✔︎ KING OF MY HEART, Zach Mitchell ²

FOUR, Swiss Cheese.

CHAPTER FOUR. Swiss Cheese.

    STEPPING OFF the plane, Tatum's body had been overwhelmed with familiarity. Her eyes ventured around the great land in front of her, recognizing every little bit of it. Even with the enormous amounts of cargo and loading crates, Tate felt complete of happiness. Her smile was immediate right as they landed, she felt as if it had been plastered on and would stick for ever how long she had her feet planted on Isla Nublar. The warm sun, the trickling humidity, it was all so familiar.

Being the last off the plane, Tate continued to examine everything around her, taking in the fact she was back on the island for one last time. She was so relived she was finally able to say goodbye to what was once hers.

"Tate!" Her daze had been abducted as the feeling of Zach's hand grabbing her own to drag her towards the small crowd of people washed away. Hesitant, she followed without fighting. Once entering into the little swarm of people, Tate was met with a new face.

    "Tatum, this is Ken Wheatley, the expedition facilitator. Mr. Wheatley, this is Tatum Grant. She was our lead trainer back on the island. She knows the dinosaurs better than anyone." Claire introduced, patting Tate on the back.

    "Ms. Grant, pleasure to meet you." Ken shook Tate's hand, pressing a chaste kiss to her skin. Tate's eyebrow rose, glancing to Zach who held a tight jaw. "I've heard much about you. You sure have a big name for yourself."

    "Well, I worked all for it." Tate forced a smile, yanking her hand away from his. Catching the trailing smoke from the corner of her eye, Tate stared up towards the volcano. "How about we go find my dinosaurs." Tate's hands clap together, becoming impatient.

    "I agree." Owen murmurs from behind Tate, the two friends sending one another wary looks.

. . .

    "SO, THE T-Rex would be dead by now, right?" Franklin muttered beside Tate, the lingering smell of his bug spray overriding her nostrils.

    "Uh, most likely, no. She was still very young when she was first introduced, and that was back in 2013. She wouldn't even be into her teen stages of age yet, so if she was dead, it was due to some sort of virus or lack of nutrition. I highly doubt she starved to death, but it is likely she could've caught a virus of some sort to slow her down or cause her to pass." Tate explained, internally grateful she was able to speak about a topic even if it was gruesome. "All the dinosaurs had monthly vet checks, so the fact it's been three years, who knows what they could've caught, especially being out of confinement."

    "Oh." Franklin laughed, his body shivering with angst. "Great."

    The feeling of the vehicle rolling under their feet was felt, the bumpiness of the road indicating they were on the move through the park's main gates. Tatum's head tilted behind her, staring out the window at a forest full of overgrown vines and unkept plants. Memories resurfaced her brain of the incredible times she had created there, not allowing the tainted ones to be remembered.

    The car ride went fast, but to Tate, everything was slow. She was able to take in every inch of the island as much as she could, trying to force her memory to take mental polaroid photos so she'd remember it always. As the car had begun to drive through the sidewalk of what once was main street, her eyes stayed fully on Bea's cage, frowning at the thought of Bea suffering all alone. Bea was never social, but she enjoyed the attention she got from guests. Now, Bea had no one to adore her amazing tricks.

    "Bad memories?" Ken Wheatley says to Claire, Owen and Tate, the three all waiting a moment before responding.

     "Some were good." Owen answers for them. Tate agreed by the nod of her head, smiling at Owen as the vehicle came to a stop, surprising the group. Tate's eyebrows furrowed at the sudden halt, her eyes wandering back outside the vehicle, recognizing a small little group of Compsognathus. Her heart swarmed with butterflies, her body lifting up slightly for a better view. But before she could get a closer look, the ground shook with rubble, the Compsognathus all scattered, running towards the closest vacant store.

    Tate frowned at this, but that look had only lasted a moment before it turned into an awe of the familiar sound of thundering footsteps. Tate's head whipped around toward Claire and Owen, then to Zach, her lips upturning into excitement. "Diplodocids!" She whispers, shoving herself up from her seat and stumbling out of the small car.

    The three all glanced to one another, Zach turning to where his girlfriend had begun to exit. "A what?" They all then ran after Tate in haste, as well wanting to see the creature.

    Once her feet had touched the ground, Tate ran towards the front of the car, her head tilting up towards the gleaming sky.

    "Oh, my god." Claire muttered from beside Tate, in awe of the vision. "I never thought we'd see them again."

    "I know." Tate's smile faltered, finding it hard to keep it up as emotions swarmed her. Her eyes puddled with water, feeling like a child for crying over such a silly thing. Wiping the brim of her eyelids, Tate then took very few steps forward, releasing a recognizable whistle to the Diplodocid. If she would be able to get close enough, she'd most likely be able to identify the chosen name of the animal, as Tate would often find herself scavenging for different ways to recognize the animal by its skin. She'd always find a small leg or hoof marking sewn into the animal if it was larger than herself. She'd then name them and somehow, their looks would be burned into her skull. They may look all the same to others, but Tate knew her dinosaurs like the back of her hand — she could recognize their calls, even.

    The Diplodocid seemed to notice this call, the head being turned towards Tate. Tatum couldn't help but laugh at this, the head of the Diplodocid falling down to Tate like a child reuniting with its mother. Tate's hand immediately placed itself onto the nose of the Diplodocid, gently stroking the animal for comfort.

    "Wow." Zach muttered from beside his girlfriend, his hand lifting up to let the Diplodocid investigate. "C- can I?" Zach peered to Tate. She refused to let her eyes wander away from her dinosaur, but only nodded, allowing Zach to take the initiative on joining Tate. He gratefully did so, being as careful as he could be. Tate soaked in this moment like a warm tub of water, never wanting to leave this soothing environment. Even with all the destruction around them, Tate didn't see a single flaw. She saw one of her animals — her dinosaurs, free and content. That's all she's ever wanted for them, and she was so incredibly grateful not a single ounce of hurt or sadness was shown on this Diplodocids face.

    "Can we go?" Franklin asked from behind the two, earning the couple's attention. "Sorry to ruin the moment, but I think we have a volcano to beat." Knowing he was right, Tate sighed in disappointment. Her lips pursed, releasing another type of whistle that she had trained the herbivores with, informing her of her leaving. The female dinosaur Tate had soon remembered was Swiss, an odd name, Tate knows, but Tate was going through a Swiss cheese kick at the time of Swiss's birth — she couldn't help it, released a melancholy hum, her head retracting from Tate and Zach's grasp to continue on.

    Tate made mental note to make sure Swiss was on that boat no matter what.