Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The more she ran, the more the monster caught up with her, it doesn't matter how fast she went or how high her stamina was, it always managed to catch up with her. That terrifying roar behind her was a reminder that it haunted her, so chilling and primal. That creature was not even supposed to exist and yet there it was, chasing her through the heart of the jungle. Her bare feet ached, treading the ground with such violence that many wounds had opened under them, leaving bloodstains with every step she took. She stumbled, rolling ruefully on the ground and slamming into a tree, that stopped her running, yes, but also took away what little breath she had in her body. The monster approached and she struggled to get up, coughing and shaking in spasms. Tears streamed down her face, begging for that thing not to come any closer, but the creature did not stop slowly advancing toward her, opening its frightening jaws. It screamed, covering its face with its arms, and a mighty roar resounded through the jungle.

She lowered her arms only to see the monster fighting with her mother, attacking relentlessly to defend what was hers. But her mother collapsed, struck by the poisoned spines of the monster, towering over her triumphant.

“Mom!” she cried out full of horror. “Mom! Mom!” The world around her distorted until darkness engulfed her completely.

Reef woke up screaming, pulling herself up in a rush and gasping for breath. Sweat drenched her clothes and her entire body was shaken by tremors. The girl brought her hands to her face, bursting into silent weeping. That nightmare had haunted her for years; she could not get over it.

The memory of his mother’s death was an open wound that would not heal, no matter how she tried, it was useless.

“Reef are you okay?”

Her little brother’s voice reached her ears and she hurriedly wiped away the tears, looking at the child who was watching her from under the branch on which she had lurked to sleep that night.

“Look I saw that you were crying.”

Treeko was far too bright for a child his age, Reef knew well. The young woman got down from the tree and looked at the child, who tilted his head while moving his tail.

“Mom is hunting. She said I have to look after the territory.” He said, puffing out his chest.

“I’m sure of that.”

Reef walked over to the small stream beside them, dipped her hands into the cool water and bathed her face, trying to rinse away even the memory of the nightmare that had been nagging at her mind.

Madison Reef Lockwood, also known as Project ZETA, was Charlotte Lockwood’s first child, a discovery made only a few years earlier that had scarred her deeply. But before that she had always been Reef, a genetically engineered child adopted by a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Tarbosaurus. Strange thing, right? She thought so, too. Her brother Treeko was also an experiment by InGen—a baby with dinosaur-like features, a tail, tougher skin than normal, and little horns sprouting from his head, a testament to the Triceratops DNA used on him when he was just an infant.

Now in his early twenties, Reef had never experienced the things that his peers normally had; she could not and did not want to. How could she abandon her little brother and her grumpy mother? She dipped her feet into the stream, enjoying the restorative feeling it gave. Treeko watched her crouched on the bank, not eager to take yet another bath.

“Did you have that dream again?” Reef was aware that his little brother would not let go, too stubborn for his own good. With a sigh he nodded.

“But I don’t want to talk about it.” She concluded.

Treeko puffed up his cheeks but accepted his sister’s answer. Like her, he was curious about the human world. What he knew he had learned from Reef, and she in turn had learned it from the park scientists and later from her only friends- Ben, Darius, Sammy, Kenji, Yaz, and Brooklynn. The Nublar Six, as they were called in the media, the boys who survived six months alone in Jurassic World.

Reef had lost contact with them after Mount Sibo exploded, destroying their home and killing everyone.

The simple remembrance troubled the girl, who plunged back into the icy water, chasing away those dark and sad thoughts.

They were all on the mainland now, stranded and hunted everywhere. Reef and her family could not afford to stay still in one place for too long, and when humans found them they would move on. She and Treeko were walking experiments, wanted by all for who they were.

Reef came out of the water and wrung out her threadbare clothes.

“You have that look on your face again.” Treeko could read her better than anyone else.

When she had found him on the Lockwood estate he was locked in a cage, alone and frightened. She had not hesitated to rescue him and keep him with her, convincing her mother to keep him. It hadn't been difficult to convince her, but it had taken her time to accept the fact that she had a puppy that was half what she usually ate for breakfast. With Reef it had been different and she didn’t even know why, she didn’t know what was in her and what DNA they had put into her body, she didn’t know anything about the experiments she had undergone or why Charlotte Lockwood or anyone else had allowed that horror.

That was why she had taken Treeko, she had seen herself in him so much, before her mother took her in.

“What expression?” asked Reef, wringing out her long blond hair.

“The ugly one from when you think too much.” He ruthlessly replied. “You look like mama when you do it.”

Reef looked at him, arching an eyebrow. “If I look like mama, there’s an underlying problem.”

Treeko shrugged, plucking some grass from the ground and eating it. Reef looked at him with a partially disgusted look, but did not utter a word, drawn more by the heavy, slow footsteps approaching them.

The mother came out of the vegetation, throwing a dead deer on the ground in front of them.

“Yuck!” Treeko looked disgustedly at the animal, causing the female T-Rex to snort and look at him grimly.

Rexy rolled her eyes and went straight to the stream to water herself.

“Come on Treeko.” Said Reef pulling out a knife from his backpack. “It’s a meal for a whole day, and besides, I’ll put it on the fire.”

“How do you not throw up?” asked the little brother.

“Habit. When I lived on Nublar I ate raw meat and it wasn’t as bad as people think.”

The child simulated a retch, turning his back on his sister, who giggled at his antics. As Reef proceeded to dissect the animal, just as she had been taught long ago by Owen, Rexy stood in a corner, observing the forest around them, listening to the peaceful, natural sounds, not unlike those of their lost home.

She shifted her gaze to her two puppies, so different from her, but definitely hers in temperament. They didn't smell like humans, they never had, although they had those features.

“Treeko light the fire, please.” Said Reef.

The child mumbled something, crawling lazily to the now extinguished bonfire and placing several sticks they had set aside earlier on it, lighting the fire.

“You know that I won’t eat it, right?”

“And you know that I will force-feed you?”

Rexy snorted in approval and Treeko looked at her betrayed.

“Mama!”

She shifted her muzzle, ignoring him.

“Eat instead of complaining.”

“I don’t eat raw food, mama!”

“You don’t understand anything about good taste.”

The child took offense, looking away, thrashing his tail on the ground. A gesture that was imitated by Rexy with what seemed to the two brothers to be laughter.

“Spoiled.”

“Spoiled me?” Treeko looked at her indignantly.

“Absolutely.”

Reef shook her head in amusement as she watched his brother climb on their mother’s snout to annoy her. She put the meat reserved for her and Treeko on the fire, and left the rest for her mother. She went to the creek and washed the bloodstained knife and also her own hands, humming.

They had a hearty breakfast, amid Treeko’s complaints and Rexy’s snorts. They spent their days like this, as an abnormal but close-knit family. Humans had the constant thought that dinosaurs were either bad or good based on what they ate, but Reef didn’t think so; she had never been hunted as food, maybe just Toro, but he had always hated her for some absurd reason.

Their journey resumed until late in the evening. Reef and Treeko spent most of the journey on their mother’s back, which led them to doze off several times. It was an abrupt roar that woke the two brothers, and Reef instinctively clutched Treeko in his arms, looking around on alert. Rexy had also stopped, looking up past the leaves of the trees.

“Mama…” called her softly Reef, and Rexy answered with a grunt.

Danger. Something was approaching.

“What’s going on?” asked Treeko immediately, clinging to his sister.

She stroked his head, gently intimating silence.

The roar grew louder and a helicopter appeared above them, pointing its light at Rexy and later at Reef and Treeko.

The T-rex roared and ran away. Reef clung tightly and looked back. The helicopter was right on their heels and she could easily notice the gunmen started to fire.

“Mama!” shouted Reef, and the T-Rex got the message, advancing even further into the forest, trying to outrun those who were hunting them.

Their mad dash took them into a Drive In, where panic ensued. Reef watched as most people ran away, while some were preparing to take photos for the appearance of the scary T-Rex. The helicopter flew over and Rexy moved, but the abrupt movement caused Reef and Treeko to fall, who fell onto a car and then to the ground. The girl gritted her teeth as she got up in pain and picked up her brother in her arms, who was holding his head from the blow he had taken.

“Mama!” called Reef to her.

Rexy looked at them with self-conscious and roared at the helicopter, running in the opposite direction in which they had come, to draw the men behind her and thus keep the two of them safe. She wouldn't allow anyone to harm her cubs, and she knew they would be able to survive on their own until they met again.

“No no! Mama!”

Reef ran in the same direction, only to end up on the ground again due to the general chaos.

“Reef, She's gone! We have to hide!” shouted Treeko, helping her sister to her feet.

“They will hurt her!” Reef was panicking and giving in to fear.

The arrival of police cruisers forced her to make a decision. She took Treeko in her arms again and ran out of there, ending up in the middle of the street, miraculously avoiding the speeding oncoming cars.

Reef stopped in an alley, panting and shaking from all the adrenaline pumping through her body. The girl put her little brother down and took off her worn sweatshirt, putting it on her brother.

“No one must see the horns and tail, no one.” She said, putting the hood on him.

Treeko nodded without saying a word as he was picked up in her arms. Small as he was, it had never been a burden to carry him; despite being eight years old, Treeko was smaller than children his age.

“Watch my back.” Said Reef as she walked out of the alley and was hit by the bright lights of the city.

Treeko clung tightly, looking behind to check that no one was following them. Reef walked briskly and the people around them looked at them strangely. Reef’s threadbare clothes and unkempt appearance must have had some effect, and the lack of shoes added to that.

The girl stopped only when she saw what she was looking for, a train station. She looked around and ran into it looking for a pay phone. When she found it, she stopped and put her little brother down, looking for change in the backpack she had found over the years, then picking up a crumpled note with a number written on it.

“Let’s hope he answers” she said.

Treeko looked at her worriedly as she dialed the numbers written on the note. He picked up the phone with trembling hands. It took several rings before a male voice on the other end of the phone answered.

“Hello? Who is it?”

Reef’s eyes became glazed over; hearing that voice after so many years threatened to bring her to tears. She squeezed her little brother’s hand tightly and spoke in a voice firmer than she had expected.

“Ben, it’s Reef. I need your help.”

Chapter Text

Reef was sitting on a bench outside the station, cradling her little brother who was on the verge of collapsing. She didn't know how long it had been since she had called Ben, but she imagined it had been hours or maybe it was just endless minutes. She had always found it difficult to count time and the clock had never learned to read it, despite the many cares of those who followed her to Isla Nublar.

