𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝘅;
𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗱

The group watched in horror as Sammy's body crumpled to the ground beside Vera, her skin already taking on a sickly pallor. Lightning split the sky overhead, casting harsh shadows across their faces as they scrambled to help their fallen friends. Rain pelted down in sheets, making the jungle floor treacherous beneath their feet.

Ben crashed to his knees beside Vera, mud soaking through his shorts as he grabbed her trembling hand. His voice cracked with desperation as he spoke, "Everything's gonna be okay Vera." The words felt hollow in his throat, more a prayer than a promise.

Brooklynn's sharp gasp cut through the sound of rainfall as she examined the wounds. "Guys! The quills are poisonous. We gotta take them out." Her hands hovered uncertainly over the barbed projectiles embedded in Vera's side, rain washing trails of blood down her shirt.

Ben's fingers tightened around Vera's hand as he leaned close, his whisper barely audible over the storm. "This is gonna hurt. I'm sorry V." With his free hand, he gripped the first quill, his knuckles white with tension. Each extraction drew a weak whimper from Vera, and Ben worked as quickly as he dared, dropping the bloody quills into the mud beside them. His hands moved with practiced efficiency as he wrapped bandages around her torso, but fear clouded his eyes as he watched her struggle to stay conscious.

Vera fought to focus on Ben's face through her increasingly blurred vision, the world tilting and spinning around her. A sharp sting radiated from each wound site, spreading like fire through her veins. The last thing she registered was Ben's panicked voice calling out "Vera stay with me!" before darkness claimed her, her hand going limp in his desperate grip.

The group huddled closer, their faces masks of worry as they stared down at their two friends. Sammy and Vera's skin had taken on a yellow tinge, their breathing shallow and labored. Darius knelt to check their pulses, his expression grim as he announced, "Taking out the quills wasn't enough. The poison's already in their system. They need an antidote!"

Kenji ran a hand through his rain-soaked hair, frustration evident in every movement. "Oh, sure, yeah, an antidote. That'll be easy to find, considering no one even knew this thing existed." His sarcasm barely masked the fear in his voice as he watched Vera's chest rise and fall with increasing difficulty.

Ben hadn't moved from Vera's side, one hand still clasping hers while the other checked her fever-hot forehead. "Maybe the medical supply station has something?" He suggested, watching helplessly as shivers wracked her body despite the warm rain.

"Doubt it." Kenji's words dropped like stones in the tense atmosphere.

Darius shook his head, water flying from his drenched hair. "Kenji's right. The Scorpios rex wasn't supposed to ever get out."

Suddenly, Brooklynn's eyes lit up with recognition. "The video on Wu's old lab!" Her words tumbled out in a rush of hope. "He was attacked by the Scorpios, and they were giving him this shot from a red vial. I think they said antidote, I'm not..."

Yasmina's head snapped up, her whole body tensing like a sprinter before a race. "Where is this lab?"

"Near the raptor paddock." Brooklynn pulled out a map, the paper already growing soggy in the rain as she handed it over.

Yasmina's expression hardened with determination as she looked down at Sammy's unconscious form. "Take care of Sammy until I get back." She turned away, her muscles coiled with purpose.

"Wait, Yaz! The Scorpios went that way!" Darius's warning echoed through the trees.

Yasmina didn't even break stride as she called back over her shoulder, "I don't care what's out there. I'm saving her." She disappeared into the darkness of the jungle, leaving only disturbed foliage in her wake.

"This is nuts! She can't outrun that thing." Kenji paced anxiously, leaving muddy footprints in circles around the group.

Brooklynn wrapped her arms around herself, rain streaming down her face. "We have to figure out a way to help her somehow."

Darius's brow furrowed in concentration, his voice steady despite the chaos around them. "Okay, think. What do we know so far about this dinosaur?"

"It's straight-up terrifying, it climbs, breathes like a pug with a cold, and it moves weird." Kenji's attempt at humor fell flat as he mimicked the creature's labored breathing, earning worried glances from the others.

