Max expected Nathan's apartment to be a clone of the Dark Room: concrete walls, tile floors, shades of whites and greys. Instead, to her surprise, a cozy modern living room stretched out in front of them. The walls were painted a light blue and the floor was covered in a thick white carpet. A comfortable-looking blue couch sat in front of them facing a squat table and a large TV on the far wall. To their right was a small but well-equipped kitchen. A hallway into the rest of the apartment began at the far end of the living room. Everything looked impressively clean, well-maintained, and, of course, expensive.
Chloe whistled and said, "wow, these are hella nice digs."
She turned to Max and said, "you okay?"
"Yeah," Max said, "it's not at all what I was expecting. It's...nice. Not at all like...the other bunker I've been in."
Max stepped over to the couch and ran a finger across the top.
"They must have cleaning staff come down here or something," Max said, "Nathan was supposedly almost never here and there's not even any dust."
"I could totally live in a place like this," Chloe said.
"Me too," said Max.
"It's decided then! But before we start moving our shit in, let's find Nathan's Douchemaster pictures," Chloe said.
They walked over into the hallway; there were two doors on the left, three on the right, and one at the end. They opened the first door on the right, revealing a storage room filled mostly with food supplies on rows of metal shelves. Next they checked the first door on the left, which opened into an office.
"This room has a distinctly Nathan feel to it," Max said as they stepped inside.
"Yeah, I'm getting that too," Chloe said.
Framed photographs hung on the walls; Nathan's work, by the look of them. The furniture was all white, black, or grey. A high-end photo printer sat on the room's desk next to what looked like a brand new desktop computer. Speakers for an expensive sound system ringed the room and, like in Nathan's room at Blackwell, there was a projector, this time hanging from the ceiling. File cabinets and drawers lined the walls.
"Dude," Chloe said, examining one of the speakers, "I so want to take this sound system."
"Chloe…," Max said.
"Oh, come on," Chloe said, "do you know how awesome it would be to rock out with this?"
"I'm sure it would," Max said, "but we're supposed to leave no evidence that we were here."
"Yeah, but do you think they'd even notice it was gone?" Chloe said.
Max tilted her head.
"You know...maybe not," Max said, "there wouldn't be anything else missing...and with no alarms or camera evidence…"
"Uh huh," Chloe said brightly, nodding.
"But how would you haul it out of here? I count six tower speakers plus the hub, wherever it is," Max said, walking over to the drawers nearest the desk.
"Oh...good point," Chloe said, her face falling, "next time I'll bring duffel bags."
Max shook her head and opened the first drawer.
Chloe sighed and opened a cabinet.
She said, "maybe I'll get lucky and find hella cash somewhere in here."
They began going through the drawers and cabinets and it wasn't long before Max found a set of folders marked: MASTER PHOTOGRAPHY.
"Got them!" Max said.
Chloe came over and rolled her eyes.
"Dude, I was honestly holding out some hope that he didn't actually use that label," Chloe said.
"Yeah, I think I was too," Max said.
"Well, better get them away from me before I throw up on them," Chloe said.
Chloe returned to searching through cabinets while Max brought the folders over to the desk. The thickness of the folders concerned her...there seemed to be a few hundred photos in the set. It would take a while to go through all of these and Max didn't want to use her rewind unless she had to.
Okay, Max thought, Nathan indicated that the numbers he used for his safe were somehow linked to these photos. Step one: see if there's a group of these that have numbers in them. Step two: eliminate any with numbers that wouldn't work on Nathan's zero to one hundred safe. Step three: hope that step one and two leave me with only a few photos left.
She opened up the first folder and began searching. As was typical of Nathan's photography, Max found that each one's subject matter ranged from distasteful to disturbing. But the composition and technique? Very good...in fact Max felt that Victoria probably hadn't been giving Nathan enough credit for his technical skill...but Max would still agree that Victoria's work was better. As for her own work…
I've always thought that my photography is okay, Max thought, but everyone keeps telling me that it's great. Victoria, Mr. Jefferson...as shitty as that sounds, Kate, Daniel, Chloe...shit, maybe I should start listening to them.
