Chloe's face was in everything. She saw it in the fluttering of a butterfly's wings and in the night sky when the stars winked down on the crashing waves. She saw it the shells of bullets and in flashes of brilliant blue from balloons and fragile flowers. Those fox slanted eyes and wicked grin haunted her in all of her sweetest dreams and filled her with a pain that she couldn't find it in her to express. There were no words. There were no tears. And there were no pictures.
Her old camera sat in an ever faithful state of perfection on her desk amidst papers of condolences and concern. It's partner was nestled next to it in silent reverie. She'd tried so hard not to cry when Joyce gave William's camera to her but had ultimately failed. It had been a kind gesture but all she could remember was that afternoon that seemed like an eternity ago when Chloe had given it to her by her own hands. Not only that but her memories flashed in polaroid images of William as well and how his hands had looked upon it when he'd snapped pictures of a happier time.
She turned in her bed and pulled the blankets more firmly about her until they formed a cocoon around her entire body. Outside the daylight streamed through the windows with a mocking beauty that rippled along the dying leaves of Lisa and she couldn't bear to see it. Eventually she would need to get out of bed. She knew that well. At the moment though she simply couldn't do it. Let the others enjoy the day. There was nothing left to enjoy for her.
Whenever she did leave her room the others called her a coward in mocking voices gone cold with childish enthusiasm towards a weaker member of their society. She'd remembered what the Daguerreotype version of herself had said to her in that never ending nightmare and those words echoed along the empty shell that she'd become. The only reason why she'd had any friends in that shattered timeline was because she'd manipulated all of those she'd known. It was so true. Without the powers she wouldn't have known anything about any of them. She wouldn't have been able to fix problems without them ever knowing her blunders. She'd cheated for friendship and now she was paying the price. Since returning to that bathroom she hadn't even tried to see if she could do anything.
What if she could?
Would she go back to doing all that she'd done before? That hadn't ended well the first time and likely wouldn't another time. It wasn't worth trying anyways though. If something was going to happen then it would. Chloe was proof of that.
Chloe...
She rolled the other way in bed and tucked her legs up against her stomach. Her mousey brown hair had become a tangled rat's nest and her clothing hadn't been changed in a few days. God, she was a wreck. Getting up to even shower just seemed like too much effort though. Even getting out of bed was a draining activity. Eventually she would need to though. There were still classes to worry about. Even going to class was too much to think about.
A soft melody brushed against her blanket. It pressed against the fabric and shifted through with muted accents that curled along her cheek with a gentle caress. Had she left her music on? Tentatively she nudged the blankets back a bit and looked down to the end of her bed where the stereo sat waiting patiently and quietly. Her eyes flinched and squinted against the light before moving to gaze at her shut door.
The music was cheerful and filled with a hope that erupted from a soft spirit's fingers. Kate was playing. In all of her fragments of reality there hadn't been any that ended with her picking the violin back up. Kate had still been tortured. She'd still been pushed past what she could take and forced to deal with things that no one should have to deal with. She'd been tormented and sent through her own personal hell. Now though... the light had returned to those gentle fingers.
If Kate could survive then couldn't she?
After far too long she pulled herself up from her bed and tossed the blankets to the side. Her mother would have chided her for not making it but she couldn't force herself to care about that. Getting up was a big enough step as it was. It really wouldn't take much for her to get back in bed and not get up again. With her bare feet on the floor she turned slightly to look at her reflection and nearly flinched at it. Was that really her?
Staring back at her was some shadow of Mighty Max. Her clothing was too loose and circles rounded her puffy eyes like poorly applied makeup. It was almost funny how in her old timeline everyone had commented on the fact that she'd seemed so strong and fierce. She'd been a woman going to war. Now she was a girl who'd lived too much in too short of a time and had learned all of life's greatest lessons in a week that lasted for an eternity. She'd loved and lost. She'd seen death and pain. She'd seen heartbreak and joy. It was enough to destroy her.
