The Strangeness begins.
Max enters the bathroom and takes off her earphones while thinking 'Empty. Good. Nobody can see my meltdown. Except for me' She sighs as she goes to wash her face using one of the sinks, then takes out her polaroid photo 'Just relax. Stop torturing yourself. You have a gift' She thinks before shaking her head "Fuck it".
She tears apart her photo and drops it on the floor. But then a blue butterfly flies in and lands on a bucket, behind a stall. Max follows after it confused.
'When a door closes, a window opens... Or, something like that. Okay girl, you don't get a photo op like this everyday...' Max thinks as she approaches the butterfly and takes a photo of it. The butterfly takes off and lands on a sink.
But then a young man named Nathan enters the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Max hears the sound and turns around as she hears him breathing heavily while talking to himself "It's cool, Nathan... Don't stress... You're okay, bro. Just count to three... Don't be scared... You own this school... If I wanted, I could blow it up... You're the boss..." Someone else enters, Max could not tell who it was from where she was standing, but it was Chloe "So what do you want?".
Chloe began checking the stalls to make sure no one was there, but she did not check the corner where Max stood "I hope you checked the perimeter, as my step-ass would say. Now, let's talk bidness".
"I got nothing for you" Nathan said.
"Wrong. You got hella cash" Chloe pointed out.
"That's my family, not me" Nathan denies.
"Oh, boohoo, poor little rich kid. I know you been pumpin' drugs 'n' shit to kids around here... I bet your respectable family would help me out if I went to them. Man, I can see the headlines now" Chloe mocked.
"Leave them out of this, bitch" Nathan warned.
"I can tell everybody Nathan Prescott is a punk ass who begs like a little girl and talks to himself-" Chloe is cut of when Nathan takes out his gun and points it at her.
She backs up into the wall and Nathan stands in front of her, one arm against the wall and the other pointing the gun at her stomach "You don't know who the fuck I am or who you're messing around with!".
"Where'd you get that? What are you doing? Come on, put that thing down!" Chloe said in fear.
"Don't EVER tell me what to do. I'm so SICK of people trying to control me!" Nathan shouted in her face while pressing his gun against Chloe's stomach.
"You are going to get in hella more trouble for this than drugs" Chloe said, while starting to panic.
"Nobody would ever even miss your "punk ass" would they?" Nathan asked, on the verge of going insane.
"My sister is waiting outside! Get that gun away from me, psycho!" Chloe pushes Nathan away from her, but that proved to be a fatal move as he panicked and pulls the trigger, shooting Chloe in the stomach.
Max comes out from behind the stall "NO!".
Max stretches out her right hand. The gun and Chloe fall on the ground in slow motion and everything becomes blurry. Moments later, the whole sequence is reversed and Max finds herself in the art class again.
Max looks around nervously while thinking 'Whoa! What the fuck...? How, how can that be? I was in the bathroom... He shot that poor girl... I held up my hand...and then I was back here' She heard Jefferson give the same lecture he had given earlier 'I already heard this lecture...' Taylor throws a paper ball at Kate 'Now Kate is being hassled again... And if Victoria's phone rings... This is real' Victoria's phone vibrates. Max knocks her camera off the desk and breaks it 'Shit! Man, I cannot believe this... Okay, if I'm crazy, I might as well go all the way... Can I actually reverse time?'.
Max holds out her right hand and somehow rewinds time. The camera gets repaired and returns to its original place.
Max looks at her hand in shock 'I did it... I actually did it! I'm a human time machine...'.
As Jefferson continued his lecture that Max already knew, she was thinking if she could use her new found power to save that girl before Nathan can shoot her.
At the same time all those events played out, Iris was still waiting for Chloe to come back. She was getting bored very quickly. Chloe sure was taking her sweet time, even though she said it would be quick.
"Come on! Where is she?" Iris asked out loud before she sighed as she closed her eyes... but then she could feel that something happened. She opened her eyes and saw... Chloe 'Where did she come from?'.
