October 20th 2013

With the beat of a moth's wings, Max found herself thrust amongst the nothingness of a derelict expanse, sat upon a bench facing the one solitary edifice within this ethereal realm she had come to inhabit by her lonesome; a swing set, from which two seats hung with an eerie stillness.

To all sides there was only endless stretches of grey, and Max felt her gut twist as the cold fingers of panic suddenly encircled and yanked at her spine.

Oh no... is this another nightmare...? Max postulated as she frantically looked about, unwilling to take into account her own lucidity, dreading that it may add validity to her fear... and as her heart rate began to rise, so too did she to her feet, and helplessly she scanned the void that now housed her.

The Nightmare was something Max could deal with, it was tangible, its darkness a miasma that she could breath in and expel... but here, in this grey place, she did not feel she would be able tolerate it long. The bleakness was overwhelming, the lack of contrast and monotony of the world about her gnawed upon her eyes, and she felt a familiar buzz of aching pain begin to take root in the front of her mind.

The hot trickle surprised her at first; bringing her fingers to her lips to examine what her eyes could not reach, she recoiled the moment she saw that deep, slick, scarlet painted upon her finger tips, standing out with distressing vibrancy against the monochrome world. Max's lungs seized, blood thundered in her ears, and the strength of her legs ebbed away, threatening to buckle beneath her.

"What's going on...? Why am I here?" she asked pitifully of the nothingness as she staggered, nearly crumpling upon the frame of the swing set as she leaned against it for support. It was now, as she rested against its cool metal surface, that she noticed this lonely structure seemed to be the very center of this accursed place, the core of a great and hollow expanse. The paradoxical heart of the void.

It was the only thing rooting this waking dream to some semblance of reality... but if the past two weeks had proven anything to Max, it was that reality was a very fluid construct- and woefully not as concrete and reliable as Max so desperately wanted it to be.

"Max, are you scared of storms?" a young, fragile voice asked from behind her, and as the soul nearly fled her body in fright she barely managed to avoid falling on her backside. The question had turned the blood in her veins into an icy sludge as visions of the screaming tornado enveloped her in a haze for a painful instant, and then cleared, to reveal a new sight.

What she saw almost stopped her heart.

There, sat on what was once the empty pair of seats hanging motionless, were two girls... rocking back and forth idly with gentle pushes of their heels in the colorless grass beneath their soles. One girl she could not place, but she was no more than nine, perhaps ten years old... with long silky black hair, a portion of which concealed one half of her face perfectly. From the other half an affectionate smile beamed at her friend, and an eye that twinkled like sapphire seemed to pass over Max.

Or more accurately, pass through her... Yet it was not the sudden presence of this girl that startled her.

It was the company she kept, and Max recognized the other child instantly.

Despite all probability, the other girl was Max herself; from a youth long since passed, in a time where Arcadia Bay still stood. It felt like eons ago to Max now... but then, a question arose in her mind that Max wished had not, bringing with it a sick uncertainty.

Is this a memory? I... I don't remember any of this, Max thought, staring at her past self and the mysterious girl as they relaxed there; the quiet creaking of the swing set's chains providing some small comfort, striking another familiar cord within Max, yet it too could not be placed. The presence of these children in this lifeless place was distinguished like bright smears of paint on a blank canvas, their colors bleeding into the fabric around them.

"No, not really, pirates have got to be brave... the seven seas are full of storms, matey!" playfully Young Max poked at the other girl's ribs, tickling her and coaxing a loud and merry laugh. Max felt her heart break a little with the words of her past self, hearing the whispered echo of the tornado in the halls of her memory.

As their laughter subsided, the still smiling Young Max leaned closer to the shy other girl, tilting her head to get a better look of her bashful face... or what half of it she could see.

"Why do you ask?" Young Max couldn't stop herself from asking, watching as her black haired friend's fingers anxiously twisted the chains of her swing and offered only a shrug and meek smile.

"Dunno... just wondering... Daddy says they're nothing to be scared of, but, they really scare me" the black haired child wrung her hands in her lap with jittery apprehension, unable to look Young Max in the eye... and the Older Max felt herself irresistibly drawn a couple of steps gingerly closer. "I have bad dreams about storms, I always try to run away, but I can't get away, and the storm gets me"

The other girl's cheeks practically burned red when Young Max threw her arm around her shoulders, initially as rigid as she appeared brittle... and the Older Max felt the smallest degree of warmth bloom in her chest as the girl's apprehension left her, and she eased into her younger self's embrace.

