Hey guys, we hope you're doing well. This chapter might get a bit dark in places, particularly near the end, so proceed with caution. It's not necessarily in a bad way though as you will see.
Enjoy
Guest Review: MaxNeverMaxine: Great chapter, as always. I can't wait to see how you wrote the interaction between Jefferson and Max, it's going to be exciting and tense as all get out. I am excited to see what you guys have planned!
Thanks :) Well, you'll be able to find out in part this chapter. It sure is going to get hella tense. We're excited to share it.
Chapter Nine: Justice and Vengeance
Tuesday 3rd September 2013 - Max's Room - 3:07 am
Max laid there on her back, staring up at the familiar discolored ceiling of her dorm room. She hadn't been able to sleep at all so far tonight and didn't foresee herself managing to any time soon. There were just too many bad memories she hadn't had the energy nor inclination to properly deal with… and still didn't want to. There had been no way she could have prepared herself for this, no matter how much she had psyched herself up before leaving for Blackwell. Now she was here, they assaulted her senses at every turn, tormenting her mercilessly with despair and heartbreak. She figured that if she just kept herself busy, focused on what had to be done, then hopefully everything might just magically disappear. Even though she knew that probably wouldn't be the case, at least it hadn't worked so far, it didn't stop her from trying.
She sat up and shuffled off of the edge of her bed, striding over to the window overlooking Blackwell's ground. She opened it as far as it would go, letting in the bracing night chill as she rested her hands on the window sill and stared out. It was still pretty dark out there, with hundreds of stars twinkling in the midnight blue sky and a half moon shining a dim, hazy light down over the grassy area. Small flickers of light moved around against the dark sky, most likely fireflies darting around.
Max couldn't suppress the urge to take a photo, even with everything going on. It would take her mind off it for a few minutes at least. She turned back and grabbed her newly acquired camera from the desk. Over the summer, Chloe had given her William's old camera as an early birthday present. Last time she'd received the camera, it had been as a belated birthday gift. She made her way back over to the window and lined up the shot with practiced precision, her finger hovering over the button ready to capture the image at the perfect moment. It was in moments like this when her mind was truly distracted, which was always a welcomed change. She crouched down ever so slightly and, when the opportune shot presented itself, she took it. The resulting picture came out from the bottom of the camera and Max eased it out, waiting around for the image to develop.
The last time she'd been in this situation, she'd been so ecstatic to be here, if a bit apprehensive at first because she was a worrier by nature. This had been the first time she'd ever been away from home and her parents for more than a night or two, which had been hard to deal with at first, but she'd soon adapted after a couple of weeks. She had been starting out on a new journey and the path ahead had looked promising. All she'd had to worry about was getting her assignments in on time, which had turned out to be as difficult as she'd expected thanks to her tendency to procrastinate big time, and avoiding the worst of the drama at Blackwell, a truly herculean task by anyone's standards. It all seemed so trivial and stupid now though.
She sighed deeply, her breath fogging up the glass of the window, and glanced down at her most recent photographic endeavour. She'd noticed a subtle shift in her style and focus recently. She almost never bothered with selfies anymore, in fact she couldn't even remember the last time she'd taken one. The general vibe of everything she'd taken since getting William's camera had been of a much darker and melancholic nature. Even this shot seemed gloomy for some reason. Maybe it was just her own projection, this was the spot where Kate had tried to jump after all. She immediately regretted this thought as it threatened to overwhelm her.
Her heart stopping in her chest as she took the final step around the corner allowing her to see Kate teetering on the edge of the Prescott Dorm rooftop. The hushed whispers of the crowd below, some panicked while others were more mocking and the collective gasp as Kate's body plummeted to the ground, hitting the pavement with a bone crunching crack. Her hand immediately thrusting out to reverse this, only for it to happen again. The determination to prevent this being so strong that she kept on pushing through the pain of the rewind. Her head feeling like it was going to explode as she slowly opened her eyes to find everyone and everything around her frozen. The warm blood oozing from her nose as she stumbled forward through the mass of people. The excruciating trip up the stairs to the roof, a silent prayer being made that she would be able to make it in time. The brief surge of relief as she made it to the top, which soon faded when her power cut out on her and the mind crushing pain that followed as she tried to stop everything again unsuccessful. The way Kate had looked at her, so hopeless and just done with the world and all the people in it, her tears mingling with the ice cold raindrops falling from the stormy gray clouds. Kate's wavering voice and quivering bottom lip as she told Max that it was all over for her, that there was no point in fighting. The overwhelming panic that had filled her body as Kate glanced over her shoulder at the ground below her. Her desperate pleas to rekindle Kate's faith in the world, using every single card she had available to play. That heartstopping moment where she had said all the things she could think off to get Kate to come with her, where blue eyes briefly met hazel.