"Alright Iris, I need to take care of something real quick. Wait here until I get back, and don't talk to anyone. Got it?" Chloe asked.
"Wh-what? Uhh, yeah I already got it" Iris said, very confused since Chloe had already told her this before.
"Good, I'll be back soon" Chloe said as she got out of the truck and headed towards the school.
Iris blinked several times 'Wh-what just happened? Did she come back to remind me? No, she was talking like this was the first time she told me. And it played out exactly like before. So what just happened?'.
Iris was beyond confused, but after seeing that, there was no way she could just sit and wait anymore. After a few moments of thinking, she got out of the truck and walked towards the school herself. She reached the front of the school. There are several trees, benches, noticeboards and recycle bins. Exhibition panels with photos are scattered around. In the middle there is a statue of someone. Iris walked over to read it.
"The future needs excellence" Iris read out loud "Pretty inspiring".
She continued on to explore the school grounds. The Photos looked pretty interesting, so she spent some time to admire them. But as she continued on, it felt like everything in front of her was shaking and... going backwards? When it stopped Iris rubbed her head. She was getting more confused by the moment. Just what's wrong with this place? Is this some kind of magic? Or something else? She did not have her own magic powers anymore and so far she had seen nothing that suggests this world has any either.
"Are you alright, little one?" Iris looked and saw a middle aged man who looked like a janitor.
"Y-yeah, I think so. Just felt like time was out of line for a moment" Iris answered, but then she had to ask "This might sound strange, but did you ever notice time going backwards?".
"Time can feel like that for some that can't use their time to move forward" The man answered in a cryptic manner.
"So, I take that as a no then?" Iris asked.
"Samuel's time is spent on cleaning, painting and admiring nature" The man said, referring to himself in third person.
"Your name is Samuel? Alright Samuel, could you tell me what it could be then?" Iris asked.
"Samuel has never felt time go backwards before. But it's not impossible that you see some of nature's hidden powers" Samuel answered.
"What kind of hidden powers?" Iris asked.
"No one knows. The spirits of the world do not want to be seen. But if you do see them, you must be very special" Samuel answered.
Iris could not help but to feel that it was something to what this guy was saying. After all, spirits are a rather regular thing back in her old home. But it's rather clear that this world does not have any... or at the very leas, no one but Samuel seems to believe in them. Still Samuel had given Iris something worth thinking about.
"Thank you for your time, Samuel. I needed to hear that" Iris said with a smile.
Samuel smiled back "Always good to meet another person who believes in the spirits. But now, Samuel needs to clean".
Iris waves as Samuel leaves. But now she felt she needed to explore some more. But then she heard something that sounded like an alarm. Iris looked around as if expecting an attack... but she saw nothing... But she did see students walk out of the school, but no one was pancaking and just went to do their own businesses.
'Maybe it was just a test? To see if they could follow protocol' Iris guessed, unaware of the truth.
Back inside, Max exits the bathroom. She was the one who started the fire alarm in order to save Chloe before she was shot.
As she walks out She is spotted by the security guard, David "Hey, do you hear that fire alarm? That means you should be outside".
"I had to use the bathroom..." Max said.
David glared "Girls always use that excuse".
"Excuse for what?" Max asked.
"For whatever you're up to. Your face is covered in guilt" David said as he towards over her.
"The alarm tripped me out" Max said defensively.
"Then trip on out of here, missy. Or are you hiding something? Huh?" David demanded.
Luckily the school Principal Wells stepped in "Thank you Mr. Madsen, the situation is under control. There's no emergency here. Leave Miss Caulfield alone and please turn off that alarm, since that's your job" David snarls and walks away walks away, Max tries to leave but Wells stops her "Hold on, Max. Come back here. You look a little stressed out. Are you okay?".
"I'm...I'm just a little worried about my...future" Max tried to lie, but it was clear Wells was not buying it.
"You're sweating pinballs. Is that all you're thinking about? You can always be upfront with me, Max. Or have you done something wrong... Is that it? Well, Max? Talk to me" Wells said calmly.
