ancient chaos - zach mitchell

KAREN MITCHELL is in the driveway of their two-story suburban home loading her sons luggage into the back of their minivan. She turns and yells up at the house. "Boys, let's do this!"

Inside the house in his room, Gray is looking at slides of dinosaurs on his Viewmaster toy. He sees an Allosaurus fighting a Triceratops, then two Ray Harryhausen-animated Ceratosaurs fighting in a scene from The Animal World.

His room is filled with dinosaur and monster movie toys and posters. There's a knock on the door. "Gray?" his mom asks through the door.

She enters. "Honey, what're you doin'? What is this here?" She takes the Viewmaster away from him. "Let's go. Come on, honey your flight's in two hours." She begins counting his things.

"Dane County Airport is thirty-six minutes away, sixty with traffic." Gray says.

"How many minutes to get your little butt in the van?" she smiles. Her son smiles back.
"Hmm? How many of those?" She grabs his bag and they walk out together. "Feed the monster under your bed?"

"Yes." Gray comes charging out the front door of the house a minute later and runs obliviously past his older brother Zach who was talking to his girlfriend.

"Call me every day. And text me pics so I don't forget what you look like." she said.

"I'll only be gone a week." Zach sighs. He couldn't even remember why they got together, maybe because she's not the ugliest girl in his school. Probably that. He used to really like her, but that was before he found out that behind those good looks was the most annoying personality hiding.

In the driver's seat of the van, Scott, Gray and Zach's father, looks impatient and amused.
"Zach, you're not goin' off to war, here. Please. Come on." he yells.

Zach and his girlfriend stare into one another's eyes. "I--" "I love you." his girlfriend interrupts.
"Will see you later." he continues. She grins at his apparent inability to tell her he loves her.

"Vamanos!" his dad yells.

"Bye. Okay."

"Bye."she smiles.

Zach runs to the van as his father starts up the engine. "Comin' buddy?"

Zach's girlfriend waves to him. Everyone except her gets into the van. Karen and Scott turn and look at their boys in the backseat, particularly the sullen Zach. "I know it hurts, sweetheart." she sarcastically says.

"Are you gonna be okay?" his dad teases him.
Zach responds by putting his headphones on. And off to the airport they go.

When they get there Christmas music plays. The Mitchells are saying goodbye to their sons at the gate to get on the plane. Their mom is going over the plane ticket with Gray. "Everything right on there?" Gray nods.

"I'm so jealous. You're gonna have so much fun." she told him. Her smile and pleasant demeanor seem a little forced. "I love you."

"I love you too." He hugs her. The hug lasts a little too long. Something isn't quite right. While hugging his mother, Gray looks over at his father, and Scott seems a little uncomfortable and manages a small smile.
"Okay. Right." They stop hugging finally.

"All right, um, let's give these to your brother, okay?" She turns to hand the tickets to Zach. But he isn't paying attention. He has the hood of his jacket up over his head and his headphones blasting music into his ears.
"Can you hold these, please?" she asks.

When he doesn't respond his father yells. "Zach!"

"Can you hold these? Honey, I need you to take care of these." his mom asks him.

Finally, Zach notices and accepts them indifferently. "Yeah."

"Hey" his dad gets his attention "Listen to your mother." he says in a stern voice.

"Take care of your brother, answer your phone. I'm serious. It's the green button. When you see my name, push it, okay?" his mom explains. Zach nods absently. "And remember, if something chases you..." she pauses "...run."

Gray smiles. "Come on." she says.

"Yeah, you're funny." Zach smiles halfheartedly
"Come on, let's go." he ushers Gray along as they head to the plane.

"Bye, guys." their mom says.

"Bye." responds Zach.

"I miss you already!"

"Yep."

Once the boys are out of hearing distance, the two adults drop the act, their attitudes becoming cold.

"So much for our last family breakfast..." Scott grumbles.

"Why do you have to say things like that?" Karen asks annoyed.

Gray waves goodbye as he and Zach head through the gate to board. Karen waves back.

"Did you call your sister?" Scott asks.

Karen sighs "Straight to voicemail."

"They'll be fine. She handles twenty-thousand people a day. She can handle two more."

And so it begins.

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