So... my break was never meant to be this long, but things haven't been great. I haven't had as much time to write, and well the time I did have I wasn't really feeling up to it a lot of the time. Things seem to be getting better, and while writing time is still a bit harder to find right now, at least I'm not lacking for motivation! Let's hope the trend continues. I really had wanted to get out the next Chapter of Life waits first since that's going to be my focus, but this was already partially written so it was much easier to finish and get out there. I hope you enjoy it!

I woke up in the best mood. I actually let out a little squeal, softly in deference to my neighbors, in my glee before I rolled out of bed. Humming a nameless little tune, I walked over to the window, and peeked outside. It was a nice sunny day, and it matched my mood perfectly. I checked on my plant Lisa, but finding the soil still damp, and her leaves looking nice and bright, I turned, heading over to my closet, and began to prepare my little shower caddie so I could make use of the dorms facilities. I thought about Chloe as I prepared myself an outfit, which was basically just another variation of the same thing, t-shirt, hoodie, and jeans. Today was going to be a good day, I thought to myself, as I headed out of my room to go take a shower.

The halls were filled with the muted sounds of the other girls' weekend routines, but otherwise deserted. I wasn't surprised to find the showers were deserted as well, except for Kate who was brushing her teeth at the sink. Probably preparing for church. I still wasn't sure about how good of an idea it would be to try to get close to Kate, but I was feeling good, and she was generally very nice to me. I decided to stop next to her to say good morning, be friendly and personable for once in my life. Or I planned to try to at least. It wasn't exactly easy for me to break out of my shell, at least not when Chloe wasn't involved.

"Uh... hey Kate, I mean good morning." I almost physically flinched at how awkward that came out, but I did manage to keep my smile friendly.

She paused and gave me a pasty smile. "Good morning Max. You seem to be in a really good mood today. Did Warren ask you out?"

My brows furrowed a bit, showing my confusion. "Who's Warren?"

Her face fell a bit, and she shook her head. "I guess not. He's the boy in science class that's always trying to talk to you, or help you out with the labs..."

I realized then that having imposed myself into the school year by magic, the way I did, was probably going to pose more challenges like that one. My hand came up to clutch at my elbow subconsciously, and I looked away feigning embarrassment to go along with my awkwardness. "Ohh... Warren! Uh... I'm terrible with names... but uh, no, no he didn't ask me out or anything."

Kate shrugged. "Well... there's still plenty of time."

I considered outing myself there, but I wasn't sure how Kate would take that news considering her faith, so I just gave her a noncommittal shrug as well. "I should get to my shower, but it was nice to talk to you. We should do it more often."

She gave me a bright smile, and nodded. "We should! I'll see you later Max."

I shut the curtain to my stall, and got myself ready to shower. The hot water was nice, and I spent some time just relaxing under the stream. My thoughts, of course, turned to Chloe as they so often did. She had promised to call me, and I was looking forward to it. I wondered if I'd get to see her again today, or if I'd have to wait till later in the week. We had texted so much the previous night, and not made a single plan. All we did was talk about our lives a bit, and joke around a lot. It was so much fun, but I couldn't let myself forget I was on a deadline either. Having fun with Chloe could only help me, but I didn't want to get too caught up, and find that time had slipped away after it was too late. That sobering thought ended my relaxing shower.

I was dressed, and clean, and ready for the day, and all I was doing was pacing around my room impatiently. I knew I should just find something to do, and do it, but I didn't want to be busy if Chloe wanted to hang out. She'd probably be creeped out by how much I was focused on her, but my future could very well depend on her, plus it was so easy to fall into old habits. When I was living here before, I was almost always waiting to see what Chloe wanted to do, almost always following her lead. Not always of course, and she did have a way of making me braver somehow, but she also had a forceful personality, and tended to get her way. I decided I would go out, and maybe take some pictures, I was here for photography after all. I grabbed my phone, and my bag, and headed out the door.

