Max woke to sunlight streaming into Chloe's room. She tilted her head to the left, smiling at Chloe sleeping peacefully next to her.
Max sighed and then yawned quietly. She thought back to the previous night and her brow furrowed. So many spooky things going on...but...so many good things...
Memories of Chloe's meticulously-planned date filled Max's head and she lay back, staring at the ceiling, a peaceful smile replacing concern on her face.
Suddenly, an arm and a leg pinned Max in place and Chloe's voice boomed in her ear, "Max attack!"
Max jumped under Chloe's arm and yelled, "shit! How can you manage to get the jump on me when I'm literally right next to you!"
"Because I'm a lethal stealthy shark," Chloe said, tightening her arm and leg around Max, "and you're a cute little otter floating on the surface, completely unaware."
"Yeah, well this otter has dexterous paws," Max said, reaching underneath Chloe's arms to tickle her sides.
"Fuck!" Chloe yelled, rolling away from Max.
Max pressed the attack...and when Chloe managed to breathlessly push Max's hands away for a moment, Max switched her target to Chloe's thighs, eliciting a high-pitched yelp from Chloe.
"No no no no, I surrender!" Chloe said.
Max stopped, her fingers hovering above Chloe's legs.
"Unconditionally?" Max said, grinning.
Chloe nodded and said, "holy fuck, you've never tickled my legs before. That shit's serious...and kind of hot."
"Oh really?" Max said, lowering her fingers closer to Chloe's skin.
"I am super conflicted right now," Chloe said, "I may need to reevaluate my feelings about tickling."
"Well then how about this instead?" Max said, scooting up and kissing Chloe on the forehead.
"Oh, I'll take that," Chloe said, "um...where did that come from?"
"Complaining?" Max said.
"Oh, hell no," Chloe said, grinning.
"It just felt like the right thing to do," Max said, shrugging and blushing slightly.
"Yeah it did," Chloe said, "and, um...in case you suddenly want to make out, I better brush my teeth so I don't scare you away from kissing...forever."
Chloe strolled out of the room and Max checked the time: it was just after 9:30. She rolled out of bed and walked over to the bathroom, where a foamy toothbrush stuck out from Chloe's mouth.
"Lookin' good there," Max said.
Chloe grinned around the toothbrush and held up a middle finger.
Max placed her fingers threateningly near Chloe's sides.
Chloe removed the toothbrush from her mouth and said, "dude, don't you dare...I will spit toothpaste all over the bathroom and we'll have to clean it up."
"That would be pretty funny," Max said.
"You know I'd get revenge," Chloe said before sticking the toothbrush back in.
"Very true," Max said.
"So when do you have to be at Blackwell?" Chloe managed around the toothbrush.
"AP English is still cancelled so my first class is at eleven," Max said.
"Sweet!" Chloe said.
"Two Whales?" Max said with a grin.
Chloe nodded vigorously, sending flecks of toothpaste all over the mirror.
"Shit," she mumbled.
They cleaned off the mirror and Max commandeered the sink to brush her own teeth. Standing by herself in front of the mirror, her thoughts jumped back to the man she'd seen outside during the night.
Max sighed and thought, I hate that this crap is messing with us...I just want to have a normal life. Is it too much to ask to just be able to hang out with Chloe, take photos, and do schoolwork and stuff? Shit, I wish I didn't have to tell Chloe about the person last night...but I shouldn't keep anything like this from her...I'll tell her over breakfast.
She returned to the bedroom to find Chloe nearly dressed, hopping around on one foot to pull her jeans on.
"Graceful," Max said.
"Hey, don't knock the newest dance moves," Chloe said, hopping on the other foot, "the Dress Up is hella hip...but not as hot as the opposite." She winked.
Max smiled.
"So...um...how do you feel? About this?" Chloe said, "you know, the date?"
"It was just perfect," Max said, "I loved it so much. I...no one has ever paid that much attention to me before."
