Chapter Ten

I open the door. Chloe is asleep on the guest bed, softly snoring to herself. I almost drop down to my knees with relief. It's been a long journey, but she's finally back with me. I run onto the bed and kiss my girlfriend, who was actually asleep this time. She awakens and pulls back from me immediately. "Max, we talked about this. I can't be with you."

The guest bedroom is decorated in a very feminine style, with pastel pink paint, a white, intentionally distressed metal bed frame, and a pastel green nightstand. My mother has a thing for shabby chic, but limits her urge to decorate to this room only. Needless to say, it's weird to have Chloe in here. I can tell she's not too into it as the dolls that were on top of the dresser are thrown into the closet. Not that I blame her. Those dolls always creeped me out.

Chloe notices the confusion and hurt etched on my face. "Max, is that really you? What did I tell you before our first kiss?"

"I double dare you, kiss me now," I say, smiling at the memory. I have that photo of taken right before that moment when Chloe photobombed me. It's very tempting to use it to jump back to that kiss again and again. But, if I did, it would lose its magic and would be just another moment. It's probably for the best that this lives only in our memories.

As soon as I answer Chloe, she pulls me close and gives me a deep kiss. I can feel the intense longing on her lips, and I match it by caressing her tongue with mine. It's been way too long. We stay locked together for a while, neither of us wanting to be the one who moves to break free. Surprisingly, I don't notice any cigarette smoke in her kiss. It's just some morning breath, which I could care less about. I revel in Chloe's embrace, and all of the anger, confusion, and pain that these last few days have built in me melt away with her kiss. I finally move my face apart from hers. "Damn, Price. A few days gone, and you are all over me."

"Well, you did double dare me," Chloe smirks as she gazes into my eyes. "That was a very hard dare to accept by the way. You should be proud of me. Truth or dare, Super Max."

I am really, really tempted to answer dare as Chloe would undoubtedly make me do something perverted to her, and that sounds like win-win. She's also probably expecting me to answer truth anyway, but I don't think I'm in the mood to delve into all of the shit that's gone on during the last few days. Sometimes, when I close my eyes, all I can see is Jefferson blowing Victoria's head off all over me or her face after I rewound her ear away. I am tired of that asshole owning my thoughts. After the last few days, I need some good memories with my girlfriend. I thought I would be more worried about this, but I am strangely calm. Besides, who knows how much longer I'll have to wait before I'm in this timeline again? What the hell. "Dare, of course."

"Ooh la la," Chloe purrs, her eyes twinkling mischievously. I can tell that she's excited about having control over the situation. I'm sure it's not easy dating someone with superpowers. She's so wonderful. "Now I have you right where I want you, Caulfield."

"Oh uh," I feign horror, putting my hands over my mouth in mock shock. "Should I be worried? What are you going to have me do that will corrupt me forever?"

"You are probably just going to rewind if I make you do something you don't like and then lamely answer truth," Chloe sighs as she realizes I have the perfect out to her evil plans.

"Promise I won't," I say as I cross my fingers in front of her before crossing my heart. "I am in your capable hands, though I'm sure I'm not quite where you want me." I kiss Chloe's neck, which elicits a soft, teasing moan. Maybe I should be more nervous about this, but I'm done with denying what I want with Chloe. Ironically, I don't have the time for that.

"I was going to say I'll hold you to that, but I won't remember in case you do cheat. Still, it's nice to feel like I have the power for once." Chloe rubs her hands together excitedly. "Okay, now for the perfect dare."

Chloe gets up, takes my hand, and leads me back into my room, locking the door behind us. "That room freaks me out. This is so much better."

My room in Seattle is similar to my dorm room, with band posters, a wall of photos, and pictures of my idols. A couple windows let in the soft morning light. It must still be early as it is not that bright out.

"So about that dare…" I say as I tug on my pajamas suggestively. I am really looking forward to this.

