-CC Day Two-

A loud metallic clatter ripped Ben abruptly from a dreamless sleep. Severed from the void, heart racing, he gripped the sheets tight as he turned in alarm to see what was causing such a din. Standing in the hallway between the two rooms Dave grinned maniacally, a large stock pot under one arm, as with a wooden spoon he banged noisily against the sides of the now battered cooking utensil. "Everybody up!" he called over ruckus he was making. "I mean it wakey wakey eggs and bakey! ...Seriously, wake up I made breakfast."

Ben groaned looking around with a bedraggled disorientation and uncertainty at the unfamiliar surroundings. Right, he thought miserably, how could he have forgotten? Listening to the sounds of the other campers as they just as unhappily began moving around to start the day he covered his head with a pillow. He didn't want to be here, and that was not the wakeup call he would have requested he thought, bitterly cursing the man in his head, hand pressed against the allegrissimo tempo in his chest. Taking a deep breath he tried to calm it, wearily unable resist the urge of catching just a few more minutes. Camp was going to suck.

"Come on Ben, get up." Darius yawned from somewhere near the end of the bed. Ben didn't reply, lying still, pretending to be asleep, hoping they would all just go away and leave him alone.

"You heard Dave, let's go!" Kenji shouted, before the world tilted without warning. Scrambling with a panicked look on his face Ben emerged from beneath the pillow to see the older boy laughing as he held onto the top bunk rocking the conjoined beds back and forth using all his might. "Let's go!"

"If you need to go so bad, then go already! Just please remember to do it outside this time, I'm sure Dave and Roxie are tired of cleaning up your messes." Ben said with a glare, trying, and in his opinion failing, to wring some wit out of his slumber hazed mind.

Darius laughed, eager to get in on the joke, "Yeah last night really was a shitty situation."

"Funny you should say that." Dave smirked sticking his head through the doorway. "Also no swearing." he added as an afterthought.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kenji asked still clinging to the railing.

"You'll see." the man grinned. "Now get to the kitchen foods getting cold."

Sitting cross-legged still half covered by blankets Ben reluctantly rubbed the sleep from his eyes before getting up and walking to the small dresser that had been provided to him. He had taken the time to fold and organize his clothes, books, sanitizer, and emergency food stuffs before bed, and, he thought critically, he appeared to have been the only one to do so by the way his bunkmates were rifling through their bags. Folding his outfit over an arm, travel toothbrush in hand Ben turned only to find the other two standing near their respective beds undressing. Eyes hurriedly averted the boy shifted uncomfortably for a moment before squeezing sanitizer into his palm and slinking out the door.

He was heading for the bathrooms when the teen rounded the circular bend in the hall only stop suddenly, nearly walking into Sammy who had her own bundle of clothes and a groggy look in her eye. "Oh, sorry Ben," she smiled broadly. "It is Ben right? I wasn't really looking where I was going. That was some wake up, huh? Anyway, I thought there were some full sized bathrooms down this way, ones with showers."

"There are, to the left." he confirmed, pointing over the girl's shoulder.

"Thanks, I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached." she responded with a kind of cheer he now felt should be expected of her. Ben smiled in a friendly manner and continued walking. Only, to find to his dismay that the girl fell into pace beside him. "So what was all that last night?"

"I don't really know." he shrugged.

"Brooklynn didn't say much, but she seemed all kinds of shook up." Sammy chatted, shifting her clothes from one hand to the other as she spoke. "Like something really bad happened. Did Kenji and Darius say anything?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "They kept whispering about it. From what I can tell it sounds like they snuck into a velociraptor cage." he shuddered at the the very thought.

"OMG, no way!" she gasped grabbing Ben by the shoulder and turning him towards her as she stared with wide eyed disbelief. He couldn't tell if she was surprised or impressed, either way he felt that it was the wrong response to hearing such horrific, bone chilling news.

"Um, yeah." the boy half smiled. "Crazy huh?"