People passed by her, many ignored her, others looked at her puzzled, and still others stared at her, creating no small amount of discomfort.

Why stare at her? Was she really so strange by human standards? She really couldn’t understand.

Treeko moved into her arms, clutching Steve, a plush toy of a Dilophosaurus. One of the few keepsakes Reef had brought with her from Nublar, it had been a gift from Simon Masrani.

Reef had never owned much, but she remembered all the little gifts they had given her when the park was still packed. The employees loved her, offered her candy and snacks, gave her permission to play with her friends when there were no customers, and she could visit her mothers whenever she wanted.

She missed that life, that happiness she had built for herself. Now she was just a fish out of water, in an unknown place and without her mother’s protection. She wasn't strong herself, never had been, and had always relied on others, especially Rexy. How could she look after her little brother if she couldn't even look after herself?

“Is Mama going to be all right?” the sleepy voice of Treeko brought her back to reality.

“Yes, Mama is able to make it…she will come back for us.” Reef reassured him.

“What if she’s caught instead?”

“We will go and rescue her, she would do the same for us.” Reef kissed her little brother’s forehead, squeezing him.

She was cold without her sweatshirt, but she didn’t care; Treeko’s safety came first.

The baby tried to stay awake, she could see him, but sleep soon claimed him, making Reef realize that it was indeed late. There was still a lot of movement where they were, but less than when they had arrived. She knew that humans lived in large herds and congregated in the city.

She didn't like them; they were noisy and very dirty. Walking on the sidewalks was annoying for her poor feet. A loud screech made her gasp, snapping to alertness. A red van had stopped a few meters away, just in front of the station. From it stepped out a tall, well-built young man with an anxious look on his face. It took Reef a while to realize it was Ben.

Was it really him? He had changed so much in those years. He was no longer the puny little boy he had known and helped in the jungle, he was a man now. Reef settled Treeko in his arms and stood up, approaching with some caution.

“Ben?”

He immediately turned to her, looking at her with wide eyes. An incredulous laugh came out of him, who hurried to catch up with her.

“My God, Reef! Is it really you? You’re alive!” Ben could not sit still. Reef could say he wanted to hug her, but he didn't know where to put his hands, and the baby in her arms stopped all his thoughtless actions.

“He…?”

“My brother, long story.” She said, looking at him with clear relief in her gaze.

“You’ll tell me, leaving nothing out!” he replied.

Reef didn't dare to protest and followed his friend, who made her get into the van. It was more spacious than she imagined.

“There’s a bed in the back, you can put it there if you want.” The girl looked at Ben and then at her little brother, nodding.

She went to the back and was struck by the general chaos there. Reef wasn't illiterate; she had learned to read, but she didn't understand his friend’s writing at all.

She laid Treeko on the bed and he jerked awake, looking at her startled.

“It’s okay Treeko, we’re with Ben. We’ll go to a safe place now. Rest.” She said softly, caressing his head.

Treeko nodded weakly before curling up and clutching the stuffed animal. Reef covered him with the blanket and waited several minutes before reaching Ben, sitting down and buckling up. She hadn't noticed that they had left, despite the deafening noise that old van made.

“I’ve been looking for you for so long, we have been looking for you.” Said Ben looking down the road. “We thought you were dead, but when we found out that dinosaurs had been brought to the Lockwood estate, we hoped you were there, but no newspaper reported on you.”

“I-I’m sorry. We were hunted, I didn’t want to put you in danger, and mama you know, she hates you…” Reef looked at him with a sad expression.

“Why didn’t you call earlier? At least to let us know you were okay?”

“We never used to pass by the towns, that’s why they found us this time. Mama drove them away from Treeko and me, and we were left alone-I don’t know the human world, I don’t know what to do, and I thought you could help me.”

Ben gave her a meaningful look.

“Of course I help you Reef, this is not even to be questioned.” The girl looked at him.

Ben’s character had been tempered by the challenges Isla Nublar had given him, several times he had not hesitated to lend her a hand even in the past, he was always the first to support her. That’s why they were best friends; they had understood each other from their first meeting.

“Aren’t you angry because I didn’t call you earlier?” she asked shyly.

“Angry? No, but you’ll have to serve a penalty for that.” He replied with a chuckle.

Reef gave a smile, appreciating how the mood immediately lightened.

“So…do you have a little brother?”

“Yes, Treeko.” She nodded. “Adopted.”

Ben nodded, but asked no more, and she spoke no further. She knew he would see the horns and the tail and that sooner or later she would have to tell that uncomfortable reality. Even when they had found out about her they had reacted strangely, she didn't know if they had really understood what being a lab experiment entailed, but the subject had never been brought up again. They had never weighed in on the fact that she could talk to dinosaurs and they could talk to her, or that she had dinosaurs for parents. It had always been a characteristic of hers, one of the few things she loved about herself.

She wasn't special, but when she talked to dinosaurs she knew she could make a difference, and her affection for those creatures was beyond belief.

“I didn’t think your mother was willing to accept other humans.”

“No, indeed, it is complex to talk about.” He nodded, and a comfortable silence fell between them.

Ben seemed to want to say something, and Reef had many things to ask.

“The others? How are they?” asked Reef.

Ben clasped his hands on the steering wheel, his gaze was troubled, and she realized that something bad had happened. She felt it, and a sense of emptiness pervaded her when he spilled the beans.

“Brooklynn is … dead.” He said in a funereal tone.

Her friend had died and she knew nothing about it. She had isolated herself and kept her friends away for their own good, only to find that one of them had passed away.

“…How?” asked Reef with a thread of voice.

“She was attacked by an Allosaurus.” The girl remained silent, metabolizing the information.

Looking for a logical answer she couldn't have without knowing all the details. She never blamed dinosaurs, she knew it was just instinct for them, however, she wanted to know how Brooklyn had ended up with just such a dinosaur.

“When you called me I was on my way to Darius, I’m of the belief that Brooklynn’s death wasn't just an accident.” Said Ben.

Reef turned to look at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Someone is after us Reef, Brooklynn was the first but we’ll be next. I don’t know if you are on that list, but whoever is after us knows us well and I’m convinced they know about you too.” Ben explained. “We’re going to make a short stop so that you and your brother can put on clean clothes and get yourselves cleaned up.”

“Do I really look that bad?”

“A little bit and also you smell like a dinosaur.” Ben looked at her with a smirk and she looked at him grimly.

“I’ve always smelled like a dinosaur.” She retorted.

“True, but you can’t walk around here like that, they’ll think you’re a bum.”

Reef looked at him with furrowed brows, not understanding what he was implying.

“We have no clothes.” She recalled.

“We’ll stop and buy them, it won’t be a problem.” He said with a shrug.

Reef objected but he stopped her first, “And no, you don’t owe me anything, I do it with pleasure Reef. Besides, I know you don’t have any money and even if you did you wouldn’t understand their value.”

She huffed, crossing her arms, all too aware of that and how he knew her all too well.

“All right.” She mumbled, looking down the street. “So someone hunts you down…You never get bored.”

“I would say no. The only problem is that we are scattered all over the United States.” Ben nodded. “I received threats after Brooklynn’s death and I’m convinced of my theory, that’s why I’m going to Darius.”

Who could have had it in for them? And why? Reef wanted to find out, her curious streak was getting the best of her, and she really shouldn't have gone into that situation, but she was over it now. Being in a group was better than being alone.

“Do any of them know I’m alive?” she asked.

Ben shook his head and Reef sighed heavily.

“Don’t worry, they will be as happy as I am to know that you are alive.”

The girl was not very convinced but didn't dare to contradict her friend.

“You were lucky.”

Reef looked at him with puzzlement.

“When you called me I was about to leave and was about to throw the phone away.”

She looked at him, arching an eyebrow, “Why…?”

“Because phones can be traced and in order not to be traced I had to make it disappear.” He said casually.

“So…let me understand.” She began. “If I hadn’t had the foresight to go to a station and call from a pay phone would I still be standing there at the station by now?”

“Correct.”

“You are such an idiot.” Reef glared at him, and he burst out laughing, which made her sigh in exasperation. “You and your technology.”

“Oh come on, don’t pretend you don’t like it.” He teased her.

“I barely know how to use a pay phone and only because I’ve seen it done on Nublar, not because of anything else.” Reef heard his friend chuckle and looked up.

He looked out the window; the darkness didn't allow him to see much, but he could tell they were out of town.

“How soon will we be at Darius’s?” asked Reef.

“Tomorrow in the evening, but we’ll probably be late to get you and your brother settled.”

“We can also go to Darius’s and then stop later, can’t we?” Ben gave her a brief, critical look, squaring her from head to toe. “Reef your clothes are mostly torn. When did you last change?”

“I don’t think it’s important.”

“I think this is very important. I’m not an expert in women’s fashion but I’m sure this doesn’t fit at all.”

Reef shook her head in exasperation and raised his hands in surrender.

“On Nublar I didn’t have to worry about clothes.” She mumbled.

“I remember it well, you looked like Jane in the jungle.” He chuckled.

She looked at him confused. “Who’s Jane?” she asked, tilting her head.

He gave her an incredulous look, before remembering that it actually made sense that she didn't know the story of Tarzan. Reef didn't know many fairy tales and stories that a child with a normal childhood would know. Ben didn't miss an opportunity to tell the story of the man raised by gorillas, and Reef found herself very interested by the tale, finding herself very much in the figure of Tarzan. Her curiosity led her to ask many questions, which her friend answered with amusement. Reef didn’t say it, but she had missed talking to Ben without having to worry about being careful about what to say, without being judged. She could trust him, always.

Chapter Text

When Ben had said a short stop, she hadn't imagined that they would stop in front of a mega mansion. They had stopped earlier to pick up some clothes. Comic fact? Ben had entered the store alone, insisting that no one could see the two siblings in that condition. Sure, dirty they sure were, but Reef didn't think she was as indecent as the boy claimed.

Treeko had woken up, but hadn't said a word since, looking suspiciously at Ben.

They got out of the van, and Treeko wasted no time in shaking hands with his sister, adjusting the hood of his sweatshirt and keeping his tail hidden.

"Ben where are we?" asked Reef, following him to the front door.

"From a person who can help us and whom we know well."

Reef looked at him doubtfully, sniffing the air and the surrounding scents. One of them seemed vaguely familiar, and she could only confirm her theory when the lady of the house came to open the door.

Maeredith Elizabeth Claire Hammond, known as Maery, one of the women who had taken care of her at Jurassic World during her short life.