Chloe smiles at me, but instead of giving me a dare, she sits me down on my bed and gives me a concerned look. "Are you okay with anything I dare you to do? We haven't really been together long, so I understand if you need time. I'm a little impatient, if you can believe that. Even though I've pictured this after romancing the hell out of you, I just want you now."

I can see Chloe squirm on the bed, clearly anxious. "Yeah, I'm ready, my love. I need you too after the last few days. I don't know when I'll be back, and I don't want to wait any longer."

Chloe blushes, something she's not prone to do. It's weird but cute. "One more thing."

I groan. "What? Just give me your dare already."

"Other you has been crushing on me hard," Chloe says somberly. "We haven't done much other than her trapping me with kisses in front of your parents. I can't really get out of that. But she's threatened to hurt herself if I don't return her affections. I'm not sure what to do. If she does, I'll have to visit you in the hospital or… morgue… once you come back. If I give in, I'll be cheating on you."

That's fucked up. What the hell is wrong with these other versions of me? First, Maxine turns out to be a sadistic bitch, and now the other me in this timeline is forcing herself on Chloe. I should be as supportive as possible with my girlfriend. "Well, I'm fine with whatever choice you make. I'll know you will make the right one." I smile and whisper in her ear. "I guess this means you will forgive me for waking up naked with Victoria."

"WHAT?" Chloe explodes.

"Yeah, timeline jump into a universe in which I'm dating her. I guess couples do that?"

"I was hoping that you would do that with me, but I guess that's never happening." Chloe frowns at the thought, but she quickly cheers up. "But no one can take this away from us." Chloe takes off her pajamas.

"Whoa…" I mutter in surprise. I can't manage to say anything else for a few seconds as I marvel at my girlfriend. "Umm, I thought the point of a dare was to get me to do something."

"Getting to that," Chloe smirks. "Now, I double dog dare you, kiss me now."

"That's it?" I query in bewilderment. I give her a long, passionate kiss. I finally pull away from her after some effort. "I would have done something different, but your dare, I guess."

"No, Max. I didn't want you to kiss me there." Chloe has the biggest grin on her face.

"What? Where else would I… Oh!" I raise an eyebrow at the thought. I guess it's time. I never wanted something more than how much I want this. I need to be close with Chloe. I undress and then fulfill the dare before giving her one of my own.

"Wowser," Chloe exhales afterwards. "Just… wowser." She is drenched in sweat as she lays motionless on my bed.

"Did you just say 'wowser?'" I say with exaggerated shock. "I'm a bad good influence on you." I would be just as out of breath as my girlfriend right now if I didn't give myself a nice rewind break afterwards.

"It's... that Irish luck... again, Caulfield," Chloe barely says as she is breathless.

"Whatever do you mean?" I lean over her, kissing her neck.

"Lucky… that I… don't have… energy to… punch you." My kisses are making speech even more difficult for my girlfriend.

I respond by snuggling close to Chloe, enjoying the sensation of my bare skin touching hers. "That was perfect, thanks. I love you so much. I guess by your catatonic state that I wasn't too bad?"

"Best bang ever," Chloe breaths as she wraps her arms around me. "Love you too."

"Wish you wouldn't call it that. But I guess that's what I should expect from someone as romantic as you." I wink at Chloe, though I don't think she notices much of anything right now.

"Best fuck ever?" Chloe corrects herself as she regains her breath.

"Thanks, so much better," I say sarcastically.

"It's what I'm here for," Chloe smiles. She then notices dried blood under my nose. "What the hell?"

"Yeah, well… I did cheat a bit so I knew exactly what you liked. Lots of trial and mostly error, though I made sure the final timeline was perfect for you. Sorry not sorry." I shoot my girlfriend a mischievous grin.

"You don't have to be perfect, Max. I love you for your imperfections, you know, and I'm so lucky to have you," Chloe says before she playfully punches me in the arm. "Your luck just ran out though. Don't you dare rewind that."