"Super crazy! I wonder if Brooklynn caught any of it on camera! Oh her fans are going to go insane!" she went on in a starstruck manner. "I wonder if she'll let me see the vid before posting! Wouldn't that just be the bee's knees?"

"Totally." he agreed, before awkwardly gesturing to one of the doors they had come to. "So I'm going to..."

"Oh, right, duh Sammy!" the girl playfully smacked herself on the forehead. "See you at breakfast!"

That was... interesting, the boy thought giving his head a shake as he closed the door behind him, that girl certainly did have a strong personality.

Setting his clothes aside Ben couldn't avoid looking at himself in the mirror, and what he saw twisted his insides. Weak, and dirty, he thought with a grimace. Giving his hands a thorough scrub in the sink, he soaped all the way to the elbow paying careful attention to the area around his nails. He repeated the action a few more times, eyes closed, breath taken in deep steadying swells before he could get undressed. Changing quickly the boy folded his dirty pajamas giving a brief thought to how often they would wash laundry and brushed his teeth.

Making his way back to the saurolophus room Ben knocked on the door which had been left slightly ajar. Receiving no answer he hurried inside, stashing his dirty clothes in a hamper before digging to through his top drawer. There folded discreetly into a pair of socks he produced one prescription bottle, before revealing it's two companions similarly housed nearby. Palming his morning dosages the teen hid them away again with care. I'm not crazy, he thought looking down at the pills, but he wasn't so sure the others would understand. Then, with no other recourse he swallowed them dry, gagging on the momentary sensation that one was stuck.

By the time he had made it to the dinning room most of his fellow campers were already seated around the table. Brooklynn, still in her pajamas was leaning onto it, a steaming mug cradled in one hand. Darius and Kenji were busily emptying a communal plate of bacon, vying for the best pieces, while Sammy who looked more awake after a shower was salting her eggs, enjoying the spectacle. "Reminds me of breakfast back home!" she observed with a laugh.

"Morning Benny boy!" Dave said in a friendly tone from where he stood frying up some more slices of cured pig stomach, earning a frown from the teen. "I was thinking to myself I have no idea what to make this kid, and then I thought duh cereal!" the man gestured to the end of the table where several brightly colored boxes were lined up like soldiers.

Sinking into the chair behind them Ben inspected each container of the sugary coated corn with distaste. "Is there any granola, or bran?" he asked.

"You are one weird kid." Dave commented as he flipped the meat with a nauseating sizzle.

"Is that a no?"

"That would be a no, sorry." the man confirmed ducking into the fridge to produce a gallon of milk.

"I don't drink milk." Ben muttered reading the ingredients on the back of each box, all of this stuff was so bad for you.

"No, doesn't being vegan mean that you just don't y'know eat dead animals?" Dave thought out loud as he plated up the next round.

"I wouldn't eat live ones either, but that might just be me." Ben replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Besides I'm pretty sure I'd be the authority on what I do and do not eat."

Dave raised his eyebrows, head nodding to the side as he conceded before sudden movement caught his eye. "Ah-ah where do you think you're going?" he asked making everyone else turn to see Yasmina in her running gear jogging in place.

Rolling her eyes the girl took an earbud out and looked at the man irritably. "What?"

"Where, are, you, going?" he asked spelling things out slowly.

"For a run, it's summer. I've got to train." she responded matter of factly.

"Yeah, no, not today, not after what happened last night," the counselor shook his head, pointing to an empty chair. "Pull up a seat."

"Are you kidding me?" she scoffed throwing her arms out.

Ben, not wanting to get involved turned his attention back to the ingredients list, trying to weed out the lesser of five evils.

"Good morning!" Roxie said in a chipper way, catching everyone off guard when she walked into the dining area a little while later.

"Wow, you are scarily happy for someone who didn't sleep last night." Dave observed, and Ben looking between them agreed.

"That's because the boys' present is here!" she beamed passing Ben by to put a hand on either of his roommates shoulders. "Walk with me will you?" she asked in a way that indicated it wasn't a request.