The woman looked confused at the boy, "Ben?"

"Hello Mrs. Hammond, nice to see you again." The boy greeted her cordially.

Reef looked past Ben and the woman was surprised at the sight of him.

Maery looked around before letting the boys in, again making sure no one was around as she closed the door.

"Reef-I'm glad to see you're doing well. And you too Ben, you've been growing up a lot and I see you're in great shape."

"Well, yes, I work out every morning-or rather, the mornings when I can work out quietly."

Maery smiled at this, turning her attention to Treeko, hiding behind her sister in a sweatshirt not quite his size.

"You've grown too, I see."

The child hid more behind his older sister, not intending to respond.

The last time Reef had seen Maery had been three years earlier, at the Lockwood estate. She had offered her help, a safe haven for her, her mother, and the child she had taken care of, but she had refused, fleeing into the forest from the overwhelming truth she had discovered at that mansion.

Reef looked around, sniffing, "Billy's not here."

"No, he's at work." Maery confirmed.

Billy Brennan, Maery's husband and one of the people Reef had always found most likeable.

"Would you like something to eat? Drink?" the woman asked.

Reef and Ben exchanged a glance before nodding; they were indeed hungry and the girl, like her little brother, hadn't eaten since the day before.

Maery seated them in the living room on her way to the kitchen, and the girl immediately looked to the small glass table, on which was a small bowl of candy. She resisted the impulse, but her brother looking at her almost on the verge of tearing his hair out took one, giving it to her.

Ben chuckled as he watched her devour the candy. He had found out long ago that Reef was obsessed with them, addicted to them.

The boy shifted his gaze to the child, who tended to look at him when he was not paying attention. He was studying him, wary and vaguely protective of his older sister.

He had intelligent, viscous eyes that were a lighter green than Reef's, which had always been a bright, glowing color.

Reef had said there was no kinship between them, but ironically they looked very much alike.

Maery returned to them with sandwiches and a pitcher of water, which she placed on the small table. She took three glasses and poured them drinks, sitting down.

"What brings you here? I’m especially surprised to see you two without your mother. Where is she?"

Reef scrutinized her carefully before speaking, "They found us, a helicopter. In the escape Treeko and I were thrown off mama's back and she wanted to push away those who were looking for us, leaving us behind." She explained. "I called Ben-I didn't know what to do."

Ben looked at her self-consciously, resting a hand on her shoulder, being glared at by Treeko, who looked at him almost indignantly. Ben raised his hands in surrender, taking the food he was offered.

"Besides, more serious things have come to light..." Reef had taken the sandwich, eating it, leaving the honor to Ben to explain the serious situation.

Treeko sniffed the sandwich before biting into it. When he was satisfied that it were edible he hurried to devour it.

"Someone is after us, I'm still not 100 percent sure, but I recently received threats on Dark Jurassic from an unknown account."

"I guess in the message you were intimated not to investigate beyond what lies in Dark Jurassic and to possible shady plans of influential people." Ben looked dumbfounded at Maery. "I received the same threats."

Reef frowned as he looked at her.

"As you well know I was in close ties with Simon Masrani and consequently with Jurassic World, as a granddaughter of the founder of the original park I carry on what my grandfather wanted. I don't like how these animals, now free in the world, are being treated. So I did my own research to find out who’s behind the dinosaur trade."

"Wait, dinosaur trafficking?" asked Reef confused.

Maery looked at her sympathetically, knowing full well that this was a sensitive topic for her.

"Remember what happened at the Lockwood estate?" She asked causing her to nod. "There, dinosaurs are sold in black markets, for money, meat and fighting. There is a worldwide business around these creatures that is disturbing."

"Yeah, on Dark Jurassic it's full of these things." Ben confirmed.

Reef watched them in silence, slowly assimilating the words that marked her. Humans used dinosaurs for money, as objects. As had Tiff and Mitch, Mantah Corp, but also InGen itself. A sense of anger mounted in her.

On Isla Nublar they had been safe, far from the cruelty of that world. Reef had defended his home from anyone who dared to land with bad intentions. But now? They were no longer on an island, the world was big and vast, and as much as she wished she couldn't protect all the dinosaurs.

"Humans really are the worst species." Reef looked down. She didn't identify herself as a human; she never had. Sure, she had the looks, but she had lived her whole life following Rexy and Tyra, following their teachings, running through the jungle and meadows with the dinosaurs-she was one of them, even if only because of who she was.

ZETA was the successful subject, so Eli Mills had said.

"We're not all like that, but I can't blame you." Nodded Maery.

The woman was an exception to the rule. She had worked with Isadora Ruiz, the doctor who cared for Reef and was responsible for his education.

She had often exasperated the two women in the past, putting herself in situations that normal people would call uncomfortable. Like when to avoid bath time she had escaped into the Baryonyx enclosure, nearly causing poor Dr. Ruiz to faint. Or when she had been found swimming in the Mosasaurus lagoon, driving Simon Masrani himself out of his mind.

"We're also here for ... Reef and her brother, in short ... to allow them to take a bath before we go find our friends." Said Ben embarrassed.

"Indeed you need a good bath." Maery confirmed as she looked at them.

Treeko looked at himself puzzled, not understanding what was wrong with his appearance. "Why?" asked the child.

"Our clothes attract attention." Reef rolled her eyes.

"They're completely ruined, at this rate you'll be walking around naked." Ben's face turned red, looking away.

Reef paid no attention, muttering contrarily. Treeko looked at him grimly, taking off his sister's sweatshirt.

He longed to actually take a bath, feeling dirty from all that had happened the previous evening. Reef looked at him and Maery took that as a sign to go and prepare the bath.

The three of them remained, and Ben turned his attention to them, noticing at that moment something he hadn't noticed before.

He squinted, looking at the tail sticking out of the child's torn pants. When this moved, he snapped to his feet, looking shocked at the child.

"Ben keep calm." Reef stood up in turn, covering the child in doing so.

"What-" the young man stammered, unable to come up with a rational explanation.

Reef stepped forward slowly and cautiously, not wanting to agitate him any more than he already was. Treeko looked at him with an arched eyebrow, untouched by the boy's state.

"What, you've never seen a human experiment?" the boy asked in a saccharine tone.

"Treeko." Reef scolded him. "Ben, it's okay. Remember when I told you that I was experimented on as a child?"

The boy was struggled to formulate a sentence, but nodded at her words.

"Well, Treeko is like me." Reef took his hands and sat him down, seeing him pale and almost on the verge of fainting.

She had mentally prepared herself a whole speech that Treeko blissfully blew off with a simple gesture. She didn't blame him for it; it was normal for him to have a tail, he didn't fully understand why humans were so shocked.

Treeko had understand the fact that he was an experiment somewhat philosophically, considering his tail as a distinguishing feature of his person. He had compared it to the scar on Reef's left cheek, so recognizable and unique.

"I was going to tell you more calmly, I knew you might react that way."

Treeko moved, going around the small table to take Ben's glass and give it to him. The boy's eyes were fixed on the child, who was not upset at all. Ben took the glass, downing the water in one gulp.

"How...? I mean, he...?"

"He's not a dinosaur but almost." Ben looked at Reef, who looked at him understandingly, shaking his hand.

The boy took a deep breath to calm himself, he wasn't so strange after all, he was just a kid with a dinosaur tail. What could be strange about that?

"He’s no different from us, he simply has a little something extra. "

"A whole extra body part I would say..." Ben watched the baby's tail move.

Reef huffed out a giggle. "Yes, and a huge ego."

Treeko looked at her with a pout, but it was true, he had inherited that from Rexy. Despite what she might think about their scary mother, she was caring and attentive, but her ego was so mammoth that it could touch the sky.

"A Triceratops?" Ben looked at Treeko, who nodded.

The boy looked at his friend, with quite a few questions on his mind.

"Isn't it supposed to...I mean, be on your mother's menu?"

"As a rule, but she gave in almost immediately after I brought it with me."

"My charm won her over." Said Treeko snickering.

"I doubt it was your charm, but I'll pretend to agree with you."

"You can't deny it!"

"Of course I can."

Ben watched the two siblings squabbling, and only Maery's return managed to make them stop.

The boy handed the envelope containing the new clothes to Reef and could see a trace of distress on her face from the impending shower.

Maery took the two siblings upstairs and the boy remained in the living room with his thoughts.

Reef had always said she hated bathing with soap; she always said it burned. He remembered those times when Brooklynn, Yaz and Sammy used to drag her along with them on their beauty routine, and there they had discovered that Reef did nothing but keep her eyes open while bathing, used to swimming in the river.

Reef was everything Ben had never been before arriving on Nublar. Their first meeting had been unusual; she had arrived at dinnertime, moving on all fours as she was escorted by Dr. Maery. The general reaction had been disparate; Dave and Roxie had introduced her as the seventh member of Camp Cretaceous.

Kenji had later revealed that he already knew the girl and that she had lived on Nublar for a long time, but he didn't really know her. Reef's strange ways and her avoidance of people made her elusive.

Their friends hadn't had good opinions of Reef, seeing her simply as strange and sometimes creepy. Her way of speaking then, in third person and in a childish dialectic, had only increased those thoughts, until they had been harshly reprimanded by Roxie, who had explained how their companion was further behind them and that despite her age she had started speaking late.

The explanation had caused the words to cease, but the thoughts had remained.

Ben, however, had never had any particular thoughts about her, except when he saw her put her hands in her mouth after touching the ground. That had upset him! He had even tried to get her to put on the sanitizer several times, with the result that the pungent smell of the gel almost made her cry.

She had been kind to him from the first moment. She had even snarled at Yaz when she had commented saccharinely on his drawing of himself and Bumpy.

"Reef likes it!" she had said at the time.

Over the months they had spent together her dialectics had improved, speaking more and more fluently. Progress that had made her happy and warmed her heart.

They had taken care of Reef, and she of them. She had been left behind, even though it had been her choice to stay with her mothers, as they later found out.

Rexy was undoubtedly the scarier one, hating having them around in her territory and especially not tolerating them near her cub. Tyra, on the other hand, was being more placid, had it not been for the wild chase she had given them convinced that they wanted to harm Reef.

After that event the Tarbosaurus had no longer bothered them, showing up from time to time to check on what Reef was doing.

Darius had been fascinated by that behavior, asking many questions to his friend, who in turn couldn't properly explain why there was a strange congenitoriality between a T-Rex and a Tarbosaurus. Ben smiled as he thought back on all those moments; there had been the fear of not being able to return home, but that experience had brought them all closer together and made them who they were now. Even after three years without Reef, she was still his best friend, the girl who had taught him how to survive in the jungle, the girl who...