"You totally deserve it, G," Chloe said, smiling gently.
"How do you feel about it?" Max said.
"Hella amazeballs," Chloe said, "it was all...new for me...like I said, I'd never been on a real date before. It felt...just so right."
"Yeah, for me too," Max said, "so good. Although I have to admit, after reading the journal, I'm more than a little excited to...um...make out...at some point." She blushed.
"Well," Chloe said, "I'd say that the bed's right there...or the couch...or my truck...or the shower," Max kicked her, "but I'm so fucking hungry; how about let's postpone our make out session until after we've had something to eat? Or...um...just let it happen when it happens."
"I like that, particularly the food first part," Max said, her stomach audibly agreeing.
Max pulled Chloe into a hug before grabbing new clothes. Chloe made an exaggerated movement to turn away and lounge in her chair as Max changed. Max, in turn, snapped a photo of Chloe reclining and staring out the window. She put the photo into the emergency pocket of her bag and they were soon climbing into Chloe's truck.
As Chloe pulled onto the road, she said, "Max, I seriously don't know how you managed to turn me into such a ro…"
Chloe stopped speaking and stared into her rearview mirror.
"Chloe? What's up?" Max said, beginning to turn around to see what Chloe was looking at.
"Don't look back," Chloe hissed, "not yet."
"What's wrong?" Max said, her eyes wide, "if we need to rewind, pull off to the side of the road and we can hop out."
"I don't think we need a rewind...it's just that car from before," Chloe said, "the one that we thought might be following us the other day."
"Really?" Max said, her stomach twisting.
Okay, this is way too many instances of creepy people watching us, Max thought.
"Go ahead and take a look as we turn," Chloe said. She made a right turn at the next street and Max looked over. A grey sedan, looking identical to the one that had followed them the day before, followed them into the turn.
"The driver's a man though," Max said, trying to see if he bore any resemblance to the figure she'd seen last night...she couldn't tell.
"Yeah, but it's the same car...plate's the same," Chloe said.
"This is concerning," Max said, "and for more than one reason."
"What do you mean?" Chloe said, "that feeling you had at our fort? And in your room?"
"Those, yeah...and...I got up at about three in the morning last night and there was a person across the street from your house," Max said, "he or she was staring over at the house, took some notes, and then left."
"Shit, seems pretty damn obvious then," Chloe said, scowling, "we're being watched and followed. Listen, Max, I've been thinking. You're not going to like this but...if we get into some serious shit, always get behind me, okay?"
Max's eyes widened and she said, "why?"
"Because I can take a bullet, Max," Chloe said, "or a knife or whatever. If we're in danger, I'm the one who has to take it."
"But…," Max started.
"No, Max," Chloe said, "it's entirely practical. If I get shot or stabbed or blown up or some shit, you can rewind and prevent it. We know that. You have to let me take the hit. No matter what."
"I…you're right," Max said, looking at the floor of the truck, "let's...let's just try to not end up in that situation."
She reached over and put her hand on Chloe's leg.
"Yeah, I'm not eager to get murdered...again," Chloe said, "but these people following us might mean that there's bad shit on the way."
"Er...I was thinking earlier that whoever it was had a perfect opportunity to murder us last night out at the fort. It was just us and there was no one else around. It might be a good sign that we didn't get attacked there," Max said.
"Oh...huh...that's a good point," Chloe said, "yeah...maybe they are just...watching us? I guess creepy is better than murderous."
"Still, let's be careful," Max said.
"Yeah, no way I'm not be careful when it comes to keeping you safe," Chloe said.
Max smiled and said, "so what do we do about this asshat behind us?"
"Let's just go to the Two Whales," Chloe said, "not much we can do about him right now. We'd probably just give away that we've noticed him. On the plus side, maybe he and his buddies will eat there and be so blown away by the awesomeness of the food that they give up their lives of creeping."
"One can hope," Max said.