The hallway was a little louder this time around. Some of the other girls had their doors open, and a few were even moving about the hallway going about their business. I slipped quietly through, trying not to be noticed, and I almost succeeded. My name drew me over to an open door. Dana Ward's room. When she saw she had my attention, she flashed me an enthusiastic smile and gestured me inside. I briefly considered trying to make a run for it, but instead I took a deep breath, and nervously stepped inside.

"Relax Max..." she gave me a huge grin before she continued. "I just wanted to try and get to know you a little better. You've been here for a couple months and you've mostly kept to yourself. Not in like a rude way or anything, but I thought maybe you just needed a little... push. So I'm pushing."

Dana was such the stereotypical cheerleader, that I was really surprised when I found out she was also a genuinely nice person. I stood there gaping at her for a few moments, before I was able to collect myself. I still wasn't sure what to say though, and the silence kept growing as I stood there trying to find the right words, until Dana laughed, and waved me away.

"It's fine Max, we don't have to do it right now if you're not ready." she said gently.

I shook my head. "N-no... it's not that. I'm just not sure there's much to tell you."

Dana smiled, and shrugged. " Well... where are you from? Where're you headed today? Are you headed out for a breakfast date? Maybe with that Warren boy who's so into you..." her smile turned sly when she brought up dating, and Warren.

My cheeks flushed a bit, and I reached up rubbing at my neck awkwardly. "Uh... gee, where do I start." I laughed nervously. "I'm uh... from here originally, but Um... we moved away about five years ago. Uh... Seattle. And uh... no dates right now. I was actually going out to maybe take some pictures..." I reached into my bag to pull out my old analogue to show her. "Though breakfast might be a good idea..."

"Well I'm no Rachel, but if you ever need a model..." she grinned, and gave me a wink.

"Uh... sure I-I'll think about it!" as my cheeks flushed lightly, she got a thoughtful look on her face. I decided to make my escape before she could ask me whatever she had on her mind. "Uh... anyhow, I should go get to it... We can catch up more later Dana. Promise."

"Sure thing Max. See you around." she laughed softly to herself as I made my escape.

I did feel a little bad about running out of there like that. She was just trying to get to know me, but not only am I hopeless in social situations, it looked like she might ask me something I'm not ready to answer yet. I'm glad I'm not on Juliet's radar yet, she'd never let me get away like that. If I hang around Dana more often I run that risk, since they're best friends. Seeing them together was not uncommon, so it would only be a matter of time before Juliet took an interest. I just hoped it would remain a passing one.

I blinked a few times as I stepped out into the early morning sun. The area was deserted except for Samuel, our grounds keeper, who was sitting on a bench feeding the squirrels. He had a reputation for being weird, even creepy, but I hadn't really had the opportunity to talk to him myself yet. I was a little nervous to try, but then again, if the squirrels liked him he really couldn't be that bad. I decided that there was no time like the present, and headed his way slowly. Plus the squirrels were cute, and I hoped I might get a picture or two.

Samuel looked up at me as I approached. "Hey Samuel. You're up bright and early."

"Hello young Max. Samuel is always up this early to feed the squirrels." he replied softly, as was his way, but still quite friendly enough.

I smiled at the squirrels the surrounded him, happily nibbling on the bits of bread he brought them. They weren't afraid at all either, they got comfortably quite close to him. It was perhaps a bit unusual, but if he had been feeding them for a while, they could have come to trust him over time. He did really seem to care about the animals on campus. He might have been considered weird, but he was definitely a gentle soul.

"The squirrels really seem to like you." I remarked softly.

"They like you too Max. Animals are good judges of character you know... they're not as burdened by what things appear to be." he said as he broke up a little more bread, and tossed it out to the squirrels around him. "Sometimes they whisper to Samuel, tell me that you're a child of the forests just like them." he added softly.

I took a little surprised step back. "Uh... wh-what does that... mean?"

Samuel gave me a little shrug. "They tell Samuel that you're a child of the Stag, and the Alder. I'm not sure what they mean. The squirrels don't always speak in a way that Samuel completely understands."

"Do... the squirrels tell you anything else? About me, or... anyone else?" I took a step forward again, nervous over what I might hear next.

