, yet they don’t correct the two girls.

“That’s not true!” Sammy insists. “We’ve been through more together than most friends have in a lifetime.”

“And now that it’s over, what are the odds that we’ll ever see each other again?” Ben mutters.

You purse your lips. They were all right. You guys were an odd group. You doubt any of them would want anything to do with one another after this. No one else speaks for a while after that.

“Coming up on the right, you’ll see our world-renowned 18-holed, dinosaur-themed golf course. It’s one of the many wonders that makes this park so very Jurassic.”

“What does that even mean?” Brooklynn huffs, a smile growing on her face.

“I thought I knew,” Darius murmurs. “My whole life, I had this idea of Jurassic World. My dad used to say this place was ‘All-osaurus and a bag of chips’.” A smile stretches across his face, but it disappears just as quickly as it had come. “He was so corny.”

“Um, was?” Ben inquires. “So, your dad is…”

His silence is enough of an answer for everyone.

“I’m sorry, Darius.” Sammy blurts, before backtracking hastily. “Ugh! ‘Sorry.’ Nice one, Sammy, Ya ding-dong! Like ‘sorry’ could begin to–”

“It’s okay.” Darius interrupts.

“Hey, at least your dad never saw what a dumpster fire this place turned out to be, huh?” Yasmina swats Kenji’s back, glaring at him when he snaps his head towards her. “Ow! What? I meant it’s cool that Darius and his dad were so close. I can count on one hand the number of times me and my dad have done… anything.”

“Kenji, that’s just real sad.” Sammy frowns.

“Yeah.” Kenji mutters half-heartedly. “Did I mention I have a bowling alley?”

“Dang it.” Ben says from beside you, shaking his fanny pack upside down. “Come on, it’s gotta be here somewhere." He explains, “Bumpy stepped in something icky and I’m low on sanitizer.” When everything pours out of his bag and onto his lap, he grabs the sanitizer and squeezes an unnecessary amount into his hands. “It’s fine. I can make more.”

“Ben, why are you here?” Kenji asks rudely.

Darius walks forward, quick to correct Kenji’s wording. “What he means is–eh, well, you’re scared of dinosaurs, and the outdoors, and sometimes the indoors, and germs.”

“Whipped cream for some reason?” Sammy adds.

“The way it moves.” Ben shudders.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. What’s the deal?” Kenji asks bluntly, then his eyes turn to you. “Same with you! I’ve tried guessing how you got here, but I’m all out of ideas.”

A death stare is the only response he gets at first, but with everyone’s prying eyes, including Ben’s, you relent.

“I wrote a book.” You answer swiftly, face warm with embarrassment.

There’s an odd silence that follows before Kenji speaks up, eyes wide with interest.

“And? You can’t leave us hanging, dude.”

“It was just something about Jurassic Park, the one before Jurassic World. The reward for the so-called ‘best story written’ was to get into this camp.” You sigh, regret filling your lungs. “Now I wish I just got a gift card or something.”

“So you’re a writer?” Ben asks.

“I guess. The only reason I’m here is because I was supposed to get paid afterwards.”

“Ah, money hungry.” Kenji tsks at you. It’s hard to push down the urge to strangle him.

“Did you need money that badly?” Darius asks, a single eyebrow raised.

You don’t answer either of the boys. It wasn’t any of their business, anyway. With your refusal to respond, everyone takes that as a cue to move on.

Kenji playfully slaps Ben’s shoulder to get him talking. And with a scoff, he does exactly that.

“My mom works for Mr. Masrani. She got me into camp. Said it would be a great way for me to ‘face my fears’. It’s been a nightmare! I’m sick of being scared all the time.” He scowls. “And running, and almost getting eaten, and… and holding everyone back.”

Your eyes finally leave the window, staring at Ben instead. You already know all of this, but his added thoughts pique your interest.

“I just can’t do… this.”

Bumpy bellows softly, looking up at Ben from her place on the floor.

“But it’s not all bad,” He mutters as he rubs Bumpy’s beak. “If I hadn’t come, I–I never would have met–”

His words don’t get to leave his mouth. The bus shaking unnaturally, throwing everyone off balance. Everyone gasps at the sudden movement, Darius immediately running to check out the problem. You all follow him as he runs through the different compartments of the train until he skids to a stop. Another crash shakes the monorail, and Darius squints as he looks through the glass windows.

“Guys, we gotta turn off the lights!” He shouts suddenly, snatching a flashlight from Kenji’s hands and smashing it against the train lights.

Everyone watches in concern. It’s only when Darius manages to get a second light snuffed out do you all see where his fear comes from.

Surrounding the monorail are the Pteranodons that the Indominus had freed.

“Flying reptiles are basically seabirds.” Darius explains. “They’re attracted to shiny, moving objects, and with all these lights on–”

“We’re a shiny, moving object!” Sammy whines.

One of the screeching Pteranodons slams onto the top of the train, the glass ceiling cracking at its weight. Taking that as a sign, the rest of you hurriedly grab the remaining flashlights, banging them against the lights. Ben, however, grabs at empty air. There weren’t enough flashlights for all of you.

“What should I do?!” Ben wails.

“Just stay out of the way!” Brooklynn yells.

You grasp Ben’s shoulder, pushing him into a sitting position on the ground and making a ‘stay put’ motion with your free hand. With that out of the way, you rush to smash the surrounding lights.

It’s a hard feat with the train shaking everyone every second. The Pteranodons consistently shove themselves against the moving vehicle. Glass windows cracking anytime the creatures would make contact. Your head ducks just in time for a beak to emerge from the ceiling. That Pteranodon had almost skewered you. Immediately after, Darius pairs everyone up to keep casualties at a minimum.

“Brooklynn, you’re with Yaz. Y/n, help Ben and Bumpy across!”

You would complain about getting babysitting duty, but now’s really not the time. So instead you just suck it up.

You practically have to throw Ben across the gangway connection. Even Bumpy is easier to move compared to the boy.

Kenji runs ahead of everyone, opening the doors to each separate train car while everyone else smashes the lights out along the way. Meanwhile, you have the special duty of forcing a human boy to get a move on.

After crossing another gangway, Ben curls up against the train wall, a safe distance from the windows. The train shakes as you’re leading Bumpy across, and you get shoved against the train wall. You grunt, holding your shoulder before catching something out of the corner of your eye.

“Darius!” you hiss, tilting your head towards the window.

The boy follows your gaze, breath hitching at the sight of a wrecked train. It was surrounded by Pteranodons as well, the flames of the wreckage doing nothing to deter the reptiles from picking at its remains.

“Now we know what that boom was earlier.” You muttered, brows furrowed in anxiety.

“I told you–”

“Don’t.” Brooklynn interrupts Kenji, running to the windows in order to get a look at the wrecked train herself.

“If we don’t switch tracks or stop this car right now, we’re gonna hit that thing, full speed!” Darius says, face wrinkled with worry.

“The front car, there’s control panels there!” Kenji points, before rashly bragging. “VIP tour, I was eight, they let me drive.”

Disregarding Kenji’s boasting, Darius pulls the door leading to the control panel. When it doesn’t budge, however, he becomes distressed.

“No, no, no!”

Everyone makes an attempt at opening the door, or even breaking the small window of the door, but it does nothing. Looking through the tiny window again, Darius appears to realize something as he runs back into the train car.

“I’m gonna get to the control car through there.”

And by ‘there’, Darius meant he was going to climb onto the roof through a little shaft on the ceiling, and then drop in through the similar one in the control car. Obviously, everyone thought he was insane.

“You’re gonna what?!” Sammy screams.

“You can’t go out there!” Kenni sputters. “T–that’s where the flying whatevers are!”

“We don’t have a choice!” Darius affirms as he climbs onto one of the empty seats near the shaft. “Me and–”

He pauses, staring at Ben’s huddled form before correcting his words.

“I’m the only one that can fit.”

Everyone falls to the ground as the monorail tremors.

Recovering from the fall, Darius calls out to the rest of you. “Distract the flock while I crawl over the top to the control car. Use the flashlights, just keep them away from—”

A squeak from the hatch has you all snapping your heads towards it. You only catch a glimpse of Ben’s legs before he fully pulls himself onto the top of the train.

“Ben!” Darius shouts, terrified for the boy’s safety.

Your eyes are wide in confusion. Why would he do that? He’s usually such a coward, not that you can blame him, but this is just so out of character for him. You’re almost worried.

The shaking of your hands forces you to strengthen your grip, and you can’t convince yourself that you aren’t scared witless. But this time, you’re scared for someone else. You push those feelings in the back of your mind, and instead turn your flashlight on and start running opposite of the control car.

Your departure makes Darius pause in his movements. He was going to follow Ben, try to make him turn back, but this was his own decision. Ben was putting his trust in all of you to draw the attention of the Pteranodons away from him. So that’s exactly what you all will do.

“Come on! We have to keep them away from Ben!” Darius orders, following in your footsteps as he shines his flashlight throughout the dark train.

Everyone runs across the train, whipping their arms around to draw the Pteranodon’s attention towards them. The glass windows around your group continue to crack with each attack the flying reptiles make on the train.

The monorail leans to the side as it changes paths, sparks flying with the screeching metal. The wrecked train from before is pushed off the monorail track, the blaze drawing the Pteranodons towards it like moths to a flame.

Everyone stands in befuddled silence for a minute or two, and then laughter and cheer fill the silence. Finally, the control car’s doors open up to reveal Ben. The boy huffs, short of breath from all the action.

Bumpy races past you all to run up to Ben, her tail thumping against the ground excitedly. You all walk forward, congratulating him on both saving your guy’s butts and overcoming his fears.

“You saved us, Ben. I didn’t know you had it in you.” Darius smiles.

“So cool.” You whisper, but you’re sure that Ben heard you when he grins your way.

Maybe Sammy was right about the whole friends thing. Perhaps, given the chance, you could grow close to all these people. You won’t have to worry about your parents anymore. You won’t have to worry about getting that money anymore. You won’t even have to worry about getting off this island.

With Ben’s show of courage, you feel your chest beat abnormally. Man, you really need to ask him about staying in contact after all of this. For the first time since you all got stranded on this island, you felt hope. So, when Ben reaches his hand out, you earnestly go to grab hold of it. But your hands aren’t able to meet when the glass window beside him shatters.

A Pteranodon bursts through the window, doing the same to the next one as it flies out. Though in doing so, it brings Ben with it. Ben’s hand is pulled away from your own, and in a sudden fit of fondness, you still make a grab for his hand.

In an instant, you’re almost pulled out of the train car were it not for your free hand grabbing hold of the monorail’s wall. Broken glass lining the frame stabs at your hand, but it doesn’t faze you. The only thing you can focus on is Ben’s tight hold on your wrist.

Ben screams, the Pteranodon adamant about stealing the boy away. You feel as if you’re going to tear in two, and it doesn’t get any better when Ben falls from the Pteranodon’s grip. You slip, knees hitting the ground roughly because of the sudden weight.

You look down at Ben, and you hope he can see the terror in your eyes. Maybe you didn’t make it obvious enough before, but you’d fully admit it now. You cared for him. He was probably the first friend you’ve made in ages. And this is how he was going to die?

When the muscles in your arms start to burn, you move your hand from the wall to the ground, pushing against it to keep yourself upright. But when Ben’s hold on you loosens, you let both your hands grasp onto his.

With your support gone, you start slipping out of the train; you try to stop yourself from falling out of it, but the weight of the both of you is too much.

Just before you fully fall off the train floor, someone takes hold of your legs and pulls you backwards. The jagged edges of the broken glass dig into your stomach, but when Ben cries your name, the only pain you feel is the burning of your eyes.

You grit your teeth, trying to keep your tears in, but it’s all too much. Ben’s cries, his desperate grip on your wrists, the glass that’s probably embedded into your skin by now, and the way your arms are burning from Ben’s weight. It hurts so much, but you don’t let go.

You can’t let go of him. You can’t let go of the cowardly kid who’s scared of everything. Who trusted you enough to tell you his life story ages before he told anyone else, who stuck by you anytime he got scared, who you would call your friend if he could hear you over the wind whipping against your ears.

You don’t want to let go of him, but when has anything ever gone how you wanted it to?

Chapter Text

When your grip on Ben fumbles for the final time, caused by the wing of a Pteranodon hitting the boy’s side, your eyes meet for a second. A second where he’s falling through the air, hands swinging in an attempt to grab onto yours again. His attempts are fruitless.

The last thing you see of Ben is his terrified gaze, and you know fully that you carry a similar expression. It only fully sets in that Ben is gone when some Pteranodons dive after him, and with that you come to a horrifying conclusion. The conclusion being: Ben is dead.

You’re soon pulled back into the train, the glass poking into your stomach only a minor afterthought compared to everything else. You think someone, maybe Darius, is speaking to you? However, the ringing in your ears prevents you from hearing a word he says.

So instead, you stare down at the foliage below. There’s a ‘thump’ beside you, and a quick glance reveals the culprit to be Kenji. His stance is almost identical to yours, his stare lost in the forest moving below the monorail.

Bumpy walks forward, standing at your side as she groans. Her eyes, big and round, search below for Ben. The sight forces a tear out of your eyes.

“He’s gone. He’s… gone.” Yasmina lets a shuttered sigh escape her lips.

Sammy breaks into sobs at the taller girl’s words, her hands shielding her face to quiet herself.

You all sit in silence for a bit, out of shock or maybe even grief. You’re not sure. You’re not sure about anything anymore. Just when things had started going good, just when you had even the slightest hope, it was ripped away from you in a flash.

“We’re going back,” Darius mutters suddenly, before his voice raises in volume. “The monorail’s going back!”

As if on command, everyone is thrown backwards when the monorail does a u-turn. The silence in the air being broken by the impossibly loud screeching of the brakes.

Bumpy’s pushed into you, and you can’t help but wrap your arms around her. It seems Kenji has the same idea, his arm snaking around her circular body. In his other hand, he holds Ben’s fanny pack.

You almost want to tear it out of his hand. He shouldn’t be holding it. That’s Ben’s pack. He wouldn’t like Kenji, of all people holding it. But before you can do anything drastic, the boy in question meets your eye and wordlessly pushes the fanny pack into your hands. You don’t have any time to question it before Brooklynn’s speaking up.

“What do you mean, ‘going back’?” The girl asks, pushing herself off the ground as she stares at Darius in confusion.

“When we switched tracks, we ended up on one headed north.” Darius climbs on top of the monorail seats, holding onto the seat bars so that he can lean out to inspect the monorail’s direction.

Darius then jumps off the seat, rushing to the control panel Ben had given you all access to. He messes with everything in reach, making an attempt at changing the monorail’s direction as he expands on his explanation.

“We’re not going to the south docks, we’re going away from them!” When fumbling with the panels doesn’t work, the boy huffs in frustration. “Doesn’t anything here work?" He brings his fists down onto the panel, stress and anger getting the better of him before he turns to the rest of the group. “We gotta get off this monorail now!”

Brooklynn rushes towards the broken window, her hair whipping around from the speed of the monorail.

“Oh!” she gasps. “T-The track dips down up ahead! We can jump there!”

“What?”

“Jump?”

“We can’t! It’s too far to jump!”

“It’s the only way!” Darius screams over the wind, moving to stand at the edge of the broken window. Despite their protests, everyone follows in his footsteps.

With a shaky inhale, Darius begins a countdown.

“One…”

Yasmina cracks her neck in preparation while Sammy whimpers fearfully.

“Two…”

You clip Ben’s fanny pack across your waist. It’s definitely not your taste, but there’s no way you’re leaving it here. You’re about to grab onto Bumpy until Kenji beats you to it. He gives you a strange look as Darius reaches the final number.

“Three! Now!”

You all yell in fright as you fall, twigs and sharp leaves scratching at your skin on the way down. At the very least, they break your fall, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt when you started tumbling down a hill with your fellow campers.

Your not-so-fun trek down the hill is stopped only by a tree, and you grunt in pain when another body hits your own.

You immediately push yourself off the ground, Kenji falling off you limply before coming to his senses.

“Is everyone alright?” Darius’s voice calls not too far behind you, and you soon follow it.

“Ish. Are you?” Brooklynn groans, holding her head with squinted eyes.

“Bumpy.” Kenji calls, his worried voice sending a shiver down your spine. “Where’s Bumpy?”

You whip your head towards him, eyes wide with concern. “You lost her?” You hold in a wince at how pathetic your voice sounds, but Kenji quickly outshines your own.

“I lost her when I hit the ground. She’s gotta be here.” He calls out her name, his hands cupped around his mouth to increase the volume of his voice.

“Shh!” Brooklynn shoves a finger over her lips. “There are still dinosaurs out here, including Toro and–”

Ignoring her warnings, Kenji continues to call out for Bumpy. You soon join him, ignoring the dumbfounded expression on Brooklynn’s face. You only pause your yelling when Yasmina falls to the ground, however none of you can get a word in before an automated voice sounds across the island.

“Attention. All park-goers must report to the south ferry dock for immediate evacuation. Last ferry departs in 60 minutes.”

“No chance we could get there in an hour! It’s way too far!” Yasmina yells.

“Not if we leave right now!” Brooklynn screams.

You shout, “But we can’t leave–!”

“We can’t go back for Ben!” Brooklynn heaves.

Her hair’s frizzy and stained brown with dirt. Her clothes aren’t any better either. She stares at you, and though you expect to find anger in her eyes, you only find remorse.

“Ben’s… gone.”

Your eyes start watering again, and you have to blink away the tears to prevent any from falling.

“There’s just not enough time to look for…” she trails off.

As a dreadful silence festers, Darius quickly steps up. “We can make it to the ferry, but only if we go now.”

The automated voice goes off again, forcing you all to make a choice.

“Last ferry departs in 60 minutes.”

When silence ensues once again, Darius takes a deep breath with clenched fists, repeating his words. “We have to go!”

Without another word, he turns around and runs off to who knows where. And although reluctant, everybody else soon follows the same path.

You were never one for exercise. Sure, it’d be cool to be all buff and sweaty and everything, but you could never get behind all the work you have to put into it. Like now, for example. Running across a humid island full of mosquitoes and dinosaurs only for the chance of getting off said island.

Even now, it wasn’t set in stone that you all would end up leaving this place. And after what happened with Ben, you found it hard to believe that anyone left at all. Or maybe that’s just your own negative thoughts getting to you. But are they really negative thoughts if they’re the truth?

“Keep going! Come on!” Darius panted.

Your face felt hot. You’re almost glad that Darius broke your glasses because you always hated running with them. Or really doing anything that’d get you sweating while wearing them. Your face would get wet with sweat, which made it a common occurrence for your glasses to fall from their rightful spot.

You can remember when Ben was the first to notice your cracked glasses and bloody nose. Aside from Brooklynn and Darius, of course. He probably only noticed because he heard you speak, but it stood out to you. Not for any particular reason. It wasn’t a big deal to you or anything.

You’re not completely sure why you’re thinking of this, though. Maybe it’s because you’re running right now? Or maybe it’s the absence of your glasses, which were often a nuisance when doing any sort of physical activity. You especially hated when they’d fog up. It kind of grossed you out whenever that happened.

Wait, you’re getting off track again. You’re running. Ben isn’t here, and neither is Bumpy. Maybe they found each other? Maybe Ben was just a few steps away? Maybe–

Your thoughts come to a stop when Yasmina collapses, the pain in her legs becoming too much to bear. Sammy’s at her side in an instant, but Yasmina shrugs her off. The black-haired girl makes an attempt at standing, but crumples to the ground not even a second later.

“She can’t keep up like this. What do we do?” Sammy’s voice wavers with worry.

“We can’t stop, so we’ll make a stretcher, maybe?” Darius suggests. “Or maybe there’s a shortcut or…” He pauses, his eyes brightening as if a light bulb flickered on in his mind. “The tunnels! Kenji!”

Darius turns to the boy, but when he gets no response, he grabs him by his shoulder and shakes him around.

“Kenji! The maintenance tunnels. There has to be one that leads to the docks, right?”

Still, Darius gets no response from the taller boy besides a distant stare.

“Kenji, right?”

Darius is desperate for some sort of confirmation, and even Kenji can tell. So regardless of his rather distant state of mind, he leads you all to the entry of one of many maintenance tunnels. Although you were all apprehensive, you pushed through your worries and climbed down and into the dark tunnel below.

“This’ll get us to the dock in half the time.” Kenji says confidently as he leads the way down the underpass.

Other than the red backup lights used for blackouts, the tunnel was covered in shadows. You can’t believe Kenji and Darius had walked through here by themselves. Then again, the tunnels probably looked a lot less creepy before the evacuation.

“Are we sure Mr. VIP knows what he’s doing?” Brooklynn whines, her breath short from Yasmina’s weight on her side.

“Kenji took me down here before.” Darius reassures her. “Just trust him. We’ll be outta here in no… time.”

In front of you all is a barrier of metal bars, most likely a safety protocol to ensure that no dinosaurs escape through these secret passages. They really should’ve installed this protocol elsewhere.

“Everything looks different with the lights all freaky like this, okay?” Kenji yells defensively, before running in the opposite direction. “This way.”

Ignoring his words, everyone lingers by the barrier.

“No!”

Another barrier, it seems. Soon, Kenji’s in everyone’s sights again, sputtering over which directions to give. You all follow him when he runs off again. When you come across yet another fence, Kenji can only stand in bewilderment.

“What?” He pants, eyes wide in confusion. “This wasn’t here before!”

“Why are there so many security gates?” Yasmina complains.

“The evacuation. The park must be locking down automatically!” Brooklynn explains.

“Oh, we have to go ‘round!” He huffs like a child before steadying himself. “This way!”

Unsurprisingly, yet another gate blocks your pathway. Kenji groans tiredly, banging his hands against the bars of the gate. This continues for a bit until your group comes across a longer hallway with lockers and a few locked doors. You knew they were locked because Kenji shoved himself against them like six times.

Sammy and Brooklynn look through the lockers, and everyone’s attention is drawn when something falls out of one of them.

The object appears to be one of those electrified sticks Dave and Roxie whipped out when that Compy scared everyone. It was more of a stun gun with a long handle than an electrical stick, but you digress.

Brooklynn picks it up, a smile on her face. “Oh! We can use this for—”

Kenji snatches the stun gun from Brooklynn’s hands, deciding that the best use for it is to slam it into a door. Of course, that doesn’t go so well considering the conductivity between the stun gun, the door, and Kenji. In short, the idiot electrocuted himself.

He falls to the ground with a yelp, the stun gun still crackling with electricity on the floor before Brooklynn picks it back up and switches it off.

“A walking stick.” She finishes with a scoff.

Brooklynn hands it to Yasmina, allowing the girl to test it out while she crosses her arms and looks down at Kenji disappointedly. The boy slowly stands up, his finger twitching a bit. Darius offers a reassuring smile, but it doesn’t give Kenji much comfort, it seems.

“I’m fine!” He pushes Darius’s hand off his shoulder, rushing to find another exit in this maze of a tunnel. When another gate comes into view, it appears to be the last straw for your fellow campers.

“Unbelievable."

“Kenji!”

“You said–”

An automated voice interrupts their complaints.

“Attention. All park-goers must report to the south ferry dock for immediate evacuation. Last ferry departs in 30 minutes.”

“Not helping!” Kenji yells, taking his stress out on a robotic voice in the ceiling.

Darius makes an attempt at calming Kenji down. “Just try to remember. Breathe–”

“He’s been doing that, Darius! This isn’t getting us anywhere!”

You couldn’t hold yourself back from snapping at the boy. It’s not like you were trying to defend Kenji or anything, but the constant complaining from everyone was getting on your nerves. Despite all that, the sorrowful gaze you receive from Darius almost immediately makes you regret speaking at all. Sammy interrupts the staring contest going on between the two of you by calling Kenji and Darius’s names.

“The way we came from… where does that tunnel end?”

“It opens up into the park, I guess.” Kenji answers, the anger in his voice less noticeable than before. “Why do you–”

A snarl coming from one direction of the tunnel cuts Kenji off. The frightening shadow of a dinosaur creeping along the walls causes a ripple of fear among your group. You all back up slowly, hoping to go unnoticed. However, that’s all put to waste when Yasmina throws herself off balance, her DIY walking stick falling to the ground with a ‘clank’.

Kenji takes the chance to snatch the stun gun once more, this time for a better purpose than hitting a door with it. The sounds reach their peak as a Compy runs around the corner, the snarling now no louder than the ‘caw’ of a bird.

“It’s just a Compy.” Darius says with a relieved sigh.

Kenji switches the stun gun on, the crackling of electricity scaring the Compy off easily.

“Seriously, Kenji? It’s like a foot tall!” Brooklynn scoffs.

“And, uh… not alone.” Yasmina points towards the group of Compies gathering in front of you all.

“We need to go,” Darius says firmly. “In a group, Compies can–”

“Not really the time for a lesson, dino-nerd.” Kenji interjects, throwing a Compy off his arm.

“Why not? It’s not like you’ve gotten us anywhere, even close to the dock, Mr. VIP!” Brooklynn sasses.

“Oh! Yeah, I’m sorry.” Kenji nods his head sarcastically. “Don’t you have some sort of ‘unboxing being a brat all the time’ video to be shooting?”

Brooklynn gasps in offense, her face twisting into a sneer at his words.

“Hey!” Sammy pushes herself between them, trying to stop a fight from breaking out at such a bad time. “Calm yourselves! You’re scaring the itty-bitty Compy family.”

“Scaring the–? Are you for real?!” Kenji’s wails. “After everything, you’re defending the dinosaurs?!” He grabs a Compy just as it’s about to bite down on his pants, throwing it to the ground.

“It’s not her fault you got us lost!” Brooklynn jabs.

Yasmina scoffs, a fake chuckle leaving her lips. “It’s definitely her fault for some of this.”

“Let it go Yaz, it’s just a phone!”

“Wait, what?” Yasmina stares at the pink-haired girl with wide eyes. “I don’t even know what’s going on anymore.”

You had to agree.

Darius dodges a Compy that was trying to jump onto him. “Guys! Just stop–”

A loud, guttural roar puts a pause to all attacks, verbal and physical. At the end of the barely illuminated hall, a Carnotaurus stands tall and proud. Showing off the scar on its snout, you’re certain you know who this dinosaur is.

“Toro.” Darius murmurs.

The carnivore roars loudly, its voice bouncing off the tunnel walls. Kenji shoves Yasmina’s temporary walking stick back at her, and you all run with Kenji leading.

“Now you know which way to go?” Brooklynn hisses angrily.

“You wanna stop and ask him for directions?” Kenji retorts.

“Just run!” Darius shouts.

Toro snaps his jaws at your group, losing his balance and falling to the ground at a sharp turn. His clawed feet thump against the ground, a horrifying indicator on how close he is to you all.

When you all run into a metal gate, you only have a quick second to duck down to avoid getting squished by Toro’s weight. The carnivore shoves himself into the gate, metal rattling with the force.

Kenji leads with another sharp turn. The quick direction changes being the only thing keeping you all from becoming dinosaur chow. This continues on for longer than you’d like it to, taking quick turns to throw Toro off balance.

Luckily, when Toro’s disoriented, Kenji makes a move to a large vent low on the wall. He makes quick work at removing the cover and motioning everyone inside. Just as he’s adjusting the vent cover back in place, Toro runs across the hall. But with your group no longer in sight, it clumsily skids to a stop, sniffing around for some kind of hint of where you all had gone.

“We can’t stay here! The ferry–”

“Shh!” Darius shushes Sammy, his eyes peeking through the vent to watch Toro leave in search of new prey.

In relieving silence, you all make a unanimous decision to travel through the vents rather than the tunnel halls. With all these dinosaurs on the loose, it’s better to stay low if you all want to get off this island.

Yasmina leads the way this time, crawling through the vents with the stun gun held tightly in her right hand. Coming across another vent opening, she gives a questioning look at Darius.

With silent confirmation from the shorter boy, the two of them shove themselves against the vent, trying to push it open from the inside out. And when that doesn’t work, Yasmina lets Darius grab hold of the stun gun, and they put all their force into thrusting the stun gun into the steel cover.

That turns out to be a bad idea when the only result they get is a loud ‘clunk’. The sound echoes across the tunnel, and your group pauses all movements. The six of you sit in tense silence, eyes searching for an out of sight predator.

When nothing happens, everyone lets out sighs of relief. Though the feeling of safety is broken when Toro’s head forces itself into the entrance of the vent. Brooklynn, being the closest to the entrance, crawls backwards with a scream.

She leans against the edge of the vent, a yell forcing itself out of her mouth with each bite Toro attempts to take out of her. You make a grab at Brooklynn’s shoulder, gripping her jacket and pulling her away from the jaws of the carnivore as Darius and Yasmina hurriedly force the other vent cover off.

When the cover finally caves in, you all crawl out of the enclosed space as fast as possible. The sight that greets you brings a shimmer to your eye. It’s not a view of the ocean or anything, but a simple sign. Brooklynn pats your shoulder with a smile, offering a similar expression to Darius. And when he spots the sign, he lets out a disbelieving laugh.

“Exit to south dock, one thousand feet?”

Everyone lets their excitement be shown by giggles and smiles as they run down the wide tunnel. It was probably some sort of loading dock given its width, but you didn’t really care about that at the moment. Especially not when a shocked gasp escapes Kenji.

The tunnel led to an even wider room, a flush dock. And what makes a flush dock what it is? The door that separates it from the outside world. In place of an exit, an enormous concrete wall blocks your exit.

“No! No, no, no, no!” Kenji cries, sprinting towards the concrete barrier with furrowed brows.

Everyone is quick to look around the loading dock, pushing crates and boxes away from the walls in search of some sort of switch or button to open the dock.

“There’s gotta be a door or…” Kenji trails off.

“There’s no way out.” Brooklynn mutters, her voice cracking with sorrow. “Ugh! They must’ve sealed it off after the park was finished.”

Yasmina scoffs, “Can’t anyone associated with this place make just one good decision?!”

A roar sounding across the tunnels shuts everyone up, their gazes stuck on the darkness of the tunnel ahead. You all rush to group up again, staring at Darius with fear-ridden eyes.

“Darius, what do we do now?” Kenji asks desperately, crouched low on the ground as Darius pounds his fists against the solid concrete.

The appointed leader brings his fists to his side, his gaze cast elsewhere. “I don’t know.”

Another roar, this time much closer, spawns a cold sweat. Once again, everyone looks to Darius for directions, orders, guidance. Yet the boy only claws at his head with a grimace, refusing to look any of you in the eyes.

“But you always know.” Sammy murmurs.

“I don’t know!” Darius shouts, hiding his face in his arms as he brings his knees to his chest. “I don’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to do about Ben, or Y/n, or Bumpy, or when the Indominus Rex attacked.”

Your eyes widen upon your name being called. Was Darius thinking about these things this whole time?

Toro roars once more, the sound echoing across the tunnel. Darius pounds on the concrete barrier again, explaining more despite being short of breath.

“All I did was make bad choices and get into trouble and mess everything up.”

His voice is quiet and uncertain, an unusual combination for Darius. He bangs his clenched fists against a nearby metal crate, grunting in a mix of anger and pain.

“You never should’ve trusted me. I should’ve just stayed home. I’m a dino-nerd who played a video game, and I’m no good at this.” He lays his head against the crate, still hiding his face from your guy’s view.

“But you are,” Kenji says, before quickly specifying. “Good at this. I mean, like, I’m sure you’re fine at video games, too, not downplaying that–”

He gets teasing shoves from just about everyone before he gets to the point.

“--but… none of us would’ve known what to do, Darius. But because you didn’t give up, we didn’t give up either.”

“You made a difference, Darius. You saved me.” You speak quietly, eyes bouncing from Darius’s face to the floor.

“You kept us goin’, no matter what some of us have done.” Sammy says solemnly.

“You made us feel like we were in this together.” Yasmina takes a seat next to Sammy, sharing an almost apologetic look with her. “So, we are. We’re a team. We’re your team.”

“Things fall apart.” Brooklynn begins. “And that’s okay because when that happens…”

“We pick up the pieces and we keep going.” Darius mumbles, reminding himself of what he had told all of you back at the destroyed camp.

Kenji offers a hand to Darius, reassuring smiles worn on all of your faces. With his confidence restored, Darius takes hold of Kenji’s hand and allows himself to be pulled upright.

There’s another roar from Toro, and it’s only a matter of time before he finds you all.

“He’s getting closer.” Brooklynn whispers.

“Let’s see what’s in these crates.” Darius says with determination.

You all immediately get to work in opening the abandoned crates, though you have little hope that Jurassic World would leave anything valuable in this sealed up area. Then again, big companies like these always cut corners, so you might get lucky.

“Come on, something pointy! Come on, something hurty!” Kenji calls, grunting as he pulls open a wooden crate. “Come on…”

Looking into the crate, he only groans disappointedly. “Medical supplies?”

Ignoring the fact that those could be incredibly important in the future, you had to agree that they were pretty useless at the moment. Regardless, everyone gathers around the crate. Laying in the crate are some green oxygen tanks, bandages, and tapes.

“We had these around the house after my dad got sick.” Darius pulls a tank out. “Super compressed air, sensitive to pressure and heat!”

“Might be able to scare Toro off.” Brooklynn suggests.

“Or distract him long enough for us to find another exit.” Darius proposes, placing the tank back into the crate. “Kenji, Brooklynn, let’s get this crate loaded on that cart.”

Darius gestures to a wheeled cart behind him before turning to you and Sammy.

“Sammy, Y/n, use those bandages and tape to make a fuse. We’re gonna need something to light it with.”

The stun gun Yasmina’s been using as a walking stick crackles to life in her hands, an obvious answer to Darius’s thinking. The blue electricity brings a smile out of everyone, but the mood is dampened when another roar is heard. You all set into action, and when the rumbling steps of a familiar Carnotaurus get close enough, the trap is already set.

Toro snarls, roaring as if to announce its presence to its prey. The carnivore brings its snout to the ground, sniffing around as it growls. Seeing as your group hasn’t gotten discovered yet, Darius decides the plan is a go. Once Darius gives the signal, Yasmina switches the stun gun on, touching the tape-bandage concoction with the charged electrodes. But when it doesn’t light, you all stare in concern.

“Yaz?” Brooklynn whispers anxiously.

“I’m trying! It won’t light!” Yasmina hisses.

With a gasp, you reach into the fanny pack tied around your waist, pulling out Ben’s custom-made hand sanitizer.

“Hold on!”

You pour a generous amount onto the end of the DIY rope, everyone watching curiously as you do so. When there seems to be a good amount of it, you shove it back into the fanny pack.

“This’ll burn.” You nearly grin.

Without another word, Yasmina switches the stun gun on again, and a fire finally starts.

“Thanks, Ben.” Brooklynn smiles.

Noticing the smell of the fire, Toro roars alarmingly.

“Now!” Darius orders, and you all push your weight against the cart.

It rolls towards the Carnotaurus, fire trailing up the tape-bandage rope all the while. You all watch in anticipation as it speeds towards the dinosaur. And with a flick of its head, it tosses the cart away. The action reminds you of the Sinoceratops during the cattle drive, which isn’t a very good memory.

