Max was tired. She had realized not too long ago that the more she used her powers to save Chloe from death and destruction, the more she was opening up herself to it with open arms. Her vision was blurred—either from fatigue or tears; she couldn't tell at this point. The pounding in her ears wasn't helping much either; much less the pounding in her head. She need to focus, to take deep breaths, to go back. Max didn't know if she could anymore.
Giving up had crossed her mind once or twice within the last few hours. Screw Arcadia Bay, she thought, wanting to just take Chloe, Kate, and anyone else she cherished, and forcing them into Chloe's truck and just driving away before the storm hit. But then Rachel wouldn't get justice, and she couldn't do that to Chloe. No, Max needed to save everyone, even the pricks Nathan Prescott and Victoria Chase, and she needed to save the entire student body from Mark Jefferson.
It was still a shock to her, what Mark Jefferson was. She had loved his photography, and she had idolized him. The thought made her stomach lurch as she paced around her dorm room. Everything around her was a red and white haze; time was ripping itself apart because of her, or at least, because of the powers she was given. Not like she had asked for them anyways.
She glanced down at the Polaroid that was shaking in her hand—the one she was supposed to rip in half. With it being destroyed, the scene in the bathroom could never take place, right? Therefore, Chloe could never get shot. Her mind raced for other likely possibilities—her powers came with a price (Chloe Price), just like a wish from a genie. She couldn't find any flaws in her plan, but that didn't mean they were sitting right under her nose.
So she paced her room, half wanting to rip her Everyday Heroes photo into a million pieces, and the other half wanting to wait, calm down, and find a Plan B. Shouldn't be too hard, right? It wasn't like time and space was shattering around her in a billion pieces.
Taking a deep breath, Max glanced at the wall in front of her covered with dozens of Polaroids. She sighed and ran a hand threw her short hair as she climbed onto her bed, trying to ignore the blood covering most of the photos. If only she had known what Nathan had gone through at the time, maybe she could have saved him to instead of running her mouth to Principal Wells. But maybe, just maybe, one of these photos could help her?
Max had done it before, use a photograph to go back to a certain point in time. It's how she got here. Her eyes scanned the photographs in front of her, wincing as she scratched blood off of them. The last time Max went back in time farther than a couple of hours it made Chloe's life miserable—but maybe she could change it for the better. She turned away from her wall art, wondering if what she had in mind would work as she looked around for a specific photo—
There.
The Fremont Troll.
Back to Seattle.
The thought of going back to the life she had before Blackwell, and to the middle area of when she was away from Chloe hurt. At this time, she was pretty sure Chloe despised her, or at least wanted nothing to do with her. It's not like she could blame Chloe; she had every right to be mad at her, and Max had no excuse worthy of why she hadn't kept in touch for five years. Especially when she needed her most. It might be a long shot, but Max needed to try.
With the swirling vortex of death consuming her dorm room, Max tried to even her breathing and placed the Everyday Heroes photo into her bag—she might need to use it after all if this didn't work. Breathe, Max. Ignore what is going on around you, and focus on what you need to do. Gripping the Polaroid in her shaking hands, she focused on her friends back in Seattle, Kristen and Fernando. She focused on what she remembered about that day; both of her friends being drunk, and Kristen almost spraining her ankle climbing the troll. It had been cool that day, but the weather let you know that it was going to warm up.
Spring Break, or as Max now remembered: The Week That Held Chloe's Birthday. She winced again—when was the last time Max had wished her best friend a happy birthday? Nevertheless, Max had a plan, and she was going to fight tooth and nail to make sure it worked, and not just for Chloe, but for everyone.
Including Rachel.
If she was right, this would be the last time she would have to rewind time.
...
Hi guys! This is my first story-and first fanfic in general-in a looooonnnggg time. So please be gentle in the reviews! I've had this idea for a very long time and just had to write it down. I don't have everything fleshed out, but I'm hoping that as I write, more ideas will come to me. Please leave reviews and other comments, they help me a lot! Also, I thought I would just give you a heads up: If you're hoping to meet up with Alex, Jonas and the rest of the gang soon, you're out of luck. For the first several chapters this is going to be strictly the Life is Strange Universe. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!