Way Back into Love ↪ Owen Grady

two ↪ raptor trainer

    "Welcome to Jurassic World". Those four words I was dying to hear. I had to fight all my excitement in front of Claire.

    "Oh, you can't even imagine how happy she is to be here" Nick jumped into the conversation right away, mocking me slightly.

    "Nick" I called him out nervously.

    "What" he smirked.

    Claire's lips curved up into a beaming smile as she walked closer to the three of us. "Please have a seat"

   Her office was incredibly organized, quite big, definitely bright. Painting and posters of dinosaurs were scattered around the room; a couple of screens showed a pair of cameras displayed around the park. Dad and I sat down on the two white desk chairs while Nick stood behind our backs. He was acting weird, weirder than usual. He was totally up to something.

    "So, Elle, your brother e-mailed me the link to your blog a few days ago.." Claire started. I quickly shoot my gaze in Nick's direction and threw him a look that could've deadass killed him. — "..and I must say I'm very impressed"

    "Your blog? You have a blog?" my dad asked confused.

    "You're surprised?" Nick chuckled, avoiding my deadly stare.

    "Here at Jurassic World, we value the health and well-being of our dinosaurs. They need special treatments every day and of course, we need qualified employees" Claire continued. "How would you feel about an internship?"

    I blinked, confused. I glanced over at my dad, who was even more surprised than me. Nick, on the other hand, was awfully calm, he already knew the deal in advance. No words left my lips, not even a sound.

    "This is your dream, Ellie" my dad finally managed to speak. "Don't worry about us, we'll be okay."

    "Dad, she's not going to war" Nick snorted.

    "The internship covers two months" Claire added with a small smile. "However, you'll be on trial for the first week. If you pass that, after said months, you and your trainers will decide what it's more appropriate for you"

    I felt my dad's and Nick's eyes burning on me. I let out a shaky, unsure, breath before answering. "Sure, okay! Thank you!"

    "Good! Welcome on board"

.

    The place we were staying in was in proximity to the visitors center, which made it easier for us to visit the whole park. Nick and I went for the scarier rides, such as the Mosasaurus' enclosure and the T-Rex's Kingdom, while dad wandered around the baby Triceratops' enclosure where kids would ride them and play with them. The Mosasaurus' feeding time was our last stop of the morning and, after that, the three of us had lunch in one of the park's café.

    "Claire just texted me" Nick informed with his mouth full. "She says you need to meet someone in an hour"

    My stomach growled at the only thought of meeting new people, clipping with anxiety.

    "Weirdo, look! Isn't that the raptor boy?" Nick basically yelled, pointing at a table not too far from ours. I gasped and slapped his arm, my cheeks growing warmer of embarrassment.

    My dad raised his head up to look at us arguing. Nick kept laughing and making weird faces. "Boy? What boy?" dad asked.

    "You know the park's website? The page about the trainers with all the pictures and all?" Nick started, getting another slap from me. "There's this Owen boy she wouldn't stop looking at"

    "That's totally not true" I squealed.

    "Elle!" a familiar voice interrupted our argument. Claire. — "I want you to meet the rest of the staff, come with me?"

    Since after I awkwardly stood up from my seat, everything around me looked extra blurry, a sign that my anxiety wasn't going to let me breathe right just yet. The redhead led me to a couple of tables at the other corner of the café and impatiently looked at me. — "So, Roger right there makes sure everyone gets to the visitor center okay and don't wander around during the night" Claire started, pointing at one of the men sitting at the table. "Sitting next to him it's Lowery, who works with me at the central security point."

    I nodded unsure at everything, not quite registering any name or work position. Did I even have to remember all of that? All of them?

    Claire's voice eventually brought me back to reality in no time. "Roger is also the director of the technical side of the park, he will take you to the central staff facility and will register your dinosaurs' preferences. I'll see you later, you're in good hands"

.

    The biggest central staff facility's office had the perfect view on the island, where the biggest dinosaurs were told to hang out. I peeked outside amazed, spotting a big brachiosaurus' head snooping around behind the tall trees.

    "So, Elle, favorite dinosaur?" Roger asked nonchalantly as he walked in and sat on his chair, the one behind the desk.

    "Uh, raptors" I shyly blurted out.

    Roger ran his fingers through his dark hair and laughed a little. "Okay. What about favorite herbivore dinosaur?"

    "Oh, pachycephalosaurus and stygimoloch"

    "Wow" he grinned, "That's a first"

    He eventually grabbed a tablet and swiped through all the park's facilities and available trainers. "So, Dyson takes care of their habitat but no one has ever tried to, you know, befriend the hard-heads"

    "Yeah, I get why" I awkwardly joked.

    "Paddock twenty-one, you think you can make it there or you need a ride? I think Owen is in the nearby, he could-"

    "I'm fine." I hurried. "I'll walk"

    "Right, well, it was nice meeting you." Roger got up and offered his hand for me to shake. "Stay around so we can tell you all about your first assignment"

    I shook his hand and nodded, getting up right away. "Will do"

    "Owen Grady will take care of that"

    I almost choked on air. — "Nice."