“Rogue, are you okay?” Olivia asked, her face creased with concern.
Rogue swallowed hard on the knot in her throat, but she managed a tremulous smile. “I’m fine. Just surprised, that’s all.”
“Are you sure? You look a little pale,” Olivia said.
“I’m alright, I promise,” Rogue said, her smile intensifying. She quickly placed the squashed slice of bread down on her plate and wiped her fingers free of butter and jam. The last thing she needed was more questions.
“Oh, good. You had me worried there for a minute,” Olivia said with a sigh of relief.
“I’m tougher than I look,” Rogue said. She pushed the lingering echos of fear away and picked up her knife and fork. With resolute determination, she cut into the egg and raised it to her mouth. The golden yolk oozed over her tongue, and she fought the urge to gag.
Olivia stared at her with eager expectation. “Did I make it right? You used to like them sunny-side-up as a child.”
“It’s delicious.” Rogue forced herself to swallow and take a second bite. She couldn’t bear to see her mother disappointed after all the effort she’d gone to.
“I’m glad to hear that. You’re going to need your energy today. Especially with the outing I’ve arranged for you,” Olivia said.
“Outing?” Rogue asked with a sense of foreboding. “What outing?”
“Oh, I’m quite sure you’ll love it,” Olivia said, leaning forward in her chair.
“What is it?” Rogue pressed.
“We’re going egg hunting today,” Olivia cried.
Rogue stared at her mother without blinking. Her fingers curled around the knife and fork until her knuckles turned white. A hysterical giggle bubbled up her throat and threatened to burst free. “Egg hunting?”
“Exactly. It’s a lot of fun, just you wait and see,” Olivia explained. “You’ll get to meet a few people, maybe even make some friends…”
Her mother’s excited babbling faded into the background while Rogue struggled to finish her food. She was no longer hungry, and her stomach churned at the thought of going after more eggs. It seems I can’t escape the stupid things, no matter what I do. Karma can be a real bitch sometimes.
Chapter 4
After breakfast, Rogue helped Olivia to clear the table and wash the dirty dishes. She didn’t mind the work. It kept her hands busy and enabled her to keep her head down. One look at her expression and Olivia would know something was wrong.
“This is something we do once a year,” Olivia explained as she dried a plate with a rough cloth. “When the eggs are almost ready to hatch, we harvest a bunch and bring them back here to raise.”
“Raise?” Rogue asked with disbelief. “You raise dinosaurs?”
“Of course, we do. We couldn’t survive without them, and it’s much safer than hunting the creatures out in the wild. Too much can go wrong.”
“Safer?” Rogue repeated in a faint voice. Her mind filled with the images of little T-rexes and Utahraptors running around the camp, and she shuddered. “How can it possibly be safer?”
“We only raise herbivores, obviously. The smaller varieties like the Zuniceratops, the Parksosaurus, and the Stegoceras,” Olivia said. “We keep them inside a few of the old animal enclosures. They’re quite secure, I promise.”
Rogue grimaced. She’d already had a close encounter with the territorial Zuniceratops. The feisty beasts nearly killed her that morning in the van. She’d barely escaped with her life. Raising them like farm animals was almost beyond her ability to fathom.
Olivia eyed her with shrewd intensity. “You haven’t had much experience with the outside world, have you?”
“No, I haven’t. Nobody in Prime has except for the raiding and hunting parties. The rest of us never set foot outside the walls. It’s forbidden.”
“I couldn’t imagine living like that,” Olivia murmured. “Shut away from nature forever.”
“Prime is different, I guess. We all lived in fear. We still do, I suppose,” Rogue said with a somber shake of the head. “It’s not like this…place at all.”
“We call it the Zoo, sweetie. That’s what it used to be, and that’s what it still is, in a way,” Olivia said.
“Uh-huh, and you call yourselves the Exiles?” Rogue asked.
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“Because we were taken from our homes and sent here,” Olivia explained. “Whether by accident or intent, we live in exile.”
“I suppose that’s true,” Rogue said, staring at her hands immersed in the soapy water. “So, the egg hunting thing. Tell me more.”
“It’s simple, really. Long ago, we discovered an open field where the herbivores gather together to make their nests. Once a year, we raid those nests and collect as many eggs as we can carry.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Rogue asked.
“It can be if you’re not careful,” Olivia said. “But we haven’t had a serious injury or death in years. Ric always leads the party, and he never takes any chances.”
“What about predators? Raptors? Won’t they hang around such a big gathering of herbivores?” Rogue said.
“The field is very sheltered. The river runs along one side with a cliff and a waterfall on the other. It’s not that easy for predators to approach, especially when faced by a whole herd of aggressive mama’s,” Olivia explained.
“Yeah, that’s another thing. What about the parents? They’re not just going to stand by while we run off with their eggs, are they?” Rogue said.
“Oh, we’re cautious. We make sure to stay downwind and hidden at all times. It’s a snatch and grab operation,” Olivia said.
Rogue chewed on her bottom lip. The whole thing seemed outlandish to her. “Er…sounds like fun.”
Olivia turned to her, her expression serious. “Look, Lillian. I’ll understand if you don’t want to go. This must seem very daunting to you.”
“It’s not that. I can handle fear. Going over the wall was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I survived. I mean, I almost died, but…” Rogue said with a small laugh. “Here I am. Alive and kicking despite the best efforts of several varieties of dinosaurs.”
“What is it then?” Olivia asked.
“I’m a little overwhelmed, that’s all,” Rogue said, unwilling to admit her