They pulled into a spot in front of the Two Whales and the mysterious grey sedan drove by, turning onto the next street.
"Probably going to turn around and park somewhere nearby," Chloe said, "if he really is following us, that is."
Max nodded.
Joyce greeted them cheerfully as they walked into the diner and she took their orders: both of them asked for the bacon omelette.
"No epic waffle today?" Chloe said as Joyce stepped away.
"No, I'm feeling more like eggs and bacon," Max said, "the Chloe diet, I suppose...and speaking of, I found it funny that you were so...hesitant to get a waffle yesterday. You used to get waffles and pancakes all the time."
"Ha, yeah, and I was always bouncing off the walls," Chloe said, "I've been smoking pot for years to mellow out from that sugar high. I still love a good waffle...just...every once in a while, like yesterday...I can't eat that much sweet stuff so often."
"And that's because, last night, you showed that you're already way too sweet," Max said, putting a hand on Chloe's wrist.
Chloe said, "oh, there will be consequences for that."
She slid her booted foot rapidly up Max's leg and into Max's lap. Max jumped in surprise and Chloe covered her mouth to keep her laugh quiet.
Max glared at Chloe but Chloe's barely-suppressed laughter caused Max's lips to twitch into a smile. At that moment, Joyce came back over with coffee.
"Oh no, what has she done now?" Joyce said to Max.
"Oh, the usual," Max said with a smile.
I'm not quite sure how she'll interpret that, Max thought, but I suppose it's the truth...and gets the point across without having to describe her daughter's footsie habits.
Max decided to seek some revenge and rubbed her foot on Chloe's leg. Chloe's eyes widened momentarily and then narrowed, her gaze darting between Max and Joyce.
"Hey, mom," Chloe said, "what would you say if I told you Max is my girlfriend?"
Max's eyes widened and her foot dropped to the floor with a thud. Joyce laughed loudly, her head tilted back, and most of the diner turned to look.
"I'd say that it's been plain to see," Joyce said, "here, scoot over."
Chloe scooted towards the window and Joyce sat down next to her, putting the coffee pot on the table.
"You don't think I noticed how suddenly over the moon you've been, Chloe? And that it's always most obvious when Max is around?" Joyce said, smiling over at Max.
"Well...um...we figured that you knew," Chloe said, snorting and leaning slightly away from Joyce. Chloe clearly hadn't expected her mom to dive in like this; Max chuckled under her breath.
Joyce wrapped an arm around Chloe's shoulders and pulled her close.
"Oh no you don't," Joyce said, "you know, I was already wondering about this back when you were kids. The way you bounded down the stairs whenever she'd come over? You know, you asked almost every day if you could go play with her...and it was always Max. You had no other friends that close...and I never caught mention of a single boy. And the way you looked at her?" Joyce laughed and turned to Max, "let me guess...you had no idea."
Max shook her head, smiling at Chloe's reddening face.
"But then you had that procession of boys after...well...after everything that happened. I sort of wondered if you were on the two-way street there...or if it had been a phase...or if I'd just been plain wrong," Joyce said, "but then there was Rachel, of course," Joyce's face fell, "seemed like you had a bit of that spark back...and not just the romantic kind. But it still wasn't the same...until Max here came back. And there you were, looking at her just the way you used to but with such...confidence. Took me a little while to notice it. And then? I could see Max looking at you the same way," now it was Max's turn to blush, "I'm just so glad...so happy for both of you."
"Thanks, Joyce," Max said with a grin, "it's...like being even better best friends."
"Best friends with benefits, you mean," Joyce said with a smirk.
Max shrunk into her seat and Chloe put her head on the table, groaning something incomprehensible.
"Okay, I'll stop embarrassing you," Joyce said, patting Chloe's back, "but thank you for telling me."
She hopped up, leaned over to give Max a hug, and practically skipped back towards the counter.
"Dude," Chloe said, lifting her head from the table, "that was way hella more awkward than I thought it would be. Can you rewind and tell me not to do that?"