The memory of course cut out before the resolution, always teasing her with the hope of a happy ending, but never providing it for her. She moved away from the window and decided to go wash her face, hoping that might help her remain focused on reality as well as wake her up a bit seeing as there was no possibility of a decent night's sleep. If she thought before had been bad on the sleep front, she had a feeling that being in her old dorm room was going to be so much worse if tonight was anything to go by.
Max strode over to her door, opening it with a soft creak as she stepped out into the hallway. She shut it behind her as quietly as possible and briefly glanced over to Rachel's room. Chloe was staying over tonight and Rachel had asked Max if she wanted to join them in her room, but she had politely declined. Chloe and Rachel hadn't really had any time to themselves since she had abruptly entered their lives, which wasn't fair on either of them. She had to keep reminding herself that none of that week in October had actually happened for Chloe, not in this timeline. She hadn't been shot by Nathan, they hadn't been investigating Rachel's disappearance, nor had they broken into Blackwell or the swimming pool and… Chloe hadn't dared Max to kiss her. She didn't even know about that, because Max didn't want to cause a rift or force a split in Chloe's loyalties. That wasn't fair and it would make her unhappy, which was the last thing Max wanted.
Chloe had Rachel now, the person she'd been so desperately searching for and that was a good thing. That is what Max had wanted, or part of what she had wanted anyway. At this point, Max really had no clue what she really wanted or maybe needed beyond getting revenge on Jefferson. She of course wanted Chloe to be happy more than anything, but if she was completely truthful with herself, she wanted Chloe to be happy with her, not Rachel Amber.
She shook these selfish thoughts from her mind and all but ran to the bathroom, flicking on the light switch before stopping in front of one of the sinks. She turned the cold tap and began splashing herself with the cool liquid a few times to calm herself down and push back this sudden relapse in composure. She let the tap continue to run as she gripped onto the sides of the basin tightly and gave herself a long hard look in the mirror, watching as the water droplets trickled down her pale freckled skin.
She had to learn that she couldn't have it both ways… no matter how much she wanted that.
After reminding herself of that a few times in an attempt to strengthen her resolve, she switched off the tap. Her ears picked up on a gentle shuffling from behind her near the doorway. She slowly turned to see a girl with long blonde hair and hazel eyes leaning against the doorframe. Rachel Amber seemed to have a weird sixth sense where Max was concerned. This had not been the first time she'd snuck up on her like this early in the morning.
"Having trouble sleeping again?" Rachel sympathetically asked as she idly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"It seems that I could say the same for you," Max countered as she wiped the remaining water droplets from her face while clamping down on the sudden wave of resentment she felt.
"Well, when Max the not-so-ninja is stumbling around outside your room it's pretty hard to ignore," Rachel wryly commented.
Max briefly considered protesting here, but she was too tired and there was no point.
"No witty comeback for me? Have to say I'm disappointed, Max," Rachel lightly teased in an attempt to lighten the gloomy atmosphere that seemed to have suddenly settled.
Max let out a self-depreciative laugh, "My wit is running on less than empty by now."
It had been so long since she actually felt like herself. Right now she kind of felt like a ghost, stumbling tiredly through everything with no clue what she was supposed to be doing and just trying not to feel anything to spare herself the inevitable pain it would bring. The moment she allowed herself to give into her emotions was the moment when she would totally breakdown and maybe never manage to get back up again. Her own mentally and emotionally volatile state worried her. Knowing that one mistimed flashback or phrase could tip her over the edge was terrifying for many reasons.
"You know, the offer I made earlier still stands about staying in my room," Rachel's voice broke through Max's erratic thought, "I'm sure Chloe would be happier knowing that your aren't suffering completely on your own," her tone became more coaxing, "Besides, it's cold tonight, so the more body heat the better."
