Jurassic Park: Grant's Daughter

2: "Velociraptor's a pack hunter"

"Hello?"

"It's me Lily. Mum ... she passed away" I say quietly but loud enough for my dad to hear.

"Catch the next flight to Montana" Dad hung up the phone leaving me alone. I put the phone down on the counter and booked a plane ticket, the next plane is at 7. I have 5 hours left, I packed my things into one suitcase, as I hardly had  anything in the first place. I boiled some water in a kettle to prepare coffee, the airport is two hours away from where I live. I changed into black sleeveless top, blue jacket with my white jeans and brown boots. I had my hair in a messy bun and wore a wristwatch, I dragged the suitcase downstairs into the kitchen and finished off making the coffee.

I washed my coffee cup, grabbed the phone and called a taxi. I looked out the window to see if it was coming. I smiled, as it came, grabbed my suitcase and drove to the airport. I had my
passport with me and my ticket. I got out the taxi with my suitcase and ran the entrance to the plane.

"Ticket please" I nodded at a woman who had her hand out. I gave her my ticket and sat on one of the seats that was next to a window. I put my suitcase up on one of the shelves and sat down. I grabbed a newspaper from the pocket that was at the back of the seat intront of me and read it to spare some time.

"You arrived to Montana. Have a nice day and thank you for flying on New York flights" I grabbed my suitcase and went out the plane. I looked around to see a sign with my name, holding it was a man who looked in his mid thirties, he wore a red plaid shirt,khakis and his safari hat. DAD!! I smiled, and ran towards him giving him a big squeeze.

"You look a lot like your mother" Dad smiled, patting my head. I smiled lightly.

"Come lets go home, I have someone I'd like you to meet" Home. I have to get used to that word. I sighed, and rolled my suitcase behind me and got in my dad's jeep. I put my suitcase in the back and sat in the passengers seat with my seatbelt on.

"So how have you been?" Dad asked, glancing at me.

"I've been good, apart from.. you know." I told my Dad. My dad seems to understand because he doesn't ask. We arrive at a plain field with a caravan, there are a lot of people in front of the caravan digging, fossils I'm assuming. I got out the jeep and followed Dad into the caravan. There was a woman with short blonde hair with a hat wearing a blue denim shirt with dark blue jeans and boots.

"Hello, I'm Ellie and I'm a Paleobotanist." Ellie smiled sweetly, giving me a little wave. I smiled back, she seems nice.

"Ellie, this is my daughter Elliot" Dad introduced as he wrapped an around my shoulder.

"Hi, I'm Elliot but I prefer to be called Lily." I smiled. We started talking about their jobs and all that stuff. After a few minutes, I took off my jacket and went outside with Ellie and dad. We went towards volunteers who are clustered around a computer terminal that's set up on a table in a small tent, its flaps lashed open.

"Ready to give it a shot, Jerry?" Dad told one of the volunteers. I had to stand back behind everyone, I couldn't see what was going on because I'm 5'5, which is short for my age.

"Come here" Ellie told me, leading me into a spot where I will have a clear view of the computer.

"Switch it on." The volunteer throws a switch on a machine that looks a bit like a floor buffer. The whole thing hops up into the air as it drives a soft lead pellet into the earth with a tremendous force. There is a dull thud, which causes the earth to vibrate, and all eyes turn to the computer screen.

"How long does this usually take?" Ellie asked.

"It should be immediate return. You shoot the radar into the ground, the bone bounces back...." The volunteer replied, the screen suddenly comes alive, yellow contour lines tracing across it in three waves, detailing a dinosaur skeleton.

"This new program's incredible! A few more years of development and you don't have to dig any more!" The volunteer smiled.

"Well, where's the fun in that?" Dad looked at the volunteer.

"Is that a velociraptor?!" I said, smiling trying my best to hide my happiness.

"Yes. Good shape, too. Five, six feet high. I'm guessing nine feet long. Look at the.." Dad points to part of the skeleton, but when his finger touches
the screen the computer beeps at him and the image changes. He pulls his hand back, as if it shocked him.

"He touched it! Dr. Grant is not machine compatible." Ellie giggled.

"They've got it in for me." Dad said.
The Volunteer laughs and touches a different part of the screen, which brings the original image back. Dad continues, but doesn't get as close.

"Great. Well maybe dinosaurs have more in common with present-day birds than reptiles. Look at the public
bone, it's turned backwards, just like a bird. The vertebrae, full of hollows and air sacs, just like a bird. Even the word raptor means "bird of prey". Dad said pointing towards the screen.

"That doesn't look very scary. More like a six-foot turkey." You got to be kidding me. I turned around to see who said that it was a kid, standing alone. Dad turned to the kid, lowered his sunglasses, and stared at him like he just came from another planet.
Dad strolled over to the kid and put his arms around his shoulders in a friendly way.

"Try to imagine yourself in the Jurassic Period." I rolled my eyes.

"Here we go." Ellie muttered under her breath beside me.

"You'd get your first look at the six-foot turkey as you move into a clearing. But raptor, he knew you were there a long time ago. He moves like a bird; lightly, bobbing his head, And you keep still, because you think maybe his visual acuity's based on movement, like a T- rex, and he'll lose you if you don't move. But no. Not a Velociraptor. You stare at him, and he just stares back. That's when the attack comes, not from the front, no, from the side, from the other two raptors you didn't even know were there." Dad walked around the kid. "Velociraptor's a pack hunter, you see, he uses coordinated attack patterns, and he's out in force today. And he slashes at you with this" Dad takes a claw from his pocket and holds it at the front of the raptor's three-toed foot.

"a six-inch retractable claw, like a razor, on the middle toe. They don't bother to bite the jugular, like a lion, they just slash here, here " Dad points to the kid's chest and thigh. "or maybe across the belly, spilling your intestines. Point is, you're alive when they start to eat you. Whole thing takes about four seconds." The kid looks like he's on the verge of tears. Poor kid.

"So, you know, try to show a little respect." And with that Dad walked back across the camp, returning to his skeleton. I hurried to catch up with him with Ellie trailing behind.

"You know, if you really wanted to scare the kid you could've just pulled a gun on him." I smiled at Ellie's answer.
A strange wind seems to be whipping up, I look around, confused. The wind is getting stronger, blowing dirt and sand everywhere, filling in everything they've dug out, blowing the protective canvasses off. Now there's a more familiar roar, and I look up and see it, a huge helicopter, descending on the camp.