The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 01

***** Writer's Preface *****

The characters in this story are 18 years old, despite starting their senior year of high school. Andrew was held back a grade by his parents for reasons that can be deduced from the story, and the female lead missed a year of school due to events from her past which come to light in later chapters.

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

***** Washington *****

Dave Williams whistled idly to himself as he skillfully navigated his family through the twisting and turning roads of the Olympic National Rain Forest. The joy of the drive was plainly visible on his chiseled face. Michelle Williams reclined in the passenger seat, a large folder open with numerous documents and pictures scattered across her lap. Closing the folder, she tucked it into a bag on the floor before stretching her athletic body with a large and loud yawn. Looking over at Dave, a grin spread across her face as she watched him happily drive through the national park.

Turning, she looked into the rainforest, her window a portal into a world of green moss and trees both ancient and new. She was taken aback by the overwhelming sense of life as she watched the trees zip past her window. "It is impossible to get any work done. I mean seriously, have you seen this?" She again turned to her husband, an excited smile on her face.

Dave ran a hand through his short blond hair while smiling at his wife, years of love and a bit of mischief written in his brown eyes. "Yeah, this forest really is something out of one those fantasy movies Andrew likes."

Michelle looked at her son in the back seat. "We should be getting pretty close by now, you excited to start your last year of high school Andrew?"

Andrew was, as usual, laid out on the seat, his face buried in one of his many role-playing books. Countless volumes were carefully arranged on the floor, numerous post-its and dog ears visible in each and every book. Looking up from behind his book at his mother, Andrew sensed her excitement and somehow it made his frustration feel all the more pressing and real.

"Yeah, this is going to be super amazing," Andrew tried to sound sincere but sarcasm dripped from every syllable.

Michelle and Dave shared glances, both having dreaded this reaction. Dave tried the direct approach. "I know these moves are difficult for you Andrew. Things could be different this time."

Andrew rolled his eyes and sat up in the back seat. "Yeah, Dad, I'm sure I will fit in perfectly at this school. I will be captain of the chess club, the cheerleaders won't be able to stop thinking about me, and the jocks will all envy my rippling muscles. The only problem I need to figure out is whether to get lobster or foie gras from the cafeteria."

Dave looked at his son through the rear view mirror. Andrew was 5'1" and 90 pounds, which for a 13 year old would be almost ideal, but Andrew was 18. He was exceptionally skinny with no fat, and few muscles to be seen. Andrew kept his light golden-blond hair short and unkempt, letting it flow wild and free, giving him kind of a mad scientist look that Dave found somehow appropriate for the man he knew his son to be.

Dave was immediately reminded that he had no way to relate to his son. Having always been athletic, Dave was gifted with a large, muscular physique. Captain of every sport he had ever played, and highest performing member of every military unit he had been posted to, success just seemed to come naturally to him. He knew that for his son life was different. The fact that Michelle and he were highly sought after assets for the military meant that Andrew had been dragged from school to school a couple of times each year, never able to fully find his place in the world.

Michelle sensed the change in her husband's mood and decided to try flanking the problem. "Listen, I know the last few schools have been pretty rough, and we can't guarantee that this one is going to be any better. The only thing that we can guarantee is that this time you will have the full school year to try and make a life for yourself here." She smiled at her son, seeing that he was at least considering what she said.

Andrew knew his parents had risked their careers to give him this opportunity. When the brass had decided to deploy them to Washington, his parents had threatened to take an early retirement so that Andrew could stay at the same school for his senior year. Andrew knew they oversaw construction and security for military bases but hadn't fully realized how valuable his parents were, not until the military prevented their retirement by giving them a hefty financial incentive and a contract guaranteeing that they would be on this assignment for no less than one year.

"Well, hopefully this time it won't take so long for the bullies to get bored pushing me into walls and to just leave me alone." Andrew looked sad, but both parents saw a glimmer of hope on his face.