The offer was… tempting. Max's sleep had been slightly less broken and nightmare riddled when she knew that Chloe was by her side and could visually confirm that she was still safe. It was kind of the same with Rachel too, although not as strong.
She rubbed the back of her neck and mumbled unconvincingly, "I'll be ok."
This was a blatant lie and by the skeptical expression on Rachel's face, it would seem that she knew it, "You aren't fooling anyone with that weak reply, Caulfield," she scoffed in mild disapproval, "At least say it with some conviction if you want to lie to me successfully. Just remember I am pretty good at it myself, so you'll have to do better than that," she put on an expression of mock hurt, however the smirk tugging at her lips betrayed that, "I'm actually kind of offended that you think I would accept that."
"You're stubborn, I'll give you that," Max exhaled deeply.
"Says you," Rachel retorted, placing a hand on her hip and tapping her foot in exaggerated and comical impatience before walking over to Max, grabbing onto her arm and dragging her out of the bathroom, "In your own time. Don't make me carry you over there. Neither of us want that. I'd probably drop you."
Max slowly began to shuffle her feet along the stained blue carpet of the main hallway, but not quick enough for Rachel who kept pulling on her arm to signal for her to get a move on. She was kind of like Chloe in that aspect, always wanting to get to her destination as quickly as possible and having little patience for any obstacles. While both of them had little concept of personal space or privacy, she was definitely more touchy feely than Chloe and not shy about it either. Max had to wonder how much Rachel and Chloe had affected one another since meeting, probably not all of it being for the best. They were similar in a lot of aspects, but very different in others and Max suspected that she had only just started to scratch the surface with Rachel.
Rachel pushed on her door, not letting go of her arm just in case she tried to escape at the last minute. Max had a brief look around Rachel's room the other day. There were numerous trinkets and mementos scattered around the room, tucked away in between book on the shelves, hanging off of any jutting out section and stuck to the walls. While her room wasn't as messy as Chloe's, it came a close second with various magazines, clothes and other random objects littered over the floor and slung haphazardly over the furniture. There was an odd herbal smell lingering, much like the one persisting in Chloe's room no matter how hard she tried to cover it up, but not quite as potent.
"I'm not quite sure how you were expecting this to work, Rachel," Max mentioned as she glanced over to her bed, where Chloe was currently sprawled out on. It had been hard enough for all of them squeezing onto Chloe's bed, this seemed near impossible.
"We'll just have to get extra close then," Rachel smirked almost challengingly, her hazel eyes shimmering with amusement in the dim lighting, "You don't have a problem with that, right?"
Something about Rachel's tone kind of made her feel a little flustered, not anywhere near as much as she would have done before though, "I guess not."
Rachel playfully punched Max's arm as she made her way over to the bed, "That's the spirit, Max," she pushed Chloe over to the side, with great difficulty considering how much taller and lankier Chloe was than Rachel, then turned back to Max, "So, would you prefer getting constantly elbowed in the face by Chloe while being in the middle, or going on the edge and ending ass up on the floor when she pushes everyone over?"
"Well I am spoiled for choice," Max chuckled lightly.
Rachel offered up a small grin, "Damn right you are. See, I'm even being nice by letting you pick first."
After some internal confliction, Max finally decided, "I guess I'll risk getting elbowed in the face."
"I bet you would," Rachel winked knowingly. She'd had a feeling that Max would chose to be close to Chloe. She had considered forcing the issue initially, but then began to wonder what Max herself would chose in the situation. She stepped aside and motioned over to the bed, "After you, Max. And if you could do it before Chloe decides to hog all the bed that would be great. You'll be moving her next time, because I am not doing that again. She doesn't look it but damn she is heavy."
Max mentally kicked herself for letting something like this happen. She could tell that Rachel was enjoying this way too much by the smug grin permanently plastered to her face the whole time she was awkwardly positioning herself on the bed.
"Done?" Rachel inquired a moment later.
"Y-yeah," Max mumbled. Before she had any idea what was going on, she heard a gentle click and glanced over her shoulder to see Rachel grinning from ear to ear, "What was that?"
"What was what?" Rachel shrugged as she slid in behind her and pulled the covers up around them.
Max sighed deeply at her overly-innocent tone, "That click which sounded suspiciously like you taking a picture on your phone."