The wooden crate gives way as it flies, blazing wood planks falling like snow across the dock. You all screamed in horror as the fire spreads towards anything flammable, yet Toro seems only minorly affected by the flames. The large carnivore roars aggressively, its sights set on your little group.

“Run!”

“Where?”

“Anywhere!”

You all scurried away from Toro, making sharp turns when possible and unsuccessfully hiding behind some stray crates. Kenji ends up tumbling onto the track running across the dock, rolling backwards to dodge Toro’s jaws.

By the time he jumps out of the crevice, Toro’s attention is on Brooklynn and Sammy. The latter quickly jumps out of the way while Brooklynn more so falls out of the way. Toro topples over and onto its back with the force of its failed attack, and Brooklynn has to avoid its flailing limbs to make her escape.

It swiftly chases after the pink-haired girl once it regains its balance, snapping its jaws at her every movement. The clanking of the stun gun diverts its attention, Yasmina using it to get herself back on her feet. It races towards the injured girl, jaws wide with the expectation of a mighty treat.

However, Toro’s mouth clamps shut when he gets hit in the snout with a piece of wood. The culprit being no other than the dino-nerd himself. With Toro’s attention on him, Darius shouts in fright as he runs away. Yasmina takes the chance to create some distance between her and the Carnotaurus.

As Darius goes every which way in order to avoid Toro, you fall backwards as they both come scarily close to your form. Though Kenji, who grunts as you practically throw yourself onto him, breaks your fall. He complains about your elbow poking his stomach or something, but your attention is still on Toro and his rampage.

Seeing Darius struggling to get the carnivore off his back, you push Kenji back onto the ground as you bring yourself to your feet. You almost stumble when Toro runs straight into the concrete barrier of the tunnel, but steady yourself quickly.

“Darius!” you call out to him, hand outstretched towards him.

You pull him up to your level with a grunt, just in time for Toro to regain his footing. With a stomp of his foot, he sets one of the oxygen tanks off, compressed air spraying out with a hiss.

The stun gun crackles with electricity as Darius switches it on, yet he does nothing with it until you both run away from Toro’s roaring form. Once you push yourself behind a crate with the rest of the group, Darius takes aim at Toro and the compressed air surrounding him.

And with a single toss, the area lights up from the explosion. Darius tosses himself behind the crates with the rest of you, and your group covers their heads as everything turns black from the smoke.

The lights from above crackle and spark, some falling from the ceiling and onto the ground below. There’s many coughing fits and groans from your group, the smoke only dissipating by a smidgen.

“Is everyone okay?” Darius calls out weakly.

There’s a short silence as everyone checks themselves for any injuries.

“Uh, surprisingly, yeah.” Brooklynn says in shock.

“Whoo-hoo!” Kenji cheers tiredly. “We did it. We beat…”

The sound of crumbling debris puts a pause to his celebration, everyone gasping in confusion. Not too far in front of you, Toro emerges from the rumble with a pained roar.

You almost can’t see over all the smoke and dust, but as it growls pitifully, you can make out its scarred skin. If you thought the scar on its snout was bad, then this was downright horrendous. Toro’s skin was a mix between red and black, charred and burned skin mixed crudely. It can barely hold itself up, falling on its side as it tries to search for signs of life. Turning to your group, it snarls and whines, its previous aggression nowhere to be seen. Though it still seems as if it refuses to give up.

But your group stands tall, glaring at the carnivore with determination rather than fear. Toro stares back, its yellow eyes glancing over each and every one of you. When none of you back down from its gaze, it roars in defeat, turning around and walking back into the darkness of the tunnel.

“Yeah! That’s what you get! Take that, Toro!” Darius screams happily. “That’s how you do it!”

The Carnotaurus roars a final time before it disappears into the dark tunnels opposite to you all.

“Whoo-hoo!”

“Yes!”

Cheering fills the otherwise dreary dock, hands raised in the air joyfully.

“I thought we were goners! Oh, that was scary!” Kenji laughs, exhaustion clear in his voice.

“Doesn’t get better than that.” Darius nods his head.

“Wanna bet?” Yasmina asks from her standing position, pointing a thumb towards the concrete barrier from before.

Now, light shines through the damaged barrier, a beacon of hope. Wide smiles spread across everyone’s face, some chuckling in disbelief. In an instant, you all are running through the grass and foliage, the destination already set in your minds. Passing just a few more trees, you break through the forest line and make contact with the dock. Though what greets you isn’t a gigantic ship packed with escapees, instead you’re greeted with an empty dock and the caws of hungry seagulls.

“They’re gone.” Darius huffs, his breath short from running all the way there. “They’re all gone.”

“They’ll be back for us, won’t they?” Sammy asks hesitantly.

“Of course they will. And until then, we’ve got each other.” Darius walks forward, punching Kenji’s shoulder playfully. “Right, Mr. VIP?”

“Absolutely, Dino-nerd.” Kenji smirks, slapping your back to get your attention. “Bookworm’s got it, right?”

You roll your eyes with a scoff, though there’s no anger in your voice. “Yup, definitely.”

“Hey,” Brooklynn pushes herself between the three of you, a sly smile worn on her face. “Don’t forget ‘superstar’.”

“Barf.” Yasmina jokes, leaning against Sammy with a grin.

The moment ends as you all stare where the sun meets the ocean, a melancholy feeling coming across all of you.

We thought it’d be fun.

We thought we’d be safe.

But we didn’t realize the horror waiting for us on the island.

Claws, teeth, screaming…

So much screaming.

Despite all the hardships, we’ll never give up.

We’ll keep fighting.

That’s the promise we make every day we get.

We will survive.

We will get home.

Because no matter what happens, no matter what this place throws at us next, none of us are in this alone.

Chapter Text

“Run, run, run!” Darius screams.

“Is the Parasaurolophus still there?” Brooklynn pants, supporting Yasmina with the help of Sammy.

Kenji looks to his right, a Parasaurolophus running beside him. In an instant, the herbivore swerves to the left to avoid the massive jaws of a T. Rex.

“Aah! Not anymore!” The boy yelps.

You all come to a sudden pause in your running, scrambling to decide where to go next.

“Over there! Cover!” Darius shouts over the commotion, pointing towards a fallen tree.

The Parasaurolophus almost runs into your group before the T. Rex blocks its path, determined to make the herbivore its meal. You all struggle to climb over the deadfall, Darius taking the easier route and climbing under it. What makes it even harder is the fight between the dinosaurs continuously invading your guy’s space.

The Parasaurolophus’s tail slaps against the trunk, wood chipping at the force of its struggle. There’s a loud, cracking sound, but all of you are too afraid to check if that was the sound of wood or bone. Then, there’s a crunch, and now you’re sure that the Parasaurolophus lost the fight. Once the T. Rex’s heavy steps recede, Darius stands up to look over the fallen tree. He stands still, observing the scene before he turns to you all with furrowed brows.

“They’re gone.” He assures, an eruption of relieved sighs following his words.

“Why are there so many dinosaurs around?!” Kenji hisses angrily.

“I mean, it’s their island.” You mutter, causing Brooklynn to chuckle before giving an answer of her own.

“It’s either your boyish charm or all the fences on the island are down.” She jokes.

“No offense, but it’s definitely option two.” Sammy nods.

“I don’t even care. Right now, I just want a sandwich. We haven’t eaten since we had those awful carob bars that Ben…” Yasmina pauses, eyes flittering in your direction as she stutters. “I-I…”

She can’t seem to find her words, and a sorrowful silence follows. You try your best to ignore the looks, pulling your knees closer to your body. You hold back a wince when your left hand brushes against your pants.

You’re not sure what to think. About Ben, about the pity you’re receiving, or even the shared despair about his disappearance. No, not his disappearance; his death. You remind yourself of the odds, the logical side of it all. You’ve always looked at things logically, counting the pros and the cons. And looking at it now, it’s only logical that Ben is dead.

But, maybe you shouldn’t think that way. I mean, look where thinking logically has gotten you. A distant roar puts a stop to your thoughts, your group gasping at the sudden noise. You all groan, dreading the idea of running any more.

“We just need to eat and rest.” Sammy sighs. “I can’t keep running like this.”

“We don’t have to.” Darius says as a smile grows on his face. “There’s bound to be a way to call for help on Main Street, and food and everything else.”

Everyone walks forward, the Innovation Center building just barely seen from behind the treeline. Hopeful grins spread like wildfire at the sight.

“Come on!” Darius calls, everyone immediately following in his footsteps.

However, when you get to Main Street, it’s completely barren. There are chairs and tables scattered around, thrown around in a hurry. Your group looks at the mess with quiet concern.

“What happened here?” Kenji asks faintly.

You all come to a stop in front of an almost unrecognizable building. Its support beams are crooked and bent, the building itself just a massive heap of concrete at this point.

“Uh, I’m thinking dinosaurs.” Yasmina guesses.

“It’s more than that.” Kenji huffs, kicking a stray cup.

“Some kind of fight took place. From the height, it looks like maybe the T. Rex and… something bigger?” Darius gazes at the wreckage with worry.

“The Indominus Rex.” Brooklynn concludes, pushing some stray hairs behind her ear as she peers down into the Jurassic World Lagoon. “I don’t think we have to worry about it anymore, or what’s left of it.”

Most of the fence that usually surrounds the lagoon is gone, the surrounding ground cracked and broken off. You walk closer to her, taking a reluctant look down at the water below. A trail of blood leads to the deep depths. There’s nothing left of the Indominus as far as you can see, its remains most likely stuck at the bottom of the Jurassic World Lagoon by now.

“Or the Mosasaurus being hungry for a while.” Darius grimaces from beside you.

“Guys!” The three of you jump from Sammy’s unexpected yelling. “You have to see this!”

The next thing you know, you’re all standing in front of a standee cutout of Brooklynn. The cutout stands stiffly, a charger held in its cardboard hand to advertise for the store behind it. Everyone stands with their jaws dropped for just a few seconds, before they burst out into laughter.

“Wow, I totally forgot I agreed to that,” Brooklynn sputters, a wide smile on her face.

“Do you only own one outfit?” Darius snickers.

Brooklynn swerves her head towards the boy, an almost offended look on her face. “What? It’s my signature look!”

Kenji runs up to the standee, swiping a charger from the display and bending down on one knee in front of the pink-haired girl.

“Please, autograph my phone charger, O Queen of the Brooklanders!” He wheezes, taking an exaggerated breath of air as he cackles.

“Well, I think it’s cool.” Sammy smiles, hand resting on the standee’s shoulder. “When we get rescued, I’m taking it with us.”

“TBH, this does remind me of home. I haven’t posted in days. I bet my followers are worried sick about me,” Brooklynn sighs.

“And your parents?” Sammy adds with a raised brow.

“Oh, uh, right. Obvi. Them, too.” Brooklynn nods her head hesitantly.

Maybe some time away from her phone would do Brooklynn some good. Her internet lingo was really throwing you off. Who actually says TBH in real life?

“Okay, let’s start, uh, looking for a way to communicate with the mainland.” Darius suggests. “There’s gotta be a phone or something here, right?”

With those orders in mind, everyone searches the store for a way to get help. As you’re searching the cabinets, you hear Darius murmuring about sunglasses and hats. You ignore him, focusing on scrounging around for something helpful. There’s a creak next to you, and when you glance up, Kenji’s staring down at you. It’s an awkward staring contest between you two, but you ultimately give up in favor of looking through another cabinet.

“So, are fanny packs your thing, or…”

You sigh, slamming the cabinet in front of you shut with a little more force than necessary. You may have defended him back in the tunnels, but that didn’t make the two of you friends. Taking the hint that you don’t want to talk, Kenji runs off to bother Darius and Yasmina instead.

Resuming your search through the many cabinets, you end up finding a stock of random toys. The packages include a syringe needle jammed into a plastic bug and a red substance that looked like it was supposed to replicate blood. ‘Become the Mosquito!’ The toys read, likely referring to the mosquito that gave Jurassic Park scientists access to dinosaur DNA. Definitely a weird choice in toy products, but anything to gain profit, you suppose. You shudder at the sight of the kiddy needles, closing the cabinet with a grimace. You’d just steer clear of any toy stores around here.

“Oh!” Sammy gasps, drawing the attention of everyone in the shop.

“You found something?!” Darius shouts excitedly.

“An Insider’s Guide to Jurassic World!” Sammy reads aloud, showing off a yellow book. “It’s got all kinds of details about the park. Did you know there’s hidden dinos carved into the buildings? Or that aircrafts aren’t allowed to fly over the island?” There’s a short, befuddled silence before she continues. “Sorry, that last one’s a bummer.”

“Hey!” Brooklynn calls out.

“Is it a phone?” Darius asks.

“It’s a camera! And it works!” A beep emits from the camera, a smile growing on Brooklynn’s face. “Now I can document all the crazy stuff we’ve seen! Our rescue will be a Brooklynn Exclusive!”

She poses for the camera, glancing towards you all with hope-filled eyes. “That’ll get my follower count back up to where it belongs.”

“And that will help us… how exactly?” Yasmina asks in a low tone.

“Uh, because when we get home, this will also make you famous?” Brooklynn answers happily, pointing the camera in your guy’s direction.

“Hey!” Kenji yells.

“Please tell me you found a phone.” Darius pleads.

“Uh, no, but I could be in the video.” Kenji puts on some sunglasses and finger guns the camera.

Sammy gasps again, causing Darius to swing his head towards her.

“Phone?” He asks tiredly.

“Nope. It’s better than that.” Sammy smiles, still staring into the book from earlier. “It’s an EDB–emergency distress beacon! After the first park went down, Mr. Masrani installed one on Main Street.”

Everyone gathers around Sammy, peeking at the guidebook with hopeful expressions.

“It’s battery powered and can send an SOS signal 150 miles in all directions! We’re saved!” She grins.

“Does it say where it is?” Yasmina gestures towards the book with a green dinosaur walkie-talkie.

“Uh… no.” Sammy frowns. “The rest of the chapter is just glamor shots of Dr. Wu wearing turtlenecks.”

Well, that’s concerning.

“Everyone, spread out.” Darius orders. “There’s a way to communicate with the outside world somewhere here on Main Street. We find this thing, and we go home.”

“Affirmative, human.” Kenji agrees, talking into a dinosaur walkie-talkie identical to Yasmina’s. He walks off robotically, making robot noises all the while. “Beep. Boop-boop. Beep.”

Guess that means it’s time to search some more.

The camera beeps as Brooklynn records, sending her signature greeting towards an imaginary audience.

“What’s up, Brooklanders? You wanted exclusive footage? Well, here it is!” She spreads her arms wide, showing off the barren street behind her. “And there’s nobody better than me to show it to you. Ka-pow!” She imitates gunfire as she points offscreen.

“You do know ‘Brooklanders’ is a weird name, right?” Kenji asks from behind the camera.

Brooklynn glares at him. “Okay, I was ten when I came up with it, and–just, shh, start over!”

You sluggishly feel along the walls of each building with your good hand, peeking into the alleyways between them, hoping to spot the beacon. Then again, you have absolutely no idea what this beacon looks like.

Of course, you saw what it looked like in the book, but you doubt it’d be out in the open like that. It might be in a concealed space, or hidden somewhere along the creases of the building walls. Either way, this was going to take a while.

The camera beeps, showing Yasmina looking through the glass doors of a building.

“I don’t see any beacons in here.” She announces.

The camera moves to a coffee poster taped to the glass windows, Brooklynn letting out a dreamy hum at the sight of it.

“I can’t believe I’m gonna be in your video!” Sammy smiles, bursting into frame with the book from earlier held close to her chest. “Ooh, should I have my own catchphrase?”

“Just talk about the stuff.” Brooklynn huffs.

“Okay, according to this book, things in the park are disguised to keep up the whole natural illusion of Jurassic World.” Sammy looks up from the book with a gasp, running out of frame.

When the camera pans back to the cowgirl, she’s crouching next to a trash can.

“This rock is really a trash can.” She pushes the swinging top of the trashcan a few times before standing back up and gesturing towards some electrical wires behind her. “Those vines are electrical cords. Pretty neat, right, Brooklanders?” She spreads her arms out with a smile before breaking the silence with a confused look. “You ever notice ‘Brooklanders’ is weird to say?”

Brooklynn lets out a frustrated groan, and the camera goes black.

“Hey!” Brooklynn calls your name, the camera hiding her face as she points it at you. “Got anything for our fans?”

You raise a brow at her use of the word ‘our’, but answer regardless.

“Yeah,” you face the camera with a deadpan expression. “If you ever get stranded on a dinosaur filled island, protect your nose at all costs.”

Brooklynn chuckles at your words, peering at you from behind the camera with a grin. “A broken nose or two is pretty cool.”

You turn away from the camera with a scoff. “Says the one that fixed it. Thanks for that, by the way.”

She responds with a smile, turning the camera towards herself as she explains her nose-fixing achievements throughout this whole trip.

You continue to feel along the walls with droopy eyes. Man, none of you have slept since the camp was still intact, which was… how long ago again? You know it was night when you all were on the monorail, and it was daytime when you all got out of the tunnel.

Did one whole day already pass? That would explain why you felt so tired. Sadly, you can’t really do anything about it at the moment. You didn’t want to slack off, and you doubt you’ll have enough peace and quiet to close your eyes. Therefore, searching for the beacon despite your head falling downwards every few seconds was the only option.

When another beep emits from the camera, it’s pointed at Yasmina and Darius standing near some wreckage.

“Find anything?” Darius questions with a sigh.

“Not yet. What about the others?” Yasmina sends a curious look behind her.

“Found scooter!” Kenji hollers as he rides a scooter across the camera frame.

The screen goes black once more, before a beep signals yet another video.

“Hey, Brooklanders! Check this out!” Kenji rides the yellow scooter into frame again as Brooklynn turns to him. “Now it sounds weird to me, too.”

The screen cuts to black. This time, Sammy appears when it turns on. Pointing to different areas offscreen as she rides a green scooter, the cowgirl describing how they’re disguised.

“That rock is an electrical outlet, and that rock is a straw dispenser–” The camera crashes to the ground when Sammy falls off the scooter with a yelp. “I tripped on a rock.”

The screen cuts to black again. Sammy reading out of the guidebook when the beep sounds.

“And this rock is…” She spares an awkward glance at the camera as she shuts the book. “Just a rock, but I think it’s neat.” She leans against the rock, throwing her hand out towards the camera. “What do you think, camp fam?”

“Camp fam?” Brooklynn questions, her confusion evident from behind the camera.

“That’s right, it’s a new catchphrase. Ka-pow!” Sammy shoots her hands in the air, imitating gunfire.

Brooklynn just stares in silent perplexity.

The screen turns black, Kenji, being the new camera holder, and in front of the camera is a toy Stegosaurus held by the rich boy as he walks up to Darius.

“Mm, roar! I’m gonna eat you!” Kenji says in a creepy voice.

Darius turns to the camera, his face blank because of how tired he was of everyone’s bull. “That’s a Stegosaurus, Kenji.”

“You look like a plant.” Kenji makes munching noises as he taps Darius’s head with the toy. The shorter boy simply stands there and allows it all to happen.

The camera then cuts to black for a final time.

Once everyone deemed it time for a break, you all sat at the patio umbrella tables in front of a shop. Yasmina sat at one table, Brooklynn and Sammy standing at the table with her. They giggled and posed, Yasmina recording them as they said random phrases.

Far off, Darius paced back and forth with a worried expression. He clutched a dinosaur walkie-talkie in his right hand, and you swore you could hear the cheap plastic cracking a bit from his tight hold.

You sit in a chair off to the side, feet resting on the table in front of you. Your upper body is unprotected by the umbrella on the table, the sun acting as a blanket of warmth. You lean back, eyes shutting almost instantaneously.

“Anybody order frozen pizza from the world’s dopest delivery boy?”

You open your eyes to see Kenji rolling in on the scooter he found earlier. He talks into the walkie-talkie with a grin; the device changing his voice into a more robotic tone. On the handles of the scooter hangs two bags, likely full of pizza, like he said.

“Food? Finally! Yes!” Brooklynn cheers, her hands balled into fists because of her excitement.

“I’ll get napkins from the rock.” Sammy beams, her obsession with the disguised objects of the park showing through her words.

Once you all are seated with a piece of pizza in your hands, you all just sort of sit there awkwardly. Now, you’d definitely chow down on some pizza when given the chance. Don’t get it twisted. But it’s hard to chow down when your pizza is identical to that of a block of ice.

Everyone takes a bite despite the blue color of the pizza, immediately flinching backwards with a yelp. Luckily, you’re not that desperate, so you take the others as an example of what not to do.

When Kenji bangs the pizza on the table, it becomes increasingly clear that you all will have to wait for the pizza to thaw before eating it. Your bunch places the pizzas back into their individual boxes, laying them on the ground to thaw out in the sun.

After that, the only thing you all have left to do is wait. You take this as an opportunity to get some shuteye. Leaning back in your chair, you close your eyes with a grumble.

When your eyes open again, you can’t tell if you’re dreaming or not. You look to your left, and then to your right. You’re surrounded by trees and foliage, and with no path to follow, you walk with no real intent. You didn’t know where you were heading, nor did you know where you wanted to go. All you know is that right now, you should be walking.

Pushing past a leafy branch obstructing your view, your eyes widen at the sight in front of you. There stands Ben, who looks around aimlessly. You immediately race forward, tackling the boy into a hug.

He yelps, turning to you with a fearful expression. When he sees it was you who grabbed him, his fear turns into surprise. He calls your name hesitantly, hands hovering over your form.

“Are you…” He sputters, unsure of what to say at first. “Are you okay?”

You release him from your hold with a chuckle, staring at him with furrowed brows. “Yeah, why–why wouldn’t I be?”

He eyes you doubtfully. “Alright then…”

The boy turns away from you, still surveying his surroundings. Confused by the cold shoulder, you force yourself into his vision.

“What are you looking for, Ben?” You ask with a laugh. Why do you keep laughing?

He furrows his brows at you, standing on his tiptoes to see over your body. “Looking for Bumpy.”

You hum, turning to look behind yourself. You see a flash of color, your heart skipping a beat at the sight.

“I think I saw her.” You say almost robotically, a grin stretching across your face.

Ben looks at you skeptically, but smiles after a short few seconds. “Lead the way.”

You grab his hand, holding it tightly. His hands feel clammy and cold, and when you look at his face, it seems a lot paler than usual. Despite this, you copy his happy expression and lead him towards the movement you saw earlier. You walk through the forest in a haze, Ben’s freezing hand clasped in your own. You lead him without hesitation, almost as if you already had a set destination in mind.

“Hey,” Ben calls your name faintly. “Do you miss me?”

You keep your gaze straight ahead, refusing to look his way. His hand is much too relaxed, almost slipping out of your hold. You don’t respond to the boy.

“It’s okay if you do, I think.” The boy pauses, his words slow and calculated. “I’d miss you too.”

Tears spring at your eyes, your smile straining as you continue leading him through the forest.

“You’re probably the first friend I’ve had in a while. I’m glad I made one before–” he’s interrupted when he bumps into your back.

You stand still, hands shaking and breath uneven. You swallow the lump in your throat before speaking.

“I found her.” You announce quietly.

In front if you lay Bumpy, or at least you think so. It’s hard to tell with the state of the little Ankylosaurus. Flies and beetles eating away at the decaying flesh. She looks as if she’s been torn into, yet her body is scarily intact. It resembles that adult Ankylosaurus back by the broken gyrosphere. The Indominus must’ve gotten to her before you two did.

“Oh.” Ben hums.

It’s quiet between the both of you. Neither of you move, simply staring at the limp body that used to be Bumpy. At least, until you can’t take it anymore and your despair exceeds your control.

Tears pour out of your eyes, hiccups, and sniffles escaping from your mouth every so often. Throughout it all, Ben’s hand stays clasped in yours. You’re not sure if it’s because Ben’s holding onto you, or if you’re holding onto him. But either way, he stands silently by your side until your sobs quiet down. And once they do, Ben grabs hold of your other hand, pulling you into his sight and him into yours. You squeeze your eyes shut, head lowered shamefully.

“You can’t even look at me?”

You swear you hear a smile in his voice. But why would he be smiling? Isn’t he sad? Isn’t he mad? He’s dead. He’s dead, and it’s your fault. You tried to push it all away, but look where that’s gotten you. Why is this happening to you? What did you do wrong? You just wanted to get away from your parents. You just wanted to feel safe.

Ben pulls you into a hug, his rotting face still obscured by your closed eyes. His fingers twitch against your back, and if you try hard enough, you can pretend he’s tapping to an unknown rhythm. He says nothing, and neither do you. And for once, you feel safe.

Your head hits the table with a loud 'thud', a weight holding it down. When the weight is lifted, you look up groggily to see a Compy standing in front of your head. It tilts his head at you curiously.

There’s some unintelligible shouting, and then you watch as everyone throws the pizzas to lead the Compies away from your group. You tune everything out after that, laying your head on the table with another ‘thud’. You’re never sleeping again, that’s for sure.

You rub your eyes tiredly, nodding your head mindlessly as Yasmina’s words go in one ear and out the other.

“You sure you’re up for it? You look pretty tired.” She asks with a chuckle, eyes glancing over your slouched form.

Feeling your back ache from your bad posture, you straighten up with a groan.

“I’m fine.” You say almost automatically, the words bursting out of your mouth crudely. When the black-haired girl gives you a doubtful look, you fix your hair with a sigh. “I mean it.”

She nods, hesitantly accepting your answer. “Alright, just wake me up if you get too tired.” She sends a pitiful glance your way, walking towards the shop from earlier and making herself comfortable against a counter.

You scoff at that, offended by her words. Why is everyone acting like you’re some orphaned child now that Ben is… gone.

You stand dumbly for a second, eyes staring at the ground, and then moving to the pouch hanging from your waist. You refused to answer Kenji earlier, but no, fanny packs were not your ‘thing’. You only kept because it was Ben’s. And, who knows, maybe it’ll come in handy again like it did in the tunnel.

You force your eyes to leave the pouch, sitting yourself down in the chair from before. The stars twinkle brightly, light pollution a problem of the past on this isolated island.

You look to your side when you hear grumbling, only to find Darius laying against a pillar, fast asleep. His head leans to the side, brows furrowed and jaw clenched. His hands twitch at his sides, grasping at nothing.

Maybe you should mind your business like you usually do. So, you lift yourself up from your seat, grimacing when the chair scrapes against the ground. You should do some rounds, make sure there aren’t any creatures hiding in the dark waiting for a chance to bite one of you when you’re not paying attention. But when Darius murmurs to himself, you realize you can’t mind your business this time. You crouch at his side, reaching a hand out to shake his shoulder, but he shoots up when your finger meets his arm. He pants hurriedly, sweating like he ran a marathon.

“Whoa, whoa, are you okay?” You ask as your eyes survey his form.

His hands are shaking, and his chest moves up and down at a rapid pace. It takes a few seconds, but he eventually calms his breathing, his eyes searching the streets for something that isn’t there.

“Darius, are you good?” You repeat yourself, ignoring the urge to ask what he was dreaming about.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He assures, but his eyes still wander around with no real target. “Thanks. Sorry I fell asleep.”

“I volunteered to take the first shift, remember?” You brush some dirt off his shoulder, retracting your hand when his gaze lands on you.

He looks at you with a raised brow. “I thought Yasmina did?”

“Well, she definitely tried. We had to bargain for half and half in the end.” You chuckle awkwardly, gaze falling on a slouching Yasmina. She’s in a big huddle with Sammy and Brooklynn.

You briefly wonder where Kenji is, but his snoring is too obnoxious to miss, and there he is, splayed out across the counter. Your eyes automatically search for Ben, but remembering that he’s gone, they fall to the gravel beneath you instead.

You startle when Kenji suddenly starts mumbling into the dinosaur walkie-talkie he still hasn’t let go of, only to turn to Darius with an annoyed expression.

“Can’t stop talking, even in his sleep.” You mutter, hoping to lift Darius’s spirits with your jab at Kenji.

Sadly, he’s not even looking at you. His brows are furrowed, a grimace worn on his face. He hugs his legs close to his chest, whispering to himself.

“I have to find that beacon. I just need to try harder.” He finally looks up at you. “I can find it if I try harder.”

You stare at him in silence, before a serious expression crosses your face. It might weird him out, but he needs to get out of his head. You stand up in one sudden movement, startling Darius out of his stupor. Then you jog in place, making sure your form is right. He stares at you in silence for a few awkward seconds, but eventually breaks the quiet built between you two.

“Uh, what are you doing?” His eyes travel up your form hesitantly, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

You don’t spare him a single glance as you answer, “Getting my ideas flowing.”

When he continues to stare at you in bewilderment, you expand on your words.

“Before I write, I have to think, and before I think, I have to get moving.” When an idea enters your mind, you pause your jogging to stretch. “When I’ve got that idea in my mind, I can start writing.” Unfortunately, there aren’t any paper or pencils in your sight, so the idea simply sits in your mind.

Darius’s mouth hangs agape, utterly confused.

“Sometimes writing is the hardest thing in the world. None of your ideas make sense. You can’t find out how to start your story. You don’t know what you should even write.” Your stretching comes to a stop, and you let out a relieved sigh. “You feel like you’re not trying hard enough, but sometimes writing evades you.” You turn your gaze to Darius, whose eyes twinkle in what you hope is realization.

“Sometimes, you just need to have fun. Write something you normally wouldn’t, write something that makes zero sense, just write something.” You rest your hands on your hips, encouraging Darius to add on. “The number one rule in writing is to start writing. You just need that first draft for every piece of the puzzle to be put into place; and that’s how the best stories get written.” You offer a hand to Darius, who grabs it with a smile on his face.

“I think we have very different definitions of fun.” He laughs, his hand still holding onto yours.

“Okay, then. What’s your definition of fun?” You let a small smile grace your face, Darius beaming at your words.

In a shocking amount of time, you and Darius are walking towards the Jurassic World Discovery Walk.

“Learning new dinosaur facts! Whoo!”

“Whoo!” You pump your fists with a lazy grin.

You briefly considered waking Yasmina up so she could take a shift in watching, but when you saw her laying on Sammy, you decided against it.

“I’ve been wanting to see the Jurassic World Discovery Walk since forever!” Darius reads one of the little signage stands full of information. “I can’t believe that this place is practically untouched!”

Thinking about the fact that most people who came here only traveled to see baby dinosaurs act as ponies for children and watch carnivores eat goats like it was a sport, you could easily believe that it was rare for people to care for the actual dinosaurs and not the concept. Despite that, you hum in agreement, not wanting to diminish Darius’s excitement.

“Race you to the next plaque!” He shouts with a grin, jogging to the signage literally right next to the one he was reading previously.

“That was not a race.” You snicker, walking towards him as he reads.

“Check it out. Sauropods can eat up to 12,000 pounds of food per day!” He turns to you with a smug expression. “Obviously, their necks help them cover both elevated and lower grazing levels, but still, that’s insane!” He points a finger at you. “Race you again!”

Yet again, he only runs a mere two steps to the next plaque.

“Ooh, this one’s about camouflage! ‘Some dinosaurs developed color patterns to help them blend into their environment to hide from…’” Darius pauses his reading, whispering to himself. “Hide…” He gasps, a determined expression now worn on his face. “I know where the beacon is.”

“That was fast.” You smile, walking forwards to stand next to Darius. You quickly read the plaque, Darius talking his head off right next to you.

“It all makes sense now! Jurassic World would never make the beacon easy to find! Even if that is a safety hazard… They hide everything in plain sight!”

“Well, now we can go back to–” You come to a pause when Darius shoves himself into you. His arms wrap around your torso, a bright smile adorning his face. You hold your arms in the air awkwardly for a few seconds, before eventually relaxing into his hold and patting his back.

“Thanks.” He chuckles, pulling away from the hug with one final squeeze. “Dino-buddies?”

He holds his hand out, knuckles facing you as he grins. You let out a genuine laugh at that, closing your right hand into a fist.

“Dino-buddies.” Your knuckles knock against each other painfully, the two of you yelping at the incident. You both rub your hands with pained expressions before laughter fills the air.

The very next morning, Darius herds everyone together in order to tell them his findings.

“Look, we–we already looked here.” Kenji mutters as he rubs his eyes tiredly.

“We looked, but we didn’t look.” Darius says, spreading his arms out as if that would help his explanation.

“Well, that clears that up,” Brooklynn adds sarcastically.

“It’s like Sammy was saying, things are disguised as other things. We never saw the beacon because it was camouflaged.” He shakes Sammy’s shoulder with a smile before everyone splits up to find the camouflaged beacon.

You all look at pretty much everything in sight: rocks, trashcans, plants, all until Yasmina stumbles and hits her shoulder on a random tree. It emits an unnatural thud when she knocks her shoulder on it, a smile spreading across her face at the discovery.

“Ever hear a tree do that?” She asks rhetorically.

Everyone surrounds the tree, Sammy pulling a previously unnoticed handle. “There’s stuff inside!” She gasps.

“Find it again for the camera?” Brooklynn asks, pointing the camera at Sammy.

Sammy closes it, then reopens it with artificial surprise. “Ooh! There’s stuff inside!”

Everyone spreads out to open the other fake trees, though it’s a fruitless endeavor.

“All aboard the fail-boat.” Kenji snickers. “The rest of these are all empty, broseph.”

“This one’s missing.” Darius murmurs, pointedly ignoring Kenji. He stares down at the broken stump of one of the fake trees.

Following a trail leading to a rather closed off section of Main Street, your group stares into the structure with unease. An animalistic snarl brings you all out of your curious thoughts, gasps ringing out across the group. Darius hurriedly leads you all up a ladder, which gives you a front-row seat to what occurs.

A T. Rex drags an artificial tree, obvious by the ear-bleeding noise it makes as it scrapes against the ground, into her lair. This must be the T. Rex paddock, which really makes you wonder why the hell Jurassic World thought it was a good idea to have such an amazing predator so easily accessible to the public.

The carnivore drops the tree onto a pile of trees and debris, nudging it with her snout as she snarls softly. Once it’s to her liking, she turns around and begins scraping her feet against the dirt ground, likely a way of scenting her nest. Then she opens her jaws wide, letting out a mind-numbing roar. You all duck your heads at the act, brows down-turned in worry.

“A T. Rex lair!” Darius whispers with twinkling eyes. “They’ve found fossilized nests, but the T. Rex never did this when the park was open. We’re witnessing new behavior. This is great!”

When his excitement is met with disappointed stares, Darius quickly backtracks.

“This is terrible.” He groans. “She built her lair right on top of Main Street.”

“And it’s about to get worse. Look.” Brooklynn holds her camera up, zooming into the new addition of the nest. There lies the beacon, stashed away inside the metal tree in the T. Rex’s nest.

“Well, we found the beacon.” Yasmina sighs.

Everyone groans at her words, annoyed expressions spreading like a virus. Wanting to stay out of the T. Rex’s sight, you all crouch against the short ledge of the wall you sit on.

“How are you supposed to get to the beacon now?” Kenji growls, a sneer growing on his face.

“Don’t you mean ‘we’?” You ask with furrowed brows, more so annoyed at his grammar compared to the situation at hand.

“No, because I want to live, and living does not involve me walking into a T. Rex lair!” Kenji points toward said lair, wide eyes staring at you in disbelief.