"Don't worry Alice... you're part of our crew now, Cap'n Chloe told me to tell you" the girl, Alice, turned... that singular blue eye suddenly blazing with joy as her lips curled slowly in an ever growing smile "Yeah! You're part of the crew! And don't worry; we'll protect you from the Storm!"

Blinded by a sharp carnelian light, the Older Max did not have time to process those words. Reeling back from the scene it continued to play out wordlessly, all sound consumed by the deafening cracks of thunder born of wings too large to be real. A shadow was descending, blanketing all that it covered in inky shade... Max could barely hold her ground against the impossible gusts of wind, her ears feeling as though they could burst from the dreadful booms above, and with great strain Max could barely make out silhouette of a large winged beast- featureless and obsidian against the tremendous crimson light of that insidious red sun that dominated the skies above.

Fear turned to horror as the creature hurtled closer, reaching out for her, and Max could barely make out a scream as the beast's black mass descended upon her entirely.

The scream carried Max through the veil, and howling back to reality. Like a meteor she shot up in bed, heart hammering, eyes burning with the fresh rays of sunlight and the painful return of color.

What was that!? What was that thing...!? Terror ran as potently as venom, pumping through her arteries so fast and strong that she labored to breathe, grasping at her constricting chest.

Quickly she scanned the room, noting the most important features, those that she loved, devouring their visage to root herself: the fairy lights, check; the stars and stripes, check; My camera, check; Lava lamp, check.

It's okay, it was just a dream, Max... just breathe... Max sucked in a deep breath of oxygen, trying against all impulse to resist panting with wild abandon... determined that the panic would not get the better of her. Defiantly she sat there, damp with cooling sweat, and gradually as the turbulent sea of emotion in her chest began to calm, she managed to regained control.

"Max, honey?" a muffled voice called from downstairs, echoing through the crack in her door. Taking a moment to indulge in one last soothing inhale through her nose and exhale through her mouth, Max pulled back the covers and squirmed to the edge of the bed, planting her feet on the carpet and flexing her toes as she grounded herself further "You alright up there?"

Max caught herself wordlessly nodding and applauded her own idiocy before calling back to her father "Yeah Dad, just a bad dream"

"Alright, well come down when you're ready, I'm making bacon and eggs" the smell had already alerted Max to that fact, and heavily she rose, rubbing the back of her neck as she plucked some fresh clothes from her closet and entered the bathroom.

Stripping from her damp pajamas Max dragged herself into the shower and did not linger. A quick wash with water at nigh Mount Doom-level temperature was all she needed to rouse her from the stupor she could feel herself mired in- the fact she looked as red as a lobster afterwards was only a minor concern, the fact she felt better was rationalization enough.

Once her body was fully dried she clothed herself in those fresh garments, and worked over her hair with a towel as she made her way downstairs to join her Father in the kitchen, sitting herself down at the breakfast bar.

The smell was incredible, matched only by the satisfactory sounds of the sizzling and popping of the cooking bacon. It brought back fond memories of her time in Seattle, and that surprised her... specifically, of times her father would make her pancakes to cheer her up. It was funny, he always seemed to be cooking her something when she was upset- and Max appreciated that, be it coincidence or not... and it looked like today was no exception.

Ryan Caulfield busied himself gleefully, moving around the kitchen like a whirlwind, and as always wearing those awful slippers.

"I hope you're hungry" Ryan asked, peering with a wink over his shoulder to Max, who nodded with a soft smile on her lips.

"Famished, Dad" scooping her eggs and bacon onto a plate and then his own, Ryan grabbed a couple of knives and forks and sat opposed to Max at the breakfast bar, laying them all out invitingly "This looks amazing"

"Thanks, won't be as good as Joyce's I'll bet, but I still make a pretty mean breakfast" Max merely grinned at her father, who chuckled as he helped himself to a glass of orange juice, pouring his daughter a glass soon after.

"You're not in work today?" Max inquired, surprised at her father's presence, but not unpleasantly so. She was glad that he was here- waking up to a home as derelict as the grey place in her dream would have probably fucked her day up irreparably she bet... besides, it was just nice to be sat with her dad alone, it had been a long time since they had some time together.

Ryan nodded, briefly speechless from a mouthful of bacon and OJ; Gulping it down he cleared his throat, excusing himself with a gesture "I will be, but Sergeant Nicholson is coming here first so we can run over a few files before we head to the Precinct"

Wowser... my Dad, Detective Caulfield, solving crimes, being a hero! That must be nice.

