Smoke (currently under editing)

5 · Meetings With Dearing

"We've made living biological attractions so astounding that they'll capture the imagination of the entire planet." - John Hammond, Jurassic Park (1993)

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I walked the boys to the Innovation Center, brushing back a few strands of my hair. I had originally loved keeping it down, but now I was starting to wonder if I should put it up or not. Honestly, it was either that or chop it off.

I pushed the large double doors of the Innovation Center open, smiling slightly at the happy families running around. It was bittersweet seeing them all, as I didn't exactly have the best childhood. My parents had passed away when I was a young age, and since he was one of the few family members I was really close to, I mainly lived with my grandfather.

He had been working as a mechanic for years when I moved in with him, and he took me most of the stuff I knew. He had always been so energetic, happy to go to my events and go on trips, but it got harder for him as I got older. I knew he loved me, but it was still hard to find things to relate to. The main thing we had was cars and motorcycles.

"Hey, you okay?" Zach asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah," I nodded, breaking myself away from my thoughts. "Sorry, just lost in thought."

"Gray, Zach; is that you?"

I looked up, glancing at the nearby staircase. Dearing was walking down it, a surprised look on her face. "Aunt Claire!" Gray exclaimed, rushing over to the woman. Zach trudged over behind him, while I leaned against the nearby wall, quietly watching the scene unfold.

"Hi!" Dearing replied, obviously shocked. "Oh my gosh, you're so sweet!" She turned to Zach. "Wow!"The woman exclaimed, a large smile on her face. "Last time I saw you, you were Gray's height. That must've been, what? Three, four years ago?"

"Seven." Zach grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Seven years. But, you know, close."

"Uh, this is for food." Dearing said, clearing wanting to get off the topic. She handed Gray a small envelope, before motioning to me. "And I see you've already met Izabelle. She's going to hang out with you until I'm done working tonight, okay?"

"You're not coming with us?" Gray asked, disappointed.

Dearing shifted her weight uncomfortably. "I really wish I could, but tomorrow I can take you into the control room!" She replied, faking a smile. " I can show you the behind the scenes and all of that. That's gonna be cool, right?" Gray looked down at the floor, and I took a step closer to the boys.

"Okay." The woman continued, noticing my sudden movement. "I'll see you tonight around eight, okay?" Dearing looked at me and I quickly shook my head, letting her know that I wasn't here to save her conversation. "Um," she muttered, "Have fun and stay safe."

"How about we go see that T-Rex now, huh?" I asked softly, gently taking Gray's hand and leading him to the door. Zach trudged along behind us, a frown on his face. I had to admit, as great as Claire was at working with the scientists, she was awful with family.