Chapter Nine
2000—
Chloe couldn't stand Max.
Max was Kate's newest friends, and to say they were close was an understatement. Their constant game was Max taking a pretend picture with a fake camera, and Kate would draw what she thought the picture was. The kindergartners got swooned over, while Chloe felt left out. Neither even offered her the chance to draw a picture.
It worsened when Max first entered Chloe's house. The fact William had a camera made Max's eyes spark.
Great, Chloe thought. She's stealing all my family now.
Chloe would make sure Max knew Joyce was Kate and her's mommy. No way was she going to lose her mommy.
Max was so engrossed in watching William use the camera, she paid no attention to the person who invited her over. Kate didn't complain; she knew Max loved cameras. She went off to Chloe.
When she first caught sight of Chloe's frown, she tiptoed closer, concerned.
"Chloe, what's the matter?" Kate asked, climbing up onto the sofa, struggling as if it was difficult. When she sat up and glanced the direction her sister faced, she realized the television wasn't even on. She asked what was the matter again.
"I don't like Max," Chloe said, not bothering to keep her voice at a whisper.
"Why not? She's my friend," Kate said.
"She's taking my place, like your little sister did," Chloe said, crossing her arms with an angry huff.
Kate shook her head. "You're my sister, Chloe. Max is my friend. You're jealous of Kelly 'cause she's actually my sister."
Chloe frowned more at the mention of of Kate's sister. It wasn't fair that she got replaced.
"But you're my favorite sister. You was my sister before Kelly, so I love you more," Kate promised.
That didn't aid Chloe's jealousy.
Kate quickly added, "I'm sure if you give Max a chance, you two'll become the most best friends in the world."
2013—
Max had no idea how Rachel still managed to get into a Vortex party despite not going to Blackwell anymore. When Rachel announced she was headed to a party, Chloe insisted Max go as well, as if she could somehow keep Rachel safe without using her powers.
Rachel got her into the VIP area. She waved a glass of alcohol in front of Max's face. Max neither knew nor cared what it was. She saw someone else get a drink from the same bottle, so it was likely safe.
And she had yet to see Jefferson.
With luck, she wouldn't have to see the fucker at all.
"Maxi, come on. Just have a drink!" Rachel pressured, "You can't be so uptight at these parties!"
Max shook her head. "We really shouldn't be drinking so close to the pool."
Rachel's drunken smile shifted to an annoyed frown. "Boo! You're such a fucking child, Max. If you want to ruin the party, you can get the hell out of here!"
Slowly, Max's nightmares were unfolding and turning into reality, At least Chloe didn't say it.
"I'm trying to keep you safe," Max said.
"Yeah, because that's how it is nowadays. A child protecting a woman."
Max wasn't liking this Rachel. She had yet to find a side she liked, but still hoped Rachel had some redeeming points. Max wanted nothing more than to be friends with the person who helped Chloe out in the past reality.
If only it was the same Rachel.
When one of the many football players came up to Rachel, asking for a dance, Rachel examined him, before shaking her head. "Sorry, but I have standards."
He chuckled. "If I remember correctly, a couple years ago, they were relatively low."
Max felt herself sink down a bit. He must have been talking about Chloe. She almost smiled and laughed when Rachel smacked the football player.
Max took the job of babysitting Rachel, and it was almost too easy. Rachel turned down every person who came up to her and stopped offering Max drinks half an hour in. Max understood, somewhat, why partying was enjoyable. The blaring music was halfway decent, the lights weren't nearly as flashy as they were at the "End of the World" party, so she didn't have as high a fear of a possible seizure, and the drunk people attempting to dance was fairly entertaining, until one of them threw up on the other.
It wasn't until Nathan showed up that Max became hyper aware of her surroundings. The lights were red. The music slowly shifted to something dangerously close to what she heard in the Dark Room. The people Max thought were drunk were likely high as well. Too many perfect victims. So many possibilities for Jefferson. And all it took was one dose.
Nathan hardly paid attention to Victoria, only saying a quick hello, before walking toward Rachel.
His eyes were still clear.
Max knew he didn't want to hurt Rachel. Well, he didn't in the past reality, but what's to say it's the same? Max shook her head. She remembered the voice mail. He was genuine. He just needed help.
"'Bout time you got here, Nathan," Rachel said. At that point, she was well on her way to the tipsy village. Maybe she was already there.
Nathan laughed. "I was just getting the goods."
"Mmm, sounds good."
Max's stomach turned. When Rachel moved out of her view, she forced herself to follow. As much as she didn't want to see Rachel get shot up with heroin, Max wasn't about to break her promise to Chloe. Nathan didn't mind her when he caught her following.
"A-Are those clean n-needles?" Max asked. She didn't want to look at the unpackaged needles.
"Of course they fucking are!" Nathan snapped. "They don't sell fucking used needles, Fuckfield."
That had to have been the worst nickname he came up for her.
Max waited until Nathan uncapped them and was about to stick them into the vial. She couldn't stand it anymore. She had to stop Rachel.
