Summary: Chloe had her own guilt, her own regrets, and her own demons, yet she could not get over the betrayal she felt when Max left. Four years of complete radio silence. No calls, no messages, no letters. Chloe was convinced Max has forgotten about her after moving to a big city. Bitter, angry and lonely, all these feelings justified her hate towards the world and towards Max. But, nothing could prepare Chloe of the reality that Max had been living anything but happy life. Max has been through hell which had left her broken, mentally, physically and emotionally. With all the guilt and regrets, Chloe decided to herself that she will bring her back. She will heal her and make her whole again.

Author Note: This is a rewrite of the original Out of the Abyss.I've been wanting to write Abyss in more grounded and realistic themes. While I am happy with how the original OotA turned out. But somehow, it has always left me a bit unsatisfied. My characterization felt a bit flat and too one dimensional and on the extreme side. I want to avoid cardboard cutouts of generic plain trope-esque characterization and delve to more serious issues.]

Price Residence, Arcadia Bay, 2008.

The last of the guests were leaving the house. Each of them had a somber expression on their faces. Two women in their late 30s were accompanying them out. One of the women was holding a slight courteous smile despite the visible redness and slight swelling of her eyes. An elderly guest turned around, held the younger woman's hand, and shed a plastered smile, which failed to reach her eyes.

"Thank you for having us, Joyce. Once again, my deepest condolences for your loss. William was a good boy. It must be hard on you and poor little Chloe." She huffed and shook her head leaving the younger woman's hand.

The elder woman's words stabbed Joyce in the heart as it reminded her of her loss, the death of her husband and the catatonic silence of her daughter, Chloe. Mrs. Mahoney, William Prices' distant great aunt had a knack of never missing a chance to take a jab on Joyce. The young widow never understood why this woman disliked her so much that she would not miss a chance to remind her ineptness. It left a clot in her throat and she could not reply to the older woman. It took every ounce of her restraint not to break down and started crying again.

Seeing the conflict and vulnerability in Joyce's eyes, the older woman could not miss the chance to patronize the grieving widow. "How will you take care of her? Being a single mother is going to be quite arduous. Young William was the only one holding this house together." She said, guising her supercilious tone with a worried look on her face.

The woman, Vanessa, Joyce's closest friend, standing next to the grievous woman, seeing the struggle on her face, held Joyce's hand and wrapped an arm around her, "Joyce, honey, I think we should go inside. You need to rest. It's been a long day." Then she turned her head towards the leaving guests "Thank you for visiting, Mrs. Mahoney. I hope you have a safe trip." She spoke in a polite manner but there was also a hint of annoyance in her voice. She did not wait for the older woman to reply and closed the door on her face.

"God, I hate that condescending old coot!" Vanessa gave voice to her ire as she supported Joyce back to the living room where her husband, Ryan Caulfield was collecting the cups and plates that were scattered. He looked up from the table towards his wife inquiringly. Vanessa replied with a slight pout and a groan but opt to say anything. Joyce looked towards the couple apologetically.

If it was not for the Caulfields, Joyce would have been in a complete loss and hysteria. She did not have any close relatives in this sleepy town and did not particularly had a good relationship with her late husband's family. So it was a blessing for her that Vanessa and Ryan were there for her. Although, it did not lessen the ache in her heart for the loss of her husband in the accident and her daughter withdrawing emotionally.

It has been more than a week since they laid William's body to his final resting place, but Chloe has refused to come out of her room, or talk to anyone except one person, Maxine or Max as she would want everyone to call her. The only bit of relief Joyce felt was having the Caulfields close to her. Especially Max, who was the only person that was holding Chloe together. What could Joyce have done for Chloe to accept the fact and grieve if not for Max?

Joyce sat on the couch and sighed while having these thoughts. Vanessa took a seat next to her while Ryan took one of the sofas in the living room. For a moment, there was only a somber silence. However, it did not remain long. Small footsteps thumped from the stairs leading to the second floor of the house and emerged a young girl with slouched shoulders, a hairband failing to keep the ponytail of her brunette hair.