"That reminds me" Ryan said, drawing a wry cock of a brow from Max "Chloe said to tell you she'll be back later, she's off to find ways to 'make hella cash' as she put it"

"Never say that again" making a show of mock cringing Max finally broke into a small amount of giggles, shaking her head in amusement at her father's poor attempt to emulate Chloe "But please, PLEASE tell me she took the resumes me and mom helped her with"

Scratching his coppery beard, Ryan drew out the painful silence in a show of internal deliberation, and Max felt her frustration raise its head. It was only when she was mere moments from vocalizing her agitation that she beaten to the punch by Ryan- unable to continue his ruse he chased a gulp of his juice with a breathy laugh, and nodded enthusiastically to force back his daughter's lighthearted scowl.

"Yeah don't worry, Maxie... she took them with her. She was a little nervous about it, actually" as Ryan cleared his plate, he got up and moved to the sink to wash it, just in time to miss Max's face soften with the information she received.

It's hard to imagine Chloe nervous, Max thought, folding her arms with a quiet grumble. I mean, I get it... she's somewhere entirely new... it's like when I got back to Arcadia Bay, I was so nervous I couldn't sleep properly for the first couple of nights- and I didn't feel the need to job search, I had Blackwell dorms and my classwork to worry about. Her thoughts rolled in her head like oil in a pan, stretching thin and fizzling out, before with an inaudible mumble she sighed through her nose.

"I-I don't know why she was so adamant about getting a job though" Max admitted quietly, catching herself rubbing her arm awkwardly before she continued "I-It's not like you're asking her to pay rent"

There was a quiet then, and the timid tone of Max's voice hung in the air with resounding clarity in the aftermath of her words. Ryan turned just the slightest amount, peering at her from over the horizon of his shoulder, those muddy brown eyes filled with mystery as Max felt his quizzical stare fasten itself upon her. His face became indecipherable, his eyes moving the slightest degrees as though to follow the tails of thoughts running through his mind... but they never left the general vicinity of Max's own blue gaze, until she sharply looked down.

Then he smiled, sympathetically, and turned away once more "Max, do you think that maybe that's the reason why she is so adamant about getting some work?" drying his plate he set it on the rack beside the sink, and he sat himself back at the breakfast bar, flashing Max a wise smirk when he saw the meager look of bemusement in her furrowing brows. He knew she was mulling over her words.

"I did not..." she begrudgingly whispered. It made sense though, now she thought about it, her father's wisdom shining a light on something she hadn't even considered previously. The prospect of living with Chloe and Joyce, had the tables been turned, and not paying her way to her new home seemed downright criminal to Max the more she contemplated it, and suddenly Chloe's potential motivation seemed as obvious as a flaming house. The prang of embarrassment Max felt stab into her at her oversight stung her pride, and her brow twitched. Ryan's smug grin only grew stronger.

"See? Don't know everything do you?" with her father's playful jab Max stuck her tongue out at him, and was met evenly by her father replying in kind and taking her plate as the two shared a chuckle.

I really missed you, dad, crossed Max's mind fondly, and Ryan uttered a muted curse as he eyed his watch after sliding that spent plate into the sink.

"Alright champ, sorry I gotta do this but I'm gonna need you to vacate soon, it won't be long till the Sarge gets here and I need to set up before she arrives"

Ah yes, the Sergeant... Max had almost forgotten about that. Nibbling the inside of her cheek she lingered there in awkward silence for a moment in wonder, and she was sure that her father knew the question before she even asked "Are you and Sarge going to be looking over the-"

"Yes, Max." Ryan pointedly intercepted, silencing Max immediately "We will be looking over information pertaining to That. As promised" Max bit her lip a little as she saw the weary look suddenly age her father's once jovial face, and though his tone was far from unpleasant... she knew it was better to drop the topic and nodded, crestfallen.

"I'm sorry, honey" Ryan offered, rubbing the back of his neck as he frowned inwardly at himself "It's just that Nicholson and I have been going at this as best as we can... but with it being technically out of our jurisdiction, it makes investigating... tricky- and stressful. But we're working on it, Max"

Max stared at her father, her heart swelling as a frail and happy smile began to flourish on her lips, and she moved around the breakfast bar, only to fling her arms around her father in a tight hug. Ryan gasped a small surprised laugh and squeezed her in kind, placing a kiss on the top of her head as he breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Dad"

"You're welcome, honey... we'll get to the bottom of this, I promise... Nicholson is calling in a couple of favors too, to help us out. What happened... it will be righted, okay?" eye to eye now Max smiled and chuckled in embarrassment as her dad thumbed away the twinkling beginnings of tears, and cupped her face in his rough palms.