"Well," Rachel breathed against her ear as her arm lightly brushed against Max's side, "I really have no clue what you are talking about. Would I of all people do such a thing?" it was obvious from her tone that she was smirking uncontrollably now.
"If you're anything like Chloe, then yes," Max whispered, feeling very warm right now because of the thick fuzzy blanket/extra body heat/mild embarrassment combo. She hadn't even considered what Chloe would think when they all woke up like this in the morning without any explanation. It was too late for reservations now though as there was no way Chloe was moving even an inch and Rachel wouldn't budge under any circumstances. She just had to grin and bare the consequences. There were worse situations she could find herself in after all. As of now though, Max was extremely aware of Rachel's body pressed up against her back and her arm so casually thrown over her waist, probably even more so than of her proximity to Chloe.
"Night, Max," Rachel's warm breath tickled Max's ear.
"Night," Max mumbled in response as she closed her eyes. She might as well try get some sleep, it's not like she was going anywhere any time soon.
Rachel's POV - Rachel's Room - 7:16 am
The soft buzzing of my phone alarm filled the air, pulling me from my slumber. I groaned and fumbled around on my bed side table, knocking over a few things and letting out a couple of choice mumbled curses, before finally jabbing my finger on the snooze option. Thankfully, it appeared that I hadn't been shoved onto the floor last night, which was always a miracle whenever Chloe was concerned. I'd lost count of the number of bruises I had received because of her constant wriggling. I wasn't in any particular rush as classes didn't start until 10, but I always allowed myself plenty of time to wake up and get ready to face the day.
I carefully untangled myself from Max so as not to wake her and stood up, stretching my arms above my head and yawning. I had half expected to see Max awake by now, maybe even already gone if she'd managed to somehow maneuver herself out from in between Chloe and I. Even while asleep, she seemed tense and her expression slightly troubled. Max tried her best to hide everything while awake and managed for the most part to appear composed, but the cracks in her guard were beginning to slowly show. The pressure was starting to get to her to the point where she could no longer simply suppress it through her own will. She'd been zoning out a lot and it was all too obvious that she was having frequent nightmares. Max had seen way too much and in such a short space of time too, things that would stay with her forever even if she did manage to work through them to some extent.
That was the thing though, I had a feeling that Max was just avoiding the issue, letting it slowly build up and eventually it would consume her. She was a ticking time bomb, ready to just completely self destruct without any warning. The worst thing was that there wasn't much Chloe and I could do about it, unless Max herself reached out for help. Forcing the issue would only exacerbate everything, inevitably causing her to completely shut down and push her over the edge. I had noticed a very slight change in Max's behavior towards me, seeming less guarded, so I hoped that she would come to me if she needed help. I suspected that Chloe would be her first port of call though. Regardless, so long as one of us was there when she needed someone, then that is all that really mattered. From what I had seen, being around Chloe automatically seemed to calm Max down and even tease out her more playful side on occasion. Not only that, but the long overdue reunion appeared to be doing Chloe some good too. We all just had to make sure that in between school and enacting our plan to take down Jefferson that we did have some time to relax, even if that meant physically dragging Max out somewhere.
I glanced down at my phone, totally ignoring the sudden torrent of unread messages and briefly smirking at the picture I took of Chloe and Max earlier, to see that it's almost half seven now. I decided to leave Max asleep while I go get a shower, she sure as hell needed it.
English Classroom - 10:53 am
Max's foot tapped on the floor impatiently as her eyes darted over to the clock fixed to the wall opposite her desk. She watched as the seconds ticked by, drawing ever closer to the end of this particular class. Their English teacher, Mrs. Hoida, was finishing up the lesson but she couldn't focus on that, which was a shame because Max actually enjoyed having her as a teacher before. Since she'd already experienced her first month or so of classes, she was only really here to keep up her attendance. The last thing she needed was being hauled up in front of Principal Wells. She just had to keep her head down and sit through all her classes, doing whatever work she needed to.
Ever since she'd entered the room, all she could think about was the next class… Language of Photography with Mark Jefferson. The very thought of that sick bastard's name made her feel ill and her shaking hands clench into fists, anger threatening to engulf her.
Calm down, Max. Keep it together and stay focused, she thought as she took a deep shaky breath to calm herself down, Don't blow your cover now. You'll get your revenge soon, you just have to be patient.