"R-Rachel, Chloe called me a few minutes ago," Max said, catching the tipsy girl's attention. "Kate are in trouble." It wasn't a complete lie. It was just closer to a lie than the truth.
Even Nathan stopped what he was doing. His eyes went wide for a second, before he capped the needle again. "Uh, Rach, I have to go. I forgot something I had to do." Without saying another word, he was up and gone.
Rachel didn't fall for it, though.
"You're such a bitch, Max," she said, stumbling her way up. "You've ruined the night for me."
"Because I didn't want you to ruin the rest of your life?" Max asked.
"I haven't regretted a drug in a long time." As Rachel walked away, and out the pool area, Max followed. "You don't have to be a fucking puppy, Max," Rachel said.
Max ignored her.
The week ended without noteworthy happenings. No snow. No eclipse. No double moons. Not even a drop of rain.
Kate went to church that Sunday with William. Rachel was off at the junkyard with Frank.
Max had the entire morning with Chloe. They were laying in Chloe's bed. The smoke had just managed to clear out the windows. Both pondered on what to talk about. Of course, Chloe had to start with:
"What are we?"
Max tensed, but wasn't trying to dodge the question. She was curious herself. "Do we have to have a label?" she asked.
Chloe twisted her body to face Max. "It won't be a label. We aren't talking about our sexualities. I'm talking about what we are, as a couple."
"You just answered your own question . . ."
Chloe shifted once more, this time putting one arm around Max. She hovered over Max, making sure they were both looking at each other.
"Can I call you my girlfriend?"
Max blinked once. That was hardly what she wanted to be called. Girlfriend sounded too temporary. She shook her head, and before she could say anything, Chloe pulled away.
"Oh, sorry for asking."
"Chloe, it's not like that," Max said, sitting up. "I don't want to be your girlfriend—"
"Yeah, I got that."
"Let me finish, dammit," Max said. She moved to hover over Chloe the way Chloe had to her. She went the extra step of cupping Chloe's cheek to get her to look. "I want to be your partner. You're my partner in crime, Chloe. 'Girlfriend' is fine if that's what you want, but it doesn't cover what I want to be for you."
Chloe pressed her lips against Max's. This kiss was nothing like a few nights ago. It was much messier, with a lot more movement and teeth. As hard as it was for Max to keep up, she followed Chloe's sloppy mouth.
They only sacrificed to their lungs when needed, before pulling back together. Max followed Chloe's lead when she felt fingers tangle in her hair, forcing her closer.
They were clueless on how long they kissed, or made out, or whatever they had just done, but they didn't stop until they heard the door open. They parted for a second, looking at each other with half lidded eyes and panting. It was only when the door shut again that Max threw herself off Chloe.
When they looked, no-one was there.
"You have fucking ghosts, Chloe," Max said, stretching the dizzy away.
Chloe grabbed her phone, looking at the time. It must have been a ghost. "It's too early for anyone to be back home." she announced. "I'm sure the ghost enjoyed the show."
Max giggled. Then she stopped. She actually giggled. Of all things, she had to giggle. She thought all those romance novels where the girl gets all giggly was just the writer desperate to have their relationship cute and perfect.
She jumped again when a knock alerted them. Chloe sat up straight, before relaxing back down.
"Are you two decent?"
Kate. Only Kate would have been considerate enough to not watch.
"Yeah," Max said. "You can come in."
Slowly, still cautious just in case, Kate opened the door. She let out a visible sigh and stepped in.
"S-Sorry I walked in on you two." she apologized.
Chloe changed the subject, doing her best not to laugh at Kate's flushed cheeks. "Why are you home so soon, Little Angel?"
Little Angel had quickly become Chloe's favorite thing to call Kate. As well as it fit, how much Chloe used it got on both Max and Kate's nerves. It was still nice, though, for Kate. After amount an entire week of having lost her tiny bond with Chloe, she was very willing to stand it.
"William wasn't feeling so well," Kate said. "I decided missing one Sunday wasn't so bad."
Kate couldn't say she enjoyed going to church as much as she should. She felt William was just pushing herself to go with her on one of the few mornings he had off, just to spend time with her. She didn't want that. She wanted to spend time with him, but not when it felt forced. That's why she never grew attached to William; it was forced from the beginning.
William shifted to his genuine side too late. After Kate's family was gone. It lasted no more than a year of Kate denying him access into her inner self. Kate never even accidentally called him dad.
Chloe laughed breathlessly. "Well, you opened the door at the right fucking moment."
Kate decided to let the swearing go. She did owe her, after all, for interrupting the moment. "Sorry, about that. I should have known to knock."
"It's fine."
"So, what'cha want to do?" Max asked.
"I wanted to ask if Rachel said yes to the photo session. Mr. Jefferson's really wanting me to get practice with someone as professional as her," Kate said, voice hushed.
Chloe wanted to slap that filthy name out of Kate's mind. She never wanted to hear Kate speak it again.
"Oh, I forgot to ask," Max said, mind matching Chloe's. "I'm sure she will, though. Since when does she pass up a photoshoot?"