"I hate showers." Reef's voice reached his ears.

Ben watched her as she descended the last step. The clothes he had gotten her fit her well and the shades were right for her. Treeko stood behind his sister, quite pleased with the shower he had taken.

Reef shook out her long blond hair, mostly dry. It had grown out and reached well past her back. "Ever thought of trimming it a little?" asked Ben as he looked at her.

The girl sat down heavily on the sofa, looking at him in turn.

"No, there aren't many hairdressers in the forests."

Ben chuckled, "I highly doubt it. You should tie them up then, to be more comfortable."

"I don't really like tying them up, when they pull they give me a headache."

"We'll do a hairstyle that doesn't pull on you too much."

"Do you know about hair?" Reef raised her eyebrows, making him laugh.

"Definitely not, but I want to make you comfortable."

Treeko watched them carefully, observing their exchanges and how they acted. Maery's arrival with a small box caught his attention, but that was more attracted by the arrival of some little girls of his age.

The child stiffened and immediately ran to his sister, throwing himself into her arms to hide from view. Reef looked at him in puzzlement, not understanding what had gotten into him.

Maery handed the little box to Ben, surprising him.

"I heard you talking, you will need this."

The boy thanked her, opening the contents as the woman spoke to her small daughters, who had apparently frightened Treeko.

Inside the little box were several rubber bands, hairpins and ribbons. Ben showed it to the girl, to show her the contents and let her choose the color.

Reef did not hesitate, grabbing a green ribbon and looking at it almost childishly.

"Green!"

Ben smiled in turn, starting to arrange her hair. He knew she loved green, which was why he had gotten her a blouse of that color to put over her brown shirt. The beige pants closed it all out.

He had hoped to find shoes, but he knew the girl was adamant on that subject.

He took several hairpins to tie them neatly in a bun, especially to hold them in place.

Reef left him to it, turning her attention to her brother, wrapped in a sweatshirt larger than his size. She had specifically asked Ben to took it that way, just for the purpose of hiding his tail and a cap, which hid his small horns and slightly pointed ears.

"Where will you go after you leave here?" asked Maery.

"Darius." Replied Reef.

"It's the closest to where we are." Confirmed Ben.

Maery nodded and went to the kitchen followed by the girls.

The boy finished arranging her hair, finally tying the green ribbon as a band, letting the two ends fall over her shoulder.

Reef gently touched her hair and the ribbon, glad not to feel it being pulled.

She smiled at Ben, thanking him.

The woman returned with wrapped sandwiches, "For the journey."

Ben stood up taking them, "Thank you very much."

"I will also leave you my satellite phone number. Anything you should need it, if you don't have better alternatives to take advantage of, call me without hesitation...I mean it, don't do everything alone,"

Maery walked them to the door.

Ben and Reef nodded at her words, while Treeko merely looked at her.

"Luckily we won't be alone, our friends will be with us." Ben said, smiling and looking at the girl at his side.

Reef smiled in return, nodding, "Family is forever after all.”

Chapter Text

Since they had been on the road again Treeko had done nothing but stare at Ben, trying to understand why his sister seemed vaguely attracted to him.

Reef had tried to distract her little brother and had even succeeded, with the child asking Ben how his van worked. The two of them had locked in a conversation that Reef understood little or nothing about; she had driven a car on Nublar before, it had been a one-off, and she had only done it to save her friends from some angry dinosaurs.

She hadn't found the process complicated, but had gone mostly on instinct.

The fact that the two were gaining confidence made Reef more serene; sure, the shock had been such that the boy had almost fainted as soon as he had seen Treeko's tail move, but the explanation had served to calm him.

Reef knew there were others like her, Eli Mills told at the Lockwood estate, there were nine other subjects and Treeko was one of them, the SIGMA project.

She knew nothing about them, but the curiosity of being able to meet others who had her gifts intrigued her and at the same time terrified her.

The girl cast a glance at her brother, who was standing behind Ben's seat, watching the boy drive with wondering eyes.

Ben had been far too kind to them, buying clothes and allowing them to look as human as possible. Of course, the absence of shoes was still a point against them but it mattered little to her, they weren't normal people anyway and little they could be around people.

"It's not long before we get to Darius." Ben announced.

They were surrounded by a lush forest, and Reef found it beautiful with all its shades of color. She missed the jungle, but in those three years the forest had been her home. She missed the stability of a safe nest, but she understood the necessity of always having to move so as not to be caught by people who wanted their evil.

"Do you think he will come with us without question?" asked Reef.

"I doubt it, he might be hard to convince, but I’ll do my best." Ben replied, casting a glance at her. "You will have to stay in the van, knowing him if he saw you outside the door it would be impossible to budge him.”

Reef chuckled at this, not at all offended by it. "It’s Darius after all." She said.

Treeko listened to their talk, not intruding. Reef could tell that he was trying to imagine what kind of guy Darius was.

"What if he's not home? What do we do?" asked Reef doubtfully, looking at the sky that was beginning to turn warm hues.

"Let's break down the door." Treeko proposed.

"Treeko no, that's trespassing." His sister answered him with a sigh.

"Well, I was thinking something like that actually," Ben admitted, catching a dirty look from the girl.

"Ben." She scolded him.

"Okay, okay...I won't." He giggled in a tone that didn't convince her at all and made the child snicker behind them.

If Treeko had met young Ben they would certainly have become best friends, united by a passion for blowing things up or breaking things.

Reef had never understood that side of the boy, but had always found it amusing, following him in his follies.

"Tempted to go down to Darius myself and leave you in here." She said, rolling her eyes.

This made the two laugh, and Reef gave an amused sigh; she knew them too well to know what they had been thinking.

Darkness had fallen when they arrived at Darius's house. Ben parked and turned off the engine.

"If anything should happen you are authorized to start the truck." Said the boy, taking off his belt.

"Are you giving me that privilege? I'm flattered."

"I trust you won't run us over."

"You're putting a little too much faith in my driving skills, we almost hit a tree last time.”

Ben emitted a chuckle and opened the door, getting out.

"I always put my trust in you, you should know that."

Reef was tempted to look away, embarrassed by the boy's playful admission.

"Sure sure, go now." She prodded him, and he raised his hands in surrender, closing the door and heading toward their friend's cottage.

Reef ran a hand over his heated face, and she could feel his brother's gaze on herself. He turned to look at him, and Treeko's expression was all too funny.

"Your exchanges are so ambiguous..."

"They're not, and besides, they're things that don't concern you."

Treeko arched an eyebrow and she did likewise.

"You were flirting."

"We weren't doing that at all."

"That's right.”

"I'm not going to have this conversation with you, you're only eight years old."

Reef changed seats, putting herself in the driver's seat. There was no danger but it was better to be prepared. Ben was always overanxious, undoubtedly he had been influenced a lot by what Dark Jurassic had to say, but she knew he was telling the truth. Brooklyn's death was strange, and she herself knew that dinosaurs, especially carnivores, had learned to keep well away from humans. Why was Brooklyn with an Allosaurus? What had really happened that night?

"Ben is nice." Treeko suddenly said. "Was he really your best friend?"

Reef nodded, looking at him. "The best one could wish for. And that's not a given, a best friend is forever.”

Treeko looked at her, reflecting on her words. The only human contact Treeko had in those three years was Reef; Ben had been the first human he had interacted with of his own free will.

Several minutes passed and something changed. Reef frowned and looked around, sensing a foreign and hostile smell. Treeko nervously moved his little tail, sensing the same.

"Something is going on."

Reef looked out the windows and then the mirrors, but from where they stood she could see nothing.

When the screams of Ben and Darius reached her ears, followed by roars, she was overcome with terror.

"Buckle up Treeko!" she said, turning on the truck.

The child immediately obeyed, watching his sister try to maneuver, albeit with difficulty.

Reef cursed putting the car in reverse and going the entire driveway like that, running into the dinosaur that had came out of nowhere, about to attack the boys.

Ben wasted no time and ran inside, pulling Darius with him.

"Drive fast!" Ben was in a panic, and this gave her the impetus to press her foot on the accelerator. It bothered her to touch the pedals with her bare feet but it didn't matter at that moment.

"Reef?" Darius looked at her in disbelief as he took a seat next to her.

Ben positioned himself next to the child, looking at the road.

"We'll explain everything later. There's no time now! Hold on!" She said, turning sharply as the raptors were upon them.

One of them jumped onto the van, causing them to swerve, almost running off the road, but Reef regained control of the vehicle by putting it back on the roadway.

She gritted her teeth as she looked at the mirror, noting how they were on their heels.

This wasn't normal at all, behavior out of all logic. Reef had never seen dinosaurs behave like this. Never.

"Reef!" Darius held onto the seat as if this depended on his life.

"What! I never took my driving test! If there was time I would have let Ben have the seat but we are slightly in the shit!"

"Reef!" scolded Treeko upon hearing the bad word.

Darius cast a glance at the child but said nothing about it.

"They have easier ways to feed themselves!" said Darius looking out.

"I know! There's something strange about their behavior!" nodded Reef.

The girl was clutching the steering wheel with trembling hands, and Ben noticed this, resting a hand on her shoulder, looking worriedly at Darius.

"We seem to have lost them..." But he didn't have time to finish speaking that one of the raptors sprang out, running alongside the vehicle and causing them to scream.

Treeko plugged his ears, disturbed by the animal's roar.

Reef growled, slamming against the dinosaur unceremoniously. She didn't kill dinosaurs, but the one seemed eager to take them out and she wouldn't hesitate to return the favor.

The animal fell, rolling on the asphalt, but he didn't give up, getting up and chasing them again, flanking Reef's side.

She looked at him, peering menacingly at the scarlet eye in the Raptor, which roared. Reef turned, but this took them off the road, causing them to make a sharp descent to the roadway below. Reef accelerated, with every intention of losing them, and so he did. After several minutes they were sure of it, but the girl showed no signs of wanting to slow down, with adrenaline still pumping through her body.

Ben simulated coughing fits, looking at Darius.

"What is it?" asked the boy.

Ben looked at him, arching an eyebrow.

"That doesn't prove they're hunting us." Said Darius.

"Are you kidding me?" Ben looked vaguely irritated.

"I don't know! It seems like too big a change to me-the Raptors may have been attracted by the light or ... by something else."

