A/N: The first chapter is from Max's point of view. It's been three years since Blackwell and she is attending community college in the Seattle area. Starts off kind of slow, seeing how Max has been handling (or not handling) herself in the aftermath of Arcadia Bay before re-introducing our favorite Queen. Will eventually be very very Chasefield yes yes.
Chapter One: A Second Beginning
What even was the concept of 'sleep'? Max was pretty much convinced that tired was ingrained into her personality at this point.
This week had been extra rough considering the late winter storm that hit the state, not that sleeping had really been an easy task for her. Everyday this past week was spent on edge- each flash of lightning, the roar of thunder, the howling winds against her creaky apartment window sent her nerves ablaze. She turned again quickly, twisting the sheets and knocking the comforter to the floor. A soft groan escaped her lips and her brow furrowed as she fought with the demons that plagued her mind. Then, just as she thought the torment would never end, a loud crash of thunder sent her body shooting straight up.
"CHLOE! NO!"
A single hand reached forward and, had the storm outside not escalated, her voice would have shook her small studio apartment. There she sat frozen and in a daze before she noticed the hand outstretched before her. That same hand that held so much power before, the hand that had helped her save Chloe over and over again, the same hand that ultimately allowed her to die. It made her head throb just thinking about it, what did she expect to happen now? Her powers were still gone and so was her best friend. Slowly her fingers curled to form a tight fist and she dropped her hand to the bed with a defeated sigh.
Chloe isn't here, stupid. It was just another nightmare..
Max took a deep, shaky breath before running a hand through her hair, her dull blue eyes drifting over towards the door as she did. She half expected her parents to come rushing in at any moment to comfort her. They had become quite accustomed to her nightmares after she'd moved back home from Arcadia Bay. After another moment of snapping back to reality she realized of course they wouldn't come, she moved out for a reason after all, she couldn't keep being their burden to bear. Her eyes shifted towards the nightstand where her phone laid, silent and dormant and she contemplated for just a second before reprimanding herself.
You're fine, Max. You can't keep relying on your parents to come save the day when you have your little meltdowns. You have to deal with this yourself.
Groaning again she fell back against the bed with a hard plop just as the clouds outside began their downpour. The torrent of rain caused another chill to roll down Max's spine. Rain always reminded her of that day, the last day she spent with Chloe. She felt a lump forming in her throat and she quickly reached over to hit the home button on her phone, illuminated the screen and cringing when she saw the time.
Yikes. 7:16 am. Well, it doesn't look like I'll be falling asleep again anytime soon. Maybe I'll go get some breakfast at Star Cafe near school. Distractions, I need distractions so I can focus.
Quickly she slipped out of bed, the hardwood was freezing against her feet so she half skipped half sprinted over to the bathroom where the tile wasn't much comfort either. In thirty minutes she managed to shower, brush her teeth, get dressed, and get ready. On her way out the door she grabbed her bag first, and then an umbrella before taking a quick glance at herself in the mirror which caused her to grimace.
Wow, Max. You look like a wreck. It's a good thing you aren't seeing mom or dad today, they'd definitely know something was up. 7:36am. The cafe should be opening now.
With another heavy sigh she opened the door and stepped out before opening the umbrella and then locking the door behind her. Silently she prayed that the thunder and lightning were gone before she started her walk down the street. The cafe where she usually started her mornings was only a couple of blocks away, then she could probably distract herself at the school library for the rest of the day, at least, until her nerves had calmed themselves. That had been Max Caufield's life for the last three years, doing anything to distract her from her life, from her cold reality.
Even though it was pretty early, there were a few others who walked along the on sidewalk. They scurried by quickly, paying the half-dead college student no mind as they made their way to class or work or where ever. Once Max has arrived at the cafe she entered slowly, leaving her wet umbrella by the door before approaching the counter. They had just opened so it appeared she was the first customer of the day.
"Uh.. one coffee and a chocolate chip muffin please."
"Sure, that'll be $5.50, please." The girl smiled sweetly as Max reached into her pocket and pulled out the exact amount, handing it to her. Once the money had fallen into her hand, she giggled softly, "Thanks. It's Max, right? I'll bring it out to you in a minute, the coffee should almost be finished brewing."
"Yeah, thanks." Max said quickly, the mention of her name caused her eyes to shoot up quickly from the ground to the woman behind the counter. Once they made eye contact, the other girl gave her a quick wink before walking off.
Did she just..? No.. you're just seeing things.
Max shook it off before turning to survey the room. After a moment to weigh her options she sat on one of the couches near the window. Once she sunk into the worn fabric of the couch, she looked through her bag, pulling out her journal. Lately it had become more of a sketchbook, she found herself doodling her surroundings and experiences rather than writing about them. Placing one earbud in, she cranked up the music before slowly starting to draw the details of the cafe around her. Usually she stopped at this place when she was on her way to classes, it was rare that she had enough to time to just sit and relax.
She was focusing harder now as she drew the details of the countertop, even stopping to quickly sketch the girl who took her order while she took another person's order. She was probably imagining it, but she could swear that she caught the other girl glancing over to watch her a few times. Still Max's brow furrowed softly as she started to focus more on the girl's features, pausing for a moment before using slow, precise strokes to get her lips just right.
"That's not bad."