Recognition dawned on Brooklynn's face as she remembered. "But when the lightning hit that tree..."

"It didn't run from it, it went towards it, almost like it was hypnotized for a sec." Darius's eyes sparked with inspiration. "That's how we'll clear a path for Yaz, only our explosion will be better, bigger, louder, fierier."

Ben finally released Vera's hand, standing with newfound purpose. "I'm in. I know the jungle better than anyone. Plus, bigger, louder, fierier... those are all my favorite words. Try to keep up." He paused, kneeling back down to lock his pinky finger with Vera's limp one in a silent promise. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna save you I promise." Then he was gone, vanishing into the rain-soaked jungle with determined strides.

Kenji watched him go, anxiety evident in every line of his body. "You do realize that this plan of yours is a complete long shot."

"Yeah." Darius met his gaze steadily. "But we gotta try, right?"

"Good luck." Brooklynn's whispered words were nearly lost in the sound of thunder, as the remaining teens huddled closer around their fallen friends, the rain continuing to pour down around them.

The world dissolved into a kaleidoscope of memories, the pain from the Scorpius rex's attack fading into a familiar warmth. Through the hazy veil between consciousness and dreams, a figure emerged - tall and broad-shouldered, with warm brown eyes and that familiar crooked smile that had always made her feel safe.

"¿Papá?" Vera's voice caught in her throat, the Spanish falling from her lips as naturally as it had when she was little.

"Mi pequeña guerrera," he smiled, the nickname washing over her like a warm embrace. He looked exactly as she remembered from when she was ten - his dark hair peppered with grey at the temples, laugh lines etched deeply around his eyes, and the ever-present dinosaur pin on his lapel that he'd wear to every gala.

"I miss you so much," she whispered, tears blurring her vision. The space around them shifted, transforming into a mixture of memories - the living room where he'd watch prehistoric documentaries with her, the garden where they'd talk about her mother's latest dinosaur discoveries, the grand ballrooms where they'd make faces at each other during tedious charity events.

"Tell me everything, mi amor," he said, settling beside her. "How's your mamá?"

Vera's shoulders slumped. "She works constantly. The genetic research division at InGen keeps expanding, and she's always in the lab, running some new test, studying some new specimen. The house feels so empty now." She picked at the edge of her shirt - still covered in jungle dirt even in this dreamscape. "Sometimes I think she's trying so hard to keep pushing the boundaries of dinosaur science that she forgets to actually live."

"Your mother was always a fighter," he said softly. "Like someone else I know."

"I don't feel very strong right now," Vera admitted. "Everything's different without you. The galas, the charity balls - they all feel hollow. And Kenji..."

Her father's expression softened. "Ah, el pequeño troublemaker. How is he?"

The space around them rippled, memories floating past like leaves in a stream - Kenji and Vera at age seven, hiding under tables at InGen galas and stealing extra desserts; at nine, racing through the marble halls of the research facility while their parents attended board meetings; at ten, holding hands at her father's funeral, Kenji promising he'd always be her best friend.

"He's different now," Vera said, watching a particular memory materialize - her twelfth birthday, when everything started to change. "His father's influence at InGen grew even bigger, and suddenly we weren't 'the right kind of people' anymore. The other kids - children of board members and chief scientists - they'd whisper about how I was 'unsophisticated.' They'd plan parties right in front of me and pointedly not invite me."

The scene shifted to an elegant InGen charity ball, Vera in a beautiful emerald dress her father had helped her pick out before he died, watching as Kenji laughed with a group of other teens, pretending not to see her standing alone by the refreshment table.

"He stopped coming over for movie marathons," she continued, her voice thick. "Stopped showing up for our Sunday brunches. Stopped defending me when his new friends would make comments about how I was 'sheltered' and 'weird.' It was like... like all those years of friendship meant nothing compared to impressing the right people."

"Mi amor," her father's voice was gentle, "sometimes people lose their way before they find it again."