We sneak into the bathroom together to take a shower to get rid of the evidence of our morning shenanigans. I immediately regret taking a shower with her as we can't keep our hands to ourselves, and the shower takes much longer than it should.

Afterwards, we get dressed and hurry downstairs. Chloe tells me that we need to rush to make it to school on time. Yes, Chloe is going to school with me in Seattle. It's pretty awesome.

My parents are sitting at the breakfast table and don't seem to notice us come downstairs. Oh crap. We were not quiet at all. I hope they didn't hear anything.

"Morning, pumpkin," dad says as he sees us.

"Morning, pop," I say sheepishly. Does he know?

Dad feigns surprise. "Oh, hey Max. Morning to you too."

I turn to my girlfriend with confusion. "Pumpkin? Did you steal my parents, Miss Price?"

"Not my fault I'm so much more awesome than you," Chloe winks at me. "Surprised you forgot that Ryan calls me that. Guess you are repressing things."

"I made you girls some breakfast tacos to take with you," mom adds. She's so amazing. I remember her making me food in the morning even though she's usually really busy with work. Mom is wearing her standard work clothes, a black skirt suit with a white dress shirt. She calls it her lawyer costume.

We pick up the tacos and start to make our way out of the house. Good, dad didn't say anything. I think we are in the clear.

"Oh, Maxine?" mom calls to me.

"Yes?" I turn around to face her.

"Glad you and Chloe are having fun, but could you try to be a bit more quiet when you are doing activities in your room?" Mom says all of this with a straight face.

The color drains from me, and I just stand there, speechless. Crap. Too late for a rewind, not that I would want to erase any of the morning. What the hell can I possibly say? This is so, so embarrassing. Chloe sort of comes to my rescue. "No problem, Vanessa," she nonchalantly says. "She was embarrassing in the motel too, so we will tone it down." Chloe takes my hand and leads me out the door before I can say something stupid.

As we leave, I hear mom telling pop: "I see why you like to say things to get reactions. That was hilarious." Dad answers with a hearty laugh.

We take Chloe's truck into town from my parents' home in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. On our way to school, I confide in Chloe about how fucked up the last few days without her were. I tell her about Jefferson and the Dark Room and how he figured out my powers. Chloe gets really pissed off when she hears about that shit, and she nearly swerves off the road when making a turn. She's not the best driver to begin with, but she's really terrible when angry. I remember her almost taking out two cars as she was peeling out of the Two Whales after she found out Rachel hooked up with Frank.

I then talk to her about Dr. Price and my stay in the psychiatric ward. I don't say much other than I was married to Jefferson, and it turned out to just be a nightmare like the one I had next to the lighthouse.

Chloe turns onto Interstate 5 and heads south towards Garfield High. I went to Garfield before transferring to Blackwell, so it shouldn't be too weird going back. I suggested just skipping today, but Chloe insisted on being there. Go figure she's the responsible one. She did say that she wanted to kick ass at school now that I'm in her future.

Chloe then listens to me talk about being in Arcadia General and how I told Warren about my powers. She seemed surprised when I said that my jumps were somehow tied to my dorm room, and her surprise quickly turned into a deep melancholy. When I asked her what the big deal was, she answered that my timeline jumps will end as soon as I graduate. Of course, how could I not see that sooner? Fuck, does this mean I'll lose Chloe forever? I don't know if I could handle that again.

My girlfriend turns off the interstate and stops the truck. At this point, I'm barely holding it all together. I've had to deal with so much shit just to get this little time with Chloe, and now in a few months I will lose her all over again. What the fuck is so wrong with us being together? Chloe puts a hand on my shoulder and gives me a reassuring smile. I'm sure she's just as broken inside as I am, but she always manages to put on a brave face for me.

After a few minutes of idling, Chloe proposes that we take a road trip to Arcadia Bay to investigate the ruins of my dorm. She suggests that it is possible that there's something there that could help us understand what is going on with me. After teasing her about being responsible, we agree to skip a day of class.