“So wait, does that mean we can’t signal folks and tell them we’re still here?” Sammy asks with a frown.

“Great. Try to spend a little time being normal kids, and it still ends up biting us in the ass.” Kenji scoots forward as he complains, preparing to leave the ledge all together. “I…” He sighs. “I just wanted 24 hours where we didn’t have to think about dinosaurs, or being left behind, or, or…or Ben.”

At the mention of Ben, everyone exchanges sorrowful gazes. Your eyes fall down to your shoes, burning holes into the dirty midsoles.

“It was nice while it lasted.” Sammy mutters.

“Hey, we can’t give up now. I know it seems hopeless, but there’s always an answer.” Darius assures. “We just have to get out of our own heads to see it.”

Darius and you share a knowing glance, before the sound of stomping draws your guy’s attention.

“Kenji,” Darius calls. “Were there any more walkies in the gift shop?”

“Uh, yeah–yeah. There were a bunch of them.” Kenji nods.

“Good, I think I’ve got an idea.” Darius says with a determined smile. And with that, Darius’s plan is set into motion.

You, Darius, Kenji, Brooklynn, and Yasmina huddle behind the ledge. Brooklynn and Yasmina look over the ledge when stomping from the T. Rex disperses.

“Heading your way, Sammy.” Yasmina speaks into her dinosaur walkie-talkie.

A little after the carnivore disappears into the foliage of the forest, Sammy responds from the walkie-talkie.

“Listen up. She just passed by.” The cowgirl’s voice is quiet. “Coast is clear. Go for it!”

Once you get the go, Kenji clips his walkie-talkie onto the strap of his pants. Darius, Kenji, and you climb over the ledge, carefully making your way down the wall. Kenji easily lands with a quiet ‘thump’, as do you. Darius, however, hangs from a pipe with his legs dangling in the air because of his shorter stature.

Kenji makes quick work at grabbing the boy’s shirt and pulling him to the ground with a harsher ‘thump’. Looking up at the girls above, you can just barely make out their disapproving stares. But the three of you ignore them in favor of making your way into the T. Rex’s paddock.

“I hate this.” Kenji huffs, causing you to roll your eyes.

Darius runs over to the nest with you following closely behind, though Kenji lingers because of his complaining.

“Ugh, I hate this,” He repeats himself.

Darius climbs up the pile with a grunt, grabbing hold of any piece of wood that sticks out. One of those pieces just so happens to be loose, and the boy loses his footing for a few seconds. You quickly grab hold of his flailing hand and pull him towards you, giving him balance as he regains his footing.

“Thanks.” He sighs in relief.

You look down when Kenji yelps, watching as he just barely avoids grabbing hold of some dung. He quickly grabs the walkie-talkie from his pants and talks into it.

“Next time, I’m straining my ankle and I’m staying behind.” He whispers angrily.

“You wouldn’t be able to handle it.” Yasmina responds through the device.

You and Darius ignore Kenji’s complaints and continue searching the pile before the dino-nerd points a finger above you. “There!”

You spare a glance down at Kenji, who falls almost face first into the pile when a plank of wood crumbles under his weight. You pull yourself upwards, grimacing at the smell of the nest as you help Darius up. You just barely avoid falling backwards when Kenji grabs your ankle to help himself up. You glare at him when he gets to the same level as you, but he either doesn’t notice or ignores it.

Darius pushes some stray debris off the metal tree, revealing the beacon sitting inside the tree like a battery to a remote. The three of you immediately try to pull it out of its place inside the artificial tree, but even with six hands, it doesn’t budge at all.

“The T. Rex must’ve damaged the housing. I can’t get it out.” Kenji grunts, still trying to pull the beacon out to no avail.

“We don’t need to get it out. We just have to activate it.” Darius grabs the beacon before turning to you and Kenji. “Help me get this open.”

You and Kenji look around the pile until you spot a jawbone perfect for wedging the beacon out. You grab hold of it, Kenji shuddering beside you. You force it into the small space of the hatch, pushing down on the jawbone with a grunt.

Darius and Kenji join you soon after you’ve got the wedge secured between the sliver of an opening on the beacon, the three of you pulling the bone downwards with all your might.

“Come on! Open already!” Darius huffs, placing a hand on the tree to help open the beacon up.

A click resounds, and the three of you fly backwards as the hatch finally opens. A yelp escapes from you as your left hand scrapes against some of the debris, the cuts that had been scabbed over reopening.

“Ow!” Kenji shouts, Darius merely groaning as his hands grab hold of a piece of wood.

Once you all regain your footing, Darius lets out a cheerful laugh at the sight of the open beacon. Although his happiness doesn’t last long as distant stomps make their way into your trio’s ears.

The three of you gasp, heads snapping to the entrance of the paddock as the stomps get closer and closer. Your little group huddles together, hiding behind any debris you can find in the slight chance that you’ll evade the T. Rex.

Kenji holds a large leaf over his head, squeezing his eyes shut with a whimper. The leaf he’s holding only slightly covers you, and doesn’t cover Darius at all, so you pull the younger boy toward you forcefully. His shoulder meets yours, and you reluctantly shuffle closer to Kenji as the stomps make their way into the paddock.

You’re holding your breath at this point, eyes squeezed shut as you wonder why none of the girls warned you of the incoming danger. At least, until a familiar voice rings out across Main Street.

“What’s up, Brooklanders?”

It’s Brooklynn’s usual video greeting, though it’s much louder than normal, as if it’s being played on a speaker of some kind.

The stomping starts up again, but this time, it goes in the opposite direction. There’s a guttural roar, and your trio takes that as a sign to finish what you all come to do. Darius hurriedly climbs up the nest again, stumbling because of his quick movements.

The boy grunts as he pulls himself at level with the beacon, flicking the small switch towards the green wave symbol. The small screen on the device lights up, showing that the signal’s been sent. Darius lets out a disbelieving laugh before you grab hold of his wrist and pull him off the nest.

“We’ve got to go.” You remind him, saving the congratulations for when the three of you are in a safe place.

Running to the exit of the paddock, Sammy appears from the corner, a relieved sigh leaving her lips at the sight of you all. Still sitting on the ledge from earlier, Yasmina stares down at the four of you with concern.

“We activated the beacon! The SOS signal went out!” Darius yells at her, wasting no time in running out of the sectioned off area once Yasmina gets the message.

You all group up once again, quickly leaving Main Street after filling some bags with items from any intact shops. Despite the ringing in your ears from the T. Rex’s roars, you can’t help but laugh at your success. Or, well, your group’s success.

“We’re gonna be saved!”

“We did it!”

“Yeah!”

“Whoohoo!”

“Yes!”

“Yeehaw! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!”

There are screams of celebration all around, your group only calming down when Darius apologizes to Brooklynn.

“Sorry you had to give up your camera.” Darius smiles.

“Eh, it was old and junky anyhow.” She snickers. “My followers deserve way better picture quality than that.”

“Where to now, Darius? We obviously can’t go back to Main Street.” Sammy shrugs, a white bag hanging from her arm.

“Now we have to find a place to hole up until help arrives.” Darius stands up, gathering attention from your group. “And rescue will be coming. We just gotta stay alive until they do.”

If only it were that easy. But this is better than surviving with no guarantee that rescue is coming. Soon, you’d finally be able to go home. The very thought makes your shoulders drop in relief. You just wish that Ben was here to feel that same solace. 

Chapter Text

'Thump'

You feel so gross right now. You're sweating like you ran a marathon, your clothes sticking to your skin uncomfortably. Though you doubt there's a comfortable way for your clothes to stick to your skin.

'Thump'

You might have to change your clothes, or at least your sweater. It was still stained with blood from when that guy elbowed you. You would have changed earlier, but being on a dinosaur-filled island messes with your priorities.

'Thump'

You made sure to grab some clothes from the gift shop before you all fled from Main Street. You're not very excited to wear Jurassic World merchandise, but it'd have to do. Your bag full of spare clothes was probably ruined when the camp got destroyed, so you couldn't be picky.

'Thump'

Alright, you can't ignore it anymore. Kenji's rock throwing activities have officially gotten on your last nerve. You swivel to your left, Kenji sitting there with a squinted eye as he aims for… Yasmina, of course.

Right as he leans his arm back in preparation to throw, you snatch the rock from his hand, throwing it off into the distance. He looks at you with wide eyes, throwing his hands up in surrender when you turn your head to glare at him.

Your little staring contest with Kenji only ends when Darius climbs down the tree he had been hiding away in with a sigh. The boy had made the smart move to grab some binoculars before leaving Main Street, even if they were a kiddy version. They helped tremendously with trying to find a spot to hole up in. Despite that, you all are still left unsuccessful in your endeavors.

"Good news?" Sammy asks as she walks towards Darius.

"The Pteranodons are nesting on the eastern mountains, so that's out." The boy says with a frown.

"Bad news." Sammy groans, pulling out the map you all had been using to mark where you've already looked.

"So, we can't stay on Main Street because: dinosaurs. The mountains, grasslands, and jungle are out because: dinosaurs." Brooklynn's shoulders sag at the revelation.

"And Kenji's penthouse is out because he's bad at math," Yasmina adds, glowering at the boy.

"I didn't think my dad was serious about changing the locks if I failed algebra!" Kenji defended himself. "That is not my fault."

"That's entirely your fault." You huff as you stand, rolling your shoulders in an attempt to relax your muscles.

"Okay, well, whatever. The whole island is full of dinosaurs. We're cooked!" Kenji crosses his arms with a pout.

You roll your eyes at his childish behavior. Of course the boy who kept bragging about his penthouse the whole trip couldn't even get inside it.

"We can't give up yet. We set off the emergency beacon." Sammy reminds you all. "We just need to find somewhere safe to hole up until rescue arrives."

"Where? It's been days. We're out of options." The track star shakes her head in doubt.

"Actually…" Darius drags his words, uncertainty obvious in the way he speaks. "There's one place we haven't tried, but I'm not sure you're gonna like it."

"Better than standing around until we get eaten." You nod your head.

"I'll take anything at this point." Brooklynn sighs, though you doubt she'll stay true to her word.

Lo-and-behold, Darius leads you all to the pitiful remains of Camp Cretaceous.

"Are you serious?" Kenji asks in disbelief. "Didn't we specifically run away from here?"

There are varied looks of disapproval, and Darius jumps to defend himself.

"Just hear me out." The boy pleads. "There's a stream for fresh water, we've got trees and mountains to protect us from weather and dinosaur attacks!"

Brooklynn clears her throat, sending a pointed sneer towards Darius. Said boy spares a look behind him at the ruins of the camp.

"Okay, not all dinosaur attacks. But if you were coming to rescue a bunch of campers, wouldn't camp be the first place you looked?"

With that added explanation, the looks of disapproval slowly change into one's of interest.

"And we've even got supplies to build a shelter right here!" He throws a hand behind him. "They're, uh, broken supplies, but we could do it! Right, Brooklyn?"

"What?" The girl asks, sass evident in her voice.

"I mean, you must've made one video about building a shelter, right?" Darius says with a hopeful smile.

Kenji nods his head. "Right. All you do is videos!"

"Excuse me, I do lots of things other than videos. I have a whole life of other things!" There's a pause in her words before she continues. "But, yes, okay, I did help raise that barn for 'Unboxing Amish Country', just saying."

"Knew it."

"Oh, I love that one!"

"There you go."

"What are we waiting for? Let's clear that stuff!" Yasmina limps towards the pile of broken wood, grunting with each step she takes.

There's a small bout of silence until Darius hesitantly speaks up, "Hey, Yaz, maybe it's best if you sat this one out?"

Yasmina turns to him, a wooden plank already held in her hands. "What? No, I'm totally - whoa!"

Before she can even finish her sentence, Yasmina loses her balance and falls backwards with a yelp. Your group immediately surrounds her in concern.

"It's nothing. I'm fine. I wanted to be on the ground now." She lies.

"This isn't nothing! Your ankle is still hurt." Sammy worries over the girl. "All that running over the past few days didn't help it any."

"Based on this symbol, there might be some clinic nearby." Darius offers, looking at the map as he does so. "We'll see if we can find anything for your ankle. Just rest here."

"No way! I'm not sitting around while you go back out there. I can pull my own weight." Yasmina says in offense, moving to stand back up.

"Rest. You'll need that ankle to win gold medals when we get off this island, okay?" Sammy orders, pushing Yasmina back down into a sitting position.

"And I'll stay behind to make sure she rests." Kenji grins proudly.

"Can it be someone else? Literally anyone else?" The injured girl begs Sammy, grasping her arm as the cowgirl stands up.

"Okay, great plan! Kenji, while Yaz rests, you start sorting through the broken stuff and find anything we can use." Darius walks off with Brooklynn and Sammy in tow.

"A hundred percent… maybe." Kenji doubts even himself.

Brooklynn throws some broken off pegs towards Sammy and Darius, the latter doing a test swing. You stand still for a few seconds before you realize you didn't get one.

"What about me?" You ask, hands out and showcasing their empty state.

Brooklynn turns to you with a conflicted gaze, softly hitting Darius to get his attention.

"Oh, you can stay here. We'll get some bandages for your hand while we're away." He smiles, as if this wasn't new information to you.

"What? Why? My hand's fine." You glance down at your hands in confusion. Like you said, your right hand is just fine. It's your left one that Darius seems to be referring to. The wound on your palm is just barely scabbed over, a slight sting making itself apparent as you focus on the wound.

"You need to cover it with something or it won't ever heal," Brooklynn explains, gesturing towards you with her broken peg.

You scoff, a sneer forming on your face because of the audacity they have to treat you like some wounded dog. Kenji pats your back, but it feels more condescending than anything else.

"We'll be back soon!" Darius calls, waving with his free hand towards the trio they're leaving behind.

"Or later!" Brooklynn corrects, waving at you all in the same manner.

And with that, they leave you with Yasmina and the liability. And by liability you mean Kenji, of course.

You turn your attention behind yourself when Yasmina lets out a yelp. The girl obviously didn't take the other's warnings to heart, considering the fact that she was still trying to sort out the camp rubble all by herself.

"Whoa!" She yells, falling onto her knees after yet another failed attempt at moving the rubble.

Kenji laughs in a carefree manner, stretching his arms and cracking his knuckles along with his neck as he stares down at the wooden planks strewn about.

"Okay, task one: pick through camp garbage for useful garbage." Kenji kicks a smaller piece of wood with his foot, the plank moving not even an inch away from its original spot. "Complete!" He smiles proudly.

With an unbelievably relieved sigh, the rich boy walks towards a tree and plops down, bending his arms and resting his hands behind his head with closed eyes.

You and Yasmina share disbelieving stares, walking towards the boy in confusion.

"That's it?" Yasmina asks. "Dude, you didn't even try!"

"Shh. And join me at my resting tree." Kenji shushes her.

"Your 'resting tree'?" You can hear the confusion in Yasmina's voice.

"I can't believe this." You whisper.

"It's a tree where you rest. The name kind of covers it." Kenji's voice is light and airy, eyes closed all the while.

"That's not…" Yasmina stutters, quickly gathering herself so she doesn't get too worked up. "Okay, Darius said to sort through the debris. If you don't do it, and we can't do it, who will do it?"

"Everyone else." Kenji waves his hands nonchalantly. "Guys, the best things in life are the things you make other people do for you."

He sits up as he continues. "Example: I've never cleaned my room. I wait for it to get messy enough that my dad's assistant caves and he makes one of the maids do it for me. Win-win."

"That's just pathetic." You sneer, receiving a pout from Kenji.

"And you're proud of this?" Yasmina asks with crossed arms.

"Obvi, otherwise I wouldn't have told you about it. Now, stop talking and start relaxing."

"But–" Kenji shushes Yasmina before she can continue.

"You–" Kenji shushes you as well.

The boy scoots over a bit, yawning as he pats the grass next to him as an invitation.

"Resting tree." He whispers.

Yasmina gives you a questioning glance, and while you shake your head, she seems to have been swayed by Kenji's words.

The black-haired girl leans against the tree and slides down, keeping in mind her injured ankle. Kenji sighs, looking at Yasmina in anticipation. Reluctantly, Yasmina mimics his dramatic yawning. Then, he looks at you.

"The resting tree demands more resters." He smiles.

"That's not even a word." You huff, turning on your heel and walking back towards the wreckage.

"I guess Yasmina and I will just rest here, super comfy, relaxed, and rested!" He calls after you.

You ignore him in favor of picking up a plank and pulling it out of the pile of debris. Almost immediately, you drop the plank with a hiss, holding your left hand to your chest in pain. Looking down at it, you realize that you've reopened the wound again.

In a fit of anger, you kick the offending debris, spewing vulgar words like an erupting volcano. You wipe your bleeding hand on your already ruined sweater, grimacing at the burning sting that follows.

This was so frustrating! Why hasn't this wound healed yet? Sure, you're in a dinosaur-filled jungle and you're running for your life practically every second, but you'd think a little wound like this would've healed ages ago!

You kick the planks again, ignoring the pain in your foot from doing so. You hated this. You hated being stuck here. You hated being babied because of such a minor injury. You hated that every time you looked at the wound, it reminded you of Ben; of that night. You hated everything.

By now, your chest is moving up and down at a rapid pace, air escaping you despite the deep breaths you're taking. God, why can't this be easier? Why can't you pretend he never existed like the others do? You wish you could just forget him.

You crouch to the ground, shaky hands grasping your sweater in an attempt to breathe better. The sweater isn't restricting by any means, but you felt sick looking at all the blood stains. In one motion, you pull the sweater over your head.

Throwing the ruined piece of clothing off in some random direction, you make a move towards one of the bags you filled with clothes from Main Street. They were merchandise, sure, but clothes either way.

The sound of footsteps has you stopping all movements however, turning your head to the source of the sound fearfully. Though, when you realize it's only Kenji, your shoulders drop as you sigh.

Kenji's brows are furrowed, searching the rubble for something before he spares a single look towards you, and when he does, he pauses. There's an awkward silence as he simply stares, until you become too creeped out to stay quiet.

“What?” You ask, glancing down at yourself. You certainly didn't look any different than usual, other than the fact that the sweater you usually wear is gone. The black tanktop you're always wearing underneath it finally making an appearance.

“Oh, my bad.” He apologizes awkwardly, searching through the rubble once more. “Just–forgot you have a body under that ugly sweater.”

You can't decide whether to be grossed out, or offended that he insulted your taste in style. So, you simply stand there with down-turned brows.

“Not in a weird way, just like, you look… alright.” Kenji stops his weird explanation as he finally finds what he's looking for: a butter knife.

“Thanks.” You say sarcastically, rolling your eyes at his attempt to be nice.

“Anyways, have you seen Yaz?” He asks, entirely avoiding looking at you. Did you really look so weird without your sweater?

“Wasn't she with you?” You raise a brow. How did he lose a girl with an injured ankle? At the thought of Yasmina's injury, you hold your hands behind your back, trying to keep your own injury unseen by Kenji.

“Key word: was. Not anymore. We have to go look for her like the grown-kid babysitters we are." He spins the knife in his hand, bored eyes scanning the forest for any sight of the girl.

You simply stare at him with half-lidded eyes before walking away and grabbing a plank with your uninjured hand, putting it in a pile with two others.

The boy groans, running a hand over his face in exasperation. "Come on! If we lose her–"

"You mean if you lose her." You correct, back turned to him as you continue to search through the rubble with just one hand.

"Fine! I'll be noble and go after the crazy macho-woman!" He huffs, stomping away from you and towards the jungle trees.

"So noble." You say sarcastically, continuing to move planks to and fro.

After Kenji gets far enough that you can't see him anymore, you drop the plank you're holding and walk towards the bag full of clothes. You would've done this sooner, but making yourself look busy was the only way to get Kenji to leave you alone.

You sort through the clothing, looking for a sweater out of all the shirts and pants. When you finally find one, you can't help but be excited to put it on. Sure, it might smell like plastic, but it's better than a constant metallic smell following you everywhere.

After ripping the tags off, you slip it over your head and adjust it. From what you can see, it looks good on you, but it’s hard to tell without the help of a mirror. Then again, you don't think you could handle looking in a mirror. At least with this sweater nobody would look at you weirdly, or maybe that's just a Kenji thing.

Either way, after brushing some imaginary dust off of the sweater, you get back to working on piling the debris. Which, by the way, is a very hard thing to do with just one hand. Your injured hand stings a bit too much for you to even think about using it.

You continue to do this for quite a bit, creating a decent pile of useful debris, along with a pile of not-so-useful debris. You only stop when you hear grunting and gasping.

Behind you is a sight you never thought you'd see; Kenji giving Yasmina, of all people, a piggyback ride.

"Wow." You stare at the scene in front of you with your mouth agape.

"Don't tell anybody about this," Yasmina orders, though you can't take her seriously with her resting on top of Kenji.

Your only response is a raised brow, and then you're back to sorting through rubble. At least until Kenji grabs you by the back of your new sweater.

"Time for the resting tree." He says tiredly, and this time you can see some actual fatigue on his face.

You open your mouth to refuse, but a quick glance at the resting tree stops you in your tracks. Yasmina's actually resting, eyes closed and head lowered.

"Did the so-called crazy macho-women wear herself out?" You ask him, though you're not looking for an actual answer.

His only response is the rolling of his eyes, and then he's pushing you towards the tree of rest. Halfway through you start walking towards the tree on your own, plopping down next to Yasmina with a huff.

Kenji stands tall in front of you, a singular raised brow the only hint to what he may want. Reluctantly, you let out a loud, dramatic sigh, mimicking the one Kenji had let out earlier.

The boy in question only grins at your act, walking towards the destroyed camp to hopefully put in some actual work before the others get back. Until then, you suppose it wouldn't hurt to get some shut-eye. After all, this is the tree of rest.

Your eyes flutter open as the ground shakes, panic quickly setting in as you look in every direction for an explanation. Not too far ahead, Brooklynn, Darius, and Sammy all run with horrified expressions worn on their faces. A bunch of herbivores follow behind them and kick up dust with the force of their stomps, roars and screeches falling from the creatures' jaws.

"Up the trees, quick!" Brooklynn warns.

You hurriedly clamber up the tree, grimacing every time you grasp the trunk with your injured hand. When you're situated, you grab Yasmina's hand and help her up. This continues at a swift pace until everyone is safe in the tree.

The herd of dinosaurs bellow as they run through, the risk of being squished under their feet a minor afterthought once they depart.

"No, no, no!" Kenji screams in remorse of his miniature camp made of twigs being squished. "This is exactly why you should never work on anything, ever." Yasmina comforts him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I guess this is why they built Camp C up in the trees." Sammy says as she turns towards the group.

"Hey, maybe our new shelter should be kind of like a tree house?" Darius suggests.

"Hmm. Maybe something like…" Yasmina pulls out her sketchbook, pencil now in hand as she draws out her ideas. "This?"

In such a short amount of time, the track star has a clean sketch of the new camp, showing it off to you all.

"It's great!" Darius smiles. "Oh, but we definitely need a lookout tower."

"And an awesome girls' bunk! The boys can have whatever." Brooklynn adds.

"A place for storing food, so the dinos don't get it," Sammy points out.

"Definitely going to need some privacy in certain places." You propose.

"Yeah, Kenji needs a private shower if he's going to keep looking so good!" The boy brushes a hand through his messy hair.

Your only response to that is the shake of your head, too tired of Kenji's antics to do anything else.

With all of that in mind, Yasmina gets to work on drawing out a new Camp Cretaceous. With you sitting beside her all the while. You'd definitely put in some work if you could, but every time you try to help, someone sends you off to go rest.

So, you sit with a bored expression as you watch Yasmina sketch out the camp. You resist the urge to mess with the bandages wrapped around your left hand. You didn't want to mess up Brooklynn's handiwork.

At some point, your eyes close, and you drift off into some more hopeful dreams than usual. Dreams with a certain brunette occupying them. Dreams where you grab ahold of his hand and never let go. Dreams where he's still here. Dreams where he's still alive. Your dreams are full of him.

You miss him.

Chapter Text

‘Tap, tap, tap.’

Your eyes focus on the pencil in your hands, tapping against the paper impatiently.

‘Tap, tap, tap.’

You look up at the board, trying to make sense of the blurry figures on it. You blink, squint, anything to try and understand what it says, but it's all a fruitless endeavor.

‘Tap, tap–’

A hand folds over your own, and you look up at your math teacher. She's smiling gently. You can see that at least. She slips the pencil out of your hand and into her own, bringing your notes with her. She looks at them, then at you, then at the notes again, as her smile slowly turns into a frown.

“Were you listening?” She asks, and it's hard to bring yourself to answer when you can hear giggles from behind you.

“Yeah.” You answer curtly.

She places the paper back on your desk, writing the word “FINISH” in big, bold letters. Then, she looks towards you once more.

“Try to pay better attention, okay?” She orders, and you nod.

The giggles spread, and the only thing you can bring yourself to do is lay your head in your arms. It didn't matter, you couldn't see the board anyway.

You didn't think the school would call your parents, let alone that they'd actually be sober enough to answer. You watch quietly as your mom talks to whoever happens to be on the phone this time. You can't remember any of the counselors' names at this point.

When the call is over, she turns to you, but you only stare back at her. She wouldn't be angry, she never is. You wish she could be.

The drive to the eye doctor is quiet. She tries to make small talk, but it only serves to make you annoyed. With a sigh, she puts a hand on your shoulder, keeping a shaky hand on the steering wheel.

“You're paying attention, right? You're sure it's your sight?” She spares a glance away from the road and towards you, but you refuse to meet her gaze.

“Yeah.” You wanted to yell, but all that came out was a whisper of confirmation.

You wanted to scream, to cry, to do anything besides sit and let people assume you're stupid, but you don't. Instead, you take a breath, leaning your head against the car door. Your mom doesn't speak again.

You stare at the glasses in their case, a frown on your face for reasons you're not sure of. You can hear hoots and hollers downstairs, and nowadays you simply ignore it. But unfortunately, you're only human, so the growling in your stomach can't be ignored.

So, you head downstairs, keeping your eyes solely on the path to the kitchen. As soon as you pull out a bowl for canned soup or something of the sort, there's a ‘thump’ not too far behind you.

“Sweetie?” Your mother croons, her pupils blown wide as she stares at you.

You ignore her, grabbing a can of soup and popping it open before pouring it into the bowl. You then fill the empty can halfway with tap water and add that into the bowl as well, before throwing the empty can away.

“Sweetie?” Your mother calls again, much closer now since you had walked to the trash can.

She grabs ahold of your shoulder, but you violently tear yourself away from her grip. She only stares, and you don't stop to wonder if she can even comprehend what's happening right now. Instead, you put your bowl of soup into the microwave, setting it for two minutes before standing in front of it silently.

She's still staring, you can feel it, but you refuse to spare even a glance towards her. Your fingernails dig into your arms as you cross them over your chest, a thin sweater the only barrier between your nails and your flesh. You wish you could tear it off. Watch as the blood drips onto the ground. Would the droplets be small, red, and delicate? Or would they fall from you in messy globs, staining the tiles below?

You think of your mother, would she understand? In her current state, that is? Would the drugs fade from her system in an instant, adrenaline filling her veins as she watches her only child turn into a bloody mess? Or would she watch in a horrid trance, too drugged-up to stop you from harming yourself? You hoped it'd be the former. You hoped she would give a damn, but you're not sure she could even think at the moment.

You breathe in, and then out, your grip on your arms loosening as your mother finally leaves the kitchen entryway. The hollars return, your father shouting happily despite the noise complaints he was sure to receive later. You open the microwave before it beeps, grabbing the bowl along with a spoon before hurrying upstairs to your room. You feel your hands burn from the heat of the bowl. You ignore it, just as you ignore the mention of your name falling from your parents’ lips.

They never spoke badly of you, but you almost wish they did. You wish they screamed. You wish they hit, or slapped, or even stabbed. You wish they hurt you; you wish they had done something, anything to you; if only so you'd have an explanation for the way you feel.

But there are no bruises lining your skin, and there are no cuts on your limbs; not from them. So you have no excuse for the way you feel, or the way you act. You feel so hurt, and you don't understand why. Your throat feels scratchy despite just finishing a warm bowl of soup, and your eyes burn with tears to come.

With your dirty dishes in hand, you head back downstairs only to find that all the lights are off. Disregarding this, you head towards the kitchen in the darkness, flicking the light switch and squinting as light pours into the kitchen. Looking at the big pile of dishes in the sink, you sigh, realizing you'll have to clean them since you doubt your parents will anytime soon.

You turn your gaze to the dirty dining table, full of stains from spills left to be. The room around you blurs as tears build in your vision once more, and you quietly head out of the kitchen, reaching up to switch the light back off as you go. But something catches your eye before you do so.

Your mother and father lay peacefully on the living room couch. Splayed across each other as snores fill the room. Used needles are abandoned on the table, a shiver running down your spine at the sight of them. Despite this, you walk closer, the kitchen light spilling into the living room. You crouch down in front of your parents’ sleeping bodies. Watching quietly as they sleep. It's horrifying.

It's a horrifying thing to watch, and you don't know why. You watch your mother's chest rise and fall, over and over. You watch as snores fall from your father's mouth, just like always. Why is this so terrifying? Maybe it's how vulnerable they are. Maybe it's the fact that those very needles that lie on the table behind you could take them away from you at any given moment. Or maybe it's the fact that they'd let it happen. They'd leave you without batting an eye.

Tears finally fall from your eyes, rolling down your cheeks as you sniffle and whimper like a small child. It hurts; to look at their sleeping faces and realize that you don't even truly know who they are. Your parents are strangers in your house, sleeping on your couch like guests that are too polite to take a spare bedroom. You don't know your mother's favorite color, or your father's favorite song. You know nothing about them, and it truly hits you when you look at their faces and see… nothing.

At this point, you're biting your lip just to keep yourself quiet, so with a sniffle, you walk upstairs. Tears still fall, and shivers continue to attack you in waves, but you focus only on the hushed sound of your footsteps on the carpeted stairs. You want comfort, but these strangers can't comfort you in a way that matters. You close your door gently, hands shaking around the doorknob.

In the closure of your room, a sob racks your body, and you slide down your door in despair. A hand covers your mouth despite knowing no one will hear you. Still, you're not quiet enough. Still, you're too loud. Still dysfunctional, still wrong. It's all wrong. Nothing's right.

Through your blurred vision, you stumble towards your bed. Climbing into the covers, sitting with your back to the wall and bringing your knees up and folding your arms over them, if only to feel a little safer in a home that didn't feel like your own.

Still, you feel wrong. Still you shake, still you quiver, still tears fall from your eyes. You pull at your hair, nails digging into your scalp as you whine. You feel like a dog. A shaking, starving mutt. With visible ribs, and a shaky stature. You'll whine and whimper and yet no one will bat an eye. No one cares for a mutt. They'll only care if you bare your teeth; if you bark and growl like a bad dog. Only then will they give you the light of day. And their attention will end with a shot, and you'll die being called a bad dog. But you won't understand what being a bad dog means truly, just that these hands that hold you are firm. And that the words spoken are directed towards you. And though you're going to die, your tail wags at the fact that you're finally something other than a mutt. Even if it means being a bad dog.

But in the end, you can't bring yourself to be a bad dog. So you'll stay a mutt. Stay shivering and shaking with your ribs practically poking through your skin. Stay unseen and unheard. And you think, perhaps it's better to stay a mutt than try and be anything else. Because a mutt is all you'll ever be.

Chapter Text

You awaken with a start when Kenji yells, something about the water being cold, you think? Your mind isn't processing things as fast as it should be, a fog of sleepiness slowing it down. Sleep has never been better on these lackluster beds. Sure, they were dusty and stiff, but it's better than sleeping on the ground.

Ever since everyone (minus Yasmina and you) finished building the new fort, the nights you lay awake, waiting for an attack of some sort, have decreased tremendously. Because of this, you turn around in your dusty bed, fully prepared to fall right back into the arms of sleep. However, a constant clunking immediately ruins those plans.

“Come on, just open!” Sammy, you assume, grunts.

Sitting up from your comfy spot on the bed, you scoff at her actions. Trying to open a can of green beans with an ice cream scooper won't do any good. So, you grab the butter knife Kenji had found in what used to be rubble, and hand it to Sammy.

“Oh! Thanks, Y/n!” Sammy smiles at you, switching the ice cream scooper for the butter knife without a second thought. With a quick jab, the can splits open a bit and you swear you can see sparkles in Sammy's eyes.

Flattening out your bed head as best as you can, you sit on the couch next to Darius. Usually you'd shower after you got up, but when you've got a guy named Kenji taking up the shower all the time, that becomes a hard routine to maintain.

“You good?” Darius asks, eyes glancing up at you from his notebook as he writes.

“Yeah.” Your voice comes out husky from sleep, and you clear your throat in embarrassment. “Just tired.”

Darius nods in understanding, going back to writing in his notebook before a giant, empty jug of water flies across the table, successfully drawing his attention away from his research.

“¡No mas agua! A little help!” Kenji calls from inside the little shower room you all had built. He waves his hand expectantly over the curtain.

“I got you, Kenj.” Darius places his notebook on the table, walking towards the slide that leads to the ground below.

“You can't keep babying him.” You tell Darius with a frown. This is what? The 20th time Darius has fetched more water for Kenji?

“Right. If you keep doing that for him, he'll never learn to do it himself.” Yasmina adds.

Darius grabs the empty jug from the wooden ground, shrugging his shoulders at Yasmina and you, and then sliding down the wooden slide.

You shake your head at his actions, sharing a disappointed look with Yasmina. At least, until a soggy green bean is waved in front of your face.

“Here ya go!” Sammy exclaims.

You take the green bean from her hand, grimacing at the texture before throwing it into your mouth and chewing mindlessly. Yeah, you weren't the biggest fan of canned food, but you can't be too picky on a dinosaur-filled island.

“I really don't understand how you guys eat that stuff,” Brooklynn says tiredly, sitting up on her bed with a yawn.

You're about to remind her that she ate an entire can of mushrooms that nobody wanted, but are interrupted by a yell from Darius.

“Uh, guys!”

Yasmina, Sammy, Brooklynn, and you all share concerned glances at each other, immediately rushing down the slide of the tree house while Kenji takes his sweet time putting some clothes on.

Once you all make it down, with Kenji lagging behind as he fixes his still damp hair, you all gape at the sight in front of you. Where there used to be a river of water, there's now just a deep ditch in the dirt.

“Where'd the water go?” Sammy asks, eyes wide in confusion as she looks into the ditch.

“Why don't we ask Mr. 45-Minute Shower?” Yasmina answers, side-eyeing Kenji.

Kenji's head swivels in her direction, obviously insulted by her words given his expression. “Hey, looking good is part of my brand!”

“But there's no way he'd drain an entire river.” You ignore Kenji, leaning over the edge of the ditch to take in the sight. The soil still looked damp, puddles strewn about in the deeper crevices. It wasn't too long ago that the water disappeared, it seems.

You watch as Brooklynn jumps into the ditch, dipping her hand into a puddle. Though your attention quickly moves to Darius instead as he begins to speak.

“We better figure out what's up, or we're gonna run out of drinking water. Let's–”

The boy is interrupted as Brooklynn, now on the other side of the empty river, shushes him. Everyone goes quiet, looking at her and then around themselves in search of a possible threat.