"Are you kidding? That was amazing," Max said, "I think we need to keep that."
Chloe lowered her head again and mumbled, "damn, I guess you are the time travel boss."
Max reached over and ran a hand through Chloe's hair, causing her to look up.
"Chloe, I'll do it if you really want...but look at her," Max said.
Chloe glanced over at Joyce, who was talking animatedly to a customer at the counter, a wide grin across her face. She poured a copy of coffee with a flourish.
"Dude, she's practically bouncing," Chloe said.
"I know," Max said with a grin.
"Alright, fine, you have me convinced," Chloe said.
Joyce returned with their omelettes, beaming.
"Big breakfasts for the lovebirds," Joyce said, setting the plates down.
"Mom, you are insufferable," Chloe said.
"Part of the job, particularly when my daughter picked so well," Joyce said, smiling at Max.
Max blushed and stammered out a thanks.
"So, who made the first move?" Joyce said.
"Um…," Chloe said, a forkful of omelette halfway to her mouth.
"Chloe did," Max said.
"Should've known," Joyce said with a grin, "and what did you think about it, Max?"
"I think I'm glad Chloe made the first move, because I'm sure mine would've been super awkward and taken about a month longer," Max said.
Although this is a little awkward, Max thought, I love Joyce...but relationship questions from your girlfriend's mom? That's...hmm...I do really like the sound of that...girlfriend. Chloe's my girlfriend. Girlfriend.
"Looks like you're lost in thought," Joyce said.
"Oh, just thinking that I really like the idea that Chloe's my girlfriend," Max said.
"So do I, Max," Joyce said, patting Chloe on the shoulder, "so do I."
She smiled and walked back towards the counter.
"Well, now that the parental gush-fest is over," Chloe said, leaning over towards Max, "what do you think is up with the car following us and the creepy shit you've been seeing and...um...feeling?"
"First of all, Joyce is adorable...I'm beginning to see where some of your idiosyncrasies come from," Max said.
"You know, Beta Max said something similar and I kicked her for it," Chloe said.
"But Chloe, you wouldn't kick your girlfriend, would you?" Max said, batting her eyelashes in an exaggerated way.
Chloe snorted.
"Anyways, yeah, the weird shit," Max said, her brow furrowed, "let's start with the car: what do we know about it so far? The color, make, model, and license plate?"
"Yeah, and that there are two different drivers," Chloe said, "the red headed woman and the dude with the hat. Hmm...let's call them Scully and Mulder."
"Dude, that show always freaked me out so much; you know that," Max said.
"Well it's too late to change my mind. Our mysterious friends are hereby officially christened Mulder and Scully," Chloe said, taking another bite of her omelette.
"So what do you think they're up to?" Max said.
"They must be following us for some reason. Hired by the Prescotts?" Chloe said.
"Sean Prescott definitely has the money for it...and is probably the only person in Arcadia Bay who's a big enough asshole to have two teenage girls followed around...the only one that isn't in jail, that is," Max said, toying with her omelette, "if so...that probably means that the other creeps that have been showing up in weird places are the same as the ones driving the grey car...or they're other people hired by Prescott...or…"
"Or?" Chloe said.
"Maybe Sean Prescott himself has been poking around," Max said.
"But why?" Chloe said, "and why have you been getting those weird feelings?"
Max shrugged, "I'm not sure. Maybe it has something to do with Nathan? Or maybe the supernatural stuff? That would tie into the mysteries: the Prescotts seem to know more about that stuff than they let on...and they had the weird cylinder thing."
"Yeah, makes me wonder what other weird trinkets old Prescott might have," Chloe said.
Max thought back to the strange clacking noise outside of her room.
"I wonder...maybe there are...things out there that have powers," Max said.
"There's so much weird shit going on around here that it wouldn't surprise me," Chloe said.
They ate in silence for a few minutes.
