Chapter Text
Chapter 1
« Alright guys, as I said earlier in class, you can explore the park by yourselves but I want you all back at our meeting point at three p.m. on the dot so we can meet with Dr Burn who’s responsible for the veterinary department. Please try to stay together and do not wander too far away as we won’t wait for you.” Mrs Hall looks at the group of high schoolers assembled outside the coach. The harsh winter wind makes the students shiver in their coats, and some girls hook each other’s arms to warm up. Most girls seem to have pampered themselves for the school trip, wearing clothes they would normally wear on a Saturday afternoon at the mall, some even wear makeup, as if it was their chance to show the boys of their class what they dress like outside of school. Most of the boys seem more interested in their phone’s screens than their surroundings.
“She nicely offered to show us around to give you an idea what it’s like to work in the veterinary clinic and laboratories of a zoo. It will be very interesting, especially for those of you who are thinking to undertake a science course at university next academic year.”
Casey looks at the buildings making up Philadelphia Zoo and the air balloon floating near the entrance of the zoo, absently. She stands slightly in retreat of the group that forms her class. Unlike the other girls, she is wearing the same clothes she usually wears at school, black jeans, black crop top with a white long sleeve top on top of it and a dark grey oversize sweater on top of it all. She’s sporting a beat-up pair of black Converses and a simple black coat which does not look warm enough. She shivers slightly and try in vain to pull on the zipper of her coat to close it further, despite knowing that her coat is already zipped up. She retracts her neck and hides her nose inside her coat as much as she can. Once Mrs Hall finishes her speech, the whole group of students are following her close behind almost as a block, groups of friends forming, excited and chatting to each other while Casey remains behind the group by herself, her hands in her pockets.
Casey does not mind being alone, she actually enjoys it and always seek seclusion but as she looks at her classmates enjoying themselves and walking in front of her, it makes her feel lonelier than usual and she can feel her heart tightening. She quickly reminds herself how easier and peaceful it is to be alone before slowly making her way to the entrance.
Casey looks up at the cage that forms a bridge nearby the huge entrance sign “Philadelphia Zoo”, with amazement as two tigers’ pace around. Casey has always loved the zoo and the animals, seeing those huge specimens never ceased to amaze her even now. It also reminded her of her father, he used to take her often as a child in order to show her and educate her about the most beautiful predators in this world. He wanted to teach her the difference between a good hunter and a bad one; a hunter is not supposed to hunt an endangered species and do not hunt to collect prizes. After her dad passed, she hasn’t been back once to the zoo, her uncle couldn’t be bothered and growing up, she quickly learnt not to ask anything of her uncle.
Also, her uncle believed most animals in that zoo belong on his walls or as carpet in his house.
After Mrs Hall sorted the tickets out, she shouts a last warning at the students dispersing in front of her: “Three p.m. by the Rare Animal Conservation Centre.” Before she could finish, most students were already gone, walking in different direction. Casey looks at her classmates walking away as she remains by herself, not knowing where to go. Mrs Hall walks towards her with an encouraging smile and the map of the zoo in one hand.
“Would you like me to visit the zoo with you, Casey?”
Casey pushes a lock of hair behind her ears and tries to give her teacher a reassuring smile: “Thank you, Mrs Hall but I’ll be fine. I think I want to see the polar bears first.”
“Well, it’s up to you, Casey. Come back at three for the veterinary clinic visit.”
With a nod, Casey started walking away, looking down at the map. She fetches her phone and earphones in her coat pocket and plays No surprise by The Shack.
She walks slowly looking at the kangaroos and other animals on the way before finally reaching the Bear Country enclosure where the polar bears are, her favourites. She approaches the enclosure to take a good look and read the information board. She checks her phone for the time, and it is only half past eleven. She decides to go to the Primates Reserve and then stop for food and grab a burger at the Tiger Terrace while observing the Big Cat Falls.
She craves a smoke but knows smoking is banned on the premises so she looks around for some kind of hideout where she wouldn’t be spotted and kicked out of the facilities. In another hand, she thinks she wouldn’t mind get caught and get detention for the next week. She spots pre-fabricated buildings nearby the Big Cat Falls that are a restricted area to the public, a warning sign “Staff Only” has been installed on the metallic surface of the pre-fabricated cabin.
She walks towards it discreetly and circles it, so she is hidden from the public eyes, she feels at peace straight away, she sighs and feels as she can breathe better, her shoulders slacking a little, she hasn’t even notice how tense she has been. Here, hidden from the public eyes and the noises of the crowd seems somewhat reduced, it feels as she is in her little bubble.