After about a dozen photos, she found one with a number. It was a shot of a possum, dead on the side of the road. A 101 freeway sign was visible in the background.
Okay, Max thought, 101 isn't valid, but at least I found one with a number.
She set it aside and continued looking. She'd only gone through a few more when Chloe exclaimed, "holy shit! Jackpot! Cha-ching!"
Max hurried over to where Chloe was bent over a drawer, an envelope in her hand. And in the envelope…
"Max!" Chloe said, "this envelope is stuffed with cash! I think I found Nathan's drug money stash!"
"That looks like enough for you to pay Frank back," Max said.
"Yeah, with some left to spare," Chloe said, finishing her count of the hundred dollar bills, "there's four thousand in here!"
"Wowser, Chloe," Max said, "you seem to have a supernatural talent for finding giant wads of cash."
"Oh, and I intend to keep looking," Chloe said, "I bet this isn't the only cash Nathan has stashed around here and...um...actually...any objections? To, you know, taking this?"
Max put up her hands and said, "nope. When you found the cash in Principal Wells' desk in the other timeline, I was super conflicted. Not so much over Nathan's drug money."
"Awesome," Chloe said, pocketing the money. She then looked up at Max and said, "you know I'm going to share this with you, right? Anything extra after Frank's paid off, that is," Chloe said.
"I...hmm...when you took the money from Wells' office, you did say that you'd take me on a roadtrip to Portland," Max said.
"Dude, that sounds fucking amazing!" Chloe said, "we are definitely doing that. You up for next weekend?"
"Hella yes," Max said, grinning.
Chloe began rummaging through the remaining drawers and cabinets while Max returned to Nathan's photos. A few minutes later, Chloe found another envelope with two thousand more in it and her mood could only be described as ecstatic. Meanwhile, the pile of photos with numbers in them was slowly growing.
"Max, I'm going to explore the rest of this place," Chloe said after finishing her search through the office, "shout if you need anything."
"You too!" Max called after her.
Max continued to sort and heard Chloe say, "the second door on the right is another storage room!"
"Okay!" she called back.
A few moments later Chloe called out, "second door on the left is a bedroom. Needs redecoration. Too much Nathan."
Max was finally about halfway through the stack when Chloe came running back in.
"Max, I found something amazing," Chloe said.
"What is it?" Max said, freezing with a photo in her hand.
"Can't tell you. I'll show you in a few minutes," Chloe said before darting back out.
A moment later she darted back in and said, "oh, and the last room on the left is just full of pumps and fuse boxes and shit and the door at the end is to the outside, I think." She ducked back out.
Max smiled and continued sorting.
When she finally finished, she'd assembled a stack of about thirty photos with numbers in them. She pulled out her camera and sighed.
This is going to take a lot of film, Max thought.
She placed the first picture in front of her and was about to snap a photo when Chloe walked in.
"Dude, why are you taking pictures of those with your camera instead of your phone?" Chloe said, "isn't your film, like, rare and expensive?"
Max lowered the camera, her eyes wide and and an embarrassed blush coloring her cheeks.
"How did I not think of that?" she said quietly.
"Probably because you've been in hipster photography overdrive for so long," Chloe said.
"I feel like an idiot," Max said.
"Don't beat yourself up," Chloe said, patting Max's arm, "you're hella smart and talented ninety-nine percent of the time; you just hit that one percent."
Max put her camera away and pulled out her phone, snapping pictures of Nathan's number-containing photos. Only eleven of the photos in that stack had numbers in the combination range but she took pictures of all of them anyways. She finished and looked up at Chloe, who had an impish look on her face. In fact she was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Did you find more money?" Max asked, eyebrows raised.
"Er, yes, actually," Chloe said, "another few grand in Nathan's nightstand drawer. I can't believe how much cash I'm gobbling up here. But there's that other thing..."
"So does this mean I'm going to find out what you were so excited about earlier?" Max asked.
"Yep yep," Chloe said.
"Okay, give me one second," Max said, carefully placing Nathan's pictures back into their folders and into the drawer. She followed Chloe over to the bedroom, which definitely had the Nathan-like vibe that Chloe had mentioned. It also looked like it hadn't been lived in for years.