"Any other ideas why the Prescotts...or someone else...might be following us?" Chloe finally asked.
Max thought about it, coming up with all kinds of wild theories, each less likely than the one before it.
"No," she finally said, "at least...nothing reasonable. I'm kind of stumped."
"Sounds like we need more information," Chloe said, a glint in her eye.
"Uh oh," Max said.
"Yup," Chloe said, "after I take you up to school, I'm going to snoop."
"Be careful, Chloe," Max said.
"Eh, don't worry," Chloe said, "I'm just going to talk to people I know...and trust. I've got a ton of connections around here that have probably noticed some of these new people around."
"Really?" Max said.
"Totally," Chloe said, "you meet a lot of people when you're involved in the underground music scene...and the underground drug scene...and the underground booze scene...and...you get the picture."
"Awesomesauce," Max said, smiling.
"And besides, if something bad happens to me, we've got pics and rewinds," Chloe said, making Max's smile vanish.
"Yeah," Max said.
"Max," Chloe said, reaching over to hold Max's hand, "I will be careful. I know from experience that getting shot really fucking sucks. So does getting beat up."
Max's eyes widened.
"Sorry," Chloe continued, "I'll tell you sometime...but like I said before, I'm way more worried about you getting cornered somehow. You're not invincible, after all. If someone were to really get the jump on you…"
"I know what you mean," Max said, her thoughts drifting back to Rachel's grave...Jefferson...the needle.
Max reached up and rubbed her neck.
Chloe tilted her head and then her eyes widened.
"Shit, I'm sorry," she said, reaching over and grabbing Max's hand, "I forgot."
"It's okay, Chloe, it's okay," Max said, squeezing Chloe's hand, "as much as I might want to forget that entire fucking night, it's good to remember that, like you said, I'm not invincible."
"And that's why you've always got to keep me between you and danger," Chloe said, lifting another bite to her mouth.
"I know...I'm just hoping that Mulder and Scully and the mysterious creepster are just PIs or something," Max said, "and hey, if they are PIs, maybe we could go talk to them and find out what their work is like."
Chloe smiled.
Then she frowned and said, "you don't think they or the Prescotts might know about your powers, do you?"
"I sure as hell hope not," Max said, "that's a really scary thought. I...don't see how they could. After all, I sort of erase the evidence every time I use my powers."
Chloe nodded and they poked at their omelettes for a few moments, staring into space.
"Oh hey," Chloe said, drawing Max's attention, "I'm...not even sure if I should mention this but...um...I had a dream last night."
She fidgeted with her fork.
"Er...what kind of dream?" Max said.
"I...saw my dad," Chloe said, "we...talked."
Max's eyes widened and she said, "wait...you were awake during the dream?"
Chloe nodded.
"That's...it kind of sounds like the visions I had before," Max said.
"This wasn't...the first time I had a dream like this," Chloe said.
"Chloe, tell me everything," Max said, leaning forward.
"I...had some of these dreams a few years ago," Chloe said, "around the time when I first met Rachel. They happened just a few times...I talked to my dad...he...it was like he was trying to give me advice...warnings. It was like he knew things...then I had a kind of waking dream. I saw him there with me...but it seemed so...natural. Almost normal. We just talked...some serious shit, I guess. But it was almost like I got to say good-bye. But that was the last one...after all of the shit with Rachel's mom ended, I didn't seem him again...until last night."
"Rachel's mom?" Max said.
"It's...a long story," Chloe said, waving her hand, "I promise I'll tell you later."
"So...last night you had a dream like those old ones?" Max said.
"Yeah, we were up by the lighthouse...the only light was a little fire. He talked about the fire...and he said that you were special...and to hold on to you," Chloe said, "and then, behind us, Rachel's forest fire appeared. And then...shit...I turned around and there was the storm...the one you described: a huge fucking tornado in the middle of the bay."
Max's face paled.
