Fractured Luck // Owen Grady

•2

Before

"You're on in five, Lauren," Gideon, the man who ran the technical parts of my shows, warned me through our earpieces.

"Copy that," I said, "How many people in the audience?"

"Five thousand two hundred and eighty one," Gideon said.

"Precise," I praised, "Let me know when there's a minute left on the count down."

"Roger that."

I pushed through the Staff Only doors off of Main Street. I walked through the back alleys until I ended in the Underwater Observatory.

"Don't eat me, today, sweetheart," I muttered, tapping my fingers along the clear glass of Mo's tank, "I've done this for two years, and I haven't died yet. Don't let me down."

"One minute," Gideon warned.

I jogged to the second Staff Only door, holding my ID to it, the only ID it would accept. I slipped through the doors, hopping up the staircase that led to my post in the center of the seats.

In the full body mirror on the wall, I checked my appearance. Black work boots that stopped at my ankles, tight tan colored shorts, and white short sleeved shirt.

I ran my fingers through my straight brown hair, bringing the front strands to hang over my shoulders. I secured a headset over my ears, bringing the microphone in front of my mouth. I settled a baseball cap over the top of my head.

"And you're on in five, four, three, two.."

Shoulders pushed back, perfect teeth showing in my smile, a bounce in my step, I hopped the last stair, performance ready.

"Hello, visitors of Jurassic World! How has the park treated you so far?" I asked, the microphone projecting my voice over the arena.

My question was answered by cheers from the crowd, mainly the children.

I walked to the front of the plank, my tailbone pressed against the railing to face the crowd. The five sections of the stadium were completely filled, though it wasn't particularly shocking. Statistically, the second show of the day was always the most crowded.

"Welcome to the twelve o'clock Mosasaur Feeding Show! My name is Lauren, and I am the host of the shows. Now, I have some safety tips I'm required to review before we start," I said.

I held my hand in the air. With each number, I showed the same amount of fingers.

"Rule number one: do not jump into the water. Rule number two: do not throw anything into the water, including yourself. Rule number three: the guards along the walls are there to restrict you from nearing the edge of the tank, so please listen to them if they give you orders. Do me a huge favor, and just don't near the edge. Is that very hard?"

"No!" The crowd yelled back.

"Perfect! And the final rule--" I paused dramatically,"--have fun," I finished with a smile, "Who's ready to start the show?"

*Three hundred feet above the eyeline of the crowd was a simple platform, connected by a tower in the stands and another tower in the center of the tank. A one person walkway connected the two.

I moved from my plank, starting the climb up the first tower.

"Most of you probably haven't ever seen, or maybe heard, of the Mosasaur before. A fun fact, and quite possibly, the only one you need to know is that the Mosasaur is nicknamed the 'T-Rex of the Sea.'"

I scanned the crowd to ensure no one was out of their seats, or near the edge. I held my hand in the air, my thumb up to signal it was safe.

From underneath the center of the bridge, a dead great white shark dropped, hanging by its tail.