Still that music urged her forward. As though hoping to break her from a silent reverie it built in speed and tenor to crack the tension that had connected her to her mirror. Narcissist. Gently she moved on quiet feet to pluck up her shower supplies. It weighed almost too much in her weak grip today but she pushed through it. She grabbed her pristine white towel as well and tossed it over her shoulder.
She could just go back to bed...
No. She had to do it. Her fingers hovered just above the door handle as though it may burn or bite her if she actually touched it. It wasn't too late to turn back.
She opened it quickly and pulled it open enough for her to step out into the activity of the hall before closing it back once more with a breath of finality. In the corners of her eyes she saw that most of her dorm mates were out and about talking but in the corner of her mind she assumed they were talking about her. If that was true then she couldn't wait around to find out. She just wanted to go shower as quickly as possible and get back to her room where things were safe and no one would bother her. Was that so much to ask?
Her head remained resolutely ducked down to avoid meeting anyone's gaze as she made the walk of shame down the hall. Juliet called her name but she ignored it. No doubt she just wanted a first hand account of things that had gone on since Chloe had been killed in the bathroom. Let someone else spill their guts for the vultures to nibble at. She just wanted to be left alone.
Without hesitation she ducked into the bathroom and made a beeline to the first free shower. She nearly tossed herself into the stall and hit the water on the minute her clothing came off and ended up thrown in a safe corner where they'd stay dry. The door to the showers opened and closed but she didn't even care enough to see who it was through the peek of light the curtain provided.
She gave herself up to the stream of water that pounded down on her and turned her face up to it with hands held up in reverence to catch the drops and let them puddle around her. It was like rain.
The storm was there. The tornado whipped their clothing around their skin until it threatened to flay the flesh from bone. It buried their tears and drowned the screams of the dying that echoed from the town's burning buildings. It threatened to catch them and send them flying as well. It was drowning them...
She breathed in deeply and stumbled out from under the torrential fall of rain and for a moment she thought she felt mud beneath her shoes. No... Just slick tiles remained beneath her feet. It was just a normal, casual shower. The storm was never coming. Not in this reality at least.
Her hands came to rest on the wall to brace herself and slowly she bent over until her wet, dripping hair could fall like a veil about her face. Would it always be like this? Would she see Chloe in everything from now on? She deserved it if so. Murderers were always haunted by their victims weren't they?
Get it together Max. You can do this.
With a snap of her wrist she turned the faucet off and patted herself dry enough that she could put her clothing back on without it sticking to her completely. She didn't even bother looking to see who else was in the bathroom which was, perhaps, a mistake. Her life had become full of those though.
Standing at one of the mirrors looking as impeccably perfect as ever was Victoria. Not the Victoria that had been curled up on the ground with tape around her wrists and ankles crying. Not the Victoria that she hadn't saved. This was the Victoria that had existed before kind words or comforting thoughts. This Victoria was leaning towards the mirror to apply a new layer of rose tinted lipstick from a stub that had probably cost more than some of the clothing in Max's far more thrifty closet. Her pearls rounded her neck like armor and the moment she gazed at them she saw those sharp blue eyes dart up and narrow.
That gaze pinned her in place as Victoria turned to face her with a tilt of her blonde head. She leaned against the sink as though it were as regal as any pedestal. Could she make everything look good? Probably. The other girl slowly put the cap back on her lipstick and pursed her lips a few times before giving her a wickedly sideways smirk.
"I see someone decided to stop wallowing in misery. You should've just stayed in there though. No one missed you," she said. That voice was grating today and dug at her like sand being pressed into an ocean drenched open wound.
"Leave me alone, Victoria."
"You know what really gets me? You're so damn selfish. You didn't even know the dead girl."
"Please. Just leave me alone."