"I...sorta freaked out," Chloe said, "but my dad said it was okay...he said that the storm was like him...in the past but...a part of me. And then...and then Rachel showed up. She sat down and looked at me and then that was it."
Max let out a breath.
"I'm...not sure what to make of that," Max said, her brow furrowed.
"Me neither," Chloe said, "do you think...do you think it means something?"
"With everything crazy that seems to happen around here, yeah, I think it probably means something," Max said, "and...I think there's good news and bad news."
"Bad news first, please," Chloe said.
"Well, if it wasn't obvious already, something is definitely going on," Max said, "and not just that but from my experience with visions, all of this stuff is going somewhere...something is going to happen and you and I are part of it."
"Fuck...okay, what's the good news?" Chloe said.
Max smiled and said, "it sounds like...maybe...both Rachel and your dad...or at least someone or something very much like them, are watching over us and trying to help us out."
"Yeah...yeah," Chloe said, her face brightening, "I like the way you think. And...um...you don't think I'm crazy?"
Max raised an eyebrow, "you're kidding, right?"
"Yeah, stupid question," Chloe said.
"No, not a stupid question...I'm constantly having to remind myself that I'm not crazy," Max said.
"You're sweet, G," Chloe said.
Max smiled and then her expression hardened.
"All of this does mean that we may need to...um...go on the offensive?" Max said.
"Yeah...it does make my plan to get more info a little more urgent," Chloe said.
Max nodded and said, "and I'll pay attention as much as I can to see if I get any of those feelings again...and record where, when, and how. And I think it's a really good sign that none of these creeps has tried anything yet."
"And let's make sure they don't get the chance," Chloe said.
They finished up their omelettes and left the diner hand in hand, waving to Joyce as they left.
Outside, Max pulled Chloe off to the left.
"Where are we going?" Chloe asked.
"I want to check on something," Max said.
They rounded the corner of the diner and Max stopped, staring down at a line of ants marching along the sidewalk.
"Um…," Chloe said.
"Last time I came to this spot, the ants were moving in a spiral...a vortex," Max said.
"Ah, got it," Chloe said, "I am so fucking glad that I avoided all that nature-gone-batshit crazy stuff."
"Yeah, I sort of freak out any time I see a dead bird," Max said, "anyways, given everything we just talked about, I wanted to do the ant check."
She started to turn away but saw, down the alley, the same homeless woman that she'd encountered in the erased week. Max paused for a moment, fidgeting with her bag's strap. She shrugged and began walking towards the woman.
"Max?" Chloe said quietly, following along.
"I know her...er...at least I did in the other timeline," Max said.
"Well, hello there," the woman said, looking up as they approached.
"Hi," Max said.
"I know you," the woman said, pointing at Chloe, "you're Joyce's daughter. You...got shot by that Prescott boy, didn't you?"
"Um...," Chloe said, scratching her head.
"And you," the woman said gently, turning towards Max, "you must be a senior student at Blackwell."
"Yes, I am," Max said.
"Good...that's good," she said, "and...you were the other girl in the bathroom?"
"Yes, I was," Max said.
She does hear about everything, Max thought.
"You both best be careful with the Prescotts...you're lucky...not everyone survives them," the woman said, shaking her head.
"Sounds like you know something about them," Chloe said.
"I've been around for a long time...long enough to know that the Prescotts are bad news...the worst news in this town," the woman said.
"What do you mean?" Max said.
"They've always been trouble...always," she said, her lip twisting in disgust, "they use every dirty trick in the book to buy up everythin' in sight...cheat people out of their wages and savings."
She frowned deeply, tapping a finger on her chin.
"Something else?" Max said.
"Well...don't tell anyone you heard this from me but strange things happen with them...and they're always lookin' for strange things too," she said.
Both Max and Chloe leaned closer to the woman.
"What do you mean by strange?" Chloe said.
"Oh, they been collectin' old things for years and years," the woman said.
"What kinds of things do they collect?" Max said.