They both admired their son, for such a small boy, his will and sense of self was stronger than anyone they had ever known.

***** Home Sweet Home *****

Later that day the Williams drove down a long stretch of unpaved road that ended at a small green single-story house. The house looked old but well maintained with strong siding, and shutters on all the windows. Michelle and Dave had purchased the house and the 60 acres of land it sat on for what they thought was a steal. As the family parked and slowly exited their car they realized just how isolating and inconvenient this could actually be. The real estate agent had warned them that the previous owners had lived pretty far off the grid, and outside of a small propane generator to run the fridge and water pump, the house looked every bit as rustic as the real estate agent had promised.

Thankfully the forest had been cleared back at least two acres in all directions which caused the area around the house to be bright and oddly inviting. The sky was clear and the sun felt great as they all smiled and stretched after the long drive. Happily they shook out their limbs and breathed in the surprisingly fresh air. Dave dug his phone out of his pocket and checked the time.

"Let's unload these bags, open this place up and then head back to Quinault Lake. It would be good to get our bearings a bit. Andrew, once you choose a room, take a look around and figure out what we need to do to this place."

Andrew was all too familiar with this routine and dreaded the list of improvements that would either be necessary or valuable for them to make. Like his father, he enjoyed routine and knew his part of this little dance all too well. "Yeah, all right, Dad. I know we have this discussion every time we move, but why do you make me choose a room when we all know you and Mom are just going to give me the biggest bedroom in this hovel? Did I say hovel? I meant 'house,'" Andrew said, ending with finger quotes.

Michelle laughed. "Hovel seems about right, but it's important that you choose your room. We are going to be spending most of our time overseeing construction of the new facility which means you will be home alone a lot. We just want you to be comfortable and..." She trailed off as she looked around at the shockingly dense forest, "feel safe. Are there bears? Do we need to worry about bears? Why didn't anyone look into bears!?!" She sounded frantic as she finished. Dave rushed over and wrapped her in his arms.

"We did look into them, sweetie. We will all be safe from bears, I promise," he said soothingly while rubbing her back.

Dave never understood this side of his wife. He had seen her subdue armed men twice her size without fear, but wild animals made her unravel, and he now knew that her fear seemed to grow with the size of the wild animal.

Andrew grabbed a military issue rucksack full of his clothes from the trunk, with the knowledge that his bags of books were just too heavy and could require multiple trips. He took the keys from his father and patted his mother's shoulder supportively before walking up to the house. Unlocking the door was simple, but after a few failed attempts to push it open he set his bag down and appraised the door anew. Certain that it was fully unlocked, he again turned the handle and pushed but the dark green door just stood there mockingly. He was preparing to run his shoulder into it when his father came up beside him.

"Here, let me get that." Taking the handle firmly, Dave pushed the door open with a single jerk of his shoulder. Without slowing down, Andrew's father walked into the house carrying his duffel on his back and his wife's duffel in his left hand. Dave strode to the center of the living room and dropped his wife's bag which landed with a pronounced thud.

"I loosened it for you," Andrew said half jokingly, half frustrated.

"Thanks." His father nodded and casually looked around the living room. There were multiple shuttered windows and a large fireplace that dominated the far wall.

Andrew picked up his rucksack and idly thought about how integral the military was to his entire life, even when it came to how he packed. He then remembered that the rucksack was free and allowed him to buy more books. Smiling, he walked into the small house. From the entrance he could see all of it. Kitchen, check. Living room, check. Down a hallway there were doors leading to the master bedroom, the two extra bedrooms, and a shared bath.

Stopping next to his mother's duffle bag, he saw a pantry just off the kitchen. A few cans and various dry goods were still on the shelves and he shuddered at the thought of what was in those cans. Spotting a closet he looked around and confirmed that he had seen everything. "Ummm, where is the laundry?"

Dave had started opening windows and unlatching the shutters when a deep chuckle rumbled in his broad chest. "You remember that stream we passed about-"

"Sweet zombie Jesus, you have got to be kidding me!" Andrew interjected as his mother came into the house laughing and carrying his two bags of books.