At this point she was twisting the knife in a still gaping wound. If she'd thought that she wouldn't be mocked for it for days to come she would've run right then and escaped back to her room so that she could just lock herself up for a while. Instead she remained where she was with arms crossed in front of her chest awkwardly.
"Ugh, whatever. At least you didn't find out that your best friend is a murderer. Not to mention my favorite teacher turned out to be a psychopath. So fucking selfish."
Max blinked at that comment and considered it carefully. Throughout all of the realities she'd lived Nathan had always been so awful. He'd killed Rachel Amber and Chloe and had done such horrible, unspeakable things to both of them as well as Kate Marsh. Who knew how many other girls had found the same fate. She honestly hadn't considered how such news would affect Victoria considering they were as close as siblings. Way to be selfish, Max.
"I'm... sorry. Are you alright?"
"What do you care? All you care about is that girl he killed and you hadn't even talked to her since you came here."
There really was no way for her to talk herself out of the situation and for the first time she itched to find out if she could actually use her powers.
Maybe she could go back like she always had and say all of the right things to avoid a conflict. No. It didn't matter. Just thinking about it was enough to make her head pound and threaten to shatter.
"I know you don't believe me but I do care. I don't want to pick a fight with you Victoria. I just don't."
Victoria's blue, feline sleek eyes narrowed for a moment as she inspected her words and appearance to pick truth from lies and craft a reality out of whichever one seemed more accurate. Those blue eyes slid like shutters and captured images that she'd be able to study at her leisure. Finally she sniffed and lifted her head in arrogant dismissal.
"Whatever. You look like shit. Here." Victoria turned around and rifled in her own bag of shower supplies and pulled out a small white bottle which she held out to her. She looked at it for a moment suspiciously before the far more put together girl rolled her eyes in frustration. "It's a face cleanser. Just use the damn thing."
It surprised her that she was being so kind. She expected it to be snatched back at any moment with a slew of mockery left in it's wake but was even more shocked to find that when she reached out to take it that hand remained steady. Her fingers wrapped around the bottle and she moved to the sink beside Victoria who watched her impassively as she began to scrub her face with the cleanser. It certainly felt better she had to admit. It also probably cost a small fortune. She rinsed her face off and handed the bottle back over.
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
Victoria looked at her steadily for another slew of moments before pushing the bottle back in among it's expensive kin. "Don't mention it. Seriously. Don't." She pulled away from where she'd still been leaning upon the sink and departed it with a brush of manicured nails over porcelain. "And let me give you some advice. Turn that pain into beauty. You have a talent. Don't waste it, hm?"
Those blue eyes worked her over like a gleaming lens as her heels clicked a melody along the tiles in approach and matte painted nails lifted as though to touch her. Confusion coiled in her mind and something more vivacious fluttered in her stomach with a threatening murmer as she looked down the line of perfect flesh and expensive jewels. She had no idea what look she was giving the other girl but she imagined it was some horrible doe eyed shock.
"Hold that look," Victoria purred as she pulled out her phone from it's hold in her skirt's pocket. A picture was snapped with a grin and pocketed just as swiftly. "Much better. Au revoir, Maxine."
She watched Victoria's departure in shock's stubborn hold until the slam of the door snapped her out of it. For a while she gazed at the shut door and wondered if that had actually happened. Out of everyone in the dorms the person she'd least expected a scrap of kindness from had been the Queen Bitch. Things really had changed this time around. And what was that at the end? Why had she taken her picture? No doubt she'd find out sooner rather than later.
The very thought of it was enough to make her cringe. Hopefully she wouldn't log on her computer later and find that picture posted all over social media. Her gaze lingered back to the mirror however and she couldn't help but smile at the state she was in. She had to give it to the Queen. Her cleanser had helped.
She plucked her shower supplies up and turned away. Inexplicably she felt a bit better but she couldn't even begin to figure out why. Perhaps she'd be able to get through the day after all.