"Wait here," Chloe said, slipping through a door at the side of the room. Max guessed that it must be a bathroom.
Max wandered around the bedroom. There weren't any pictures or papers visible. She opened a closet and saw rows of clothes in plastic bags.
What a weird place, Max thought.
After a minute, Chloe appeared again.
"Okay, come on back," she said.
Max followed Chloe into the bathroom. To the left was a counter and toilet. To the right the room turned a corner. Max followed Chloe around the corner and saw a shower at the end. Chloe stepped through a door on the left and Max followed, finding herself in a warm, humid room; at the center was a raised hot tub.
"Nathan's apartment has a fucking hot tub!" Chloe yelled. She was already pulling off her shirt.
"Are you cereal?" Max said, "you want to get into a hot tub down here?"
"Yeah, come on, Max," Chloe said, "Doctor Price's orders: relax in a hot tub. I even made sure it's not too hot. Perfect temperature."
"You filled it up?" Max said.
"Yeah, that's why it took so long before I could show you," Chloe said.
"I don't know, Chloe," Max said, "this is Nathan's hot tub, after all. Doesn't that gross you out?"
Chloe stopped disrobing with one pant leg still halfway on.
"Ew," Chloe said, "...but wait, hold on. He hasn't stayed here for longer than a few minutes in years! And like you said, they clean this place! Nope, not stopping me with that one, Caulfield. And doctor's orders still stand." She finished removing her pants and stepped up to the rim of the hot tub.
Max stood clutching her left elbow and staring at Chloe. She found herself conflicted. Part of her wanted to just bolt and go home, part of her wanted to relax in that inviting hot water, and yet another part of her, to her surprise, was very much enjoying just staring at Chloe.
Chloe stepped down into the water and sighed loudly.
"This is awesome, Max," she said, lowering herself fully, "splish splash."
Max walked closer to the tub and Chloe splashed her.
"Hey!" Max said.
"Only way to stop me is to get in here, hippie," Chloe said.
Max smiled and said, "okay, fine. You're right, I could definitely use some relaxation."
She put her bag on the floor near the door and undressed, putting her shoes, socks, and gloves next to her bag and piling her hoodie, shirt, and pants on top of her bag. She turned and noticed Chloe watching her.
"Looking good, Max," Chloe said, grinning.
Is she checking me out?, Max thought, blushing, I guess it's only fair...after all, I was staring at her just a moment ago. But come on, I can't look as great as she does.
But Chloe was still stealing glances in Max's direction and Max felt something surprising: her self-consciousness, Max's constant companion for years, seemed to fade with Chloe's eyes on her like that.
Maybe it's like the photos thing, she thought, maybe I'm just too damn hard on myself. I really should start paying attention to how others appreciate my work...and me.
She smiled, climbed the hot tub steps, and stepped down into the water; the water was perfect.
She sat in the tub and sank down so that her chin touched the water's surface.
"This is nice," Max said, smiling.
"Told you, you dork," Chloe said, reaching over and punching Max lightly on the shoulder.
"Thanks for this," Max said, "we do need it."
"No kidding," Chloe said.
"Oh wait," Max said, sitting up, "this isn't going to mess with your bandage, is it?"
"Eh," Chloe said, "I don't think so. I'll just change it when we get home. Put the special goop on it. The doctors said I could get it wet."
"That's good," Max said, sinking back down.
"The only thing that would make this more perfect would be a couple of beers," Chloe said.
"Yuck," Max said.
"You're so cute," Chloe said, putting her arms up on the rim of the tub and putting her legs up on Max's knees.
Max felt a surprising succession of sensations at that.
"Shit, I almost forgot," Chloe said, reaching behind her.
She pressed a button and the tub's jets came to life. Bubbles popped to the surface all around them and Max shifted slightly to place a pair of jets on her back.
"That feels really good," she said, feeling more of her tension melt away.
"Yep," Chloe said, "this is the life."
"Yeah," Max said, nodding and leaning back.
They sat silently for a few moments before Chloe cleared her throat.