She sits down against the cold and grey metallic cabin and search her backpack for a cigarettes pack. She lights her cigarette and exhale the smoke while choosing another song on her phone. “The Scientist” by Coldplay plays and she closes her eyes enjoying the music and her smoke. Half way down her cigarette, she can feel a shadow on her face and she slowly open her eyes, she jumps as she sees two strong legs standing perfectly straight, as she slowly looks up, a man in his mid-thirties looks at her severely.
Once she encounters his eyes, he says something that she can’t hear because of the music blaring in her earphones but she clearly sees his mouth moving. His stand is strong and confident, back straight and arms cross over the chest, Casey notices then the small badge that says Maintenance on his dark grey shirt. The man in front of her is wearing a dark grey shirt, button up all the way to the neck, tuck inside a grey working trousers with a black belt, and black security boots. Casey can picture his body as it seems the man in front of her fills up the clothes, she can even see the shape of his muscles as his arms remains tightly crossed. When she looks up at him, his deep blue eyes are still on her face and he’s frowning, making the wrinkles between his eyes more pronounce. Blood rushes to her face when she realises, she’s been staring him down.
At first, she thinks he’s frowning looking at her face but quickly she realised his staring at her cigarette in her hand. She quickly stands up, throw it on the floor and while removing her earphones, she steps on her cigarette to stop it from smoking.
“Smoking is forbidden on the premises.” He says firmly, staring at her, making her feel embarrassed and nervous.
“I’m sorry.” She says quietly. She stands there, observing him while he is now staring down at the smashed-up cigarette on the floor. He inhales sharply through his nose and passes a hand on the back on his head, stroking his short hair. His stance seems shakier and more nervous.
“Look at the mess you’ve made”.
He walks past her and reach for the set of keys attached to his belt before opening the cabin. He disappears inside it and for some reason, Casey is glued to the ground, it was the perfect moment to escape, she knows the guy wouldn’t be able to find her in the crowd and he didn’t ask her name either. However, his strange behaviour got her curious and for once, her mind is set on something else than her uncle.
He comes back before she can think about running off anymore. He has a dust pan and brush in his hand and crouches in front of her now extinguished cigarette. He collects it and throw it away in the nearby bin. He walks back inside the cabin and comes out once again to lock it after himself.
“This is a restricted area for staff only. – He seems shy now and avoid her eyes like he would be nervous or embarrassed. Maybe both. Casey can see his eyes hovering her body and slightly feels self-conscious for a second, pulling on her sleeves. He sighs and passes a hand on the back of his head again. A nervous tic, thinks Casey – You should go.”
“You’re not gonna get me kicked out?” Again, her voice is barely above the whisper.
“No. I have work to do.”
As she felt the conversation is over, Casey grabs her backpack and walks to the Rare Animal Conservation Centre, the strange staff member on her mind. She has always been very observant and had developed some kind of sixth sense with people. She usually gets a feeling when she meets someone and can tell straight away what type of people they are and who can she trust. Weirdly she couldn’t seem to know what to think of the maintenance guy. He definitely has some kind of OCD and seemed socially impaired. Maybe some kind of autism, he could be Asperger. Once inside the rare Animal Conservation Centre, she spends a fair amount of time reading the information boards and observing the weird species in their enclosure absently.
More and more of her classmates enters the Conservation Centre, making the place noisy and crowded. Mrs Hall was going around the students, asking them how went their visit and if they learnt anything. Dr Burn came in and shook Mrs Hall’s hand, Mrs Hall turned around and cleared her throat before calling the class to attention. “Right guys, I’m happy to introduce you to Dr Burn. I hope you’re excited and don’t be shy to ask questions.”
Dr Burn introduced herself and gave the students a brief idea of what they will visit and see. She has a gentle voice and a kind smile. She was young and pretty, long silky brown hair and big honey eyes with porcelain skin. The students started to gather as a group and follow Dr Burn around the “behind the scene” of the zoo. The visit was actually interesting, and Casey easily imagined herself working at the veterinary clinic and coming back to her own little safe flat. They couldn’t get inside the laboratories, but they could observe the scientists work through huge windows that gives on the corridors of the building. The final part of the visit was the McNeil Avian Centre, where the birds are. As the bird centre closes its door at four p.m., Dr Burn had to use her electronic key card to get them inside it.