The problem was that she didn't have much patience left after waiting for so long to get to this stage. The high-pitched bell rang from the hallway, signalling that the first class of the day was over. Everyone began packing up and shuffling their way out of the room into the inevitably crowded hallway, Max included.
Just as she was about to walk on ahead, someone grabbed her from behind, "Max, don't think you can escape me so easily," a familiar mischievous voice announced.
"Rachel, what are you doing here?" Max asked, knowing that she was supposed to have been on the other side of the main building this morning. For her to get here so quickly was almost unbelievable, especially considering how hard it was weaving through the bustling crowds.
"I might have cut class this morning," she mentioned casually as if it wasn't that big a deal, "I had a lot of things to catch up on and didn't really feel like going in the end. Also I wanted to walk with you and that would be hard to do otherwise."
"You're going to get kicked out before you've really started if you miss your classes now," Max noted as they began to move through the hallway, narrowly missing getting bashed into as they jostled their way through.
Rachel dismissively waved away her concern, "It's fine. I know how much I can miss before I get hauled up and it's not like they can complain about my GPA. Besides, first lessons are always a waste of time anyway, mainly just introductions and talking about what we're going to be doing later in the year. So boring," she paused for a moment before adding as an afterthought, "that and the people in my class this morning are all assholes."
"What did you do instead?" Max asked curiously, trying to take her mind off her impending meeting with Jefferson.
"Well, well, wouldn't you like to know?" Rachel chuckled at Max's borderline invasive nosiness before answering, "Mostly just hanging around with Justin and the skaters, among other things. I'm not the only one to think first classes are a waste."
Max could remember Justin speaking fondly of Rachel and Chloe when she'd talked to him at the start of that week. Even now, she found it incredible how easily Rachel seemed to blend in with anyone she needed to. While there had been a few negative opinions on Rachel, mostly from Victoria and David, most of the people Max had talked to in that week almost idolized her.
"Maybe we should get you on a board, Max," Rachel suggested half jokingly.
"That's more Chloe's scene," Max clarified almost immediately, "She got me on a skateboard once and let's just say it didn't end in amazing success, like a lot of the things she's roped me into doing over the years."
"Chloe certainly has a way with people," Rachel wryly remarked as they drew closer to the photography classroom. She was feeling apprehensive herself about this, not that she would ever admit it. That had actually been part of the reason she'd skipped her first class. She'd even briefly considered just hiding in her room all day to avoid coming face to face with the man who'd kidnapped and indirectly killed her in at least one timeline, but she couldn't leave Max to do this on her own. Besides, in a way she was acting as bait in this situation to lure Mark Jefferson into making a wrong step that would inevitably cost him everything. She swallowed her nerves and put on her emotional mask, something she was all too used to doing by now.
She was about to enter the classroom when she realized that Max was no longer following her and had stopped dead in her tracks a little way behind. Neither of them wanted to be here, but they didn't have much choice. Rachel gracefully span around and made her way back over to Max, her brow furrowing when she saw the brief flicker of fear in Max's blue eyes before she had the chance to clamp down on it.
"Max…" Rachel softly called out, not knowing how to really handle this.
"Just… give me a minute," Max mumbled under her breath as she rubbed her face with her hand. This was the moment she had been waiting for all this time and now she was getting cold feet. She had worked so damn hard to get here, sacrificed so much… she couldn't just run away now. She was so tired of running. She pushed through the fear, taking a decisive step forward. She could do this… she had to.
When she finally stepped inside the classroom, with Rachel following close behind her, she was relieved to see that Jefferson wasn't here yet. It gave her a bit of time to mentally prepare herself, not enough though. It would never be enough. Most of the seats in the room were taken already, but she did notice that there were some people yet to arrive, Hayden being one of them. He'd been about ten minutes late last time if she remembered correctly.
As expected, Victoria was already here, with Taylor stuck to her side like glue. Kate was sat in her usual spot, the seat near the window. She offered up a shy smile and a wave when she noticed Max, exactly like she'd done the very first time, which had been a huge contributing factor to Max's choice of seating. It had also meant that she had been directly in Victoria's firing line, but that might work to her advantage now. Max re-adjusted her bag strap before sitting down in her old seat. Rachel and Victoria exchanged hostile glances before she took a seat a little way from her, not too close but close enough to have a clear view of her.