Joyce, who cranked her neck at the voice, sighed in disappointment. She was hoping it was Chloe finally decided to leave her room and join them. Nevertheless, she shed a genuine soft smile towards the young girl who shyly trotted towards them.

"Evening Joyce, Mom, Dad." She greeted them.

"Evenin', Punkin." Ryan smiled at his daughter and Vanessa suited.

"Evening, Hun. There are pizza and soda in the kitchen. You should eat and take some for Chloe." Joyce replied to her.

"Thanks, Joyce. Chloe is sleeping right now, but I'll take some upstairs just in case." Max answered as she went to the kitchen.

Hearing that Chloe was asleep was a bit of a relief for Joyce and others as Chloe has refused to sleep and stay awake most of the time. The fatigue was getting to her. At one point, she was almost keeling over and drooping but she refused to sleep. When Joyce had no choice but to be a bit forceful out of frustration and worry, Chloe burst into angry screaming rants and almost had a bout of emotional frenzy and was out of control. Ryan and Joyce had to hold her down while Vanessa phoned one of her doctor friends who arrived at the scene and had to sedate Chloe. All the while Max was crouching in a corner shivering feverishly seeing her friend in that state. It took both Vanessa and Joyce to calm Max down from her own state of distress before she could take care of Chloe. The whole household was an emotional mess and everyone was doing their best to cope with the loss.

Joyce released another cold sigh, which prompted Ryan to lean forward a bit and speak in a considerate tone, "Have you thought about it, Joyce?"

"Ryan!" Before Joyce could reply, Vanessa snapped her head and frowned at her husband.

"Nessa, I am thinking about Joyce and Chloe here." Ryan raised his hands and countered defensively, "I am also worried about them."

"Ryan, she is sitting right here, with us," Vanessa held Joyce's hand, who has lost the strength to take part in the conversation, "We cannot force a decision on her right now. She needs our support, not an ultimatum."

Ryan sighed, "You are right," he turned towards Joyce and continued, "Joyce, I didn't mean to push you for an answer. Believe me, Vanessa and I care about you and only looking for your wellbeing."

While Joyce felt blessed, having friends like Ryan and Vanessa, understood their good will, and they want to help her, but she also did not want to burden them with her situation. Not especially when they have a chance to make better of their own lives. They could not miss the chance to move to Seattle when Ryan had a lucrative business opportunity.

Sure, she would miss her friends, and with William gone, it would be very hard for her to gather her life back again. She had a reason to. Chloe. She had to be strong for her. Her house, Chloe's school. Their lives will move on. However, it would be their lives and she will prove she can hold this house together. Her and Chloe.

Joyce breathed and exhaled open-mouthed, following by biting her lower lip. She had to give them an answer as they have only been waiting for her before they made the move.

"I will stay," She finally said as she leaned forward and rested her palms on her lap.

Ryan looked into his wife's eyes, which prompted Vanessa to turn her whole body towards Joyce, "Joyce, you don't have to answer now."

"No, Nessa, I have already decided. I will be staying here, with Chloe." She repeated herself.

While Vanessa did reprimand Ryan for his abruptness, she also did not feel like giving up either. "Joyce, you can start over in Seattle. You will have more opportunities to build your life. Chloe will like it there too. It will be good for both of you."

Joyce just shook her head, "I can't, Nessa," She squeezed Vanessa's hand and looked at Ryan and back to Vanessa, "I appreciate what you are doing for me, I really do. But, I really cannot. I cannot leave this house. We built it together; William and I. Chloe grew up in this house." Her eyes watered at this point.

Vanessa was speechless. She didn't know what to say anymore. She looked towards Ryan for help, but he could only shake his head. Vanessa sighed and leaned into the sofa holding her head in her hand, thinking for a while before breaking her silence, "What are we going to tell Max?" She pointed the question more to herself than to Ryan and Joyce.

The question once again brought a strange, eerie silence in the living room. They knew telling Max would devastate her. She and Chloe have been practically inseparable since the first day they met each other. They loved each other and almost lived for each other. Ryan and Vanessa were yet to tell her about the move. With William's accident, they pushed it back as much as they could. But, they knew they have to tell her eventually.