We get back on the interstate and zoom past the exit for Garfield. The Blackwell PIs are back in action! Chloe has constantly talked about going on a road trip together, and I am excited that we are finally able to make it happen.

As we make our way out of the city, Chloe grumbles about making up the work missed today and having to call Victoria to get some notes. It's so weird to see her like this, on top of everything. Chloe explains that Victoria survived the storm by being in San Francisco after winning the Everyday Heroes contest. Apparently, she goes to Garfield too as her parents are also in Seattle. I would have expected her to go to someplace fancier, but maybe she needed to be close to friends. I guess we are as close to friends as it gets with so many dead from the storm.

I decide that our road trip needs a soundtrack, so I scroll through the music on my phone and play Guster's "Amsterdam." Chloe's truck is of course lacking a stereo, so my phone will have to do. After Chloe makes a quip about my hipster music, I put the track on repeat and crank up the volume, which causes her to groan about my annoying habit of listening to the same song over and over. I keep my phone away from her as she tries to grab it away from me, swerving into the shoulder as she does so.

We eventually decide to stop for some lunch as the breakfast tacos only hold us over for so long. Chloe spots a diner off the interstate, and we pull over. I don't know what it is about diners with us. I guess Chloe likes them because they remind her of her mother.

I don't have high hopes for this backwater restaurant as the paint is peeling off the building and there's a very noticeable creak as we open the wooden door. We are welcomed by a middle-aged waitress and directed to a booth. I notice that Chloe gets some looks from the staff and some of the other patrons because of her punk style. Chloe doesn't pay them any attention as I'm sure she's used to getting such a reception.

She jump slides into her seat and eagerly grabs a menu that stands next to the salt, pepper, and napkins at the end of the table. "Order anything you want, my love. It's on me."

"You are so sweet. How did I get to be so lucky to have you fall for me?" I ask, somewhat seriously. I am honestly a little baffled why someone as amazing as Chloe could find a shy nerd like me so attractive.

Chloe smiles, clearly enjoying being alone in my company. "Max, a lot of people think you are hot, not just me. I've had to hold off nerd boy, and now I hear the Queen Bitch of Blackwell may be trying to move in on my territory. Fuck, if anyone's lucky, it's me. I was a raging high school dropout with no future and little in the way of friends. It's a miracle that you fell for me."

I hold Chloe's hand and return her smile. "Chloe, you are a special person, and everyone else is blind if they can't see that. You are so smart, loving, and kind. Not to mention hella gorgeous. Anyone would be fortunate to know you, much less win your heart."

My girlfriend beams at the compliments. "Well, I am going to try hard to be worthy of you."

The waitress comes over, interrupting our sappy exchange. She reminds me a bit of Joyce, with long dirty blonde hair and a motherly demeanor. She's not wearing a waitress uniform but rather jeans and a t-shirt. The only things marking her as an employee are her name tag and some grease stains on her shirt. She speaks in a friendly, welcoming voice. "Name's Darlene. What can I do you for?"

"Coffee," we both quickly respond in unison. We didn't get to drink any this morning as we rushed out of the house, and we need our fix.

Darlene nods and heads back to the kitchen before quickly returning with our coffee. We then tell her we need a few minutes to decide on food before she leaves.

Chloe's grin disappears. "How's mom?" she asks hesitantly as she scans the menu.

"She's good. She helped me get to the hospital after I blacked out in my dorm room. But I think she's trying to set me up with Victoria." I take a menu and start looking it over. Pretty sure I don't need it as all diners should have a good burger.

Chloe slams her fist on the table, jarring the silverware. "That bitch!" She loudly yells. The diner goes silent as everyone in the restaurant turns to us. Chloe starts to flip everyone off but bites her lip and backs off. I quickly apologize, and people resume their conversations.

