"Max!"

The cry was shrill and piercing, making her wince. Lying on her back, staring up at the bright blue sky overhead, the young girl tried to stay still, breathing slowly as she recovered from the exhausting transition. Where before there had been nothing but fire and shadows, there was now life and form; a sky overhead that was more than a dark, foaming maw. There was a sun. There were clouds.

They were things that you hardly notice when they're there, but when they're gone…

Yeah, you definitely miss them.

"Shit," the voice cried, as a blue-haired girl swept into view, concerned eyes peering down at Max. "You weren't even gone for- ugh, damn, I suppose I should be used to that by now. How was it this time? You look…" Chloe seemed to be choosing her words carefully, until she concluded bluntly, "bad. Like, really bad. Badder than bad."

Rubbing her brow gingerly, Max sat up, blinking away the stars in front of her eyes. "I'm… alright," she lied. "Feels a bit like I was just hit by a truck."

"Who would have thought that time travel was such a massive pain?" Chloe sighed, crouching down next to her. Insects buzzed in the long grass around them, reminding Max that here, in this specific time and timeline, it was summer: the 21st of July, just over nine months after the storm that had swept Arcadia Bay off the map. "Why can't it be simple, you know? And why does that always happen?" she asked, pointing at Max's nose.

Hastily wiping away her nosebleed, Max shook her head. "Who knows?" she muttered, closing her eyes to try to stave off an approaching headache. "We've got more important mysteries to deal with, anyway. That one can wait."

The blue-haired girl nodded soberly. "So," Chloe hesitated, fidgeting with her fingers. "What did you see this time?"

"Just the same thing as before," Max murmured, slowly getting to her feet.

"You mean-"

"The stars go out first, and that freaks everyone out. Then there are the storms, both on land and over the sea. They destroy everything, Chloe. You wouldn't believe how much…" Taking a shuddering breath, Max shook her head quickly. "It's just like a nightmare, but it always ends the same way. Everything goes black, and there's a final Jarring. I can never get beyond that bit."

"A Jarring." Chloe repeated the word slowly. "Oh yeah, that's when it all freezes for you, right? See: I didn't forget. Why do you think it happens, then? Got any ideas?"

She wished she did. Sighing, Max forced herself to shake her head again, hating herself for her ignorance and powerlessness. In any movie that she had ever watched with superpowers, the heroes managed to come to terms with them quickly. Hollywood had told her over and over again that it should only take about ninety minutes to become a natural wizard, warrior - anything. Here in the real world, however, things were much more complicated.

"All I know is, I sometimes get the Jarrings when I'm in a really bad situation. I had them in the Dark Room, when I was about to die, and there was one before that too… with Kate…"

Chloe winced at the mention of the Dark Room. "It's so weird that I was technically dead when you were in there for the first time. And now I'm back. I guess I'm basically a zombie."

"Chloe…"

"Sorry." A flash of guilt passed across her eyes. "I- know it was hard, saving me all those times and everything. I mean, everyone else…"

"Let's not talk about the storm," Max mumbled, feeling again that knotting, clenching sensation in her chest. "I'm going to find a way, I promise. If there's anything I can do, I'll do it."

The blue-haired girl looked nervous. "So then… you're planning to go back? To before?"

The wind was still as Max looked at her friend's face, wondering when next she would see her again. Behind her, the ruins of the lighthouse stood lone and stark on the cliff top: a broken structure that could no longer gaze out across the boundless sea. In that small field by the treeline, surrounded by wildflowers and wilderness, there were no vast forces stirring. There was no darkness in the heavens - no vortex curling in the skies above the shattered remnants of Arcadia Bay. It was an ordinary day, and perhaps that was why she kept coming here.

It was something concrete: something she could use to ground herself. Without this island moment in time, she was certain that she would have already lost her mind.

"Chaos theory, right?" Max said quietly. "This has to have started somewhere. The farther back I go, Chloe, the more I think I see. The Jarrings aren't just for me; they go back a long, long time. I thought it was me that was breaking time, but I don't know anymore. I'm beginning to think that it was something from ages ago, way before I even got these powers. Maybe it's part of the reason why I have them in the first place…"

"And…" Chloe's voice was hesitant. "You've been back pretty far before, right? I mean… how far do you think you'll need to go?"

That was a question that Max had tried to avoid.

"I don't know," she replied, truthfully. "I've moved past the photographs, though. Turns out, they were just helping me focus on the moments." She laughed, a little shakily. "I suppose I can go back however far I want…"

There was a long pause as they both considered the implications. Eventually, Chloe said softly, "Well I bow down to my guardian angel, Lady Maximus herself…"

Max tried to smile, but couldn't. "I'm… scared, Chloe. What if- what if I can't find my way back?"

A particularly strong gust of wind struck them both at that moment, and she staggered. Chloe, though, did not even seem to notice, her dark eyes set unfalteringly on Max's face.

"We'll always be together," she replied, uncharacteristically softly. "You know that, right? No matter where or when you are, I'm always going to be there. You know I've always got your back. I'm your sidekick. You'd better not forget it."

"I won't." Blinking away tears, Max took another shaky breath. "Well… I suppose we should get this started then. No time like the present, future, or whatever this is…"

"Wait." Before Max could prepare herself, Chloe had thrown her arms around her waist. Her breath was hot against Max's neck, reminding her that—right now at least—this was real. "Before you go… promise me you'll remember we were here. I don't care if you change everything, because I know you'll fix it in the end. Just… remember this. Remember we were both here, at some point…"

It took all of Max's self control not to break down right there and then.

"I'll remember," she said hoarsely, raising one of her arms, palm-outwards. "I promise."

A final, lilting breath of wind drifted across the quiet field.

"Goodbye, Max," Chloe whispered.

Closing her eyes, Max raised her other hand to mimic the other. Using both, she could travel farther than ever, and there did not always need to be a body waiting for her on the other side. Exhaling with a shudder, she buried her face in her friend's shoulder.

"Bye, Chloe," she gasped.

And, with a single, lonely thought, she hurled herself into the past.