"They say they're glad you came back to Arcadia Bay, that it's nice to have some of the old magic back." he smiled for a moment, but then his face fell. "They also tell me they're worried about Rachel. They tell Samuel that she's starting to fall apart like old dolls often do. I don't know what they mean by that, but I try to keep an eye on her for them."

I nodded, silent for a moment, I had a lot to think about. I didn't want to just leave Samuel hanging though, so I took a deep breath, and decided to say my goodbyes. "Well I should go... I'll see you later Samuel."

"Yes you will Max." he gave me a pleasant smile, and turned his attention back to the squirrels.

I walked away slowly, with a lot on my mind. Samuel was certainly very strange, but he knew things, I couldn't deny that. I wondered if he didn't have some Folk in his ancestry somewhere. Just a bit of Folk blood, enough for him sense the magic around him, but not enough to really make him one of us. However he did it though, he certainly knew things about me, and about Rachel. His comment just cemented in my mind the idea what she was a Doppelganger, and that she was starting to become unstable. It was sad really, for Chloe, and for Rachel. Chloe was probably going to lose her, and as far as I knew there was no way to re-stabilize a Doppelganger, though I'm not sure anyone has ever tried either. They didn't always completely lose it though, so I could still hope for the best even if the worst would be more self-serving. I didn't want Chloe to hurt any more than she already did.

I paused to look up at the Tobanga on the little hill om front of the dorms. I'm not really sure what it represented, or if that was even it's original name, but it did have a touch of real magic to it. I found myself reaching for my camera as I stood wondering what it's story was. I crouched to get the perfect angle, and took the shot. I grabbed the photo, and gave it a quick shake before looking at it. I had lucked out, and caught a deer passing by in the background. I carefully tucked the photo into my camera bag, and decided to make my way to the bus stop. Breakfast, and the Two Whales, was calling to me. I wondered if maybe Joyce might be working the breakfast shift, it'd be nice to see her again, and I imagined if I was really lucky, maybe Chloe would even stop in early again. With those thoughts in mind I headed off to catch the bus into town.

I was hit by a wave of nostalgia all over again as I walked into the Two Whales for the second time since I got back. My stomach growled at me loudly as I stood there taking it all in again. I decided it was best to cut my reverie short, and just head on back to our usual booth. Chloe wasn't there as I slipped into the booth, and I wasn't sure if she even would be at all, but I still had hoped she might be there. Joyce was behind the counter again this morning, so I was happy I'd at least get to visit with her again.

I watched Joyce go about her work, as I waited for her to have a moment to come over so I could order. It hit me all over again just how much I had missed this place, and the people I had gotten to know. Watching Joyce working again, like I used to with Chloe, felt a little like coming home again. A lot of things had been feeling that way since I got back. I smiled up at her as she came over to fill my coffee cup, and she smiled back. It was good to be home again.

"Well hello Max. It's good to see you again, and so soon." she filled my coffee cup, with a genuine smile. "Chloe was positively glowing when she came home last night... you wouldn't happen to know anything about that now, would you?"

My smile turned into a grin, and I shrugged. "I don't know... where you cooking last night? That'd certainly make Me glow if I was coming home to that."

"My, haven't you just become quite the charmer..." she laughed softly. "Well whatever it is you're doing, I hope you keep it up. It's nice to see her looking like she doesn't have the weight of the world on her shoulders again."

"Well, I'll do my best Joyce. I have a lot to make up for, and I want Chloe to be happy too." I toyed nervously with my coffee mug, carefully not looking at Joyce.

Joyce shook her head. "You got nothing to make up for Max... You moved on with your life, as you should. Now, why don't you tell me what you want to eat today?"

"How about the Belgian waffle, I haven't had a decent one since I left." I turned my eyes up to her long enough to give her a smile.

"Coming right up." she gave me a smile, before turning away and heading back behind the counter, leaving me alone with my thoughts again.

