A frigid grip had wrapped its fingers around Arcadia, choking the warmth out of every corner of the bay. In the void of it's next breath all that remained was numbness. Max wondered if this was how the spirits felt? A detached, almost callous view of the people here. All that mattered to them was that balanced was restored. Chloe had turned on the heater to defrost the windshield as soon as they had finished packing their luggage under the seat. They were now sitting in a clump of traffic that had formed because of the snow on the outskirts of Arcadia.
"A few snowflakes fall from the sky and now everyone has suddenly lost the ability to drive." Chloe complained honking the horn. She cut around the offending car causing the driver to issue a honk of their own. "Yeah, fuck you too buddy." Chloe offered a clear view of her middle finger through the truck's back window. Once they had made their way onto the main road leading out of Arcadia, things quieted down.
Max scooted across the seat, taking care to avoid kicking their bags, so she could sit next to Chloe. It was too silent, like the cold had created a vacuum draining all of the sounds of life with it. She snuggled into the taller girl's side. She needed something warm, something alive, to combat the feeling of utter loneliness that the long stretch of road inflicted. Nothing was more alive than her Chloe. She couldn't help but turn her face up at her and smile as she felt Chloe's arm wrap around her.
The taller girl caught her out of the corner of her eye and smiled back. She adjusted the collar on Max's brown leather coat. "You look hella cute in that."
"Thank you." Max kissed her cheek. She had insisted that Chloe take her beanie back so that it could refill on the Chloe smell. However, Max did agree to put on the coat to stay warm without the help of headwear.
Chloe let out a yawn. Max started to lower her head down against the taller girl's shoulder but stopped. She thought of Chloe passing out on her bed briefly when they got back to Blackwell. She hadn't put too much thought into it until now. She lifted her head back up.
"Hey, I wanted to ask you something."
"Anything Bat Max." Chloe tilted her face toward Max to acknowledge the question.
"You seemed tired when we got back to Blackwell. I don't want to wear you out with all these rewinds. You feeling alright?"
Chloe centered her eyes on the road. She could see guilt stirring beneath them as Chloe bit her bottom lip in thought. She immediately regretted her promise of "anything" that she had given Max. "You told me before, when you brought me into the rewinds, that you just altered it by thinking about it and willing it. When you started to rewind again I tried something like that too…"
Max sat up, "Chloe...what did you do?"
"When you rewound, I pictured myself powering it more than you did. It worked." Chloe sighed, "But I did over do it when you rewound back at the dark room. I got that nosebleed. I wanted to alter them so it took more juice from me instead of you. But it made me really tired after what we did in the forest this morning."
"But...why?" Max asked. She couldn't believe that Chloe had been doing this all along. The most troubling part is that she hadn't felt her doing it. Max had felt stronger and the rewinds didn't feel as straining but she had assumed it was because she was getting better at them.
Chloe looked ashamed as she admitted, "Because, if anything happens to you Max, then we are totally screwed. You're more important. Without you, we can't do the rewinds at all. I can take it and if it got too much for me, I would let you know. I already told you I would say something."
Max put her hand on Chloe's stomach as if the rewinds could have already withered a part of her away. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you were doing this. You're the one that said we shouldn't have any secrets, especially about my power. I just didn't think you would be the one hiding something from me about it."
Chloe hung her head and looked down at Max's small hand holding onto her to keep her from melting into time dust. "I know and that's why I'm telling you now. I didn't lie alright? I want to be useful and this is my way." Her confession began to sound like a plea and Max knew that Chloe was genuine. She had wanted to help but Max wouldn't let her do it this way.
"No. You can't do this to yourself. We have to do it together...equally. You have to promise me you won't let the rewinds take more from you than they do from me. I won't use you as a battery."
Chloe was reluctant but finally she conceded. "I promise."
"Good." The brunette scanned her up and down. "Now I'm going to have to check and make sure you aren't missing anything." Max said sliding her hand across Chloe's stomach to her side. The taller girl giggled as Max squeezed her hip and slid her hand up her side underneath her coat. The warmth greeted the brunettes hand as the layer of leather had held the heat beneath. Max caressed the side of Chloe's breast through the fabric of her tank top and bra.
"Is this standard officer?" Chloe said through a smile.
"Space time inspections are very thorough." Max answered matter-of-factly.