"Sorry, Max," Chloe says sincerely while looking at the table. "Guess I shouldn't be too mad at her trying to help you over me, but Victoria of all people?"

"Well, she did give me an amazing photo album of your favorite places in Arcadia Bay after she confessed her love for me, so she's not all bad," I tease my bae.

"Wait, another Victoria loves you? See, Max? You are so hot that everyone's into you. God, I'm going to have to keep you separated from her at school." Chloe scratches her chin in thought.

"Good thing I'm only into blue-haired punk girls," I reassure Chloe.

"Don't tell me that there's someone else with my look in another timeline," Chloe jokes. "I may have to cut a bitch."

"Well…" I begin.

Chloe's eyes widen. "Really?! Who else has incredibly good taste? Please tell me you found an alternate Kate who looks like me." Chloe is practically bouncing in her seat in excitement.

I laugh at the thought of Kate in Chloe's gear. "No, it's me, sort of. You see, I saw pictures of me dressed like you while I was in the nuthouse. I even sported your tattoo. They were trying to convince me that you were just a part of me."

Chloe vigorously shakes her head. "That makes no sense. You are way too hipster for me."

"Hmm… Never mind that you are totally into me, and I know that you secretly love my music. I saw you humming along to my tunes in the truck."

Chloe pauses for a few seconds, clearly trying to think of a comeback after she was caught. "You got me, sweetie," my girlfriend throws her hands in the air. "You are actually insane, and I'm merely the completely awesome side of your personality. I guess this means I'm Tyler Durden. Congratulations?"

Darlene comes over and we place our orders. I get a burger, fries, and a milkshake while Chloe gets a cesar salad. "You, Chloe Elizabeth Price, are getting a salad? Am I actually in some bizarro timeline?" I've never seen her eat anything with that high of a concentration of green. Not that I should judge too much.

Chloe shoots me a wounded look. "Hey, I can be healthy every now and then."

"Says the girl who noshes on bacon as if it was its own food group."

"It isn't?" my blue-haired bae responds as she moves her hands over her mouth. "Seriously though, I need to take care of myself. I have a future with you that I would like to see."

I remember all of the rage and hurt that Chloe has been harboring since I've reconnected with her. How she felt abandoned by the universe and how tomorrow was going to be just as shitty as yesterday. Now, she has real hope for a bright future because of me. A smile bursts into my face, and I lean over the table to give her a long kiss. We get some stares, but I don't care. "I love you so much."

Chloe ignores everyone else as she looks at me. "You are just saying that because of that amazing kiss."

A mischievous grin leaps onto my face, and I raise my right hand, willing time and space to warp around me. I see Chloe leaning towards me, kissing the air, and then lean back into her seat. I release the rewind. "I love you so much."

My girlfriend smiles. "I love you too, though that seemed a bit random."

"Well, I said that after this kiss that was amazeballs, but you had to ruin it by saying that the only reason I said it was that kiss."

"Okay, two things," Chloe deeply sighs. "First, the kiss still happened for you, so I can still blame it. Second, you stole my memory of it, so you owe me. For reals."

I bat my eyes at her. "Whatever can I do to repay you, kind miss?"

Chloe leans over and gives me a kiss that is even better than the previous one. Should she be encouraging me? "Well, that was easy," I say.

"Nope, that was just to replace the kiss you stole," my girlfriend sighs again. "We need to talk. I know that you are being sweet and playful, and I'm really excited to see you embrace your powers. They are a part of you, and I love all of you, even your rewind. But I also love your imperfections. I want to experience your screw ups and awkwardness. When we were banging, I was looking forward to teaching you how to do things, so I felt I was robbed of that when you rewound so much. I appreciate you wanting to make things feel good for me, but part of the fun is being with the huge dork that I know you are. I very much wanted to be your first, but I didn't get that feeling. It was disappointing."