“I hear that hum again.” Everyone groans at her words. “The river must've been drowning it out. If I follow that sound, I can find that–”

“--frozen patch of flowers.” You all finish for her.

“Oh. I mentioned it, huh?” She folds her arms over her chest sheepishly.

“The frozen flowers you saw once but have never found again? Yeah. A few hundred times.” Kenji complains, a finger picking in his ear. The action makes your nose wrinkle in disgust.

“Uh, I'm sorry for wanting to get to the bottom of all this weirdness on the island. I came here to unbox–”

“--unbox Jurassic World, and that's what I'm gonna do.” Everyone finishes Brooklynn's sentence once again, having heard it one too many times. All Brooklynn can do is stare at you all in perplexity.

“If you're gonna go look for the noise, I'll come too! If that's okay.” Sammy jumps up at the idea of an adventure, quickly hopping over the ditch and landing at Brooklynn's left with a large smile. “It'd be nice to have an adventure for a fun reason and not a ‘fleeing dinosaurs or facing imminent death’ reason.”

“I'll go if Sammy is!” Yasmina follows in the girl's footsteps. Although, when she gets to the other side, she quickly fixes her wording. “And uh, Brooklynn! Brooklynn, too.”

“Ooh, it's a Camp Cretaceous girl adventure!” Sammy then looks towards you, eyes sparkling as a new idea sparks in her mind. “Why don't you come too, Y/n? We won't mind a plus one!”

You quickly break eye contact with her, glancing over towards Darius. “Nah, I'd rather make sure we don't die of thirst.”

Darius nods towards you with a smile. “Great! While you three find the frozen flowers. Y/n, Kenji, and I will figure out why the river stopped.”

Kenji turns towards Darius with a dumbfounded look, too busy picking at his ears to pay attention to what you all were saying. “Sorry, Kenji do what, now?”

“You wanna keep up your shower habit, don't ya? And, y’know, also survive? Let's go unbox the mystery of the missing water!” Darius throws his arms open, a wide smile on his face in an attempt to draw some enthusiasm out of Kenji.

The rich boy stares at Darius with a blank face before sighing. “Fine, I'm in. It makes sense. I know this island like the back–”

“--the back of my VIP hand.” Everyone finishes his sentence just like they had done for Brooklynn. Kenji can only gape at you all before shaking his head.

“We have been spending way too much time together.” With a sigh, he follows you and Darius as the two of you walk along the empty river.

There was little to no banter as the three of you walked alongside the river. Kenji's so apprehensive about this whole trip that he's quiet for once, and Darius is writing things down in his notebook as he walks.

When Darius passes a fallen branch, he does a double-take, and snatches the branch into his hands. You're about to ask him what his deal is, but the shorter boy beats you to it.

“The trees here are genetically different from any other tree in the world! Did you guys know they reproduce through spores instead of seeds?” He goes on a short rant, eyes wholeheartedly focused on the branch he held in his arms.

“Cool.” Kenji huffs, turning away from the two of you to survey your guy's surroundings. He holds the butter knife you had previously given Sammy in his hands, wielding it like a sword. It was funny looking, to be frank.

“I mean, it'd make sense. There weren't any flowering plants or trees until the Cretaceous period.” You decide to put some thought into your answer, eyeing the branch in Darius’s hands with interest.

The boy in question nods his head with a smile, maneuvering the branch so that he could write something down in his notebook. “Right, flowering plants only appeared in the middle to late Cretaceous period. That's why there aren't many flowers on the island, since the dinosaurs here are a mix between the Jurassic and Cretaceous period!”

You nod along with his words, following Kenji as he leads the both of you.

“Even their structure is different! I wonder how they managed to get the trees modified to this point?” Darius's eyes wander towards your face, though he quickly forces his gaze down to his notebook once you spare a glance at him.

“Well, they created living dinosaurs, so ancient trees aren't too out of the question.” You glance at the trees as you say this, observing their rather weird builds.

“Still, the way these trees grow out of each other is so amazing.” Darius hums to himself, jotting down some quick notes, if only to occupy himself.

“It's natural for trees to do that. It's called inosculation.” Realizing how nerdy that sounds, you grimace, turning your head away from Darius. “I'm, uh, not sure if that applies to ancient trees, though.”

Darius stares at you even as you shake your head dismissively. When his gaze falls back onto the notebook in his hands, he realizes he accidentally included your words into his notes.

Ignoring the abnormal way his heart is beating in his chest, Darius continues commenting on the trees surrounding the three of you. And in return, you answer his hypotheticals.

This goes on for a bit, with Kenji waving the butter knife around cautiously and Darius frolicking about as he writes in his notebook. At least until Darius backs into Kenji, poking him with the tree branch he was still holding onto.

Kenji yelps, fear striking across his face as he whirls around with his butter knife pointed towards Darius and you. But once he realizes there's no real threat, his fear turns into annoyance as he watches Darius continue writing.

“Dude, this is the tenth tree on a tree you've written about. How can you be so obsessed with trees growing out of other trees?!” Kenji waves his hands around as he complains.

“These are part of the triceratops’ food chain.” Darius explains. “You'll love this. They contain neochrome–”

“Wasn't looking for an answer.” Kenji interrupts the boy

“Then don't ask.” You flick Kenji's arm, dodging his hand when he reaches to flick you back.

Kenji scoffs, throwing a quick glare at you, and walks into the ditch you all had been walking alongside. Opening an empty water bottle, the boy reaches towards a stray puddle and scoops some clean water into the plastic bottle.

“Kenji, I know you like to pretend this place isn't cool, but look around! How crazy is it that we're living with dinosaurs?”

Kenji only stares at Darius with disinterest, watching as some Parasaurolophus’ get scared off by Darius's waving arms.

“When they're not trying to eat us,” Darius clarifies, before gasping. He runs over towards a steaming hunk of sulfide minerals, crouching down so close that you're a little concerned for his safety. “Dinosaurs compete over geothermal vents to use as incubation chambers for eggs!”

The younger boy then turns towards you and Kenji, a bright smile on his face. “See? Cooool!” He drags the word out, inviting the two of you to agree.

You nod your head, but Kenji refuses to entertain Darius.

“Dirt and steam may be never-ending sources of wonder for you two, but my standards are a little higher.” Kenji walks off, leaving the two dino-buddies all by their lonesome.

“What's up with him?” Darius asks with a frown.

“He's just grumpy because he can't laze around all day like he planned to. Come on.” You follow after Kenji reluctantly, a little peeved that the boy was being such a wretch.

“Oh, I know!” Darius whispers excitedly towards you, giving you a quick smile before bounding up to Kenji. He walks backwards in front of the rich boy, a smug expression worn on his face. “Broseph, only VIP dinos with mad connects can get primo egg cribs.”

Your face twists into an expression of disgust at Darius's performance, watching as Kenji walks right past the boy.

“Didn't we talk about you and the bro-talk?” Kenji doesn't even look back as he says this, utterly uninterested.

Darius sighs, giving a pleading look towards you. You shake your head rapidly, but Darius refuses to give up.

“Please?” He whispers, walking beside you. “Maybe he'll listen to you?”

You're not sure why he'd think that, but you weren't against the idea of annoying Kenji, because so far, that's all this is leading up to. So, with a roll of your eyes, you nod your head, ignoring Darius's beaming smile as you speed up your pace to catch up with Kenji.

“You know, it's a little sad.” You begin, crossing your arms over your chest with a frown. “You're so used to all this, you can't see how cool this place is to normal people.”

“Normal people?” Kenji asks with a raised brow.

“Y'know, people that don't have VIP access like you do. Not all of us can see the wonders of Jurassic World whenever we please.” The corners of your lips twitch, a little annoyed with how intently Kenji is staring at you in your peripheral vision. “You know the ins and the outs of this place, so I can see why you're so uninterested.”

Kenji sighs, finally pausing in his journey as he responds, “I've seen it all. Like, a gazillion times. Once you get used to it, this place is all just a bunch of phony props.”

He turns towards Darius, who was obviously listening in, and gestures towards some ferns behind him. “Those ferns you're so psyched about?” He pulls the large leaves down, revealing a speaker behind it. “There to hide speakers.”

Darius frowns, his hopeful gaze disappearing as he stares at Kenji's display of blasé.

“Sorry, bros, but I am way over Isla Nublar. There's nothing here for me.” Kenji walks off, disappointment in the air as Darius pulls down the fern the same way Kenji did; staring at the speaker behind it in betrayal. You pat his back solemnly, only faltering when Kenji calls out to the two of you.

“Whoa, you guys! You were right!”

You and Darius exchange surprised glances, running to Kenji only to come across a dreary sight.

“I can't believe it! It's a dead end?!” Kenji says in mock excitement. Gasping, he continues with a fake smile that irks you. “This place is the coolest!”

In front of your group lies a large rock formation. A cliff, if you will; with the faintest amount of water trickling down a dip in the rocks where they've been eroded. Darius ignores Kenji's teasing, walking forward with the tree branch held in his left hand.

“It's a waterfall. Or should be.” He turns around, excitement clear on his face as he clutches the branch with a smile. “You know what this means! Who's up for rock climbing?” Darius pumps his fists, raising his hand as he continues. “That's cool, right? Don't leave me hanging!” His bright smile stays even as Kenji walks past him without a word.

Before his smile can fall, you slap his hand with your own. Though the action quickly backfires as a stinging rings across you and Darius’ hands. Luckily for you, Brooklynn had re-wrapped your hand not too long ago, so it was Darius who received the brunt of the impact. The two of you wince, holding your hands in pain, before a laugh escapes your lips. And it doesn't take long for Darius to join in on the laughter.

“Is, um,” the shorter boy stumbles over his words, snickers still leaving his mouth despite trying to calm himself down. “Is your hand okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.” You grin back at him, the fleeting happiness too much for you to push away.

Darius stares up at you for a bit, distracted by your face, until you lightly hit his shoulder with your own.

“Have you ever gone rock climbing before?” You ask. The boy stays silent for a second, before his shoulders raise as he realizes you're talking to him.

“Oh! Yeah–I'm so ready for this!” He raises his arms in the air, making a show out of his stretching. “I might as well be a Deinonychus with how good I am at climbing walls!”

You laugh at his words, still following Kenji as the boy tries to find a good starting spot for the expedition. Coming to a stop in front of the rock formation, you heave a sigh. You're definitely going to get sweaty from this, but at least you'll be able to take a shower afterwards. Hopefully.

Your lungs take in all the air they can as you pull yourself to the top of the cliff, Darius and Kenji in similar states. Darius turns to lie on his back, chest rising and falling rapidly.

“That was so great!” A smile breaks out across his face despite the sweat falling down his forehead.

You can only hum, falling onto your stomach as you lie still for a few seconds. You wonder if you'd be super buff by the end of all this.

“Yeah.” Kenji says the words with a huff, on his hands and knees as he regains his composure. Between his gasps of air, Kenji manages to speak again. “Who needs actual enjoyment when you have that?”

You and Darius look up at his words, gasping at the sight before you. Darius quickly sits up in a tailor fashion, staring in wonder at what used to be a plentiful river. Now, only a small stream can pass through the dam made of rocks, branches, and one uprooted tree. The main barrier that's stopping the water being the latter mentioned.

You sit up as well, placing your hands on your knees as you lean forward with squinting eyes, trying to get a better visual of the dam.

“That explains our water problem.” Darius concludes. Pressing his hands together in front of his face, the boy begins constructing a plan in his mind. “Okay, so, all we have to do is move that tree, and we should be good to go. It's gonna be lit!”

“Darius, stop–please.” You beg, running your hands down your face at his language. He spares you a guilty smile before Kenji grabs his attention.

“You're seriously going to try to convince me this will be cool?” Kenji asks in bewilderment.

Darius only grins with pleading eyes, as you slowly inch forward with an imploring expression of your own. You didn't really care if Kenji was enjoying this or not, but if Darius wanted him to have a good time so badly, you definitely weren't going to stop him.

“You too?” Kenji asks with furrowed brows, a frown tugging at his lips. With a disbelieving groan, the black-haired boy stands, using Darius's head as leverage to do so. “Let's just get this over with.”

You offer a glare in Kenji's direction, but the boy himself pays no mind to it. So, with a sigh, Darius and you follow after Kenji; with the former rubbing the top of his head with a pout.

Only once the three of you are standing in front of the tree do you realize just how big this thing is. It's a wonder how it got here in the first place.

First off, the three of you try pulling the hunk of bark. Kenji grabs a higher part of the tree, wrapping his fingers around the bark as he pulls. Darius digs his shoes into the damp dirt as he attempts to yank a lower part of the tree. You push against the trunk in the direction Darius and Kenji are pulling, yet it doesn't move an inch. The only thing you got out of this was damp spots on your sweater where you made contact with the tree.

Immediately, you come to the conclusion that there's no possible way for the three of you alone to move this tree. Hell, you doubt you could even if Brooklynn, Yasmina, and Sammy were here with you. You'd need some heavy equipment to even get a grip on the bark with its current condition.

Giving up on the possibility of moving the humongous tree with your bare hands, you stand back and watch as Darius and Kenji try pushing and pulling at every angle to try and move the tree.

It couldn't have been too long since it got there, considering the dampness of the riverbed, the dirt around it, and the tree itself. Something must've knocked it into place there, and the only thing that had the strength to do so was a–

A harsh bellow rings out across the otherwise quiet space, and you just barely resist the urge to scream when a hand grabs you and pulls you down behind the tree. Looking to the side, you find that it was Darius who had pulled you down, but he stares ahead instead of looking at you.

Following his line of sight, you watch as two Stegosaurus duke it out. The one farther from your group turns and whips its spiky tail at the other, a hearty growl ripping from its mouth.

You only take your eyes off the battle when a shoulder bumps into your own, and you spare a glance to the side only to see Kenji shuffling closer to you. With a huff, you push him away, ignoring the frightened whine that leaves his lips.

“They're fighting for dominance!” Darius whispers excitedly, peering over the brown bark with eyes full of wonder. “Stegos are super territorial.”

The herbivore closer to the three of you spins around, swinging its tail towards the other like a whip. The strength of its tail doesn't go underestimated, as it hits a stone the size of your head and sends it flying towards your trio.

With a yelp, your group ducks down just as the stone makes contact with the large tree, breaking off a portion of the bark and turning it into splinters. Kenji huddles into a ball, and it's so pathetic you can't help but pat his back out of pity. Taking your eyes off the cowering boy, you watch as Darius picks up the remnants of the broken piece of bark, examining it as if it were a piece of gold.

Behind you, the groans and growls of the Stegosaurus’ are all the more horrifying. The sounds bring you back to when you broke your glasses, when you thought you were going to suffocate in a pit of mud. You find your hands gripping Kenji where you were previously patting him, and swiftly pull away when he raises his head. Avoiding eye contact with the boy, you look towards Darius, watching as he squints at the aggression of the Stegosaurus’.

Again, a large stone hits the bark when one of the Stegosaurus swings its tail. Turning a part of the tree into little splinters and moving it as well.

“I know how to fix our water problem!” Darius announces, walking around the tree and towards the two Stegosaurus.

“What? No, no, Darius!” Kenji calls helplessly.

“Darius, wait!” You lift yourself up, but when another growl leaves the Stegosaurus’s mouth, you find it impossible to move your legs.

“Hey! Over here!” The boy yells, jumping and waving his arms in an attempt to draw the large herbivores’ attention.

The reptiles pay no mind to him however, and despite it being selfish, you feel relieved. Kenji groans from beside you, standing with shaky limbs before running over towards Darius. As if his movements had snapped you out of a trance, you decide that you can't just sit and let Darius put himself in danger. So with a stilted breath, you lift yourself up and sprint towards Darius and Kenji.

Kenji grabs the boy’s collar and his arm, trying to pull him back to the safety of the tree; but Darius tears himself from Kenji’s grip with vigor you didn't think he had in him.

Darius cups his hands around his mouth, loudly mimicking the bellows and groans that the Stegosaurus’ are making. Still, the large reptiles don't even realize the three of you are there. And yet again, you feel sickening relief that Darius's plan isn't going his way.

That relief leaves as soon as Kenji places his fingers into his mouth, doing a four-finger whistle that immediately causes one of the Stegosaurus to turn its head towards the three of you. Not a second later, it roars aggressively, charging towards the three of you.

A scream rips itself from your lips and you find yourself running away before your mind can even comprehend the danger. But before you can get too far, a hand pulls you back by your arm. In front of the tree, Darius holds you and Kenji in place.

“Hold.” He says sternly, and it takes everything in you not to tear yourself from his grip and run away.

Kenji gasps as the Stegosaurus gallops closer, roars and growls falling from its maw. You distantly find yourself being held onto by both Kenji and Darius, but you're not sure if it's because they can sense your need to run or because of their own fear.

“Hold.” Darius repeats.

The herbivore comes to a stop just a foot or two in front of your group, spinning around and lifting its tail in preparation for a deadly blow.

“Now!” Darius pushes you and Kenji down, forcing all of you to roll out of the way.

The Stegosaurus’s tail makes a harsh whipping sound as it makes contact with the tree behind the three of you. And right after that, there's the relieving sound of rushing water as the dam breaks apart. Still, your trio continues running away from the roaring Stegosaurus.

“We got it!” Darius yells happily, before getting pulled down by Kenji to avoid getting hit by the agitated dinosaur.

“Great! Now how do we get rid of it?!” Kenji shrieks, looking behind himself briefly towards the large reptiles chasing you three.

His question is answered when the other Stegosaurus appears from the shrubs, colliding with the one from before. Distracted by the aggression from the new offender, the Stegosaurus that was previously chasing the three of you forgets all about your guys’ little performance.

After the three of you manage to put some distance between you and the aggressive herbivores, your trio skids to a stop. It's quiet aside from the heavy panting, and you feel a faint pain in your side from all the running you've done today.

“Cool!” Kenji breathes out, still taking heavy breaths of air.

Darius nods merrily, chest raising and falling rapidly.

You pay no mind to the two of them, too busy trying to get as much air into your lungs as possible. At least, you were until the sound of stomping appeared out of nowhere.

Looking up, your little group ceases all movement at the sight of a Ceratosaurus standing just a few feet away. For a few seconds it simply stares, a low rumble emitting from its chest.

Kenji shakingly pulls out his butter knife, holding it in front of himself defensively. Meanwhile, you and Darius can only gaze at the large carnivore in disbelief. Slowly, the three of you inch closer together, with Darius just slightly hiding behind Kenji's taller frame.

The large theropod snorts, a puff of air leaving its nostrils. You watch out of the corner of your eye as Kenji briefly fixes his hair before readjusting his grip on the butter knife. If you weren't being stared down by a carnivore almost twice your size, you would have rolled your eyes. Of course, if the Ceratosaurus wasn't genetically altered, it'd only be around six and a half feet tall, but this one stood at a whopping ten feet; so, there's that.

You're pulled out of your scientifically accurate thoughts when the large theropod swiftly turns its head and walks off. Your group stands still for a few moments more, before hesitantly following in its path. And the sight that greets you is one you wouldn't expect to see on this hellish island.

Just over some grassy hills lies a humongous watering hole. The water is practically sparkling with the way the sun is reflecting off it. Carnivores and herbivores alike surround it in a special kind of peace you wouldn't see elsewhere.

“A watering hole.” Darius whispers, with an amazed sparkle in his eyes. “Dr. Grant theorized they could become neutral ground for predators and prey under the right conditions.”

You watch as the Ceratosaurus from before dips its snout into the water for a drink, right next to a Sinoceratops who was doing the same.

“Now, without any fences or people around, we might be the first people to ever see something like this.” Darius continues.

Not long after saying those words, Darius runs off towards the watering hole, leaving you and Kenji behind. And despite your hesitancy, you find yourself looking back at Kenji.

“Come on.” You order, watching as he fights with himself on whether he should listen or not. Though with the final push of Darius calling his name, the rich boy finally pushes away his fear and follows behind you. He still holds the butter knife like it'll actually do anything, but it was progress nonetheless.

In-between the Ceratosaurus and the Sinoceratops, the three of you crouch down on the damp dirt in front of the watering hole.

“Uh, guys, are you sure this is safe?” Kenji whimpers.

Darius doesn't answer him verbally, instead gently pushing Kenji's knife wielding hands down to draw his attention elsewhere. And it actually works, to your surprise. You watch as the tension in Kenji's shoulders disappears, and as he loosens his grip on the butter knife.

What ruins it is the fact that the two of them reach forward to cup their hands in the water and drink it. And your mouth just so happens to run faster than your brain at that moment.

“That's disgusting.” Your brows furrow as you watch their gross display of calmness. Did they not know that these dinosaurs also happened to use this place as a bath? Or that they were basically swapping spit with them as well? You see Darius give you a look, but you promptly ignore it as Kenji starts sniffling.

“Kenji?” Darius says softly, staring in confusion at the boy to his right.

“It's just so majestic.” The boy murmurs with watery eyes.

Rolling your eyes with a grin, you pat Kenji's back roughly as you stand up; the two of them doing the same not long after.

“Thanks, you guys.” Kenji mutters quietly. “This is so…”

“Cool?” Darius implores, barely containing the excitement within himself.

Kenji shakes his head fondly before answering the shorter boy. “Super cool.”

With the achievement of making Kenji see just how cool the island is, the three of you walk back towards the foliage. Kenji plops down at the base of a tree, laying against it with a relaxed smile while you and Darius sit on either side of him.

“I wish Dr. Grant were here. He'd write the most amazing article about this.” Darius sighs wistfully.

“You don't need that guy,” Kenji insists. “You've got your nerd book.”

“This?” Darius asks in surprise, pulling out his little notebook from his back pocket. “No, I'm just messing around.”

“Kenji's right,” The words seem to shock everyone present, including yourself. “You're the one experiencing it, why not do it yourself? Who needs Dr. Grant when you have Dr. Darius?”

The last part was a bit of a joke, but you did mean what you said. There's a small bout of silence on their end, which begins to make you feel self conscious about your words, before Kenji's snickering.

“See? Bookworm agrees!” He laughs, joyfully shaking your shoulder with his hand. “If this is really something no one's ever seen, I bet you could make that doctor dork mad jealous that you saw it, and he didn't!”

Darius huffs, a smile tugging at his lips. “You guys wanna stay a little longer?”

“Why not?” Kenji sighs as he closes his eyes, crossing his arms behind his head as he fully relaxes against the tree behind him. “Place even has a sweet resting tree.”

You and Darius share a tender look, gentle smiles on both of your faces. While Darius starts writing in his journal, you stare off at the watering hole. Although you certainly wouldn't drink from it, you can't deny its beauty.

And with that, your little water adventure is officially finished.

Back at camp, you sit on the sofa next to Darius. Sometimes you'll peek at what he's writing, but you're mostly resting your eyes. Or at least, that's what you say you're doing when Kenji bothers you about it.

“You sure you're not sleeping?” He asks for the millionth time.

With a groan, you lean your head further back, before sitting up straight. “Yes, Kenji.”

You hear him mutter an unconvinced, “Okay…” before walking off.

Ultimately giving up on the idea of resting your eyes, you stare at what Darius has down so far. You only realize you're staring when Darius mumbles your name faintly.

“Oh, sorry.” You apologize automatically, scooting further away from the boy.

“No, no, it's fine! Do you wanna add anything?” Darius offers, holding his little guide out towards you.

You take the small book from his hands carefully, swiftly looking through the current content before turning towards him.

“I don't think there's much to add but, um, maybe you could ask Yasmina if she'd like to add some drawings next to what you've got so far.”

Darius takes the guidebook back, smiling brightly at your suggestion.

“That's a great idea! Thanks, N/n!”

You smile, before your face goes blank. At your silence, Darius turns his head towards you.

“Oh, sorry, is it okay if I call you that?” He asks, a speckle of regret in his voice.

Before you know it, your face is growing warm and you have to fake a cough to excuse your silence.

“Uh, yeah! It's fine.” You reassure him, fidgeting with the collar of your crew neck.

Darius lets a relieved smile stretch across his face, before he goes back to writing in his guidebook. And thinking of it, did you see something about inosculation in there? Before you can think too much about it, your thoughts are interrupted when a new voice makes itself present.

“Looks like someone solved the water sitch.” Brooklynn says as she climbs up to the treehouse.

“You're welcome. All me.” Kenji says smugly, plopping onto the sofa next to you.

The girls all cheer from the news, with Sammy jumping in joy. When the cheers die down, Brooklynn reaches into her pocket and pulls out some sort of card.

“And we found this!” She says proudly.

The three of you on the couch stare quietly at her as she shows off the card like it was a diamond.

“Was that something you were looking for?” Darius asks in confusion.

“Kinda!” Brooklynn claps Sammy's hand in victory. Victory over what you ask? Well, you have no idea.

Your trio share looks of confusion, but go along with their excitement either way.

“Okay, awesome! Have fun with… whatever you're using that for.”

“Yeah, that thing.”

“Whoo-hoo.”

“You know,” Sammy starts. “If Esther Stone was here, she'd say–”

“‘Life is hard, so any day that goes somewhat right, deserves to be celebrated with a party.’” Kenji cuts her off.

The girls stare at him in still silence, until Kenji has enough of their staring.

“What? It's a great show, okay? The relationship between Esther and her dad is really compelling.”

Ignoring the fact that you and Darius had no idea what they were talking about, Sammy went on with what she was going to say.

“Uh, well, in the spirit of Esther Stone, let's…”

“Party!”

You all clink Jurassic World mugs together, even though they only have water in them. By now, the sky is dark, and you can easily see the stars with the absence of light pollution.

“And ch-ch-ch-check it out!” Kenji slams an old looking recorder onto the table before pressing play, a familiar voice emitting from the device.

“Oh, yeah! Feel the beat that I made. Are you ready, ready, ready? Dave special!”

All of you besides Kenji stare in a mixture of displeasure and stupefaction at the recorder.

“Music, music, music, music, music, music…”

“Nope, I'm out.” Yasmina leaves her mug on the table as she walks away from the situation.

“Kenji, what is this?” Sammy asks in concern.

“Dave's demos.” The boy responds. “Found it in what was left of his bunk and was waiting for the perfect time to show you… Hold up. Here's the best part!”

“Dave, Dave, Da-Da-Da-Dave. Get that thing out of my face. What are you even doing?”

You watch as everyone starts moving to the beat, if you can even call it that. And although you have to admit that some tunes after who knows how long without music were wonderful, you refuse to dance to Dave's pitiful attempt at a music career.

“Makin’ music, makin’ music. Ooh! Making music, making art. Order number one, order number two, order number three.”

You watch as Darius makes his way over to Yasmina, likely to see what she drew in his guidebook so far. He had asked her sometime while you all were setting the camp up for the party, you assume.

You were content to just sit while everyone else partied, but Sammy thought otherwise.

“Cmon, Y/n!” She begs, as if her strong grip wasn't already pulling you off the sofa.

You stand stiffly as Brooklynn, Sammy, and Kenji all sway next to you. You feel as if you're making it awkward, and you really don't want to ruin their fun, so you start to back up. But before you can scurry away, Kenji wraps an arm around your shoulders, forcing you to copy his weird imitation of dancing. Because if you know something about dancing, it's that Kenji is definitely not doing it.

Ignoring that though, you can actually feel yourself smiling at the absurdity of it all. You're on a dinosaur-filled island, listening to trashy rap music that Dave made, and dancing to it. Just thinking about it has you bursting into a fit of laughter. Brooklynn briefly leaves to get Darius to join, before everyone is dancing and laughing at Dave's music.

“Uh-huh. Dave is actually pretty good.” Darius nods to the music.

“There's no way you believe that.” You laugh, still held in Kenji's grasp.

“Look at that!” Sammy's voice draws your attention away from trashy music and dancing, instead directing it towards the night sky.

You all watch as shooting stars soar across the sky. Some chuckles ring out across your group, and you faintly feel someone place a hand on your shoulder. Though your attention quickly drifts to the sight of fire and the trail of smoke coming off of it. Not only that, but it's somewhere in the jungle right in front of you. It seems you're not the only one who's noticed either, considering the new, tense silence.

“What is that?” Yasmina asks quietly.

“A fire.” Brooklynn raises a brow at the sight.

“A campfire!” Sammy gasps.

“Guys… we're not alone.” Darius concludes.

Hope swirls in your mind, but at the same time, there's dread piling up in your stomach. And you don't know whether to trust your mind or your gut.

Chapter Text

Running through the forest at night wasn't something you planned to do, nor would you ever want to do. But after seeing that fire in the distance, you all wasted little to no time in running towards the campfire. 

One after another, you each would take turns climbing up the trees to make sure you all were still heading in the right direction. Still, you had your doubts.

What if the fire was started by some dinosaurs? Of course, you don't think a dinosaur is going to pick up a match anytime soon, but maybe they knocked something flammable into a rogue spark? But even on the offset chance that's what happened, it would have made some noise. This was quiet, and quiet meant that the fire had a purpose. 

So you ran, and you ran, your heart beating faster each time one of you climbed up that tree. Were you scared that the fire would disappear? Yes, definitely. Were you also scared of what you'd see if you made it to the fire? Also, yes. 

The stick in your hand rubbed against your palm as you ran. Sure, a stick probably wouldn't do much against the predators on this island, but the false feeling of safety was enough for you. Plus, they took down mammoths with sticks back in the ice age, granted they were sharpened, longer, and more stable. Either way, you just held hope that you all would make it to the campfire before any predators found you. Darius's smile was bright as he climbed up the closest tree, but as he came back down, he held an expression of fear. 

“The bonfire, it's gone.” He mutters, his brows pinched in dread.

“What if they left?” Sammy worries. “What if-” 

“No one could have left the island that fast.” You interrupt.

“But what if they did?” She asks, clutching the stick in her hands like a lifeline. 

“If we weren't able to leave the island in an hour, I doubt these people could do it in under a minute.” The words came out rather rudely, but they were meant to be reassuring.

“Alright,” Darius started. “We can't give up now. Let's try to keep going in the direction the campfire was, and-” 

A growl among the dark of the jungle intercepted the boy's words. Your heart skyrocketed, and in an instant, everyone was huddling together. Briefly, you wonder how you had forgotten that you were on a dinosaur-filled island, but it didn't help to think about that now of all times. Your grip on the stick grew unsteady, your hands growing clammy with sweat.

“Could be a really big Compy, right?” Kenji whispers optimistically. “Darius, didn't you say they were creepo skylarks?” 

“I said they were crepuscular.” Darius corrects him.

A snarl from behind your group has you all screaming as a Ceratosaurus pounces on you all from behind some shrubs. Some of you stumble on your feet getting away, but you all manage to get upright in time to make a run for it either way. 

The roar that the carnivore emits causes your ears to ring; whether that's because of the actual power of the roar or the proximity between you and the creature, you don't really care. All that matters to you at the moment is getting away from this two meter tall dinosaur. 

The green foliage leaves an itchy feeling across your skin as you push through it, face hot from how fast you were running. You could feel the ground shake as the sound of thumping got closer. On one hand, you were glad you could hear the sound of the Ceratosaurus's footsteps, and on the other hand, it just made it all the more scary to hear it get closer and closer. 

A different sort of thump, and a yelp following it, has you turning around from the direction you were running. Your heart skips a beat when you see Kenji hit the ground, the culprit of his fall being an outstretched branch.

A fight occurs within yourself. Would you rather live, or would you risk yourself for that rich boy? The answer comes to you when Kenji lets out a pained groan as Sammy trips over him, and the heavy footsteps of the carnivore grow closer. 

Taking a sharp turn, you make a grab for the boy's shoulders, but when he stays balled up in fear, you curse. 

“Kenji get up!” You order, heart pumping faster as the Ceratosaurus appears from behind the dense forest. 

Instead of doing what you had in mind, the boy throws himself onto you, taking the both of you down. What he thought that would do, you had no idea. Luckily, the two of you aren't dinosaur chow just yet, as Brooklynn, Darius, and Yasmina take a stand against the dinosaur. 

“Okay, come on!” Brooklynn pumps herself up, baseball bat held tightly in her hands. 

As the Ceratosaurus closes in on your group, all you can hear is your own heartbeat, along with Kenji's hurried breathing against your neck. But when a red light soars across the air above the large carnivore, drawing its attention with the addition of your own, your heart beats fast for a different reason. The red light explodes, and the single-horned dinosaur growls in a mixture of pain and shock. 

“Get down!” An unfamiliar voice shouts, forcefully pushing Brooklynn to the ground. 

You yelp when someone grabs you, shoving you along with the boy clinging onto you behind a fallen tree. Despite your initial annoyance, you watch in wonder as multiple flares go off, exploding into an array of red sparks. The Ceratosaurus continues to whine before making a break for it, disappearing into the dense jungle it had originally appeared from. 

Once the threat is gone, your eyes focus on three figures standing in front of your group. Though, it's hard to see with the smoke filling the air. Coughs rip from some of you, the smoke infiltrating your lungs. A gasp from Darius has two of the figures turning to your group on the ground.

“Oh, thank goodness. You're okay.” A woman sighs. Her mostly white clothing has you arching a brow, and her blonde hair and lipstick stained lips have you even more confused. A professional looking camera hangs from a thick strap around her neck as well. As the silence goes on, from utter shock and confusion, the random adults grow concerned. 

“You are okay, aren't you?” The man next to the woman questions. His appearance is less poise, a similar white hat being worn with a half unbuttoned blue shirt. He wears a thick strap around his neck as well, an identical camera hanging from said strap.

The third member of their group, an older looking man with a ruggish appearance, walks closer. His unshaven beard and hard stare give you a sense of normalcy for whatever reason. Although having the eyes of all three adults on your group does put you on edge no matter how they look.

“Who… who are you?” Darius finally spits out. 

“Well, after all that, maybe you should call us your salvation.” The bright pink sash tied around her neck draws your attention for a moment, and now you're truly wondering what these people are doing here. 

With the growing daylight putting you all at ease, the ruggish man from before walks ahead of you all, cutting down the foliage to carve a path for your little clique.

“We could not believe it when we saw your campfire!” Brooklynn told the cleaner looking adults. 

“Did you get left behind, too?” Yasmina asks. 

Kenji barks out a laugh, shaking his head at the black-haired girl. “Not looking like that, they didn't.”

“Yeah.” Sammy agrees with a smile. “Are you, like, some super stylish rescue squad?” 

“Guys, take a breath.” Darius holds his hands out to calm everyone. “We don't even know your names.”

“I'm Mitch,” the man introduces himself before gesturing towards the woman walking beside him. “and my better half here is Tiff. We're eco-tourists.” 

“That's a fancy way of saying we travel to exotic places and photograph rare animals.” The woman you now know as Tiff explains. 

“I know Simon Masrani.” Kenji brags. “Or… knew.”

“When we heard what happened here, we were, like, zoop!” Mitch goes on, ignoring Kenji. 

“Zoop! Gotta get down here.” Tiff adds. 

You watch their little display quietly, frustration growing the longer you stare at the couple.

“I was fine taking snaps of lions and tigers, but –”

“Pics of dinosaurs in the wild?” Mitch continues Tiff's thoughts. “You don't pass that up, do you, babe?” 

“I guess you don't, babe.” Tiff smiles, leaning into the man. 

