Clarissa Hammond

Chapter One

Clarissa's POV, in the Badlands near Snakewater, Montana

I crouched beside Alan and Ellie as we continued to uncover the fossils that were found today and someone called out to us, "Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, Dr. Hammond, we're ready to try again." Alan stood up and sighed, "I hate computers." Ellie put a handkerchief on Alan's neck, "The feeling's mutual." I smiled, "Can you two please get together?" They both blushed and ignored me, walking in front of me as we walked down the hill to said computer. 

I stood there, waiting for the computer to load after they shot the radar into the ground. Ellie took off her glasses, "How long does this usually take?" The volunteer at the computer started typing, "Should bring an immediate return. You shoot the radar into the ground, and the bones bounces the image back. This new program is incredible. A few more years and we won't have to dig anymore." I rolled my eyes with a smile, "I guess I'm out of a job," As the image on the screen came up Alan chuckled, nudging me, "Where's the fun in that?"

I looked at the screen closely as the image was fuzzy, "Post-mortem contraction of the posterior neck ligaments. Velociraptor?" Alan looked closely at it, setting his hand on the cardboard on the computer, "Yes. Good shape, too. It's five, six feet high. I'm guessing nine feet long. What- What did you do?" Ellie chuckled, "He touched it. Dr. Grant's not machine-compatible."

Alan pointed at the screen, "And look at the half-moon-shaped bones in the wrists. It's no wonder these guys learned how to fly." I looked closely at it, "Maybe some years after evolution, these particular creatures resemble chickens now." Everyone laughed at Alan and I's comment and Alan turned to them, "No seriously. Maybe dinosaurs have more in common with present-day birds than with reptiles. Look at the pubic bone, turned backward, just like a bird. Have any of you been chased by a chicken? Dr. Hammond just might be right. Look at the vertebrae, full of air sacs and hollows, just like a bird. And even "Raptor" means "Bird of Prey". "

"That doesn't look very scary," I chuckled as Owen Grady, the thirteen-year-old boy who wanted to help me after my lecture at his school last week spoke up, "More like a six-foot turkey." Alan smirked and looked at the ground, "A turkey." Ellie and I looked at each other and followed Alan as he lectured Owen, "Imagine yourself in the Cretaceous period. You'd get your first look at this six-foot turkey as you enter a clearing. He moves like a bird, lightly bobbing his head. You keep still because you think maybe his visual acuity is based on movement, like T-Rex and he'll lose you if you don't move. But no, not Velociraptor. You stare at him and he just stares right back. And that's when the attack comes. Not from the front, but from the side." 

I smiled and shook my head, looking at my notes and ignoring the rest of what Alan was saying, knowing he was just trying to scare Owen. Ellie giggled at my side as we walked back up to the site on top of the hill, "Alan, if you wanted to scare the kid, you could've pulled a gun on him." I laughed, "Owen isn't going to help ever again. He's going to look at dinosaurs now and piss himself." Alan smiled, "Yeah, I know. Kids. You want to have one of those?" 

I smiled, "With the right person, yes." Ellie chuckled, "I don't want that kid, but a breed of child, Dr. Grant, could be intriguing. I mean, what's so wrong with kids?" Alan listed on his fingers, "They're noisy, they're messy, they're expensive." Ellie and I chanted together, "Cheap, cheap." Alan looked off in the distance, "They smell." I snorted and tugged on the collar of his shirt, "You don't exactly smell like roses, Alana." 

Ellie laughed, "They don't smell!" Alan looked at her, "Some of them smell and Clary, what's with Alana?" Ellie giggled, "She's calling you a girl for complaining about the smell." I stopped walking and turned around to see a helicopter start to land and I panicked as all three of us started running down to get the helicopter to stop their shit. 

"Cover the site!" Ellie yelled as both of us ran over to help and Alan ran over to the pilot, "Cover the dig!" I helped a volunteer cover the dig and then looked over to see Alan running for the trailer and I ran over as well, slamming the door open, "Who the hell?"

