kik; zach mitchell

29 - rap battles and battling

zach's pov

clairedontcare: Zach, there's beeN a compromise, I

zmitch99: aunt Claire? what's wrong?

clairedontcare: Isla Nublar

clairedontcare: You have to get h ere

zmitch99: what are you talking about

Quickly, I stepped into the hallway, away from a sleeping Kiley. I dialed Claire's phone number and listened to the dial tone intently.

On the fourth dial, she picked up. "Zach?"

"Claire?"

There was a silence. She was breathing heavily. "Yes, what's up?"

I frowned. "You just texted me, on Kik. Something about Isla Nublar. What's going on?"

I listened to her shift, almost uncomfortably. It sounded as if someone was there with her, either listening on another end or watching her.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Zach."

Something wasn't right. Her voice sounded forced, and I suddenly remembered Ian's voice when he had told Clayton "That's not your choice to make. And it isn't mine, either." His voice had contained the same restraint, the same tightness.

Whoever was there with her had mumbled something, almost cruelly. Claire squeaked on the other end and shifted the phone again.

"That wasn't me, Zach," she finally said. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She hung up.

I sat there in confusion, until my phone dinged with a message from Kik.

clairedontcare: Tell your mother I hope all is well

Frowning, I walked back into the bedroom and shook Kiley. After I explained to her what had just occurred, she sat up straighter with the covers curled around her concerned stature.

"We have to do something, Zach. We have to get there—"

"—How, exactly?" I cut her off, crossing my arms. She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow, looking unenthused.

"Don't give me that sass," Kiley grinned. "We could call Owen."

I sat there, staring at her for a moment. Before I could grab my phone, it began to buzz. I hovered over the device, where an unknown number flashed on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Is this Zach?" the voice asked on the other end.

"Yeah," I said slowly. "Who is this?"

"This is Owen Grady, kid."

I pressed my hand to the speaker and looked to Kiley, who was watching me expectantly. "It's Owen!" I exclaimed, slightly surprised at the irony.

She furrowed her eyebrows, but shrugged. Placing the phone back to my ear, I heard Owen breathing, almost heavily in panic.

"Did Claire send you a weird text, too?" He blurted suddenly, cutting me off. I closed my mouth in surprise.

"Yes. She said something about—"

"—Isla Nublar?" Owen interrupted, once again. However, I wasn't about to bring up his newfound habit; if he and Claire were a thing, no doubt he was losing it.

"Yeah, and then I called her, and she told me that she didn't send that text," I explained, watching Kiley who was watching me.

"The same thing happened to me," Owen replied, sounding extremely serious, like usual. At least that was something I could always count on being there.