Hide (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom)

Chapter 2

I yawn again as the credits roll. I take a sip of my coffee but my face scrunches in disgust as the now-cold liquid touches my lips. Begrudgingly I rise from the couch and put my mug in the microwave, refusing to drink cold coffee. I stare out the window as I wait, as it offers me a perfect view of Owen working on the house. I see his mouth moving as he either talks or sings to himself, I'm assuming the latter.

The microwave beeps and I remove my mug, watching the steam in satisfaction. I take a sip, but this time it burns my lip.

"Ah, shit!" I stare at the coffee in frustration as I put the mug on the counter, giving up. I lick my lip as the pain subsides. I glance out the window again and pause as I see Owen turned away and his mouth still moving, as though he's talking to someone. I step to the side to get a view of who he's talking to, and my eyes widen.

Her ginger hair is what I notice first. I focus on her face to try and make sure that's who I think it is. I swear to myself and give up on looking through the window, deciding to just walk outside and see for myself.

The sound of the door opening alerts both of them, and they both turn to look at me. As she faces me head on I can confirm who she is.

"Claire?" She looks me over, taking me in.

"Sadie, hey!" I approach her and Owen, who is still standing on the ladder. I can't take my eyes off of Claire.

"I-god. We haven't seen you in forever." She nods in agreement.

"Yeah, I know." She pauses and looks between us. "Can I buy you guys some beer?" I look at Owen to see him glancing at me. We seem to have a silent conversation and both turn to Claire.

"Did you bring them or do we have to, like, go somewhere?" She turns to Owen.

"There's a bar, kind of nearby. Let's go there? I need to talk to you guys about something important." So, this isn't about catching up then.

I look down and suddenly realize I'm still in my pajamas.

"I'm gonna go change," I look at the both of them. "I don't feel like day drinking in my PJs quite yet." I head back inside and rummage through my drawers, settling on a pair of jeans and a flannel top that is, unfortunately, mine. I don't bother putting makeup on, but I do brush my hair and teeth. I put on a pair of ankle boots and grab my phone and wallet, shoving them in my pockets.

I step outside to see Owen has stepped down from the ladder, and his tools are put away.

"Alright, let's go," I say, announcing my presence. We walk through the yard and Owen approaches me.

"Wow, you're wearing your own clothes for once."

I nudge him in the shoulder and chuckle.

"Shut up." He smiles at me and we keep walking. We decide to drive ourselves and just follow Claire to the bar.

The car ride is silent, but it's a comfortable silence.

The bar is a little building, just off the road. A bell jingles as we all enter, and Claire heads to the bar, telling us to sit down somewhere. Owen and I slide into a booth together.

"So, this is interesting." I say, breaking the silence. "I honestly wasn't sure if we'd see her again." I grab Owen's hand and intertwine our fingers. "Whatever she needs must be important for her to come to us out of the blue like this." I look up at him to see him just staring at the table. I want to ask him if he's okay but Claire slides into the seat opposite us, drawing our attention. She sets three beers on the table and looks at us. I grab one and start drinking immediately, hoping it might help fill awkward silences.

"So, you guys are still together. That's good," she says, looking for something to say. Something tells me she's hesitant to talk about what she really wants to talk about.

"Yep," I reply. "Three years and going strong." I lift up my left hand to show her the ring nestled on my middle finger. I can feel her staring at the missing fingers, but eventually she looks up and smiles at us.

"You guys got married?" Her smile falters a bit. "I kind of hoped... you would tell me?" I glance at Owen.

"It wasn't a big thing, really. It was a private thing, we pretty much just told our families," I inform her, not wanting her to feel bad. She nods in understanding, but it quickly turns to shaking her head. She sighs.

"This is not why we're here." I open my mouth to speak but Owen beats me to it.

"I know why we're here." I look at him confused. He does? "Lockwood's little flunky called me. Rescue op, save the dinosaurs from an island that's about to explode. What could go wrong?" My eyes widen in shock.

Someone called him about the island, about the dinosaurs, and he didn't tell me?

"Owen," I say, and he turns to face me. "You got a call about that island, about those animals, why didn't you tell me?" I pull my hand out of his. He gives me a look that seems like it could be an apology, mixed with a bit of 'we'll talk about it later.' I sigh in frustration.

"I'm going," Claire says, drawing our attention away from each other.

"Don't!" Owen exclaims, and I can tell he's getting riled up from the both of us. I lean in closer to Claire.

"I don't have a choice." She shrugs.

"Of course you have a choice!" He insists. I can't help but stare daggers at him.

Why would he insist on not doing this? He, who was all about being kind to the dinosaurs because they were also animals just a few years ago?

"So what, I should just build my own cabin, play pool, and drink beer all day while these dinosaurs go extinct?"

"Yeah, I like pool." Owen takes a sip of his drink.

"Owen!" I get his attention again, and I know he can see I'm getting angry.

"He didn't tell you?" Claire asks me, and I turn to her.

"No, he didn't tell me!" I chuckle dryly. Owen shrugs at us.

"What's wrong with building a cabin and playing pool? What's wrong with starting a life outside that island?"

"Blue is alive."

"What?!" I stare at her with wide eyes. My mind races.

"Jesus, Claire." Owen sets his beer down in front of him.

"You raised her! You spent years of your life working with her." I stare at the table. Of course, my mind immediately thinks of Bella. "You're just going to let her die?"

"Well, yeah." My gaze hardens. He is getting a serious lecture tonight.

I turn back to Claire. "Do you know if-" I hesitate. Do I want to know the answer? I can see Owen giving me a pained look.

"Do you know if Bella is still alive?" Claire gives me an apologetic look.

"We don't know, I'm sorry." I nod and sink back in my seat. "But, that doesn't mean she's not alive," she offers. I stare at the table again, deep in thought. Claire sighs.

"You know what, just forget it. There's a charter flight leaving tomorrow morning." She stands from the table. "You're on the manifest. Both of you. I just wanted to let you know." I watch her as she walks out the bar and drives away.