"Er...speaking of life," Chloe said, "what do you think you're going to do? You know, when you graduate from Blackwell?"
Max thought for a moment.
"College, I guess," she said, "I hadn't thought too much about it yet. I suppose I'll find somewhere with a good photography program."
"Have you, um, sent out photos at all?" Chloe said, "sorry, I don't really know how that works."
"I'm still figuring that out," Max said, "and no, not yet." She shifted a little; the subject of putting her work out there always made her a little uncomfortable.
"Oh, sorry," Chloe said, lifting her legs.
"No, you're fine," Max said, "I just get a little twitchy when I think about showing my work to the public."
"You shouldn't," Chloe said, resting her legs back on Max's knees, "you know how your friend Daniel puts his sketches on Facebook?"
"Yeah," Max said.
"He's putting his work out there," Chloe said.
"Yeah but he's so good at…," Max started.
"Aha!" Chloe said, pointing at Max, "I knew you were going to start with that. Max, you're good at what you do. Really. And of course it won't go perfectly. But you can't let that take you down. Every artist has to get rejected a few times. But when it comes down to it, you're awesome, your photos are awesome, and they're going to be big!"
Max sunk down and blew bubbles in the water.
"I'll take that as an acceptance of my wisdom," Chloe said, putting her hands behind her head.
"What about you?" Max said, rising back up, "you said you're going to get a job and take some classes. Where do you think you're headed?"
"Honestly, wherever you go," she said, "...uh, if that's not, like, creepy or anything."
"No, of course not," Max said, putting a hand on Chloe's knee, "I never want us to be apart again. Ever."
Chloe grinned and said, "then that's the plan! I follow you around, taking jobs and classes until I do...something. It seems so long ago but I remember actually kind of enjoying school. Maybe I'll get that spark again. Maybe I'll be a punk writer. Or a punk scientist. Or a punk lawyer."
Chloe raised her hand up and said, "your honor, I hella object because the witness's CD collection is entirely shitty pop music!"
"Sustained!" Max said.
Chloe sighed and said, "and hey, maybe we can travel the world someday, like we always wanted. You taking photos, me being your bodyguard."
"You know," Max said, "those kinds of dreams seem so believable when you're a kid and then so unrealistic when you're our age...but I really think we could do it."
"Does that have anything to do with you being Max the Timebender?" Chloe said.
"I'm sure it will continue to provide us with advantages," Max said with a sly smile.
"Like free use of a fancy underground hot tub?" Chloe said.
"Indeed," Max said, "...or we could always fall back to Victoria's suggestion."
"Victoria's suggestion?" Chloe asked dryly.
"Yeah, remember when I overheard her and Taylor from the shower?" Max said.
Chloe nodded.
"She was making fun of my snooping habits by saying she could imagine you and I following skeevy people around as private investigators," Max said.
"Dude," Chloe said, "that sounds kind of awesome!"
"I know," Max said, "it rubs against my artistic side a bit, to be honest, but," she gestured around them, "it would seem to fit our skill set."
"Dealing with cheaters and insurance fraudsters? Doesn't sound like the most appealing thing in the world," Chloe said, "but you're right, we'd be hella good at it."
"Alright," Max said, "we'll take Travel Photography and Adventuring as Plan A and Private Investigators as Plan B."
"Awesomesauce, the future is planned," Chloe said.
Max grinned.
"Hold on a sec," Chloe said, removing her legs from atop Max's and scooting over, "need a different angle on my back here...ahh, nice."
Max also took the opportunity to shift over. The Prescotts had purchased a very nice tub with jets at different heights. If Max continued rotating around the tub, she was pretty sure she'd get a complete back massage.
Chloe put her legs back up and said, "you never really told me much about Seattle."
"Past me didn't say anything about it?" Max said.
"No," Chloe said, "you talked a lot about Blackwell and Warren and Kate. Hell, I kinda thought you had a thing for Warren."
"I suppose I almost did," Max said, "he's a pretty great guy, really. He was also sort of the only option for someone as clueless to romantic interests as me."
That made Chloe laugh.
"But yeah, Seattle...," Max said, "It's okay, I guess. More fun if you're visiting, I think. I'll have to take you there sometime."