"What do you want to tell me, mommy?" Vanessa's heart leaped to her throat when she heard the inquisitive voice of her daughter. She glanced towards Max who was holding a tray but her eyes were already showing confusion. In the heat of conversation, they forgot Max was also in the kitchen and she might have heard everything.

Ryan and Vanessa exchanged glances, coming into a silent decision, that it was too late to hide it and was time to tell Max about the move.

Ryan gestured towards Max, "Come here, Punkin. We, uh, need to talk about something."

To their surprise, Max just shook her head, "What do you want to tell me, Daddy?" Her voice had a slight shiver in it, which confirmed their fear that Max had heard everything and got the idea of it.

"Honey, please sit down so we can talk." Vanessa chipped in this time, as she got up and walked towards Max, who took a step back, still shaking her head.

"N-No, tell me here. What do you want to tell me?" Max's eyes moved from faces to faces, still holding a confused yet accusatory frown towards them.

Seeing no point in holding anymore or hiding it, Vanessa puffed out cold air before beginning, "Honey, your dad has started up a firm in Seattle. We discussed and decided it would be better that we move to the new city and live there."

The news came as a shock to the timid brunette. Her mouth hung open and she was already gasping for breath. With rapidly watering eyes, she shook her head slowly.

Ryan sighed again and Vanessa moved closer to her daughter, "We wanted to tell you sooner, hun. But…"

"I d-don't want t-to." Max stuttered as she vehemently shook her head. She had an acute anxiety disorder that caused her to stutter severely when she panicked or was under severe stress. It was one of the reasons, why the Caulfields and the Prices were always careful around her and Chloe was always the person to anchor Max emotionally. Which is ironic as at this moment, Ryan and Vanessa themselves had completely neglected the caution and exposed her to the news of moving away from Arcadia Bay and Chloe to a new city.

"Honey…" This time Joyce piped in, although with little success, as tears were already flowing from Max's eyes and her lips were trembling hard.

"I don't w-want to l-leave Chloe," She said as she started bawling. It was inconceivable for her to think about leaving Chloe behind and moving to a new city. Especially now that Chloe needed her the most.

"Max, sweety…" Vanessa worried about her stuttering tried to speak even more calmly but Max stubbornly refused to any sort of reasoning. As they feared. Max's attachment to Chloe would make it hard for them to convince her with moving. All Vanessa could do was look at her daughter apologetically.

Realizing her parents had already decided about the move, Max dropped the tray on the counter of the kitchen and stomped towards the stairs, as she hacked and cried, "It's not fair…it's not f-fair" and disappeared up the stairs.

Vanessa just stood by the stairs, with one hand over her waist and a palm over her forehead, as she looked on towards her husband and Joyce, who equally had an apologetic expression on their faces.

Max was going through arrays of emotions as she entered Chloe's room. Seeing her best friend still sleeping soundly, she made her best not to make any sound, even though her lips were still trembling and her eyes flooding.

'How can they do this?' She thought, 'They didn't even bother to tell me until now. Mom and Dad don't even care about me. They want to separate me from Chloe because they know I love her the most. I hate them.' Anger seeped into her grief as her childish mind started to convince that her parents were deliberately splitting her from Chloe.

Thinking about Chloe, her heart ached even more as she moved to the bed where the young blonde haired girl was sleeping, curled up under the sheets. Max quietly sat on the free corner of the bed on her knees and wordlessly kept looking at her sleeping friend. Her eyes were full of uncertainty, sadness, fear and even guilt.

'How am I going to tell Chloe? We promised to be together forever. I love her so much and right now, she needs me the most. What am I going to tell her?"

Her young mind was trying to find any rational excuse and way to reveal the news to Chloe about her moving away. However, her heart was not into it. She did not want to move to a new city where she would be alone again, just as before she moved to Arcadia Bay. Chloe was her only friend in this town.

