When I got back to the cabin, I must have been glowing because Claire commented that I must be in a good mood. I had the most wonderful secret. I would tell them eventually, but for now I had things under control. I'd fed them about ten more worms or bugs each and I'd check on them soon. I spent the rest of the morning researching raptors more online. They were meat-eaters, of course. Their mothers would have torn up animals into small pieces to feed them, but I wasn't about to do that.

After a quick lunch, I headed back out to check on the babies. They were still squawking away, probably wondering where their mother was. Did they think it was me? I wondered if they would already be hungry, so I found a few more worms, which they quickly ate. I was going to have to find a better way of feeding them. Maybe I could grab some things from the lab, or at least get to a pet store to buy some crickets.

Back home, I rummaged in my bedside drawer to find my life savings.  I found ten dollars and stuffed it in my pocket. I told Owen and Claire I was going on a bike ride. They reminded me not to go into town, but I had been ignoring that rule for years. I was fifteen now; not a kid.

I rode into town and found the bait shop. There, I put my ten dollar bill on the counter and asked for as many worms as it would buy. The guy came back a couple minutes later with a bag full of the squirming creatures. I gagged a little but tucked them into my bag. I rode back quickly and then hid the worms under my bed, making sure the bag was still closed.

I must have been on edge, because every time Owen or Claire called my name, I jumped. I wanted to check on them constantly. I decided to name them Gamma and Delta, the next two letters in the Greek alphabet.

The third time I checked on them that afternoon, I found that one of them had fallen on the ground. My heart skipped a beat, wondering if it had been hurt. When I found it, it was crying but as I picked it up and examined it, it seemed okay.  Carefully, I climbed up and placed it back in the nest. I pulled out the worms and fed them ten more each; about half of the bag. At this rate, I would be flying through my life savings.

The next day, I got up before Owen and Claire, taking the bag of worms with me. When I arrived, I could tell everything was not okay. They looked tired and weak. Their eyes were glassy. How could I have been so stupid? Of course I couldn't handle this by myself. I scoured the Internet for information about what raptor babies ate. Really, it was all meat - small animals, insects, birds, and reptiles. The best I could do for now was to keep going to the bait shop and finding worms.

At the research center the next day, I cornered Jake and pulled out my phone. I showed him the pictures of the babies - how their eyes were a bit glassy and they just seemed weak.

"I'll find some of the meat we feed the babies here," he said, sounding reluctant. "But, Maisie. We really should bring them in."

"I know," I mumbled. "I just want to keep them a little longer."

"Keep them?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Mais, they're not pets."

"I know that," I told him. "I just...I wish they could just be in the wild, without scientists peering and poking at them."

I knew all too well what happened to the dinosaurs at the research center. They were closely monitored. It wasn't uncommon for them to draw blood, have tests, be examined. I knew the scientists were trying to learn and had good intentions at heart. The animal lover her in me just didn't agree with it all.

Later, I casually suggested that they invite Jake over for dinner that night. Owen shrugged his shoulders and agreed. It would be good to get to know their intern a little more. When they got home, I discreetly tried to touch up her make up, but Claire commented that she had a lot of lip gloss on.

Owen opened up the grill and started throwing on burgers and hot dogs. Jake arrived after six o'clock with a fruit salad. I smiled as I took it from him and put it in the fridge. Claire began to ask him about where he was from as she prepared the corn for the grill. He was from Indiana originally and had owned many reptiles as pets growing up. He had an older sister. No girlfriend.

Soon, we were eating out on the porch, making more small talk as the adults enjoyed a beer. I sipped my Diet Coke and tried to interject something witty or intelligent periodically. The plus side to being around mostly adults all my life was that I knew how to talk to them. I guess that made me mature? Though Owen and Claire had to remind me not to roll their eyes at them.

After I helped clear the dishes, I invited Jake to go for a walk down to the creek with me. Claire would have a cheesecake ready when we returned. I was walking too fast, almost tripping on a tree root as we walked towards the raptor nest. When we came to the tree, I stood by and looked up proudly at the two babies.

"Gamma and Delta," I told him, beaming. Jake just looked at them, fascinated for several moments. One of them croaked and tilted its head to the side, interested in this new creature.

"Hey, fellas," he cooed at them, reaching his hand up to touch one of them. He stroked at Gamma with the back of his pointer finger. Gamma didn't seem to mind. Jake reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small container. He had brought some meat from the research center. After opening it, he gave half to me. I held my hand up to Delta and he hungrily gobbled it up. His brother did the same.

"They look pretty healthy to me," he commented. "What have you been feeding them?"

"Mostly worms and bugs," I told him. "Do you think you can get more of that meat?"

He nodded and leaned in to look more closely. "Have they been walking around?"

"I don't think they've been down," I told him. He reached up and gently scooped up Delta. Jake set him down carefully on the forest floor. The little creature leaned down and began sniffing around. Jake did the same with Gamma. They made trilling sounds at each other as they began to explore the environment. Both were so tiny. It was hard to think of them as vicious predators that would one day grow big enough to eat me.

They jumped and nipped at each other, seeming to play and get their balance. We both watched in amazement, marveling at each and every movement like proud parents. They played for a good ten minutes, then we figured we'd better get back to the cabin.

I felt badly asking Jake to keep the babies secret from my parents. If anyone would understand and also know what to do to help, it was him.

That night, I laid in bed reading when I heard Claire clear her throat outside my curtain. There wasn't really a way to knock around here, so making some sort of noise was the way to announce your presence.

"Yeah?" I asked, marking my page. Claire came in and sat on my bed. She had that look on her face like she needed to talk to me. I braced myself for a parental talk.

"Jake's a real nice guy, isn't he?" She asked me, not really looking at me.

"Yeah," I agreed, my voice showing my suspicion as to her intentions. "Why?"

"You know, when I was your age, I had a crush on one of my older brother's friends," she began, and I immediately felt mortified. "And you know, guys in college...they're at a different maturity level. Not to say you're not mature, it's just..."

"Claire," I tried to stop her. "I am not trying to get with Jake. I just think he's really smart and I want to pick his brain."

She nodded, looking at me as if to judge my truthfulness. "Okay," she conceded. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up and get your heart broken."

"Fine," I said, wanting this conversation to end. I picked my book back up to signal her to stop talking. She gave my leg a pat and then left me alone. As soon as she had left, I put my book down and rubbed my hands over my face. Was it really that obvious? And if so, did Jake think I was some lame little kid trying to hit on him?

Mortified, I turned over on my side and let out a long breath. Being a teenager in this neck of the woods certainly wasn't easy.