Reef looked at Darius as if he had two heads. Ben rolled his eyes and Treeko slammed a hand on the face.

"Only..." began Darius in doubt.

"What?" prodded Ben.

"Those Raptors-they looked like Atrociraptors." Darius looked at his friends. "But that's not possible! I don't think they created any at the Lockwood estate!” Darius brought a hand to his forehead, trying to understand the situation.

"See? Here's another proof!" said Ben triumphantly.

"I wouldn't call it proof."

"Do you think it's a coincidence that they appeared at your door the night we arrived?" Ben was definitely irritated.

"Well...it may be."

"And it's a coincidence that the bells and jars were purposely taken off the fence?"

Darius was experiencing a clear dilemma.

"Darius." Reef called to him as he looked down the road. "Trust what Ben says. That behavior in the wild is not normal, I assure you."

The boy ran his hands over his face, looking at her next.

"You-you were dead." He said.

"I never died, I simply hid after escaping from the Lockwood estate." Replied Reef.

The boy looked at her for a confused moment before realizing.

"Yeah, I was captured with mama. They took us to the mainland, the goal was to sell Nublar's dinosaurs." Reef let out a deep breath. "We sabotaged the sale and escaped. The only way to stay safe was to stay hidden, as I told Ben if I had exposed myself to you, you would have been caught up in it."

Reef shot him a look. "And there are people who would kill to get their hands on me, I witnessed that unfortunately."

The girl went back to looking at the road. She was getting the hang of it, but her driving was still uncertain and she swerved a few times.

"What about him?" asked Darius, pointing at Treeko.

"Treeko, his brother." Replied the child, shrugging his shoulders.

Darius looked questioningly at Reef.

"Many things happened at the Lockwood estate, one of them was finding Treeko." She explained. "It's part of the same project I was involved in as a child, the Alphabet Project. I can't tell you much about it, I haven't been able to gather more information, alone it's quite difficult."

Darius looked again at the child, who looked at him in turn embodying an eyebrow.

After several minutes of silence Ben spoke. "I'll relieve you Reef."

"Yes, please. The feet are begging for mercy."

They made a very brief stop to change places and set off again at full speed. Reef sat with a sigh beside his brother, who rested his head on her arm.

"It's good to know you're alive." Said Darius turning to the girl.

She smiled, "What can I say, I can make you want me." Ben chuckled at that, and Darius looked up at the child again, frowning at the sight of the two small horns sprouting from his reddish-brown hair.

Treeko looked at him, moving his tail and purposely showing it. The boy widened his eyes, looking at the others in disbelief.

"What the hell..."

"Don't freak out, thank you. Ben was enough for me." Said Reef.

"He almost passed out." Snickered the child.

"Can you blame me?" Ben looked at them from the mirror.

Reef shook her head with a giggle and looked at Darius, understanding, "Experimentation on Treeko has earned him horns and tail."

"I don't know what to say..." Darius ran a hand through his hair. "The whole thing with you was already absurd, but this is freaking out."

"Tell me about it." Ben tapped on the steering wheel.

Silence fell, and Reef rose from her seat, carrying Treeko to the back of the van to let him sleep. The baby unceremoniously lay down, clutching the stuffed animal.

"So are they really after us?" he asked.

Reef looked at him, caressing his head.

"Probably, but don't worry, I'll protect you. No matter what happens your sister will jump through hoops to keep you out of trouble." She smiled, tucking him in. "Besides, who would explain to mama that I let you become dinner for some treacherous Atrociraptor."

Reef tickled the child, who laughed.

"Mama would be very angry! Even with you." He said with conviction.

"And that's saying a lot." She giggled, giving him a kiss on the forehead.

The baby collapsed to sleep in no time, cradled by Reef's loving caresses. Darius joined her behind, being as quiet as possible noticing the sleeping baby.

Reef looked at him with a smile, being immediately greeted by a mighty hug.

"I missed you, too." She giggled.

"Just? If I had known you were at the Lockwood estate, I would have run to pick you up with Kenji."

"I know Darius, I'm sure you would have."

The boy loosened his embrace, cast a glance at the child and then looked at the small back room, admiring it.

"But you look at Ben, he's organized." He said, noting all the supplies he had in the back. "It's basically like being in his fanny pack."

Reef nodded in agreement, finding those words rather apt.

Darius looked at the little papers stuck everywhere. "Mantah Corp's secret undersea laboratory?" he read aloud, rather confused. "Carnivorous locusts?”

Darius looked at Reef, who shrugged; he shifted his gaze to the closed table.

Reef stepped forward, pulling him down as slowly as possible. The noise produced stirred Treeko slightly in his sleep, but without waking him.

"Thank you." Whispered Darius looked incredulously at all the connections made by his friend.

He looked at a note in his hand and then shifted his gaze down to where there was a boot at the foot of the cot.

Reef held back a giggle at Darius's indignation as soon as he realized what was inside, and went out the back, followed by the boy, who closed the door quietly.

Reef sat down, buckling up.

"Okay, first things first." Said Darius imitating his friend and looking at Ben. "Are you eating inside a boot? Because if so we need to talk about it."

Ben sighed in exasperation as the girl tried to hold back her laughter.

Darius showed one of the notes, looking at it as if he were crazy, "Now tell me, the big beard cream behind all this! But what are they?"

Ben took the note, rolling his eyes.

"They are theories. Some are from the website, some are mine." He explained, sticking the note near the radio. "We can't rule out any possibilities."

Darius looked at him condescendingly.

"But right now it doesn't matter who's hunting us, they're just doing it." Ben looked ruefully at the road, causing his friend to arch an eyebrow.

"Hypothetically." Darius recalled.

"But you can't risk it." Ben countered.

"I agree, beyond everything we cannot let our guard down Darius." Nodded Reef.

"The Dark Jurassic messages I told you about threatened all of us." Ben recalled.

Darius sighed, surrendering. He wouldn't win the speech if Ben and Reef were on the same side.

"Fine. I'll call Sammy." He said, taking the phone to dial his friend's number.

Reef caught the sound of the window rolling down, looking confused at Ben and then incredulous as he grabbed Darius' phone, tossing it outside.

Darius almost snapped, looking at Ben, then at Reef and then back at Ben.

"But what...?"

"The phones track, they're not secure." Said Ben simply.

"Couldn't you just turn it off!" asked Darius.

Reef could swear his friend was about to explode.

"Well, even turned off they can be traced." Ben looked at him unsure. "I suppose. That's right."

Darius shook his head slightly, thinning his gaze, "No."

"Maybe we should have made sure of that first." Said Reef.

"Yeah..." Ben looked uneasily at the road, feeling Darius's accusing gaze on him. He clapped his hands on the steering wheel. "Sure, so it's a little cold...I'll roll up...roll up the window.”

Reef clapped a hand on her forehead, not surprised by the behavior from her friend.

Darius took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Sorry, how do we notify others if we don't have phones?" asked Darius.

"Did you learn telepathy on that site?"

"No." Ben rolled his eyes. "Reef, you can do me a favor."

The girl nodded, handing the package that was under the seat to Darius.

"It's a food package from Sammy, she'll know where everyone else is." Ben specified.

"So we're going to Texas." Darius looked at the package and then at his two friends, who nodded.

The boy handed the package again to Reef, who placed it under the seat. It was going to be a long trip, much longer than the one they had taken to reach Darius.

Now that they were quiet she could feel the weariness on herself. She patted both her friends' shoulders before retreating to the back, putting herself by Treeko's side so she could get some rest; maybe she would escape the nightmares that haunted her now that she was in the company of her friends.

Chapter Text

Reef watched Darius pleading with their friend, begging him to stop at the gas station to go to the bathroom and stock up on food. The girl more than agreed; Treeko was becoming irritable and needed to stretch his legs.

Only the sign that they were out of gas and needed fuel finally convinced Ben, who turned onto the small road leading to the service area.

"Mo's Gas Diesel..." read Reef aloud, looking at the place where they were standing and finding it vaguely bare.

The van slowed and Ben spoke, "Another Nasutoceratops?”

This immediately attracted the attention of Reef, who looked at the dinosaur almost jumping on the spot.

"It's young, but nice and big." Said Darius as he carefully observed the animal. "Now they must be migrating north."

"Let's find another place to stop." Proposed Ben, being glowered bad by both Reef and Darius, though for different reasons.

"Benjamin if you don't stop I will jump out of the running van, is that what you want?" asked Darius making Treeko chuckle at the possibility of seeing such an event.

"Okay okay, I'll stop now!" surrendered Ben, stopping near the gas pumps.

The four of them got out of the van and Darius wasted no time in going to the bathroom, followed by Treeko snickering, wrapped in his oversized sweatshirt.

Ben looked around unconvinced, before turning his attention to Reef, who was gazing in wonder at the sleeping dinosaur.

The boy shook his head slightly, going to make gas.

So many thoughts ran through his head, there was more than one mystery at stake that needed to be unraveled, not only Brooklyn's death but also the Alphabet Project that Reef had named. He wanted to know more, to help the girl and her little brother get to the bottom of the experimentation they had undergone, but without a phone he couldn't research it thoroughly. Perhaps on Dark Jurassic he would find something interesting. He knew that many were speculating about Reef, the seventh member of their group who lived fixed on Isla Nublar. He remembered the interview they had given them in which the girl, then 13 years old, had participated. She had been asked many questions, to which she had given few answers before being taken back to her home.

The dinogirl was called, who even before the Jurassic World disaster was known to many, seeing her roaming the park and interacting with the dinosaurs present.

The same girl who had begged for his help before the tragedy occurred. He remembered how the news given on the TV news shocked him deeply, how it had scarred all of them. Nublar had fallen and with it the last remaining dinosaurs.

The pain of her loss had scarred him terribly, even when it became known a few days later what had happened at the Lockwood estate.

She was dead or so he had believed for three years. She was there with them, alive and well. Grown than the last time he had seen her, healthy certainly, but something had gone out of her, that spark that had characterized her and made her their Reef, the indomitable jungle girl raised by a surly T-Rex.

The boy's thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind him.

"It doesn't matter, it's urgent."

Ben frowned, looking toward the man on the phone, probably the owner of the place.

"Try to come as soon as you can." The man turned to look at Ben, who panicked, hiding behind the gas pump, panting slightly in paranoia.

Had they found them? So quickly?

"It's happening, it's happening." He struggled to speak, breathing hard.

"Typical gas station bathroom, no soap, no wipes..."

Ben shouted, startled pointing the dispensing gun at Darius, before calming down, recognizing his friend who looked at him confused.

