Chapter Text
The crash of the waves against the ferry snapped Darius back to reality. He looked around at the other passengers currently on their way to Jurassic World; most were absorbed in their phones, and a few were even dozing off. He wondered which of the kids he could see on the ferry would be attending camp with him.
As the ferry turned, something caught his eye out the window. He could've sobbed right then and there from excitement. The island? Isla Nublar? Darius still couldn't believe this was actually happening. He was actually going to be seeing dinosaurs—his lifelong dream—in just a few minutes. Hopefully.
Even though he didn't know much about the camp he was going to be attending, he was hoping they'd be seeing lots and lots of dinosaurs. He'd tried looking up Camp Cretaceous online, but with it being so new, there was almost no information about it. This didn't faze him though. Instead, he spent the weeks leading up to leaving for camp rereading every single book on dinosaurs he had on his bookshelves, and even made his older brother drive him to the library to do more research.
Darius was as prepared for this adventure as he would ever be.
"The ferry will be docking in five minutes," a voice over the intercom said. "Please gather your belongings and be prepared to exit. We hope you have a Carnotaur-ific time here at Jurassic World."
Darius raised his eyebrows at the play on words, nearly vibrating out of his seat in excitement. Seeing a Carnotaurus was most definitely on his list of dinosaurs to see while at camp. A short distance out the window, he saw the docks drawing closer and got to his feet, lugging his duffel bag up and over his shoulder.
He pushed his way into the aisle, accidentally stepping on a girl's shoe in the process.
"Oops, sorry!" He grimaced. "Didn't see you there."
"Ow! What the heck?!" The girl stepped back and shoved Darius away from her. She had bright pink hair and was glaring at him, clearly annoyed.
Darius ran for the front of the ferry, hoping he'd never run into her again. The ramp was already connected to the dock, so he flew off the ferry, squealing with excitement when his shoes made contact with the dock. He was still in disbelief this was actually happening. His feet were on the island. There were dinosaurs just through the trees!
"Camp Cretaceous campers, over here!"
Across the dock, and over the heads of the people streaming off of the ferry, Darius could just make out a man waving his arms. He had a loudspeaker in one hand and was wearing a bright red shirt.
Darius made his way over to the man—probably one of the camp counselors—and was greeted with a big smile.
"Hey camper!" the man said. "I'm Dave, the head counselor of Camp Cretaceous. The head honcho. The number one."
Darius was about to introduce himself when he heard laughter behind him. He turned around and saw three girls around his age. His eyes widened in shock when he noticed the pink-haired girl he'd accidentally stepped on back on the ferry, but she was looking down at her phone and hadn't seen him yet. He quickly turned back around and pretended he hadn't seen her, his stomach sinking at the awkwardness of the situation.
Dave consulted his clipboard and flipped over a page. "Ok kids, let's find out who's here. Let's go around and—"
"Um, aren't there supposed to be six of us?" came a voice from Darius' right. He looked over to see a scrawny boy crouched near the edge of the dock, looking seasick.
"Yes, you're absolutely right," Dave said, conducting a quick headcount of the gathered campers. Darius looked around, but didn't see any other kids who looked lost.
A noise at the end of dock where the dirt road started drew the campers' attention away from Dave. A Jeep pulled up and a woman dressed in the same shirt as Dave hopped out. She pulled off her sunglasses and waved. "Hi campers! I'm Roxie, the head counselor of Camp Cretaceous."
Darius and the other kids turned back towards Dave, confusion written all over their faces.
Dave smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "It's more of a co-head counselor situation. Kinda," he chuckled nervously.
Roxie shook her head in exasperation and moved toward Dave, grabbing the clipboard. "Only five campers?" She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Dave. "Where's number si—"
Wind suddenly whipped towards their group, a loud noise coming from above. Darius glanced up, his eyes squinted against the strong wind. A helicopter touched down in the grass and the door slid open. A tall boy hopped out and strolled towards them.
"Let the party commence! Kenji is here!" He threw his bag at Roxie and moved to stand with the campers, only to be knocked over by his bag, which Roxie chucked back at him. Darius rolled his eyes and turned back toward the counselors.
