Clawen ♡ Second Time's the Charm

Chapter 19: Half a Minute

When they finally arrived at the resort, the four of them were greeted by unmistakable chaos. The flock of Pteranodon and Dimorphodon escapees had descended on the park visitors. They were functioning on two mere things: pure instinct and pure hunger.

The flying dinosaurs dove straight at their selected targets before either lifting them into the air or inflicting serious injuries with their sharp beaks. A man with a bloodied face limped hurriedly past the Jeep while a woman was desperately trying to save her child from a vicious Pteranodon. People were stampeding in every direction, not paying attention to where they were going.

With their sharp beaks, the bird-like dinosaurs smashed through windows and knocked over tables and chairs. One by one, the shops and restaurants were destroyed. The visitors were out of suitable hiding spots.

Then, as if the compass of life finally pointed to good luck, a group of men armed with tranquilizer guns charged into the open. They began firing at the flying dinosaurs with deadly aim. Dinosaurs plopped onto the ground with grunts. However, it was obvious that there were too many dinosaurs and too few men out there. One of the men was bowled over by a Dimorphodon, and he collapsed onto the ground.

His tranquilizer gun clattered beside him. Owen's eyes flitted over to where it lay. He knew what he had to do, for the sake of the visitors and indirectly, for the sake of those he cared most about. Immediately, he flung open the Jeep door and leapt out.

"Stay in the car!" he yelled at Claire as he slammed the door. Before she could open her mouth, he had already rushed off, leaving her to protect her nephews by herself.

"Owen!" she called. "Where are you going?" It's not safe there. Please, come back. Please, come back!

"Where's he going?" Gray cried.

Claire turned to him and shook her head helplessly. "I don't know, sweetie. But let's just trust him and hope he'll be alright." Zach detected a note of sincere concern in her voice.

"Are you worried about him, Aunt Claire?" he asked mischievously. Claire glanced it of the window and craned her head in hopes of seeing Owen somewhere.

"Of course I am! There are flying dinosaurs everywhere, the Indominus is still wandering somewhere- it's not safe for anyone!"

Gray tilted his head to one side. The concern in her voice was now so blatantly obvious that even he could hear it clearly. "Do you like him, Aunt Claire?" he asked curiously, not intending to embarrass his aunt. Zach grinned when he heard his brother ask this question so innocently. Well, I can't wait to hear her answer!

Claire whipped her head away from the window. She stared at an expectant Gray and a smug Zach. Oh, why can't they just keep out of this? Why are they so curious about my love life all of a sudden? Wait... why did I just refer to this as my love life? I'm not in love with him... am I? Oh, dear.

"Why are you asking?"

Zach shrugged his shoulders. "Well, let's see..." He held up his hand and began to raise his fingers one at a time. "First, Owen mentioned something about both of you seeing each other recently. And 'seeing each other' is usually another way of saying 'dating each other-'"

"I know what that means, Zach," Claire muttered dryly.

"Just checking. Anyway, second, you're always touching his arm-"

"That is not true!" Claire gasped. However, she reddened slightly because, deep in her mind, she knew that Zach was right about his observations. Am I that bad at hiding it?

"It is too true!" Gray butted in, desperate to rejoin the conversation. Claire's eyes zeroed in on his face.

"Gray! I'm slightly creeped out and a bit frightened to know that you two are constantly spying on me!"

"Why? Because you're afraid that Gray and I will catch you kissing him in bed or something?" Zach shot back.

"Excuse me?! For one thing, who says I'll ever be in bed with Owen? And for another thing, you two have no business snooping around in my bedroom," Claire snapped defensively. Wait, why am I so defensive? If I know for sure that I'll never be in bed with Owen, shouldn't I be calmer? Oh, God.

"Don't get mad, Aunt Claire. We're just not used to you having a boyfriend around," Gray protested.

"Owen. Is. Not. My. Boyfriend."

"Aunt Claire, can I just say that you're really bad at lying?" Zach asked. He could easily see through her indifferent facade. Claire could deny it one hundred times, but he knew that she had developed feelings for this guy. Not that it upset him.

"Funny you say that. Owen told me the same exact thing earlier today," Claire said rather wistfully. It seemed so long ago, more like a distant memory than a recent event. She felt a lump in her throat. Please, please, let Owen be alright. I don't know what the hell was going on in his mind when he charged out of the Jeep. There was a short silence.

"He likes you," Gray blurted, startling Zach and Claire.

"What?" Claire said, turning sharply and fighting to keep a nonchalant face. But her heart was beating quickly. Owen likes me? Owen likes me? How did the boys notice? Why do I care what they say anyway?

"Yeah," Zach agreed after a moment of thinking. "Yeah, he does." The butterflies in the pit of Claire's stomach came to life again. Their wings flapped just as fast as her heartbeat.

"What... What makes you say that?" she asked cautiously, careful not to sound too eager.

"I dunno... He just does," Gray said insistently. Claire bit her lip to hide the small smile creeping onto her face. Both her nephews noticed it anyway.

"He's been gone a while, hasn't he?" Gray realized anxiously. Claire was half relieved to know that she wasn't the only who was worried about Owen, half perturbed that Owen still hadn't returned. She decided to check on him.

"Boys, will you be alright if I leave you for a moment? I'm just going to check on Owen and I'll be right back," Claire said. She played with her watch and battled the rising panic within her. What happened to Owen? Why isn't he back yet? Where is he? He's still... still alive, right? Oh, my God! No!

"Yeah, uh, yeah," Zach said hastily. Gray nodded with wide eyes. He didn't want his aunt to leave, not when there were flying monsters in the air.

"I'll be back in half than a minute," Claire assured them. She hopped out of the Jeep, shut the door hurriedly, and raced off in Owen's direction. I'll only take a few seconds. I'm just going to turn the corner and find Owen shooting those damn dinosaurs, his muscles flexing and his eyes twinkling... Stop it, Claire! I'm just going to make sure that he's still alive and well and then I'll be back in the Jeep with my nephews in half a minute. Half a minute, that's all.

After half a minute, she hadn't returned. After a whole minute, she still hadn't returned. And neither had Owen.
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