"I will totally take you up on that," Chloe said, "how was school up there?"
"Eh, same as anywhere else," Max said, "I did well enough to transfer to Blackwell."
"Have any friends? Boyfriends? Girlfriends?" Chloe said.
"I...well, never any friendships like yours and mine, that's for sure," Max said, "I sort of curled up into a ball after I left here. I preferred to observe the world rather than participate in it. I guess that's a decent perspective for a photographer...but not necessarily a great perspective otherwise. So the simple answer to your first question is sort of and the answer to the second and third questions is 'haha, yeah right.' If there was anyone who had interest in me, I had no clue."
Chloe grinned and said, "what about the 'sort of' in there?"
"Ah, there were two classmates I hung around with fairly often: Kristen and Fernando. They had a lot more in common with one another than with me but I tagged along, took photos, introduced them to some movies and anime they'd never heard of," Max said.
"Man," Chloe said, "I always used to think that you were living it up, finding a new Chloe and just rocking out up there. I resented it, which I'm not proud of...and don't you dare apologize again, Max Caulfield."
Max had opened her mouth and shut it with an audible pop.
Chloe smiled and continued, "...but it sounds like you were more of a hermit than I was."
"Yeah, I think I was," Max said, "I guess I had a Chloe-shaped hole in my life for five years and just sort of ran on low-power mode, chugging along, taking my photos…"
"And becoming a hipster," Chloe interjected.
"Hey," Max said, "just because I like coffee that takes 40 minutes to make, wear vintage scarves, and have at least a six month lead on music tastes over everyone else…"
"Do you really wait 40 minutes for coffee?" Chloe said.
"Ugh, no," Max said, "I was joking. I thought the scarves thing would give it away."
"Ah, right," Chloe said.
"If you want seriously intense hipster," Max said, "go find Evan Harris at Blackwell."
"Oh yeah I know him!" Chloe said, "mega hipster."
"I keep forgetting that you were at Blackwell," Max said, "I know it's not, you know, the best subject...but how was it?"
"Ugh, fucking crazy," Chloe said, "I was such an asshole. I only ever really hung out with the skater guys. They were great...but even I have limits on how often I want to get stoned."
"You had Rachel too," Max said.
"Yeah," Chloe said with a smile, "I did have Rachel. I would've been in a very bad place without her. As it was I was sleeping around, badmouthing teachers, skipping school, taking drugs, being a complete jerk. On one level it was fun, I have to admit. The carefree attitude, the do whatever the fuck...but all those stupid PSAs were kinda right. All that shit fucking sucks when you realize there's nothing behind it. I wrecked my education, never had sex with anyone I really cared about, and could've easily fucked myself up completely if I ever took a bad hit."
She looked at Max, "that's one big reason why I'm so selfishly glad to have you back. I had a Max-shaped hole. And I guess I never realized it before but I was trying to fill it with all that other shit. And not even Rachel could fill that hole."
Max felt her heart melt again and a small smile lit up her face.
What do I even say to that? she thought, staring over at Chloe.
Chloe looked thoughtful but then her expression became oddly expectant, a smile tugging at her lips.
She clearly expects me to say something...so, what would Chloe say? Max thought, I know, she'd make an awful joke...but what?...ah!
"Chloe," Max said, "I think that you, in an elaborate way, just called me fat."
"Wait what?" Chloe said, "I don't...ohhhh. Ha! I get it: Max is larger than Rachel plus skater boys plus tons of alcohol and drugs. Not the direction I thought you'd take..."
"What did you think I'd go for?" Max said.
"Dude, the runway was paved and lit up," Chloe said, "the whole 'filling holes' thing? I could've sworn you would go for something about 'filling each other's holes!'"
Max splashed Chloe, saying, "you are such...a huge...dork."
Chloe laughed and splashed back, saying, "don't lie, you think that shit is hilarious."
Max splashed back and said, "did you say all of that as a setup for that joke?"
"No!" Chloe said, ducking out of the way and splashing back, "meant every word. Realized the awesome potential right after I finished saying it!"
"You're insane," Max said, failing to dodge Chloe's splash and spluttering.