I turned my eyes to the lighthouse in the distance, and just let myself reminisce for a little while. I thought about the adventures, Chloe and I had under it's watchful gaze. I was so enamored with her for so long, everything she did just seemed to be so cool to little Max Caulfield. Even when we met again, she still just seemed so cool, so amazing, I was drawn right back in. She changed so much, and yet hadn't changed at all. I wondered how this could possibly not be destiny. Still, I worried that if I was wrong, I'd never manage to meet the terms of my agreement with my parents, and I'd have to leave her again. This time forever. I didn't think I'd be able to survive that, not seeing Chloe ever again. Knowing she was out there, and that I would never be able to come back in her life time. I did love Arcadia Bay, but the thought of it without Chloe felt a little empty somehow. I didn't dwell long on it though, as an unfamiliar voice pulled me from my musings.

"Yo Maaax... How's it going?" said a boy with messy brown hair, and a t-shirt with something I didn't understand printed on it.

I froze up for a moment, and just sat there staring at him. "Uh... heeey...uh...you. I-it's going... fine. I'm just having breakfast."

He settled himself down across from me without even asking, before he continued. "Cool... so how do you feel about the science quiz on Monday? Need to borrow my super detailed notes again? I also have a flash drive with a ton of super awesome movies, and stuff I thought you might want to borrow, you know, because of how strict your parents were about that kind of stuff... might be a good way to catch up on all the good pop culture references. Maybe we could even find time to watch some of them together?"

I wasn't sure what to do. One the one hand, having access to some of the stuff I missed while I was gone, would definitely help me fit in, on the other, I really didn't want to take advantage of his crush, and potentially lead him on. I was saved from having to make that decision right away though, when Joyce returned with my order.

"Why didn't you tell me you were waiting for someone Max? I would have been happy to wait to take your orders together." Joyce gently admonished me, while setting down my waffle, and a little pitcher of syrup.

"I wasn't. I didn't know I would have company until he came over and sat down." I could see the boy in question wince a little at my words of of the corner of my eye, but it was true. He didn't ask to sit, and he wasn't invited.

Joyce put her hands on her hips, and arched her eyebrow at the boy. He shrunk a little in his seat under her eye, and I do have to admit, Joyce is kinda scary when she gets protective. "Then is he bothering you Max?"

I shook my head. I may not have wanted him there exactly, but I didn't want to get him in trouble either. "N-no, it's fine. We go to school together, and he was just asking me about my science notes."

Joyce dropped her arms, and smiled. "Well alright then, can I get you anything Warren honey?"

Of course this is Warren. I thought to myself. I did suspect that, that was who he was, but I wasn't sure until Joyce called him by name. He must come in fairly regularly for her to know him on sight. I wondered if I shouldn't be too hasty in pushing him away. I thought maybe, I could use him as a way to stay near Chloe, if we didn't end up together. I also wondered if that thought made me an awful person, it did sound pretty callous. Being with Chloe was what was important, but that didn't mean I had to be a total bitch, or so I hoped. I could at least use more friends, but I didn't want to lead him on by mistake either. It was a hard choice to make, and I suspected he'd push me for an answer about a movie night again as soon as Joyce was gone. I was right.

"So... what do you say, you ready for an awesome movie night with yours truly?" he looked so hopeful when he asked, I felt bad for him.

I shook my head. "No... I don't think so Warren. I mean, you seem really nice and all, but... it feels like you're looking for something more than I'm really able to give you." I wondered where my sudden firmness was coming from. I felt like just the other day I would have just stammered out some lame excuse, and hoped he took it. I decided to attribute it to finally seeing Chloe again.

He looked wounded, but nodded. "I get it... I'm glad you were straight with me. Maybe we could still do a movie night as friends? But maybe as a group thing... so that nobody gets uncomfortable."

I gave him a smile, and nodded my agreement. "That sounds great Warren, I could always use more friends. Just let me know when, and I'll try to make sure I'm free."

He smiled back. "Sure thing Mad Max, I'll let you know as soon as everything is set! Now about those science notes..."