You grimace, before asking something that had been on your mind for a bit. “So, who do you work for? Do you have an agency or something?” 

The couple stared back at you in surprise, as if they had forgotten you were behind them. 

“Oh,” Tiff laughs. “I mean, we do it for ourselves mostly. Seeing the world is a nice thing, isn't it?” 

“Yeah.” You answer curtly, a frown tugging at your lips. 

Tiff engages in an awkward staring contest with you until Brooklynn draws her attention.

“I travel, too!” Brooklynn grins. “Before we got stuck here, obvi. You've seen my videos, Brooklynn unboxes the world?” 

The confused glances the couple exchanges with each other puts a strain on Brooklynn's smile. 

“The web channel?” 

Tiff hums before they move on from the topic without any further words. Brooklynn lets out an annoyed scoff. 

“When we activated the emergency distress beacon, we hoped someone would get our signal.” Darius smiles brightly, walking backwards in front of the pair. “I kind of can't believe it worked!”

“Oh, yes, the signal.” Tiff gasps, grabbing Mitch's arm. “Honey, remember when we got that? It was right after the boat dropped us off.” 

A pit grows in your stomach, and you cross your arms in an attempt to stabilize yourself. 

“Really?” You ask, if only to get their attention. Once their eyes are on you, you continue. “I thought 150 miles was farther than that. You must have a really bad system.” 

There's a tense silence after that. Until Tiff laughs.

“Yeah, our EPIRB’s on the older side!” She smiles. 

“Such a shame.” Mitch agrees.

When the aggression from the man leading you all through the jungle is finally noticed, the couple introduces the rough man as Hap, and everyone moves on from the previous conversation. Much to your annoyance.

You continue to glare at the back of their heads. Suspicion running through your veins. Their story wasn't adding up. An old EPIRB with those clothes? No way. Plus, having an old radiobeacon didn't mean their system could be that bad. They were lying. But why?

“Our camp's not much, but hopefully, you'll be okay with roughing it up with us.” Tiff's voice snaps you out of your irritated state. 

Pushing past some stray leaves from where Hap had cut through, a luxurious camp greets your eyes. Not much? You can't stop yourself from rolling your eyes. You're already sick and tired of their humbleness. But to your displeasure, your peers are ever generous. 

“Outta my way!” Yasmina warns before she takes off running further into the camp. 

Soon after, everyone follows in her footsteps. Bursting into different tents, exploring every nook and cranny, and other things of that nature. You only follow after them because you don't want to be left alone with the suspicious adults. 

Peeking into one of the tents, the sight that greets you is more lavish than you'd like to admit. 

“Even the mosquito net is luxurious!” Sammy smiles.

“This is what I imagined Kenji's penthouse would be like.” Yaz comments. “But better because we aren't locked out.”

Brooklynn squeals, “I see brand names!” 

“It's fine, I guess.” Kenji mutters, hands in his pockets. 

You eye him for a second, still a little annoyed by his actions back when you saved him. Or, well, tried to. He doesn't seem to have any survival instincts, which would've killed the two of you if luck wasn't on your guys’ sides. You ultimately end up tuning him out once he starts going on about the formation of the yurts or something. 

Soon after, Sammy discovers a stray can opener laying on the wooden table, gushing over it to Tiff. The woman takes off her hat gingerly. And with a kind smile, she directs a gaze full of pity towards your group. 

“My goodness, I can't imagine how hungry you all must be! Would you like some breakfast?” 

Well, one meal with these people wouldn't hurt.

“Oh, man, that's good!” Sammy says with a mouth full of toast and bacon. 

Swallowing down some of his own toast, Darius continues recounting each and every tale he can think of. “After that, we escaped another dinosaur attack, and another one!”

You chew on a piece of bacon, brows furrowed in disgust as you watch Kenji lick the remains of his meal off his plate. With a sigh, you push your plate towards him. There were only eggs left on your plate, but he seemed grateful either way. 

“And then we saw your bonfire…” Darius's words trail off as he shoves more toast into his mouth.

“This is like cooking back home!” Sammy compliments.

“... and you saved us from a dinosaur attack!” Darius finishes. 

“So many attacks.” Yasmina mumbles.

“And here you are, after all you've been through.” Tiff says, placing her mug of coffee onto the table. “Camp destroyed, being abandoned, losing your friend…” 

You go rigid for a second, nails digging into your arms. It doesn't matter. It shouldn't matter–not anymore. 

“Oh!” Tiff begins fanning herself with her hand, tears brimming at her eyes. 

Her display is met with surprised stares that eventually change into pitiful expressions. Perhaps it hadn't really registered in everyones’ mind just how much you all had gone through. Still, it shouldn't matter anymore. Not with these people here.

“Don't be a downer, babe.” Mitch places a hand on her shoulder, glancing towards your group with a smile. “They're with us now, and they're safe.” 

With his words in mind, your group shares exhilarated smiles. 

“And when our boat comes back in a couple of days–”

“After it refuels in Papagayo.” Tiff reminds her husband.

“After it refuels in Papagayo, we'll get you back to the mainland.” Mitch finishes.

“We're leaving in two days?!” Darius shouts in disbelief. 

“Is this really happening?” Sammy asks, hands balled into fists from the overwhelming anticipation.

“It is, sweetie. You're going home.”

Those words break the dam that is your guys’ excitement, and screams of glee ring out across the camp. 

“Yes! Home!” 

“Yeah!” 

Once the laughter dies down, Mitch captures Darius's attention with some animal pictures on his camera. You watch as Kenji leans back in his chair, gazing at the two. 

“The camera does the work for you.” The rich boy jabs. “I've also got a JC-1000.” 

When his words are completely ignored by the pair, Kenji raises a brow in perplexity. 

“Actually, I've got a JC-3000. Prototype, never been on the market–”

Kenji's jealous rant is interrupted when Darius starts asking Mitch about dinosaur shots and such. Rolling his eyes, Kenji crosses his arms in front of his chest with a frown. 

“Kenji.”

The boy in question jumps, head whipping towards you. 

“Do you actually have those cameras?” You ask, not really because you're interested, but because he's acting just pitiful right now. 

“Uh, yeah, duh. Of course I do!” He grins. 

You stare at him with a deadpan expression. 

“I mean, well, they're not mine. But… they basically are.” He corrects, wiping his hands on his shirt as they grow sweaty. “My dad has a company share with these camera dudes, so he gets first pick on some stuff.” 

You hum, fingers tapping against your arm awkwardly. 

“Are you… into cameras?” Kenji's eyes gaze at you questioningly. 

“What?” Your brows furrow together at his weird suggestion.

“Wait, no, like–” Kenji stutters, eyes widening. “Do you like doing that photo stuff?” 

“Oh,” you pause, taking a moment to think about it. “I used to. I did a lot of research on it and what it took to be a photographer. But I lost interest soon after.” 

Kenji nods his head, hands folding in front of him. “Right. Also, thanks. For, uh, trying to save me. Not that I needed it. I'm just glad someone here can see how valuable I am.” He brushes his words off with a cocky smirk.

Your eyes fall onto him, squinting as you catch an unfamiliar tint falling across his face. “You're welcome, I guess.”

Laughter from Darius and Mitch draws Kenji's attention elsewhere, and his sour mood returns. 

“Looks like your dino-buddy is having fun.” He remarks.

“Yup.” You answer.

“You gonna join him?” He points a finger towards the boy. 

“Nope.” You tap your plate, already missing the meal you finished not too long ago. 

“So… that's a new look.” He eyes your sweater. 

“Uh huh.” Your eyes wander towards Brooklynn, who holds a one-sided conversation with Hap. 

“It's kinda cool.” He compliments.

“Huh?” You mutter, watching as Hap loses his temper with Brooklynn. Not that you can blame him. She can get pretty invasive. “Sorry, what'd you say, Kenji?” 

His eyes are wide when you redirect your gaze towards him. “Uh, nothing.”

“...okay?” You stare at him in confusion. 

“Alright,” Tiff draws everyone's attention. “why don't you kids freshen up while we clear the table?” The woman gestures towards one of the yurts strewn about the camp. “It's a little primitive, sorry. In the bathroom yurt, you'll find a solar-powered shower and a heated toilet.” 

Quickly chugging down her drink, Sammy grabs hold of Tiff's arm. “I love you! It's fine if you don't say it back.” Sammy then walks off before going back to grab Tiff's arm again. “Love you!” 

With a giggle, Sammy waves her arms to get your guys’ attention before diving behind the yurt’s curtain. As soon as you're all gathered within the bathroom yurt, Sammy's going on about the luxuries of the camp again. 

“Pre-pasted toothbrushes? What are we, royalty?” She gasps. “Four kinds of hand cream? Eee! Little soap peacocks!” 

“Please, this is all so basic.” Kenji complains from his seat on the heated toilet. Yet another plate of eggs resting on his legs. “If you guys had seen my penthouse–” 

Brooklynn quickly shushes him, arm outstretched to further communicate the urgency she feels. “I can't prove it yet, but I think…” 

She pauses, pulling the yurt curtain back just enough to peek outside. And whatever she sees obviously doesn't please her, as she forces you all into the toilet area. With yet another curtain pulled for more privacy, you all crowd around the toilet. 

“...there's something going on with Hap.” Brooklynn explains, sitting on the toilet with her elbows resting on her legs. “He dodged all my questions and was really weird about the key card I found in Wu's lab.”

When Kenji prepares to dig into the eggs, Yasmina snatches the plate from his hands, placing it on a nearby ledge. Brooklynn spares an irritated glance towards the boy but ultimately continues with her theories. 

“Mitch and Tiff are clueless. She's too ‘golly goodness’ to notice anything, and all he thinks about is dinosaurs!”

“What's wrong with that?” Darius asks the pink-haired girl.

“No, I…” she sighs. “I'm just saying Hap's suspicious. He's gruff, and unsmiling, and–” 

“What's wrong with that?” Yasmina asks with down-turned brows. 

“I don't mean…” She scoffs, regaining her composure. “Look, could Hap be involved with Mantah Corp? Am I crazy?” 

Darius and Kenji share a look that screams ‘yes!’. Meanwhile, you hold a look of contemplation. You did agree that Hap was suspicious, but she was wrong about Mitch and Tiff being unaware. They obviously had a part to play, given how they downplayed every concern you threw at them. But, you're not sure if you want to speak on it. 

“I mean, the Mantah Corp folks who sent me were like corporate spies, not action-man, secret-identity, pew-pew spies.” Sammy adds. 

“Look, I know you've got conspiracy on the brain, Brooklynn, but forget Hap.” Darius spoke gently towards the girl. “In two days, we're going home. Let's focus on that.” He then turns towards you unexpectedly. “You too.” 

“Huh?”

“You're obviously suspicious about Mitch and Tiff. You were interrogating them on the way here!” He places his hands on his hips like a scolding mother.

“No I wasn't. Those were genuine questions.” You argue, crossing your arms over your chest. 

“Well keep the questions to a minimum until we're on the boat home.” He orders.

You huff, but relent either way. You didn't want to fight with Darius just because you had a bad feeling about the first adults you've seen in… What? Weeks? 

“Don't worry, guys. Just in case, we'll keep our eyes open.” Sammy reassures the two of you. 

And quite ironically, Sammy's eyes were currently closed as she enjoyed the massage Tiff was giving her. You quickly avert your eyes, grossed out by their actions. Sitting across from Kenji (because you refused to sit near Mitch despite Darius's orders), you lay your head in your hands. 

Your group had gone a full day without sleep, and you're surprised that only you seem to be affected by it. Granted, Yasmina was lying on top of two chairs pushed together, but you didn't know if she was sleeping or resting her eyes. In your opinion, there's no true distinction between the two. 

Your arm is poked once or twice, whether it's by Kenji's hand or his plate full of food, you don't really care. Especially not when your eyes are fluttering shut and the world around you is fading away. 

The area around you is dark, plants and trees surrounding you from all sides. The grass is long, thin blades scratching against your pants. And you can't even see the stars with the mixture of leaves and branches hanging above you. There's the faint chirping of unknown insects, and your skin crawls as you come to the conclusion that you're all alone.

Until you're not. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps appears in the air. The unmistakable noise of grass crunching underneath shoes. And then you see him. He's all that he should be, unlike how you saw him in your last dream. 

He calls your name hesitantly, as if he couldn't believe that you were present in your own dream. And despite this, you smile. You smile because his hair is brown, and his hands fidget with each other, and his fanny pack is buckled around his waist. You smile because he's looking at you, and he's alive. 

“Ben.” You say softly, overcome with a sense of sorrow. “Ben, why did you leave?” 

His fidgeting pauses, and his brows furrow. Mouth pulling into a grimace before turning into a smile. It's concerning, but it's Ben, so you ignore it. 

“I didn't leave.” He states simply, and the crunching of grass hits your ears again. It's hard to see in the dark, but when his hands grab hold of your arms, you feel as if you can see everything. “I died.” 

Your heart stops for a second before resuming its rhythm with a new speed. Clenching your fists, you shake your head. Ben's hands move from your arms to your wrists, trailing down until he's holding your hands. Gently, as if his touch was nothing but a breeze of air, he pulls your fingers away from your palms, caressing the bleeding crescents they left behind. 

“I died, you know that. At least you should.” His voice is a sweet thing to hear.

“I do know.” You whisper, afraid to wake up. Afraid to open your eyes and face the reality of Ben being gone.

“Yeah, I thought so.” He brings your shaking hands to his face, breathing hot air against your icy knuckles. “Do you miss us? Me and Bumpy?” 

You can't answer, not with the sobs now racking your body. His touch is so warm, so real. Why isn't it real? You try to ask, but the words die in your throat as you choke. Your face is drenched in tears, shivers falling down your spine as you try and clear your vision. You want to see him. Even if it's in a dream, you want to see him. Look in his eyes and pretend he'll be there when you wake. 

The warmth spreads as his arms wrap around your taller frame, and you'd laugh if it wasn't so sad. Will you continue to grow as his body rots? Maggots eating at his flesh somewhere on this island, whilst the rest of you leave on a luxury boat? And what about Bumpy? The small little dinosaur with the big, round eyes? Will those too rot on this island? Will bugs eat her flesh, uncaring of what a sweet little thing she used to be? Why is that? How can that happen?

The tears don't stop, and you cry in misery. You cry because you can't see Ben, and you can't see Bumpy. And you know it isn't right, but you wish it was someone else. It's so selfish, but anyone else would've been better. Even if it was you. Oh god, you wish it was you. Ben was loved, and Bumpy was loved. It would've been okay if it were you. But it wasn't, and a new round of sobs escapes you as you think of that.

Your name falls from Ben's lips, and you look at him despite the tears blurring your vision. He's smiling, you realize. He's smiling, and his hands are rubbing your back in a comforting manner. 

“Do you want to lay down?” He asks, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. 

And, despite your initial confusion, you nod. And gentle as ever, he pulls you downwards. First, into a sitting position, before you're both laying in the grass. The green blades tickle your cheek, and you're weary of the bugs hiding within the green mass. However, one look at Ben's smile, and your mind is pulled away from those thoughts. 

“Are we friends?” He asks quietly, eyes half-lidded in relaxation. Is that how he felt in reality, too? Was he relieved now that he didn't have to worry about dinosaurs anymore? 

“Of course.” You answer, clasping his hands in your own. They're not cold like last time. You hope they're never cold again. His legs are tangled in yours, and you find it all so wonderful. Even though your skin is growing clammy.

“Then, can I tell you something?” His smile widens, and you find yourself following his actions. It's so cold, but his warmth makes it bearable. 

“Yeah.” You murmur, leaning in close as he cups a hand around his mouth. You feel something crawling within your skin, eating away at the flesh within. But despite that, you keep your gaze locked on his smile. 

“You're selfish.” He whispers.

A maggot escapes your fleshy prison, and then there's another, and another. Your hands no longer hold onto his, and now his warmth can do nothing to help you. And you smile, as does he. His brown hair intertwined with the green grass, eyes swirling with an emotion you don't have the words to describe. And throughout all of this, something resembling a smile stays stuck on your torn flesh. 

“I know.” 

Chapter Text

A loud ringing sounds across the camp, waking you from your little nap. Your head springs up, a startled expression worn on your face. And as you're looking for the sound, you watch Hap trudge towards one of the yurts with a snarl.

“You!” He yells with a pointed finger.

It's only when you follow his path that you realize just who he's talking to. Unsurprisingly, Brooklynn stands with her hands over her ears, Kenji doing the same.

“Step away from the yurt!” His fingers curl into fists, and for a moment, you wonder if he's going to punch one of them - or maybe both.

“What's going on?” Mitch, Tiff, and Darius all run towards your direction, coming out from the forest. At the realization that Darius was alone with them, your lips pull into a frown.

“Isn't it obvious?” He turns his head towards the other adults before throwing his hard gaze back onto Brooklynn and Kenji. “The chatty one and the hair were trying to sneak into the yurt.”

Brooklynn crosses her arms, glaring at the older man. Meanwhile, Kenji brushes a hand over his hair at the mention of it. Neither of them seem very guilty, and you don't blame them. It's a little suspicious how angry Hap's getting over them trying to sneak into the yurt. You feel a hand on your arm, and looking to your left, you meet Darius's eyes.

He raises a brow, an unsaid accusation. At the notion, you only shake your head. He seems to accept that, turning his attention back to Hap.

“These kids can't go snooping into private places!” He growls, waving his hands around aggressively.

He and Brooklynn share a heated staring contest before Tiff interrupts.

“Now, now, Hap. I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding.” The woman places a hand on his arm in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.

Lurching forward, Hap shoves a finger into Brooklynn's face. “Do yourself a favor and stay out of my yurt.” He speaks lowly, his threat hanging in the air as Tiff pulls him away from the pink-haired girl.

“Let's talk about this calmly, okay?” She says softly, throwing an apologetic glance towards your group as you all gather together.

Brooklynn stands proudly with her arms crossed, her bottom lip jutted out, and a singular eyebrow raised. You can only give her a disappointed look; as does everyone else.

“Sorry about that.” Mitch apologizes. “It's our first time working with Hap, and he's very protective of his yurt.”

Looking to the side, you watch as Tiff tries to calm the man down. Still, his eyes stay glued onto your group.

“Set it up himself, moved all the equipment in. He hasn't even allowed us in.” Mitch smiles, though it's more awkward than happy.

“Ha! See? See?” Brooklynn has a wicked smile on her face now. Though she's only met with more looks of disapproval.

Mitch stares at her with wide eyes before turning towards Darius.

“Maybe we should postpone our trek. You've all been through a lot.” He puts a hand over his mouth, whispering loudly, “Especially that one… it seems.”

Of course, that last sentence is directed towards Brooklynn, who raises a brow in response.

“No, it's… it's fine. Brooklynn won't touch the yurt,” he puts his hands on his hips, staring at the girl with a wide, commanding look. “and we'll all go to the place I wanted to show you.”

“Uh, Darius?” Brooklynn calls, walking forwards to intercept the conconversation. “I think we should freshen up before we decide that.” She speaks with a forced smile.

“We already freshened up.” Darius refutes in a similarly forced tone.

“Can never be too fresh.” Her smile only widens as Darius's facade falls into an annoyed expression.

Brooklynn immediately rushes you all into the same bathroom yurt from before, while Darius apologizes to Mitch and hurries to follow your group.

“Really? There isn't anywhere else we can talk?” Yasmina complains.

“Hap is hiding something!” Brooklynn speaks from her seated position on the toilet. “Why put an alarm on a yurt?”

“Uh, so a dinosaur or a you can't sneak in and wreck his stuff?” Yasmina glares at the girl.

“I was there, too, and that alarm was definitely crepuscing me out.” Kenji agrees with the girl.

“Typical.” Darius mutters with a scoff.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Brooklynn demands.

“You can't just let this conspiracy stuff go, huh? And for what? A new video to boost your followers?” Darius accuses.

“She doesn't even have anything to record with.” You cut in. “Plus, Hap was suspiciously angry.”

“See!” Brooklynn waves her hands in your direction while Darius stares at you in disappointment.

“Mitch already explained why!” Darius argues.

“Hap's not even a real photographer!” Brooklynn nearly shouts. “Me and Kenji saw him fumbling with the camera. He doesn't even know how it works!”

You turn your gaze towards Kenji, and when he nods in agreement, you send a pointed glance towards Darius.

“Well, maybe he's just stressed out! This is a dinosaur island…”

Sensing a rant coming in, you roll your eyes with a groan. Darius's head snaps towards you, a heated glare meeting your own.

“Seriously, what's your problem? You've been acting weird ever since Mitch and Tiff showed up!”

“Because they're weird! These random adults show up on the island, and you guys trust them immediately!” You shout, uncaring if they overheard you from the tent. “Their tour guide doesn't know how to work a camera. They're dodging all of my questions–”

“That doesn't make them suspicious!” Darius contends. “Their tour guide doesn't have to know how cameras work, and they don't need to answer your questions!”

“They didn't even mention the beacon until you brought it up, Darius! And there's no way they only got the signal when they arrived at the island. That signal should have reached Costa Rica! They're lying, and none of you care because they promised a ride home!”

Darius's words fall short, and he stares at you with a conflicted gaze. A silence falls over everyone at your outburst. And yeah, maybe it was too much, but goddammit, this has been eating away at your mind for far too long.

“They've got a point, Darius.” Yasmina's the one who breaks the silence, and murmurs fill the small space not long afterward.

“Mitch and Tiff, they're…” Darius pauses, gathering his thoughts. “They're good people. They just want to preserve the dinosaurs before the entire island closes down.”

Your eyes soften at his words. Throughout it all, his obsession for dinosaurs shines through.

“I get it, Darius, but the fact that they're lying is something we can't ignore.” You cross your arms, already regretting speaking up at all.

“Well, how about this?” Darius begins. “You come with us to the Brachiosaurus hangout to keep watch of Mitch and Tiff, and Brooklynn…” He turns towards the girl. “... stays here to keep watch of Hap.”

Brooklynn's eyebrows raise at the idea while you nod your head.

“Alright, but if they do anything suspicious, I'm out of there.” You warn.

“That's fine.” Darius smiles. “Cause I know for sure that everything will be fine.”

A smile spreads across your face at his words. “Of course you do.”

And with that, you all exit the bathroom yurt with newfound objectives. Darius has to show you that Mitch and Tiff are decent people. You have to show everyone that they're not who they say they are. And Brooklynn has to prove Hap guilty.

Your eyes wander around, quickly noticing the lack of a certain rich boy. Turning your head back towards the camp, you calm down once you see him conversing with Brooklynn. You do feel a bit more relieved knowing Brooklynn won't be alone with Hap.

You nearly jump out of your skin when a hand grabs hold of your wrist, but you quickly relax when you see Darius smiling at you.

“This is going to be so fun.” He beams, pulling you closer to the group.

“Yeah.” You agree, if only to make up for being a negative Nancy earlier.

It was for a good reason, in your opinion, but still. You hated losing your temper, especially to someone like Darius. He never deserved it, not like Kenji, or Brooklynn, or anyone, really.

Before you know it, you all are walking up a grassy hill, and Darius's smile is ever-growing. He finally lets your wrist loose, running up the mass of land.

“You guys are gonna love this place! It's just up here.”

At the top of the hill, the sight of a Brachiosaurus herd munching on trees is seen. Mitch and Tiff gasped, their eyes filled with wonder at the magical sight.

The clicks of their cameras do dampen the magical effect a bit, but you ignore it. Darius howls like Brachiosaurus, drawing their attention towards your group. One of the large herbivores draws close, leaning its head down to release a bellow.

Again, Darius mimics its howl, this time with Mitch joining in. The dinosaur lets out a low growl in response, returning to its feast. Once it's a far distance away, Darius turns towards the older man.

“If you think this is cool, there is one more place we could go.” He offers, opening his booklet. “The watering hole.”

You spare a glance towards the pair, but ultimately, wave your worries off with a sigh. If Darius trusted these people enough to show them the watering hole, it wasn't any of your business.

“You could get lots of good pictures there!” Sammy agrees excitedly. “There are so many dinosaurs!”

“Babe, what would we do without this kid?” Mitch smiles towards his other half.

“Let me radio Hap with the change of plans.” Tiff grins happily, walking away from the group to do so.

“Watering hole day!” Mitch shouts with glee, ruffling Darius's hair.

The two chat avidly, and you watch with guilt. Man, Darius was really winning this one. However, your eyes narrow when you see Tiff running in your guys’ direction, panic written across her face. Alright, maybe it isn't a complete loss.

“Babe, you okay?” Mitch asks worriedly.

“You know, babe, I think we should pack up, head back to camp.”

“Uh, what's going on?” Yasmina questions, sharing a worried look with Sammy.

“What's going on at the camp?” You cross your arms, nails digging into the fabric of your sweater.

“Oh, nothing big.” Tiff dismisses you both. “Just an odd conversation with Hap. Why don't we go? Now, okay? Okay.” She grabs hold of Mitch's hand, forcefully pulling him away.

“Do you think…?” Yasmina's eyes narrow in suspicion, and Darius's gaze falls onto you.

“I'm sure everything's fine.” He answers, but his eyes beg you for your own answer.

“Let's go.” You decide, speed-walking to catch up with the adults.

Back at camp, it's completely deserted. No sign of Brooklynn, Kenji, or even Hap. Even calling their names does nothing, which, to be honest, is expected. If anything, a dinosaur is more likely to respond compared to the actual people you all are looking for. Once the search is officially considered to be a failure, all of you gather around the campfire that had been left unattended.

“Children,” Tiff calls, “Mitchell and I are gonna have a quick, grown-up conversation. You stay put. We'll BRB, okay?”

Ignoring the infantilizing nature her words hold, you eye the two adults suspiciously. Why did they feel the need to converse privately? Your friends are likely at the mercy of their weird tour guide. What did they need to hide? It seems you're not the only one left confused either. Even Darius is looking at the departing couple with a puzzled expression. With Sammy and Yasmina in a similar boat.

There's a steady feeling of fear building up within you, and it's making you sick to your stomach. First, it was Ben and Bumpy. Are Brooklynn and Kenji the next ones in line to die? Is this how it'll go every time?

This was a bad idea. Why did you let Darius talk you into this? Why did you just let it happen? Who in their right mind would leave their friends alone with some violent man you know jack shit about?

Fingers curl into your own, and sparing a glance to your side reveals Darius. He doesn't return your stare, still focused on the adults having a heated discussion far off from the four of you. And yet, he looks guilty all the same. But, this isn't his fault. It's yours. Just like it was with Ben. And just like it was with Bumpy. Every single time, it leads back to you. Every single time, it's your fault.

Your grip on his hand tightens. When will he disappear like the others? You're not sure, but you know it'll be your fault all the same.

Chapter Text

The four of you watch in tense silence as Mitch and Tiff gather their supplies. The couple that usually seemed so sickeningly lovey-dovey were now acting like snippy children fighting over past problems.

“Uh, what's going on?” Darius finally asks. “I mean, do we really need all this to go look for Brooklynn, Kenji, and Hap?”

Your lip twitches into a snarl at the mention of Hap. But what really irritates you is the silence that follows after Darius's question. Tiff shares a look at Mitch, refusing to hide her irritation as she walks off without a word. 

Turning to your group, Mitch decides to save some face, unlike his other half. “We just wanna be prepared for whatever we might encounter along the way.” He walks closer, dropping one of the bags he was carrying onto a nearby box, “After all, the boat will be here in three days. You wanna be rescued in one piece, don't you?” 

You grip your arms tighter at his words. Either he messed up, or he was changing the narrative they were trying so hard to push. 

“What?” Yasmina sputters, standing up from her seat. “You said the boat would be here in two days.” 

“Two to three days. Right, babe?” He turns to Tiff, who reappears with a better act of positivity. 

“Hundred percent.” She hums in agreement. “Now grab that ‘stuff’ we need from Hap's yurt.” 

“I thought no one was allowed in his yurt.” You say curtly, trying your best to keep your cool. It was becoming increasingly clear that you all were in danger. 

“Alright. Why don't you guys have some chocolate? It's from France.” Tiff walks over, shoving a chocolate bar into your hands and pushing you away from the group. “And over there. Go on.” 

The chocolate is crushed within your grip, the poor treat being the only victim of your rage because Darius's pleading eyes prevent you from lashing out at the actual culprit. 

Once the four of you make some distance from the adults, you throw the bar to the ground. Even if it would have been a good snack, especially on this hopeless island. 

“I can't be the only one that thought that was weird.” Yasmina whispers, and when no one responds, she continues: “How do you forget what day the boat is coming back?” 

“And they're being kind of shady about all that stuff they're packing.” Sammy nods.

You stay quiet, watching Darius shake his head. 

“You guys are just paranoid.” He mutters, though his voice holds no confidence in that statement. 

You all stare as Tiff returns with more bags, placing them on the table with the rest of the luggage. She sends a wave towards you all with a terribly happy smile. You glare at her while the others reciprocate the gesture. And once Tiff turns away, the three of you ogle at Darius until he caves. 

“Fine.” He sighs. “I'll prove you guys wrong. Here's the plan: I'll go check out Hap's yurt to make sure there's nothing suspicious, while Yasmina and Sammy distract Mitch and Tiff.” 

Darius turns to you, a determined expression on his face. “And you; you're coming with me to see with your own eyes that there's nothing to worry about.” 

A scoff leaves your lips in response, but you don't argue with the boy. It's not like you wanted to be right. In fact, it would be better for all of you if you were wrong. It's just becoming so increasingly clear that Mitch and Tiff aren't being truthful, and you'd rather run for the hills before they realize you're all catching on. Even worse, you had no idea where Brooklynn and Kenji were, along with that ruggish man. Your group was in a bad place, and it was all because of adults, again. 

Darius and you crouch behind bags and suitcases, slowly making your way towards the yurt Brooklynn tried so hard to break into. Luckily for you two, and unluckily for her, Mitch and Tiff must have disabled the alarm so that they could get in, granting the two of you free access. Another helpful aspect was Sammy and Yasmina's distractions. 

Darius makes his entrance first, with you following close behind. It doesn't look too suspicious from a first glance, which Darius rubs in with a scoff and pointed stare as he picks up a stray mug. 

“Real suspicious.” He murmurs. You only roll your eyes in response. 

Further in, however, Darius gasps as you grab something much more malicious than a coffee mug. A knife that's been sharpened for use, along with a few others. It seems they have quite the collection, ranging from small dangers to a machete. Darius purses his lips when you stuff a switchblade in your pocket, but he doesn't say anything, and so neither do you. 

And it doesn't stop at sharp, thin blades. There's an axe or two, bear traps, and even a crossbow. No one who takes pictures of animals, especially rare ones, carries these types of weapons. These people aren't photographers. They're hunters. 

Your head snaps towards Darius when he shrieks, and you run towards him when you see him on the ground. 

“What? What happened?” You whisper, only to gasp when you see the skull just barely concealed by a heap of fabric. 

“It's - it's a skull.” Darius shudders, leaning into you when you start pulling him off the floor. “A dinosaur skull.”

Your heart practically stops at his words. No, these people weren't just hunters. They were poachers. And while it may not seem like a big difference, it made your guys’ fates all the more unpredictable. These people didn't mind getting their hands dirty, and who knew what they'd do to get a pretty penny. 

A chill runs across your skin as sunlight meets your face. You and Darius watch in horrified silence as Mitch enters the yurt. He doesn't say anything for a few seconds. And maybe it's because he expected it, especially when his eyes run across your form. It's as if a lamp clicked on in his head. 

“You and your friend find anything cool?” He asks, the cruelty in his voice awfully clear in the dim tent. 

“You're not eco-tourists.” Darius says with clenched fists. “You're–”

“Big game hunters, yeah.” He circles the two of you, making his way towards the table full of knives you had been eyeing earlier. 

He runs his fingers across the wood, counting, calculating. He grabs a knife, and when he looks at you, you know he's noticed. 

“Honestly, I'm glad you've seen this, Darius.” He still stares at you as he admits this, and you feel as if he's trying to say something else. “Friends shouldn't lie to each other.” 

His fingers brush against the metal of the knife, standing so casually as the two of you fear for your lives. 

“You said you got our distress beacon.” Darius cries, backing away from the man.

“Oh, yeah, no idea what that is, but we just didn't want you to start asking questions.” His eyes leave the knife in his hands, instead meeting your own. “Not that it did anything to deter you.” 

Your breath comes back to you when he places the knife down, but the smile on his face screams that the danger hasn't left. 

“And, despite that, it all ended up working out. I feel a little bad for you, actually.” He barks out an empty laugh that has all the hairs on your neck raising like hackles.

You nearly jump out of your skin when Darius's hand grabs ahold of your own. You briefly wonder if he's preparing to make a run for it, but when you spare a glance towards the boy, you realize he's simply terrified. 

“Bought this ACU tablet off the black market.” Mitch throws a plain, black tablet at you both, in which you fumble to catch it with one of your hands being squeezed by Darius. “It was supposed to help us track the chipped dinos, but…”

Darius taps the screen, a red, crossed out wifi signal popping up on the screen. “The grid's down.” 

“Uh-huh.” Mitch nods, fiddling with a crossbow. “And despite Hap coming highly recommended, he's been pretty useless at finding dinosaurs.” 

The man makes his way towards the two of you, causing Darius to let your hand free. 

“He doesn't know half the stuff about them, or the island, that you do.” He walks past you, reaching over and ruffling Darius's hair. “So, now you can help us!” 

Darius spins towards Mitch, brows furrowed in betrayal. “How could you possibly think I'd help you kill dinosaurs? I thought you cared about them!” 

“I do!” Mitch argues. “I've been waiting my whole life for this! Living, breathing dinosaurs, up close and personal?”

He looks almost disappointed when he turns to the triceratops skull, caressing the front horn. “But Isla Nublar is under UN quarantine. The dinosaurs, they've been abandoned, forgotten. We're the last people to ever see them.” He spins around to face Darius and you. “I am trying to preserve the memory of Jurassic World.”

“By creating more fossils for scientists to study?” You hiss, creating distance between you and the stranger just ahead of you. 

“You don't get it!” Mitch shouts, forcing a flinch from the both of you at the sudden show of aggression. “Thanks to us, these magnificent creatures will live on forever!” 

Frighteningly swift, Mitch closes the distance between you three, placing a hand on Darius's shoulder despite the fear on the boy's face. It's not surprising when Darius rips his shoulder out of Mitch's grasp.

“By mounting their heads on your wall!” Darius yells, his voice a mixture of anger and disbelief. 

Mitch only sighs, “Oh, I'm disappointed. I really thought we understood each other, D.” 

He grabs both of you by the backs of your clothes, forcefully pushing the two of you out of the yurt. He’s stronger than Tiff, you notice. 

“But I'll make this easy for you guys.” 

His hand travels down, fingers entering your back pocket and pulling out the pocket knife you stole. You don't put up a fight, even as his hand goes back to your shoulder, and his blunt nails dig into your sweater. Your eyes squint as sunlight suddenly attacks your vision, only to regret even opening them. Yasmina and Sammy stand stiffly, both in almost the exact same position you and Darius are in, but with Tiff instead of Mitch. 