Max thinks for a moment and decides to come clean "I just saw Nathan Prescott waving a gun around...in the girls' room".
"Nathan Prescott. You sure?" Wells asked.
"Yes. He was in the bathroom talking to himself with a gun. I saw everything! He was babbling like crazy-" Max began but was interrupted.
"Okay, slow down, slow down. So now you saw this... Without him seeing you?" Wells asked.
"I was hiding behind a stall. I have the right to be there. It's the girls' room-" Max began as she grew more frustrated, but once again she was interrupted.
"I know, I know. I just want to be completely clear what happened. Mr. Prescott happens to be from the town's most distinguished family. And one of Blackwell's most honored students. So it's hard for me to see him brandishing a weapon in the girls' bathroom. So what happened next?" Wells asked.
"Then...then he left. I ran out here wondering what to do. Are you going to bust him?" Max asked.
"This is a serious charge. I'll look into the matter personally. Thank you for bringing it to my attention" Wells answered.
Max was not happy with that "That's it? After what I told you-".
"We'll continue this discussion, later, in my office. Please go outside with the rest of your class now, Miss Caulfield" Wells ordered.
'Of course this academic drone won't do anything since the Prescott family owns Blackwell now. Should I rewind and change my story?' Max wondered but shook her head, lying would not make it any better so she decided to just hope something would happen.
Back outside, Iris could now see students wherever she went... she was starting to wonder if she should just have continued to wait for Chloe. She felt so out of place, walking around school grounds without being a student herself. Not to mention everyone was older than her. She really did not want to stick out to so many strangers, and she remembered Chloe's warning that not all of them were to friendly.
"Would Nathan Prescott please come to the front office? Thank you" Came a voice over a speaker.
'Guess that Nathan guy must be in trouble' Iris thought to herself before she bumped in to someone, the sudden bump made her fall on her butt.
"Hey! Watch it!" Came a cold voice. Iris looked up and saw 3 girls. It was Victoria and her two "Friends/minions" Taylor and Courtney.
"S-sorry, I was distracted" Iris apologized. She hoped they would help her up, but non of the three girls made any moves to help her.
"I say, otherwise you would need to be blind not to notice me" Victoria said in a tone that made it clear she was trying to be mean.
Courtney looked Iris from tip to toe before she spoke "I haven't seen her here before".
"Nor have I and she doesn't even seem old enough to be here" Taylor agreed.
"Yeah, I think you're right. Who are you anyway?" Victoria asked.
"Iris Amicitia" Iris answered.
"What kind of name is that?" Victoria asked rudely.
Iris remembered what Chloe said her name sounded like and decided to stick with it "I am Italian".
"Oooooh, so you're a foreigner. Well that explains a lot. Is that type of clothes normal in Italy?" Victoria asked, but her tone made it clear it was not just an innocent question.
Iris looked over herself "What's wrong with how I dress?".
"Oh no, nothing wrong at all. I'm sure you will land a job at a strip club in no time" Victoria said with a smirk.
Iris was really offended by that as she finally got up and glared at Victoria "Watch it! I may not look it, but I can kick your ass in my sleep!".
"Wow, she got some fire. Almost makes me like her. Almost" Taylor said.
"Almost? I like her already" Victoria said before she smirks down at Iris "I admit, you have guts. But guts can get you in to trouble here, so I suggest you watch that little tongue and maybe your life will not become hell. And since you are new around here, it makes sense you don't know who you are talking too. I am Victoria Chase, and these are Taylor and Courtney. We are from the Vortex Club, one of the oldest and most durable social groups at Blackwell Academy. No loser or wimps could ever hope to make it in. We own things around here, so you would be smart to no give us a reason to not like you".
Iris wanted to punch this snob in the face so badly. But she was taught to never take threats lightly so she restrained herself "Fine, I'll stay out of your way".
"Now that's a good little girl. I would give you some sweets if I had any, but I don't. See you around girly, or not" Victoria said before she turned around and walked away.
Taylor took something out of her pocket and gave it to Iris "It's not sweets, but gums are the next best thing. Bye bye".
