"C'mon, Chloe! Shake that bony ass!"

The music from the old stereo thumped through the small shack, rocking the table with every beat. It was fortunate they were so isolated this far from town; no neighbors to complain.

"Bony? I'll have you know my ass is plenty plump. We can't all be as genetically gifted as you."

Rachel laughed at that, but she didn't stop dancing. Chloe moved closer to her with every sway of her body until they were face to face. There was no need to press together in their two-person mosh, but neither of them were complaining.

"So you think I'm gifted?" A classic Rachel move, fishing for more compliments.

Fortunately, Chloe had plenty to give. "There and everywhere else. You really are beautiful, Rach."

She couldn't resist. She leaned in for a kiss and Rachel was more than happy to oblige.

"I love you," one of them said.

-Final Timeline, June 15th, 2011

It took Chloe several moments to register what Rachel said. She was a part of Stella's death. Did that mean...?

"At the time, I didn't understand what happened," Rachel continued. She couldn't make eye contact with Chloe. "Mark had a studio hidden outside of town where we frequently met, and one day when I showed up to pose for him, Stella was there too. She was out of it, and I assumed she was on something. I was usually high on his stuff when we met, so I didn't think too much of it. I should've realized then."

"Rachel..." Chloe started to say, but was quickly interrupted.

"Please. Let me say this." Rachel could barely speak as it was, and so Chloe didn't stop her. "She was barely conscious, and soon enough so was I. Mark liked it when I was..." She searched for the word. "...relaxed. Near the end, she stopped struggling, and then she stopped moving. I asked him if she was okay, and he said she was fine and to go home. I only figured out what happened when she didn't show up at school the next day."

What does Chloe even say to that? "Why didn't you call the cops?"

"I... don't know. Maybe a little, I believed him. He said that Stella was stressed, and whatever happened to her wasn't our fault. That, I could live with."

"Was she the only one?" Chloe feared the answer.

Rachel shook her head. "There was one a couple of months later. Lynn." The name didn't ring any bells to Chloe. "Nothing happened to her. I think Stella's death was an accident."

As if that made it any better. Chloe still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Rachel knowingly contributed to not only a murder, but multiple kidnappings. All happening under Chloe's nose.

"Why?" So much in a single word.

Why did you hurt them?

Why didn't you tell anyone?

Why did you leave me?

"It started off simple. Mark asked me to model for him, and of course I accepted. Soon after, it became physical, and we met in his studio. He had his own stashes of drugs, and he let me use them to chase away the nightmares. There were pictures he showed me of other girls who modeled for him, and he asked my advice. I felt so important to him." She scratched at her wrist as she spoke. "First was Stella, then Lynn. There were more; I saw the news when he was arrested. But then, as you know, I decided to leave."

Chloe remembered. Nothing but a letter and deleted social media accounts remained. Chloe spent the next several weeks texting and emailing to no response until her desperation soured into hatred. Anything would have been better than that.

Rachel continued. "When I told Mark, he didn't take it well. He tried to convince me to stay, saying that we were special together. I was his apprentice, and I couldn't leave. I let him know that I had made up my mind, and when I turned to leave, I felt a prick in my neck."

A chill flowed through Chloe. The news said that was how he took his victims. She said nothing; Rachel unwound herself with every word, and she feared that any interruption would break her apart.

"After that, I... I'm not sure what happened. I could barely see or hear anything, but I felt him pose me, just as we did together with Stella. The things he said, I think he wanted that for a long time." A pause for Rachel to breathe. She seemed more composed now. "The next thing I know, I'm back on the couch in our hideout, covered in dirt. There was an envelope on the table when I woke up. It was addressed to me."

"What was inside?" This was news to Chloe.

Rachel looked up for the first time since the conversation began. "Money, and one other thing. I used it to make my way here. I can show you the rest, if you'll let me have my purse."

That might be a problem. She didn't have it with her when they brought her up, and Chloe couldn't remember if she had it before then. Rachel was her sole focus at the time. It might still be in Steph's car and Chloe would've gone to check, but she didn't trust Rachel not to find a way to leave while she was gone.

Luckily, Steph was outside. Chloe pulled out her phone and sent off a quick text asking her to check the car for Rachel's purse and bring it up. Steph responded immediately with an emoji thumbs-up.

"So," Chloe said when she finished. There might still be a way this all turned out okay. An explanation that fixed everything. "That's why you had to leave? That piece of shit tried to kill you too, and so you ran until he couldn't reach you. You only left a letter for me."

