by Tess Sharpe
Instead, I will be doing the taking. Of power. Of influence. Of control.
The ground flattens out as I get to the bottom of the bluff. I pass the gate, heading toward my jeep, when bang.
I jump, my arms flying over my head, but then I realize it’s not an attack.
It’s Pearl. Pearl and her hexagon Gyrosphere. She knocks it against the gate with her nose a second time, burbling when it makes the crashing noise she likes so much.
Now she bumps it with her foot, sauntering forward to hang her neck over the fence, waggling her head at me, like she wants a treat for playing so well.
And my resolve…oh, it was so strong before. No more giving—only taking. But Pearl’s looking at me like she remembers me from the first time I nudged the Gyrosphere toward her, like she knows I gave her a gift, and it’s so hard to turn away.
It’s impossible not to move forward.
She bends her neck down to me until her head is almost level with mine.
I reach out, scared and grieving, and as her eyes meet mine and my fingers stroke the rough skin of her snout, I feel it—the thing I thought I’d lost.
That spark. That wonder. That miracle. It’s small, but it’s steady.
It’s her and it’s me and there’s nothing else. Dinosaur and human, both reaching across the eons, desperate for some kind of connection.
“Hey, funny girl.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A book always takes a village, or in this case, a very clever Raptor pack. Writing this book was a dream come true, and I owe many people thanks for their hard work, attention, and care.
My most grateful thanks must go to:
My agent, Jim McCarthy, who had no idea what a gift he was giving me with this project when he asked, “Hey, do you write sci-fi?” Thank you for always seeing the potential in me.
This book’s inimitable editor, Rachel Poloski, who encouraged me every step of the way and helped me add such richness to the characters.
The wonderful Kurt Estes, whose extensive insight and spot-on instincts were so valuable to this entire process.
The whole team at Universal, for all their notes and support.
Bryce Dallas Howard, who embodies Claire on-screen with power, grace, and smarts and whose performance was hugely inspirational in creating teen Claire’s voice and viewpoint.
The cover artist, Shane Rebenschied, and the cover designer, Megan McLaughlin, whose combined talents created an absolutely perfect cover.
Most grateful thanks to the eagle eyes of copy editors Colleen Fellingham and Alison Kolani.
Elizabeth May, who always pushes me to be my best and boldest.
My mother, Laurie, whose long game of naming me after a scientist finally paid off with this book and the Tesla/Edison joke. Thank you for indulging my preteen archaeology obsession so much.
My dear friends who put up with me being very mysterious about this project for several months before I could tell anyone: Charlee Hoffman, Paul Krueger, Dahlia Adler, Sharon Morse, Jess Capelle, Kelly Edgeington Stultz, EK Johnston.
Special thanks to the friends who I grew up with in various fandoms, especially Franny Gaede and Mercedes Marks. Sometimes, all the fanfic you wrote as a teenager does pay off.
My husband, who luckily finds me charming when I run around our homestead pretending to be a dinosaur. I love you and thank you for building endless fires as I wrote this book through the winter.
And finally, so many thanks to the Jurassic fandom and all the fans of Claire Dearing, who love her just as much as I do, and whose enthusiasm had a hand in this book’s creation.
Rowan Price
Born in a mountain cabin to a punk-rocker mother, Tess Sharpe grew up in rural northern California. She lives deep in the backwoods with a pack of dogs and a growing colony of formerly feral cats. She is the author of Barbed Wire Heart and the critically acclaimed YA novel Far from You. She is also the co-editor of Toil & Trouble, a feminist anthology about witches.
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