Treeko arched an eyebrow, looking at the boy on the ground.

"You scared me." Ben said, running a hand over his face.

"What are you-you know what? I'm not going to ask you why you're down."

Treeko watched Ben get up, looking at him with puzzlement, not understanding his fear. He looked in the direction of his sister, who had turned toward them, watching them with furrowed brows. The child knew well that she was listening; their hearing was more developed and they could hear and pick up sounds that a normal human being could not hear. It was a double-edged sword, however, as they were sensitive.

"We have to get out of here." Said Ben bluntly. "After we get gas." Replied Darius by tapping the machine and reading what it said, giving a smirk. "Pay at the cash register. I'll be right back."

"Wait, Darius. Darius!" he called him unnecessarily.

"He's ignoring you on purpose." Yawned Treeko.

Ben looked at him, emitting a deep stressed sigh, following his friend but continuing to hide behind the gas pumps.

Darius approached the man, who was watching Reef with a strange look, still busy dealing with the dinosaur.

The boy handed him some bills, which the man accepted, casting him a brief glance.

"You saw the dinosaur and decided to stop anyway?"

"You know ... we had no other choice." Darius admitted, not that he was particularly bothered by the dinosaur.

"I called the DPW to retrieve that thing, but they have so many calls they don't know when they're going to come." He sighed dejectedly at the man, then looking in Ben's direction. "Is your friend okay?”

Darius looked toward Ben, still hiding with Treeko looking at him in puzzlement. He looked at the man again and smiled, "No."

"And your friend...?" he asked, nodding to Reef, who was approaching them, flanking Darius.

"Very well." She replied, making the man's face turn red.

He cleared his throat, muttering an apology. He looked at the small group, finding them only at that moment vaguely familiar.

"You ... look familiar." He said.

Darius petrified slightly, "Oh ... yes, we are ... we are ..."

"Three guys like many others. And a child of course." Said Ben to his friend's rescue, coming up behind him and Reef. "We have very ordinary faces."

"No...I know you." The man frowned, looking at them with an odd, vaguely threatening expression.

Treeko watched them closely from the van, not wanting to get involved in their affairs.

"You're those guys you were on that island. The seven something..."

"The Nublar Seven." Confirmed Darius, no longer able to hide the evidence.

"Yes yes, good talk." Ben pulled back Darius and Reef, who looked at him confused. "We have to go."

Ben took Reef by the hand and Darius by the arm, pulling them away.

"Come on, I don't trust him." Said the boy seriously, letting go of his friend's arm and shortly thereafter the girl's hand as well.

"You don't trust the gas station attendant?" asked Darius, also looking at Reef.

"I heard him talking on the phone, he called someone for us."

"No, he was calling someone for the dinosaur."

"Or he wanted to waste our time.”

Reef looked at the two friends, massaging her temples, "I don't think he's bad Ben..."

But he didn't listen, and Darius stepped forward, stopping him.

"Ben, will you listen to us? No one is following us, okay? No one is tracking our phones, and a gas station in the middle of nowhere isn't chasing us."

"Wait, I disagree with that Darius." Said Reef. "Clearly someone is, but it's not him."

Darius looked at her unconvinced.

"Stop this."

"You think I don't want to do it? But I can't! We've been threatened, we've been attacked by Raptors! I don't know where we’ll be safe and where we’ll be safe again. I was convinced you understood, but you put your head in the sand -- like you did when she died.”

Ben's words hit Darius like a punch in the face. Reef feared the situation might escalate, noticing the look on his friend's face, but he merely sighed.

"You're right, I had been hiding! But now I'm not. We are together now and despite what I saw and whether or not it makes sense, I trust you." Darius looked at Ben. "Why don't you trust me too?"

Ben looked at him in conflict but said nothing, drawn by a cry the now awake dinosaur had made.

Reef looked at the Nasutoceratops, who stretched and yawned, evidently satisfied with his rest.

The animal, however, as was it's habit, began to rub his horns against one of the supporting columns of the canopy, causing it to wobble dangerously.

The owner approached them startled, "What is he doing?"

"He's sharpening his horns." The three friends replied in chorus, later looking at each other, not expecting the impromptu chorus.

The animal's agitated cry drew attention to him again, and Reef gasped, seeing that he had stucked one of his horns.

"I'll calm him down." The girl quickly stepped forward, in slow but firm steps.

"Why am I not surprised?" said Darius with a sigh.

"Let's help her." Ben immediately nodded and ran inside the station to find something to distract the animal with as Darius slowly approached.

"We'll help you big boy." Whispered Reef in a quiet voice, caressing the animal. "It'll be okay.”

The Nasutoceratops seemed to calm down, looking at the girl. Ben returned with a bag and tossed it to Darius.

"Onion rings?"

"That's all there were!"

Darius muttered and opened the bag, moving it in front of the dinosaur's snout, catching a puzzled look from Reef.

"How good the onion rings are."

"Darius."

The boy looked at Reef, who was all too puzzled. He emitted a soft laugh, abandoning the bag and helping Ben in his attempt to free the animal.

"Reef!" Treeko's voice reached her ears at the same time as sounds just a short distance away. She looked at her little brother and then at the pair of Nasutoceratops that were approaching, attracted by their companion's call.

"Oh no...hurry up." Said Reef.

But the call of the two stirred the dinosaur and Darius, "No no! It's okay! Take it easy!”

The animal shifted, however, pushing Ben away and dropping the gasoline gun, spilling its contents. And it was a matter of time, when the electrical wires were pulled due to the shifting of the canopy creating a series of sparks, which fell on the gasoline, igniting the fire. Reef jerked back abruptly at the sight of the fire, slamming into the dinosaur, even more frightened than before.

"Quick get a fire extinguisher!" shouted Darius to the owner, who ran for it.

The two boys wasted no time in freeing the dinosaur, not noticing how their friend froze on the spot, staring at the fire in terror. The echoes of dinosaur fear echoed in Reef's ears, the hasty escape and the fire burning everything. The unbreathable air and the rain of glowing rocks, which had claimed as many victims as the ash itself, suffocating them. The hasty escape down the hill in a desperate attempt to save themselves from catastrophe, only to meet death down the cliff.

"Reef!" shouted Darius.

But she could not move.

"Reef!" Her brother also called her.

But nothing.

Only Ben's intervention, armed with a fire extinguisher, seemed to bring her back to reality.

The boy put out the fire before it could cause a catastrophe. The lay-by appeared again in the girl's sight, but she felt her breath muffled and her eyes moist.

Ben threw the fire extinguisher to hold and quickly approached her. He took her face in his hands, "Reef, look at me. Breathe."

Ben took a deep breath. "Deep breaths."

The girl looked at him, taking deep breaths. "That's it, very good." Ben smiled, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "It's okay."

Reef nodded slightly, being enveloped in the boy's embrace.

Treeko and Darius exchanged a look. The child crossed his arms, "She never talks about what happened to Nublar, but she was traumatized by it. The fire seems to bring her back to those memories."

The boy looked at the two friends, making himself sad about it. He cast a glance at the three dinosaurs, who had gathered.

Darius approached the duo when they dissolved their embrace, rested a hand on Reef's shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...I just had a moment like that, no big deal."

Reef wasn't one to talk about her problems; she never did. She always kept everything inside, believing that her thoughts were unimportant. Forcing her would only serve to shut her down, putting up a wall, so he nodded with a sigh.

"Thank you." The man thanked them as he approached them, watching the dinosaurs leave. "Never been so scared in my life.”

Treeko picked up the fire extinguisher thrown by Ben and handed it to the man, who took it with a small smile.

"Tell me something..." the man began, looking down and then at them. "How did you survive there? How were you not terrified all the time?"

"Oh, we were. It's a fear that never leaves you." Ben admitted. "You just have to learn not to let it take over."

Ben looked at Darius and Reef, smiling at them, "And then we were help each other."

"Maybe it's time to go." Said Darius looking at them fondly.

"I agree." Nodded Reef, caressing his little brother's head. The group, however, before getting into the van, was thanked by the owner with two boxes full of snacks, offered by him for helping them. This put a lot of cheer in Treeko, and as Ben finished fueling, Reef went to the bathroom. She wet his face, trying to calm her nerves before rejoining her friends.

They got into the van and drove off again. Treeko, already with his packet of chips in hand, looked at the contents happily. He had eaten a few times, especially when they had been to places where there were campers, stealing something from time to time.

Darius offered Reef a string of licorice, which the girl immediately took, devouring it and making the two friends laugh, knowing her passion for candy.

"Thank you Darius for coming with us, and for talking some sense into me." Said Ben with a smile, much more relaxed.

"You're welcome, we have to stick together." He replied Reef smiled at this, nodding at their words and stealing two strings of licorice causing Darius to be indignant. The girl giggled, handing a lanyard to Ben who snickered.

Darius looked at the betrayed duo and then laughed. It was sure to be a pleasant trip.

Chapter Text

They arrived at Sammy's ranch in the late afternoon, when the sun was already setting. During the journey Reef had dozed off, with his little brother asking the two boys incessant questions, asking more about how they had met with his sister.

Treeko woke Reef as soon as the van stopped, who yawned, stretching.

"Are we there yet?" She asked in a sleepy voice.

"Yes sleeping beauty." Darius confirmed her by giggling and dropping her and Treeko off.

Reef looked around, finding that the place definitely screamed "Sammy."

"Okay, let's go to Sammy. We'll explain the problem, convince her to follow us, and we'll leave." Said Ben, tying his shoe.

Darius smiled putting his hands in the pockets of his yellow jacket, "A direct approach, I like that.”

Reef agreed, but feared how her friend would react. She nervously rubbed her hands together.

"Don't worry Reef, Sammy will be happy to know you are alive." Ben smiled at her.

Reef nodded not quite convinced, taking Treeko's hand as she looked around curiously. Seeing so closely the houses where people lived was new to him.

"Let's try to hurry up. So we can get back on the road." Said Darius as he adjusted his jacket.

"Do you think they're after us, too, then?" asked Ben.

"Maybe I wouldn't say it so explicitly, but a little caution doesn't hurt."

The small group started toward the house only to stop when an unpleasant smell reached them.

"Is it the hay that stinks?" asked Darius, plugging his nose.

"I highly doubt it." Replied Reef, wrinkling her nose, annoyed by the smell.

Ben sniffed the air, making Treeko chuckle, finding it very similar to how his older sister acted, "That's not the smell of hay, in fact. Have you never smelled hay in your life?" Ben looked at Darius, arching an eyebrow.