It made sense. Get away as fast as possible so he couldn't hurt her again. Rachel would've stayed and explained everything, but she was scared for her life. As Chloe thought it over, she could almost forgive Rachel. Not for everything, but more than she expected.

Unfortunately, she was wrong. Rachel shook her head and explained. "I already decided to leave before then. My final message to you was written and delivered. I knew you hadn't seen it yet, because it was still lying there when I awoke. The meeting with Mark only made me more sure. But it still hurt. I promise you that, Chloe."

A simple explanation, and even that sliver of hope was dashed. Rachel left her because that was just what Rachel did.

It's what you deserve.

Chloe's thoughts of self-hatred only grew. It was her fault Rachel left. It was her fault Rachel cheated. It was her fault that everyone betrayed her.

Before she could even think to plan a response, a soft knock rung out from the door. It echoed loudly in the silent apartment.

Chloe was quiet as she walked over to answer it. Standing in the doorway was Steph, and she had a worried look on her face. A small brown purse was in her hand.

"Everything still good?" she asked. She constantly glanced past Chloe over to Rachel as she spoke.

"Yeah." Good probably wasn't the best term, but Chloe wouldn't say they were bad. "There's a lot of stuff going on, but it's going."

Steph nodded and held out the purse for Chloe to take. "Found this on the floorboards in the back. Hope it helps."

"Thanks, Steph." Chloe took the purse and closed the door once Steph turned to leave. Rachel finally looked back at her; she had turned away when she saw Steph at the door.

Wordlessly, Chloe passed the purse off to Rachel and waited for her to dig through it. It took Rachel no time at all to find what she was looking for; it was hidden in a pocket just on the inside. She pulled out a slightly crumpled white envelope, the front simply marked RACHEL in an uneven curvy scrawl.

"There was a lot of money in here. A lot, a lot," Rachel explained. "I've been living off that since I got here. I've brought in a little with a few contracts here and there, but without this, I'm not sure what I would've done. This city isn't easy."

"How much was it?" Chloe asked. If it's been enough to keep her steady in an expensive place like this, it had to be a sizable amount.

"Just over a hundred thousand. I keep it safe, don't worry."

"Jesus Christ..." That kind of money was insane.

Very few people Chloe knew had that cash, and even fewer would give it away, even to Rachel. Her dad might have that much, but he wouldn't have left it in an envelope like that.

"I know, but that wasn't all. The other thing, I don't quite understand." Finally, Rachel opened the envelope and brought out a small square. A Polaroid. She slid it across the table face-down, and written on the back in marker was a short message.

Keep this safe. It's important for both me and you.

Not sure what to expect, she flipped the photo over. The front held a poorly framed picture of a young brunette girl standing in front of a tree. She wore a plain shirt, khakis, sneakers, and a backpack. She looked as if she were ready for school.

It took Chloe several moments to recognize who it was, but when she did, it only brought up more questions. Even so, she knew exactly what day that photo was taken.

"...It's a picture of Max."

"Max?" Rachel asked. She leaned over and took another look at the photo. "Your friend from when you were a kid?"

"That's right." Chloe considered what exactly it meant. "I think I know what happened."

The handwriting was very similar to Max's, and the cryptic note only validated her idea. Max gave this to Rachel as a precaution. If anything happened, she would always have an extra photo to jump back in and fix things. How she intended to do much in her short time in the photo, however, Chloe wasn't sure.

Though that meant that Max was in Arcadia Bay at least sometime that summer. She knew that Jefferson would attack Rachel, and somehow she saved her. The news said nothing about Rachel, or even anyone else helping that piece of shit Jefferson, which meant that he covered it up. Then again, from what she heard of the trial, he had admitted everything, so why not Rachel?

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked. "Did Max have something to do with it?"

Chloe wasn't sure how much to say. Explaining everything would raise more questions, and it wasn't her place to tell about Max's powers. So instead, she told only the basics.

"She came back about a month ago, and we reconnected. I can't say how, but I think she knew that something would happen and saved you. That's her handwriting on the photo, too."

"Why save me? What about Stella? Jefferson took her as well." Rachel asked.

It was a valid criticism. If Chloe was right, then Max only saved Rachel. Why wouldn't she do the same for his other victims? Or call the police before he even begins? Chloe wasn't a fan of using the photojumps to change things, but Old Max didn't seem to feel the same way. All it would take is a phone call at the right time.

"I don't know exactly why, but I know it's true." Maybe if Max were here, she could explain.

"If you two reconnected, can you ask her?"

Chloe shook her head. "About a week after we met, she had an accident. She doesn't remember much of anything from the past few years. She didn't even remember me at all."