"Hey, sweetie, do you think he is ready for the best part?" she asked her husband with a knowing smile.

Dave had to think for a second before he started seriously laughing. Looking at his wife with a loving wink, he said, "Nope, but you deserve to tell him."

Andrew shot worried glances from parent to parent while he struggled in vain to figure out what was so funny. Settling on his mother he waited, a pleading expression on his face.

"Did you happen to see a water heater anywhere around here, Andrew?"

"Fuck this!" Andrew threw his bag down before storming out of the house followed by the sounds of his parents unrestrained laughter.

Michelle called out to Andrew, "Have you decided which room you want?"

"I choose the closet," Andrew screamed back in anger.

"Master bedroom it is," his mother responded as she slung one of his bags of books over her shoulder before picking up his rucksack full of clothes and carrying everything into the master bedroom.

***** Power Play *****

The next few days were busy for the Williams family. Andrew compiled a list of renovations and repairs that the house needed. At the top of that list was getting the house on the power grid and off of, as Andrew put it, "that stupid propane generator." Dave had learned to trust his son when he assessed what houses needed, and what they could do to turn a profit.

While the military required a lot of his time, neither he nor his wife liked to be idle. As a result Andrew had grown up around two things, the military, and minor construction. To Dave and Michelle's wonder Andrew took an interest in their projects and even as a child worked hard to understand what they were doing and why. By the time Andrew was 12 he had developed a sixth sense for what was failing and needed to be replaced. Their little family had managed to make some pretty decent money flipping the houses they bought while on their many assignments.

Despite his distaste for how rustic the house was, they knew Andrew prioritized the underground power line because that would enable them to use an electric water heater and washer and dryer, all of which the house currently lacked. It would not only improve their quality of life but also add tremendous value to the house, making it easier to sell when their assignment was over.

Andrew had never been much help at actually implementing the remodels but they knew to trust his instincts, and so it was that three days after they moved into this rustic house the whole family was standing outside the front door watching city workers digging a quarter mile long trench at the end of their driveway. Soon that trench would protect the power cable, coaxial cable, and fiber optic cable that Andrew had convinced his parents they needed.

"Are you sure that fiber optics are necessary, son?" Dave asked, still reeling from the expense.

"Nope. I looked and the closest fiber pipeline is about 30 miles away," Andrew stated with a suspicious level of confidence.

"So why the hell are we spending so much money for it then?"

Andrew responded with a hint of satisfaction, "Here's the thing, Dad. Do you think the military will want to use fiber at any new facilities they may or may not be building out here?"

Dave looked at his wife questioningly and she nodded. "Yeah, we will, but how does that help us here?"

Sensing that his trap was finally ready to be sprung, Andrew stated, "Well you can't drop the cable through the lake. It's owned and protected by the Quinault Indians. The road on the other side of the lake is far too hazardous and curvy to realistically run cable, so guess which major road that cable is going to have to follow?"

His parents looked down the quarter-mile driveway to the highway at the other end where the workers were digging the trench and their jaws dropped. His father marveled at how smart his son was, and his mother knew that Andrew was absolutely right. She was an engineer after all and while she knew that the fiber was going to be a problem, it was not something she had really looked into yet. With that, Andrew smiled up at both parents and confidently walked into the house and back into the master bedroom.

Closing the door to his room his confidence broke as he thought forward to his senior year of school. Every school had been the same. The jocks picked on him because he was so different. The outcasts bullied him because he was the only one they could safely pick on. And the smart kids always hated him because he seemed to know everything in the science and math classes. He struggled with English and History which just gave the smart kids an excuse to tease him about what he didn't know.