Chloe laughed and said, "yep yep! And come on, you always used to giggle at my dirty humor when we were kids."
"Well yeah," Max said, landing a splash onto Chloe's face, "but that particular arsenal of yours has grown a lot since then."
"Damn right," Chloe said, shaking water off of her face and lounging back. Max took the opportunity to splash again.
"Oh that's it," Chloe said, lunging forward across the tub and bringing her fingers to Max's sides.
Max started laughing uncontrollably, churning the water as she tried to fight off Chloe's tickling. She managed to get in under Chloe's arms and bring her own fingers to Chloe's sides.
Chloe immediately shrieked and fell back laughing.
"Okay okay," she said through short breaths, "no more! I know to give up as soon as you get the upper hand."
"Damn right," Max said with a big smile, sitting back down.
She stared over at Chloe, who was still chuckling under her breath, her eyes sparkling.
Should I kiss her? Max thought.
The thought came so quickly and so unexpectedly that Max almost jumped. Her nerves fluttered and she felt her cheeks redden.
Maybe...this is the opportunity I've been waiting for? she thought, all I'd have to do is scoot over and...um...kiss her. But wait...do I ask her first? That would be polite...but no, that would be so silly. Do I grab her hand or something. Or her face? That would be weird. I did this before; it wasn't difficult then! I guess it was easier when I didn't have a real chance to think about it. And it was a dare...
She continued to stare over at Chloe, her eyes darting to Chloe's lips.
Argh, it would be so awkward...I'd have to stand up and walk to the other side of the tub...or scoot around the outside. It would be dead obvious and I'd feel like a complete doofus the whole way. I mean, I want to do it...right? Yes, yes I do.
That thought sent another flutter of nerves and excitement through her. Chloe looked over at Max with a half smile.
Oh shit, she knows. Gah, how could she not know? What do I do? Maybe she'll do it? Ugh, maybe I'm just not ready for this yet.
Max shivered. The water was starting to feel cold.
"Yeah," Chloe said, the smile still on her face, "it's getting a bit cold in here. Maybe we'll sneak back in tomorrow...or finally break into the Blackwell pool! Adventure awaits!"
Max smiled back, "agreed. Let's get out of here before we freeze. We'll come up with our next big plan later."
Chloe rose up and stepped out of the tub.
"Fuck," she said, "it is cold. Be back in a second."
She disappeared around the corner into the bathroom.
Did I fuck up? Max thought, did I blow my chance there? I don't think so...if anything, it was like Chloe knew exactly what I was thinking. I wouldn't be surprised...I probably had all of the subtlety of a drooling groupie.
Max rose out of the tub as Chloe returned bearing large, fluffy towels.
"Shit," Max said, shivering, "it is super cold."
"Here," Chloe said, throwing her a towel.
They dried off as best as they could.
"I guess I didn't really think of the fact that we'd be walking around in damp underclothes," Max said, "I'm not sure I want to sleep in hot tub underwear."
"If they're still bothering you when we get back to my place, just grab a pair of mine," Chloe said, "it might surprise you, but I do keep clean underwear around."
Max put on an exaggerated expression of shock and mimed a monocle popping from her eye.
Chloe laughed and Max said, "do you think they'd fit?"
"Yeah, I think we're close enough to the same size," Chloe said.
They pulled their clothes on and Chloe went to open the tub's drain. Max eyed the floor, where small pools of water showed the collateral damage of their brief splash war.
"Hey Chloe," Max said with a sinking sensation, "I just realized that there's a lot of evidence here that someone used the tub."
"Yeah, I thought of that when I came in here and I think it's okay," Chloe said, "see that switch over there?" She pointed to a box on the far wall, "I'm pretty sure it's a ventilation shaft. Give it a few hours and everything in here will be evaporated and out. That, plus no alarms or video evidence, means no reason for anyone to look too carefully."
"Good point," Max said, "what about the towels?"
"Wring them out, fold them up, put them back," Chloe said, "with how little traffic there is down here, I bet no one ever notices."
"Nice," Max said, letting out a breath.
"You sound pretty relieved over towels and water," Chloe said, walking over to open the vents.