Max jumped a little in her seat before looking up to see a cup of coffee and the muffin she ordered being placed on the small table in front of her. Before she could react she felt a hand place itself slowly, cautiously on her shoulder.
"Wow. Is that how you see this run down old place? Almost makes me proud to work here.." Max smiled at the compliment, but didn't say anything. She was too busy focusing on the warmth that enveloped her shoulder.
"Can I try?" The mysterious barista suddenly asked, waiting patiently before Max slowly nodded her head, handing her the pencil before handing her the journal. As soon as the contact left her shoulder, Max let out a shallow breath before glancing up.
It only took a moment before someone from the back shouted, "Sarah, you have a customer!"
"Oops.." The shorter girl muttered softly, shooting an annoyed look in the direction of the voice before closing the book and handing everything back to Max. "Sorry, I have to go, but thanks for letting me draw." She winked again before returning to her job.
Okay, I definitely wasn't seeing things this time..
Reaching for her coffee, she took a sip of it before flipping her journal open again to the unfinished drawing of the cafe. When she reached the page, she felt her eyes widen slightly and a surge of heat rush up her face. There was a quick doodle of her sitting in one of the couches with the words "Max AKA Freckled Cutie" written next to it with an arrow.. that and the the words "Call me" followed by ten numbers.
Wowsers.
The rest of her breakfast was spent in silence. As soon as she put her journal away, she ate her muffin before sitting and staring out the window for a few more minutes. The rain seemed to be letting up, so she decided it was probably a good time to leave before another downpour started. She thought about saying bye to her new admirer, but there was a long line at the counter now and as soon as she drummed up the courage for it, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks again and chickened out.
Let's be honest. She'd be better off not knowing me anyway..
Opening her umbrella again she made her way out onto the sidewalk, heading towards the school for a couple of blocks before a poster caught her attention.
New Gallery Opening, March 2nd.
Doors open at 7pm.
On the corner of 2nd and Market Street.
That's right around the corner from here.
Max felt her eyebrow quirk before she took out her cellphone, snapping a picture of the poster before she started walking towards it's actual destination. It couldn't hurt to scope out the place, if it looked interesting she could come back later.
Once she began to cross the street towards the designated corner she took a quick look at her phone again to confirm the address. Just as she stepped up onto the curb, a car flew by hitting one of the puddles and sending a wave of water the small brunette's direction. The water drenched her clothes sending a slew of profanities from her mouth as she jumped away as far as she could.
Smooth, Max.. what a jackass. He had to have seen me walking there.
She frowned to herself before suddenly becoming very aware of just how cold it was outside as the wind began picking up again. Closing her cheap umbrella, she shoved it in the pocket of her bag figuring she was already soaked so there was no point in carrying it around. Just as she reached up to wipe the wet, tangled mess of hair from her face, there was a flash in the sky, followed by a loud crash of thunder.
The sound immediately sends a wave of fear through her body, causing her muscles to seize and panic to hit her chest hard like a boulder. Breathing suddenly became difficult and she squeezes her eyes shut, turning around and taking a few steps backwards until her back hits the cold concrete wall.
No.. Not here.. Not now.. Please.. Chloe.. Someone.. Help me..
Max opens her eyes to look around but her vision is already blurring, her head is throbbing and it brings back all the memories of using her rewind powers all those years ago. Another wave of panic hits her when she realizes she's alone and crippled on the side of the road and she slides down the side of the wall, her face buried in her hands and a stream of tears falling down her face. Defeated. Weak. Afraid.
Why, why now?
"H-hey, are you alright?"
The voice sounds far away and Max has trouble hearing their footsteps through the buzzing in her ears. But as the person grows nearer, she feels herself tense up again.
"I'm here, okay? Just let me know if you need anything.."
The person is standing, no, crouching right beside her now. They don't make an effort to move her or touch her, but their voice is soft and reassuring. A female voice, it sounds kind of familiar too.
It only takes a few more minutes for Max to calm herself, her shoulders slumping as she releases a ragged breath. It's painful, it burns her chest, but she feels like she needs to expel the negativity from her body.
"Is it okay if I touch you now? I can help you get inside, you'll get sick if you stay out here any longer.."
Max took a deep breath before nodding her head slowly. Once she tore her face from her hands, she heard a soft gasp before she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Max? Max Caufield, is that you? Itis you. Shit, come on, let's go inside you're fucking soaked."
Hearing her name surprised her but not as much as what she saw when she turned her head to see her savior.
Victoria Chase?!
The lump in her throat kept her from saying anything, so instead she just stared at the other in disbelief. Carefully the taller girl held onto her arm, guiding her up and steadying her before she reached in her pocket for some keys. Once the door was open she helped Max inside before locking the door and helping her up the stairs into her living room.
It had been three years since she'd seen the elite former Queen Bee of Blackwell. This was the last place she'd expect to run into her, sure Seattle was a major city, but she expect her to be off pursuing her photography career in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo or something. Suddenly she found herself distracted by the taller girl, the way her face remained so professional, so composed aside from the slight worried furrow of her brow.
Once the warmth of the apartment hit her, Max snapped back into reality, a new wave of strength flowing through her veins allowing her to finally vocalize her surprise.
"V-Victoria..? Wh-What are you doing here? Is that really you..?"