We talked back and forth a little bit over breakfast, about class, and past grades. We also talked a little bit about the shows, and movies I'd missed out on, some of them sounded Really good. He was a pretty nice guy all things considered, and I felt I would be happy to call him friend. I was also pretty certain I'd need to find someone to divert his attention too as soon as possible too. He'd be a good friend, but having him pine over me our entire friendship wouldn't be ideal. I'd need to get to know everyone at Blackwell a bit better before I could do that. Chloe would always come first, but I decided to make that a secondary objective. All together it was a nice breakfast, but as I was leaving Joyce pulled me aside to talk.

"He was pretty cute, wasn't he Max?" her brow perked up at me apraisingly.

"Oh... I guess so." I shrugged at her noncommittally.

She sighed softly, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You know Chloe's already seeing somebody, right?"

My cheeks flushed, and my hand came up to clutch at my elbow self-consciously. " I uh..." I let out a soft breath. "Shit, was I really that obvious?"

She laughed softly, but not unkindly. "You two were practically inseparable Max, you were over at our house so much you practically lived there. I got to know you very well."

"Yeah..." I smiled sheepishly. " I guess that makes sense. And... And I do know, and I just want you to know I don't plan to do anything to hurt Chloe, but I also won't leave her again if I have any say in the matter."

"Well... " she pursed her lips for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I'm not trying to warn you away from her, I just want you to be careful. She doesn't really talk to me anymore, but I can tell she at least needs a good friend, like you Max. It's a delicate situation. Rachel's a lovely girl, but I can tell something has been going on between them for a while now, and I just want Chloe to be happy again. I'm probably just being over protective, but I'm worried about her. I'm glad you're back in her life, but just be careful Max, and try to be a good influence. Please?"

"I will Joyce, I don't want to do anything that could ruin our relationship, and I definitely don't want her to get hurt." my voice was filled with a conviction I wasn't used to hearing coming out of my own mouth, but I knew it was true. I'd leave forever if Chloe really wanted me to.

She pulled me in for a hug, and I remembered how much I missed that. My parents where never very physical with their affections the way Joyce, and William were. "Thank you honey, I feel a little better just knowing you're there looking out for her..." she let me go, and took a little step back. "But try not to let yourself get hurt in the process either, you hear?"

I nodded, and gave her a big smile, a warm feeling had spread throughout my chest. "Thanks Joyce, I'll try."

I left the Two Whales with a smile, and decided to wander around town for a little while. I thought it might be fun look for some good photo ops since I was already out. It also wouldn't hurt to pad my portfolio, considering I was officially there as a photography student. It was around lunch time before I got back on the bus, and headed back to Blackwell. I figured I'd take advantage of my meal card, and go over my photos while I ate. I was still anxiously awaiting Chloe's call, and I needed something to fill my time with.

Food from the Blackwell cafeteria was, less than stellar. You'd think with all the money they get from the trust fund kids coming through they could spring for something a little less bland. Maybe there's a law somewhere stating that school lunches just have to be bad. I remembered my elementary school lunch experiences being much the same as the ones I was having at Blackwell. Still it was at least edible, so that was a plus. I mostly just picked at my food anyway, while I went through my photos, and occasionally looking over at my phone expectantly. That of course did not make her call, but I did get to go through all of my photos. I found some pretty good ones, even if I didn't believe any of them made me worthy of even being in a photography class at the rec center let alone Blackwell academy. I just hoped I'd be able skate by with good enough, so that I could stay.

I considered just hanging around the campus outside for a while, it was a very nice day, but decided instead I would at least go and drop my photos off in my room first. I hoped Chloe would call me soon, but I still had pretty much all of the rest of the day to wait. I definitely didn't want to get involved with anything major until after she called, just in case she wanted to meet up again today. I knew my focus wouldn't seem particularly healthy to anyone on the outside, but I had just come back from what is literally a completely different existence where the danger of never getting to see her again was very real, and was facing the possibility of having to go back, and actually never seeing her again for certain. I wanted all the time that Chloe would give me.

