I awoke the next day to the sounds of birds chirping outside my slightly opened window.  After rubbing at the sleep in my eyes, I rolled over and let my feet find the floor.  I pushed my privacy curtain to the side and yawned.  After a visit to the bathroom, I walked to the kitchen just as Owen was getting out of bed.  As he pushed the curtain aside, I could see Claire's bare legs on the bed behind him.  Our eyes met and I quickly looked away.  Double gross.

I filled the kettle with water and got out two mugs from the cupboard, our usual morning routine.  I found the box of Rice Krispies and saw Owen get out a third mug for Claire.

I decided to address the elephant in the room.  "How long is she staying here?"

Owen dropped a tea bag into each of the mugs.  "Not sure," he told me. "I think Claire just wants to be around us for a while."

"Aren't you going to sleep on the couch?" I asked pointedly, confused as to why he was all of a sudden a Claire fan again.

He looked at me before reaching for a granola bar.  "That's not your business, Maisie," he told me.  I sighed and started to pour my cereal.  The thought of them together while I was just across the room was repulsive.

After pouring the milk, I sat down at the small table with my cereal.  I ate quietly as Owen poured the tea, bringing them to the table when they were ready.  Claire got up and joined me at the table.

"Morning," she smiled at me. I mumbled a good morning back. Owen sat down with us and I could sense them exchange a silent look.

"Maisie," Claire began. "I know this might be confusing for you," she began.

"I don't care," I quickly cut her off, not even looking up. "Do what you want."

Claire paused before continuing. "I just wanted to say this doesn't mean anything is permanent," she said. "I'm just really freaked out right now and I'd like to be around you and Owen."

"You mean Owen," I corrected her. I looked up and could tell she was uncomfortable.

"No, I mean both of you," she lied, wrapping her hands around her mug.

I always felt like I seemed like an annoyance to Claire.  I was a problem she'd inherited.  It's not that she wanted me around; it's that there was nowhere else for me to go. The fact that she thought she could tell me what to do was aggravating. She wasn't my mother, thank goodness.  She was probably counting down the months when I could go off to college. If she could, she'd send me away to boarding school in an instant.

"Whatever," I told her, shoving one last spoonful into my mouth.  I got up before she could continue the conversation. After rinsing my bowl out in the sink, I went back to my corner and quickly changed. Before anyone could ask me where I was going, I was out the back door heading toward the nest.

After checking over my shoulder, I climbed up the tree where I'd made the new nest. Both eggs were still there, still intact. I had no idea what the incubation period would be, since I didn't know what they were. Thinking of Jake, I snapped a picture of them and tucked my phone in my pocket again. Before I was gone too long, I returned home and started to get my things together.

The three of us drove into work mostly silently. Once we'd arrived at the research center, I bolted straight for the coffee shop.  I ordered my usual and then set up my laptop at a table, hoping Jake might come by. Sure enough, 15 minutes later he waved to me as he joined the line.

After getting his latte, he joined me at my table for a chat. "More geometry today?" He asked me.

"I'm afraid so," I told him. "But axioms are making much better sense to me. Thanks again."

"Of course," he told me.

"Umm..Jake? Can I ask you something, just between us?" I chanced. Jake seemed pretty trustworthy and not the kind of adult who would blab to Owen and Claire. He leaned forward on his elbows.

"Of course," he said. "What's up?"

"Promise you won't tell Owen or Claire?" I checked as I pulled out my phone.

"Cross my heart," he told me.  I opened up my photo album and pulled up the picture of the dinosaur eggs.

"Can you tell what these might be?" I asked, showing him the photo.

He took the phone from me and narrowed his eyes. "It's hard to tell," he told me. "Where'd you find these? In the new sanctuary space?"

I realized this could possibly be a deal-breaker. "No," I said as he zoomed into the eggs. "In the forest behind our house."

Jake stopped and looked at me. "Really?"

I nodded. Most dinos that had gotten out had since been captured, so it was getting more and more rare to find them out in the wild. Still, it happened. Whenever it did, Owen and Claire were the ones who got the call. They were almost always relocated to the sanctuary.