Everyone bursting with curiosity followed behind them to the balcony. There they looked down and saw a group of men in red jumpsuits unloading large blue metal drums and arranging them in a row. "I don't get it." Darius said turning to look at the woman.

"Oh, you will." she smirked, and then on cue a dumptruck backed in and emptied it's bed onto the ground.

"Is that?" Kenji started, brow furrowed with concern.

"Yep!" Roxie beamed. "Dinosaur droppings. I want everyone to take a good long look, because while we're having our trip to the remote genetics lab, Kenji and Darius are going to be cleaning up that little mess outside." the two began complaining loudly, but to Ben's imagination the more upset they got, the more the woman seemed to be enjoying herself. "And don't worry," she added. "We didn't forget about you Brooklynn. Your contract states that you will document your behind the scenes look at Camp Cretaceous, but there will be nothing to film on our scheduled arts and crafts days, and that my dear is when you will get yours."

"What?" the pink haired girl gasped turning around in horror.

Making a mental note never to get on the camp counselors' bad sides Ben headed back to the kitchen to finish his disastrous breakfast while the woman explained that they had even "borrowed" their own intern from the main park to supervise. After everything was settled Ben and the non-probationary campers buckled up into the back of the Jeep heading out on their adventure, but the prospect of so many unknowns turned the boy's stomach with more unease than the line if dense green trees that zipping by did.

The lab itself appeared relatively small from the road, until the kids got closer, and then Ben could see that much of it was hidden beneath thick, overgrown foliage. Large palms and creeping vines shrouding most of the exterior with a foreboding sense of mystery. Apprehensively following the others Ben watched Dave chase down a man named Dr. Wu in a way that made him think they were friends, or at least had been at some point. The scientist appeared to be both too busy and too annoyed to deal with the tour, waving them off and issuing orders for someone else to handle the inconvenience.

There was a terse discussion between Wu and another scientist before she came over and in a bright smile said, "Welcome! I'm sorry, but I believe we were all under the impression that you were coming tomorrow so we didn't have time to prepare." she started ignoring an angry snort from the head camp counselor. "No matter, how about we begin over here." Directing the group to a large wall that was sectioned off into tiny shelves, each one housing a polished piece of amber, the woman seemed to be well in her element.

"Here at Jurassic World we're known for having created the first living, breathing de-extinct dinosaurs on the planet! Wow, right? Now, there is a common misconception floating around that we created these animals all willy-nilly out of a hodgepodge of various animals that are alive today, but the truth is actually much more fascinating!" she said with energy.

"In reality we harvest the DNA of actual dinosaurs that once walked the earth millions of years ago! There are two ways that we accomplish this. The first and more time consuming method is by collecting and grinding up large quantities of fossilized bone and extracting the mitochondrial or 'powerhouse' cell DNA, which is passed through mother to offspring and can give us a fairly good idea of the makeup of the animal themselves. The second way is through extracting preserved blood from hematophage, or blood drinking insects, like those seen here." she went on, waving her hand in a way that gave Ben the impression of a car show model. "Giving us nuclear DNA, or the 'molecule of life's as we like to call it which is a much clearer picture of what we're dealing with."

Ben, who was only half listening looked around at the vast, white room in which he found himself. All about him people in labcoats were hunched over computer screens analyzing data, or tapping out notes onto tablets, periodically conferring with one another as they did. In spite of the chemical smell in the air, and the general antiseptic feel of the atmosphere the teen felt uneasy, glancing about with paranoia at the various tools and implements, and the strangers who wielded them.

"I don't like this place, it feels like a hospital." Yasmina said under her breath to the group. Nodding Ben timidly agreed.

As the tour moved on the teenager's found themselves passing a large glass window, on the other side of which people were working with an array of instruments and testing various sequences of genes, tubes filled with unknown liquids held to the light for inspection. Cringing away from the window with revulsion Ben who couldn't keep his mind from wondering what the beakers and vials contained and was struck with an intense bout of squeamishness.