Biting her inner lip to stop them from trembling, she wiped the built up tears in her eyes and shifted closer to the sleeping girl. Swallowing the clot in her throat, she lied down facing Chloe, close enough for their faces almost touching. Max could feel the soft breaths of the young blonde hitting her face. She could still see the swelling in her eyes, which made her heart ache.

The news came abruptly, one moment William and they were smiling happily, taking photographs and making pancakes and then, it was gone. It was sudden. It was unfair. He was gone. Max recalled the shock on Chloe's face. Drained of blood, expression, and emotion, she just collapsed. Like her body drained of life. All Max could do was wrap her own trembling hands around her best friend. She could still feel it, Chloe's body was cold and quivering like she was crumbling.

Max felt her stomach drop remembering all of that and yet, she was leaving Chloe behind. The thought of that did not help the growing guilt inside her. It overwhelmed her and her eyes began to sting again. She could not control her growing sobbing as she started crying again.

The feint sobs and shaking stirred Chloe from her slumber, as she opened her bleary eyes only to find the young brunette's face wet with tears. Although confused, and not knowing the reason for the freckled girl's grief, it stirred something in Chloe. Her own eyes began watering. She shifted closer to the younger girl and wrapped an arm around her, hugging her close.

"Max…" Chloe whispered in her hoarse voice.

"I am sorry," Max only whispered back as she hid closer to the blonde. Hiding from her guilt, the sadness that she was in, and the sadness she was going to cause the girl she loved so much. She wished she had a choice, but all she could do was weep and whisper. 'I am sorry, Chloe. I am sorry.'

A Week Later

It came as a shock to Chloe. Max was sitting in front of her, holding Chloe's hand in hers. Her eyes were wet and misty, looking pleadingly in the blonde haired girl's eyes.

"Max, please tell me it's a joke." Chloe chuckled a bit nervously, "It's a joke, r-right?" Her eyes were flickering, pupils jittering and moving around. Max's silence was a confirmation for Chloe that she was not joking, nor it was a lie. She really was leaving.

Chloe shook her head furiously, "No, no. You can't leave, Max. You cannot leave me alone."

Her heart was thumping loudly. She could literally feel the pulse in her ears. "I-I'll talk to Ryan and Vanessa. T-they can't do this to us." She said as she started to get off the bed but Max her hand tightly and shook her head.

"I tried, Che. I talked to them. It's d-done." Max's voice seeped in sorrow.

Chloe's brow sunk together in a frown, "What do you mean, it's done, Max? If they want to leave, they can go wherever they want but I am not letting you go. You can stay here with me. We will be together like always. Mom will take care of you. I will take care of you, Max."

"Chloe, it's not that simple. Dad already got us a new house. Mom has applied for my school transfer. They told me after they have sorted everything. I… I can't stay here with you." Max said the last part and bit on her inner lip.

Hearing this, Chloe felt her stomach churned. Anger boiled inside her and she snatched her hand away from Max.

"So, you also want to leave and live in a new city." She couldn't keep the bitterness from her voice.

Max's eyebrows shot up and she furiously shook her head, "NO… no, Che, I don't want to leave you, believe me. I just can't… Mom and Dad will not allow this."

"Don't lie to me, Max. You think I don't know? I don't understand?" This time Chloe voice clearly contained the anger she was feeling. "You are running away cuz I am an orphan now. I am a burden to you. My mom and I are a burden to your parents, right?" She said bitterly.

It felt like a slap to Max. She knew Chloe was angry, but she was not expecting Chloe to outright accuse Max and her parents.

"Don't be s-stupid, C-Chloe!" Max shot angrily amidst her stuttering, "You were n-never a burden to me or m-my parents. They love you as their own d-daughter. I love you."

Chloe scoffed, "Yeah, right… I can feel the love."

Max could not bear Chloe anger and her eyes started watering again, her tone turned pleading now, "Chloe, p-please, don't do this. You know, I c-care about you. I want to s-stay here with you. I t-tried, I fought with Mom and Dad."

Chloe's heart sank when she saw her best friend in tears and pleading, but she was too confused, too angry to understand, too bitter to accept that Max was leaving her. All the bitter and resentful feeling of being abandoned when she needed Max the most was too much for her to even think rationally. She bit her inner cheek to keep her emotions from spilling. "You know what, I don't need you too." She straightened her back and pointed towards the door, "Get out!"