"I just really didn't want to have to rewind that," Max said.
"You would've remembered it," Chloe said. She paused at the controls and said, "awesome, vents already open."
"Yeah, but I don't want to erase anything like this that we've shared," Max said.
Chloe grinned at Max and said, "I won't complain about that policy!"
They left the bathroom, folding the towels and putting them away as Chloe suggested while Max tried hard to ignore the damp underclothes. They did one more cursory search through the apartment. Max didn't expect to find anything and was surprised when Chloe called her back to the bedroom.
"Can't believe I missed this," Chloe said. She had pushed some of the bagged clothes in a closet aside and at the bottom was a small safe.
"Looks like we get to practice the combinations," Max said, "I wonder if Nathan is just as lazy with his safe combinations as he is with his door ones."
Max crouched down by the safe as Chloe watched from above.
"Sweet," Max said, looking at the combination, "this only goes up to 60."
She pulled out her phone and flipped through Nathan's photo numbers. Out of the eleven that were 100 or less, only four were 60 or less...and one of them was 57, supposedly the final number.
"Alright, if I'm right about this, there are only six possibilities to try," Max said.
On the fourth combination, the tiny door clicked open.
"Max, you are a boss!" Chloe said, laughing, "what's in there? Gold? Jewelry? More cash?"
Max reached in and pulled out the only two objects in the safe: a folded piece of paper and a wooden cylinder.
"That's...disappointing," Chloe said, "...what's on the paper?"
Max handed the paper up to Chloe and examined the cylinder; it looked to be very old and was intricately carved with images of animals.
"'To my son, Nathan,'" Chloe read aloud, "'this artifact is one of several in our family's collection. It is part of our legacy and our future. Treasure it and keep it safe always. Your Father.' Dude, he didn't even say 'love' in there. Can I see that?"
"Sure," Max said, raising the cylinder.
When Chloe grabbed it, Max felt a sudden shock in her fingers and Chloe jumped. They dropped the cylinder to the floor.
"Ow!" they both said.
"What the fuck?" Chloe said, rubbing her fingers, "were you rubbing your feet on the floor or something?"
"No," Max said, rubbing her own fingers, which were still tingling, "besides, I have shoes on. I think you need to be in socks to do that."
"That was hella weird," Chloe said, gingerly picking up the cylinder. She looked it over, shrugged, and handed it back to Max. There was no shock this time as Max took it back.
"Think we should take it?" Chloe said.
"No," Max said.
"Could be worth something," Chloe said.
"Maybe," Max said, "but I have a feeling that this is important to Mr. Prescott. If it vanishes, we might run into some trouble down the road."
Chloe sighed and said, "you're probably right." She handed the note back to Max as well.
Max put the items back and closed the safe.
"At least we know what the combination is," Max said, "and since that's what we came here for...and since we've thoroughly utilized this place's amenities, it's probably time to get the hell out of here."
"Okay, but let me look around one more time," Chloe said, "see if I can find any more safes!"
While Chloe dug through the closets, Max went out into the living room and decided to look under couch cushions. Her search yielded her a quarter and two pennies. Chloe was still searching so Max went into the kitchen, looking through drawers and cupboards. She discovered an envelope in one drawer, just like those that contained the stacks of cash that Chloe had found. However, excitement turned to disappointment: the envelope had only $15 in it.
Chloe has the gift for finding cash, Max thought, not me.
Chloe finally finished her search.
"Nope," Chloe said, "nothing else. You find anything?"
"Yeah," Max said, handing over the cash and change, "here's my contribution to our fund."
"Max," Chloe said, taking the money, "you are truly hilarious. Much appreciated though."
With their work complete, they turned out the lights and went to the door leading back up into the mansion.
"What time is it?" Max asked.
Chloe pulled out her phone and said, "almost 1:30."
"Crazy, I don't even feel that tired," Max said, reaching for the door.
"Ha, me neither," Chloe said.
Max opened the door and found herself staring at a security guard. Max's heart seemed to stop. Chloe yelped beside her and the guard looked as surprised as Max felt, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Max slammed the door closed and immediately rewound.