Courtney lingered for a moment before she smiled a little "You are cute. See ya".
Iris blinked as they walked away "What a strange bunch".
Iris was starting to understand why Chloe did not want her to talk to anyone here... oh no! Chloe might be back at the truck by now! Iris was in so much trouble now! Iris was about to head back to the truck but stopped when a drone almost hit her in the face. It flew away but Iris decided to follow it... and forgetting that she needed to get back to Chloe.
Later that day, Max was going to meet up with one of her only friends in this school. His name was Warren, and he was among the only decent guys around. She arrived at the parking slot and saw Warren waiting by a car so she walked up to him.
"What up, Max? How are you?" Warren tries to hug Max, but she pulls out the flash drive and hands it to him instead.
"Here's your flash. Thanks" Max said.
"No problem. Check out my new wheels..." Warren said as he gestures to the car behind him.
"Cool. Very old school" Max commented.
"1978, to be exact. Now we can go to the drive-in. There's one in Newberg, just sixty miles away" Warren said with pride.
"You're in the wrong time, Warren. But then, so am I..." Max said.
Warren noticed Max seemed a little out of it "You okay?".
"It's been one strange fucking day" Max answered.
"I bet. I heard Victoria got a faceful of paint... I'd pay money to see a photo of that..." Warren said.
"Really? I wish I would have known..." Max said.
"You probably could have raised a Kickstarter fund just for that one image of her covered in paint" Warren said with a little smirk.
"Had I known that... Anyway, Victoria took down my photo. So that drama ended well" Max said.
"By the way, I saw Daniel's sketch of you online... Not bad, but I could do a much better job" Warren said.
"You can draw? I thought you were Blinded By Science, not art" Max commented.
"Art IS Science. Music is math, et cetera, et cetera. I'd put Stephen Hawking against Picasso any day" Warren said with passion.
"Hardcore. So you must use a computer to draw" Max said.
Warren smirks "Of course. I'd love to tweak one of your selfies with some cool graphics...".
Max smiles" That might not suck. I'll let you know".
"So did you get a chance to check out the movie booty on my flash drive?" Warren asked.
"Yeah, thanks. You had some cool shit on there, from Akira to Twilight Zone. Which seems apropos today..." Max said.
"I consider myself a pop...cultural pirate connoisseur" Warren said.
"That does sound better than thief" Max commented.
"Haha. Make sure you watch Cannibal Holocaust" Warren said with a quick laugh.
"Seen it. I was more disturbed by all those emo-vampire movies in there" Max said.
"Can't a sensitive high school boy love sensitive vampires too?" Warren asked.
"So you're sensitive..." Max said
Warren flinched "Ouch... That sounds awful the way you say it".
"No, I was impressed you had Faster, Pussycat. Kill! Kill!" Max said.
"Russ Meyer was a genius of black and white. Plus, babes with breasts" Warren commented.
"Who would beat your sensitive ass down" Max pointed out.
"If I was lucky... Speaking of hip and fast, we should cruise out in my car to an actual movie this week... But you seem distracted" Warren commented.
"I need to talk to somebody...just to get it out of my system..." Max said
"Dr. Warren Graham is in da house. I won't even prescribe you any meds... Tell me everything" Warren said as he moved to the side so max could stand next to him.
"For reals, Warren, this is between you and me, not social media" Max warned.
"Don't insult me. Max, go on" Warren said softly.
"I had this incredibly bizarro experience in Mr. Jefferson's class today... I mean, life-changing. Have you ever had a dream so real it was like a movie?" Max asked.
But then Nathan approaches them angrily "Max Caulfield, right? You're one of the Jefferson's photo groupies..".
"I'm one of his students" Max answered.
Nathan shoves Warren away "Whatthefuckever. I know you like to take pictures, especially when you're hiding out in the bathrooms. You best tell me what you told the Principal. Now. Answer me, bitch!".
"I told him the truth. A student had a gun" Max answered, doing her best to not let Nathan scare her.
"No, you told him I had a gun. That's why he dragged me into his office" Nathan growled out.