"It smells more like something burning." Said Treeko.

The three boys looked at each other before widening their eyes and looking toward the house from smoke was coming out.

Darius and Ben launched themselves toward the door, throwing it wide open and coughing from the wave of smoke by which they were engulfed. The deafening noise of the alarm hit the delicate ears of the two brothers, but nothing they could not handle.

Reef joined them as the two called Sammy's name, worried about her.

"But who's screaming?" said Sammy as she approached, coughing, trying to clear the smoke from her view.

As soon as she saw the two boys, she widened her eyes in surprise, receiving warm smiles from them. Sammy ran to hug them, letting go of the pitchfork in his hand against the wall. Sammy's hug was smashing judging by the way Ben and Darius begged for mercy, overpowered by the girl's happy laughter.

"Sorry about the smoke, I burned the cake and the spare is already in the oven. Always make a backup cake." Said Sammy smiling smugly.

She hugged the two boys again.

"It's good to see you again." Darius spoke in a choked voice and Sammy let them go.

"You too!" she giggled. "But I remembered hugging you guys was easier."

Sammy looked at Ben amused.

"Did you leave any inches for the others?” The girl's attention, however, was drawn to the door. What she saw froze her completely, looking at the person in the doorway of her house.

Sammy looked at Reef with her mouth open, in disbelief at what was before her eyes.

She passed Darius and Ben slowly approaching Reef, her eyes glazed over. She took a few more steps before running to hug her.

"You're alive." Sammy said in a broken voice.

Reef returned the hug. She had missed Sammy's mighty hugs.

"It's a long story." Reef smiled, looking at her. "But that will be for a later time, we need to talk about something important."

"So important from bringing you back from the dead." Sammy joked, wiping away her tears.

Sammy lowered his gaze to Treeko, who was adjusting his cap.

The child, noticing the look on her face, spoke first, "I'm Treeko, we'll tell you later all the explanations or we'll make night here."

"Don't be impertinent Treeko." Reef tried it again. "Excuse him Sammy.”

The girl burst out laughing, "It's okay, come on in!" Sammy took Reef by the hand and dragged her inside the house and closed the door as soon as Treeko was also inside.

She didn't let go of the girl's hand taking her into the kitchen.

"Welcome to my kingdom! Sorry for the mess, I wasn't expecting guests after all!" Sammy was on a roll. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"I am." Said Treeko as he entered the kitchen and passed the two boys, clinging to his sister's legs.

The kitchen was very well maintained and Reef could see how that was her friend's actual realm.

"Where have you been all this time Reef?" asked Sammy moving around the kitchen continuously.

"I've been nomadic for various forests, nothing too different from what I used to do." Replied the blond-haired girl.

"Very much like you. How is your mother? Still the usual grumpy one?"

"Grumpy of course. She's fine though." Although this she didn't say it with much conviction.

The oven timer caught Sammy's attention, "It's the backup cake!" She announced. She removed the burned cake from the table and threw it into the sink, checking the one in the oven.

Darius leaned over the table smiling, "What cake is it?"

Ben glowered at him, causing Reef to stifle a giggle. The boy straightened up assuming a serious expression, "Right, we don't have time."

"It's not ready yet." Said Sammy with disappointment.

"So while we wait we have to tell you that-" but the boy was interrupted by Sammy.

"Have you seen my pitchfork?"

"Sammy-" Reef called her, but the girl seemed not to stop for a moment and that worried her.

Sammy only did that when something was wrong.

"Do you remember Bessy? She had a baby calf!" said Sammy on a high. "I love those little moos! I should go get her some hay, but you know what, it can wait."

Sammy handed them the glasses and Darius noticed the same thing Reef had noticed.

"Is everything all right Sammy? You seem distracted." The boy watched her as she opened the doors.

"I'm keeping myself busy." She simply replied, then added. "I'm left alone here since Yaz is up north finishing school and my parents..."

"Your parents-what?" pressed Darius.

"They and I don't talk much anymore, but it's okay! I always keep myself busy. Did I tell you I'm into capoeira?" Sammy made a few moves and Reef exchanged a look with his friends. "You know what they say? If life gives you lemons make lemonade." She said, pouring the drink inside the glasses.

Treeko didn't hesitate, grabbing his glass to drink.

Reef looked at her confused, not understanding the strange motto, while Ben almost seemed to lose patience.

"Sammy we need to talk to you." Said Ben imperatively.

"What a fool! Obviously you two are very anxious to see her!" Sammy grabbed Ben by the hand and led him out of the house, using the door there in the kitchen.

Reef and Darius exchanged a look and downed their lemonade before following their friends with Treeko.

The more the child got to know his sister's famous friends, the more he understood why they were friends: they were as crazy as she was.

Sammy and Ben ran outside, and although the boy tried to convince the girl to stop there was nothing they could do, she just didn't seem to listen to them.

When Reef and Darius caught up with them, with the child on his sister's shoulders, Ben incited them to follow him by going after Sammy, who was running toward the broken fence.

"Your friend is crazy." Said Treeko.

"It's just Sammy." Giggled Reef running after Ben followed by Darius, who was amazed how the girl could run so fast with the additional weight on her shoulders.

"Why are we running!" asked Darius. "Running like this doesn't evoke good memories for me!"

Darius almost tripped over the broken fence and caught up with his friends. He and Reef were surprised at the sight of Bumpy, who was running through the meadow chasing birds.

Reef set his little brother down, who looked at the dinosaur with curiosity.

"Bumpy!" Ben ran to her, with tears in his eyes.

Bumpy as soon as she noticed him did likewise, happy to see him again.

"I didn't know Bumpy was here." Said Darius, flanking Sammy.

"We smuggled her to us before Mantah Corp started their investigation on the island. It's normal to be uninformed when you go to take refuge in a cottage where the phone never picks up." Sammy explained with a chuckle.

"What about the other dinosaurs?" asked Reef, watching Ben and Bumpy play.

Sammy shook her head, "I don't know unfortunately, it was a miracle we were able to get her away."

Reef took a deep breath, nodding and could only hope that they were okay, wherever they were.

"I still can't believe you're here, it's so good to have you back." She smiled at the girl.

"You too Sammy." Reef smiled in turn.

The sound of an engine snapped Reef and Treeko's heads, pointing their eyes in the direction from which it came.

"Someone is coming." Said the child.

Sammy's eyes widened and she ran toward Bumpy and Ben.

"It's good to catch up with friends, but now we have to get out of here." She said, creating confusion in the group.

The headlights of a car were pointed at them.

"Who's that?" asked Ben.

"A problem." Sammy's tone was serious.

The car took off, speeding toward them, and it was only Bumpy's intervention that stopped it, who moved in front of the group and struck the car violently, causing it to drive away.

Reef looked at her friends as a middle-aged man got out of the car and fell dramatically to the ground. Bumpy approached him menacingly, and Reef immediately understood the dinosaur's intentions. The man had threatened them, and she wanted to make sure he was no longer a threat.

Sammy intervened before anything irreparable could happen, sending the dinosaur puffing back toward them, rubbing her snout against Reef, who stroked her head giggling.

"I'm happy to see you again, too, big girl." She said softly.

Bumpy turned his attention to Treeko, who had approached to try to pet her and was greeted with joy by the animal, recognizing Reef's scent on him.

"Did you see what he did?" blurted the man at Sammy, then looked at the small group. "He tried to kill me!"

This drew the attention of Reef, Ben, and Darius. Treeko was apparently distracted by cuddling with Bumpy.

"To be fair, you're the one who tried to run her over with your pickup." Said Sammy, trying to calm him down.

"She's not even listening to you," he said, pointing his finger at Bumpy. "That devastating carnivore should have been put down months ago."

"She's a herbivore." Puffed Ben. "She doesn't even know what she's talking about.”

Reef looked seriously at the man, not liking where the talk was going and not liking the attitude he had.

"Look what he did! He destroyed my property, he almost devoured me! And he also destroyed my pickup!" the man put his hands on his head before looking at Sammy again, with a strange light in his eyes. "That's it, I can't wait to call the DPW and see that creature dragged out of here!"

"Calm down Carl." Sammy frowned at him.

"You know what? You really can't say anything to defend that monster this time. Count yourself lucky that that thing isn't already ready to be hung above my fireplace."

"She's certainly not the monster here!" said Ben angrily, advancing toward the man.

Reef looked at Darius and then at Treeko, who had raised his head, whispering to Bumpy not to listen to the man's nastiness.

Ben found himself face to face with the man and the two of them glared at each other.

"A defender of monsters." Hissed Carl cruelly.

Dinosaurs were not monsters, man was. Reef had witnessed this, more than once. Dinosaurs just wanted to live their lives peacefully. How could that man be so despicable?

Carl spat at Ben's feet and Reef growled, stepping forward before Darius could stop her. The man laughed, watching the small blond-haired girl step forward, but what he didn't expect was the violence with which she grabbed his shirt, lowering him to his height.

The girl's green eyes weren't human; her pupils were thin, narrowed like those of a reptile.

Carl felt genuine fear in the face of that girl.

"Bumpy is not a monster. You who say such things are. The last time I met people like you I had the pleasure of seeing them die, eaten alive by what you think are monsters." Snarled Reef.

The girl's teeth were more serrated than normal, Carl shivered.

"Reef." Sammy called to her.

The girl growled animalishly and released her grip on the man, pushing him back so violently that she knocked him to the ground.

"Monster..." he said, looking at Reef. "You monster!”

The girl didn't react to this, but the comment hit her hard.

Carl got up, stepping forward again to approach her but Ben stepped in the way, parrying the girl.

"Call her that again and I'll make you pay for it." Ben was on the verge of raising his hands to him.

Sammy stepped between the two, looking at them seriously.

"Now let's all try to calm down and try to not make this situation worse as we already have." Said Sammy, but the two continued to glare at each other. "I can tell from your looks that you're listening to me...here's what we're going to do: I'm going to take Bumpy off your property and fix the fence very carefully, I mean it.”

But neither of them gave any signs of wanting to cease the gaze challenge.

"Go home Carl, I'll bring you one of my famous pies later, how does that sound?"

Sammy was trying to not let the situation escalate, but Reef didn't understand why she had to be nice to him to the point of offering food. Why?

The man growled, staring evilly at Ben and Reef.

"Carl, go home." Sammy's tone admitted no reply.

The man looked at her before looking at the two again, growling, before walking away. He climbed into his pickup and sped away.