"Well, they need to be transferred to-"

"No," I cut him off, taking the phone back. "I-I want to see them hatch. I want to see what they are."

Jake looked at me, skeptical. "But Maisie, they could be snatched up by anything. They're not safe out in the wild."

"I built them a nest high up in a tree," I showed him the picture again. "Look."

I could tell Jake wasn't comfortable with this. Maybe I had made a mistake by telling him.

"Jake, as soon as they hatch I'll bring them in," I told him. "I promise."

"Maisie, they're not toys," he told me, his voice serious. "They're not pets."

"I know that," I told him. "I just-"

Owen interrupted us, walking in to get his own caffeine. "Hey!"

I quickly tucked my phone into my pocket. "Did you get caught in her net again?"

I gave Owen a look, telling him not to embarrass me. To him, I was still just a little kid.

"Not at all," Jake said, standing up. "She's a lot of fun to talk to. She's got a good head on her shoulders."

"I like to think so," Owen agreed, giving me a wink. His attention gone, Jake turned to Owen as they started talking about an upcoming meeting they had that morning. Jake was fully vested in helping to get the new sanctuary approved. I hoped this meant he would be staying around longer.

They seemed to forget I was there as they continued their conversation. Both began to wander towards the stairs and I thought they were just going to leave without even saying goodbye. They finished up whatever they were talking about and Owen started to walk away. Jake walked back and leaned in to tell me quietly, "Text me a picture of those eggs and I'll see what I can find out."

I gave him my phone number and he sent me a text so I could add him to my contacts. My heart fluttered, amazed that I had finally gotten his digits. But I needed to play things cool.

It was finally Saturday, meaning I didn't have to do any school stuff. I slept in and awoke to Owen and Claire sitting on the couch, her legs up in his lap.  Ugghhh.

I ignored the sight and put the kettle on to make myself some tea and cereal. It was a beautiful day and I needed to check on my eggs. Claire asked if I wanted to go hiking later and I declined. I didn't particularly want to watch them together. After scarfing down my breakfast, I wandered outside with my hiking boots.

As I approached the nest, I could hear sounds.  Like, little croaks. I approached slowly. As I did, I noticed little pieces of shell on the forest floor. My heartrate picked up as I climbed the tree and found that both eggs had cracked open! Sitting there, squawking were two baby dinosaurs. Raptors, as best I could tell.

"Hi there," I cooed to them, reaching out a finger. One of them tilted its head and looked curious. I managed to gently touch its neck with my finger. It was bumpy and scaly.

I'm sure they were hungry but I had no idea what to feed them. Worms, maybe? I took out my phone and snapped a picture of them, then hopped down. I knelt down on the ground and started digging around in the soil. Soon, I found a few earthworms. I carried them back to the nest and carefully held them over the raptor's mouths. They gobbled them up quickly and seemed to want more.

I texted Jake and asked what else I should feed them. Instead of texting back, he called.

"Jake!" I answered, trying to hide my excitement. "Aren't they amazing? I think they're raptors."

"They most definitely are," he agreed. "And they're in very delicate condition. We need to get them to the research station and into an incubator."

My heart dropped a little. They'd just been born and I wanted some time with them to myself. They'd become science experiments as soon as they arrived.

"Can't they stay a little longer?" I asked, petting the second raptor on the head.

"No, Maisie," he told me immediately. "They need way more help than you can give them."

I sighed loudly. "Well, can't you at least tell me what else to feed them?"

"Insects, earthworms, anything small enough to eat whole really," he told me.

"How much?" I asked.

"As much as they want," he answered. "They're gonna be pretty hungry. Maisie, I need you to go tell Owen and Claire about this right now."

I thought Jake might be different; he might not treat me like a kid. I'd worked with dinosaurs for years now. I knew a little bit about them.

"Why?" I asked, trying not to sound whiny.

"Because you're in over your head," he said, sounding a bit incredulous. I promised him I would, but I didn't tell him when.