"I only hear secondhand, you know," the woman said, "but they say its all old Indian trinkets they get...local stuff...they buy it up whenever they see any. Things that have strange writing, or so I heard."
Max and Chloe looked at each other.
"Hmm...not the only strange thing associated with a Prescott, either," the woman said.
"What do you mean?" Max said.
The woman looked back and forth...then behind her...then around behind Max and Chloe...and up to the roofs around them. Both Max and Chloe followed her gaze.
Um…, Max thought.
Seeming satisfied, she leaned forward and said, "now you definitely don't go tellin' anyone you heard this from me."
They nodded and she continued, "well...years ago, there was this girl...poor thing...can't even remember her name now. Started with an 'S' I think...Sally...Susan...somethin' like that. Went to Blackwell, same as Sean Prescott."
"Did they know each other?" Chloe said.
"Oh yes, they were friends...maybe the only real friend Prescott ever had," she said.
"You said "poor thing"...what happened to her?" Max said.
"Died," the woman said.
"Was it Prescott?" Chloe said, gritting her teeth.
"No...no," the woman said, "she died saving his life."
Both Max and Chloe's eyes widened.
The woman snorted and said, "I was there...that Prescott boy was stuck in the train tracks and a train was coming...no way it would stop in time. She ran over and…," she paused, leaning closer and lowering her voice to the barest whisper, "she put her hand out and that train slowed near to a stop."
Max and Chloe glanced at each other again; Max's head felt like it was spinning.
"Sean got himself unstuck," the woman continued, "but that girl didn't get out of the way in time."
Max grimaced and Chloe looked off to the side.
"I'm...sorry you had to see that," Max said.
"It was a long time ago," the woman said, "but I remember it like it was yesterday."
"So...what happened after that?" Chloe said.
"I heard that Prescott changed after that," she said, "they say he became more like his mother...obsessed with finding scraps of old paper and those old knicknacks."
"You said strange things happen with the Prescotts too?" Max said.
The woman chuckled mirthlessly and said, "oh yes...years later was when the accidents started happenin'...some people nearly killed, too. Couple of young people driven out of town. Lots of whispers about those times...whispers that old Prescott was involved. And no one knew why. I always wondered if it had something to do with that girl and the train," she said, "and, you know, I'm surprised no accidents have happened to me...he knows I saw that whole thing." She grinned wryly.
Max wasn't sure what to say.
Chloe spoke up and said, "we think he might have someone following us."
"You be careful then," she said, her eyes narrowing, "that man likes to intimidate...likes to scare you...sometimes I think he does more than that. But I've a feelin' you're smarter than old Prescott...he's been preyin' on this town for years and still hasn't gotten what he wants, I think. He may be clever...he may be rich...but seems he ain't all that smart or lucky."
"I sure as fuck hope so," Chloe said.
The woman smiled and nodded.
"Well...thanks for telling us about all of this," Max said, stepping back.
"Any time, any time," the woman said, "by the way, could I trouble you for a granola bar?"
"Huh?" Max said. Chloe raised an eyebrow.
"In your bag, I think you've got a couple granola bars; mind if I have one?" she said.
"Um...sure," Max said, opening her bag. She found a granola bar near the bottom and handed it over.
"Thank you, dear," the woman said, "and be careful."
"We will," Max said.
Chloe nodded to the woman and they walked back towards the street.
"Holy fucking hell, Max," Chloe said, "what the fuck just happened?"
"I don't know," Max said, shaking her head, "I can't tell if what she said was actually true or if she just thinks it is."
"Could she be messing with us?" Chloe said.
"I don't think so," Max said, "she was always pretty straightforward when I talked to her before."
"Maybe she's just crazy?" Chloe said, "or...didn't see what she thought she saw?"
"I'm not sure," Max said, "she might be completely wrong...or deluded...or she might be right."
"Damn...if she is right…," Chloe said.
"Then Sean Prescott knows about people with powers," Max said.