Reef growled in turn and turned around, catching up with Bumpy and his little brother, who hugged her.

"You're not a monster Reef, don't listen to that evil being." Said Treeko.

Reef let out a sigh and took the child in her arms, hugging him to calm her frayed nerves.

"Treeko is right, don't listen to such comments." Darius squeezed her lightly.

Ben and Sammy joined them and Bumpy raised her head, snorting in agreement with what they had told them.

"Thank you." Reef sighed, stroking the dinosaur's snout with one hand. "And you too, don't listen to such comments either."

"The man's words don't touch me."

Reef smiled at the dinosaur. Bumpy looked at the child, "Do you want to take a ride?"

Treeko's green eyes shone nodding immediately and Reef laughed, putting her little brother on Bumpy's back. The child burst out laughing happily and began to wag his tail in delight.

Sammy was surprised by this as she looked at her friends, who all gave her a short and simple answer. Unlike Ben and Darius, she took it somewhat philosophically, following Bumpy who had started running toward Sammy's house with the child. Ben ran after them, laughing in turn.

Reef smiled at this, following them as they walked.

"I can't help but envy the fact that you can talk to dinosaurs." Chuckled Darius. "I wonder how many things they have to say."

"Far too many, trust me." Admitted Reef. "But you're not doing too bad yourself, you know how to get them."

"I learned from the best."

Reef smiled, shaking her head, and the two caught up with the group. Treeko had climbed down from Bumpy's back with Ben's help, clapping his hands happily.

Sammy put the dinosaur back in the barn before running into the house, remembering the cake.

Reef watched as her friends ran after Sammy, begging her to listen to them.

The girl followed them, albeit at a slower pace and holding hands with her brother, who was pleased with the ride on Bumpy.

Reef entered the kitchen, where Darius and Ben were bent over from the ride. She remembered them being more athletic than that.

Sammy was giving attention to the oven instead of them, and this made Ben lose his temper, "No! No more distractions! Darius, Reef, and I need to talk to you."

This finally seemed to shake the girl, who looked at him with confusion.

"There's someone who is hunting us." Ben continued. "I don't know who they are, but they may be the same ones who caused Brooklynn's death! And now they are after us. That means we have to warn Yaz and Kenji. If these guys or even the Velociraptors find one of us, then ... it won't end well."

Sammy looked at those present with wide eyes, shifting her gaze from Ben to Darius and then to Reef, who was caressing her little brother's head.

"That means we have to find the others before they do." Ben looked at her seriously, but with clear concern.

"Darius...?" Sammy looked at her friend.

"I'm not so sure, but it's best to not take that risk."

The girl also looked at Reef, who nodded her head.

Sammy frowned and dropped the cake on the table, taking off her mittens, "That's enough for me, we have to warn them."

The girl didn't give time to say anything else and walked out of the kitchen, leaving everyone puzzled. Ben followed her and so did the others.

"Where are you going now?" asked Ben.

"I certainly can't leave like this." Sammy looked vaguely annoyed, not that the boy was any less. "I have to get some things for the trip first."

The girl opened the door in front of her, but froze.

Reef frowned, and when Darius called her friend she left, going to another room.

"Kenji is on his way to Yaz, he changed his number and I don't have it, but we'll call Yaz while we're on the road.”

The three looked out to see what had upset her so much, and they certainly didn't expect to see the iconic sweatshirt Brooklynn had worn at Camp Cretaceous again.

A weight rested on Reef's stomach, realizing only then that she hadn't even had time to realize her friend's death. She hadn't been there in her final moments, and she wondered if anything would have changed if she had called Ben first.

She took a deep breath, chasing back tears. Treeko squeezed her hand tightly, feeling her anguish.

"If I'm not mistaken, there should be a map here somewhere." Sammy lifted a large box full of items, heading toward them. "The reception is bad from here to Wyoming."

The girl handed the box to Ben, which turned out to be heavier than expected, causing him to lurch forward.

Reef immediately helped him hold it, stabilizing him. He watched Sammy walk away and frowned.

"Sammy stop!" implored Darius to her. "Please, you have to stop."

Sammy had her back to them, clenching her fists.

"And why Darius?" She turned to them, her eyes shining. "Do I stop to think about Brooklynn's death? Or about my family who's not talking to me anymore? Or about Yaz wanting to leave me!"

Sammy ran a hand over her face, "Knowing that Reef is alive and well has brought me a relief I haven't felt in a long time, but I can't stop. I can't."

Reef looked at her, lowering her gaze slightly, feeling guilty.

"Sammy, I..." began Darius but the light suddenly went out.

They looked at each other puzzled and Treeko clutched his sister, looking around tensely.

Reef herself watched carefully around her, complicit in the strange feeling she was having. She sensed danger somehow, but was that really the case? It could have been that she had been influenced by her fear of the dark.

"I had the electrical panel repaired last week." Sammy was confused, looking up before hissing out the name of the man they had bumped into earlier.

Ben put down the box and pulled out three flashlights, handing one to Reef and the other to Darius.

"If he tries to touch Bumpy he'll get more than a mud pie! I will punch him!"

Darius and Reef exchanged a look as they lit their flashlights.

"Never seen Ben so angry." He said.

"You have a short memory then." Reef teased him.

Darius smiled, and followed Ben outside while Reef and Treeko remained in the house with Sammy.

The child waved his tail nervously, fidgeting.

Reef caught her brother's agitation, wondering what was going on as her friend headed for the electrical panel.

"There's something strange, Reef," said Treeko. "There's a strange smell in the air."

The girl's expression grew wrinkled: "It will be all right, don't worry."

But reassurances could do little. The child sometimes seemed more sensitive than her to certain events happening around them.

Reef squeezed his hand, caressing his knuckles to reassure him and to reassure herself as well.

They reached Sammy, busy looking at the electrical panel in puzzlement, not really understanding what was going on.

A hissing sound reached the ears of the two brothers, and their blood froze. Reef immediately turned off the flashlight.

"This doesn't make any sense..."

Sammy looked at Reef, but the girl looked at her with wide-open eyes, approached her holding her little brother in her arms, motioning her to be quiet. Sammy looked at her in puzzlement before freezing in turn when she heard a snort and then a growl outside the door, watching a Raptor pass right in front of it.

Sammy looked with terror-filled eyes at her friend, who took her by the hand and went down the hallway, being as quiet as possible.

"The van." Reef whispered.

Sammy nodded and looked toward the exit before she heard an eerie hissing sound. Reef pulled her into the room they had seen earlier and Sammy ajar the door.

Treeko shivered, clutching his sister tightly, hiding his face in the crook of her neck.

Normally he would have been braver, but in that situation even Reef was afraid. They were hunting them, it was clear by now and there was no denying it.

The Atrociraptor walked past the door and almost held its breath. The animal seemed not to have noticed them, probably Sammy's lingering scent throughout the house was confusing his senses, not letting them detect it.

"What is this?"

Sammy's whisper turned Reef's head. The girl held a map in one hand and Brooklynn's jacket with the other.

Sammy put the map in her pocket and placed the jacket on the chair, approaching the door with a plush step.

"It's in the kitchen." Whispered Reef, hearing from beyond the door.

Sammy nodded and carefully opened the door, silently exiting the room with her friend in tow.

Reef held her little brother tightly, looking back to check that the animal wasn't coming out of the kitchen. A sudden noise of something falling and a roar made the two girls jump. Sammy moved blindly, dropping her pitchfork, which had remained in the hallway since they had arrived.

The Atrociraptor rushed out of the kitchen.

"Run Sammy!"

Reef opened the door and ran out with her friend, who closed it with her pitchfork when the dinosaur tried to open the door.

"Sammy! Reef!" Darius called out to her.

The Atrociraptor burst through the door and out of fright Sammy fell to the ground. Reef who was already halfway down stopped to go back to her friend and pull her up with her free hand.

"Let's go!" she said, watching Ben back up to join them.

Darius opened the van door, ready for them to get in.

The dinosaur ran after them and jumped, but was hit hard by Bumpy.

Reef and Sammy threw themselves into the van, with Darius catching the latter from a ruinous fall.

Treeko gasped, watching Bumpy confront the dinosaur with terror-filled eyes.

"Ben, go!" shouted Darius, closing the hatch.

"But Bumpy-" tried to say the child in a trembling voice.

"She'll be fine, she's tough." Reef cradled him in her arms, getting up only once Ben took off at full speed.

The girl went to the front, still with the baby in her arms, and got into the passenger seat, watching from the mirror as Bumpy ran through the vegetation.

"Take care, baby." Whispered Ben looking one last time at Bumpy.

Darius and Sammy joined them, as shaken as they were.

Reef stared fixedly at the road, a thousand thoughts wandering through her mind.

Someone had trained dinosaurs to kill them, that much was certain. Too precise, too cruel. A dinosaur was not cruel by nature, it was circumstances that made it so if at all.

After several minutes of silence Sammy broke it.

"So ... it's really happening."

"Yes ... it's happening." Darius's voice was rehearsed.

Reef looked at them and then at Ben, who did likewise.

"We have to go to Yaz and Kenji." Sammy pulled out the map they had found earlier. "This fell out of Brooklynn's jacket while we were hiding from that Velociraptor."

She opened the map, showing its contents to Darius.

"It marked all our addresses." He observed. He frowned, pointing to a spot circled with a purple highlighter. "Look here. This address in Colorado, whose address could it be?"

"That's Kenji's address, but the one nearby...I don't know."

"The date and time she jotted down is just before her death." Darius looked at Sammy shaken.

"If she wasn't supposed to go to Kenji's, where was she going?" asked Ben looking at Reef and then at the two boys from the mirror.

Sammy handed the map to Reef as Treeko settled in her arms, looking back at her.

The girl frowned, drawn to a post-it note that read "Call Dino-Nerd." Underneath, however, there seemed to be another post-it note. She lifted it up, looking at what was written.

"Finding... Madison Lockwood." Read aloud Treeko, drawing attention to himself.

"What do you mean?" asked Darius immediately.

"Here, it's written on the post-it." Said the child, showing it, and only later did he notice his sister's expression.

"Who is Madison Lockwood?" asked Sammy.

Reef handed the map back to her friend, silent.

"From what I know, she was the first granddaughter of Benjamin Lockwood, who died in infancy." Darius replied. "That doesn't make much sense."

Still, it did for Reef, and she had one certainty: Brooklynn knew that she was alive and that she was Lockwood's granddaughter, and that this discovery could be one of the reasons for her death.