"But how could he just throw everything away? We grew up together! He was there when..." Her voice cracked. "When we lost you. He held my hand at the funeral. He helped me through the worst year of my life. And then suddenly he's acting like I don't exist?"

The dreamscape swirled with more memories - Kenji and Vera at age six, her father teaching them both about dinosaurs while their parents attended InGen meetings; at eight, falling asleep during movie marathons while her father covered them both with blankets; at ten, Kenji spending every weekend with her for months after her father's death, making sure she wasn't alone.

Suddenly, voices filtered through their ethereal space, distinct yet somehow distant.

"We need to do something," Brooklynn's voice echoed. "Sammy and Vera are both hurt, but Vera took the worst hit. Those quills..."

"Vera's the last person who wants help from me." Kenji's voice was heavy with self-loathing. "And she has every right to hate me."

The dream-space rippled like disturbed water as he continued, "I destroyed everything. All those years of friendship, all those memories - I threw them away because I wanted to be 'somebody.' I was such an idiot."

"What happened?" Brooklynn asked softly.

"My dad's position at InGen got even bigger. Suddenly we were in a different league - private jets, summer homes, front-row seats to every major company event. And instead of staying true to the people who'd always been there for me, I... I let myself get caught up in it all. These kids, children of executives and famous scientists, they started including me in their circle. And I was so desperate to belong that I..." His voice cracked. "I started avoiding Vera. Stopped going to our family dinners. Ignored her texts. Laughed when they'd make jokes about her."

"That doesn't sound like you," Brooklynn said.

"It wasn't me. Not the real me. But I wanted so badly to be accepted that I became someone else. Someone horrible." A pause. "You know what the worst part is? After her dad died - he was like a second father to me- I was there for her every single day. For a whole year, I never left her side. I promised I'd always be there for her. And then two years later, I'm standing with these rich jerks while they mock her for being 'antisocial.' I didn't even defend her. I just... stood there."

Vera felt tears sliding down her cheeks. Her father squeezed her hand.

"The last time I went to their house," Kenji continued, his voice thick with emotion, "was just after I turned thirteen. I was supposed to come over for our usual Sunday brunch - something we'd done since we were kids. Her dad used to make these amazing arepas, taught me how to make them too. But that day, I got a text from some investors' kids about a yacht party. And I... I just didn't show up. Didn't even call. I could see her through the kitchen window as I drove past, setting the table like always. She kept checking her phone..."

"Oh, Kenji," Brooklynn sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Vera," Kenji's voice broke. "I know you probably can't hear me, and maybe that's better because I don't deserve forgiveness. But I miss you. I miss your dad's terrible jokes and watching your mom get excited about new discoveries and our stupid competitions. I miss my best friend. The person who knew me before I became... this."

"¿Ves?" her father said softly. "The truth always finds its way to the surface."

"But how can I trust him again?" Vera whispered, watching more memories float past - her father teaching them both about the different species, Kenji constantly mixing them up; late nights watching the stars while her father brought them snacks; all those days after his death when Kenji made sure she never had to face her grief alone.

"The same way you trust anything worth saving - poco a poco, one step at a time." Her father's image began to blur slightly. "And speaking of time... yours isn't up yet, mi amor."

"No, wait!" Vera reached for him desperately. "Please don't go! I need more time!"

"You are stronger than you know, mi pequeña guerrera," he smiled, though his form was becoming transparent. "And you're not alone - you just need to be brave enough to forgive. Both others and yourself."

"Papá, please-"

"Te amo, mi vida. Now wake up. They need you."

"¡Papá!"

Reality crashed back like a wave, cold raindrops pelting her face as Vera's eyes flew open. She was lying on the muddy ground, the others huddled around her. Through the blur of rain, she could make out their worried faces.

The last echoes of her father's words rang in her mind: "Poco a poco." Maybe, just maybe, that was enough to start with.

𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘳𝘪 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴！
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Sorry I've been a bit slow with the uploads I promise to finish this book by the end of the week. (hopefully) Anyway thank you all sososo much for the support and love you all!!

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©-CRETACEOUS , 2025