Max took a sharp breath, she quickly jumped from the bed and tried to hold Chloe, but the taller girl snatched her arm away, which made the younger girl plead.

"D-don't do this, Chloe. P-please." Max pleaded to her as she literally started sobbing now. Her heart was aching for her friend but she was too afraid thinking of Chloe hating her.

Unable to take the pleading of her former best friend, Chloe took Max by the arm and dragged her towards the door, "I said, get out and never come back." She almost threw Max out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She could still hear Max's muffled sobs. She slid down the door, blocked her ears with her hands, and screamed, "I HATE YOU, MAX! I HATE YOU SO MUCH! JUST GO, GO DIE IN SEATTLE!"

Max covered her mouth with both her hands and took a few steps back from the door. The dam in her eyes was broken and tears were flowing from them freely. She wanted to plead, to beg to Chloe, but she couldn't. She knew no matter whatever she would say, whatever excuse she would make. She really was abandoning her friend. The thing that was hurting her the most was her own feelings for Chloe. For months, she was feeling different around Chloe.

They have been together for years, being best friends, being closer than real sisters are. Until now, she was not able to name the feelings she had for her. Now, she realized her feeling for Chloe has already grown from mere adoration. But she realized too late, that the feeling she had been harboring for Chloe had grown from being just friends or best friends. She had started to love Chloe. She was confused at first, she denied it, thinking of it as a childish crush she was having on her best friend. However, the shock of realizing Chloe hating her now, made her realize that she was already in love with Chloe. But, it was too late now.

With a heavy heart and streaming eyes, she slowly climbed down the stairs. Her every step was weighing tons. She supported herself on the railing of the stairs. She could hear her parents and Joyce talking but she barely heard anything. Her mind muddled with the grieving thoughts of leaving Chloe and the realization that the girl she loves so much hates her now.

Still, in her thoughts and her feinting sobs, she didn't hear the footsteps getting closer to her. She only lifted her head up when she felt someone sat next to her and found her mom looking at her apologetically as she wrapped an arm around her. Max's lips quivered again and she wrapped both her arms around her mom and hiding her face in her bosom, started sobbing again.

"Mommy, s-she hates me." Max's could only utter these words. Her voice was quivering and raw with sorrow and grief.

Vanessa knew this would happen. Chloe and Max really were inseparable, and time got them even closer. They knew this departure would hurt them the most. However, as an adult and as a parent, she and Ryan also had a responsibility, to look for a better life for them and their child. Arcadia Bay could provide so much, but getting an opportunity for Ryan's business expansion was too good to pass. It was for Max's future.

As a parent, she hated to see her daughter hurt and stressed. She was afraid it would affect her mentality too as the doctor they consulted in Arcadia Bay has told them that any sort of severe stress could affect her anxiety. It could become chronic and affect her mental stability.

They liked Arcadia Bay, they loved the Price family and Chloe but seeing Max too dependent on Chloe and her isolated life was too much for the parents to bear. They wanted Max to grow, to have a proper social life and mental care for her anxiety issues. Nevertheless, they knew Max would never agree to it, so they did what they could, and kept Max in the dark until everything sorted and they were ready to move.

She hugged Max closer and kissed on her temple, "Baby, everything will be alright. She is hurting now, because of her dad. Give her some time and she will talk to you." She soothed.

"But, she t-thinks I-I-I am abandoning her." Max cried, "I am n-not… p-please m-mommy, please tell her, I love her s-so much."

Vanessa's heart clenched in a fist as she heard the pleading of her only daughter. Her own eyes were getting misty now, "I will, baby, and we will talk to her. She will understand. You will back to be friends in no time. You know she loves you too, right?"

Max nodded as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand as her mom helped her wipe the tears from her eyes and spoke again, "You can always talk to her on phone and internet and visit her in the weekends. I will make sure your daddy will ride you back to her and you can stay with her. You can tell her all about your new house; a new school and you will make lots of new friends too."