"Wow." Rachel bit her lip. "I'm sorry that happened."

"It's okay. I'm used to people forgetting about me."

Rachel turned away as if struck. Chloe felt bad for a moment, but it was true. Everyone always leaves.

"I truly didn't want to hurt you, Chloe. I wanted you to move on and find someone better."

"Don't give me that shit, Rach. You knew that wasn't okay, but you did it anyway. At least you were right about one thing. Max and I are together now."

Rachel smiled at that. It didn't make Chloe feel any better. "That's good. You deserve to be happy."

The situation soured Rachel's words. Just because it worked out months later didn't make this okay.

"So," she continued. "What are you going to do now?"

"Head back to Arcadia, I guess," Chloe said. "We can get a plane ticket and be there tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Chloe..." Rachel gave her a strange look. "My life is here now. I have nothing back there. There are my parents, I suppose, but after everything, I don't need to see them."

"Oh... Yeah, sorry. I meant I can buy one." It was a slip of the tongue, but Chloe had secretly hoped that Rachel might have come back with her. There was so much to talk about that her short time here wouldn't be enough for it.

"Why don't you stay another day? I don't have anything to do, and I can tell you all about L.A. It will be like old times."

"I'd love to, but I can't." She needed to find out what happened to Max. Her not answering the phone only made Chloe think of the worst.

"Oh," Rachel seemed disappointed. "I understand."

Chloe sent off a quick hey you can come back to Steph before she responded. "Yeah, sorry. I just really need to get back."

Shortly after, the front door opened and Steph walked in. Rachel gave her a tense smile and raised her hand in a half-hearted wave.

Chloe spoke first. "Hey, Steph. So, we talked it out."

Steph smiled, but never took her eyes off of Rachel. "That's good. Honestly, I half expected to come back to two corpses. I'm glad you proved me wrong."

"It was, uh, close," Chloe said. "But we're still alive. I want to get back to Arcadia Bay tonight, if possible."

"Yeah, sure. Let me see when the next flight is." Steph stepped into her room and came back with her laptop. She quickly went online to search for tickets, and the look that crossed her face wasn't positive.

"So it looks like everything's booked for today, unless you want to pay double and do a pit stop in Houston." She didn't. "You can get one for the morning. Sunday, yeah. Then it'll probably be an hour's bus ride to Arcadia."

"Shit." Not what Chloe was hoping for, but also not unexpected on such short notice. "Is it all right if I stay for another night?"

Steph gave a lighthearted shrug. "Hey, I told you it'd be fine. I was ready to help you search for at least a week. I won't complain if you stay and hang out."

Chloe turned to Rachel. "Looks like I'm stuck here 'til then. I guess you can show me around."

"Chloe, if you want to borrow my car, feel free," Steph said. "I need to do some work, anyway. Just know that parking and gas is on you."

"Seriously? You're too kind."

Steph smiled. "Don't I know it."

•••

Chloe only had a single day with Rachel, but she tried to make it count. There was still that barrier between them, sharpening the edge on every interaction. Still, it reminded Chloe of old times, when it was them against the world, and nothing would ever stand in their way.

They drove around and Rachel showed her some of her favorite spots. Chloe expected that the bars and clubs would be somewhere on there, but Rachel wisely avoided them. Parks and cafes and beaches and hideouts, all were there to be discovered. The chill of late fall dampened some of the loveliness of a few sights, but Rachel insisted that in the height of summer they were amazing to experience.

Rachel told Chloe of her life in the city, of the few friends she had made and the jobs she had done. She avoided anything involving drugs or partying, and all those empty spaces only showed how large they were. Even in the most wonderful way Rachel could describe it, Chloe saw the cracks.

Their day couldn't last forever, and after everything, Chloe wasn't sure if she would want it to. Her time apart from Rachel and her adventures with Max helped her move on. Rachel was amazing, but Chloe couldn't get past her disappearance or her work with Jefferson. Stella was dead, and Rachel had contributed to it. Was Chloe showering her with forgiveness too easily?

They were walking down the sidewalk when Chloe raised the idea of heading back. Rachel halted in the middle of the path.

"Oh, you probably do need some sleep," Rachel said. She had mentioned she had more places to show, but she wouldn't get the chance.

"Yeah... It'll be a long trip back." Chloe wasn't sure what else to say.

"I wish I could go with you, but things have changed."

"I know, I know. You're a Cali girl."

Rachel smiled. "That's right. Maybe you could come back down in the summer and I could show you what this city is really like."

"Maybe." Would that even be something Chloe would want? Who was she kidding, it was. "Does that mean we'll keep in touch?"