“You help us bag the dinosaurs we want, and we'll take you and your friends home. You don't…” he pulls the both of you closer, and despite his words being directed towards Darius, you feel the same amount of horror. “...and we leave you all here. Abandoned and forgotten, just like the dinos.” 

His hands finally leave your guys’ bodies as he leans down to match Darius's height. “So, Darius… what's it gonna be?”

Chapter Text

“I know it wasn't easy, but you made the right choice, kid. Thanks to you, we'll be done in no time.” Mitch compliments Darius, a hand on his shoulder that you're well aware does nothing to reassure him.

“We better be. Oh, god! I told you I never wanted kids.” Tiff continues to yelp and squeal as bugs nip at her, flinging her arms in every direction. “Now we have four of them and no guide.”

“We don't need a guide, babe. We have Darius. And he is taking us to… drumroll, please!”

“The watering hole.” Darius mutters.

“A one-stop dino-hunting shop! This kid is something! Didn't I tell you this kid is something, babe?” Mitch's voice is full of glee as you all walk through the dense jungle.

“Are you going to find our friends after this?” You ask, eyes narrowing as Mitch stares at you with a grimace. “Or your tour guide? I think Tiff misses him.”

Mitch's feet come to a sudden stop, and before you know it, the man is standing right in front of you.

“You're as nosey as the pink-haired one.” He sneers. “And there's a reason she's not here, so stop asking questions.”

He pats your shoulder roughly, a tight-lipped smile worn on his face. And as if he said nothing at all, he returns to his place right behind Darius. You all start walking again, hope diminishing. You don't pay too much attention when Sammy coughs, but when Yasmina falls to the ground, you immediately set your eyes on her.

“What?” Tiff hisses.

“Ankle hurts. I need a break.” Yasmina groans.

“Just for a little bit.” Sammy begs. “She can't keep going this fast.”

Before you can help it, your eyes widen at the realization that this is an act. You immediately revert your expression into a look of concern, even as you survey Tiff and Mitch’s reactions. Both adults hold looks full of exasperation, but neither argue.

“Fine! It's exhausting keeping these bugs away.” Tiff shrieks in distress as her words seem to increase the amount of bugs surrounding her. “Why are they only attacking me?!”

Mitch simply smiles at her distress, walking closer to try and deter the bugs. Meanwhile, you and Darius walk over to Yasmina and help sit her on the ground.

“We can't just go along with this.” Yasmina whispers. “We have to do something.”

“We only have two choices.” Darius asserts. “Help them and get back to our families, or don't and stay trapped here.”

“What about Brooklynn and Kenji?” You question. “They're obviously not going to look for them, and who's to say that they'll stay true to their word about us leaving?”

Darius squeezes his eyes shut as if your words pain him. And they must have because he can't even bring himself to look at you. “I - I don't know.”

You watch him struggle to find the words, and yet you know what he's trying to say before he even opens his mouth.

“I don't know what to do.” He admits, eyes wet with tears to come.

It's then that you realize something. Well, you've realized it long ago, but this only solidifies your theory. God, you're so stupid. You knew these people were bad. You knew that they'd only put you all in danger. And what did you do? You just let Darius lead you all into it.

Darius may be the impromptu leader, but that doesn't mean you had to listen to him. You could have convinced everyone to leave, even if he ended up hating you afterward. And still, you listened to him because you didn't want to put the work into changing anything. You were selfish, and look where it's gotten you.

It's happening all over again. The same thing that happened with Ben. You had him in your grasp. You had him. So close, so, so close. And now Brooklynn and Kenji are gone too. You let them go, willingly. And now, you're about to let the others go as well. But you refuse to. You won't let them die like Ben, not ever again. It won't ever happen again. It can't.

Your eyes flit over towards Mitch and Tiff, making sure that they're occupied by the bugs before turning towards the others.

“I know what to do.” You say quietly, and the pit in your stomach deepens as they send hopeful looks your way. “But I'll need your guys’ help.”

“Of course.” Darius says without hesitation. Maybe it's out of guilt, or maybe it's out of trust. You don't care either way because you're sure he'll feel nothing at all if you don't do this.

“I need you guys to distract Mitch and Tiff. It can be anything. You can even scream if you want to, I just need to get behind them.”

Yasmina furrows her brows. “Wait, why?”

Mitch is stronger than Tiff. He's stronger.

“I just need their eyes off me, that's all. And I'll make a run for it, find Brooklynn and Kenji, and we'll save you guys.”

“But–”

“Look, I'm probably the fastest runner since Yasmina's injured, and our only chance of escape is if we get Brooklynn and Kenji back.”

Brooklynn and Kenji are dead. Just like Ben. They're gone just like Ben, and it's your fault. You let it happen.

“We can't do anything like this. We need outside help, we need–”

A hand on your shoulder has you choking on your words. Mitch shushes you, a finger to his lips, which are upturned into a smirk. Looking in the same direction he is, you hear rustling.

“Babe,” he whispers towards Tiff. “You hear that?”

A twig snaps as the rustling grows closer and closer. And with night coming in so quickly, you can only hope that the darkness will help you all escape. Either that, or you hope the rustling is from a big predator.

Heavy footsteps approach steadily, with Mitch and Tiff crouching down to better hide their presence. You'd make a run for it now, but you'd rather the dinosaur make a meal out of the adults than your group.

Your mouth goes dry when Tiff sets down the flat bag she had brought with her, revealing a set of rifles that she wastes no time in preparing. Mitch cocks his gun as a faint snarling becomes apparent. Your dread increases tenfold when Mitch releases a blissful gasp.

“Oh, no.” Darius utters in horror.

A stegosaurus walks into view, entirely unaware of the danger it's put itself in. It lets out a bellow, treading towards some shrubs.

“Perfect. Look at those plates.” Tiff gasps in wonder.

“She's beautiful, isn't she, babe? Just stay clear of its thagomizer.” Mitch warns.

“What?”

“The pointy spikes on its tail, eh, bud?” Mitch pulls Darius close, as if he had just told an inside joke. The boy in question only looks down in shame.

“Whatever.” Tiff huffs. “Just take the shot before it gets away.”

The woman takes aim, the herbivore unknowingly giving the duo a clear shot.

“Don't worry, it won't feel a thing.” Mitch assures Darius, who rips himself away from the man as soon as he's able to.

The older man doesn't mind, instead joining his wife in aiming at the dinosaur just a couple feet ahead. There's a red glint on his face, a reflection of the red scope. It was almost poetic. You would have tucked it away in your mind for things to write about if it weren’t already occupied by how amazing a chance this was to run off.

You listen closely as Mitch spins the dial on his scope, a click, click, click, following it. You grab Darius's wrist, nodding your head in the direction opposite to the stegosaurus when he turns his attention towards you. But he only gives you a wounded look, and you remember his love for dinosaurs. It only takes a hesitant glance towards the adults from you for Darius to whip around whistle loud enough to startle both the dinosaur and the hunters.

A muffled shot goes off, a small branch falling to the ground. Mitch had missed, and now the stegosaurus knew that something was amiss. The reptile roars in fury, stomping towards you all with the newfound objective of defending itself.

Everyone screams in fright as the stegosaurus almost hits them head on. However, it seems the attack is in your groups’ favor, as it splits you apart from Mitch and Tiff. That feeling of relief doesn't last long, however, as the four of you quickly fall into the danger zone of its tail and rush to run away; now from both the dinosaur and the hunters.

You almost lose your footing when the stegosaurus's stomps shake the ground beneath you, but when Tiff enters your vision it's easy for you to switch directions. Your feet hit the ground harder and harder until the dinosaur's cries are long behind you. You only falter in your running when you hear Sammy cry out with an accompanying thud.

Mitch is in front of you, gaining a grasp on Darius, and when you turn the other direction you watch Tiff get ahold of Yasmina. And yet you keep running towards the woman, making eye contact with Yasmina. It's quick and sudden when the girl grabs Tiff in return, holding her wrists in place as you jump atop of the woman's back.

Your legs wrap around her waist, and you squeeze her neck in your arm, locking your hold with the other. You were the tallest out of this bunch. You were also the oldest, even if only by a couple months for certain people. You squeeze and squeeze, even when Yasmina loses her grip and Tiff's nails start clawing at you through your sweater.

Mitch is stronger than Tiff. Mitch is stronger than Tiff. Mitch is stronger–

A gunshot rings out, and you find your grip on Tiff going slack. Still, as soon as you hit the ground, you're running, just like you said you would. Just like you told them. You run and run, and you keep running even after that. There's liquid dripping down your face, perhaps a mixture of sweat and tears. You feel gross. Lightheaded, too. You can hardly breathe, and– oh, wait. That isn't sweat is it?

Your pace slows, only for a second, and then you're running as fast as you can once more. It's just a nosebleed. You always get those, this would be the third time. He must've shot the bridge of your nose, that's all. So instead you breathe through your mouth, despite how much it hurts when the skin on your face stretches with your mouth.

There are chirps around you, and they become especially apparent when your pace slows. Chirps and shrills you know come from Compies. Why are they here? Why are they nipping at you? You need to go faster. Faster.

You yelp when one jumps onto your shoulder, taking a bite at your neck. You throw the dinosaur off and continue at a faster pace. Your feet only stop hitting the ground when you see some familiar tents. You practically throw yourself into the bathroom yurt, hurriedly crawling towards the cabinets. You pry them open with trembling hands, searching and searching for…

For what? You're fine. You just have a nosebleed. But that shot definitely nicked your bridge, so you'll need bandages for that. You'll be fine. No, no, you are fine. And so is Darius. And Sammy and Yasmina. Maybe even Brooklynn and Kenji. But not Ben. No, not Ben. Not ever again.

Your fingers grasp a rectangular kit, coated in a red fabric with a white cross on it. Just what you're looking for. It's all you need, and then you'll go look for Brooklynn and Kenji. Just like you said you would. You pull out the bandages hastily. You should disinfect them. You should disinfect your wound. But you can't think of doing that. Not when you pull them to your face and feel the bloody mess that it is. You're almost happy that you're sprawled across the floor, just so that you can't see your mangled form in the mirror. This entire time, you didn't even realize you were only seeing out of your left eye.

Your bridge was certainly damaged, but it's a gash rather than a minor scrape. It explains the blood gushing both from your nostrils and the top of your nose. But further, on the right side of your face, it's pouring blood. But that's normal, isn't it?

Head injuries bleed more than other injuries because of all the blood vessels located there. It's probably not severe. It's fine. Still, you can't help but sob as you stuff the newfound laceration with bandages in an attempt to slow the bleeding. There's so much blood. It's on your hands, under your nails, on your sweater, on the floor. Another sob rips from your throat as the sound of chirping reappears outside the yurt. They know you're dying.

Still, after stuffing the wound, you clumsily grab the scissors from the kit, snipping the bandages short. After that, you begin to wrap it around your head. It's not tight enough, though. You're not sure how head wrappings work. And it doesn't help that your face is wet with a mixture of tears, sweat, and blood. So much blood. Your hands fall to your sides, and you find yourself slumping against the counter. Still, the chirps from outside encourage you to crawl towards the stall.

Weakly, more than you've ever been before, you pull the curtain shut and fall onto the toilet. Your chest rises and falls at a slow pace, too slow. You're going to die, aren't you? You spare a glance down at your hands, fingers twitching even though you want them to be in your face. You want your hands in your face so that you can look at the blood, and the grime, and the dirt. But your finger only twitches.

Your eyes - no, your eye is wet with tears. You don't have a right eye anymore. The realization just makes more tears fall. God, you're so selfish. You're sitting here, crying in those hunters’ yurt while everyone else is out there struggling for their lives! You were supposed to find Brooklynn and Kenji! Get up! Get up!

Your finger twitches. A droplet of blood falls from your pinkie. And you cry. You cry because no matter what you did, nothing ended up right. Nothing ever does. Now you're going to die. Cold and alone.

A scream escapes your lungs, not one full of rage or anger, but rather misery. You're alone. After all of this, you're still alone. But you don't want to be alone. You didn't ever want to be alone. Especially not with your body failing you as you lie still in a bathroom stall. That's the way a druggie dies. That's the way you fear your parents are going to die. And you never wanted to be like them.

Your leg kicks involuntarily, or maybe you told it to do that, you're not sure anymore.

You want your mom. Or even your father. You want to be held. If only one more time. You had to have been held as a baby. Maybe when you were born, your parents were actually people. Maybe they had chores to do, dishes to wash. Maybe your mother held you, laughing about how small you were. You feel small now. Could she hold you the same way? You want her to. You want her to hold your hand just as she did when you were young. Before the needles. Before the injections. Before trash began piling against the walls. Before roaches started claiming your home as their own. Before you had to rely on the EBT card in the mail to buy food for yourself.

Before any of that, you want the woman before that. You know she was a person once, and your father must have been too. You wish your father could lift you up on his shoulders and make you feel as tall as he is. You want him to ruffle your head and whine about your dislike for sports, only to give you notebooks on Christmas because he knows you like writing.

You wish you could rant about your stories to them, about the relationships between the characters and how much of the story is left. Even if you knew they weren't very into it, it would have been nice to know they were listening. To know that they cared enough to smile and ask questions.

You wish they would look at you. You wish so badly that the fog would lift, that their high would end, and that they'd look at you and see how terrible they've been. That they'd see your pain. That they'd see how much you're suffering. Please look. Please look at me. Look at me dammit! Can't you see how badly you're hurting me?

The worst part is that they don't even mean to. They don't even understand that you're hurting. They don't know how many nights you went hungry before you realized you would have to cook your own meals. They don't know how long the dishes piled up before you realized they wouldn't clean them anymore. They don't know anything, and it's horrible.

Your breath is shaky. It feels as if no matter how much air you suck in, it's not enough to fill your lungs. You're dying. You're dying, don't you know?

And yet, despite everything you haven't experienced and everything you want to experience, you're happy. You're happy because at least you'll be with Ben. Isn't that sad? You think it is, but you don't care. You remember the warmth you felt when you dreamed of being with him, and it's enough to comfort you. At least someone looked at you. At least someone saw you. And then they died, and soon you will too. But at least you can stay with him and Bumpy. You won't ever stumble upon their rotting bodies on this island. At the very least, your death wasn't caused by a poke and a high. At least, at least, at least…

You feel warm. Warmer than you should be. And you can hear, distantly, the absence of chirps and instead the sound of a voice. And yet, you feel horrified. Please, please just go. Why can't they let you be selfish, just this once. Please. You don't want to live anymore. You just want to be with Ben and Bumpy. You don't want to wonder if your parents will ever look at you again, you don't want to wonder what to cook for yourself again, you don't want to research how to get rid of mold. You just want to be happy. Is that such a selfish desire?

It apparently is because now your limp body is being lifted up into warm arms. And, maybe it isn't such a bad thing. You're going to die anyway. In warm arms, holding you tight. Holding you as if you were something precious. More tears escape because at least you're not alone. At least the person holding you is warm, loving, and oh so familiar. And distantly, you think you may be dead already. Because you're sure you've heard Ben.

Chapter Text

The first thing you think of when you regain your consciousness is how dry your mouth is. Your tongue darts out to wet your lips, despite the better part of your brain warning you that it'd only worsen it. Yet, as soon as that thought crosses your mind, you spring up into a sitting position.

You don't feel much at first, still confusingly taking in the familiar surroundings of camp. Where was everyone? Why were you in your stiff bed? Where's your sweater? Then, you feel a pinch. It's so sudden you can't help but grimace. Reaching a hand up, you search for the source of the uncomfortable feeling, only for your blood to run cold as your hand makes contact with your face.

It's wrapped in bandages. At least most of the right side of your face is, and there's padding taped to the bridge of your nose as well. It feels uncomfortable, especially with the sweat dripping down your face. You briefly push against the bandage on your nose, wincing at the dull pain it produces. So, this isn't a dream then.

Nausea builds in your stomach, and the chills running down your spine aren't helping. Placing a single foot on the floor, you nearly jump out of your skin when you hear breathing. You see a figure next to your leg, but with the haze your mind is in, you can't quite make out who it is. Someone with dark hair, but that fits the description of a lot of your fellow campers, doesn't it? When they don't move, you continue your slow journey out of bed, assuming they're asleep. It's strange, though, since it's still bright out. Though you can't really judge.

Something builds in your throat, and you stumble towards the railing of the treehouse. Your hands grasp the wood desperately, putting all your weight onto the structure as your legs grow weak. You feel like you're on fire, especially on your face. Not to mention the ache in your head. You heave out heavy breaths, icy shivers running down your body. Why did you feel like this? Why were you only in your black tank top? Actually, you forgot you wore that under your sweater. Maybe Kenji was weirded out because you wore two shirts, and that's why he was giving you that odd stare. Maybe–

Oh, you're throwing up now. God, that tastes disgusting. There's a mixture of breakfast and blood, creating a horrible concoction of memories. That bastard Mitch, the hellcat Tiff, and the optimist, Darius. Your eye leaves the grass below, instead looking into the surrounding jungle. You feel like you’ll see something, so you continue to search the treeline.

There's a sound next to you, perhaps a voice, and yet you continue to focus on the treeline. Maybe you'll see a red glint, or maybe you'll only see the barrel of a gun. Maybe you won't get a visual warning. Maybe all you'll hear is the click, click, click as he adjusts the scope. Or perhaps you'll hear and see nothing at all, and in lieu, you'll be shot dead without any warning. Is he coming back to finish the job? Where is he? You know he's out there. He's out there somewhere, his gun filled with bullets that'll rip your skin to shreds.

Someone grabs your chin, pulling your face away from the treeline and towards them instead. However, those hands are forceful, and they pull against the skin hidden beneath your bandages, and so you yelp. Maybe if you noticed how pitiful it sounded, you would be embarrassed. However, all you can do is stare at the person who touched you. At least you believe it's a person. They back away, hands held up as if you had hurt them and not the other way around. They might look like someone you know, a certain superstar, perhaps?

But you can't really focus on them, not when they're morphing into someone different. Someone dangerous. You see it, the red glint. And when you hear the click, click, click, and watch them take a step towards you; you're running all over again. But not for long, not this time. This time, your legs fail you, and your brain doesn't register the change in direction quickly enough. So, your legs get caught on each other, and you fall. First, hitting your head onto what must be your bed frame and then crumbling onto the ground in pain.

And the burning increases, more than you thought was possible. Now, the right side of your face is boiling and wet with what you hope is only sweat. You're not sure which side of your face hit the frame, but it hurts like hell either way. You're tempted to tear into the bandages and rip your flesh off if only the burning would stop. It needs to stop. You can't handle it. But it won't stop, and the poacher comes closer and closer, until–

A gentle hand touches your shoulder, forcing a flinch out of your curled up form. You're sure it's just the bastard playing with you until a familiar voice hits your ears. The sound is clearer than anything else, and you begin to wonder if the muffled noises were all in your head. The voice murmurs your name, slowly, as if they weren't sure it was yours. And that's all it takes for you to peek up at the culprit.

It's Ben. How is it Ben? Were you dead? But that wouldn't make sense. You can still feel that fiery pain, so there's no way this is the afterlife. Plus, he looks… different. This can't be Ben. This can't be your Ben. Because your Ben would never tear his blue polo and turn it into a makeshift headband. And he wouldn't allow himself to be covered in dirt, and he wouldn't tie pieces of bark onto his arms to act as armor, and he wouldn't be looking at you with his brows furrowed in concern. Because your Ben is dead.

And yet, you allow him to help you up. You allow him to hold you against the railing as you empty your stomach once more, and you allow him to keep a firm grip on you as your legs fail you once more. Because you want this to be your Ben. You hope it's your Ben. If it isn't Ben, if your Ben's still rotting somewhere on the other side of this island, you wouldn't be able to keep going. Because you want to die with Ben. You wish you died with Ben.

So, you allow yourself to feel the joy of leaning back against the boy who may be Ben. Who you hope dearly is Ben. You know that if it really is Ben, he might struggle considering the height difference between you two, but despite that, you can't help it. Because everything around you is dimming, and you can't hold onto the railing anymore, and - you're passing out, aren't you? That isn't good, you think. You might have a serious brain injury if you're this messed up. But, you ignore those thoughts because you think Ben might be the one holding you. And that's enough to quell your worries.

The next time you awaken, you're in a much better state of mind. The haze has lifted enough for you to see your fellow campers as they are. It's darker now, the sun leaving the sky faster than you'd like it to. Still, your eye, singular now, searches the treeline every once in a while. Brooklynn has to continuously draw your attention back towards her as she shines a flashlight into your eye. She nearly grabs your face again but thinks better of it at your already fearful expression.

Your name falls from that boy’s lips again, and you find yourself staring at him. He must be Ben. It's only logical. But logic has gotten you nowhere on this island, so you can't help but think otherwise. He holds an air of confidence rather than fear, and it confuses you to no end. What happened to Ben?

With a click, Brooklynn turns off the flashlight wearing a disappointed expression. The sound pulls you into your mind, if only for a second, until your arm is being tugged.

“I got you some water!” Sammy smiles, holding a mug over your bed. You don't return the gesture.

Instead, you turn your head away from her, ogling Ben. The boy in question simply shakes his head, facing the rest of the group with an uneasy look.

“You're sure it's not a concussion?” He asks, shifting from one foot to another.

You can't help but glare at him despite the pain that comes with lowering your brows. You weren't concussed. Why did he think that? He didn't get to think that of you.

“Well, they can move their eyes around fine, so I don't think so.” Brooklynn answers, observing your change in expression. “Also, they heard that.”

The boy at least has the decency to look guilty.

“I'm fine.” You force the words out of your mouth, ignoring the burning pain that follows as the skin on your face contorts.

No one can look you in the eye. They all shift their gaze to the ground or pretend to be busy with something else. It's irritating. Why were they acting like that?

“I am.” You huff, surveying the varying looks of guilt, pity, or a mix of both.

“Look,” Ben speaks up. “When I… when I found you, you weren't in good condition.”

You can't help but scoff at him, causing him to grow defensive.

“You weren't! You were bleeding from your nose, your face, your neck! If I didn't get there when I did, the Compies would have eaten you alive!”

“Ben!” Sammy shouts disapprovingly.

You stay silent, taking your eye off him for the first time since you woke up again.

“I think the Compies are why you're alive.” Darius says suddenly, troubled eyes latched onto your form.

“What?” You mutter, not entirely sure you heard him right.

“They have a small amount of venom in their bite, which must've numbed the pain for you, even just a little bit.” He stares at the bandage on your neck, and you start missing the coverage your sweater provided you.

“That might be why you didn't go into shock.” Brooklynn guesses, hand wandering towards your neck.

Harsher than you'd like, you swat her hand away, inching towards Sammy as an alternative. Still, you feel trapped. They're all looking at you in such an unfamiliar way; it makes your skin crawl. You wish they'd stop looking at you. You wish they'd never look at you again.

“We'll leave you alone.” Ben states, walking towards the ladder of the treehouse. If you weren't so angry at him, you'd be thankful.

“We will?” Kenji asks worriedly, peering at you as if you'd disappear in the blink of an eye.

“We will.” Ben leaves no room for argument as he turns back only to grab Kenji by the collar of his shirt and drag him along. It's a funny image considering how much taller Kenji is, but you can't find any humor in this situation. There's the utterance of your name, and you glance towards Brooklynn, who stays crouched in front of you.

“You, uh, started bleeding again, so I'll have to change your wrappings.” She frowns apologetically.

You don't say anything for a second, and then two, and then you're simply nodding your head. You still feel alienated, but the lack of eyes on you makes you feel a bit better about her messing with your head wrappings.

Brooklynn's quiet as she gathers a medkit, and grabs the mug of water off your bed before placing it on the ground below. As you watch her pull the bandages from the small, red bag, you feel dread building within you. You knew she probably already saw your wound, but the fact that she's seen it, and you haven't, despite being the owner of said wound, fills you with a sense of helplessness. When Brooklynn reaches up to grab the bandages wrapped around your skull, you wrench yourself away from her hands.

“What?” Brooklynn shrieks quietly, scared she had hurt you.

“Can't I do it?” You ask.

“Do you know how?”

A frown etches itself onto your face.

“I could teach you,” Brooklynn offers. “It'd be a lot easier if I could show you my ‘Brooklynn Unboxes: Medical Assistance’ video, but I can just use you as your own example.”

She grabs some medical gloves from the pack, along with more gauze and a pair of scissors. Then, she carefully reaches towards the bandages on the far left side of your head after putting on the gloves.

“I'm going to cut this gauze off, and then I'll wrap your head up like new.” She explains, placing a finger between the wrappings and your head to make sure she doesn't accidentally cut your hair. “And when you do it yourself, you have to make sure you stuff your oculi area so it can heal from the inside out. It'll also stop it from bleeding too much in case you open it again.”

It's a bit painful as the bandages press against the opposite side, but you hold in any complaints in fear of her messing up. With a snip, she gently pulls the dressings away from your head, and the sticky globs of blood that hold onto the dressing make you sick. You quickly close your eye, not wanting to gain any ideas on how severe your wound may be. Maybe later, when you're not trying to hold in puke.

Brooklynn says nothing as she redresses the wound, even when you groan in pain as she stuffs the area your right eye used to be in. When she's finished redressing your wound, she's still completely hushed. Opening your eye, you find her staring back at you in what you assume to be penitence.

“I'm sorry for scaring you earlier.” She whispers.

You tear your gaze away from her, peeved at the very suggestion. “You didn't scare me.”

“Did someone else scare you?” She questions. And maybe she meant it to be more of a sarcastic joke, but your silence turns it into the truth. She calls your name, waiting until you meet her eyes again before continuing. “Who scared you?”

“What happened to Mitch and Tiff?” You ask rather than answer her question.

“They're…” Brooklynn pauses, as if she didn't know herself. “...Mitch is dead.”

“What about Tiff?”

“She got away.” Her eyes begin to water. “In, um, in the boat we were supposed to leave in.”

“It got here early?” You ask, befuddled.

“No, it was here the whole time. The whole waiting thing was a lie.”

You go quiet at that. Of course, you always doubted everything they said, but the very idea that a way out of the island was so close forces a shaky exhale from you. Was it all pointless? If you had fought just a little harder, yelled just a little louder, would the others have listened to you? Would you be riding in Mitch and Tiff's boat, already halfway to Costa Rica?

Brooklynn places a hand on your shoulder before pulling you into a hug. She's careful not to put any pressure on a certain side of your head, shoving her face into the nook between your neck and your collarbone.

“I'm sorry.” She whimpers, and the wetness on your neck gives you the idea that she's crying.

“It's not your fault.” You wrap your arms around her. Even though she's the one trying to comfort you, it feels more like you're the one comforting her.

“No, I'm…” she stutters, air evading her as tears keep falling. “I'm just sorry.”

You don't feel the need to respond after that. Rather, you wait until her sobs die down before pushing her away from you softly.

“You should go to sleep.” It’s more so a command than a suggestion, but Brooklynn takes it kindly.

“You too.” She smiles tiredly, hands still gripping your shoulders. With a final hug, the girl pulls away from you. “Do you need any more blankets?”

“I'll be fine.” You reply.

You'd rather not tell her that you're already sweating out of your mind. It's died down since the first time you woke up, but you can still feel the occasional chill run across your skin as you sweat like it's 100 degrees outside. And, who knows, maybe it is. But considering the fact that Brooklynn's still wearing her pink jacket without any trouble, you're sure it's just you that's experiencing this heat.

Brooklynn leaves with one final smile before she's walking to a nearby bed and plopping down without another word. You're actually a little impressed she fell asleep that fast, but considering the fact she's had to dress your grotesque wound twice in a day, you can't blame her. And your wound might not be grotesque, but you're assuming it is. Because if you trick yourself into believing it's better than it is, you'll really go into shock once you see the actual thing.

Again, your mind wanders to different looks your wound might have, and you have to twist your body within your bed to draw your mind away from it. You focus on the dull pain inside your head, accompanied by the burning sting your actual wound holds. No matter how you angle your head, the pain persists. In the end, you give up on being comfortable, instead sitting still in your bed as you await the merciful hand of sleep to pull you in. It's quiet, even as you hear everyone climbing back up into the treehouse.

“They didn't drink the water.” Given the accent, you can only assume that's Sammy’s voice. Along with the fact that she's the one who handed you the water in the first place.

“It's fine.” Yasmina, you believe, reassures her.

Sammy lets out a whine, and you begin to regret not drinking it if only so she'd let it go.

There's some minor shuffling as everyone gets situated in their own beds, all but Darius and Ben. Luckily, you're facing away from everyone, so you listen in on their situation. It's really not your fault since they're talking so loudly.

“You might have to sleep with Bumpy,” Darius admits. “Since we didn't think you, um–”

“It's fine, I was going to sleep with Bumpy anyway.” Ben brushes off his distress.

“Are you sure?” Darius's voice is full of perplexity.

“Yeah, why not?”

“...” Darius goes quiet, and you think he may be waiting for Ben to say it himself before giving up. “I mean, Bumpy's sleeping down there on the grass.”

“Yeah.” Ben confirms.

“In the dark.”

“Uh huh.” Ben's probably nodding his head.

“And you're alright with that?”

“Indubitably.” Ben seems unbothered, and it concerns you as well.

“You really are different.” Darius utters.

“I've gotta be.” Ben says happily, despite his words being a bit grim.

“Okay, get some sleep, Ben.” Darius ends the conversation with that, likely making his way towards his own bed.

There's some final shuffling as Darius enters his bed, and after that, it's silent. You begin to grow concerned, especially since Ben said he was going to sleep with Bumpy, and yet you never heard him move. Was he waiting for everyone to go to sleep? Was he staying up to keep watch? That wasn't like him. He wasn't acting like he should at all. Why–

Footsteps, heading your way, nearly bring your heart to a stop. Has he realized that you're awake? Is he going to scold you? Actually, that shouldn't be too scary. He's just Ben. But then again, this Ben is different from the one you know. Everyone else is acting like it's normal, most likely because they grew familiar with his new attitude while you were unconscious. But it isn't normal, and you refuse to act like it is.

The footsteps stop at your bed, and you have to stop yourself from holding your breath lest you give yourself away. Ben huffs, before taking a seat on your bed. You'd be offended if you weren't so confused. What was he doing?

Your brain nearly short circuits when you feel his back pressing against yours. Was he… sleeping with you? But he said he was sleeping with Bumpy. Why would he lie about that to Darius?

“I'm sorry.” He whispers.

Your breath quickens briefly before evening out.

“I shouldn't have yelled at you.” He mutters with a tone of regret. “I was just scared.”

You purse your lips as you clutch your bed sheets tightly. This was your Ben. You know now.

“You were so bloody when I found you, I wasn't sure you were even alive still. But I picked you up anyway, and–” His breath hitches. “I thought you were gone.”

Your eye waters, brimming with tears.

“You probably thought the same thing about me.”

You did. You thought you'd only ever be able to see him in your dreams from then on. You thought you'd have to die in order to feel him once more. And now, you feel his warmth against your spine, and you have to hold in your sobs.

“I shouldn't have waited, I should've told you guys what Mitch and Tiff were planning.” You think he might be crying too. “Now, you're…”

He pauses, shoulders bumping into yours a few times as sobs rack his body. He's quiet throughout this, even though you know he's dying to scream his troubles out to the world; out to you.

“I missed you.”

The dam breaks, and you can't hold in your sniffles anymore. But it's alright, because Ben's in the same boat. You know he's heard you by now, but he doesn't mention it. He doesn't turn you around and order you to forget everything he's said, he doesn't stop crying in an attempt to pretend he didn't just spill his heart out to you, he doesn't do anything but cry with you. And perhaps that makes the realization that he's Ben, your Ben, so much more real. Because only your Ben could share these feelings with you while you were both turned away from each other. Only your Ben could help you fall asleep with the distraction of his kind warmth.

Only your Ben could miss you as much as you missed him.

Chapter Text

Your skin is warm, almost uncomfortably so. You'd think with the camp being surrounded by trees, you'd be spared from the sun; but no, it always gets through somehow. Pulling your collar away from your neck in an attempt to feel a nonexistent breeze, you spare a glance around at the almost empty camp.

Yasmina and Sammy had gone off together, for a reason you've long forgotten, Brooklynn is playing some game you don't know the name of with Darius, and Kenji is snoozing away on the couch. You tap your feet against the wooden ground, growing more and more impatient just sitting on your bed. And finally, you decide enough is enough. Jumping up from your bed, you make your way towards Brooklynn and Darius, the duo quickly giving you their attention.

“Hey!’ Darius sits up taller at the sight of you. “Did you wanna play?”

“We can start a new game for you.” Brooklynn offers as she sorts through her cards.

You squint down at the cards strewn about, shaking your head soon after. “No, I just wanted to know if you guys have seen Ben anywhere.”

Darius looks to his side in contemplation as Brooklynn tilts her head. Sadly, they both shake their heads.

“No, weren't you guys supposed to go do something today?” Darius asks, placing a card into the pile in the middle.

“Yeah, that's why I'm asking.” You huff, turning your head to see if you can somehow spot him through the foliage.

“Well, if he bails on you, just know that you're welcome to play with us.” Brooklynn places another card onto the pile, causing Darius to sputter.

“Wait, did you just win?” He looks utterly befuddled, as do you. Are they playing Uno? It looks different, though.

“Yeah, I told you, when the joker matches the suit, it beats everything.” Brooklynn confirms.

“But the suit was a heart, not a diamond.” Darius says with furrowed brows.

“Look…” Brooklynn begins to re-explain the rules to Darius, and you take that as your cue to leave.

Turning towards Kenji's sleeping form, you unapologetically shake him awake. He fumbles for a bit, covering his eyes with his arms and cursing nonsensically.

“Do you know where Ben is?” You ask, ignoring his mumbling.

“What?” He rasps.

“Ben. Where is he?” You repeat.

“How am I supposed to know?” He groans, taking a look around the camp. “What time is it?”

“Daytime.” You respond, leaving Kenji behind to recollect himself.

Did he not tell anyone he was leaving? No, it's more likely that he left, and no one really cared to ask. Ben left randomly quite often, which was fine since he always brought Bumpy with him, so he's probably safer than any of you are even at camp. Still, you wish you had at least a hint as to where he went. This is a gigantic island, and unlike Ben, you don't have any protection to ensure that you can go wherever you please.

With much reluctance, you climb down the treehouse ladder to look for Ben. You'd much rather try and run into him than sit around and do nothing all day. Of course, you could try playing that card game with Brooklynn and Darius, but just looking at Darius's confused face ensured that it would just worsen your mood.

Ducking to avoid an outstretched branch, you continue walking deeper into the jungle. Slapping bugs away from you served to occupy you for some time until your thoughts eventually overtook you. Would you and Ben have to reschedule your hangout? Did he even want to hang out in the first place? Well, he's the one who brought it up, so why would he ditch you and not the other way around? Not that you would ditch him. This place is way too boring to even think of doing that.

Now that you think about it, getting bored of Jurassic World is a little funny. That's like getting bored of roller-coasters. But, then again, if you were continuously riding a roller-coaster, you'd obviously get bored after a while. So, really, it's not that strange.

You wipe sweat from your face, hand brushing against the right side of your face. The skin is still sensitive despite being entirely healed. Sometimes, you wonder if someone could hit your brain if they stabbed something through it, but that's a gross thought, so you try not to wonder about it. You hate thinking about that. You should think of something else.