“Once the centre is shut, the zoo keepers feed the birds and re-organize their habitats. Usually, bringing new tropical flowers, changing the water and checking the temperature is right. Please don’t mind the staff as some maintenance is usually done after closure.”
As they walk in, they can feel the warmth around them and getting out of the centre in a mist as Dr Burn close the door shut behind them. The centre feels like a greenhouse, hot and humid, there are tropical colourful plants everywhere and colourful birds flying from branches to branches. Indeed, some zookeepers are feeding the birds while others adding more soils to the surrounding plants and ground. A maintenance staff is carrying a heavy looking tropical plant, guided by a zookeeper.
Casey recognizes the maintenance guy of earlier on top of a ladder with a screwdriver in his right hand while his left hand is holding open what’s look like a complicated thermostat. For some reason, she feels excited to see him again and wishes she could go closer and talk to him.
As Dr Burn starts her explanation on tropical birds and their special needs, Casey cannot stop herself from looking up at the maintenance staff. He has a piece of plastic in his mouth and he has the same frown on his face due to concentration. Casey was definitely not the type of girl to check boys out and seek attention, but she finds it difficult to not stare at him, thinking he is an attractive man.
He comes down the ladder and wipes the sweat from his forehead with one sleeve. He then removes his dark grey shirt and reveal a white tank top underneath it. He carelessly throws the shirt on a lower step of the ladder. Casey frowns at that, confused as the behaviour of the guy seems totally different, his body seems relax and his face is open and friendly. Surely, a guy with OCD wouldn’t throw his shirt like that? This could be a completely different person.
A few girls from class notices him and start giggling, Casey can see a girl tapping the shoulders of her friends to point out the maintenance guy. Casey ignores the flush of anger and unreasonable possessiveness coming over her.
His muscly arms are now visible, and as he climbs back up to get the thermostats fixed, Casey can see his shredded back and shoulders.
By the end of the visit, most zookeepers have left, and the maintenance guy has finally fixed the thermostat as he is now tidying away his tools in his toolbox and putting away the ladder. Most students are already on their way to the coach and as Casey is about to leave as well, she spots a group of girls giggling and chatting up. Casey feels they’re up to no good as they keep glancing towards the maintenance guy and two girls that she recognizes as Marcia and Claire, two popular girls of her class that she usually tries to ignore as much as possible. Those girls are the mean girls of the school, part of the cheerleading squad and the bullies of her class.
She feels like she should leave and avoid any confrontation but something inside her make her stay and want to protect the guy that she knows he’s about to get devour by those girls. She owes him one, right? He did let her leave without trouble after catching her smoking. As she approaches them, she can hear the girls talking to him mockingly.
“Someone ever told you that you’re pretty hot?” She could see the blood rushing on the maintenance guy’s face. He couldn’t look at the girls faces, looking anywhere but them, sporting a polite and shy smile and seemed incredibly nervous, not knowing what to do with his hands, grabbing his tools and shirt without any purpose.
“Aww look, he’s getting red” Claire says with a fake sweet smirk.
“Are you a virgin or something?” They laughed.
“I bet you’ve never touched a girl before” Marcia grabbed his hand strongly and forcefully guided it under her t-shirt, putting it on her breast while Claire did the same with his other hand.
“No… that’s not...” He mutters, stepping back slightly.
“The hell is wrong with you?” Casey grabbed Claire’s arm and wrenched it away hard and pushing her hard enough to make her slightly stumble back. Marcia pulls back from the man’s hand as he remains frozen and pushes Casey back.
“Fuck you, Cooke. Why don’t you go back cutting your veins in a bath while listening to depressing music? You Emo bitch.” She winks at the maintenance guy and the girls jog away laughing out loud.
As the last group of girls leave the centre, the silence wrapped them up. Incredibility and embarrassment were writing all over his face.
Casey turns towards him and she can tell he’s really upset and embarrassed by the way his eyes are teary, and he erratically close his toolbox and put his shirt back on.
“I’m sorry. They’re stupid bitches from my school.”
She can see he tries his hardest to smile at her, reassuringly, like he’s not bothered.
“It’s just a teenage prank. It’s okay.” He says, waving a hand in the air and exaggeratingly rolling his eyes, she doesn’t recall him being so flamboyant and his voice being so light.
“It’s not okay. They could get in trouble if I tell…”
“No! Don’t, it’s okay, I don’t want it to become a big deal.”
Casey sighs, looking at her trainers.
“Still, it wasn’t cool.” She adds quietly.