Chloe 'hmmmed' softly at Max's touch as she explored, savoring how she felt. Max finished the inspection and rested her head against the punk's shoulder satisfied everything was accounted for.
Winfield was another town on the coast but Max had never visited. She hadn't needed to go through it even on her way to or from Seattle. Chloe had mentioned she knew where the park was because William use to have family in Winfield.
"Dad's brother, Aaron, lived there but he moved away after the accident. Last time I saw him was at the funeral. I think it hit him hard. Dad was the only family he had left and then he got some job in Salt Lake City. We went to Rinow park once. It's on the outskirts though and past that nothing but woods. I remember complaining to Dad that I wanted to see the beach instead."
"I remember Aaron from one of the other timelines. In the one William was alive in, Aaron sent some money to help him take care of you after you were put in the wheelchair. He seemed nice."
They had reached the town but Max was reading off the directions to the park that she had looked up on her phone. Winter had come early to Winfield as well. It worried Max. She didn't know if it had followed her or if the radius of the spirit's domain was larger than she had imagined. They passed snow covered lawns and homes. A small layer of frost had settled on most surfaces. Chloe pulled the truck up in an empty space near a sidewalk, next to the park's entrance.
She turned the truck off, "We're here Super Max."
Max checked the time on her phone, "15 minutes until three. Let's find a nice central location to sit."
They got out of the truck both slipping out of the drivers side. They held hands walking into the park and Chloe scoped out a seat for them. "How about that bench?" Max nodded and they took a seat near the middle of the park. From here they could be seen from just about any angle of the park. They could also see anyone approaching from any entrance as well.
"Your beanie." Max said.
"Oh yeah." Chloe smirked and took her beanie off holding it in her hands. "I never knew my hair would one day be used as a beacon to meet strangers."
The couple kept an eye out for Joseph. Chloe scanned the park. Her eyes were drawn to two little girls swinging. She watched as a curly black haired girl pushed her blonde friend at the bottom of each swing. Chloe held a finger up directing Max's attention to them.
"Remember when we first met? You would sit by yourself at recess and watch other people swing. We had those…"
"Swing hogs you called them." Max smiled as she reminded her.
Chloe grinned. "You wanted to swing but these boys kept hogging it like everyday. They didn't want to play on anything else. They were practicing jumping out of the seat to see how high they could go." The taller girl leaned in closer to her. A hand brushed a lock of brown hair away as it drifted against her cheek. Chloe's thumb ran along underneath her eye. "You were so cute. Your long hair down to your shoulders. Those freckles that I love so much."
Max blushed and she pressed her hot cheek into Chloe's warm hand. She smiled, "You asked me if I wanted to swing and I said yes. You made them get off and you almost had to beat one of them up for it."
Max moved closer and Chloe kissed her. The punk grinned, "They got off it though, huh?"
Max giggled and clutched at Chloe's coat pulling her even closer. She pressed their lips together. They were warm and inviting especially against the cold backdrop of the park.
"Uh, actually we did swing but only for five minutes until the boys you threatened told on us. Then you got us both banned from the swings."
Chloe rolled her eyes feigning offense. "Well I can't do everything."
Max's smile faded, her eyes piercing back deeply into the eyes of the hidden girl, "You did though. You said you had a swing at your house that no swing hog would ever get to. I could come to your house and use it with you. You've always looked out for me." If the temperature was freezing Chloe didn't notice as Max's sincerity melted her from within.
Chloe kissed her and traced her thumb along the brunette's freckles. She looked back to the girls playing on the swing but something else caught her eye. She almost missed him. The worn red flannel coat and blue jeans could dissolve into the background of a place like this but it was his unique features that gave him away. He had to be in his mid forties. His brown eyes were set deep above a prominent nose that was carved like wood. His high cheekbones drew Chloe's eyes back to a mane of black hair that was pulled back and was resting on his shoulders. Joseph hadn't seen them yet, but he was walking closer scanning the picnic tables on the far side of the park.
Chloe pointed him out to Max, "That has to be Joseph." The two girls stood up and started walking towards him. Joseph caught the sight of Chloe's blue hair and his eyes followed down to Max by her side. His eyes widened in terror and he stopped. Max and Chloe stopped too. Max looked behind herself to see if some monster was there but there was nothing but the empty bench.