How far are you from camp? Not too far, probably. You've been walking at a slower pace than usual in hopes of spotting Ben. Still, you're getting a little anxious. Should you go back? Oh, but you really don't want to. This isn't too bad. You haven't run into anything scary.

A rustle to your right has you stopping in your tracks. Almost instinctively, you crouch down, turning in that direction so you could actually see what was there. The rustling continues, almost as if something was continuously going back and forth within the bushes. Could it be Ben?

Moving closer despite literally every experience of yours telling you not to, you almost get struck in the face by a giant boulder. Or, wait, no, that's not a boulder. That's a tail, an Ankylosaurus tail! And, when you stand to your full height, the dinosaur turns towards you, bellowing excitedly. Before you know it, you're being held in the air by Bumpy's head as you hug her. Wait a minute, if Bumpy's here…

You stumble a bit as she throws you back onto your feet, swiftly turning your head in any and all directions in search of Ben. And to your delight, he's not too far off. Crouching in front of a bush, Ben plucks some plump caterpillars from the leaves. You try to ignore the fact that those things are going in his mouth and instead quietly walk up to him.

“Are you trying to scare me?” He asks suddenly, squishing one of the wiggling insects between his pointer and his thumb.

“Not really.” You refute with a grimace. “Did you forget about our plans?”

Ben turns towards you, briefly forgetting about the bug in his hands as guilt crosses his face. “Oh, that. Yeah, sorry, I got hungry.”

“We have cans of food at camp.” You remind him.

“I have my preferences.” He says, eating the caterpillar in one gulp.

Holding back literally everything you want to say in response to that, you simply sigh.

“Do you… still want to hang out?”

He only hums.

“Ben.”

“I heard you. Come on.” He gets up without another word, walking in a random direction.

Dejected, you follow after him with a frown. If he didn't want to hang out, he should've told you before running off so you didn't waste your time trying to find him. But also, why didn't he want to hang out? Is he mad at you? Why would he be mad at you, though? You haven't done anything to him, or at least you don't think you have. Have you?

You cross your arms, a mixture of anger and worry stirring within your mind. Is it because you make a weird face whenever he eats bugs in front of you? But everyone else does that, so that can't be it. Did you say something that he took the wrong way? Well, thinking of that, a lot of the things you say could be taken the wrong way. Or, well, not exactly the wrong way, just meaner than you meant it.

Your thoughts come to a stop when Ben settles down onto the grass. Looking up, you realize he's taken you to a part of the island you haven't yet seen. It's pretty, honestly, a cliff overlooking a good portion of the island. You didn't know a place like this was so close to camp. You can even see some Brachiosauruses. Taking a seat next to Ben, you nearly jump out of your skin when a ‘thump’ sounds behind you, but a quick glance reveals the culprit to be Bumpy.

It's silent for an awkward moment until you realize Ben’s refusing to speak. So, you muster up the strength to say something to the boy you're sure hates you at the moment.

“Are you mad?” You ask outright.

Ben’s eyes flit to your form, silence stretching on.

“No. It's…” He pauses, collecting his thoughts. “Can I tell you something?”

“Yeah.” You answer maybe a bit too quickly.

“I, uh, I'm worried. About what's going to happen once we get back home.” He runs his fingers over the bark tied to his arm. “I know this is kind of random, but it's been bothering me.”

You find yourself shaking your head absent-mindedly. “No, I've been thinking about it too.”

“Good, good. Um, it's… I don't really know how to explain it.” He looks up at you. “I'm just not sure how it's going to go, y’know? I'm… different.”

You hum, nodding along to his words.

“I'm also scared I'll go back to the way I was. At the start, I mean.”

“I think you'll be okay.” You follow the tapping motion of his fingers before meeting his eyes. “If you want, I can remind you of every cool thing you've done on this nightmare island.”

“Can you remember it all?” He grins.

“Yeah, Ben, don't you remember when you beat Toro?” You say in a teasing tone. “And when you rode Bumpy while an explosion went off behind you?”

“Did I tell you about that?” He ponders.

“Wait, that actually happened?”

Ben barks out a laugh at your puzzled expression, and you can't help but crack a smile.

“When? I've never seen that happen?” You scoot closer.

“You weren't there. If you don't believe me, ask Brooklynn or Kenji.” He snickers.

“I'd think you're bluffing even if I did ask them.”

“I'm not!” He huffs. “Seriously, you just missed out.”

You groan, resisting the urge to smile when he smacks your shoulder.

“Did you want to tell me anything?” Ben asks suddenly.

“Like what?” You raise a brow.

“I mean, I kind of just ranted about my worries. What about you?” He implores.

“Oh.” You look to your side. “No, I'm fine.”

“Do you wanna talk about Mit–”

“I said I was fine.” You interrupt, anger flickering in your chest at the offhand mention of that poacher.

Ben goes quiet at your rejection, staring at you for a few silent moments. “Will you tell me about anything else?”

You don't reply for a few seconds, mostly out of pettiness. However, the silence gets to you eventually, and you mumble out an answer. “Do you… like your parents?”

“Well, yeah, I'd say I do. Why?”

You don't speak, at least not until his shoulder touches yours. It's a bit uncomfortable, considering how hot you are wearing your sweater, but you don't say anything about it.

“I… don't like my parents.” You mumble, ignoring how Ben leans in closer to hear you. “They're not… there.”

“Like, physically, or…”

“Mentally, I guess.” You specify.

“How so?”

“They, um, take these… medications.”

You feel sick. But you feel Ben leaning against you, and it feels like you can think better when you focus on the heat of his body rather than what you're saying.

“It just… bothers me.” You force out. It's not exactly true, but you'd rather not tell Ben the entirety of it.

Ben hums. “Is it prescribed?”

You only shake your head. He waits, likely assuming that you're going to continue, but you never do. This is the most he'll get out of you willingly, at least for now.

Ben grabs your hand, fingers intertwining with your own. “I think you'll be alright.” He assures you. “I'll remind you of how cool you are anytime you want.”

“Well, how cool am I now?” You lean into him.

“Cool enough to kiss.” He affirms.

“Wh– huh?” You stammer.

Ben uses his free hand to grab ahold of your face, pulling you closer until his lips meet your cheek. And now the only thing you're able to worry about is if he can feel how hot your face is from under his lips. Unknowingly, you clench the hand holding his own, and he holds you tighter in return.

He hums, eyes latched onto your surprised face. “Yeah, I think you're cool enough for two kisses even.”

And without another thought, he's leaning in again to push his lips onto your face. It's not even an actual kiss, and yet you're clumsily trying to find the words to tell him… tell him what? You're actually not too sure. The most you can think to do is hold his hand tighter and lean impossibly closer so his lips can meet their mark quicker.

Chapter Text

Normally, when someone wants to create a sense of peace and tranquility, they'll describe the feeling of the sun on their skin. I mean, who wouldn't? What's better than the feeling of warmth you get from the sun on a chilly day? Or the burning sensation of an oncoming tan while you're lying in the sand at some beach resort? Well, not that you knew anything about that. You lived in some random Midwest town. The closest thing you could get to a beach tan is by standing in a parking lot at 2 pm.

That's off topic though, what you're trying to imply here is that the sun isn't doing jack shit to make you feel peaceful. In fact, you're convinced that big, stupid, orb of light is shining on you in order to ruin your day more than it's already been ruined. Although, It's not entirely the sun's fault. It's mostly due to the fact that you're being treated like a toddler that's going to eat an electrical wire as soon as you're left to your own devices.

“You're seriously not letting me come?” You hiss, hands outstretched in perplexity.

Darius shakes his head, “You need to rest some more. We don't know what we'll find–”

“We've been in the tunnels before; I'm fully aware of what's in there. It's not like I broke my leg!” You spare a quick glance at Yasmina's frown before adding onto your sentence. “Why does Yasmina get to go?”

“Yasmina's basically fully healed.” Darius argues.

“So am I!” Ben grabs your shoulder, maybe in an attempt to calm you down, but you shrug his hand off.

“No, you're not.” Darius mutters, his brows furrowed in a rare expression of anger. “You reopened your wound yesterday, and you're obviously not…” He pauses, eyes darting away from your face.

“What?”

“Nothing! You just need to rest more!” He sputters.

Darius spins to face away from you, pulling the others away to discuss what to look out for while they explore the tunnels. You're not sure what would even be down there at this point, but if they didn't want you to come, then fine! You'll just find another way to occupy yourself.

Taking a seat on your bed, you huff in agitation. It's not like you're going to walk using your face. There's no way you'll reopen the wound again, that was a one time thing. It wasn't your fault. And what was Darius even going to say? You're not what?

“Hey,” Brooklynn takes a seat next to you, the dingy bed creaking under the extra weight. “Darius wants me to stay with you.”

You spare her a fleeting glance, not wanting to take your anger out on her. It wasn't Brooklynn's fault that Darius was so paranoid now. Granted, you didn't expect him to give you a babysitter of all things.

“He's being really strict now.” Brooklynn whispers towards you, her eyes watching as Darius gives out different orders and directions, letting Kenji butt in when needed since he ‘knew the tunnels like the back of his hand’.

“I know.” You murmur in agreement, arms crossed.

She stares at you for a bit before leaning in closer to take a look at your bandages. “Do they hurt at all?”

“Yeah.” You pull away as her finger traces the wrappings on your face.

It actually hurt a lot, but you were hoping that if you could ignore it you'd be able to join the others. It's obviously pointless now. So, you don't hide your nauseous expression as the burning wound on your face continues to throb. The bite on your neck had lost its numbness as well, and now you've had to avoid the temptation to itch it. It was like a giant mosquito bite but prehistoric.

“There should be some painkillers somewhere around here.” Brooklynn says, fingers pressing against the bite on your neck, only relenting when you winced. “We should change these bandages, too. And you need a shower.”

“Do I smell bad?” You ask before sniffing your arms.

“You smell like metal.” Brooklynn stands from her spot on your bed, off to find the medical supplies now that the others were gone.

To be honest, you barely noticed they left, too busy grimacing at Brooklynn's poking and prodding. Now that you think about it, that may have been on purpose. Ignoring that, you head towards the makeshift shower.

“Oh, make sure not to get any soap on your face.” Brooklynn warns you.

“I know.” You pull the curtain back, stepping in before shutting it again.

You really should get a clean set of clothes to change into, but they're not that dirty. Most of the blood got on your sweater, which you're sure is long gone by now. So, you leave your clothes in a pile right outside the little shower room.

With Kenji's morning showers, it's not unexpected when the water comes out rather cold. You don't mind that much. Still, you feel a pricking feeling along your back as you wash. Like a feeling of disgust stabbing your flesh and sinking into your bones. But you're not sure what for.

You're careful to avoid your face as you put shampoo and conditioner in your hair. But even then, you can see little droplets of blood falling to your feet. Or maybe that's the blood that dried in your hair. You just know that your fingertips are a slight pink, and you feel like puking.

The wounds on your face are still fresh and fiery. However, the Compy bite has already scabbed over. And when you glide your fingers across it, you can picture the dinosaur biting down. And after that, you can imagine what would happen if Ben didn't find you when he did.

Would their little pack eat you alive? Would you even be alive by then? Would you wake up to the feeling of your flesh being torn into and be forced to sit there and endure it? Sit there and watch as each bite numbs you more and more, until you can't even feel the pain anymore and your body feels like another's.

The feeling of disgust builds, a ringing in your ears distracting you from anything else but your hand as it makes its way to your face. Then, with your pointer, you feel the painful groove in your nose, which had before been spotless. And you trace the sensitive flesh leading to your eye. You wonder if it's still there, hidden under skin that's so desperately trying to rebuild itself. Or maybe it just went ‘pop’ when the bullet hit you. Your hand goes higher and higher, fingers just barely grazing where your eye should be. You can't hear anything besides the ringing in your ears and the ‘click, click, click’ of a spinning dial as a hunter prepares his shot. If you turn around, will you see the red reflection of his scope? Or will your vision go black as he takes your other eye?

“You okay?”

You startle as Brooklyn knocks her knuckles against the outer wall. You gulp, quiet as you catch your breath, which you hadn't even realized was stolen away.

“Yeah.”

You turn the shower knob, and the lukewarm water leaves you shivering. Beach towels aren't very good at drying people off, in your opinion. They're better for lying on the ground, whether that's to avoid hot concrete at a public pool or hot sand at a sunny beach. Still, they're the only towels you saw back at Main Street. Or, at least according to the others. You weren't in charge of gathering supplies back at Main Street. Before Mitch and Tiff. Before…

“I'm getting dressed.” You tell Brooklynn, making sure her back is turned before you grab your bundle of clothes. You pull your tank top over your head with a wince. At least your jeans don't come into contact with any annoying injuries. Once you've got the important things on, you sit on your bed and give Brooklynn permission to look. You're putting your socks on when she walks over. Once again, she takes a seat right next to you, sorting the supplies she had in her hands.

“Your bite scabbed over pretty quickly, so we shouldn't have to rewrap it.” Brooklynn says with a slight smile.

You hum, adjusting your position when she motions to do so with her hands. Once you're facing her, she pushes some of your wet hair out of the way so that she can get a good look at your face. Even though you know she's doing this for a good reason, you feel grossed out by the feeling of her eyes on you.

“Y'know Darius is just worried about you, right?” Brooklynn asks diffidently.

“I can tell.” You scoff.

Brooklynn grabs your face, forcing you to look at her stern expression. “I'm serious.”

“I know.” You shove her hands off you, “Did he tell you to say that?”

“What?” Brooklynn hesitates, hands lingering in the air. “No, why would you think that?”

“If he has something to say to me, he can say it himself.” You watch as Brooklynn's face falls.

“No, no, I didn't…” She stutters. “Are you really mad at him?”

You don't answer her, and you're about to just up and leave, even if nobody approved of you doing so. But Brooklynn grabs ahold of your shoulders.

“Look, you can be mad at him. It's none of my business.” Well, that’s surprising. “But I still need to rewrap your head.”

“I can do it myself.” You push her hands off of you, but she grabs onto you again with twice the vigor.

“Please.” Brooklynn begs. “Let me help you.”

You watch as tears build in her eyes, and guilt stabs you in the chest. Why was she so adamant about this? Why did it matter so much to her? Was she trying to make you feel bad? But, no matter her intentions, you didn't want to make her feel this way just because you were angry at Darius.

“Fine.” You mutter, sitting still as she sniffles.

Her grip on your arms is tight, as if she's afraid you'll make a run for it at any second. She takes a bit to gather herself, and briefly, you wonder if she's ever going to actually do anything. But you never ask her to get a move on or shove her hands off of you for the thousandth time. You just watch as she cries for reasons you can't understand.

After some time, she quietly starts rewrapping your head. You feel her hands shake as she stuffs your oculi area, and even as she makes sure the outer bandages are snug, she seems almost scared. And after she's done, she continues checking the bandages, dragging on the entire interaction.

Finally, she sits back, staring at you solemnly. “I'm sorry.” She whispers, wiping at the tear trails left under her eyes.

You're not sure what to say. You're not sure about anything that just happened. She tried to defend Darius, you got angry, and all of the sudden she's trying not to be nosey for once, and then she started crying? Still, despite your confusion, you can't help but feel bad. You caused this, even if you're not sure how or why.

“It's fine.” You utter, still staring at her in befuddlement. “What… what's wrong with you?”

You immediately regret your wording as her bottom lip starts quivering and the waterworks happen all over again. You lunge forward, unsure of what to do except hold her. She merely shakes in your arms for the first few seconds, until her arms snake around your neck.

“I'm sorry.” She cries again.

“For what?” You ask a little aggressively, only because you have no idea what she's talking about.

“I wasn't talking about Darius.” She admits. “I'm worried. I was scared, and I still am.”

“What?” You mutter, still unsure why that was such a big deal.

“Because I had to do it! You could've died, and it would've been my fault, and I'm not a doctor. I just make videos!” She breaks into sobs at the end.

You go silent, your bafflement too great to form words. Was she talking about tending to you while you were unconscious? Why did that matter so much? You wouldn't have minded it if she messed up and you died. Mostly because you thought Ben was dead too, but he's not, which is good.

But, she obviously doesn't think of it that way. You were so focused on Ben that you didn't put much thought into the rest of your fellow campers. Isn't that selfish? It definitely is. Especially since you can feel Brooklynn's tears on your shoulder and her nails clawing at your back. Brooklynn cared for you. Isn't that nice?

You hold her tighter as she continues mumbling about all her worries and her guilt. Most of which wasn't entirely made up. She could be blamed for a lot of things, but she's still a kid. Well, you shouldn't be saying that you're only a year older than her. You're both still kids. That's weird to think about. Kids don't go through things like this, usually.

Most kids still have both their eyes, they're not stuck on a dinosaur-filled island, they're not surviving on canned food, they don't have to build their own treehouses because someone's science experiment broke free and destroyed the original one, and they don't have to carry the weight of someone else's life on their shoulders. Or, at least you don't think so.

Brooklynn's tears eventually run dry, but you both continue holding onto each other. It's silent aside from the chirping of unseen bugs and the distant bellows of dinosaurs. Even the sun has died down and left the two of you to feel the growing coldness of the night.

“I'm sorry.” She apologizes again, sniffling.

You don't say anything in return at first, mostly because you weren't sure what you could say. What would make her feel better in this situation? What made you feel better when it was just you and Ben?

“I'm glad it was you.” You say softly.

Brooklynn's grip grows stronger at your words, and you're a little worried she might start crying again. But, it seems she's all out of tears because instead, she pushes her head into the crook of your neck, and you swear you can feel her smile against your skin.

Chapter Text

The night is warm still, the air humid and leaving your skin feeling sticky. Your shoulder touches Ben's as the both of you stare up into the sky from your bed. The only way you're able to tell you're not dreaming is the pounding headache you have and the burning sensation on your face.

When everyone had gotten back from their little trip, they all seemed rather angry. Obviously, you and Brooklynn had no idea why, but the fact that Darius had stormed off without a word gave you some ideas. Soon after, everyone went to sleep, leaving Ben and you to be the last ones still awake. You thought that he'd end up telling you what went down, but it's been almost twenty minutes now with only the sound of chirping insects filling your ears.

“What happened?” You finally ask, desperate for a distraction from the pounding in your head.

Ben stays silent for a few seconds longer before sighing. “We're all just stressed. Especially Darius.”

You hold in the urge to roll your eye. If Darius had listened to you, there wouldn't be anything to stress over. You could've found their boat. You could've sailed to Costa Rica. You could've gotten away from this island. You could still have your other eye.

Almost as if he could sense your irritation, Ben turns to his side, facing you. “Listen, tomorrow we're all going to check out the eastern side of the island; see if there's anything out there that can help us.”

“Haven't you guys explored enough? What else could be out there?” You cross your arms, headache worsening as you furrow your brows in annoyance.

Ben scoots closer, resting his head against your shoulder. You stiffen up at the contact before forcing yourself to calm down.

“We'll just have to find out.” He says quietly.

You let his words linger before answering with an exhale. “I just– I want to help.”

“I know.” Ben assures you. “But right now, the best thing for you to do is rest.”

You wholeheartedly disagree, but since it's Ben, you hum in false understanding. His hair tickles your neck a bit, but his warmth makes up for it. You know he'll be gone by the morning, yet you still let your eyes fall shut.

And, by the time you wake up, the camp is empty. You jump up, wincing as your brain knocks against your skull. You sit still for a bit, holding your head in your hands as you breathe.

“Are you okay?” A loud voice questions, suddenly right next to you.

You jump, eye wide as you stare at… Sammy? When did she get there? She waves a hand in your face, eyes squinted as she judges your reaction. Before you know it, her eyes are wide in fear as she grips onto your shoulders.

“You have a concussion!” She whines in absolute terror.

“No, they don't.” Sammy's hands are pulled off of you as Yasmina comes into view, holding a coffee mug in her free hand. “Here.”

She then hands the cup to you, and you take it without another thought. Inside is some lukewarm water, and when you look up, Yasmina's giving you an imploring look.

“For you.” She specifies, still holding Sammy back.

Regardless of whether you were actually thirsty or not, you take a sip, grimacing at the pain of your face stretching. The action brings a gasp out of Sammy as she jumps up.

“I'll get you some painkillers!” She smiles, running off to find said medication.

You and Yasmina watch her go, an awkward silence settling between the both of you. She taps her feet against the wooden floor, hands on her hips as she shifts her weight to her good leg. You tap your fingers against the mug, placing it in your lap as you look around camp.

Yasmina clears her throat, rubbing the back of her neck as she looks everywhere else but you. “Your head doing okay?”

You swallow out of nervousness, looking around for Sammy. “Yup.”

“Good, good.” Yasmina nods, a grimace making its way onto her face as she furrows her brows.

“I–”

“You–”

The two of you pause, looking at each other with wide eyes.

“You can–”

“Go ahead–”

Again, you both fall silent before forcing out uncomfortable laughs. You nod towards her, giving her permission to start off. However, she only shakes her head, waving her hand towards you. You let out an embarrassed sigh, rubbing the ceramic in your hands.

“You and Sammy are babysitting me today?”

She looks to the side, an almost pained expression on her face as she answers. “Yeah– That's… that's pretty much what's happening.”

Before you can respond to that, Sammy comes running over, a frown worn on her face. “Aren't the painkillers usually with the medkit?”

You raise a brow before wincing and forcing your face into a neutral position. “Yeah, why?”

“I think we're out.” Sammy says with a guilt ridden voice.

“Seriously? How are we already out?” Yasmina questions, stepping closer to the girl.

“Well, we've gotten into a couple of mishaps since we got them.” Sammy rubs her hands together in thought. She then looks at you. “How many have you been taking?”

“Uh,” you put a hand onto your head, rubbing it in an attempt to relieve the pain. It doesn't do much. “I've been taking two at a time, sometimes more when they wear off.”

“Yeah, I can see why we ran out.” The trackstar says, her eyes half-lidded in what might be disappointment. “We should make a run to Main Street, then.”

You look up at this, eagerness filling your body at the idea of leaving camp.

“No way! We have to watch them!” Sammy throws her hands in your direction. “You know what Darius said–”

“What did Darius say?” You stare at the girls, going back and forth between the two of them as they stare back in bewildered silence.

“Um, that we needed to watch you.” Sammy utters finally, after Yasmina gives her a pointed look.

You stand up, crossing your arms as you send accusing looks at the duo. “That's all?”

Yasmina shifts her stance, once again taking the weight off her bad ankle. “What else would he say?”

You feel anger rising within you at Yasmina's closed off look. She was hiding something, and so was Sammy. Why did everyone feel the need to hide stuff from you all of a sudden? What changed aside from your new injuries? Did they think you were some sort of liability? Is that what Darius thought?

A hand on your shoulder pulls you away from those thoughts as Sammy speaks to you gently. “Since we don't have any painkillers, how about we take your mind off things the old-fashioned way?”

You frown, confusion settling on your face. “What do you mean?”

Sammy gives you a bright smile, and before you know it, you're sitting on the couch with a paper and crayon in front of you.

“How about you write a story? I know you just love doin’ that!”

You ignore the almost condescending tone of her voice, well aware that she didn't mean for it to come off that way. Still, you can't help the scowl that your face twists itself into. With an aggravated huff, you pick up the red crayon before writing. Which proves to be more difficult than you're used to.

Your brain is a jumbled mess, and nothing comes to mind besides the feeling of Sammy pressing against your side and Yasmina standing over your seated form. You gulp, hands beginning to shake as you try and think of something to write. You told Darius how easy it was before, but now you're having trouble? You just need to start. One word, just one. That's how all the good stories start. That's how…

But you can't think at all. Why can't you think of anything? All that comes to mind is Darius and what he might be saying behind your back. Is he telling everyone how much of a nuisance you are now? Is he telling them to be easy, to be gentle, all because you got a little wounded? Is that what he's doing?

You feel a cold chill running down your back. You can hear Sammy speaking, but you don't process her words. Instead, you focus on the blank paper in front of you. It's a ripped sheet from Yasmina's little notebook, you notice. But that does nothing to help you. What do you write? What do you do? How are you supposed to go on? The crayon is pulled out of your hands, and when you look up, you can see a worried expression on Yasmina's face.

“How about we try something else?” She offers, failing to make her smile look like anything more than a grimace.

You don't answer, simply reverting your gaze back to the blank paper. And then, it's pushed off the table as Sammy places a box of cards in its place.

“How about a card game? My family and I play these little games every Saturday night!” She opens the box, sorting through the cards. “What do you wanna play? Uno? Go Fish? Euchre? Solitaire? I can keep going forever, I'm a card game expert!”

“Uno.” You mumble, disinterest in your voice.

Sammy lights up all the same, shuffling through the cards with a grin. “Good choice! But just so you know, I've got the longest win streak in Uno out of all my family.”

“Really?” Yasmina asks with a smirk, much more responsive than you are at the moment.

“Really! You wouldn't believe the things they get into trying to beat me! Not that it ever works, of course.” The cowgirl passes out eight cards for each of you. “How about the loser has to do a little dance?”

You and Yasmina both send a look of disgust towards the energetic girl.

“No way.”

“No.”

Sammy laughs, though it's obvious that she's rather disappointed. Despite this, the game goes rather well. Like Sammy said, she's actually really good. That didn't mean she got an easy win, though. You and Yasmina put up a good fight. However, it still ended up with Sammy winning first, Yasmina winning second, and you coming in last. Maybe if you weren't so focused on the burning sting of your injury, you could've beaten Yasmina at least, but there's no changing that now. Plus, Uno was more of a luck game, and you obviously didn't have the best luck.

“Are you going to dance?” Yasmina asks smugly, a chuckle falling from her lips when you glare at her. “Kidding, kidding.”

“Do you guys wanna play another round?” Sammy wonders, glancing between the two of you.

You and Yasmina share pained looks at the idea of another round. But with nothing better to do, you both agree. And after that round comes another, and another, and another, until night falls. It's only when the sound of footsteps and talking hits your ears that you all realize how much time has passed.

Sammy starts gathering the cards into a neat pile, and Yasmina walks over to the ladder to send the returning group a friendly wave. You watch with a lour as Darius climbs up the ladder, finishing off a conversation with Kenji. You and him make eye contact for a few seconds before he breaks it, heading straight for his bed. You observe the way he shakingly avoids any further contact with you, keeping his head lowered the entire way till it meets his pillow.

You keep your death stare on him, even as he curls up into the dusty sheets. You only take your eye off him when Kenji taps your shoulder. You expect him to make a remark of some sort, but he only smiles at you before walking off. You watch him dive into his bed, your mouth hanging open in perplexity. But by the time Ben greets you, you're already pushing the random interaction to the back of your mind.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. Who knows, maybe Darius will finally let you out of house arrest and stop treating you like an injured foal. Although you're sure that's a distant dream by now. You wish you could understand why he's acting like this. You just want things to go back to the way they were.

Chapter Text

Poking and prodding. Poking and prodding. Poking and prodding. In class, at home, when you're sitting in your overgrown yard, everywhere. They poke you with pencils as they giggle, they hurl words at you that don't make sense with the haze they're in, the old man in the house next to you stares like you're a different species.

Are you really so different? How so? You always wonder, but you never get any answers. What sets you apart from others? Are you ugly? Are you weird? Are you stupid? What's wrong with you?

Sweat runs down your temples as you stand in your yard. Long grass brushes against your pants, yet you ignore it. The old man's staring at you again through his window, yet you ignore it. There's a voice, one that you don't recognize at the time, and you listen.

It's coming from behind the wooden fence, you realize. The fence that's rotting away, holes and vines overtaking it. Still, it conceals the identity of the person speaking pretty well, so it must not be completely useless.

You walk forward, one foot in front of the other. Do you walk weirdly? You place your hands onto the harsh wood, uncaring of the splinters that may appear later. Do your hands look weird? You push your face against the fence, looking into it with your left eye. Do your eyes look weird? And you see Darius.

“We can't bring them with us.” He says in a low tone, venom held in his voice. “They'll just hold us down.”

All the other campers are gathered around him, the sky nearly as dark as the mood that surrounds them. You can see the sand underneath their feet and a boat in the distance. They all nod or hum in agreement.

“Let's just – forget about them, alright?”

Again, everyone nods in agreement, and they all begin walking towards the ocean ahead. Towards the boat. Towards freedom.

“No!” You scream, tearing at the dead wood. “No, don't leave me!”

You watch as Darius turns his head in your direction, meeting your eye. And for the millisecond that you two share eye contact, you can see the hatred swimming within his brown irises. But he shouldn't feel that way. Why would he feel that way? What did you do wrong? You don't get any answers as he turns the other way, boarding the boat with the others.

“No, Darius! Please!” You cry, nails cracking and bleeding as you dig into the fence to no avail.

Your fingertips sting, the right side of your face burns like a relit fire, and your throat aches as you scream and cry. You're not usually this loud, you realize. You've always tried to tuck into yourself, to avoid being seen, to avoid being hurt. But hurt is all you feel as you watch them sail away. So you can't help the eruption of sobs that leave your lips, face wet with tears and snot.

Because you know no one's going to come back for you. You're going to die on this island. Alone, and defenseless. All because you held them down. No, you're still holding them down. You can't do anything now. You're useless. Completely, and utterly worthless. You can't do anything right. You couldn't save Ben. You couldn't save Kenji and Brooklynn. God, you're useless. So, so completely incompetent. Everyone would be better off if Mitch had better aim. If only he had aimed a little to the left. Maybe then everything would be alright. Maybe you would be happier dead. Maybe death is all that's left for someone like you.

You jump up with a gasp, sweat running down your back as chills erupt on your spine. Just a nightmare. Just a nightmare, you realize. With a shuddering sigh, you spare a glance towards the other side of your bed, only to find it empty.

Your heart drops, and you feel the world slowing down as you lift your head. And all at once, everything falls back to place as you catch sight of Kenji lounging on the couch. You try to even out your breathing, gripping the bed sheets as you watch him. He must be taking a nap, given the snores you're hearing.

In and out, over and over. Catch your breath. Stop panicking. They'd never leave you behind. Never. You're all getting off this island together. But, really, what would you go back to anyway?

With a gulp, you take a sudden stand, sight wavering at the change in position. You ignore the pounding in your head, the burning on your face, and the pinching itch that persists on your neck. You can't think of things like that. Not now.

After just a few more steps, you stand in front of a snoring Kenji, his mouth hanging open without a care. You wonder if a bug had flown in there at one point, and you'd take a closer look to see if it actually happened, but you didn't want Kenji to wake up and get the wrong idea. So, instead, you tap his head.

Which, of course, does nothing. You advance to flicking his forehead, and that gets a flinch out of him. His constant snoring stutters, and Kenji swiftly sits up straight. Blinking, the boy stares up at you for a few seconds, looks around, and begins to lay back down on the couch.

“Hey,” you grab his shoulders and force him up, brows furrowed in annoyance. “Don't go back to sleep.”

“Why?” He yawns in your face.

Grimacing, you question him. “Where is everyone?”

“Just…” He starts mumbling as his head tilts down. With one violent shake, he's blinking his eyes open and repeating himself. “They're just checking out the island again, dude. Chill.”

He pushes your hands off his shoulders, placing his elbows on his knees as he rubs his eyes tiredly. You briefly wonder what tired him out before you remember that it was most likely nothing. Kenji's a self-described slacker.

“Are they going to Main Street any time soon?” You ask, frown deepening as the fiery pain in your face grows.

Kenji purses his lips, eyes looking at you for a few silent moments before shrugging. “Dunno. Might be on Darius's agenda.”

Your breath stutters at the boy's name. And you have to remind yourself that your nightmares and reality are completely different. Still, is he ever going to get more painkillers for you if he can't even look you in the eye?

With a huff, you cross your arms, fully prepared to leave camp on your own since you doubt Kenji will do anything about it. He couldn't care less about your wellbeing.

However, when you make a move to turn around, Kenji stands. Running his fingers through his dark locks, he eyes your face. You feel the heat increasing, the pain becoming almost unbearable as he continues to stare, stare, and stare. Then, he grins.

“You wanna take a trip to Main Street?” His eyes shine with mischief, and you kind of want to deny his offer just to watch his smile fall, but you can't stop yourself from smiling back. And once you nod, your fate is sealed.

The walk there is rather boring. Despite this, you could feel anxiety pounding in your chest. Kenji and you were an unlikely pair, and the thought of the two of you being alone frightened you, admittedly. You could picture thousands of scenarios where Kenji throws you to the wolves (or dinosaurs) and runs off.

However, Kenji seems unaffected by your silence. He rattles on and on about the adventures the group had been on while you've been bedridden (against your will), and you listen because this is probably the only time anyone is ever going to fill you in.

“Honestly, it was awesome. Well, it would've been awesomer if Darius wasn't such a negative nancy.” Kenji sighs.

Ignoring his wrongful use of a comparative form, your eyes flick up towards him, curiosity piqued. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah! He's always got an attitude. He never laughs at my jokes anymore, and he's so…” Kenji pauses, eyes flitting to the side as he thinks, “...Serious.”

“Just serious?” You wonder, shoulder brushing against a tree you swear was much farther away.

Kenji hums, tapping his curled pointer finger against his chin as he thinks. “Well, not serious, more like… edgy.”

You purse your lips, resisting the urge to furrow your brows as the pain in your face spikes. With your lack of response, Kenji continues.

“I mean, I'm glad he's looking out for us, but he's just so paranoid now. ‘Don't go too far by yourselves!’, ‘Don't touch anything without my permission!’, ‘Stay quiet!’. Like, lay off, dude. You're not my dad.” Kenji chuckles, bumping his shoulder against yours as you force out a chuckle of your own.

Even though you find no humor in his words, you do find them valuable. This means he isn't just being weirdly paranoid towards you, but everyone else, too. Or, maybe Kenji's just getting on his nerves.

“Still, I know he'll snap out of it eventually.” The rich kid smiles.

“What if he never does?” You ask, staring at his face with skepticism.

Kenji meets your eye, and you find the pain growing once more at the lack of pity in them. “He will.”

You frown, moving your eye off of the boy and instead onto the grass below you. That made no sense. Kenji made no sense. But that wasn't anything new, so you're not sure why you're surprised. You're just confused by his unfaltering faith in Darius. And, then, you're confused by your own lack of faith. Since when did you feel such animosity towards the dinosaur-obsessed boy?

You jump slightly when Kenji grabs your arm. Looking up, you realize the two of you made it to Main Street much quicker than you expected to. And the sinking feeling in your stomach that's persisted since you woke is now stronger than ever. But, anything's better than staying holed up at camp, right? So, you continue forward, the both of you carefully moving through the empty streets.

The complete silence never fails to put you on edge, and the destroyed buildings don't help, either. Kenji walks without a care, head turning every which way in search of… well, you're not sure, actually. Why did Kenji come with you?

You don't dwell on the question for very long, as you soon come along one of the many stores. You take a glance, then another, and then your shoes scratch against the ground as you come to a full stop. It's a clothing store, or well, a merchandise store with clothing inside it.

At any moment, that T. Rex could pop out and eat you whole. And yet, you can't help staring at the store. At any moment, teeth could be biting into your flesh. And yet, you find yourself carefully rubbing the fabric of a sweater between your fingers. At any moment, you could die, and yet the skin crawling feeling you get when the others look at you convinces you that this sweater is worth it.