It felt kind of weird for Max to not be wearing her trusty gray hoodie, but there had been no way to salvage it given the amount of holes and stains. Her wardrobe now was a weird amalgamation of her own, Chloe and Rachel's styles, along with a couple of outfits in preparation for her future Vortex Club debut she'd have never picked out herself in a million years.
As the seconds ticked by, she grew ever more anxious but also frustrated and enraged. She had no idea how she would react when she saw Jefferson again, something told her that it might result in a rewind. She'd prepared for that possibility, only allowing herself one time if she really couldn't hold it in. She couldn't afford to use her powers on ultimately trivial matters that would compromise her mission, such as the desire for immediate revenge, any more than she already had… no matter how much she would love to punch that smug bastard's face in for eternity, make him suffer for what he'd done to her and those she cared for. On the flip side, letting herself give in to the unadulterated rage might momentarily help, give her some small amount of emotional release to stave off her oncoming breakdown a little longer… but the question was, would she be able to control it once it had been unleashed?
For now, she would try to suppress it as best she could. Her body tensed as she heard footsteps echoing down the hallway, her eyes briefly meeting with Rachel's as reassurance for both of them, before a man wearing a suit with short brown hair, a beard and glasses stepped inside. Almost immediately, Max felt the overwhelming rage bubbling up inside her as Mark Jefferson made his way over to his desk at the front of the classroom. She grit her teeth hard as he scanned over the faces of his students with an almost predatory gaze, or at least it seemed that way to Max.
He almost immediately zeroed in on Rachel, who was trying to look as calm and casual as she possibly could so as to not raise any suspicion. If it seemed like she had no clue he was the one behind it all, his actions would be less cautious and planned. It would also mean that she would probably be in more danger, which wasn't ideal by any definition of the word.
Max could swear that when his eyes fell on Kate, his lip quirked upwards ever so slightly, as if he were already scouting out his next victim for after he'd dealt with Rachel. Max's hands shook both from suppressing her anger, but also from the explosion of fragmented memories in her mind upon seeing him. She put her hands under her desk to hide the visible quivering and focused on her breathing, keeping it as steady and even as possible. That was when Jefferson's eyes fell on her, a faint glimmer of curiosity crossing them. She did her best to put on a neutral expression, but this was getting increasingly difficult. She decided instead to focus her attention on Rachel, who seemed almost unaffected by all this, her body language relaxed and the usual tinge of mischief in her hazel eyes.
On the inside however, Rachel Amber was completely panicking, especially considering the almost lustful glances she was receiving from Jefferson every few seconds. She tried her best to ignore it, but that was easier said than done. While she wasn't a stranger to fooling those around her, and even herself, that she was fine, this situation was really stretching that ability. Deep down, she wanted to just run out of here and never return. Instead she retrieved her note book and a pen from her bag as she always did, turned to a clean page and waited for the class to officially start.
Spurred on by how well Rachel was playing her part, Max majorly clamped down on her desire to rip Jefferson to pieces. She would not let him win. After brief introductions, he began to prowl around the classroom as he usually did, his back turned away from the majority of the class, the ones he had no interest in. And so, the class began with him lecturing away at them with that arrogant and patronizing tone she'd come to loath beyond anything else. She tried to focus on something else… anything else to distract herself from the sudden onslaught of whispered echoes reverberating in her mind from when she had been drugged up in the Dark Room.
She resisted the urge to just curl in on herself and desperately tried to push back the images and voices. It was then that she started noticing a few strange things. Her hand started to tingle and she could almost feel the energy radiating from it. Almost simultaneously, the scene before seemed to jump, Jefferson's pacing quickening and his voice gaining in both speed and pitch as if he was stuck on a fast forward. It wasn't just him this was happening to either, everyone in the room seemed to be affected… apart from her. Just as suddenly as this had happened, everything around her slowed down to a standstill, the room gaining a thick haze with visible discolorations and hushed indecipherable whispers getting lost among the gentle background whirring, much like when she rewound.
Max rubbed at her eyes, wondering what the hell was going on. She glanced down at her right hand, which felt really warm and numb all of a sudden. When she looked up again, everything seemed to have returned back to normal and she had to wonder if she'd just imagined it all. Was that even possible?