"If you want."

"Here. Let me give you my number, then." She reached into her pocket for her phone but Rachel stopped her.

"I still have it. I got every single one of your texts, back when you still sent them."

Chloe didn't know how to feel about that. She had said many nasty things, thinking there was no one there to read them.

"You were right to feel hurt," Rachel continued. "But I hope we can put it behind us. Leave it in the past."

It was a bold ask from Rachel, who had admitted to so many terrible things, but Chloe couldn't say no. Rachel's charm was too powerful, or maybe Chloe just didn't want to be filled with anger anymore.

"Okay, Rach. We can try. But if something like this happens again, I won't be coming to find you."

Rachel nodded. "I don't expect you to." She thought for a moment then held her arms out wide. "Since this is goodbye for now, can I have one last hug?"

Chloe knew she shouldn't. Rachel couldn't be forgiven this easily. Those hands had hurt so many people and now she held them out like this. She had gotten away with so much.

Chloe pressed the thoughts away. Even after everything, Rachel meant too much for her. She had been her angel, and Chloe couldn't forget that.

A hug would work. Chloe leaned in and wrapped her arms around Rachel, smelling her strawberry-scented hair. Rachel held on for dear life, but Chloe's hug held no love. Only acceptance. She wasn't sure which was more important.

Rachel smiled when Chloe broke the hug, and then looked at the empty street behind her. "I actually live close to here. You should drive back to Steph's."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" It was dark, and who knew what these alleys held?

Rachel nodded. "I can take care of myself. But before I go, take this." She reached into her purse and pulled out the photo of Max. "You should give this back to her. If she really saved me, tell her I said thanks."

Chloe took and saw the young face of her girlfriend staring back at her. This was important, she knew. To Max, a photo like this held so much potential.

"Thanks, Rach. I'll tell her."

"You really love her, don't you? You smiled when you saw that."

Did she? Chloe didn't notice.

"Keep that with you," Rachel continued. "Don't let her get away." 'Not like I did' was left unsaid.

"I won't. Goodbye, Rach."

"Bye, Chloe." Rachel raised her hand like she wanted to do something, but decided against it. She turned and walked off down the street, and Chloe wondered if she would ever see her again.

•••

The airport sucked. It was Sunday morning, and Chloe was fortunate enough to not need to be groped by some asshat in a uniform, but that didn't ease the suffering that even standing in the building gave her. About half of the people she saw looked like they wanted to die, and the other half looked like they were already dead.

Through security, and pushing away the temptation to buy an overpriced bag of chips, she settled down at her gate and watched the people meander about. The entire building was abuzz with clatter and movement, and the bright lights threatened to give her a headache.

To distract herself, she grabbed her phone, put on her headphones, and drowned the world out with music. It wasn't entirely successful. All of her calls to Max had rung until she hung up. Max still hadn't set up her voicemail, not that she would be likely to check it. Even Chloe's texts went unanswered.

Even so, she pulled up Max's contact and stared at it. Another call wouldn't hurt, right? But it would if Max didn't respond.

Fortunately, the decision was made for her.

•••

"All right. We're here," Victoria said. With so much time riding along with Chloe, Max almost forgot what it was like with a normal driver behind the wheel.

"Thanks, Victoria."

"For what, the ride?" She seemed surprised as they got out. "It's not like I would leave you. Besides, as I said, I enjoyed our time out this morning. Truthfully, I was a little worried about you. I'm glad you came."

"Worried?" That didn't sound good.

"Yes, worried. When we talked, you didn't seem too well. I'm sorry if you didn't actually want to come out with me today and you felt like I forced you. I heard you skipped something you had with Kate, too. I didn't want to say anything, but you look much better today."

It looked like Auto Max—as Max began to refer to the version of her that existed during a photojump—didn't have much of an easy time. Max wondered if it had any connection to her own sickness in the other timeline, or if it was a coincidence. It lined up too perfectly to seem one, though.

"I think I'm feeling better today." Not a lie. "But once we finish, I think I might take a nap."

"That's a good idea, Max. Beauty sleep is important."

From what Max had gathered on the way back to Blackwell, Victoria had invited her out for breakfast, and Auto Max accepted. Afterward, they stopped by Frank's RV for Victoria to pick something up, and that's when she had come back. Max wasn't fond of her luck; she would've like to have eaten the food at least.

Fortunately, she wasn't hungry. Did her hunger not carry over when she jumped back? She wouldn't complain; there was no way she had eaten much in her past two days.

"Now," Victoria continued, checking her phone. "Tay says she'll be ready in about an hour, so we can look for your missing phone until then. Do you remember the last place you saw it?"