"And did what? Gave you a stern lecture?" Max asked.
"Nobody...nobody lectures me. Everyone tries though... They try..." Nathan said, growing more unstable by the second.
"You should talk to somebody, Nathan..." Max said.
Nathan clenches his fists "Do not analyze me! I pay people for that. Worry about yourself, Max Caulfield".
"Take a step back, Nathan Prescott" Max warned.
Nathan smirked "Oh, man, you're telling me what to do?".
Warren finally stepped in "Get away from her, dude".
But Nathan headbutts him and he falls down and holds his head in pain.
"Hey, leave him alone!" Max shoves Nathan, but he turns around and holds her by the neck.
"Nobody tells me what to do. Not my parents, not the Principal, or that whore in the bathroom!" Nathan snapped.
"Stop that! Right now!" Max scrapes Nathan's cheek with her fingernails and he pushes her to the ground.
"HEY!" Max looked up and saw the girl from her nightmare rush over and push Nathan away "Leave them alone!".
"Mind your own business, bitch!" Nathan snapped as he went to hit her.
But Iris just ducked under the punch. She glared and got in to her fighting stance, she had been in a bad mood for a while now, so this could be a good chance to blow of some steam. But she was distracted when Chloe's beige truck pulled up.
"Max? Iris!? What the fuck!?" Chloe shouted.
"Chl-" Before Iris could finish, she was punched in the face by Nathan.
"IRIS!" Chloe screamed, as she was ready to jump out.
Iris touched her now bleeding lip as Nathan glared at Chloe "No way. You again!".
Warren jumps at Nathan and knocks him to the ground "Go, go! I got this!".
Nathan get Warren of him and starts punching Warren in the face. Chloe opens the car door next to Max.
"Get in, Max! You too Iris!" Chloe ordered.
But Iris did not get in, instead she dragged Nathan of Warren "I said leave them alone!".
"IRIS! DON'T BE STUPID!" Chloe screamed in panic.
Nathan was about to hit Iris again, but this time she was ready and quickly punched him in the forehead. He stumbled back in pain, but Iris looked at her hand as a bruise began to form. She had forgotten that she could not use magic to enhance her strikes anymore.
"You are dead bitch!" Nathan shouted as he bull rushed her.
Iris moved aside before delivering a fast kick to Nathan's gut, knocking the wind out of him. But she was not done yet. She grabbed him before delivering two punches to his face, the second one making him fall to the ground. Nathan groans in pain as Iris was catching her breath, but soon she felt someone grab her.
"You idiot! Get your ass inside the truck now!" Chloe growled as she literately threw Iris in to the truck, before getting in herself and speeds away.
Later, they were driving down the highway. Iris was sitting silent between Max and Chloe, as she could tell that Chloe was pissed at her for the stunt she pulled earlier. Iris knew she was in trouble.
"Man, Nathan Prescott is messed up. And dangerous... This day never ends..." Max said in a tired tone.
"Oh, and thanks, Chloe! After five years you're still Max Caulfield" Chloe commented. Max looks down and shifts uncomfortably in her seat "Don't give me the guilty face. At least pretend you're glad to see me".
"I am seriously glad to see you. Oh, and thanks, Chloe. It makes perfect sense I'd see you today" Max said.
"Yes, it's been that kind of day. So what did that freak want with you?" Chloe asked.
"Hopefully nothing after today. So, how do you know Nathan?" Max asked.
"He's just another Arcadia asshole... Your friend really took a beat down for you" Chloe reminded.
"Warren? Yeah, I owe him big time" Max said before looking at Iris "And I owe you too".
Iris gave a weak smile "Anytime...".
"That was really stupid, Iris. You could have been hurt... shit! You were hurt!" Chloe said, clear anger "What part of staying put did you not understand?".
"But Chloe I-" Iris began, but Chloe did not let her finish.
"Don't 'But Chloe' me, little sister! I told you to wait for me, but when I got back, I found that you had wandered of. Then I spend a lot of time looking for you and when I finally find you, Nathan Asshole was beating on you! You had me worried sick, Iris!" Chloe snapped.
