Adelaide (Ian Malcolm)

Chapter Three - Ian Malcolm

Chapter Three: Ian Malcolm

Adelaide

"Did you know that I've read Dr Alan Grant's book nearly seven times already? He's got some cool theories, about dinosaurs turning into birds. Most people think they are more like lizards, but he says that velociraptors have more in common with birds than we could ever imagine. They even found fossils of velociraptors with feathers on them! What could be more conclusive than that?" Timmy - the boy who did not stop talking. Her younger cousin was as sharp as a tac and barely stopped for breath in between sentences. "and the T-rex, one of the biggest dinosaurs ever-"

"Timmy, do us all a favour and shut up." Lexi snapped as she rolled her eyes to the heavens.

"How about you shut up, you computer nerd!"

"Hey! Both of you behave." Adelaide said sternly, pointing at the pair of them. "Or I'll find these raptors you are on about and see what they have to say," She laughed overdramatically like an evil overload, sending both Lexi and Timmy into fits of laughter.

Lexi had grown up so much since Adelaide had last seen her – she had beautiful golden blond hair and sparkling green eyes, much like her Mom. She was at that pre-teen, 'puberty is just hitting me' age, the likes of which had no patience for an annoying little brother.

"When do we get to see dinosaurs?" Tim asked impatiently.

"I dunno kiddo. I am meeting with the other guests to see the labs and then I think we can go explore after that?" Adelaide shrugged apologetically to the bored looking kid.

"Why can't we go to the labs?"

Adelaide pondered his question for a moment. These kids were smart, so she wasn't getting away with excuses like 'you wouldn't understand any of it'. "Well...Granddad is showing around some really important people, you see, I guess they want to keep the crowds in there to a minimum."

Tim's little face screwed up in deep thought for a moment, before he smiled. "Yeah, that makes sense."

Eventually an equilibrium settled over the trio and they continued to chat idly over ice cream. The sweet treats had been laid out for the children in mind, however, Adelaide was not one to turn down a bowl of jelly.

It was nearing mid-afternoon which meant it would not be long before her Grandfather arrived. She made herself a green tea and poured into her thermo mug, trying to ignore the odd butterflies in her stomach.

Adelaide never got nervous about anything. Not even job interviews made her feel jittery – she always figured if it was meant to be then it was meant to be. Most of the jobs she'd gone for were on her travels, dive bars or equally questionable restaurants, so employers were often happy to oblige without question.

Maybe the critters in her stomach were due to the incomprehensible idea of this island and the animals that resided there. Only her Granddad could be responsible for something so unconventional. Adelaide should have known by now not to be surprised by his antics, the eccentric streak was in his blood. She put away the fear of the unknown, and decided the best option was to keep her mind and judgments as unbiased as possible. Besides, she'd always been a fan of the bizarre.

Lex and Tim were still in the dining room when she re-entered, having nipped into the kitchen to get her tea. The two seemed quite happy to continue gorging themselves with sweet treats and Adelaide couldn't find the heart to tell them to stop. She'd always been a softie when it came to kids. If she ever had her own – well, they would be spoilt rotten, that was a certainty.

"Miss Adelaide, your Grandpa sent for you, said to go to the visitor centre," The youthful brown haired waiter breathed, rushing over and skidding to a sudden halt.