"All the time," Kate mumbled. "But it's okay, Max. I didn't really think she would agree anyway, but it was worth a shot, I guess." She changed her tone, back to her usual calm. "Mr. Jefferson wanted me to tell you—"
"Ugh, stop being his messenger girl," Chloe said. "If it's so important, the fucker'll tell Max, but since he hasn't managed to catch her between classes, it just shows how unimportant his words are."
That silenced Kate as she considered Chloe's words. A part of her wanted to disagree, and question what her problem with Jefferson was, but the more gentle side, the side she had from the very start, told her to just listen and agree. Though she often took that part into much more consideration, she wasn't going to allow Chloe to talk to her like that.
"Mr. Jefferson never did anything to either you or Max. You talk about him like he's a . . . a dog," Kate said, almost flinching at her own words.
"No, I would hate for a dog to be compared to the bastard," Chloe said. He did nothing more than kill girls. He did nothing more than drive you to suicide. He did nothing more than fuck with people's heads.
"You taught me to not let people talk me down, and yet you're doing that. I will stand up for what I believe."
"Well, what you believe is wrong. That bastard will burn in hell. You'll see!"
Kate stepped back, face dropping. Her bottom lip trembled. "I'll . . . I'll see him in hell?" she asked. That was the first time Chloe had told her to go to hell, and the most well-designed Kate had heard; she'd heard it too many times. She took another step back.
Once Chloe realized how she had worded it, she shook her head. "No, Kate. That's not what I meant. I meant you'll see he's not good," Chloe explained.
Kate still stood there. She believed Chloe, but the meaning she heard was still stuck in her mind. She couldn't help but wonder if Chloe had somehow unintentionally said what she really wanted to say. So many times in the past, Chloe would get mad. Could she have just let out the words she always wanted to say?
"Kate, I swear, that is not what I was saying," Chloe promised.
"I . . . I need to get back to Blackwell."
"I'll drive you," Chloe said.
"No. I can take the bus, or maybe William can take me. Don't mind me. Just enjoy your Sunday with Max," Kate said, turning around. She hoped she upped her voice enough, so it didn't sound like she was upset. She didn't want to be, but sometimes it was forced upon her. She preferred to handle it alone.
She walked out the room.
Chloe waited until she heard the creaking stairs silenced, before she leaned back. "Shit, Max. The moment I think Kate and I can finally get along—I just had to fuck it up," Chloe said, pressing down on her skull.
"I don't know why you told her Jefferson was bad," Max said. "Kate isn't one of those people who believe that. Jefferson is kind to her, so she's going to defend him until she is proven he does the things he's done."
"'Kind'? He's kind to her? You can't be serious."
"He treats her kindly, for now. To get closer."
"I swear, if he so much as touches her, he will be getting a fucking bullet to the head," Chloe said, hands shaking slightly. Too much built up emotions was never good. Especially for Chloe.
"He won't," Max said. "I won't let him. He won't be hurting anybody else. We just got to get proof."
"Looking for proof is what got us almost killed before," Chloe reminded. "I say we just go straight to the police."
"And tell them what? We have no idea if, in this place, Mark Jefferson is even doing the same thing as before."
"What else would he be doing in Acadia Bay? He's waiting, Max. He's a predator. It's what he does. He's waiting for Kate to reach her weakest moment. He's waiting for you to figure it all out, so he'll have a 'reason' to kill you."
2000—
It quickly became a jealous-filled friendship. Chloe did soon become friends with Max, but when the pair would hang out, Kate felt excluded. After getting her big sister to like her friend, she was selfish. She heard her mommy tell her jealousy is a sin, about how Chloe had been the bigger sinner, but now she felt like she was.
Kate often sat at the kitchen table, while Max and Chloe were upstairs. The only good thing that came out of it was that Chloe wasn't there to hog all the blue crayons.
Kate seemed to use blue the most. It was Chloe's favorite color, and she liked drawing messy portraits. Chloe was her muse.
Joyce sat down at the table, hardly getting Kate to look up from the colorful piece of paper.
"What are you doing down here, dear?" Joyce asked.
Kate stopped. "Do you not want me here?" she asked.
"Kate, I adore having you here, but why aren't you upstairs, playing with Max and Chloe?"
Max and Chloe . . . It sounded so much clearer than Kate and Chloe. No wonder they didn't want Kate around them. Kate, Max and Chloe didn't flow.
"They're best friends. They have to stay together now," Kate explained.
"Sweetie, Chloe can have more than one friend."
"Chloe's my sister! But also my friend. Friends are supposed to share friends."
Joyce tried to figure out what the five year old was saying, but failed. "All three of you can be friends, all together, at the same time."
Kate shook her head. "Naah. It's like with my sister. I can only be with Kelly when I'm away from Chloe. So, when Max is away, I can be with Chloe."
"Who told you that?"
"It's a rule, Miss Joyce. Chloe told me."
Of course. Joyce sighed. She had a lot to explain.
Note: We passed five thousand views! Thank you so much. It really warms my heart. I cannot thank you enough. And because I care so much about you, I apologize in advance for the next chapter.