The only people he had ever found that he could connect with were drama and sci fi nerds. He looked at his shelves of role playing books and remembered the stories of wizards and warriors, goblins and dragons. Deeds both great and small, loves both won and lost. Sure, he knew it was all fantasy, but they were shared experiences with people like him who needed to escape to something more fantastic. Laying down on his bed, he trembled at the thought of starting over again. He feared, as he always did, that this school would be worse. His thoughts chased after each other escalating his anxiety until eventually he realized he was breathing hard and was shaking slightly.

He wiped the tears from his eye and took a single deep breath attempting to clear his head. Exhaling, he went to the bathroom and removed his contacts that were burning his swollen eyes. The anxiety was still building, so he quickly decided on a course of action. Walking out of the house he found his parents detaching the old propane generator, that was soon to be obsolete. He strode purposefully around the house and towards a trail between two large trees on the far side of the clearing.

"Where are you heading, Andrew?" his mother yelled.

"Just going for a bit of a walk. I need to clear my head," was all that Andrew could say as he struggled to fight back the anxiety that he foolishly allowed to build to the point of near helplessness.

His feet got tangled in the tall grass with every step on the unused trail, and by the time he reached the opening into the forest his face was drenched in sweat. He wiped the perspiration from his forehead before diving under the dark forest canopy.

"Be safe, sweetie!" his mother yelled after him as he disappeared into the trees.

His father scanned the tree line with squinty, protective eyes before returning to his work.

***** The Glade *****

Andrew was amazed to find the trail was much easier to follow now that he was under the canopy. The sound of rustling leaves blended with the fresh smells of the rainforest. Andrew marveled at how almost every surface was covered with soft moist moss. Anxiety still chased him as if it was a living creature from one of his books. His steps picked up pace as if he thought he could just outrun it.

Within minutes he was exhausted and collapsed on a bed of moss next to a large shallow pond. His shoulders shook as he fought back the anxiety that still built within him. The panic attack was stupid. He knew it. But here he was, feeling trapped by it. He tried to control his breathing to quell the building dread. Andrew peered into the crystal clear pond, streamers of grass and white flowers dancing under the surface while waves of light cascaded between the trees. Breathing in deeply, he smelled the earthy moss and sweet wild flowers.

"Hey, is everything all right there little guy?"

He quickly looked to his side where a young woman crouched carefully atop a fallen tree. If he had to guess, she was probably close to his age, with short spiky red hair and light brown eyes. He noticed she definitely had issues with acne. Several red marks around her face and a few pocked scars told the tale but did little to mar her beauty. She was dressed in loose clothes which made it difficult for him to be certain what her body was like but he thought she looked athletic. Crouched as she was, he could see down her shirt and her perfect B-cup breasts were surprisingly well lit. Pert and exceptionally well-shaped, his pulse began racing for a new reason.

Andrew moved his head towards the ground as he planted his hands and then stood on shaky legs. He was almost certain he could see her nipples harden which caused his arousal to start to peak.

"Yeah, well, you know, I'm fine." Andrew knew that was not exactly what he wanted to say, but for some reason he just never could say the right thing in these types of moments.

She dropped gracefully from the fallen tree and as Andrew admired her tall athletic body, she walked towards him and could sense his age from his expressive face.

"Hey, glad to hear it. Sorry for treating you like a kid there. I just kinda thought you were, you know, given your size and all."

Andrew heard her inhale in regret after she realized what she just said. Looking into her light brown eyes, Andrew said, "I guess we both could have made a better first impression."

She smiled and they both knew he was not talking about his panic attack. She liked the fact that she was having that kind of effect on him. As she smiled at him and her eyes lit up, Andrew felt his arousal reach its peak. His five-inch dick strained within his jeans, aching, while for a brief moment he thought about suckling one of her nipples. Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock and Andrew's face flushed red as he turned away from her.

He heard, "Ohhh my god," from where she stood at his side and then a moment later her face appeared directly in front of him, every detail of her eyes shining back at him.

"Those contacts are soo amazing. My friend got some silver ones for Halloween last year, but they didn't look clear and bright like those. Where did you find purple ones?"