THE AUDIENCE STARTED to disperse as the show ended. It took you a moment to realize that Zach was still cuddled up beside you before you stiffened and shoved him away.

"Ow! What was that for?" He frowned, stretching.

"Don't you have a girlfriend or something?" You huffed, getting to your feet.

"I did," Zach got up too, wringing out his jacket. You gave him a quizzical look that made him sigh, "I just broke up with her. She was way too clingy for my taste. Oh, and that reminds me.."

Your breath caught in your throat when Zach reached around your smaller figure and plucked his phone from your pocket.

No! I'm totally not gonna fall for a guy like him!

"Where to next?" Gray coughed, glancing between you and his brother.

"Actually, I think that's enough for today. Why don't we ride the Gyrospheres tomorrow?" You suggested with a shrug.

"Aww, fine," Gray agreed reluctantly.

"Sounds like a plan," Zach replied, crossing his arms.

"Alright, meet at the café for lunch?" You offered.

"Why not breakfast? Get an early start," Zach cocked his head to the side curiously.

Cute --

NO!

But you had to check in with Foxtrot before lunch. "I'm.. busy around breakfast time."

"With what?" Gray queried.

"With.. uh... my.. job?" You quickly tried to come up with something convincing to tell them, "Yeah. I was offered a job here, ya'know, doing behind-the-scenes stuff."

"Ooh! Can we go too?!" Gray was bouncing again.

"No!" They froze and gave you quizzical stares, "Er, I mean it's a secret."

"We won't tell anyone," Zach pressed.

"No," you said firmly, "It's my job alone. Anyways, I should head back toward the hotel."

Zach stared at you with a solid, blank expression, suspicion glowing in his eyes. Then he shook his head, "We're stayin in a hotel too. Brachio Beds, I believe?"

"Yeah, that's where I'm stayin' too. Walk together?" You asked as you exited the stadium. The sun was beginning to sink beneath the horizon, painting the sky many beautiful, pastel colors.

"Sure," Zach simply shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. It seemed to be a preference of his.

You three walked in silence. Your shoulders felt heavy and weighed with their suspicions and unspoken questions. You knew they wouldn't trust you very easily now.

Finally, the silence was broken when you made it to the hotel.

"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow," you waved goodbye and hurried to your room.

You changed into a random pair of pajamas and flopped onto your bed, not bothering with dinner, and fell asleep.

×××

You woke up to someone calling you. You rolled over with a groan and grabbed your phone.

The contact was some girl named Sophie. You didn't know a Sophie.

You frowned, trying to unlock your phone, only to realize that it wasn't your phone. You jolted up.

"Zach must have grabbed my phone by accident! Damnit, what if he sees pictures of Foxy!" You grabbed a pillow and hit yourself with it before rushing around, getting dressed as fast as you could.

Then you hurried out of your room and down the hall. You used the emergency call button on Zach's phone and dialed your number, then waited. From further down the hall, you could hear your ringtone behind one of the doors.

You followed it and knocked repeatedly on the door, waiting for someone to answer it. You heard someone groan and the pad of feet against carpet before the door opened and you came face-to-face with a sleepy Zach.

His hair was a mess and he was in a stained shirt with rocketship pajama pants.

"(Y/n)!" At the sight of you, he straightened up and combed his fingers through his unruly hair, fixing it.

"What are you doing here?" Zach asked after he finished fixing himself up a little bit.

"You're an idiot," you held out his phone, waving it in his face.

"Oh! I'm sorry," he turned to grab your phone from a dresser, "Here."

You traded phones and shared a laugh, "Anyways, I gotta get goin'. See ya later?"

"Wait, (Y/n)! Let me give you my number so that we can keep in contact."

"Oh, okay," you unlocked your phone and handed it to Zach, who created himself a contact.

Then you both parted and you scrambled toward yours and Hoskins' meeting place. You leaped into the jeep without greeting the bloated man and pulled on the straw hat.

"Someone's in a rush," Hoskins laughed as you drove away.

"What? I miss Foxy, and besides I have plans later." You responded, leaning back.

"With who?" Hoskins pried.

"Just some of my guy friends," you frowned.

"Ooh, another secret to keep from Owen~?" The man chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at you.

"Just shut up already," you huffed, crossing your arms in irritation.

Really, you couldn't stand Hoskins. He always thought he knew more about your Raptor than you, or that he was more important than you. And he thought militarizing the Velociraptors was a good idea.

What an idiot.

You arrived soon after and hopped out of the vehicle. On instinct, you located the door behind the Raptor Paddock and entered, tossing the hat aside.

You padded to the door and entered to see --

Nothing.

"WHERE IS HE?" You demanded, glaring at Hoskins with so much panic and fury.

"Relax. He was getting a little too big to be kept in that room, so we created a better pen for him." Hoskins raised his hands in surrender before leading you to a door deeper in the compound, unlocking it and opening it slowly.

Inside was a mini forest with lush foliage and an open roof.

"Wow, this is a big upgrade," you stated as Hoskins closed the door behind you both.

"We knew our V.I.R. needed the best of the best," Hoskins chuckled, "Get it? V.I.R.; Very Important Raptor?"

You waved his joke aside and whistled, calling for your boy.

Bushes nearby rustled and a speckled snout materialised from the shadows of the leaves. He emerged from the shrubbery, his lips pealed back and his head held high. His slitted eyes landed on Hoskins with a firm glare before settling on you.

Foxtrot bobbed his head with a few chirps, approaching you casually. He was abnormally large -- much larger than the day before.

"What's happening to him?" You asked Hoskins.

"Our researchers believe that since his DNA has some frog, the quick growth of the frogs have affected his own growth." He explained.

"So he's gonna grow really fast? Does that mean he has a shorter lifespan??" You gasped.

"No, just that he'll reach his full height faster than normal; it doesn't affect his lifespan."

"Okay, good."

Foxtrot was about a foot taller than you now, and he had to crane his neck down to press his forehead against yours.

"Hey, Foxy,"  you smiled and pulled away.

The striped Velociraptor backed up a little ways, settling onto his haunches and waving his tail side-to-side. He reminded you of a playful dog.

"Wanna play? Is that it?" You laughed, diving at him playfully.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and used your momentum to drag him to the ground. He rolled with you and climbed to his feet, taking you with him.

He lifted you off of your own feet and shook himself violently, flinging you off. Then he stalked toward your downed form, teeth bared, claws extended.

Fear began to sink in when you realized you had pissed him off. You tried crawling backwards, only to have his clawed foot rest on your leg.

Foxtrot continued to advance until his teeth were inches from your face, his disgusting breath enveloping you.

Your hands trembled as you closed your eyes, afraid that your best friend would actually kill you.

But, instead of pain, you felt something large and warm plop into your lap. You hesitantly opened your eyes to see Foxtrot's head resting on your stomach, his slitted eyes soft.

"I knew you wouldn't hurt me, Foxy!" You scratched his head and he growled, making you laugh.