I don't know what to say. How could I not have thought of all that? I just wanted everything to be perfect, and I fuck everything up, yet again, with the best of intentions. Way to go, Super Max. "I'm sorry, Chloe. No more nonconsensual rewinds between us unless there's an emergency." You only get one first time, and I guess I did steal Chloe's full memory of mine.

"It's okay, Maxipad, but you still owe me," Chloe says playfully.

After a bit of a wait, Darlene comes back with our order. Chloe nibbles a bit on her salad, clearly wishing she chose another time to get serious about a healthy diet. I happily nosh on my burger and fries before I see Chloe's face suddenly go pale with her mouth gaping open as she looks behind me. "No, it can't be."

I turn around to see what the deal is, find nothing, then turn back to see Chloe devouring my food while a slightly eaten salad sits in front of me. "It's really too bad you ordered a salad, Max, because this burger is soooo good." Chloe continues to eat my food while wearing a huge grin. She even belches when she starts to slurp down my chocolate shake.

I am so tempted to rewind this away, but that got me in trouble in the first place. No more rewinds around her if I can at all avoid it. I take a bite out of Chloe's salad. Yep, the burger is much better. "Think we are square now."

After lunch, we climb back into the truck and head off towards Oregon. Chloe tells me that we moved up to Seattle a couple days ago after David held a small memorial for Joyce. I wished I could have been there for Chloe, but she waves me off when I begin to apologize. David is still in town, and we plan to meet up with him at some point.

A couple hours pass and we pass through Portland, turning onto another highway headed towards the coast as we do so. I wish we could stay and explore the city as Chloe wanted to do last week, but we really need to get to Arcadia Bay.

This road trip is so nice. I love just riding in the truck with Chloe, spending the day alone with her. My left hand rarely leaves hers during the drive.

We eventually reach the ruined town after another couple hours on the road. I'm a bit surprised that Chloe's beat-up truck could survive the trip, though a weird noise coming from the engine grows louder and becomes more frequent the closer we get to our hometown. Maybe we won't be so lucky on the way back.

The town is deserted, leaving an empty shell of what was once a vibrant community. It still amazes me that all of this happened just because I saved a girl from a senseless death in a shitty high school bathroom. We reach what's left of Blackwell and park the truck as close as we can.

The school, for whatever reason, sustained the most damage during the storm. The main hall is an unrecognizable, haphazard pile of red brick and glass. My dorm didn't fair much better. Some walls remain mostly intact, but the place where I used to (still do?) live is mostly a collection of rubble.

As this place is mostly a pile of debris, we use Chloe's plan for the junkyard with her going first to test the waters while I trail behind, ready to rewind away any misstep. Fortunately, my girlfriend manages to traverse the ruined courtyard leading to the dorms without incident, and I carefully follow exactly in her path. I'm glad that she's not as clumsy as me because I don't really know how I would have taken it if she got really hurt. Even if the pain was temporary, I wouldn't be able to get that memory out of my head. As it is, Chloe getting shot by Jefferson still haunts me, and that was a quick, painless death. Chloe really suffering is something I never want to see.

We make our way to what was the entrance to the dorms. Just about a week ago, I was here plotting how to get Victoria and her posse out of the way. Now, I yearn for the simplicity of that problem, of a time when my biggest worry was figuring out a way to deal with a girl who secretly has a crush on me.

Chloe and I look over to where my dorm room would have been, and we spot it. At first, I think it's just a trick with the sun getting into my eyes, but when I turn to Chloe, the look of disbelief on her face confirms it. Where there should be empty sky occupying what was my room on the second floor, there is now some black blobs surrounded by a sea of yellow-red tinge, like a photograph being burnt. I've seen this before at the edge of photo jumps. Every now and then, I think I see the center of this photo blob tear apart, revealing me sleeping in my dorm room, before quickly reforming back together. The whole anomaly is fairly small, maybe the size of an eighth of my room. What the fuck is going on here?

My partner in time is just as mystified as I am at this development. "The hell?" she mutters, echoing my thoughts. She holds my hand, perhaps instinctively, as she looks up at the anomaly.

