Disclaimer: I don't own Max Ride.

Chapter 8

"Are you two ok?" Dr. Ride (female) looked concernedly at us.

"Yeah?" Max frowned, playing confused, "Why?"

"We heard some yelling, like kids having a fight..." Dr. Ride (male) started but he stopped when I shook my head frowning. Funny how both Drs. Ride believed me, but not their first child, even if she was adopted.

"So nothing attacked you..." Dr. Ride (female) looked relieved. We both shook our heads.

Dr. Ride (male) frowned, "Young man, you really need to cut that hair of yours before you go to school." I frowned, shook my head and mimed pulling my hair up in a ponytail.

"No way," max's mom agreed, "That's definitely getting cut, today." I sighed and headed for the exit, this was going to be a long shopping trip.

"See Fang?" Max snickered at as we sat in the backseat of the Rides' black Sienna, "Hair cuts are pretty cool, aren't they?"

"I will bite you..." I threatened her softly, glaring at her. Beside me, Ari giggled at us. I swear that kid is as evil as his sister, even if they weren't related.

"Max, don't tease him," Dr. Ride (f) turned in her seat. Max nodded solemnly and her mom back turned around to face the road. I grinned at Max devilishly, I'd won this one.

Outside the car, the wind had really picked, I was tempted to roll down the window and let the wind blow through my, now too short, hair.

The hair dressers had commented bitterly about the condition of my hair, apologising profusely as their comb hitched in a knot, which there a lot of. When they were done, they asked Max's mom heaps of questions; mainly why she hadn't touched my hair in 10 years.

"I got adopted 5 weeks ago," I said icily, "If you think hair conditions are the worst thing, go ask Sister Abrilla from St. Helens boarding home what her punishments were." Then I took one last look in the mirror, running my hand through my black hair, it stuck up in all direction and it looked like it could puncture a balloon; the hair at the back of my head, was longer than at the front so I looked like 'Shadow' from Sonic the Hedgehog.

"It fits you," Max had been watching me as I ran my finger through the top of my hair repeatedly.

"Thanks..." I muttered softly.

"We're home..." Max's dad, I like to call him Jeb in my head, called playfully.

"Yay!" Max and Ari responded. I did a silent, one-man Mexican wave.

"How long do you expect me to pay for the expenses of a child that's not mine!?" Jeb's voice floated through the parents' closed bedroom door.

"Until he can fend for himself!" Max's mom's voice replied hotly, "You'd never believe you were the one who brought him to the house at the dead of night!"

"He looked like he was going to die, Valencia. You wanted me to just leave him there!?"

"Well now what do you want to do, drop him after promising him a school life, a safe home, siblings!?" There was then a period of silence. I froze mid-step on my way to the kitchen, thinking I had been found out.

"We'll scare the kids; I'm going to make dinner..." mom's (as she had insisted I call her that and Max's mom is hard and long to say and think) voice sounded like it was coming closer.

"Don't run away from this! Valencia!" Jeb's voice shocked me, it reminded me way too much of the gardener's voice back at St. Helens. I swear that man was in league with Sister Abrilla. But then again, I did sneak around the garden a lot...

I slid down the banister as quickly as I could; it was almost impossible to get around this house soundlessly, unless you could fly. So I do my best; the best time was when Max and I got from our rooms to the dinner table in 2 seconds flat. We nearly gave mom a heart attack.

"What's going on?" Max asked as I walked towards her, "You're grinning like a loon."

"Tell you later," I whispered as mom came down the stairs, looking flustered.

"Are you okay, mom?" Max and I asked; we had gotten used to acting as twins, finishing each other's sentences, speaking as one, the works.

"I'm fine..." She gave us a forced smile, "Who wants to help me with dinner." No-one said a word.

"Well I guess that's us..." I mutter, following her into the kitchen, Max on my tail.

"So?" Max sat beside me on my bed in our room, "What did you hear today...?"

"How did you know?" I asked, shocked.

"You clamed up as soon as mom came down the stairs and mom and dad won't even look at each other..." Max supplied. "So you heard them arguing. What did they say?"

I sighed it relayed the conversation to Max, flawlessly; if I do say so myself. By the time I was finished, Max was crying. Like, seriously hard. Her entire body shook and she didn't sound like she was breathing properly.

"Um...Max?" I asked gently putting my hand on her far shoulder. She looked at me sadly, her breathing still ragged. My mind raced for something to say. Survival instincts!

"Deep breaths..." I supplied, "In... Out... In... Out..." As soon as Max was breathing properly again, she tackled me with a hug.

"What are we going to do?!" she sounded extremely vulnerable and weak. When I didn't respond, she looked up and seemed to remember who she was talking to.

"S –sorry," she stammered, releasing my from the bear hug she had put me in.

"S'okay," I patted her on the shoulder softly, "That's what family is there for."

"What is this, a soap opera?" Jeb stood in the open doorway of Max's room, looking like Dr. Evil.

I glared at him putting Max behind me. Jeb laughed harder, bending backwards like an evil scientist before stopping abruptly. Alright, which idiot gave him the happy juice?

Grabbing Max's hand, I stormed the door, attempting to push past our 'blockade'. Jeb pushed me back roughly, nearly knocking me into Max.

"You're not going anywhere..." Jeb grinned like a maniac.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked, "Try me..." Jeb squared his feet like a boxer, swinging his arms about him like a gorilla. (Jeb the jerk Gorilla-Boxer... nice)

"Che..." I letting go of Max's hand and smirking. I jumped as he made a swipe for my head, my feet clearing his hand. Stretching out my legs, I kicked him in his face, my bare heel hitting his forehead, then, by swinging on the sill of the window above the door; I gave him a Fang Mega-head Slam. (I turned and caught his head in between my knees and, using both our weights, slammed him face first into the wooden floor)

Max looked up at me, terrified.

"Sorry..." I said softly.

"That was awesome!" Max grinned at me.

"Thanks..." I said taken aback.

"Mom?!" Max and I took turns yelling the word as we went down the stairs. We stopped abruptly as we heard Ari crying in the kitchen. It was a race to get there but in the end it was a tie. Max and I barged into the kitchen to see Ari crying bitterly next to our mother, who lay unconscious on the floor.

I didn't Max as good a fighter as Fang cuz i figured since she'd been adopted earlier than him, she was used to the good life.
Anyway, thx 4 reading & plz reveiw.

-S