The walk back across campus to the the dorms was a less quiet affair then my morning walk had been. There were students up and around this time. The skaters were doing tricks on their boards on the sidewalks, while groups of students hung around chatting, or studying together, or whatever. Some of the Jocks were throwing a football around, and a few lone students were reading or studying quietly in out of the way places. I weaved through them all, only offering a nod or a wave to the few of them who took the time to acknowledge me. I had time to kill, but I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the socializing I had already done so far that day, and I just wanted to cocoon myself in my room for a while, at least until Chloe called.

With nothing to stop me, I made good time to the dorms, and headed inside. The stairwell was silent, as I headed up to the girls floor. As I approached I thought I could hear the sound of someone arguing fiercely with someone else. I paused at the door, and considered going back downstairs. I figured I could wait a little longer and come back, to maybe avoid this particular awkward situation. I looked back down the stairs behind me, and took a deep breath. I decided I could stand a few moments of awkwardness if it got me to my room, that much sooner. I slowly pushed the door open, and stepped into the hallway fully intending to avoid eye contact, so I could hurry on past, except, standing there in the hallway was Chloe, and Rachel.

They both stopped talking as soon as I was through the door, turning to stare at me. I shrunk a little in on myself, reaching up to cradle my elbow self-consciously. "Uh... sorry. I just need to go... to my room now."

Rachel grinned broadly at me, which caused Chloe's scowl to deepen. Rachel started towards me, completely ignoring the dismayed noise Chloe made. "Max! It's good to see you again... You're not busy are you? We could go have a little chat, maybe finally get to know each other better. What do you say?"

I just stared at her my mouth hanging open for a moment. " Uh... you, but you and Chloe were... um, you seem busy so I should just..." I gestured down the hallway towards my door.

"Oh Chloe's fine, she just needs to go calm down a little. We were done anyway." she slung her arm around my shoulders, and started trying to steer me away. "Now... how do you know Chloe anyway? You're something of a Mystery Max..."

Chloe huffed, throwing up her arms, and turned to stalk out. "Chloe wait!" I called after her, but she didn't stop. I pulled away from Rachel turning to face her, and gave her an apologetic look. "Listen Rachel... I'm sorry, we'll have a chat another time I promise, but right now I really need to... to go." I gestured after Chloe.

Her face went blank for a moment, and then she put on an indulgent smile. "Of course Max... It's no problem, we'll catch up soon. Ciao." she turned and headed towards her room, leaving me a little shocked. I shook it off though, and hurried after Chloe.

I hurried down the stairs and out the door, hoping to catch her before she got too far. I looked around frantically, but I didn't see her in the yard just outside either. Ignoring the glances sent my way, I ran towards the parking lot on the other side of the school building. I thought that maybe Chloe would be heading there so she could leave Blackwell all together. A smile broke out on my face as I caught a flash of her blue hair as she stomped towards the parking lot.

I lifted my arm to wave at her, even though her back was turned. "Chloe! Wait Please?!"

I could see her stiffen up, but she did stop and wait for me. I was extremely grateful for that. She had a big head start and could easily have gotten away from me if she wanted, or at least she could have so long as I didn't want to do something blatantly abnormal. I bent over when I reached her, clutching my knees as I wheezed, trying to catch my breath. I had spent too much of my time of Fairer Shores in the libraries, studying. I was definitely a little out of shape.

She sighed softly looking at me. "What do you want Max? Shouldn't you be back there with Rachel? I know she hates to be kept waiting..."

I winched at the vitriol in her voice, my hand came up to grip my elbow nervously. "Chloe... you're the one I want to see right now. Rachel... I, she just kind of ambushed me there. I just kinda blew her off so I could find you."

She looked shocked for a moment, and then her face softened. I wondered if I was the first person to ever blow Rachel Amber off. "Max..." she sighed softly, and gestured me closer, wrapping her arm around my shoulder when I complied. "Let's get the fuck out of here, I'm ready leave this shit stain behind."

I smiled up at her, and let her lead me through the parking lot to her truck. She peeled out of the parking lot like a mad woman, and I admit, while it was kinda scary, it was also really exciting. I didn't even care where we were headed, I was just glad to be going there with Chloe.