"Ok, now that we've gotten everyone, let's head to camp! Hop in the back of the Jeep and buckle up, we've got a bit of a ride ahead of us." Roxie waved them towards the Jeep and hopped in the driver's seat, Dave climbing into the passenger seat.
Darius climbed into the back of the Jeep and sat down in a corner, marveling at the trees and vegetation he could see from just his seat.
The tall boy slid next to him on the bench and the rest of the campers piled in around them, nervously chattering and looking around at the island.
They started moving once everyone was buckled in, the trees flying past his eyes too fast. He just wanted to glimpse one dinosaur on the ride to camp, was that too much to ask for?
After it became clear there were no dinosaurs to see, Darius grumpily turned back toward the five campers seated around him. Across from him sat the scrawny boy he'd noticed earlier. The boy's eyes were wide with fear and he was rubbing sanitizer all over his hands. Darius thought it was interesting that he'd choose to attend a summer camp, since he seemed like a complete germaphobe.
He looked over at the two girls sitting beside the scrawny boy. The girl in the middle was pretty, but she had her mouth drawn in a tight line, with her arms folded. She was wearing a tracksuit of sorts and looked athletic. The girl next to her was smiling at Darius. She extended her hand and Darius shook it.
"I'm Sammy Gutierrez! I can't believe we're all actually heading to camp, this is so exciting!"
Darius smiled back and started to say something when another voice interrupted him.
"Hey Brooklanders! It's your girl Brooklynn, headed to Camp Cretaceous. Make sure to keep watching, like, and subscribe to see exclusives and behind-the-scenes footage all about Jurassic World!"
The pink-haired girl—Brooklynn apparently—leaned forward with her phone, shoving it in their faces. Darius rolled his eyes and leaned back, trying to get out of her video.
"Ok, everyone say your name and a little about yourself so my followers can get to know you," Brooklynn directed, facing the camera towards Sammy.
"I can't believe this! I'm a total Brooklander," Sammy gushed. "I'm Sammy and my family provides all the meat for the park, so that's how I get into camp."
The tall boy next to Darius grabbed Brooklynn's phone and faced it towards himself. "What what! It's your boy Kenji Kon! My dad's super rich and owns, like, a ton of real estate on this island. I've been here like a kajillion times, so you could say I'm a Jurassic World VIP." He shot a finger gun at the camera and winked.
Brooklynn groaned and wrenched the phone out of the Kenji's hands, just as the Jeep came to a lurching stop. The campers immediately looked towards the front of the car to see why they were stopped, only for Dave and Roxie to jump out of their seats and into the jungle holding long metal rods, the ends crackling with electricity. “Campers, stay in your seats,” Roxie called. “This is just a routine situation, nothing to worry about.”
The scrawny boy whimpered and slouched in his seat, like he was trying to disappear. “I knew it,” he groaned. “We’re all going to die.”
Darius ignored him, unbuckling his seatbelt and standing up, eyes wide as he peered into the jungle. Suddenly, something small catapulted itself out of the trees and onto his chest, knocking him back onto the floor of the car.
The campers screamed as Darius raised his head slowly to see what had attacked him. A small dinosaur hissed at him and hopped out of the Jeep, only to be caught in a blanket by Roxie. She prodded it into a cat carrier and stowed it inside the Jeep.
"Sorry about that campers! Those little guys are constantly getting out of their enclosures," Roxie reassured the group.
Darius, finally realizing what just happened, shot up with glee. "A Compsognathus?! Where did it go? Can I see it?"
Roxie widened her eyes at his rapid-fire questions. "Looks like you're quite the dino genius, Darius, lovely!" She got back in the driver's seat and started the engine. "We're almost back to camp, so hang in there!"
Kenji wrapped his arm around Darius' shoulders and pulled him back into his seat. "Looks like we've got ourselves a dino nerd," he teased. Darius shrugged his arm off his shoulder and turned back to the jungle, watching the trees race past as they made their way to camp. Whatever. He could deal with the teasing as long as he saw another dinosaur soon. After all, he was at Jurassic World. Finally.