What could have happened in my dorm room that would have caused this? I search my memories, frantically opening up the mental files of past events for any clue as to what happened here. This has to be connected to my powers. I think back to last Friday, the day I used my powers the most. The only time I was in my dorm room was when… crap.

"I know what caused this," I begin to explain to my confused girlfriend. "It's when I photo jumped from the Zeitgeist back to my dorm room to tear my contest photo. When I arrived in my room, I saw something just like this. I thought that reality was breaking apart, but I forgot about it until just now. This must be the reason why I'm bouncing between timelines."

"Why would that particular photo jump do that?" Chloe asks as she squeezes my hand. "It's not like every time you use that ability this," Chloe waves her other hand in the direction of my room, "happens."

"Well, to get to the Zeitgeist in the first place, I had to photo jump within a photo jump in the Dark Room. When I photo jumped again in the gallery, it must have really fucked with reality." I shake my head. Once again, these powers have an unintended consequence. All I want is a timeline in which all of my friends are alive and that I can share with Chloe. Apparently, that's too big of an ask for the universe. Here I go again screwing everything up.

Chloe seems to read my thoughts as she holds me close, seeking to comfort me. "So, photo jumping within a photo jump within a photo jump is sort of like crossing the streams bad? You had no idea beforehand. This is not your fault, Max. You were just trying to make everything right. Your intentions matter far more than the fucked up consequences that you never wanted."

I know she's right, but I still can't help blaming myself. Just because I was selfish and could only think of getting Chloe back, I ripped a hole in space time. Am I doing the same thing now? I could just walk away, like I had the chance to do at the Zeitgeist, and leave my powers behind without doing more damage. I could stay away from my dorm room and be done with this timeline jump business.

But I shouldn't. Who knows what this hole will do to this and other realities? My powers created this mess, and I am responsible to everyone to fix it. But how?

"This can't be good, Chloe," I say as I lean into her embrace. "I need to make this right, but I don't have a clue where to start."

"I'll look into it while you are away. We will fix this… together!" Chloe is trying to be cheery and enthusiastic because she knows that I'm beating myself up for this. She always seems to know what to do or say to make me feel better. It's stuff like this that makes me know that she loves me, and I adore her for it. For as much shit as I had to go through to be with her, part of me still feels lucky that she somehow fell for me.

We return to the truck and try to process what we just saw. We just sit there in silence as Chloe holds me and I rest my head against her shoulder. I never want this to end, but I know that my hours here are numbered after the long road trip here and our morning adventures. I smile at the new memory, using it to push back thoughts of the Dark Room and the asylum. At least that worked as intended.

Chloe eventually stops snuggling and resumes her rightful place in the driver's seat. She turns the key in the ignition, and the truck sputters a bit before dying. "Of course this shit would happen now!" Chloe yells as she slams her fist onto the wheel, setting off the horn.

"Umm… know any mechanics left in this ghost town? Guess we are going to have to wait a while for a tow." I slump against my girlfriend. "Though I can't think of someone I would rather be stranded with." I kiss her, trying to calm her down.

My bae sighs and picks up her phone to call for help. "Hello, David?"

I get close to Chloe so that I can hear her stepfather on the other end. I'm glad she doesn't mind me being so nosy. At least, she hasn't said anything. "Hey Chloe. What's going on?"

"Umm… well… would you be willing to do me a favor?" I can tell that this is really hard for Chloe to ask by the way she is scrunching up her nose as if she was stuck in the boys' locker room after practice on a sweltering hot summer day. I'm sure she still sees him as the man who barged into her life and started pushing her around, sometimes literally, when she was trying to deal with her father's death.

"Uhh… yeah, sure. What you need?" I think David was surprised by Chloe's request as am I sure she hasn't asked him for much, if anything. Well, she probably has asked him to go fuck himself.

