"I know she's in pain, yet I can't help but stare at her. She looks like she's just calmly sleeping, dreaming about who knows what.
And, even though I don't want to acknowledge this certain category of thoughts, I can't help admire her. How pretty...
Dave and Roxie lead us all to a pile of Dino poop. They both tell Darius and Kenji to shovel the dung up while the rest of us go to Doc Wu's lab to explore some dinosaurs behind-the-scenes.
I feel really sorry for Darius, as he was so excited to see the lab this morning. Kenji, well, not so much, since I know he's never usually excited about those sorts of things.
"Cologne. That'll help with the smell. And the ladies. What-what? But mostly the smell. The stench of dinosaur poo can really linger." Dave thrusts Darius a bottle of cologne.
What was that supposed to mean?
The car starts driving leaving an upset Darius and a disgusted Kenji.
As we ride to the genetics lab, I hear Brooklyn say that she is still dropping followers. I feel sorry for her as I can see that she's really trying to up her game. Sammy tries to cheer her up by asking what her next video will be.
Sammy's right. Maybe there will be baby dinos in the lab. At least, I hope so.
By my side, Ben starts humming and applying some type of white lotion to his arms. I look at him, surprised.
"Sanitizer. Who knows what kind of creepy dino goo is at that lab? Gotta be ready for anything," he explains defensively, "The world is a grab-bag of gross, and we're all just along for the moist sticky roller coaster called life."
I shrug at what he said and rub it on my hands. Yaz also starts applying.
I mean, he has a point.
•·•
We all enter Doctor Wu's genetics lab.
Brooklyn starts recording.
Sammy gasps as we look around at all the equipment, screens, tools, and baby dino eggs. "It's so shiny in here!"
Dave hollers, "Doc Wu Wu! Guess who's ready to have a blastocyst from the pastocyst. The mitosis from the mosisis! We're ready for some chromosomes, my bro-mosome. Wu, there it is! I can do more." Dave says
"Please don't." Roxie sighs, pinching the bridge her nose in exasperation.
"Young lady, no recording in the lab," Doctor Wu corrects politely.
Brooklyn protests and tries to persuade Doctor Wu by saying that he wants other people to get the respect instead of him, but by recording him, they can see the genius behind dinosaurs.
Doctor Wu eventually agrees to the recording, looking a bit impressed.
Sammy starts running around asking questions like, "Ooh what's that?", "Ooh, what's that?", "Ooh what's in there?!"
"Hey guys look! I think one of the eggs is about to hatch." Dave calls out to us.
We all crowd around Dave except for Brooklyn and Sammy. I wonder where they could be.
The egg starts cracking and a tiny tail comes out. Some wet juice from the amniotic sac squelches out of the baby ankylosaurus, splattering all over me and Ben, who are directly in front of the egg.
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"O-hhh, Ew, Ew, Ew!" cries Ben as It splatters to us. "Get it off me- get it-!"
The ankylosaurus egg rolls to the floor and Ben and I both catch it, our hands side by side.
The baby ankylosaurus squeals at us and blinks.
Ben, charmed by the cuteness, coos at the baby dino.
I find myself grinning, amused at them, and when Ben gives me a brief glance, his cheeks go a bit pink.
That's... odd. Is this because of last night...? That's, um, uncomfortable.
Extremely uncomfortable.
I just want to disappear right now. Ben, stop blushing. I barely know you!
"Well that's it Ben, looks like you live here now." Roxie remarks.
Out of the blue, Doctor Wu comes out, dragging Brooklyn, ruining the moment.
"Time for you all to leave" he snaps. "Clearly this group has no respect for my lab."
"-But, what about Bumpy?" Ben asks forlornly.
"Aw Bumpy! You gave it a name! That's precious!" raves Dave
Doctor Wu snatches Bumpy away. Ben tries to reach for her but fails.
"All right Bup-bup-bup-bup! Hit the road! We are not wanted here." says Dave, trying to be cheerful for us campers.
Ben's sadness makes my spirits drop, and I'm pretty sure the air just got tense.
•·•
Eventually, we reach back camp.
"Hey guys!" Darius pants.
"Why are you two so out of breath?" asks Roxie suspiciously
"Just doing the job we're told. How was the field trip?
Yaz replies, "Oh well, um, you know, Ben fell in love with a dinosaur, and Superstar here got us all booted from the lab."
"That is not what happened-!" Brooklyn cries out.
"How did the poop patrol go?" Sammy cuts in.
"Uh-" Kenji stammers a bit
"Awesome." Darius finishes.
"You all should have seen how I owned-"
"-this valuable experience!"
"Um we learned a lot about ourselves and, uh... yep!"
"Oh! Well, hit the showers. And maybe stay in there for a while?" Roxie says suggestively.