It turned out Victoria didn't post anything up on social media. There were no giggles following her in the halls to make her think it had been posted privately either. If it hadn't been posted though, then why had she even bothered? She never did anything without a purpose and usually those purposes lingered on nefarious. Her suspicions followed her throughout the day and into the night but she couldn't bring herself to knock at the door that was almost directly across the hall from her own.
In a way she was grateful though. The visit with Victoria was able to distract her from everything else. She even had the strength to get dressed and cleaned up and eat which near immediately made her feel better about herself. It was a start. A start of what though, she didn't know.
She woke up the next day and actually felt ready to deal with all of it. She couldn't stay in mourning for the rest of her life. Nobody would want that for her. Life was for the living and she needed to live at some point.
After getting dressed she looked towards her desk where the two cameras sat in solemn patience waiting to be held and used. She knew the feeling. She walked towards them and lowered her hands gently to grasp one of them. First instinct dragged her fingers towards the old camera and as she curled her fingers around it's familiar grooves she paused.
Chloe would've wanted her to use the other one. The one she gave her.
Before she could change her fickle mind she grasped the newer yet older, sleek black camera that had once been cradled lovingly by William's hands. It felt strange to use it in the new circumstances she'd given life to but at the same time it felt appropriate. As per her usual ritual and preferences she brought the camera up to take a picture of herself regardless of how awful she looked. There was no smile on her lips as she compressed the shutter and released the flash. It was a serious look befitting a serious state of affairs.
She pulled the Polaroid free and shook it a few times before setting it on her desk among the letters of condolences that waited for replies that would never come. The camera itself was tucked into her camera bag which came to cross over her chest from her shoulder. It was a good weight and one that she'd missed. It felt like she had her armor on and weapon in hand again. She shifted it up just a bit as she left her room and glanced across the way at Victoria's open door.
The Queen Bee sat upon her futon with a photography book in front of her sprawled open with snapshots and pictures in colour and black and white relief. What the pictures actually were she couldn't tell and, for once, she didn't care. It was the blond haired, blue eyed girl that really caught her shutter gaze.
The feline sleek diva seemed oddly comfortable for once. Max was so accustomed to seeing her so highly strung that the smallest ill placed comment would set her on edge. To her, she imagined that Victoria's mind was like a well oiled machine itself with cogs of thought forever in motion towards the effects of what her actions would have and how they could be used to benefit her. This was a different look though. She seemed at ease and unconcerned with anything else.
She couldn't help but pull her camera out.
Pictures were a way of capturing life as it played out as well as the every day lives of people. Candids were her favourite types of pictures and what better candid shot was there than this?
With a flash of light and a whirr of the camera the polaroid came out enough for her to tug it free and shake it. Unfortunately the light also disturbed Victoria who looked up at her with pure surprise scrawled on her face before it was forced down into an annoyed sneer.
"Taking pictures without my consent?" Irritated venom dripped over her words.
"It's just one shot and it's not unflattering or anything," she said in her own defense.
Victoria sneered a bit more and closed the heavy coffee table book with a thud of pages and finality as she moved to her feet. She approached the hall with a tap of her ankle boots on the floor and pushed the door open a bit wider.
"If you're so curious, then come in," she purred in a wicked taunt.
The request made her shift the bag in suspicion before she looked down the other side of the hall to see if anyone had noticed any of the interaction. No one was actually out lingering though. She could hear voices from some of the rooms but nothing else. Well hopefully Victoria wasn't planning on killing her.
Despite her inklings of better judgement she did as she was bid and approached the door with a tuck of her fingers through her hair to push the chestnut strands behind her ear. She entered and once she was fully in the other girl shut it behind her with a click of the latch. Now that she was closer she could see that the book was a collection of fetish photography with a still that was a girl wrapped in pink rope.
For a moment fear blossomed in her stomach and she backed up with a feeling of nauseas anxiety threatening to sprout vines up her throat. She had flashbacks to the black room and before she knew it the door was pressed against her back to steady her as well as block her from leaving.