"Benny Ill, what's a matter? You look like you're going to barf all over again!" Dave observed as the two trailed behind the group. Gripping the boy by both shoulders, he gave them a gentle squeeze, steering him forward like a shopping cart as they walked. "You didn't catch the flu or something before coming to camp did you? I assumed it was the boat but if you're sick you gotta tell one of us, it's not a big deal." the man was saying, but Ben couldn't hear him.

Hands drawn in close the boy was electrified with fear, breath taken in shallow respirations, head light, dizzy with aversion. Don't, he thought tearily, please don't. Unable to bring himself to say anything, and too afraid to pull away Ben who started to retreat within felt as though he were falling. Falling right through his body, and then the floor, and the ground, falling, falling, falling. Scarcely aware of his surroundings now, body moving on its own accord, he was a marionette on unseen strings as they walked past row after row of incubating eggs. Distant and removed from himself he didn't even hear the woman's words as she explained the fertilization process.

They stopped when Dave noticed a tremble in one of the eggs, calling eagerly for everyone's attention, before stepping aside to allow the kids a better view. The egg in question rocked gently before a crack appeared, followed not long after by a little club tail. Witnessing something splatter on him from his far away place Ben recoiled. Then, the little animal tumbled and fell. The teen caught it in a quick automated response.

Fingers slick with albumen they slid sickeningly over the pebbled surface of the creature's back. He was turning to hand the animal off to someone else when he became acutely aware of the little heartbeat that fluttered lightly against his palm. Hesitating, Ben lifted the lingering piece of shell off the dinosaur's head. It blinked looking at him with large bright eyes, the light they held catching onto him, drawing him in, and holding onto him like a lightning rod. The ankylosaurus gave a squeak. Warmth rushing throughout his body the boy smiled. She wasn't disgusting, he thought coming back to himself, she was just a baby, a tiny, fragile little life at it's very beginning, and he had been a part of it.

"Shh, shh, shh," he whispered softly to the petite animal. "She's so tiny." he observed, fingers gently cupping the little the ankylosaurus as though she were the most valuable treasure on earth. "Look." he muttered to no one in particular, running his thumb over her uneven horns with affection.

"Sweet! One of its head bumps is bigger than the other!" Brooklynn called loudly, her phone pressed invasively into the newborn's face.

"Asymmetry," Dr. Wu called with upset from where he had been working. "In my lab?" The man walked over and peered over Ben's shoulder with shrewd appraisal at the baby.

"Let me hold her." Yasmina said reaching for her at the same time.

"When was the last time you washed your hands?" Ben asked, moving the little one he had decided to call Bumpy out of her reach. "She is a newborn and it sounds like she's also premature on top of it. I don't want you exposing her to any contagions her little immune system isn't ready for yet."

"It was just a lucky catch," the girl snapped. "It's not like you own the thing!"

"She's not a thing!" Ben retorted angrily.

Gazing down at Bumpy for a long moment Ben felt strangely whole, as this time the world fell away leaving just the two of them. A sense that for the first time, in a long time everything was going to be alright settling comfortably over the boy like a warm blanket.

Putting Bumpy down among her unhatched siblings he watched as she tested out her legs with shaky scoots that soon turned into tumbling rolls across the black foam of the nest, Ben lovingly kept vigil as she returned to him after each fumbling circuit. The entire group was enamored with the ankylosaurus and found themselves amused with her antics for several minutes, until Ben couldn't resist picking her up again and giving her a kiss.

It was then that Dr. Wu who had gone to his private office reappeared, a disgruntled Brooklynn in tow. "Time for you all to leave," the man announced. "Clearly this group has no respect for my lab."

"But what about Bumpy?" Ben asked in concern, ignoring Dave who gushed behind him.

"The asset," Dr. Wu said, ripping her away from Ben. "Will soon be released into a herd of ankylosaurs where she will be their problem, just as you will cease to be my problem when you leave."