"Okay" sharing a warm smile, the doorbell rang, and she caught the anxious look of her father as he straightened himself out. Max nodded to him, her face bright "You get your stuff ready, I'll go let her in"

"Thanks honey" ruffling his daughter's hair Ryan stepped back, and Max turned on her heel, bare feet padding to the ivory white front door.

She was almost felt infected by her father's nerves, but in truth, she was a little giddy at the prospect of the Sergeant's presence... and what it meant- so taking the door's handle in her hand, she twisted and pulled it open... and was greeted at first by blinding rays of light, which faded as the shadow of a valkyrie-like woman greeted her next.

"Hello, Miss Caulfield" the woman's voice was gruff but softer than her stern features, which despite Max's preference to remain smiling actually intimidated her. Nicholson stood a good head and a half over Max, with a spine stiff as a ramrod and her hands clasped tight behind her back. She sported freshly ironed black pants, edges razor sharp, and a fashionable plain white blouse with the cuffs rolled to the elbows. "Is your Father home?"

"Y-you're Sergeant Nicholson, right?" the woman's scarred face creased with an amused grin, and running a hand through her short, almost faux-hawked graying hair, she nodded.

"That'd be me" Nicholson said as she pointed to her badge, hanging around her neck on a chain. Max's gaze drifted down, following the line of the chain, to the leather of a shoulder harness, to its termination at the black grip of a pistol sat secure in a holster under her arm. Max instantly became several shades paler.

"Chloe... look out...!"
"What the fuck...!?"
A gunshot and it was over. For Chloe at least.

Max's wrists began to itch from the ghost of duct tape.

"And you are Maxine Caulfield, correct?" like a stone through glass the mention of her full name roused Max back to reality, to find the Sergeant with arms folded across her chest and eyebrow curiously cocked.

"Just Max, it's nice to meet you Sergeant Nicholson... come in, my dad will be right with you" Max stepped out of the way and invited the officer in, and gratefully she bowed her head and moved inside before Max closed the door behind her.

"I don't like my first name either" Nicholson said with a grin, and it was Max's brow that curiously cocked this time, imploring Nicholson to go on and let them bond in their terrible first names- and smirking the Sergeant shook her head slowly. Max's brows furrowed in minor indignation "But feel free to call me Penny" and with that she offered her hand to Max, who politely took it in a small shake... a little smile on her lips now.

"Nice to meet you, Penny"

"Likewise, Max" the Sarge released her hand, and Max felt it throb with the blood rushing back to her wiry fingers, Wowsers that woman has a serious grip!

"Sarge?" Ryan's voice called from down the hallway, but when he saw Penny and Max by the door, he couldn't help but scratch his beard with a grin "I see you've met Max, she scold you about calling her 'Maxine' yet?"

"Well, it would appear your detective skills are finally improving, Ryan" Penny said casting a wink to Max, earning her an amused curl of the lips from the young Caulfield and an eye roll from her father who disappeared into the kitchen once more with a chortle. Nicholson looked back to Max, an ever so slight smirk of entertainment on her lips "Have a good day, Max"

"You too, Penny" with that they exchanged nods, and the Amazonian Nicholson strode on down the hallway... and closed the kitchen door behind her, just as Max crouched midway up the stairs to listen in.

"You're good, Sarge" she admitted under her breath with a simper, humble in defeat despite the faintest slither of a scowl, and with nothing else to do Max resolved to simply return to her room, and closing the door behind her threw herself like a bag of bricks onto the couch.

The day crawled on, Ryan and Penny were downstairs for maybe an hour before Ryan shouted his goodbyes to his daughter from the front yard, before he and his superior slipped into their cars and drove off.

It was mere minutes after their cars vanished that Max felt that inevitable and unwelcome feeling descend like a black winged monster upon her once again- isolation. The emptiness of the home, its stillness, brought back visions of the grey place... and its monotonous chill clung to her body like a black cloud. Max, simply could not bear it.

She had spent the past couple of hours since her father's departure for work exploring the local sights of Seattle, or more accurately, re-discovering it. Max took a trail near her home, unable to resist, pulled in by the net of her nostalgia. The five years she lost here in Seattle were not all bad, and she spent a lot of it walking through this wooded expanse.