"The hell…" Chloe began. Max turned back and she could see Joseph hurrying away. He was headed back to the street, to his car.
"No…" Max said under her breath. Then it became a demand, "Stop!" Her words echoed as if they were coming down a long tunnel. The world obeyed. It stopped. "...stop." Max repeated softer as time grinded to a halt. Joseph turned around. He gazed around in quiet reverence at the world shuddering from the present moment to the next unable to move forward at Max's command. His eyes fell on the two girls, the only figures in this still image painting of the park that weren't blurred between time. Both of them had a scarlet stain underneath their noses. He walked towards them, to the small brunette that stood waiting for him. As he stood before them, Max released her grasp on the ethereal tape of time and allowed it to pass unfettered.
Chloe pulled some tissues out of her coat pocket and cleaned Max's nose and her own. Joseph put his hands on both of Max's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "You really are the Dagwiig."
"Alright, hands off wig man." Chloe said as she started to pull Joseph away but Max stopped her.
"No, Chloe it's okay. What is that?"
Joseph stepped away, his hands seeking protection from the elements in his flannel coat pockets. "Dagwiig. The shaman spirit. It is within you. At first I saw the raven, his presence was surrounding you. It was not him, but your contact with him recently. When you connected to your true spirit to perform what you just did I saw it. The doe."
"You can see that?" Max asked.
Joseph nodded, "It is a special ability that I have taken many years to hone."
"You used it on Sean. That's why we are here. The raven's got out of hand and we need to put him down." Chloe said propping her hands on her hips.
Joseph's brow knitted together in confusion, "You can not just 'put down' spirits. Sean must have it removed from him, from a proper shaman like the old times. It does not belong to a mortal man and it is using him."
"So...how do we do that?" Max said.
Joseph looked around the park, "I have studied the rituals and I can teach you and help you but it will require time. You are also not wearing a kan jagáa. That's why you are getting the nosebleeds."
"A what?" Chloe said.
Joseph sighed ignoring her question, "Where are you two staying?"
"Uh...no where right now." Max answered him.
His face fell and he crossed his arms in thought. He eyed both girls up and down taking stock of them. "You may stay with me as my guest while we figure all of this out. Would that arrangement be acceptable?"
Chloe stepped forward, "Uh, stay with you? We just met you buddy."
Max turned to her, "But he could teach me. Where else would I get this information?"
"I understand if you are skeptical but know that it goes both ways. I do not let strangers stay at my home but this is a unique case and I would be doing a great disservice to the spirits by not aiding you. I have a responsibility…" He paused and grimaced, "And I failed the first time I approached Sean to solve this problem."
Chloe grinded the heel of her boot against the pavement before sighing, "Alright. I'm okay with it. But if you try anything funny then Max will rewind you back to diapers."
For the first time Joseph smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes creasing, and he let out a chuckle.
"I understand."
"But I didn't let you into the time stop before. How were you not affected?" Max asked. Chloe looked between her and Joseph alarmed at the notion that Max's powers wouldn't work on him.
Joseph lowered the collar of his t-shirt with his hand to reveal an ivory carving of a bear. It's face solemn and it's deep set eyes held untold wisdom. Max looked up from it to Joseph's face that mirrored it. Tied to the bottom of it were small animal teeth anchored by leather cords.
"Protection trinket. My spirit protects me as does your doe protect you. Don't worry…" He looked back at Chloe and gave her a good natured smile. "I have no interest in going through toilet training again."
"Good. Well we should get out of here. I can follow you in my truck back to your place." Chloe offered.
Joseph agreed and headed back toward his car. Chloe took Max's hand in her own and led her back to the truck.
"Are you sure about this Mad Max? If you aren't just tell me, and we can be on our way back to Arcadia and you can stay at my house."
"I'm okay sweetie." Max squeezed her hand, "I have a good feeling about him. Besides...he's my only lead to doing what I need to do."
"Maaaaaaaaax, he's leading us into the woods. He's like some kind of ax murderer and we're following him back to his lair." Chloe whined as she followed closely to the old blue sedan in front of them.
Max giggled, "You are so paranoid."
Chloe glanced down at the brunette sitting by her side. "It's my job to keep you safe."
"Ooohhh. It's just a job to you huh?" She accused.
