4

We look for the pack for hours. Neither of us could remember the exact spot that I fell, so we had to canvas a large area. We knew it was on the path, though, so that helped.

Besides telling me that it belonged to his brother, Zach hadn't given me any other information as to it's importance. After the first hour, I stopped asking.

It is almost dusk, and I'm getting ready to tell Zach that we need to go back—we can keep looking tomorrow. But he stops walking suddenly, causing me to slam into his back.

"That's it!" He sounds excited. "That's the branch that I ran over before you fell! It has to be around here!"

We split up with Zach taking one side and me, the other. It's getting hard to see with the sun setting, and neither of us thought to bring a flashlight, but I squint into the bushes anyway. Then I feel it—

The ground shakes.

My immediate reaction is that it must be an earthquake, but it stops as quickly as it started. Then multiple things happen at once.

First, I see Zach jump up with the fanny pack in his hand and yell, "I got it!" The smile on his face is contagious, but it immediately goes away when our watches light up and we hear a "Boom" accompanied by another vibration.

Zach eyes widen, and he runs to me. We both know what it is—the T-Rex. I'm not thinking as I grab Zach's hand. I'm scared. Another vibration. This time, I can see a puddle of rain water on the ground ripple.

I don't know what to do. Our bike is at least a quarter mile away in the same direction that the steps are coming from. In our frantic searching, we had been careless. I know we can't outrun it. Another vibration—they are getting closer.

"Zach," I look up at him. "What are we going to do?" Another vibration.

He looks down at me with worry in his eyes and places his hand on my shoulder. "We'll be fine." Another vibration.

His eyes remain on mine, but I can see that he is thinking—trying to save both of us. His eyes light up as he gets an idea. "Follow me."

He grabs my hand again and begins running down the path, away from the T-Rex. I don't know what he's thinking, but I don't plan on stopping him for an explanation. The vibrations are becoming stronger and stronger—I lose my footing on one and Zach has to keep me from falling.

We approach a huge tree that has a trunk the size of a semi-truck. I don't see the platform at first, but when we circle around, I can. It's twelve foot by twelve foot and surrounded by a waist-high railing. Zach and I jump over it, and he immediately starts working on a motorized pulley system.

I read about these observation decks. They were designed with the park. For extra money, you could spend the night on one of these "in the elements." Thank God there were people crazy enough to think this would actually be fun.

Who am I kidding? I would have loved it.

The motor isn't working, and I see Zach begin to panic, hitting the side of it like that will somehow get it to begin moving. The T-Rex is getting closer, and our watches are flashing. I run over to him and throw the contraption down. "We can pull ourselves up."

I grab the rope and pull down with my entire body weight. Zach catches on quickly and begins pulling with me. We continue this for about thirty seconds when we finally see it.

The T-Rex busts through the trees and immediately spots us. We are around her eye level when she starts sprinting towards us, roaring loudly. "Faster!" Zach shouts. I don't need to be told twice.

When the T-Rex reaches us, we are barely out of reach. I am grateful that she isn't capable of jumping, or we would be dead. I breathe a sigh of relief, but we continue to raise ourselves as high as the mechanism allows.

Once we reach the top, Zach and I look over the railing and see the dinosaur circling the tree, obviously waiting for us to return. We both collapse from exhaustion on opposite sides of the platform.

"We're safe," Zach says between deep inhales. I don't know if he's talking to me or himself.

The T-Rex lets out another deafening roar from below. It's going to be a long night.

Zach and I sit in silence while we watch the sunset. It's beyond beautiful. I've watched the sunset many times on this island, but being above the tree line, and seeing the sun reflect off the ocean in the far distance, it's unlike anything I've ever seen.

Zach occasionally looks down at the ground to see if the coast is clear, but no luck so far. We've been up here for over an hour when he looks down and says, "Dammit."

I do not want to know what gave him that reaction, but I look over the edge anyway. The T-Rex appears to be settling in. I see it lie down, resting it's head on the ground.

It's surreal. I've never really thought about the fact that T-Rex's need to sleep. I just always imagine them roaming the island, reeking havoc. Seeing it be so still—and peaceful—is reminding me that they really are just animals, not monsters.

We stand shoulder to shoulder, staring down at the rare sight. Eventually, Zach speaks. "I guess we'll be sleeping here tonight."

I groan. "I guess so."

I sit down in one corner, resting my back against the railing, and Zach does the same in the opposite corner. "Listen, Zach," I start. "I'm not going to sit here in silence all night, and I doubt I'm actually going to be able to sleep. So do you think you could completely change your personality, just for tonight, and at least try to be pleasant?"

He chuckles under his breath. "I know you may not believe this, but I actually used to be very pleasant. In fact, flirting with girls was like breathing to me. I wasn't very good at it, but I thought I was."

"You're right. I don't believe you." I laugh softly. "But if that is true, what happened? When did you decide to become un-pleasant?" He has not divulged any part of his life to me besides telling me he has a brother, so I don't really expect him to answer. I'm surprised when he does.