The picture in the red binder showed a Kate that no one should see. Her eyes were fogged with drugs and her usually immaculate hair was tossed about her face recklessly. In front of her someone had bound her hands with tape and her delicate hands were curled in ineffective fists.
"What's wrong with you?"
The voice snapped her out of it and she looked at Victoria as though the lingering effects of a developing photo blurred the edges. No, Kate was safe now. She wasn't there anymore and everything was alright. Victoria had never been at fault. She quelled the fear and quieted it with a deep breath.
"Nothing. I'm fine. What's with that?" Might as well ask. She gestured to the book on the table in emphasis and she saw the soft brush of a blush tinge Victoria's pale cheeks.
"Just a bit of research. The pictures are really well made. Here, I'll show you."
Victoria moved back to the futon and gestured her forward. The moment she approached she realised why it was that the other girl was in such a pleasant mood. The scent of nag champa lingered in the air closer to where she'd been and beneath that was the unmistakable aroma of weed. The source of it sat on the table where she hadn't been able to previously see and it's smoke still coiled in the air. No wonder she was being so chill. She might as well take advantage of such a rare version of her classmate. Who knew when she'd see her like that again.
She pulled the camera bag up and off of her shoulder and set it gently beside the futon as she sat next to Victoria just out of range of touching her.
The other girl was already busy flipping through the pages until she settled on one and tapped the large print.
It displayed a girl who was actually suspended in the air with coarse tan ropes around her. She was upside down with her arms bound behind her back and one leg tied to be straight out while the other was bent at the knee. It looked painful and yet on the woman's face was a smile that was undeniably content. She had to admit it was a great shot. All of the bondage pictures she'd seen in the dark room had been filled with pain and fear.
This... this looked serene and peaceful.
"That does look really nice. She looks happy even though that looks so painful."
Victoria shook her head and tapped at the various strings that were connected to the ring that held her in the air. "These help distribute the weight so it doesn't pull on anything too much. Besides, both her and the artist probably have a lot of experience. I just thought it was interesting, is all."
"It is. I've... seen similar things but never anything quite like this."
The other girl nodded and leaned back with both arms sprawled over the back of the couch with her gaze turned ever heavenwards. "I'd like to try to make pictures like that but I don't know of anyone that would be my model. Taylor and Courtney would do it but I don't think they'd take it seriously. I wouldn't want to ask Kate after everything she's been. Besides, it wouldn't really be her sort of thing either. Any ideas?"
Before really thinking she blurted out, "I'll do it."
What?
Victoria's eyebrows shot up and she sat up again with a slow pull of her body until her back was straight and her attention was focused. "You? I mean you've got a talent for taking pictures but I didn't think you'd be interested either. We aren't exactly friends."
"I know but I have some fears that I'd like to conquer. Just... don't ask. If you don't want my help, that's fine. I just wanted to at least offer."
Those blue eyes narrowed in consideration before she finally nodded in acceptance and shut the book once more to display the pink rope and flesh.
"If you're serious about it, then come to my room after classes tomorrow. If not, then that's fine. I'm not going to push you into anything. It's just a silly photo set idea."
Max nodded and moved to grab her bag and swing it back over her shoulder. Thinking of something she reached in and pulled out the picture that she'd taken when Victoria hadn't noticed. It was a really nice shot and showed a gentleness that most would never expect from the sleek girl. She held it out.
"If I come back then you'll give this back to me. If not then you can keep it. Deal?"
The other girl tilted her head a slight bit before taking it. She slid it between the pages of the book and straightened up with a dusting of her hands over her pristine skirt. "Deal. Au revoir."
"Until tomorrow," she promised as she turned to leave. She felt the lingering gaze of sharp blue eyes following her as she opened the door and left and for a moment she wondered if she'd just sprung some sort of trap. What did she have to lose if so?