The taller girl planted a kiss in Max's hair, "No. Sometimes I do go above and beyond the call of duty." She gave the brunette a waggle of her eyebrows.
Chloe followed Josephs car into an open yard as he pulled up near the porch to his house. She had been right, they had left winfield and drove into the woods. Max thought she had seen a pond behind the house in the distance as they were driving up the road. They had passed a few houses on the way but the nearest neighbor was a mile or two off. The surrounding land was open and grassy with most of the deeper forest being behind Joseph's house. The driveway had a road that led around the house and through a path that had been cut through the trees. Max assumed it led to the pond she had seen.
Chloe parked beside the sedan and both of the girls got out. Joseph was standing on the porch waiting for them. He opened the door for them and they entered Chloe going first but to her surprise it didn't hold the decor of an ax murderer. There were no bodies tied up on the walls or body parts laying about on the floor. Instead pictures were hung up and placed on tables of Joseph's family. Haida tools and relics were placed on display and Max could tell that some of them were new, perhaps crafted by Joseph himself. It had an old fashioned homey feel to it like how Max felt when she visited her grandmother.
"Welcome to my home. The guest room is downstairs in the back. It use to be my son's but he's moved out and is on his own now. You're welcome to look around but I would like to sit down and we can discuss what you know already and what you have seen. You must have been through a lot even with your gift to have sought me out for help."
Max nodded and Chloe gestured back to her truck. "I'm going to get our bags real quick and we can put them in the room."
The screen door creaked snapping back against the frame as Chloe left. Max turned back to Joseph as they stood in the foyer. Stairs led from here to a second story and the living room was adjacent to the room they were in. A tv was playing low and she could catch the report about the unnatural weather being discussed.
Max placed a hand on Joseph's arm. "I really wanted to thank you for…" She trailed off as her surroundings disappeared into shadows. They had an unnatural life of their own as they swirled and twisted creating recognizable shapes. Finally, the picture they were attempting to paint became clear and Max could see herself standing in the same spot but Joseph stood rooted on the bottom stair. She followed his stare to a younger man behind her. Clutched in his hand was a bag, not unlike what Chloe was now going outside to bring in.
"You can't leave. You have a responsibility."
The young man spun around, his back to the door, "It's no one's responsibility. It's not yours and it's not mine. If you want to preserve our culture then do it" He opened his arms indicating everything around him, "but I don't believe in this shit and if you want to sit around here all day carving up wood and praying to some bear then that's on you. I'm not having this fight again Dad. Goodbye."
The vision of the past cleared and Joseph was standing in front of her with a look of concern.
"Are you okay? What did you see?"
Max jerked her hand away. "I...saw your son. When he left."
Joseph's head lowered and he was silent as he ran a few fingers through his thick black hair. She could see her words had opened an old wound that hadn't healed. The man that she had saw demand that his son stay was not this man. Time and something else had worn him down.
"I'm sorry." Max added. She was unsure of what to do with such a private moment. She hadn't learned to turn this new power on or off but she was used to being the observer. No matter whether it was through a camera lense or through the shadowy memories of someone's past. Always watching.
Chloe stumbled in with all of their bags and Max went over to help her. They carried the bags through the living room and down a hall that had a bathroom and bedroom attached to it. The bedroom was stripped bare. On its walls hung nothing and it's dresser drawers displayed no family pictures. The bed would be large enough for them to sleep comfortably. It was about as big as Chloe's bed back at her house. Two windows on the far wall showed a beautiful view of the forest behind the house and a glimpse of the pond.
"Everything good?" Chloe asked as soon as they had dropped the bags on the bed.
"All limbs intact." Max said shooting her a smile. She loved the feeling of Chloe taking care of her. She wrapped her arms around the taller girl and squeezed her in a hug. The punk whispered in her ear as she hugged her back, "1,2,3,4...yep all there." Max giggled.
They left the room and joined Joseph who was now sitting in the living room on the couch. Across from him the tv was on, a reporter was waving her arm around showing off the snow that continued to land in Arcadia. The title underneath her reading 'Arcadia Bay's Early Winter.'
Max took a seat in a chair and Chloe sat on the armchair of it next to her. Joseph clicked the tv off with the remote and sat back.
"Alright, tell me everything."