He hums as an agreement and picks his toolbox up. “I have to go.” He says quietly, his voice hoarse and Casey can tell he’s about to cry. At first, she is too shocked to do or say anything and looks at him storming out of the centre by the back door sporting the warning “Staff only” on it. Before the door shuts close, she reaches it and comes out of it as well, running a little bit after him.
“Wait!” She touches his arm and she feel him jerk and then stiffen. As he turns around to face her, she sees him straighten his back and he looks taller than he was a minute ago. Somehow, he now stands as confident as he did earlier in the day, the open and friendly face gone, replaced by cold blue eyes and a deep frown. She let her hand fall, actually scared of the way he severely looks at her. She can’t stop staring at his face, half surprised when she sees the still wet trail of tears on his cheeks. Now, she knows everybody cries but seeing a grown man crying still seem shocking to her for some reason. He plunges his hand in his trousers’ pocket and retrieve a pair of glasses that he put on. Casey is pretty sure she didn’t see him wearing glasses for his work so why needing glasses now?
He wipes the tears angrily, and finally looks away embarrassed.
“I have work to do and you’re trespassing again.”
“Are you crying?” She asks quietly, and she cringes at how childish the question sound.
He sighs and passes a nervous hand on the back of his head.
“Look kid, I’m fine, okay? Now, leave, please.”
Casey nervously grabs the straps of her backpack on her shoulders as she stares at his face questioningly, not believing he’s okay. She knows she probably should leave but she wants to stay, something makes her feel good about being around him, maybe because he doesn’t know her yet and she can be whoever she wants right now, no fear, no uncle, no bruises.
“Why do you wear glasses? You didn’t seem to need them earlier. “
He stays quiet for a while, staring at her with the same frown. Casey thinks she can see some kind of confusion and surprise on his face but again, reading him was difficult. He licks his bottom lip with his tongue, and Casey can almost see his thought process in his head.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business, but I don’t need them to see things close to me. What are you still doing here? Aren’t you supposed to go back to school?”
School. Shit. Adrenaline and fear washes over Casey as she curses quietly before checking the time on her phone. 5:25pm. The coach must have left by now, she thinks. And you can count on Marcia and Claire for shouting to the teacher that everyone is here and made it back, knowing Casey wasn’t back. Stress takes over her when she realizes she will have to give an explanation to her uncle for being back home late.
“Everything all right?” Casey looks back at him, paler than before.
“Well, I think I missed the bus now.” She says with a slight grimace.
“Jesus.” He exhales, looking elsewhere.
Casey giggles at that, he seems pretty desperate to have her around. She is used to get into trouble and usually does it on purpose so she can get away from everyone. Her uncle would easily swallow the lies she’ll serve him. At that, she feels slightly lighter and her interests goes back to him.
“What’s your name anyway?”
He sighs again and rolls his eyes.
“Dennis. - He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds and Casey thinks he won’t ask her back. He looks back at the Staff door of the Bird Centre, frowning and jaw locked. Casey doesn’t know if he’s angry or overthinking or both. Is he angry at her or is it because of Claire and Marica stunt? Before Casey can over think it, he finally looks back at her, inhaling sharply through the nose, eyes set on hers, unblinking. -What’s yours?”
“Casey. Casey Cooke. How long have you been working here?”
“Look, I can’t play babysitter with you, I’m afraid. I have work to do.”
“Fine- She looks at his shoes, disappointed. -I’m sorry for disturbing you.”
As she turns around to leave, she can hear sighs again.
“How are you getting back home?”
She turns around and shrugs her shoulder, with a smirk.
“I’ll figure it out. I always do.” She says, playfully, as she walks backward.
He looks up at the sky which is now fully black, the night has fallen and the temperature too. Only the bright enclosure spot-lights allow them to see around. He gives a quick glimpse at his watch.
“It’s late now, this isn’t safe for you to travel by yourself. I’ll clock out in half an hour. If you stick around, I’ll give you a lift back home.”
Casey stops in her track, considering the offer. It would save her some money and time, but at the same time she doesn’t know anything about this guy and from the vibes she got, he doesn’t seem very stable. Also, if her uncle finds out a man has driven her back home, things could get ugly. She absently chews on her lower lips while he’s observing her. Casey catches him glancing at her body, and she nervously wriggle from one foot to the other. If she stays, she could ask him questions and learn more about this mysterious Dennis. Being with him made her forget about her own problems.
“Okay, Maintenance Boy, I’ll take you up on your offer.”
He nods after some time.
“Just don’t disturb me.”