----
Ben was not having fun. His heart hadn’t stopped pounding since he’d left home that morning. He’d nearly had a panic attack saying goodbye to his mom, and then to make matters worse, he’d felt seasick the whole ferry ride. Then a few minutes ago, he’d almost been attacked by a dinosaur. He wished he was at home in his bed, curled up with a good book and a cup of cocoa. However, that was unfortunately not the case.
The gasps of the campers around him broke him out of his reverie. The two girls sitting on his right pushed past him and he groaned. He had just put on sanitizer!
He looked up and saw why the rest of the campers seemed so excited. A massive treehouse loomed over him, a long elevator running down the large tree trunk to connect with a small patio. He gaped at the massive size of the place and got out of the Jeep, moving to stand behind the other campers who were listening to a speech from Roxie.
“Ok, everyone up the elevator and to your rooms! Boys’ room on the right and girls’ room on the left,” Dave interjected, earning an eyeroll from Roxie. “Claim a bunk and be back in the main room in five minutes! We’ve got a surprise activity for you all!” He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned.
The campers bolted toward the elevator, Kenji and Darius pushing each other out of the way. “I call top bunk!”
“Nope, junior, it’s mine!”
Ben sighed and trudged after the group, crowding into the elevator and watching Roxie and Dave grow smaller and smaller as they ascended toward the treehouse. The minute the elevator doors opened, the campers rushed to their respective rooms.
By the time Ben got to the boys’ room, Kenji and Darius had already claimed the top bunks. Ben sighed in relief and placed his bag on the bottom bunk nearest the door, taking out his clothes and placing them in one of the provided dressers.
He turned toward Kenji and Darius, who were arguing over something, then thought better of himself and left the room, heading back to the main room. Hopefully the other boys would quiet down eventually, or he would never be able to fall asleep. Not like he would be getting much sleep anyways, what with there being killer dinosaurs all over the island. He could feel his heart pounding again and sighed. This was going to be a long two weeks.
Roxie and Dave gathered the campers and ushered them back into the Jeep, telling everyone that the place they were headed to was a surprise.
After a short drive, they arrived at the base of a tall tower. Dave waved their group toward the stairs and they began the long climb to the top. With each flight of stairs they ascended, Ben got more and more nervous. Why did they have to go up this tower? What if something happened up there? Why couldn’t they just have stayed back inside?
Eventually they made it to the top and Ben gasped at the view. Grassy plains and tall trees stretched for miles and miles, and the setting sun cast a golden glow over the island. It was beautiful. He walked towards the railing and looked down. Oh, not a good idea, he thought as his stomach turned nauseous. He backed away from the railing and bumped into someone.
He shrieked and turned to see Kenji staring down at him. “Oh—oops, sorry,” Ben stuttered out and quickly darted to the other side of the platform. Great, first day and he was already annoying people.
A hand hitting his shoulder made him shriek again. “Ben, perfect timing!” Dave said. “You’re just in time for our surprise!” Dave reached behind him and pulled a seat towards them, hanging from a wire. “Time to test the zip line! Looks like you’re up first,” he said gleefully.
Before he knew what was happening, Ben found himself sitting on the seat, a seatbelt around his waist. “Wait, no! No, no, no,” Ben shouted. “Why me first? What about Yasmina? Or Darius? Or anyone?!”
Dave winked at him and gave him a big push. For a second, Ben felt like he was falling. Wind rushed through his hair and he screwed his eyes shut. After he realized he wasn’t in danger, he cautiously peeked one eye open to see trees flying towards him. He tried to scream, but the wind ripped the air out of his lungs. Twisting around, Ben saw Kenji behind him, whooping and hollering. Ben turned back around and smiled. If everyone else was enjoying this, then he could too.
He was just starting to enjoy the zip line ride when he felt himself slowing down, the landing platform drawing closer. He relaxed his tight grip on the pole and flexed his fingers, trying to bring back his circulation. He turned around and watched the rest of the campers zip towards him. Maybe camp wouldn’t be completely terrible after all.
