This is my third chapter, folks. Thanks to It'sonlyforever for reviewing. As for the rest of you, REVIEW DAMN IT!

I do not own Max Ride. However I do own the character of Heather, and all her freakish but awesome ways.

Chapter Three: Bonding

'Okay Heather, now you're part of the flock you have to tell us about yourself.' I stared at her. Who did she think she was, ordering me about like that?

'Right, one thing about me is that I don't do the whole bonding thing. I just don't.'

She glared at me, her annoyingly perfect nose wrinkled. 'Surely you can tell us something about yourself?'

I looked at her in distaste. I didn't much like her, or trust her. I was out of place in this mutated flock. But there was something about them; maybe it was the fact that we were all outcasts, both socially and physically. That's right, there's something I haven't told you.

'Okay then. I was born fifteen years ago; in a small Welsh town called Chepstow. My father was a doctor, and I loved him loads. My mum worked in an office. We were happy, wealthy, safe. Then the cancer came.'

We were seated around a small campfire toasting bread, and I could see the interest on all of their faces. Even Fang seemed slightly curious about what happened next. I was pretty sure they wouldn't like it when they heard it.

'My father was enough of a doctor to know that this was a cancer he couldn't survive. So he set up a fund for us, trying to save up as much money as he could for us to live. When I was eight, my father died. He was thirty-five years old.' I saw tears in Nudge's eyes, and the monkey had his arm round his sister. Wait till the heard the rest of it. 'I was horrified when he died. They all told me it was going to happen, but somehow I thought it would all be okay. I was a good student, but at the time of his death my grades shot down. I just didn't care anymore.

'My mum had enough to live on, and after a while we began to put our lives back together. That was until four years ago. The year my mum met Steve, and I went up to the local comprehensive. I knew Steve was trouble as soon as I met him. There was something slimy about him.

'He always acted charming around my mother, however, and within a year they were married. I was devastated, and I spent all my time here in the woods. That's when the abuse started. He would beat my mum every now and again when she'd done something wrong, like talk to other men or just leave the house. He became more and more possessive. He burned through my father's trust fund, and forbade his name to be spoken in the house.

'I was bullied at school, but I learnt to look after myself. Then, one day, Steve tried to rape me.' I saw the horror on all their faces, and felt a tiny shred of sadness within me.

'What did you do?' This was Nudge, her back pressed against a tree. Her face was very white.

'I escaped. That night, I took a beer bottle out of the bin and smashed it.' I felt a twisted smile come to my face. 'I snuck up to his room, and stabbed him in the leg. Of course, he woke up, and hit me. He never tried to rape me again. Instead he hit me, and whipped me. You think you had it bad? At least you had each other. I was all alone. One night he was very drunk, and he put the poker in the fire. When I got home he knocked me out, and then hit my back with the poker.' I pulled up the back of my shirt and showed them the long, puckered purple scar down my back. 'Then I became a runner. I've been running for two years, and tonight I ran away.' I felt tears prickle my eyes, but I didn't cry. I haven't cried for a long time. 'But my mother is still there. Prisoner in her own home.'

'Enough bonding for you?' I turned to Max, and she nodded, white faced. Geez, who thought such an action girl would be so squeamish.

'Thanks for that, Heather.' I shrugged, and looked into the fire. 'We're genetic mutants, created in a lab. We've been fighting wolf things called Erasers. I'll tell you more later.'

'Sure.'

'Okay guys,' she became the embodiment of briskness. God, what a wiener. 'What's the plan now? I think we should head north, towards Scotland. I heard there's an Itex base there.'

'Excuse me? Itex?'

'Evil scientists. You get the picture.'

'Cool.'

'Alright with you, guys?' there was a brief chorus of yes's. 'How 'bout you, Fang?' He nodded, obviously deciding that actually saying something was too much energy. 'Good. We'll sleep here.' Fang's eyes lingered on her face long after she stopped talking, and I didn't need to be a mind reader to understand what he was thinking.

Okay, here's the drill. In the hour and a half I had been with this flock it had become obvious that Fang had deep feelings for Max, whilst Max had absolutely no clue. It would have been funny, if wasn't so pathetic.

'Oh for god's sake Fang, just kiss her already!' The entire flock turned and stared at me, confusion written comically on their faces.

'What?' Asked Max.

'Never mind. Forget I said anything.' They all shrugged at each other and got on with what they were doing. You know, mind reading or flying or banana eating or whatever. However, before he left I got pleasure from the blush on Fangs face. Hah, who knew that not only did he look icy, he was also a fridge. Classic.

I wandered off to see what Iggy was doing, as he seemed the most tolerable of them. I decided to talk to him, and then try antagonizing Max. Some people are just too good to waste.

'Hey Iggy. How's blindness?'

'Dark. How's being an emotionally damaged bitch with no friends?'

'Oh, you know. Alright.' I grinned happily. Finally, someone who enjoyed insulting people as much as me. 'What ya going?'

'Building a bomb.'

'Is that normal behaviour for people around here?'

'Pretty much.'

'You know you look like an idiot when you're thinking.'

'So do you.'

'Ha, how do you know what I look like? You're blind.'

'How kind of you to notice. Hold on,' He said more quietly. 'Stand there.' He put his fingers to my face and gently ran them over my features. I found it hard not to slap him away, due to my problem with people touching me, but I sensed this was somehow important to him.

'Well, you're quite pretty,' he said with an air of finality. 'But you're nose is quite big.'

'Hey, it's not that big!'

'No, it's okay. It doesn't feel bad big. Just unusual.' And with that, he went back to his bomb.

I walked away, feeling slightly uncomfortable and dazed. What had just happened? I hadn't let anyone touch my face since my stepdad tried to rape me. Strangely Iggy touching me didn't feel wrong. It felt... comforting, and that's not a word I use lightly.

I shook my head to get rid of disquieting thoughts, and went to find Max. At least she was someone I could annoy without feeling all confused.

Well, there you go! Sorry there wasn't much action, but I had to try and get the explanations over. I won't ask you to review, as it must get annoying, but you know what'll happen if you don't. Remember: I always know where you live.