Vanessa pushed herself up helping Max too, "Now, honey, let's get you cleaned up and help daddy and mommy back home with the packing."

The little freckled girl could once again only nod to her mother although unconvincingly. She felt dread in her heart that this move has damaged their friendship already. She didn't know how she will undo all this damage. All she could do was wait for the right time to talk to Chloe again or if she ever could.

Price Residence, Arcadia Bay, 2012.

Chloe walked aimlessly through the empty house. Her mom was at the diner doing her shift serving the greasy old truckers filling their potbellies with more stack of beefy burgers and pies. She hated it there, but who could say no to free food whenever she wanted to get a nosh. It was not free per-say, but running tabs at her mom's workplace was a win-some situation for her at least.

"Hey honey bunch, have you seen my car keys?" She heard the voice coming from the kitchen. Her eyes almost bulged out and she pivoted on her heels as fast as she could.

'How can this be?' She thought, staring confusingly in front of her, 'How can he be here?'

"Dad?" She called in a shivering voice as she ran into the kitchen, but he was not there.

"Ah, found them! I got you now, keys!" Again she heard him from the living room.

'No…no no no no… don't, dad. Don't go' A panic rushed through her as she ran out of the kitchen to the living room, only for someone to stop her by grabbing her by the hand.

She hissed and turned around only to find herself in a surreal and unrealistic situation. As if hearing her deceased father's voice was not confusing enough. For a moment, she thought she finally slipped through the thresholds of sanity. It was surreal after all, seeing a younger version of herself holding her hand. Her long blonde hair, reminiscence of her naïve and weak self, although the expression on her younger doppelganger's face lacked anything if not pure mockery and ridicule.

"What the fuck?! Let go of me!" she grated frantically as she tried to free herself from the solid grip of the apparition. She didn't care if she has gone mad or if she was hallucinating, she had to stop him.

"Dad!" She screamed for him as she tried to pull herself, "Dad, wait! Don't go. Please, wait!" She tried to run after him but strangely, she couldn't.

"You bitch! Let go of my hand! I cannot lose him again! I cannot let go of him again!" She screamed as she helplessly tried to reach towards her father, who ignored her pleas and moved to his inevitable and doomed fate.

"What about the one you let go of? Ah, let me reiterate this again, the one whom you threw away." The doppelganger finally spoke, voice seeped in contempt yet cold and sharp that it stung Chloe to the core.

A confused frown appeared on Chloe face, which prompted the younger apparition to scoff, "The one whom you so cruelly tossed away. I am talking about her." She said as she pointed towards the door again.

Chloe's eyes followed, only to grow wide in realization and her hand shot towards her mouth, as she gasped. Right next to her father, was standing the young brunette, eyes wet, face smeared in tears. Her lips were moving, she was saying something, yet her voice was not reaching Chloe.

"Max…." Chloe whispered under her breath, losing the fight in her body as it went lax.

The freckled young girl only gave her a wounded look and trembling lips, before turning around as William opened the door and slowly walking out of the door.

"Wait!" Chloe pleaded. Life left Chloe's legs as she dropped on her knees. "Please come back. Max! Dad!"

"As if they would!" Her doppelganger sneered, "Dad is gone! He's dead! But Max? You rejected her, you threw her away, and you hurt her. You told her to die!" The young apparition screamed at Chloe, as she grabbed her by the collar, "This is your guilt… our guilt!"

Helpless and dejected, Chloe looked on, as the ones, she loved and cherished the most vanished into the glaring light, "No…, please… I am sorry, Dad. I am so sorry, Max. Please, don't go, don't leave me alone. I don't want to be alone anymore, please… please…"

PLEASE!" She lurched forward abruptly, stretching her hand, only to grab at nothingness. It took her a moment to realize that the dream, the nightmare was over. She was back to the cruel and cold reality. She tried to take a deep breath, but the clot in her throat making her cough. She felt her heart was sinking and her eyes welled up again, and tears flowed, wetting her already moist cheeks. She realized she had been crying in her sleep.