With the vermilion tinged golden glow of the sun entering the final stages of its setting, she had taken a few photos too, unwilling to let such a wonderful ambiance go to waste. Nature could provide such wonderful lighting, perhaps the best in Max's mind... she found herself timid around studio set ups now. Professional gear looked almost surgical, the bright lights were invasive; now there was only nausea where there was once admiration.

At least she would always have her camera, though... and instinctively Max found herself thumbing its plastic chassis, savoring the feeling of her holy relic. Her thoughts drifted to Chloe then, falling into the image of her smile, and Max's chest and cheeks filled with a longing heat.

Max's phone buzzed, rattling her from her reverie. She was shocked when she plucked it from her pocket to see two contacts reaching out to her. Perplexed Max couldn't help but read the names aloud under her breath.

"Chloe, and... Victoria?" Max rubbed her eyes to make sure she read that right, closing the gate to the trail behind her as she stepped onto the sidewalk to begin her journey home. The randomness of its presence on her phone unsettled her... Victoria didn't text her, not really, not unless it was something important.

Unlocking her phone she swiped open the message, unsure of why she was feeling dread gathering in her chest before she'd even read the text.

Received today at 17:18 – Max checked her phone's clock, and seeing that close to an hour had slipped by, she quietly hissed at unnoticed passage of time and read on.

Victoria Chase – Hey, loser. I'm not checking in, I'm sure you and your blue haired carpet muncher are living it up in Seattle while I slave away down here. I'm just letting you know something. You've had folks looking for you and Chloe. One of them was a cop, he was looking for Chloe, I checked his ID. Are you and Chloe in some kind of trouble? Talk to me, Max...

A cop? What would a cop want with Chloe? Max nibbled anxiously on her lower lip as she turned onto her block, walking at a snail's pace now as she typed out her reply.

Max Caulfield – Hey Victoria, sorry for the delay... busy day, I'm sorry. Me and Chloe are fine, we've been settling in for the past couple of days, nothing has happened as far as I'm aware. Did you tell the cop anything?

Victoria Chase – I'm not going to snitch on you, loser, as much as I'd love to see you wear something shiny and silver on your wrists, I'd rather it be Pandora and not handcuffs- but you insist on wearing those hideous wristbands all the same.

Max's heartbeat settled a little, and she cracked the tiniest smile, relieved with the news. Chuckling at the Pandora comment she quickly typed out her next message, happily reflecting upon the fact that she could now banter with Victoria at least after the week they had spent working together- 'Queen Bee' and 'Selfie Hoe', the unlikeliest of friends.

MC – Thanks Victoria... so what did you tell him?

VC – Just that Chloe headed Portland way, other than that I couldn't say. He bought it; he took off not long after.

MC – Victoria, you are the Queen Bee.

VC – Yeah, you better fucking bow down, loser... but like I said, there were others, thing is they weren't looking for Chloe... They were looking for you.

The tips of Max's fingers filled with numbness, her heart almost seizing with the ominous energy that message gave off. It couldn't be helped, and Max fearfully wondered why.

MC – They were looking for me? Who were they?

VC – Max, I don't know... but I got a vibe from them. There were two, a scrawny guy and a taller girl with long black hair... the guy, he kinda looked like Nathan, it freaked me out- his friend was no better, she just kept looking at me with this smile, staring me down... like she was some kind of hungry dog or something. Max if they're your friends from out of town, you got a fucked up taste in acquaintances!

Stood silently outside her home, Max never noticed that Chloe's truck had still not returned, nor had her mother or fathers... instead she was staring with pinprick pupils at the phone's screen. Dumbfounded, frightened, and at a lost for words, the image of these two individuals in her mind brought forth a low rumble of blood thumping in her ears. They sounded so familiar, and yet, they were alien- like Seattle itself. The girl's description unsettled her the most, woefully dragging her thoughts back to the vision this morning.

MC – Vic, I don't know anyone like that... not that I like to admit it, but I didn't really have any friends before coming to Blackwell

VC – Yeah, well, no sob stories Caulfield... but I told them I didn't know where you were. The sickly guy, he kinda just shrugged and walked off, but the girl? She just chuckled, like she knew I was lying or something... I don't like it, I'm freaked out. I've been feeling like I'm being watched since they left.

MC – When you can, get out and come to Seattle... Maybe you should take it as a sign that you've done enough, Vic

VC – What, you mean just leave like you and your fucking girlfriend did because you wanted to go home and fuck?

Stepping through the front door Max locked it behind her before she read that, and the moment she did, her chest grew tight and her cheeks flared with an agitated scarlet. She had no idea that Victoria would still be so raw about this.