"Do you think he might know about you?" Chloe said.
"I don't see how...even if that girl did have powers, it sounds like she could do things that were very...visible...after all, being able to stop a train is something people would be able to see and remember," Max said.
"No kidding," Chloe said.
"But everything I do creates new timelines," Max continued, "no one can tell that I've done something because no one remembers there was another timeline. And that means that no one should have any idea that I have powers."
"Makes sense," Chloe said, "so...does that lady's story give us any more info?"
Max shrugged and said, "Nothing concrete...I guess there's some confirmation that Prescott's been looking for things like that cylinder...but I think we're still basically at square one. If Mulder and Scully or the creepster were looking for evidence that I had powers, I'd think that they'd be doing more than just following us around."
"Maybe they have us bugged? Or read your journal?" Chloe said.
Max had a moment of panic, reaching instinctively into her bag and breathing a sigh of relief when she felt her journal.
"No, I don't think so...this fucker," Max tapped the journal, "is with me all the time. So unless they can sneak up right next to me when I'm sleeping…"
"They wouldn't need to follow us around in cars like chumps," Chloe said.
"Yeah," Max said.
They reached Chloe's truck and climbed in; it was nearly time for Max's first class.
"Er...one more thing," Chloe said, "how the fuck did that lady know that you had a granola bar?"
Max shook her head and said, "no idea."
"Maybe...just maybe...she has a power too," Chloe said.
Max stopped halfway into Chloe's truck, her eyebrows raised.
Chloe grinned and continued, "the power to tell that you're the kind of hipster that would always carry granola bars."
They arrived in front of Blackwell and Max stared up at the school.
"And here I thought that if I could just save you and the town, we'd be out of the woods," she said.
"Hey," Chloe said, "I think we might just have the upper hand here...we've got the rewind. There's no gun-toting Nathan. And there's no creepy motherfucking photo teacher."
"And we have each other," Max said, putting a hand on Chloe's arm.
"Yeah," Chloe said, smiling.
"There are still plenty of missing pieces to this puzzle," Max said, "but you're right...we're still in the game."
"And like I said, I'm going to see if I can connect a few of those pieces," Chloe said.
"Please be careful," Max said.
"You've got your emergency photos, right?" Chloe said.
"Yeah," Max said.
"Okay...if I manage to get myself royally fucked, please save my ass," Chloe said.
"Damn right I will," Max said.
"Thanks, real life cheat code, you're the best," Chloe said with a grin.
"Um...not to be morbid, but what if something happens to me?" Max said.
Chloe's face fell and Max saw something dangerous in Chloe's eyes; a fire as bright as when Chloe had gone to hunt Nathan down after finding Rachel's body.
"Max, if anyone does manage to get to you, nothing will stop me from taking them down...nothing," Chloe said, "and I will end anyone that gets in my way."
"I believe you," Max said, and she meant it, "I'll be careful too."
Chloe nodded and then leaned over suddenly, wrapping Max in a hug.
Max hugged her back, a smile blossoming on her face. They held each other there for several long moments until the sound of the school bell floated across from the main building. They broke apart and Chloe smiled too.
"You know, I have plenty of motivation to not get myself killed," Chloe said.
"I should hope so...I've been told that I'm a pretty good kisser," Max said.
"Oh, I think we'll go about proving that," Chloe said, "shit...I feel like we keep coming back to this but we're probably overthinking all of this shit. Mulder and Scully aren't going to hunt us down with machetes or anything. The creepster isn't going to snipe us from a helicopter. We can put on our motherfucking Sherlock hats and get on with this girlfriends stuff too. Amirite?"
"Yes, you are absolutely right," Max said, "um...hella."
"You are so damn cute," Chloe said, leaning forward and planting a tiny kiss on Max's nose, "now get your skinny ass to class while I go sleuthing."
"Alright, good luck," Max said, hopping out of the truck, "see you soon."
Chloe waved and sped away.