She gritted her teeth, and quickly wiped her eyes with the heels of her palm, 'No… don't cry! Don't you fucking dare shed any tears, Chloe! It means nothing, that fucking dream means nothing!'

It was easy. She learned it was easier to clench her fist and swallow her guilt. She had to do it. She had to anchor it somewhere; else, the weight would crush her. She didn't want to be weak anymore. She only had herself to rely on now. Nobody, but herself.

'She left you. You didn't throw her away. She left. She ran away. Don't you dare feel guilty! Almost five years and she never called, never sent a single text message. She abandoned you when you needed her, so she could enjoy her life with her rich ass friends and her doting parents. She's probably having a blast while you are moaning like a wounded bitch for her. She didn't care for you. So, don't you fucking dare feel guilty.'

Sniffing and cleaning the remnants of the tears from her face, she pushed herself from the bed and stretching her arms above her head while glancing at the digital clock sitting at the side table,

'Wednesday, huh? It means, Mom's at the diner and Sgt. Mook Mc'turd is already gone to Crapwell. Good for me. I need a quiet morning without him breathing through his pornstache down my neck.'

She lifted her arm and took a whiff, 'Fresh enough, good thing I took a bath last night.' She walked to the dresser, yanking the top drawer. It rattled and screeched. 'Argh! Fuck! Come'on, you piece of shit, you are as old as me!' She gave a few more yanks, finally coming loose from the rusty relays, accompanied by a screeching sound.

She ruffled through a shelf full of junk, finally picking a can of deodorant. The weight of it felt lighter, but she gave it a few good shakes as if it would magically fill it again. She sprayed under her armpits and above her breasts, the cold spray tingled on her soft nubs, 'Not now, ain't a good time for solo R&R action' She spurted a few more sprays before dropping the can back at the shelf and pushed it in.

Walking to her closet, she picked the first upper and threw it over her head, pulling up her jeans, she walked back to the dresser and picked her phone. Flipping the phone open, the screen glowed to a generic empty screen with zero messages. Her mind inadvertently went back to the nightmare and her earlier lamentations. She sneered and clicked her tongue before flipping the phone again and putting it deep in her front pocket.

Finally climbing into her Doc Martins, she tapped on the heels, before getting up. Her stomach grumbled right on cue. Resting a hand on her abdomen and scratching the crown of her head thinking, 'Doubt jarhead has left anything for me to eat, or just leftovers. Ain't gonna go through his slobber. Two-Whales is palatable than dry cereals anyway.'

Washing her face and rinsing with mouthwash, she closed the door to the bathroom, and skip hopped down the stairs. Just as she was about to walk through the main door, she heard a muffled and strained sound. She quickly turned back towards the lounge, finding Joyce seated on the couch, the cordless phone on her lap. Her hand was over her mouth and her body shivering.

Chloe frowned in confusion before calling her, "Mom?"

Joyce looked up absently, her eyes rimmed red. Looking at Chloe, her lips trembled. Chloe's heart sank at this. The last time she had seen her mother like this was when her Dad passed away. She strode towards her and kneeled in front of her.

"Mom!? What happened?" She asked through her confusion, "Did that shithead do something to you? I swear I am gonna…" though before she could finish, Joyce shook her head and held Chloe's hand.

"Honey…" She swallowed.

"Mom, please tell me what happened, you are worrying me…" Chloe couldn't take her mother's frantic state, asked worriedly.

"It's Max… she's been hurt and admitted to the hospital." the elder Price replied solemnly.

Hearing Max's name and her mother's bleak and shivering voice, Chloe's eyes grew and her heart dropped in her stomach, "Mom, what happened?" She asked again, holding both of her mother's shoulders, "What happened to Max, mom?"

Suddenly, at that moment, the dream she had earlier felt so real. She could almost feel that her younger self would pop out and laugh at her misery. Gritting her teeth she asked again, albeit a bit forcefully, "MOM!? What happened to my Max?"

Joyce only swallowed the heavy clot stuck in her throat, "They said, the police found her… locked up and unconscious in a basement."