MC – We did what we had to... we worked so hard that week, and i told you, me and Chloe were wrapped up in shit from start to finish of the week leading to it, that i just... i cant explain it. You know i can't, too... and you said you understood, Victoria! Just come to Seattle if you feel uncomfortable, you've worked so hard, they will understand

VC – Whatever, Maxine. I'll come home when I'm ready to, because whether I like it or not, people still need help here! And you know damn well that I have to find him! Anyway, I'm gone. There's your update. See you whenever, loser.

And like that, Max lowered her phone... knowing full well that if she tried to get more words from the Queen Bee, she would be met only with silent, muted anger. Groaning stepped inside and locked up, before she slid her back down against the door and splayed out her legs as she sat there staring aimlessly down the corridor. Alone.

It was only then that the hush of the house, barely disturbed by the softness of Max's delicate breaths, was broken by the ringing of her phone- the empty house alive with the sound of banjos. Spotting the name of the contact calling, Max felt her spirits surge to life and cut the wonderfully folk ringtone short.

"This is the office of Caulfield and Price, Private Investigators and Closet Inspectors, how may I help you?"

"Ha bloody ha, Max" came the chiding, but tickled voice of Chloe on the end of the line, Max beamed "You forgotten how to send messages? I sent you about fifty texts, dude"

Max frowned at her phone "Sorry, it's been an interesting day" sure, that's one way to put it, Caulfield, she thought with an internal roll of her eyes "Whats up, doc?"

"Got a bit of news, some good, some not so good" letting out a long groan Max palmed her forehead, making circles on her temples with her finger and thumb. Great, just great. "Which you want first?"

"Not so good" hearing Chloe take a deep breath, Max couldn't help but expect something ridiculous almost immediately. Had she crashed the truck or something?

"Not so good is, I won't be coming home tonight..." the quiet that followed from Max was impossible to describe, and Chloe broke it as best she could, unable to handle its volume "...But I will be back tomorrow morning, I promise!"

"Why" is all Caulfield said, voice masking the disappointment she felt as she let her head fall back with a dull 'thunk' off the door, her eyes closed to hone her hearing in on just how good this explanation would have to be to stop her being sour about it. Go on Price, impress me.

"It's Joyce" Chloe said intently, startling Max, one of her eyes snapped open so quick it could have clapped.

"What about her, is she alright?" the consternation in Max's voice plain as day.

"Yeah, yeah she's fine Max... she's just... having a rough time of it, with David and stuff. Look I'm not going to go into it on the phone, but I'd feel like a hella shitty daughter if I wasn't there for her- I'll explain it all tomorrow, okay?"

Inhaling deeply, Max swallowed to urge to scream no it wasn't, to demand that Chloe come home and be with her instead- but how do you tell your bestfriend, your girlfriend even, that you want them to ditch their mother in a rare time in need... just because you're freaked out by the specter of a bad dream? The image of the two strangers looking for her had been forced to the side, unwilling to give that terrifying thought the time of day.

The exhale came after a wordless minute, it was long, venting... and unable to stop herself nodding as she wearily rubbed her eyes, Max relented.

"Okay, just be home as early as you can though, please. I-I... I don't like it when you're away, but i understand"

"I don't like it either, believe me... but thank you- and I will Max, I promise" Chloe wasn't deaf, she could hear the dejection in Max's voice, and quickly she tried to rouse her girlfriend's spirits "So, the good news!"

"Yeah, what's that?" Max asked, offering all the enthusiasm she could scrape from the bottom of the barrel.

"I got all those resumes you and your mom helped me with handed out, and simultaneously snagged myself an interview!" meekly Max smiled, while crushed a little, it was a proud thing and she felt her gloom lift by a feather.

"I told you, didn't i? It isn't just me who sees all that potential" pushing up from the floor Max heavily, dragged herself up the steps, feeling fatigue settle over her like the thickest of mists... she barely saw the black shape fluttering into her room, putting it down to her eyes playing tricks on her "I'm gonna go hit the hay, Chloe... text you later?"

"Yeah... I'll call you, okay? I love you, Max"

"...I love you too" killing the line, Max slumped on her bed fully clothed, crawling through the sheets as though sinking in quicksand, before relinquishing to her fate and rolling onto her back. Staring at the ceiling, she was almost surprised to see that Moth fluttering around the motionless fan. Unable to resist the call of dreams any longer, her vision faded to black, drifting back to unknown realms on the back of fluttering wings.