The Price residence was, at least on the outside almost exactly how I remembered it. Still only half Paint from when William started before he died. The place was more worn down, but still very much the same. The inside too filled me with nostalgia, though I didn't get to see much of what had changed, or what had stayed the same, as Chloe was in a hurry to get up to her room. She ushered me up the stairs in front of her, and steering me gently into her room. Not that I needed her help to get there.

Her room was definitely different than I remembered it. It was still messy, but she had rearranged things, taken down a lot of her old posters, and replaced them with new ones, and there was the graffiti. It was all very Chloe though, at least the nineteen year old version of her. I just stood there taking it all in, as Chloe stepped around me, and headed over to her bed.

Chloe flopped down on her bed with a sigh. "After that clusterfuck, I definitely need to medicate... do you think you could put on some tunes while I take care of this?" she gives me a questioning look as she begins to roll a fresh joint.

"Aye Aye Cap'n." I gave her a little mock salute, and headed over to her sound system to get it going. I could see Chloe smirking as she worked on her joint. There was power, but no disks. I turned back to Chloe a little confused. "Hey Chloe, there are no disks over here."

"Then just... look around, they're around here somewhere..." she gestured vaguely around the room.

I shrugged, and began to look around. I figured it'd give me a good excuse to see what I could find out about Chloe's life while I was gone, without coming across as too nosy. Mostly I just found old pictures though, of Chloe, and William. They were bittersweet to see, and left me with a small ache for Williams passing. He was a good man, and I loved him almost like a father. There were other things that brought on pangs of nostalgia as well. Things Chloe kept from when we were kids, though these mementos left me mostly feeling warm inside. There was so much more we could have done together had I been allowed to stay. I was finding all these things from our past, but still no disks. Chloe apparently hid them (or lost them) really good.

I noticed a box on a high shelf, or at least the shelf was high to me. Chloe was much taller than me, and she could reach it much more easily than I could. The question was, would she place her disks up there? I decided to check it out, so I got up on my toes, and reached for the box. I couldn't quite reach, and as I flailed for it, I managed to knock it off the shelf. I winced as I heard something shatter at my feet.

"Oh good going, you broke my snow doe." Chloe sighed exasperatedly

I bent down, and started gathering up all the pieces very carefully. I spent several minutes just trying to make sure I had every little piece. I couldn't do much about the liquid, but I had all the glass gathered up, I even gathered up all the little bits of fake snow inside. I spent long enough bent over cleaning things up that Chloe came over to check on me.

"Dude, don't even worry about it... I'll get the broom later." Chloe said softly, as she bent close to see what I was doing.

I looked up at her, and gave her an impish grin. "A broken globe is no match for me and my magic." Her eyes got really wide, and I winked at her before turning my attention back to the broken snow globe. I reached up into my hair, pulled out a sprig of Comfrey, and laid it over the broken pieces of the snow globe. Then I pricked my finger on a shard of broken glass, and carefully used my blood to draw a simple rune on the largest piece. "Gadewch i'r hyn sydd wedi'i dorri gael ei iacháu."

With very little preamble the snow globe reassembled itself. The cracks sealed and disappeared, as if it had never been broken. I grined up at Chloe whose eyes were huge as she watched. Unfortunately the snow globe was still empty, except for the collected snow. Chloe started to reach for it, but I pulled it away, and held up one finger, wordlessly asking her to wait. I took a deep breath, and drew another rune on the glass, and then spit. The globe immediately began to slowly fill with water.

I thought Chloe's eyes might jsut pop out of their sockets considering how big they were when I finally handed the snow globe back to her, completely repaired. She took hold of it reverently, and looked it over very carefully. "Amazeballs..." she whispered in awe. "I mean I know you told me you knew magic but... Holy fuck Max! Do you have any idea what you could do with magic? With Real magic?"