The man in white was digging through our fridge and Alan glared at him, "What the hell do you think you're doing in here?" The man turned around and I sighed with a smile as he popped the cork on the champagne bottle. Alan ducked, "Hey! We were saving that!" My father grinned, "For today, I guarantee it. Clarissa! My dearest daughter! How are you?"

I smiled and hugged him, "I'm doing great, father, but really? You could have compromised the site! How reckless of you!" My father chuckled, "Headstrong as ever." Alan walked over and pointed at him, "Who in God's name do you think you are?" My father smiled and shook his finger, "John Hammond. And I'm delighted to meet you finally in person, Dr. Grant. So, I can see that my fifty thousand dollars a year has been well spent." 

Alan stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face and Ellie busted in, "Okay, who's the jerk?!" Alan quickly went over to her to stop her, "This is our paleobotanist, Dr...." Ellie took off her hat in confusion, "Sattler." Alan smiled, "Ellie, this is Mr. Hammond." My father smiled and shook her hand, "I'm sorry about the dramatic entrance, Dr. Sattler, but we're in a hurry." 

Ellie looked embarrassed, "Did I say jerk? Wait, Mr. Hammond? Are you Clary's father?" My father smiled and nodded, "That I am dear. Will you have a drink? We won't let it get warm. Sit down. I know dearest Clarissa doesn't like champagne, so I brought her a Little Hug Fruit Barrel." Ellie and Alan looked at me with a smirk and I shrugged as I poked a hole in my fruit juice, "They're good. Sue me." 

My father chuckled, "I'll get right to the point. I like you, both of you. My daughter has mentioned great things about both of you. I can tell instantly about people. It's a gift. That's why when I adopted Clarissa, I knew she'd be going for greatness." Ellie frowned, "Wait, Clary. You're adopted?" 

I nodded, "I am. But that doesn't make him, not my father." My father nodded, "Blood or not, she is my daughter. I own an island off the coast of Costa Rica. I've leased it from the government and during the last five years, I've been setting up a biological preserve. Really spectacular. Spared no expense. Make the one I've got down in Kenya look like a petting zoo. And there's no doubt our attractions will drive kids out of their minds."

Alan asked, "And what are those?" I snorted my drink through my nose and laughed as Ellie leaned in closer to him, "Small versions of adults, honey." Alan look at the both of us, not amused. My father continued, ignoring my laughter, "And not just kids, everyone. We're going to open next year, if the lawyers don't kill me first. I don't care for lawyers, do you?" 

Ellie and Alan shook their heads, "Don't really know any." My father smiled, "I'm also hoping that Clarissa will be there every step of the way when we open up." I smiled, "Family business?" Dad smiled, "I want to keep it that way. Anyway, I do and there's a particular pebble in my shoe, who represents my investors. Says that they insist on outside opinions." 

Ellie looked confused, "What kind of opinions?" My father smiled slightly, "Well, your kind, not to put too fine a point on it. Let's face it, in your particular fields, you're the top minds. And if I could just persuade you to sign off on the park, give it your endorsement, and maybe even pen a wee testimonial, I could get back on schedule. Clarissa isn't able to sign since she is my daughter, but I know she will be very interested in this."

Ellie smiled, "Why would they care what we think?" Alan nodded and some dirt fell from his face, "What kind of park is this?" I tilted my head, "What aren't you telling us, Dad?" Dad smiled, "It's right up your alley," He handed the champagne to Alan and Ellie, "Why don't you come down, just the three of you, for the weekend?  I'd love to have the opinion of a paleobotanist as well. Fathers can always use the opinions of their children too. I've got a jet standing by at Choteau." 

Alan stood up and frowned, "I'm sorry. This isn't possible. Clary can go, but we just dug up a new skeleton, and if only one of us goes it's better than none." My father poured some champagne for himself and didn't look up, "I could compensate you by fully funding your dig." Alan kept trying even though I saw him breaking, "this is a very unusual time. The timing is..." My father smiled at him, "For three years." 

Alan and Ellie looked hesitant, but eventually smiled, "Where's the plane?" My father smiled widely as I cheered and hugged Ellie as she cheered and hugged me back, Alan bringing us in his own hug.