“That one's the coolest in the store.” You jump, completely forgetting that Kenji was with you. You spin towards him, lips pulled into a snarl.

“Why aren't you on lookout?” You quickly scan the barren street with your eye before looking at Kenji again.

“You never told me to be on lookout. Plus, I just wanted to see what you were doing.” Kenji smiles, getting into your personal bubble as he stares at the mannequin wearing the sweater. “Is this why you wanted to go to Main Street?”

You huff, grabbing your size off the shelf nearby and walking off. You hear Kenji sputter before he follows in your footsteps.

“Hey. Hey. Hey. Bro. Dude. Broski. Bruh. Br–”

“Kenji.”

He pauses his walking when you come to a stop, staring at you in silence. If looks could kill, your glare would have him dead on the ground, but they don't, so he simply smiles innocently at your anger.

“First off, stop that.” You bring a finger up and point at him like he's a toddler. “Second off, where's the pharmacy?”

Kenji's smile fades slightly as you mention a pharmacy. But before you can question it, he's pushing your finger away and walking forward.

“Well, you asked the right guy.” He walks backward with a grin.

“You're the only guy here.” You scoff.

“At the moment. Oh, hey, I've been meaning to ask you something.” He begins as you finally pull the sweater over your head.

Even though you're careful as can be, you can't help the groan that escapes you when the fabric brushes against your face. The pain then quickly fades into that harsh burning sensation you're used to, and you brush your hands over the fabric to rid it of any wrinkles. As you do this, you're painfully aware of Kenji's silence.

“What?” You hiss, shoulders raising at his stare.

“What did you need at the pharmacy?” Kenji seems to ignore your hostile attitude, looking rather unbothered as he crosses his arms behind his head.

You feel the burn worsen with how deep your frown is, but you answer anyway. “Painkillers. We ran out.”

“Why couldn't you wait for Darius to get them for you?”

You rip out a tag that was attached to your sleeve, throwing it onto the ground. “I haven't had any for two days now, I'm not waiting on him.”

Kenji spares a sickeningly neutral glance towards you. “That makes sense.”

You eye him suspiciously, but make no further comment as the two of you come to a stop in front of a worn-down store. It's a decent size, and luckily, one of the buildings that isn't missing a wall or two. To make it better, rather than an open store like the few you've gone into, this one actually has doors, which gives you hope that there aren't any dinosaurs lurking inside.

“Why did you want to come to Main Street?” You ask suddenly, looking at Kenji with newfound wariness.

Kenji pulls the door handle, the bell ringing obnoxiously as he holds it open for you. “We're running out of shampoo and conditioner.”

“Oh, what a tragedy.” You roll your eye as you walk in.

“Well, some of us have gorgeous hair that needs constant upkeep.” Kenji shoves your shoulder in agitation.

“Who?” You can't help the smile that forms on your face at the deadpan look he gives you.

“Go look for your stuff.” Kenji walks off, leaving you alone in the dark, otherwise empty store.

You look around carefully, picking up every pill bottle you see just to put it back onto the shelf. With each bottle you grab, your disappointment grows. Maybe it would've been better to stick with Kenji since he can actually read stuff without sticking it in his face. And the darkness of the store isn't helping either. Maybe you were wrong to think a closed store would leave you better off than an open one.

You turn your head as you hear the boy in question heading your way. He's holding a plastic bag full of stuff and wearing a huge smile.

“Man, this place is like a goldmine! They have soda, lollipops, gummy worms…”

“I thought we plucked every store clean of food?” You ponder, reaching towards the bag to look through it.

Kenji brings it closer to himself, an almost sheepish expression on his face. “I mean, candy isn't really food.”

“Yeah…” You agree in confusion, reaching towards the bag again only for Kenji to hide it behind his back. “Kenji?”

“Did you find any painkillers?” He leans back as you lean forward, trying to get a peek at the bag.

“No, I didn't see any.” You try grabbing it out of his arms, but he raises the bag into the air, holding it just out of your reach as you push against him. “Seriously, Kenji, what's your deal?”

“That's fine, I got some for you. Is your eye healed yet?” He grunts when you step on his foot, practically climbing him to get to the bag.

“Stop dodging my questions!” You utter angrily, voice just a smidgen lower than a yell.

“Okay, okay!” Kenji pushes you off him, bringing the bag into your reach for only a second before snatching it away when you try pouncing on it. “But, again, is your eye healed yet?”

“Yes!” You mutter, frustration building.

“Good!” He grabs something out of the bag and places it into your hands.

You're not sure what it is at first until you bring it closer and read the label. “Eye patches?” You look up towards the boy with a perplexed expression.

“Yeah! You can't wear those bandages forever, so I thought you might like it.” He beams at you like he just gave you a million bucks.

You ogle him with a sense of unease, the box crinkling from your grip. “Why?”

“Why what?” He blinks, his smile as big as ever.

You go quiet, realizing you're not really sure what you're asking. Why what? Why did he get it? Why did he come with you? Why was he so happy about it? Why did he think you'd like it? What were you trying to say?

“Why do you care?” Your face burns as your brows lower.

His happy smile fades, a confused one taking its place. “What do you mean?”

“Why do you care?!” You shout, anger spreading across your face as you shove the packet of patches into his chest. “We don't know each other! We're not friends! So why are you pretending we are!?”

Kenji doesn't say anything for a few seconds, simply clutching the packet in his hand. Then, he drops it into his bag and shakes his head. “I'm not pretending. You–”

A snarl from behind Kenji shuts the both of you up. He shakingly takes a look behind him and then lets out an annoyed sigh. Behind him stands a singular Compy. It tilts its head at the sight of you two, then snarls once more. Kenji turns back towards you, prepared to just ignore the little dinosaur. You, however, can't stop staring at it.

Realizing this, Kenji looks back at it again before blocking your view of the critter. “It's just a Compy–”

Another snarl, and this time, when the both of you look back, there's two more. They hiss and chirp, oddly aggressive compared to how they usually behave. Then again, you're fully aware that they don't mind taking a bite out of creatures your size. Your neck stings a bit as you stare at their little jaws.

Kenji waves a hand in your face, pulling your attention away from the Compies. “There's still just a few of them, don't worry.”

“Kenji.” You whisper, watching as they inch closer, their numbers growing.

“What?” He asks, leaning in closer.

“We need to go.” The hissing increases, and when Kenji turns around once again, he jumps at the change in number.

“Oh, crud.”

The pack of carnivores seem to take that as a call to action and start running at the two of you. One grabs Kenji's pant leg, tugging it like a little dog. Others aim higher, jumping off of shelves and onto your guys’ shoulders. You grab hold of Kenji, pulling him away. To where, you have no idea. Anything's better than here.

But the Compies don't give up. They just keep nipping at the both of you. Kenji throws a few to the ground, cursing at them like they'd get offended at some point and run off. But they kept at it, and you can't help but wonder why. Aren't they scavengers?

You stumble a few times over fallen products, but eventually, you crash into what seems to be a back exit. You pull the handle, kicking away some determined Compies all the while. And once you have it open, both of you stumble into the dark room and slam the door shut.

Wait, dark room?

You gasp, turning in all directions, only to see… nothing. It's pitch black. This wasn't an exit. So, what was it? Ignoring the panting in the room that isn't yours, you step forward, pausing when you hear glass crunch underneath your feet. Is this a bathroom? Are the mirrors shattered or something?

Kenji calls your name, but you ignore it. Slowly walking forward until your knee hits something solid. You stumble, hands falling onto the object. It's hard and sturdy, tilting in a way that tells you it shouldn't be on the ground. This must not be a bathroom, then.

Kenji calls your name again, this time with the crunching sound of glass accompanying his voice. You continue to ignore him as your hands travel lower. There's a dip, then a smooth surface, then another dip. This must be a shelf. You wince when your fingers come across a sharp edge.

These must have been glass shelves, which explains the state of the floor. Was this where they stored the medicine? That means there must be another exit in this room, right? If not, you're not sure you and Kenji will be able to get out of this. God, this is humiliating. Dying to Compies has to be the worst way to go. They're not even that dangerous!

Still, the large amount of them, plus their unusual aggression, make for a deadly combination. You're still stuck on why they're so aggressive, though. But now that you think about it, this store might just be their nest. Which would explain a lot.

You jump when something grabs your shoulder, fighting against it until you hear a familiar voice yelp.

“Gah! It's me! stop it!”

You stop your attack, hands lingering in the air for a bit before they grab onto the boy in front of you. He tenses under your grip and gasps once you push him away from you.

“Why're you so close?” You whisper, trying to catch a glimpse of him in the dark.

“I can't really tell how close we are, since, y’know, it's pitch black!” He hisses, sass evident in his voice.

You roll your eye despite knowing Kenji won't see it. Then, you turn back to the fallen shelf. You feel along its edge until your hand meets what you hope to be a wall. Kenji calls your name, and you groan in annoyance.

“What?” You feel along the wall, investigating every ridge in search of a door.

“Where are you?” His voice seems a bit fearful, so you pause your search.

“I'm right here.” You reach a hand out into the darkness, waiting quietly until another hand grabs onto yours.

He holds your hand tightly, coming close enough that you can feel his body pressing against yours.

“You're too close.” You huff, pushing him back again.

“My bad.” You hear him mutter, and he transitions into holding your arm instead of just your hand.

You falter, standing still for a moment. “Are you scared of the dark?”

His grip tightens for a second, “What? No, what makes you think that?”

The two of you sit in silence for a bit, and Kenji presses closer to you once more.

“No reason.” You hum, ignoring his clinginess for the moment.

You continue, this time with Kenji rendering your left arm unusable. You find that most, if not all, the shelves have been trashed and pushed over. Due to dinosaurs, frantic pharmacists, or something else, you're not sure. What you do know is that they're blocking the other side of the room.

“This would be so much easier if we had a flashlight.” You sigh, vocalizing your frustrations since, for once, you're the more talkative one out of the two of you.

“Do you have Ben's fanny pack?” Kenji asks, breathing against your ear due to the close proximity between you two.

You shudder, shoving Kenji's face away from yours. “No, he took it as soon as he got back.”

“I thought you guys were sharing it?” Kenji questions, unbothered by your hand pressing against his face.

“Why would we be sharing it?” You look in his direction in bewilderment.

Kenji doesn't say anything for a few seconds. Then, he hums in confusion. “I don't know. Nevermind.”

“Okay?” You turn your attention back to the shelves on the ground. “Let's climb over these shelves. There's probably an exit on the other side.”

“Yeah, okay.” Kenji agrees, placing his hand in yours and releasing his vice grip on your arm.

You place your hand on the smooth side of one of the shelves, leaning forward to test your weight on it. The piece of furniture creaks a bit, but you're decently confident that it'll hold you. At worst, it'll get uncaught from whatever is making it lean, and you'll lose your balance.

Climbing on top of the shelf, you wince at the creaking, more so when Kenji immediately follows after you. But there's nothing to worry about. You repeat the phrase in your head. There's nothing to worry about at all. So, you keep sliding yourself to the other side of the shelf.

Once your feet meet open air rather than the sturdy metal, you tentatively push forward. Lowering one foot onto the ground, hearing the familiar crunch of glass, and then, this time more confidently, lowering your other foot. And when you're standing on solid ground, you pull Kenji onto his feet.

He staggers a bit but regains his balance as he holds onto you. You're still not sure what Kenji's been feeling this entire time, both because of his unusual silence and because of the dark, and it's making you anxious. So, when you begin feeling along the wall again, you can't help but question him about it.

“Are you okay?” You murmur hesitantly.

“Who, me?” Kenji wonders.

“You're the only other person here. What do you think?” You click your teeth, quickening your searching pace.

“Oh, I'm good.” He says, his voice steady. “Uh, what about you?”

“Me too.” You lie easily.

“Really?” He gets closer to you for the hundredth time.

“Yes.” You walk away from him, though it doesn't do much since he's still holding your hand.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Are you really–”

“God, Kenji, can you shut up for just one second?!” You jerk your hand out of his reach, stepping backward to make space between the two of you. “Why do you keep bothering me?”

Kenji doesn't say anything. And as the silence stretches on, you can't help but start feeling regret. Was that uncalled for?

“Kenji?”

…….

“Ken–”

“Do you actually think we're not friends?”

This time, it's your turn to fall silent. You can't see or feel him, and you find yourself regretting pushing him away if only you could get an idea of what he looks like right now. Is he angry? Is he sad? You can't tell from his voice. It just sounds… calm. Which doesn't make sense to you.

“Because I wasn't pretending. I really do care about you.”

You hear the crunching of glass, the sound growing closer and closer. You get the urge to walk farther, to try and get out of his reach, but you're rooted in your spot. You feel like you're being hunted. And you swear you can hear a ‘click, click, click’ in the distance.

Then, there's the rustling of a bag being set down, and hands are grabbing onto your shoulders. You see a red glint, and you can't help but shake in fear as a familiar face grows closer and closer. He still has that stupid camera hanging from his neck.

But, then, the image fades as those hands wrap around you. They hold you tightly, and you remember that it's Kenji you're stuck in here with, not anyone else.

“Honestly, you're super cool.” Kenji chuckles, and you shiver at the feeling of his breath against your ear. “I really like you.”

You gulp, face burning in a different way. You place your hands onto his shoulders, but instead of pushing him away, you pull him closer.

“We might not have been friends before, but can we be friends now?”

“...okay.”

“Okay? That's all?” Kenji teases.

“Okay, we can be friends. And, sorry, for yelling at you.” For the first time since you got in here, you're grateful for the darkness since it keeps Kenji from seeing your embarrassed face.

“And you're gonna wear those eye patches?”

“Yeah.”

“And you're gonna take your painkillers?”

“Duh.”

“And you're gonna give me a hug every day?”

“Shut up.” You finally pull away from Kenji, the laughter falling from your lips disrupting the false display of anger.

Kenji laughs with you, picking up the bag again (judging by the rustling) before holding your hand.

And before you know it, your hand meets the handle of a door. You push against it, and with Kenji’s help, the two of you manage to get the heavy door open. And, to your delight, the sky is still a bright blue. You're sure Darius wouldn't be happy if he found out Kenji and you snuck off while he was gone.

You turn towards Kenji, a small grin on your face, which quickly fades once you see the bite on his arm.

“Shit, are you okay? Why didn't you say you got bit?” You grab his arm, rolling up his sleeves to get a better look.

“I didn't realize I did.” He blinks, confusion in his eyes. “I don't feel them.”

“Must be their venom.” You mutter, tracing the bite marks with your fingers.

Kenji tugs his arm away from you, his face a strange hue. “It's not that serious, I'll just slap on a bandaid or two.”

“You should wash it too. Who knows where their mouths have been.” You smile.

“Yeah,” Kenji smiles back, his cheeks reddening. “I'll do it when we get back.”

You nod, walking with Kenji as the two of you start heading back to camp. This time, the walk is rather comfortable. It's still weird, though, thinking about being friends with Kenji of all people. In fact, it's weird to think about Kenji caring about anyone but himself. And yet, when you think about it, you can't ignore the increased burning in your face that occurs. You'll have to take those painkillers as soon as you get back. Maybe they'll make this weird feeling go away.

Chapter Text

Grass bends beneath your feet, your steps quiet compared to the buzzing around you. Kenji goes on and on about another adventure everyone had gone on without you, and you find yourself staring at the ground in silence. His recounting of it makes the adventure seem cool, but you're sure it was actually terrifying to experience first-hand.

“You can go with us next time!” He smiles, suddenly bumping shoulders with you.

“Do I really want to?” You ask, the corners of your mouth tilting up.

“Duh! After this, Darius can't deny the fact that you're all healed and ready to go.” His cheerful words nearly bring your heart to a stop.

You purse your lips, tuning Kenji out once more as he continues talking. How will Darius react to you leaving camp without his permission? No, actually, why did you need his permission in the first place? He was supposed to be your friend, not your boss. The very thought of asking Darius for permission to simply live your life was too aggravating to handle, so you forced yourself to take a breath. All this anger directed at Darius made you sick to your stomach.

You wish he'd just talk to you. You wish he'd at least look at you without that pitiful expression on his face. The last time he had spoken to you was when you had first awoken, and it was just to spout some more dinosaur bullshit. Why didn't he ask if you were okay? Sure, he seemed to assume that you weren't all on his own, but if he had just asked you, then maybe you'd admit that you needed some time. Some time to get over this burning pain in your face, some time for you to actually acknowledge the wounds in general. Hell, you haven't even gotten to look at your own face since you had gotten shot! Was this not your body? Were you not your own person? How could he act as if you were some little child who couldn't tell right from wrong when he was the entire reason you had even gotten shot in the first place!

You gulp, a cold sweat overtaking you. That wasn't Darius’s fault. Why would you think that? What's wrong with you? You brought this upon yourself. You're the one who attacked Tiff. You're the one who made the plan in the first place. These are your consequences. They're the result of your actions. It's your fault, not his. So why do you still feel so angry?

Looking to the side at Kenji’s distracted rambling, you come to the dreadful conclusion that you won't be able to hide this little outing from Darius. But, really, what can he do? Darius may be the appointed leader, but how could he possibly punish you for this? Sure, you stayed at camp like he wished, but if you really wanted to, you could have left at any time. You just stayed because… well, you're not too sure. Maybe because everyone was telling you how hard Darius had it, but weren't you the one without an eye now? If anything, you should be the one bossing everyone around. You're the one who knew those ‘photographers’ were bad news. You're the one who knew they were lying. You're the one who tried so hard to get everyone to leave while they still could. And what did they do? They followed Darius's orders; and now look at what happened.

“Hey.” A hand on your shoulder pulls you away from those thoughts. “It's gonna be okay. “

You stare at Kenji with a befuddled expression, unsure of how to respond.

“I know you're worried about what Darius is gonna think, but I'm on your side, okay?” Kenji's smile is smaller than before, but you find yourself believing his every word.

“Thanks, Kenji.” You whisper.

And now, standing in front of camp, you let his words swirl around your head. Especially when you both see and hear everyone up there. Why were they back so early? You didn't even have time to prepare yourself as Kenji walked forward and started climbing up the ladder.

You wanted to stay down here, away from everyone's pitying gazes and their worried words. But, you knew that simply isn't possible. You'd have to confront Darius at some point, and that time was now. So, you suck in a breath and climb up the ladder into chaos.

“Where were you two?!” Darius's face is twisted with so many emotions that you find it hard to recognize the boy.

“We ran out of painkillers, so we went to Main Street–”

“You went to Main Street?!” Darius interrupts Kenji with a yell, his eyes flickering between the two of you. “What were you thinking!?”

“Nothing happened.” Kenji puts his hands out in a placating gesture, but it only serves to make Darius's anger grow.

“Nothing happened? Look at your arm, Kenji!”

The taller boy spares a quick glance at the bite on his arm, a bruise slowly forming over it. “That's just a little bite! The Compies were–”

“Compies?!” Darius sputters.

“We're fine!” You try to step in.

“No!” Darius screams, pointing a finger at your face when you attempt to walk closer. “You're not fine! You and Kenji left without my permission–”

“We shouldn't need your permission!” You argue.

“You got attacked by Compies!” Darius ignores your words, stepping closer.

“It's not that big of a deal!”

“You could've died!” He hisses, his face now inches away from yours.

“Darius, calm down.” Ben tries to intervene, frowning when Darius pushes him away.

Darius sends glare Ben's way before redirecting his rage towards you. “We're trying to find a way off this island, but we can't do that if we have to worry over what you'll do while we're gone!”

“Come on, guys.” Yasmina's voice is drowned out by your own.

“You don't have to worry! I'm not stupid, I can survive on my own!”

“Darius–”

“No, Kenji, you stay quiet!” Darius suddenly turns towards the boy. “I trusted you to watch them!”

“I was watching them!”

“I don't need to be watched!”

“Guys, let's all just calm down.” Sammy says softly.

“No!” Darius yells before turning towards you once more. “If you just told me you needed painkillers, I would have gotten them for you!”

“You wouldn't even look at me! How was I supposed to talk to you?!”

“That's not true!” He argues, his anger spiking.

“It is!” You push him backward, watching as Darius's eyes widen. “Why wouldn't you look at me?!”

Ben calls your name, perhaps in warning, but you don't stop.

“What's wrong with me, huh? Do you hate me?”

Darius shakes his head. “Why would I hate you?”

“Because you're keeping me at camp like some sort of prisoner!” You scream, shaking Kenji's hand off when he tries to grab you.

“I'm just trying to keep you safe!”

“No, you just think I'm going to get in the way!” You poke a finger into his chest, ignoring the guilt in his eyes. “Ever since I woke up, you've been looking at me like I'm some sort of freak!”

“I didn't–”

“If you want to leave this island so bad, then go!” Your words bring about an overwhelming silence. “You obviously don't think I can do anything, so go ahead and leave! I'll stay here and you all can go and live your lives without me!”

Ben shouts your name again, his voice sounding desperate.

“Shut up!” You whip your head towards him, your heart wilting at his pained expression. “God, just–”

You spare a glance around, the ache in your chest growing at the disheartened faces of everyone around you.

“--just leave me alone for one fucking second!”

You spin on your heel, ignoring the concerned calls of your fellow campers–of your friends–and practically sliding down the ladder in your rush to get away from them. You ignore their yells of your name, you ignore the darkness of the sky, you ignore the buzzing in your mind, and you just keep running. You keep running and running until you run out of breath, and lay your head against some random tree as your thoughts catch up to you.

This was bad. That was bad. Everything was bad right now. And now you've stupidly ran into the jungle in the dark, with no idea of where you are. You can't even hear the voices of everyone else anymore. But, you're not sure if that's because of the distance you ran, or if it's because they stopped yelling. You'd prefer the latter. You hope they'll listen to you just this once and leave you alone.

You push your palm against the only eye you have left, letting out a raspy cry as the pain catches up to you. You still haven't had any of your painkillers, and you regret not taking some while you were still walking with Kenji, even if it meant taking them dry. God, you’d choke down as many pills as possible if only the burning heat of your brain would fade. It pumps and pumps to the point that you can't help but whine in agony. And yet, you continue to push your hand against your face, angry at the fact you could still feel anything at all.

Stupid. That's what this all was: stupid. If Darius wasn't such a worried prick, none of this would have happened. If Darius wasn't in charge, none of this would've happened. If it weren't for Darius…

You feel sick. You wish you could throw up every worry rolling around in your head. It's dark. You're sweating, caused by a mixture of heat and adrenaline. You feel sick. You wish you could rewind time, tell everyone to leave while they still could. You wish you could go back. You feel sick. You wish Darius would look at you like he used to. You feel sick. You wish you had died. You feel–

A burning climbs up your throat, and before you know it, you're tilting to the side and puking up stomach acid. You haven't eaten anything today. You retch and gag at the taste, the burn in your throat spreading to your mouth. And once it's over, all you can bring yourself to do is walk away from the disgusting sight. Not even that far, just a couple feet further into the jungle, if only to avoid the smell of the substance. Still, the burn doesn't go away even as you wipe your mouth with your hand.

Then, you're sliding down the trunk of the tree into a seated position in the grass. There's nothing but the sound of insects and bellows from far away. Maybe a carnivore will sneak up on you and swallow you whole, and you'll never have to worry about anything ever again. You pull your knees to your chest, the steady thump of your heart bringing that same nausea right back. You wish everything would stop. You wish you could just lay here for the rest of your life. But, the nausea persists, and the heat of your thoughts continues to envelope your brain, and it's all too much and not enough at the same time. So, you just stare into the open air.

It's too dark. It's too quiet. Everything's wrong. Your eye flits from one direction to the next, over and over until every little shadow looks like someone who's dead. Until every bit of moonlight that shines past the trees turns red and every insects’ chirp turns into a click. ‘Click, click, click’. Over and over as he adjusts the scope. You swallow, uncaring as the thumping of your heart grows erratic. You stay still throughout it all, perhaps in acceptance. Or perhaps, because this is what you've wanted all along. ‘Click, click, click’. He adjusts the scope a final time, and you try your best to keep still as the barrel of his gun points at your head. This time, he won't miss.

There's a rustle to your side, but you don't move. You don't dare mess up his shot, not this time. You wait, patient, unlike your heart, which is practically beating out of your chest. Patient, unlike your breath which leaves your mouth in huffs. You try to stay calm, but you can't help your fear. It's only natural to be afraid of death, but at the moment, you try your best to welcome it with open arms.

A hand places itself on your shoulder, but you pay it no mind, still awaiting the bullet that'll put an end to the burn in your mind. Searing and never-ending. Waiting until it ends. But it never does.

Instead of a bullet pulling the insides of your brain apart, you feel arms wrapping around you in an embrace so gentle you feel tears building in your eye. And when the sound of clicking fades, and the red reflection of his scope disappears, all you can see is Ben.

He doesn't say anything, and neither do you. You just sit in the dark, and hold each other, like nothing else mattered. And, at the moment, you found that to be true. Nothing mattered besides Ben's hands on your back, pulling you closer until you unfurl your legs. And after that he's still pulling you closer and closer, as if he were trying to meld your bodies together. It almost hurts, but Ben loosens his grip on you before it reaches that point.

Instead, one of his hands makes its way to your head, pushing your face into his neck. And you sit like that. For how long, you have no idea, and you can't find it in yourself to care. Because Ben is holding you. Because Ben is alive. Because Ben, Ben, Ben. You almost frighten yourself with how blank your mind gets when he holds you, but maybe that's because no one has held you like this aside from him. Aside from Ben.

You gulp, face growing hot as the embrace continues. “Ben?”

He doesn't answer verbally, at least. But he tilts his head ever so slightly, and you shiver at the feeling of his breath on your neck.

“Why're you here?”

It's only then that he seems to understand that you've had enough, so his hands leave you, and he backs up just enough to look you in the eye. He’s silent, still staring at you. His mouth opens, then closes, and his eyes dart away from your face as he thinks. And in his silence, you find guilt festering within you.

“I'm sorry,” you say abruptly, your voice no higher than a whisper. “for yelling at you. You didn't deserve that.”

Ben shakes his head slightly, but he doesn't offer you more than that in terms of acknowledgment. Instead, he continues as if you hadn't spoken at all.

“Do you really want to stay here?”

You stare at him blankly, your mind rewinding the whole situation as you wonder what he could possibly mean. And then, you wonder why he would ask something like that.

“Did you mean it?” He murmurs, inching closer as if he wanted to block the entire world out.

“Did…” You find yourself stuttering, still reeling from his closeness and the strange questions. “Why?”

Ben presses his lips together in thought, his eyes squinting just a bit as he stares at you. And when he opens his mouth, you wonder how this could possibly be the frightened boy you used to know.

“I… I want to stay too.”

Your eye widens just a fraction as Ben struggles to explain himself.

“It's– I'm different. And, Bumpy, I can't just leave her–and you.” He pauses, eyes locked onto yours. “I don't want to leave you again.”

Your lips tremble, and you can't stop the tear that falls down your face. Even more so when Ben reaches a hand up, thumb dragging against the tear-track. Then, he places his other hand on the right side of your face, so gentle that more tears fall despite the blooming warmth in your chest.

“I don't…” you don't want Ben to stay here. He has so much ahead of him. He has a mom that loves him, he has a new life to live now that he's gotten over his fears, and he's got friends that'll be with him every step of the way. Compared to you, Ben is everything. And you're… “I don't know.”

“That's okay.” Ben whispers, his hand is soft against your burning face, and the heat only grows as you lean into his touch. You feel the pad of his thumb on the healed gash in your nose, and a sniffle escapes you. “Let's just go back to camp for now.”

You shake your head, acutely aware of how pathetic you're acting. “I don't– I can't–”

“You can.” He pulls his hands away from your face, standing over you now. “If you want, you can sleep with Bumpy and me.”

This is so backwards. Ben is comforting you, when you should be the one comforting him. That's how it's supposed to go. That's how it's meant to be, and yet…

Ben grabs your hand, pulling you to your feet. You sniffle, pressing your palm against your eye once again. But, this time, Ben’s here to stop you. He pulls your hand away, replacing it with his own as he holds your face. He's close, closer than you ever thought possible. And you remember that Ben’s changed. And you've changed too. And maybe, this change is alright.

He smiles, and even in the dark of night, you can see yourself in the reflection of his eyes. And, before you know it, you're walking back to camp with Ben, hand in hand. This feels wrong. You feel unworthy. You feel like you're unfit to be treated with such kindness after your outburst. But Ben squeezes your hand tighter, and you find those thoughts slipping away. Slipping and slipping, until all you can think of is how warm Ben's hand is.

Until all you can think of is how warm Ben is, as you lay next to him. Even against Bumpy's armored shell, you feel warm, warm, warm. So warm it burns, and yet it feels so pleasant at the same time. Ben's head falls onto your shoulder, and with his hand in yours, you fall asleep warm.

Chapter Text

Red wool stretches between your pointer and your thumb, the constant pinching motion distracting you from the noise pouring out of the house speakers surrounding you. You purse your lips, glancing to your right; once, twice, and then you settle your gaze on Kenji. You can't see much from your place on the couch, and the combination of music thrumming from both the speakers and whatever movie was playing on the TV in front of you brings forth a pulsing headache that fills your mind with fuzz. But despite that, you crack a smile at Kenji's sudden, loud laugh. You're not sure what happened or what was said, but in a second, his head is thrown back, his eyes are squeezed shut, and laughter is spilling from his mouth. Your eye only leaves Kenji's joyful form when someone else plops down onto the couch beside you.

“Hey,” Ben grins, two glass cups held in each of his hands. He nudges one into your hand (the one that had been fiddling with your sweater), and you accept it without question. “What're you watching?”

“I don't know.” You spare a glance at the screen before redirecting your attention towards the drink in your hand. It sizzles and pops, a sassafras-like smell filling your nostrils. You take a sip, the carbonation stinging your throat as it goes down. Still, once the cup leaves your lips, you can't help but smile at Ben's remembrance of your distaste for alcohol.

Ben looks at the TV, then at you, moving closer to lean his shoulder against yours. “You don't know? You've been sitting in here for a while.”

You hum noncommittally, taking another sip of the soda in your hand. Ben only leans closer in response, as if closing the distance between you two would give him the ability to read your mind. A New Years party wasn't your idea, but you wouldn't turn down the chance to hang out with your favorite people. The countdown had ended hours ago, now only a distant memory of giggles and shouts. Gifts were given, as is evident by your new sweater, and drinks were drunk. Overall, you've been having a good time up until now.

“You okay?” He asks softly.

Your brows furrow slightly, but you don't let the unsaid accusation anger you. “Just tired.”

Ben hums, letting his head fall onto your shoulder. In return, you wrap an arm around him, taking yet another sip of the soda from your free hand. His eyes soon fall shut, and with careful consideration, you place both of your drinks on the small table to your left. Then, you're blinking slowly, the overwhelming sound from before fading away as your eye drifts shut as well.

You awaken with a start, but quickly calm down once you recognize the hand on your shoulder. Brooklynn smiles gently, a fairly guilty look on her face that has you sitting up quickly. Your shifting form causes Ben to grumble, and before long, he's pulling away from you and rubbing at his tired eyes.

“What's wrong?” You mutter, sleepiness still trying to drag you back into its comfortable depths.

“Can Kenji sleep over?” She whispers.

“Why?” You blink up at her before your head is turning every which way once you notice his absence. “Wait– where is he?”

Brooklynn points to the right, the dim lighting of your kitchen revealing Kenji slumped over the dining table. You can't help but sigh in disbelief.

“Why can't you take him home?” You stand up, looking around for any dirty dishes but finding none.

“We cleaned up.” You flinch at the sudden voice behind you, spinning around to see Darius. He winces at your visible fright. “Sorry.”

“It's fine.” You let out a breath, turning back towards Brooklynn while Ben and Darius rummage around behind you.

“I came by on my motorcycle, and I don't trust Kenji to hold on.” She explains, walking closer to pull you into a hug.

“Sammy can't take him?”

“Sammy and Yaz left a while ago.” She rubs your back, and you push yourself closer.

“What about Ben or Darius?”

Brooklynn parts from you with a kiss on the cheek, and you ignore the burning in your face to instead focus on the problem at hand. Not that Kenji staying over was a problem. You're just worried you won't be able to watch over him considering how tired you are.

“I have to work first thing in the morning.” Darius says, walking out of your kitchen with Ben following behind him. He envelopes you in a tight hug, kissing your forehead before going on to hug the other two.

You look towards Ben, your last resort, considering how busy he usually is. He gives you a tight-lipped smile and pulls you into a solid embrace. Pressing his lips against yours quickly, he gifts you a quiet apology before all three of them inevitably head out. And then your fate of sober-sitting Kenji is officially sealed.

You let out a long groan, heading towards Kenji's unconscious form. You shake his shoulders, calling his name quietly. But of course, that doesn't work, so you resort to the familiar tactic of flicking his forehead. But that doesn't work either. Now, more worried than annoyed, you turn his head towards you to check that he's breathing.

“Bah!” Kenji’s sudden yell forces a scream from you, instincts driving you to slap him out of pure terror. “Ow!”

“Kenji!” You hiss, hitting his shoulder much softer than you had hit his face.

The boy in question rubs his cheek with a huge frown. “That hurt.”

“Don't scare me like that then.” You grumble with knitted brows, though you swiftly grab his face to inspect it.

Kenji goes silent at your touch, eyeing your every feature even after you let him go.

“You're fine, come on.” You call, grabbing his wrist and pulling him up.

“Yes, captain.” He mutters, a slight purr to his words that burns in your mind.

You click your tongue, pulling him harder towards your bedroom. Although, you become much more gentle when guiding him up the stairs in spite of your vexation. And once you're both inside the safety of your room, you pull him into bed with you.

“If you feel like throwing up, tell me.”

Kenji nods, cuddling close to you. “Yes, captain.”

“And stop that.” You mumble, closing your eye. Usually, you'd change your clothes before going to bed, but your new sweater is so comfortable, and Kenji's so warm that you don't care.

“Yes…” Kenji trails off.

You wait for him to continue, awaiting whatever new title he decides to give you, but it never comes. Puzzled, you open your eye only to squeeze it shut once Kenji starts to kiss every inch of your face. Sputtering, you try pushing him off since you don't quite appreciate his breath nor the stubble on his chin, but the kisses only grow in quantity.

“Kenji!” You snicker, blinking in confusion once the onslaught of kisses stop.

Now, Kenji simply stares at you, holding your face in his hands like you did just minutes earlier. His thumbs rub your cheeks with gentleness that you don't expect from him. And then, he begins pecking the scars on your face. His lips are slightly chapped from the alcohol, and his stubble is rough on your sensitive skin, but you find yourself enjoying the attention.

“Lov, uh, you— captain.” He stutters, his words slurring before his kisses stop once more. “I think I'm gonna puke.”

You're up in a flash, forcing Kenji off your bed and shoving his face into the small trashcan beside your desk. And while Kenji's hair isn't long enough to the point that you'd need to hold it back for him, you still thread your fingers through it anyway. It's all you can manage when every retch results in you shuddering and grimacing behind his back.

Yeah, you're a horrible sober-sitter.