She smiled back. "Don't let my mom hear you say that. She'd hear 'cool' and try to connect with you." Her parents could be embarrassing sometimes, but she loved them. "But yeah, she worked as the head vet of this amusement park slash zoo, and my dad heads the wildlife rehabilitation clinic, also known as our barn. That's where I helped out at all the time.

"If they're here, in the pods, and they wake up, they probably wouldn't even leave this area. It wouldn't matter if they're alien animals, they're still animals." Truly, she felt the same way.