The Jurassic Family

Chapter 9: Family Day

Four weeks after finding the serum named Project Mother and injecting it into Valentina's body, Peyton was waiting for someone with her father. The two of them were waiting for Owen's parents Geoff and Candace, who were coming for Family Day, a day during which the employees of the park and their children would meet the family they could hardly meet. As for Valentina, she was pouting next to her older cousin's leg. The four year old wanted to play with dinosaurs, what her cousin and uncle flatly refused, even if Claire reprimanded the two of them.

Speaking of Geoff and Candace, they were on the ferry carrying them to Isla Nublar. Once the ferry arrived on the island, they stood up and exited the ferry before going to their oldest granddaughter, for whom they had a surprise, as it was also Peyton's birthday.

Peyton, who knew today was her birthday, waved at her grandparents who came closer to her and her father. As Geoff came close to his oldest granddaughter, he gave her a green box.

"What the heck is that?" Peyton asked, not carring there were toddlers nearby.

"Open it. It's for you." Geoff told his granddaughter.

Peyton opened the green box and saw a pocket knife with 'For Peyton.' engraved on it. The teenager put the pocket knife on her belt and hugged both of her grandparents. Then, Owen tapped his daughter's shoulder and gave her a brown pouch which Peyton opened, revealing a family's Ka-Bar knife. The knife had the USMC logo on its grip and the same logo engraved on the blade.

"This belonged to Geoff's father, then to him and finally to Dad. It's yours now." Candace informed her grandaughter.

"Gee, you shouldn't have spoiled me." Peyton exclaimed happily when she heard Valentina's voice.

"Why awe thewe no pwesent fow me? Only Cwaiwe gave me pwesents fow my biwthday."

"Because you humiliated Grandpa. You also humilitate Poppa." Peyton drily replied to the pouting little girl.

"Why did both of you give Peyton his wifwe?" Valentina asked everyone in her remaining family.

"We both felt it was time for Peyton to know who her grandfather and father were. She was fifteen back then. And she always wanted to follow the armed forces one way or another." Owen replied when he suddenly saw Peyton's happy face.

"Why you so happy?" Candace asked her granddaughter.

"My ASVAB score is okay, but the Air Force turned me down. Good news, is I'll be a US Marine." Peyton replied.

"Gosh, I didn't expect that. You're breaking some ice." Candace replied hugging her granddaughter.

"It is a vewy bad idea to be among twoops in the fiewl, because the sowdiews awe going to shoot you." Valentina provoked her cousin.

Peyton showed her little cousin a piece of paper which read 'I don't mind what you said. So please, just shut up.' The little girl didn't say any more word as Owen drove his jeep to Main Street, where he took his niece to the Tylosaurus Arena. In the bleachers however, the conversation was not a peaceful one at all.

"Daddy told me the Vietcong sowdiews wewe hewoes. Cwaiwe towd me hew fathew dodged the Vietnam Waw dwaft by thwowing himsewf fwom the thiwd fwouw of a five-stowy buiwding. And I have to admit, he was a hewo, unwike gwandpappa." Valentina bragged.

"Shut the fuck up!" Peyton yelled her toddler cousin, causing Claire, who was nearby with her nephews and sister, as well as with the latter's new boyfriend to intervene.

"Peyton, your cousin's right. The Vietnam vets are assholes, they fought against the Vietnamese heroes, who won. This proves the Vietnamese soldiers are the best in the world." Claire lied.