It was then that Rachel looked over, her brow immediately furrowing at Max's extremely pale face. Something had happened just now. What, she had no clue, but that was the only explanation. She would have to try and ask her about it later once this was over, hopefully Max would tell her.
Jefferson continued to drone on with Victoria being her usual ass-kissing self around him, not that Max was really paying much attention to that. She was still trying to figure out what she had just experienced. As far as she could tell, her powers were, at least to an extent, connected with her emotions. Whenever she had been pushed to her limit, some new ability had been unlocked. Her powers had been kickstarted by Chloe's death, she'd managed to freeze time completely on Kate's attempted suicide and on finding out about Rachel and Frank and seeing the effect it had on Chloe, she'd discovered she could jump through photos. All these times had been mainly inspired by feelings of despair and the desire to save. If this was the same, then these weird time skips could only be the result of her anger and the need to exact revenge, which might explain why they were less controlled.
"...ax. Max, are you even listening?" an irritated voice pierced through her thought. When she looked up, Jefferson was standing right in front of her. She didn't answer for a moment as she tried unsuccessfully to repress the seething rage pulsating through her veins.
A twisted grimace crossed her face, "No. There is no fucking way I would listen to someone like you."
Jefferson seemed taken aback by her hostile defiance, uncertain of how to react to it. She couldn't help but revel in the confusion in his eyes. He was no longer in control of this situation, she was.
She leaned back in her chair, slowly feeling her grip on composure fading away, "I've heard more than enough of your arrogant, fucked up, self serving monologues for a lifetime, make that several."
Everyone was staring at her now, except Rachel who merely gazed out of the window with a distant expression. She had a feeling this would happen at least once and she didn't blame Max one bit. She had all this pent up anger and frustration with no real way of releasing it. While the thought of an eventual release kept her going, it didn't satisfy her immediate demand for revenge against this man who had hurt her and everyone she held dear… Chloe most of all. Who knows, maybe this was the second, third maybe even tenth time Max had snapped like this, there was no real way of knowing unless she asked her directly.
Max, who was now well past the point of no return, decided that she may as well try to get it all out of her system now before rewinding. She had to do it anyway, so she may as well make the most of it.
"Did you really think you could get away with everything?" she asked as she glared at the man who had taken everything from her, "That there would be no consequences for your actions?" her expression darkened considerably as she felt those feelings she had kept locked away for so long finally begin to escape, "Every action has consequences."
She watched with twisted glee as Jefferson's once smug grin turned to confusion and then a new emotion she had not seen from him before, a very slight flicker of panic as the realization kicked in that she wasn't playing around now.
"Max, I think you should come with me. Now," he ordered abruptly, "I will not tolerate this behavior from anyone."
Max couldn't help but laugh at this, "I'm not going with you anywhere. Not anymore. Neither is Rachel, Kate or Victoria," while none of them had been to the Dark Room yet in this timeline, she needed to get it out of her system.
"I don't think you are feeling very well, Max," Jefferson mentioned in a threateningly calm tone, "You're not making any sense."
"Sense? None of this makes any sense," Max snarled aggressively, "Things haven't made fucking sense in a long time for me… all because of you," she stood up at this point, slamming her hands down on the table, unable to keep still any longer. She saw him flinch a bit at the noise, something which amused her greatly.
"Max, I am going to say this one more time," Jefferson said through gritted teeth as he drew himself to his fullest height, "You are going to come with me right now."
Max shook her head slowly, completely giving herself over to the fury now as she placed a well-aimed kick in between his legs, putting all her frustration into it. Jefferson fell to the floor, groaning in pain from the impact. Max crouched down and grabbed a handful of his hair, twisting it in her hand, "How does it feel, huh? To be at the complete mercy of someone else."
She slammed his head against the floor, hearing a satisfying bone-crunching crack as his nose broke. Everyone watched on in silent horror as she lifted his head up again, seeing the blood trickling from his nose, "You know, this is nothing compare to what I've had to suffer through."
An idea crossed her mind then. She reached over to her bag and took out her camera, "How about we frame you in a dark corner, and capture you in a moment of desperation? Or maybe that's too easy? Too obvious?" she smirked as she held her camera with a surprisingly steady hand, lining up the shot with great care, determined to get it right first time.