Iris looked down, unable to say anything. Max wondered if she should say something or not. She decided to go for it "Come on, Chloe. Don't be so hard on her. She kicked Natha's ass after all".
Chloe sighed at that "I know... and that was pretty badass".
Iris gave Max a thankful smile, and Max just smiled back.
"Well Max. You're not the only one in debt, and you're already causing trouble" Chloe said.
"I thought it would be quiet here. Feels so weird to be back" Max said.
"So I guess Seattle sucked hard?" Chloe asked.
"I guess. It was cool, but...I felt kinda lonely, out of my league" Max said.
"I would think you'd fit right in with the art school hipsters" Chloe commented.
"Right. You look like the cover of Hipster Girl dot com" Max shot back.
Chloe smiled a little "At least you're still a smartass".
Max smiled back "That's why I'm here".
"Please, girl. You came back for Blackwell Academy" Chloe pointed out.
"Of course. It's one of the best photography programs in the country...and my favorite teacher, Mark Jefferson" Max said.
"So you came back to Arcadia for a teacher... not your best friend" Chloe said, sounding a little hurt.
Iris felt a little awkward about listening to all this. It was clear that Chloe and Max used to be really close, before Max had moved away
"Don't you think I'm happy to see you?" Max asked.
"No. You were happy to wait five years without a call, or even a text" Cloe said, her tone making it clear she was not happy about that.
"I'm sorry. I know things were tough on you when I left" Max apologized.
"How do you know? You weren't even here" Chloe said, sounding a little mad.
"I didn't order my parents to move specifically to fuck you over, Chloe" Max argued.
"You've been at Blackwell for almost a month without letting me know. 'Nuff said" Chloe shot back.
"I just wanted to settle in first and not be such a shy cliche geek. I totally would have contacted you" Max said
Chloe didn't want to hear anymore "I bet you don't use these sad excuses on Mr. Jefferson... Don't use them on me, Max".
Max falls back on the seat behind her, it was clear that a simple sorry was not going to cut it and Chloe needed time to cool of. She watched Chloe for a while, then bends down to retrieve her camera, which was smashed during the confrontation in the parking lot.
"Broken. Oh man, are you cereal?" Max asked in annoyance.
"Wow, haven't heard that one in a while..." Chloe commented.
"Not everything changes. Except my camera has officially taken a shit" Max said with a tired sigh.
"My step-douche has a boatload of tools. Maybe you can fix it at my place..." Chloe offered.
"I need very specific, tiny tools" Max pointed out.
"Nerd alert! My stepdad has a fully-stocked garage. And he actually is a tiny tool. Welcome home, Max" Chloe said, finally calming down enough for a more friendly smile. Max smiled back, happy to see her old BFF again.
"So, can I talk again now?" Iris asked.
Chloe chuckled "Sorry, sis. Didn't mean for you to get caught in the crossfire like that. Well, Max, meet my baby sister, Iris".
"Hey! I am no baby!" Iris said with a cute pout which did little to support her words.
"I... didn't know you had a sister, Chloe" Max said.
Chloe shakes her head with a smile "Well, we aren't really related. In fact we've only just met. But somehow she had a charm to her that made it impossible not to like her. So we became sisters".
"I see, well it's good to meet you Iris" Max said.
"Likewise, Max" Iris said as she rubbed her hand a little, then she touched her lip a hissed a little.
"Yeah, we will need to have a look at those. That was a nasty punch you took. Try not to scare me like that again, OK?" Chloe said as she gave Iris' hand a gentle rub.
"I will try... sis" Iris said.
Chloe smiled as they continued down the road. Iris and Max shared a look, both knew they had seen each other before, but they did not dare to talk about it just yet.
Iris had a feeling she and Max might be connected in someway. She only wonders how.
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And that was the second chapter. For those who might wonder: Yes, Iris is not really effected by Max's time manipulation. You will learn more as the story goes on.
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Please Tell me what you think.