"A mechanic. Mind helping Max and I out? We are stranded at Blackwell." Chloe wraps an arm around me, and I can tell she is breathing easier.

"Blackwell? Why the hell are you back there? Ahh, it doesn't matter. I'll doubletime it and be there in a few." David hangs up the phone.

David arrives in about half an hour as he is still staying in the motel close to town. I guess he hasn't quite figured out what he is going to do next, so he's sticking by what's familiar. At least, what's left of it. He takes a look at the truck, grunting and muttering to himself about the lack of maintenance. After about an hour, he manages to get Chloe's truck started again, but he warns us that it may just be temporary.

As a gesture of thanks, we take David out to dinner. I suggest the fancy hotel that alternate Victoria is staying at because they must have better food than that crappy motel diner. Chloe inspects her handicapped fund envelope and agrees. After a great meal, we start to head out when I feel it coming, the impending timeline jump. I shoot Chloe a quick glance and she nods as she tries to get me back into the truck before I switch over. David rushes over to my side, clearly concerned about my sudden fatigue. Chloe tries to reassure him that everything's fine, but it's too late as I drift away.

Friday, October 17, 2013

Hello again, Blackwell. The one that actually holds classes and has intact buildings. Probably the only one that still exists, thanks to Chloe.

Today was just another day at school. People still were cautious around me, but I've stopped caring. I was more preoccupied with thoughts of Chloe, of that wonderful morning together. I wonder if she's sitting in a classroom in Seattle, daydreaming of me. Probably not. She's grown too responsible for that. Heh, Chloe's the grown up in our relationship.

So, it's been a week since that shitty Friday, and things have gotten better and worse. Chloe is my girlfriend now, and we are hella in love but remain trapped in separate realities. Then there's the tear in space time that I created and a timeline in which Jefferson knows about my powers.

Speaking of the Dark Room, it's been awhile since I last visited. I'm sure that I'll end up there tonight. Maybe I can stay at Joyce's and skip going there? I don't think it works like that, though who knows? If I don't go, what will happen to that Victoria? What will happen to that Max? Maybe I owe it to them to figure out some way to get them out of there since I created that reality.

I guess I need to own up for everything that I've done. I'll go back and figure out a way to save everyone. Just don't know how yet.

I finish writing the day's entry, looking over the page after I'm done with my personal ritual. I'm trying to believe that I'm strong enough to face whatever fucked up shit Jefferson has in store for me, but doubt eats away at my artificial confidence like acid. I pick up my phone and am about to dial Joyce before I will myself to put it down. No. I need to do this.

I get into bed and close my eyes, forcing myself to think about Chloe and not anything related to the Dark Room. It does lift my spirits some, but my mind keeps wandering back to Jefferson. What is he going to do to me this time? How much more can I take? I gradually empty myself of all thought and eventually force sleep upon me.

I awaken, opening my eyes immediately as I know that Chloe isn't waiting for me here. I find myself in a studio with a white backdrop and professional lighting illuminating an unfamiliar female model, who is wearing something out of my closet-black doe t-shirt, grey hoodie, and jeans. She could be my doppelganger. The model is firmly restrained on a chair by duct tape, and she squirms, saying something that is made unrecognizable by the tape over her mouth. I look down and see a camera draped over my neck, and I recoil in horror.

A/N:

Felt it was time to put some of my cards down on the table. In the game, the scene with Max tearing her contest photo in her dorm room was very weird. A new element was introduced with her powers going haywire and breaking apart reality, but the game then quickly moves on from that and ignores that it ever happened. This seemed like a good event to base a sequel around because you can do whatever you want with reality tearing apart.

I think I'm about halfway done with this story, which would put the final word count around 120k. I appreciate all of the kind words that you all have given, and I hope this next half is as fun to read as the first. Thanks again for the kind words left in reviews. It's nice to hear that readers are enjoying this story as much as I am.

The next few chapters are going to get progressively heavier.