He looked very pathetic now. Blood oozing down from his broken nose, his glasses shattered and that glint of fear in his eyes. Without hesitation, she took the photo, gently placing her camera back over near her bag before examining the photo.
"What do you think? Is it good enough to enter into the Everyday Heroes contest?" Max mused as she showed it to him, adding insult to injury, "I think it's by far some of my best work. You always said that I was wasting my talent with selfies."
She stashed the photo in her bag, figuring that it might give her the resolve to keep going. It really was tempting to submit this photo merely to fuck with him, to see that confusion turn to panic and then fear once more. She cracked her knuckles, "I've thought of this day for such a long time, wondering how it would feel to finally see that arrogant grin wiped from your face. I've thought up countless situations in which to punish you for what you've done, but none of them were ever enough."
She stood up and aimed a sharp kick to his ribs, making him grunt and curl inwards on himself, "Even now you are getting off lightly. Don't worry though, there is much more to come. The only reason you're actually alive now is because it'll be so much more painful and humiliating for you to be caught red handed."
Max briefly glanced up at Rachel, who was watching the scene unfold with a cold approval. The others in the room looked terrified of her right now, but if they knew what the man had done they would realize that this was justice, or as close as she could get.
"Are you fucking insane?" Victoria finally managed.
Max merely shrugged as she stared down at the man she hated more than anything, "I have no idea anymore."
As much as she would love to continue this, she knew that if she let this go on much longer she would lose herself. This should tide her over, give her the immediate revenge she had so desperately been searching for. She brushed herself off, made sure everything was in her bag once more, sat down at her seat and raised her right hand, watching as the scene before her reversed. She felt an odd sense of peace wash over her now, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. While it didn't solve anything, she'd needed this more than she had initially realized. It didn't make her desire to destroy Mark Jefferson any less, but it still made her feel… good, better than that, elated.
As she reached the point before her breakdown, she halted the rewind and exhaled deeply. Now when she looked at Jefferson as he lectured on at them, she still hated him more than anyone else in this world, but she was in control of it now. She zoned out as the class continued, making sure to appear as if she were paying attention. When the bell finally rang, everyone began gathering their stuff together, eager to have their freedom as it was now lunchtime. Finally, he dismissed them. Max stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder, hanging back to wait for Rachel. She didn't want to give Jefferson any chances.
Just as they were about to exit, a voice calling from behind them caught their attention, "Rachel, I need a word with you. Do you have some time now?"
Max was slightly shocked at the early bold move from him. Maybe he was getting desperate and simply wanted to get this over and done with so he could move onto his next twisted project. Or maybe he was trying to earn Rachel's trust somehow. Either way, Max had no intention of letting that happen.
"Oh come on Rach," Max whined as she grabbed hold of her arm, "You promised that you were free now. There is no way I am letting you back out of it now. You still owe me a free meal, remember?"
Rachel played along, "Don't worry. I'm not trying to back out of it. I wouldn't dare at the risk of facing your wrath," she turned to Jefferson with a practiced apologetic smile, "Maybe another time. I don't think I'm getting out of this one."
"Damn right you're not!" Max agreed.
Jefferson's brow twitched slightly in annoyance, but this soon faded and was replaced with a forced smile, "We can arrange a more suitable time later."
"Sure," Rachel called cheerily back as she exited the classroom with Max. They walked down the hallway in silence, checking over their shoulder to make sure he wasn't following them. Once satisfied, they headed on outside to meet up with Chloe as they'd planned via text in front of the dorms.
"He sure is persistent," Rachel sighed tiredly as they continued down the path towards the dorm building, "Not to mention a total creep."
Max nodded in agreement, "That's an understatement."
Rachel glanced over at Max, sensing a subtle change. She didn't seem quite as tense or vulnerable as before for some reason and the aura around her was much calmer and relaxed, as if some balance had been restored. She wanted to ask, but figured that if it was something she needed to know that Max would tell her in due course. No matter the reason for this, Rachel was glad for it. Max had been close to breaking point and now it seemed that she had been pulled back from the edge… at least for the time being.
While she doubted that this would be the end of Max's problems, at the very least she seemed to have in part resolved one of her many burdens.
That was… satisfying to write. It's always good to get some Jeffershit suffering in. Have a great day guys and see you next time.