Chloe's eyes couldn't grow any wider. She squeezed her mother's shoulders hard, "W-what do you mean, in a basement. What happened to her? Who did that to her? Did Ryan and Vanessa do it?"

Joyce's lips trembled again, but this time she was unable to keep herself from sobbing, she put a crooked finger to keep herself from crying. She shook her head before speaking softly, although her voice was strained, "Chloe, honey…" Joyce paused for a moment, gathering whatever restraint left in her, "Vanessa and Ryan… they… they are no more."

A shock ran through Chloe. She stumbled and fell on her rear. Her vision blurred and her heart thumped, she felt a hollow where her stomach should have been. Her mouth opened and closed, she was trying to speak, but her words came out as dry air. Eyes jittering, as she looked on her mother's face, trying to ease her confusion, but she got even more confused.

"W-what…" She wanted to speak, wanted to lash out at her mother. It was a joke, a fucked up and cruel joke. Ryan and Vanessa cannot be dead. Max is not hurt. She is fine. She should be fine. She should be living a happy life in Seattle. 'This is not real.' She helplessly tried to comfort herself. 'What happened? What the fuck happened. What the fuck happened to Max?'

Visions of an always shy but happy Max appeared in her eyes. Calling for Chloe, giggling on her lame jokes, having fun, expressing her love for Chloe. Calling her again and again, 'Chloe… Chloe… Chloe…"

And then, she recalled, the hurt and dejected face, the trembling and shrunk body, the pleading and sorrowful voice, "Chloe… please, don't do this…" And Chloe bit her lower lip, so hard that she felt the sting. She felt her teeth tearing through her skin, digging deep, but it was not helping. The pain in her chest was heaver and hurting much, much more than her lip. 'What happened to Max.'

Joyce seeing the anguish on Chloe's face yet unable to ease her, she could only call for her, "Honey…"

Chloe looked at her mother with wet but vacant eyes, "I want her back, Mom…" her voice shivered, "I want my Max back."

AN: Ola~ my dear friends. Since the video game industry has this trend going for the past half decade with reboots, remasters, and that BS to milk us poor gamers, I've decided to follow that trend too. Nah! I personally think retelling and reboots are not bad things if done correctly. The story can be more polished, tight-knitted and coherent with lesser plot holes and such. I am not an established writer, I admit that. I am lacking in a lot of ways, experience, grammar, vocabulary, pretty much anything that encompasses literature. Although it's a tiny speck compared to what other fanfic writers have achieved, I feel I've gained a bit of experience of writing and I want to challenge myself by rewriting and taking another take of the Abyss universe.

Why do I want to rewrite Abyss? As I've mentioned above, while I do believe I've written a somewhat good story in OotA, I was never 100% satisfied how it turned out. My biggest flaw is the characterization. A lot of my good writer and reader friends has shared their critical opinions on my 'too black and white and on the edge of extreme' characterization. Vicky in the beginning, Bill Ernest, there's no depth, no motivation, aside from depravity and exploitation. While the themes of friendship, love, mental illness, revenge, and perseverance are there. There was no organic growth of such tropes and themes, everything was spontaneous, which I admit, was due to my lack of experience and writing skills. The ideas felt great in my head but never actually materialized that well on paper ( in this sense, on a digital pad ).

Hence, my decision to rewrite. I want to explore the universe a bit more, give it time to grow, flesh out characters, move the themes more organically. Hopefully, there isn't a lot to do, since the base story is there, I will be omitting and adding stuff as I go. There's no confirm release schedule as I want to take my time writing each chapter, and will try to keep chapters short and coherent in line with the story itself, so I don't feel burnt out by chapter 5-10 ish... But I will be continuously writing and polishing the story as I release chapters. The story is a retelling/rewrite so it will have a lot of fresh elements, which means both new and old readers will be able to enjoy the story as I intend to tell.

Okay, I've been rambling a lot. Sorry,:|. I am very excited about this rewrite and I hope you will enjoy this take too. Please do leave your comments and reviews and let me know what do you think about this idea of retelling and this chapter especially older readers who will definitely see the difference in both writing style and character building. Until next time.