Ben reached to take her back, made anxious by the frightened sounds coming from Bumpy as the scientist held her carelessly aloft, her teeny feet circling in the air. He was prepared to argue when Dave and Roxie quickly began ushering the group towards the door, giving the boy the impression that they were trying to keeps the situation from getting any worse than it already was. Looking back at her Ben felt a sharp pain in his chest as she called for him where she had been deposited, scientists approaching her from every side.

"She's not a problem." he said as Roxie coasted him out of the room. "She's just a baby."

"Oh dear, do you hear the way she's calling Ben? I'm afraid she may have imprinted on you." the woman explained in a kindly nature. "I used to work at a zoo, did you know? The same thing happened to me with one of our endangered Japanese Cranes, poor thing. But don't you worry I'm sure everything will be fine."

But climbing into the back of the truck all Ben could do was worry.

Dr. Wu had been so angry, and disgusted over Bumpy's imperfect horns, the way he spoke about her, calling her an "asset," holding her like she wasn't a living being with feelings. The other scientists that were encircling her when they left were upset too, murmuring to one another judgmentally as they took notes on her "flaws." The sound of the baby ankylosaurus' small rasping voice still ringing in his ears the boy's heart sank, a terrible thought coming to mind. What if they planned to euthenize her for being imperfect?

His breath caught. He shouldn't have mentioned her head bumps to anyone he thought beginning to sway in his seat. Everyone was so angry with Bumpy for not living up to expectations, for hatching early, for her less than ideal physical appearance. She was so tiny, so vulnerable, and so alone. Defenseless and surrounded by people who didn't care about her he dreaded what the judicious adults would do to their deficient "asset."

They were going to kill her, he thought quickly becoming overwhelmed by tears, she was just a baby and she was going to die. They were going to kill her. They were going to kill her. They were going to kill her. He spiraled.

"Ben, what's happening?" he heard Yasmina ask, but he was sobbing now and couldn't respond. "Guys, Ben's crying."

"Aw Ben it's alright I'm sure you'll see Bumpy again later!" Sammy tried to assure him.

"Yeah!" Brooklynn chimmed in. "And I have the video of her hatching whenever you want to see it!"

The saline taste of mucus and tears in his mouth Ben couldn't stop himself from crying, now matter how embarrassed he was knowing the others were staring at him, as he anxiously tried to wash the guilt away with hand cleaner. After a while the girls began to bang on the rear window glass in concern.

"What's the matter is everyone alright?" Roxie asked out of the driver's side as she pulled the Jeep off to the side of the road.

"Whoa Been-jammin' what's up?" Dave asked walking to the tailgate.

"It's just Ben!" the boy sobbed.

"Ok, I'm sorry. What's wrong Ben, don't feel well? Whatever it is you can tell us."

"Come on ladies, hop out, let's give him some air." Roxie instructed after parking and walking to the back. Ben cried for what felt like hours until he was finally able to articulate what terrible thoughts had been plaguing him. "Oh Ben," the woman said with empathy climbing up beside him, gently she took his hand in her own. "They wouldn't just put an animal down because of a little cosmetic anomaly." she said trying to comfort him. "Would giving the lab a call make you feel better?"

"I don't know." Ben confessed, afraid of what the scientists would have to say.

Pulling out her cell Roxie called to confirm her suspicions. Her voice was bright and cheery until they were put on hold, elevator music blasting throughout the jungle, the phone's speaker on. By the time Dr. Wu finally accepted the call the woman was clear, precise and to the point in her aggravation. "What do you plan to do with the ankylosaurus that hatched today during our tour?"

"As I said previously she will be released into a herd of her species where she will-"

"What about her imperfections?" Roxie asked cutting the man off. "Do you plan to euthenize her over them?"

"No, the deformity is minor and it would not be worth the cost, time, and resources put into developing the asset to simply destroy it, in spite of the disappoint." the man said, Roxie smiled down at Ben who tentatively returned the expression.