I laughed softly. "Yeah... I actually do know what kinds of things I could do with magic," my voice took on a more serious tone before I continued "but Chloe it's not a toy. There are prices to be paid for everything you do. That was just a simple mending, something bigger might require more time to cast, or more components, or exotic components, or even leave me weakened for a while after the casting."

"Oh come on Max! You have powers! We've gotta have at least a Little fun with that. It's time to play!" Chloe put her hands together under her chin, and gave me a hopeful, pleading look.

I sighed softly, knowing full well I was probably going to regret saying yes, but Chloe was always hard to say no to. "Okay fine... a Little mischief. I can think of a few little things, if there's someone you want get back at for something?"

The grin that spread across her face was frighteningly malicious, and I considered taking it back right then and there. "Yeah... how about my Step-douche. Fuckers been on my crack since he glomed onto my mom a few years ago. I'd love to get a little pay back."

I frowned mildly, looking up at her. "Joyce remarried?"

"Yeah, and he's a real fuckhead too." Chloe frowned, clneching her hands into fists. "He thinks just becuase he was in army, he has a right to come in here, and order me around."

I sighed softly, that complicated things. "You know he'll probably blame you for whatever happens right? I mean it's only the three of you here..."

"Yeah, well he already blames me for everything he doesn't like around here anyway, so what else is new? There won't be any proof I did anything right?" her brow perked up questioningly.

"Well... No. I mean there will be no proof Anyone did anything but still he might come after you about it... I don't want to get you in trouble." I looked up at her worried. I really didn't want to make her home life any worse, especially if what she was saying about her step-dad was true.

She looked like she was starting to get offended by my concern, but then her face softened, and her shoulders fell. She sighed. " Yeah... I guess you're right. It would have been so awsome to fuck with him though."

I laughed softly, and placed my hand gently on her shoulder. "We'll think of something else fun to do with my powers... I promise."

Chloe grinned excitedly at me, and I couldn't help the grin that spread across my lips in return. "This is gonna be hella sweet! So what's the plan Mad Max?"

I laughed, giving her a shrug. " I don't know... you're the one who wanted to do something crazy with my powers... Is there anything you really want to do, or someone besides your step-dad you want me to hex?"

Chloe muttered something I didn't catch, and then shrugged as well. "I don't know... I don't go there anymore, but I'd kinda like to see Victoria get her panties in a twist again." she laughed lightly. "Or maybe get to use the heated pool at Blackwell. That'd be fucking awesome... or Maybe tag the building in some hard to reach but very visable spot! Like maybe just write Eat Pussy in big letters all around that stupid tower."

I laughed softly, as I considered what she had just said. I could certainly do something to Victoria, but did I really want to? Bad Luck would probably just make her crabby, and I did have to share the dorms with her. I might have been able to get her up on that tower, but that seemed like alot of work, and danger just so Chloe could play rebel. I liked the pool idea though. Getting around some simple locks would be no problem at all, and I was reasonably certain I could get us out unseen if security showed up. It did sound like a really good time, and since Chloe suggested it, it would certainly satisfy her appetite for mischief.

I grinned up at Chloe. "I can get us into the pool."

"Seriously?" Chloe's face lit up like it was christmas. "That'd be fucking awesome dude! You, and me, and Rachel in the Blackwell pool."

A stab of jealousy shot through my chest, but I just gave Chloe a smile. If it made her happy, I'd just have to live with it. "Yeah... But you Have to keep Rachel distracted while I get us in... She can't know about any of this. Okay?"

"Oh, yeah, right. Sure dude, I can do that." Chloe grinned at me. "This is going to be Epic! When do we go?"

I shrugged. "Uh... whenever you want I guess? I mean it'll have to be late, so we don't get caught, but... other than that whenever."

She grinned. "Fuck yes! How about tonight then?"

I shrugged, grinning back at her. "Tonight... splish splash."

The language is I used when Max cast a spell was Welsh, but I don't know Welsh, so I used Google Translate. If you speak Welsh, and it makes no sense, blame google. I really jsut wanted the aesthetic of it, the actual translation doesn't matter too much. But seriously, I love comments so please feel free.