After the ride back to camp, Ben was psyched. It was finally bedtime! He was so tired and just wanted to be unconscious for a few hours so he could forget about how anxious he was. He collapsed in bed and stared at the bunk above him, trying to fall asleep. Unfortunately, calming down was harder than it sounded. Every time he thought maybe he could finally sleep, he remembered that there were dinosaurs everywhere. Big dinosaurs who would probably not hesitate to eat him. Sighing and rolling over, he tried to shake off his worries for what seemed like the thousandth time that night.
A pair of feet hit the floor, drawing his attenton. He pretended to be asleep while the person moved past him, until they reached the door. Ben cracked open his eyes and saw Darius slip out the door. He wouldn’t have cared much, guessing he was probably just thirsty or had to use the bathroom, but then he heard Kenji climb down to the floor from his bunk. He crept past Ben and slid out the door, heading the same direction Darius had.
Ben sat up in bed, straining his ears to hear the muffled voices he could hear from the main room. Both Darius and Kenji had still been wearing the same clothes they arrived in this morning; they hadn’t put on pajamas. It was probably nothing, Ben told himself. He laid back in his bed and closed his eyes, only to hear the girls’ door creak open.
At his wits’ end, Ben got up and crept silently to their door, peeking through the crack. He saw Darius, Kenji, and Brooklynn get into the elevator, smiling conspiratorially like they were up to no good. Ben groaned and headed back to his bed. Great, a bunch of rule-breakers who were going to get in trouble and ruin camp for the rest of them, he thought. Whatever, who cares, he told himself as he laid back in bed and tried to sleep again.
Suddenly, his eyes shot open. They could be in danger! Who knows what dinosaurs are prowling around the jungle at night? They could get injured, or lost, or—no. He swept all other possibilities from his mind and got out of bed, trudging towards Dave’s room. He knocked on the door and Dave stuck his head out, blinking in the hallway light.
“Ben, what is it? It’s like two in the morning,” Dave whispered sleepily.
“Um... I think some of the kids might have snuck out?” Ben looked down at his feet, thinking that maybe he should’ve just ignored Darius, Kenji, and Brooklynn and gone back to bed. They were probably just exploring the treehouse or something stupid.
“What?!” Dave yelled. He slammed the door shut and ran into the hallway a moment later, dressed in his outfit from earlier. He sprinted down the hallway and around the corner. Ben could hear Roxie’s voice, then a minute later both counselors flew past him and into the elevator.
“Ben, stay put! We’re going to find them, don’t worry,” Roxie said. Her voice sounded reassuring, though her expression said the exact opposite. The elevator doors closed and left Ben standing in the middle of the main room. He walked back to their room and sat down on the bed. Great, everyone was definitely going to hate him now. Nobody likes a snitch, he thought sourly.
After what seemed like forever, he heard commotion from the main room. He peeked out the door again and saw Roxie and Dave leave the elevator with Darius, Kenji, and Brooklynn in tow. Roxie motioned for Brooklynn to go back to her room. Ben quickly hopped away from the door, but not before he noticed tears in Brooklynn’s eyes as she walked past. What the hell had happened out there?
Ben moved back to the crack in the door. Roxie and Dave seemed to be lecturing Darius and Kenji now. Darius looked scared, while Kenji looked bored—almost like he couldn’t care less what the counselors were saying or what kind of trouble he was in. What a jerk, Ben thought.
The boys stood up and started heading back to their room, the lecturing apparently over, so Ben quietly tiptoed back to his bed and slipped under the covers, pretending to be asleep.
He heard Kenji and Darius climb back up their bunks, doing a poor job at being quiet. If he hadn’t already been awake, they definitely would’ve woken him up. After a few minutes, he heard both boys’ breathing even out, indicating they’d fallen asleep. Ben sighed and felt a welcome sense calm for the first time that day. Taking advantage of the feeling, he snuggled deeper into his blankets and felt sleep wash over him.