"I haven't told anyone related to this mission this, but...when I was 16, I was here, at the park, when the Indominus Rex escaped."

My heart stops. I can't imagine going through that so young. No wonder it changed him. "I'm so sorry, Zach. That must have been awful."

He nods, looking at the floor. "It was. People died, were eaten, right in front of me. I almost died. If it weren't for my aunt and her boyfriend, I probably would have died."

I don't push him for details. I know it must have been hard for him to tell me that, but there is one thing I need to know. "So why did you come back here? If it has such awful memories, wouldn't you want to stay away?"

He wraps his arms around himself. Since the sun has gone down, the temperature has dropped at least twenty degrees. The wind above the trees is much stronger than on the ground. Since we haven't been back at camp since mid-day, we're both just wearing t-shirts and shorts.

"I guess I hoped coming here would give me some sort of closure. I know it sounds crazy—my parents begged me not to come—but I thought maybe if I helped others survive this place, I'd be able to move on. I don't think it's working, though. I'm just as miserable here as I was at home."

"I'm sorry, Zach," I say again. I don't know what else to say. We are quiet until the sound of my teeth chattering breaks the silence.

"You must be freezing," Zach says.

I nod. I've curled myself into the tightest ball I can, but it doesn't seem to be helping.

"You know what we have to do, right?" Zach says, rubbing his brows. "We need each other's body heat."

"Is this that world-famous flirting you were talking about?"

He laughs—really laughs—for the first time since I've met him. It's a nice sound. It's actually flattering to know that I'm the one that made him happy enough to laugh.

After he stops, I concede. "Yes, I know you're right. But if you think I'm stripping my clothes, you're crazy." That makes him smile.

We both scoot towards the center of the platform. I lie on my side with my head resting on my forearm. I feel Zach lie down behind me, pressing his chest to my back and draping his arm over my waist. I'm instantly warmer.

Our close proximity is giving me mixed emotions. On one hand, this boy has been nothing but rude and disrespectful towards me since the moment I met him. On the other hand, his body against mine is giving me all sorts of tingles. I couldn't possibly like him, could I?

So I do what I always do when I'm uncomfortable, I try to make a joke. "So...were you really cold? Or was this just an excuse to get close to me?"

"What does this tell you?" He asks while he raises his hand under my shirt and places it flat on my stomach. I jump.

"Oh my God! That feels like an icicle!"

He laughs. "Tell me about it. I think my dick is the only appendage not in danger of frostbite."

I laugh too. I like this Zach. He's more relaxed than I've ever seen him, which is ironic considering there is a T-Rex sleeping directly below us.

"So was that a joke, Zach Mitchell? What has come over you?" I ask playfully.

He sighs, and I feel his breath on the back of my neck. It sends chills down my spine. I find myself scooting even closer to him. He hand travels slightly further up my stomach in order to hold me tighter. His hand feels rough and calloused against my smooth skin.

"I'm sorry, Ivy. I really, really am. I don't know why I act the way I do sometimes. And don't take this the wrong way, but, for some reason, you make me especially crazy. But I never meant to make you feel bad."

"It's okay. I'm just now realizing that maybe it wasn't you that I was so upset about. I had an idea about this island from when I visited the park when I was a kid. I think in some doesn't-make-sense way I thought it would be like that again. I shouldn't have been so naive."

"You came here as a kid? I didn't know that."

I giggle. "Zach, you don't know anything about me."

The truth is, Zach and I were both changed after our visits to Jurassic World. But because we had two very different experiences, we had two different outcomes. I discovered my love for dinosaurs and nature and life, and Zach—

My thoughts are interrupted by him. "So what was the park like? For you? I've never actually met anyone who had a 'normal' experience there."

"I loved it, Zach, honestly. It was the best experience of my life. It hurts me to know you didn't get that same experience."

Absentmindedly, his fingers start to make trails on my skin as he talks. "It wasn't all bad. I got to get splashed by the Mosasaurus, and ride the gyrosphere."

"Oh my God, I loved the gyrosphere!" I interrupt. "It was my favorite part. Wasn't it fantastic?"

"To be honest, it didn't end well for me." He slides one of his legs between mine. He is so close that I can feel his breath on the back of ear. I place my hand on top his hand under my shirt.

With my palm to the back of his hand, I interlace our fingers...for warmth, of course. Because I am not starting to like him. No...definitely not.

"Oh, I see." He's finally opening up to me, and I don't want to press my luck with too many questions—even if I am dying to know more.

He nuzzles his nose into the space behind my ear, and I can hear his heavy breathing as he licks his lips. That small movement is taking me dangerously close to the edge of temptation.

I need a change of subject.

"You know, Zach, I didn't tell you this before, but I know someone who was here the day of the Indominus Rex escape too."

His body straightens slightly. "Seriously? Who was it? I have met a lot of the other survivors over the years. I might know them."

"My brother, Owen...Owen Grady."