"If the asymmetry is a sign of further, more debilitating defects of which to cost of maintenance would exceed the cost of life then the possibility of-"

"Thank you Dr. Wu, that was very helpful!" Roxie rushed out, mashing the red end call button furiously. "See Ben everything is going to be fine!"

"Only of she's not sick too..." the boy muttered.

"She isn't." the woman said firmly. "I promise, and when we go out for an expedition in a couple weeks I'll get her radio call number and you can go see Pointy happy, and healthy with her herd!"

"It's Bumpy," Ben corrected. "You'd do that?"

"Sure will!" Dave grinned confidently smacking the boy's leg with the back of his hand from where he stood beside the truck bed. Ben was still uneasy but he accepted their offer, wiped his face free of tears.

When they got back Darius, Kenji, and Jayson the intern were all standing near the repugnant heap of animal waste. Filth clinging to the pants of the younger boys who past momentary glares towards their supervisor they were all panting. Kenji held his side, Darius leaned against a shovel in the most casual way someone could lean against a shovel, and Jayson smiled winningly despite the stench.

"Why do you all look so flushed?" Roxie asked sceptically, Jeep rolling to a stop beside them.

"Oh man," Kenji enthused. "You're never going to believe-"

"How hard these two worked!" Jayson cut in, running a hand through his messy blond hair. "I was, uh just lending them a hand, they've been very diligent."

"Yeah!" Darius agreed. "This valuable learning experience has really taught us a lot about ourselves!"

"Alright," Roxie said slowly pulling forward. "You can stop for lunch, and a little break but meant what I said about cleaning it all up, and it looks like you've barely made a dent. You don't want to do this all day tomorrow too do you?"

"No, we'll get it done, promise!" Darius smiled before asking. "How was the lab?"

"Oh you know," Yasmina intoned sarcastically. "Ben fell in love with a dinosaur and had a-" she stopped seeing how the boy ducked his head down in shame and embarrassment. "A hard time leaving afterwards. And Super Star here," she motioned to Brooklynn. "Got us booted from the lab."

After everyone went inside and the counselors began assembling lunch, Ben took the opportunity for a moment alone while the others were in the shower. Sitting on his bunk he couldn't keep from dwelling on his negative thoughts, recalling with some remorse tainted joy the little animal who had looked with him with pure devotion. She was so small and helpless, he thought when there was a knock on the door.

"Hey Ben," Sammy smiled. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." he nodded, quickly making room when the girl walked straight to his bunk, clearly intending to sit down.

Sammy swung her feet over the edge of the bed for a minute before she spoke again. "I couldn't help but notice that your hands are all cracked and dry." she started, making the boy self-conscious, he folded his arms trying to hide his hands. "No, not in like a bad way or anything!" she rushed out an explanation. "My hands can get terrible working on the ranch back home, and then the little dry patches get snagged in a rope, or catch inside my gloves and start bleedin' it's a real mess. So I just wanted to give you this." the girl added holding a pump bottle towards him. "It's sweet pea, lavender scented I hope that's alright, feel free to say no, or that I should mind my own business, but your hands just look really painful... So..." she shrugged.

Ben looked at the lotion for a minute before accepting the gift. "Thanks."

"If you ever-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Ben interrupted, a gut reaction.

"If you ever need a friend," she smiled. "I'm here. Now come on, I heard since we had to cut the tour short we get to watch a movie in the auditorium! If it comes to a vote I don't want to be outnumbered by all the action buffs! You're not an action buff are you?"

"No." Ben laughed.

"Good! I didn't think so, but you never know."

The boy watched Sammy leave with a smile, maybe they weren't all bad, he thought giving the hand cream a sniff before taking a squirt, and working it into his hands that burned and stung with protest. And being here might not be entirely unbearable, he pondered picking up his book, hoping Sammy wouldn't be too disappointed if he read during the movie if he agreed to vote for whatever she wanted. It was kinda nice, having a friend, he mused, he only hoped the little one he had made earlier would be alright too.