They were approaching the dorms now, and Max wasn't sure what to say. She had lost her phone and had no idea where, so the truth seemed like the best option. Auto Max would know, but she wasn't exactly here to help.

"I remember that I had it in my room, but the last time I'm positively sure I had it was Friday."

Victoria let out a playful laugh. "Honestly, Max, I envy you. If I was without my phone for two days, I'm not sure I'd survive."

On their way up, Victoria raised the idea of checking her room first, and Max agreed. It seemed like the obvious first choice.

It was a calm Sunday, which meant that almost no one was out this morning. Most of the students were either off-campus or sleeping in, so Max and Victoria passed no one on their trip. It was relaxing if Max was being honest.

Their floor was as quiet as the world outside. At the dorm room, Victoria waited while Max unlocked her door. The resounding click of the lock echoed loudly through the dead building, and Max opened it to look inside.

The room wasn't as she had left it. The couch was offset from its wall, and her clothes were strewn all over the floor and her unmade bed. Her laptop was open and askew, unplugged and dead. Even her photo wall was in shambles; most of the bottom half was scattered across the wall and the edge of the floor. Strangely, from the creased clutter on the bed, it looked like she had slept on it as it was, atop the clothes and all.

Max wasn't the neatest person, by any stretch, but compared to how she usually was, this looked more like she had been robbed. For all she knew, she had.

"Oh, wow," Victoria said as she looked at the photo wall. Max couldn't make out her emotion.

"Can... we just find my phone?" Max didn't want to make a problem out of this, especially when she wasn't alone. There was always the possibility that Auto Max was the one who caused the mess, and Max hoped it was true.

"Sure, of course. Do you..." Victoria cut herself off and pressed her lips together. "I'll call it and we'll see if it rings."

She swiftly pulled out her phone and called Max's contact. While she did that, Max inspected the room. From what she could tell, nothing had been rummaged through—her drawers and bookbag were still organized—and only things that had been sitting out were out of place. Now that she thought about it, it reminded her of Kate's room, only to a lesser degree. At the worst, she could pass everything off as a careless mess. She hoped it was.

Victoria held her own phone out and Max could hear the faint ring coming through, but nothing from within her dorm.

"Nothing," Max said. She waited a moment, but Victoria cocked her head and moved over to the bed.

Max followed and watched as Victoria got on her hands and knees and reached underneath. The sheets weren't set properly, so she only had to push away a pair of jeans and a fallen photo to find what she was looking for. Lost underneath her bed, Max could see her phone lit up in the shadows.

As Victoria grabbed it and stood back up, Max realized that it was vibrating for the call. The buzz was soft but insistent, and somehow she hadn't noticed it at first. Thankfully, Victoria was here to help.

"That wasn't there before, was it? Don't worry, I know someone who can fix it for you." Victoria declined the call, held out the phone, and gave it to Max.

Something had cracked the screen. There was a large spiderweb covering up the very top of the screen, and a single large scar snaked across the bottom. Annoying, but still usable. Beneath the call screen, the phone was in photo mode, and the alerts at the top showed a low battery alert, a full storage alert, dozens of missed calls and texts.

"Thanks, Victoria." It seemed like Max said that a lot today. "It's not broken too bad, I think."

Victoria smiled. "Anything, Max. And like I said, I can get it fixed for you. I don't know how you lost it down there, but it's not surprising. It was pretty quiet."

Was it? Or was Victoria patronizing her? She didn't seem to have any problems hearing the phone. Max decided not to bring it up. No sense arguing after her help.

"I think I'm going to take that nap now, if that's all right."

"Of course, Max," Victoria said. "Take all the time you need. Ciao." She gave a small wave and left Max alone.

Now by herself, Max thought of what to do next. Chloe hadn't been able to get in touch with her, and she could only imagine how worried she was. Then again, it wouldn't help to get caught after her photojump. Figure out what happened first, then call Chloe.

Auto Max had run into some trouble, that much was obvious. Max only hoped that it was something simple, like a fever, rather than something far worse. Her phone had been on photo mode when Victoria found it, so there was the chance that Auto Max had saved something helpful.

A quick check on her phone gallery showed no new photos. The most recent picture was the one Chloe had texted her and she had jumped through. A heavy pang of guilt at herself punched through her, but she kept searching. Elsewhere in her gallery, she spotted a video, almost forty-five minutes long, saved. That was likely what took up the rest of her phone storage.

Max sat on her bed, pushing a shirt to the side, and pressed play. The screen was pitch black, and she could hear her own voice.

"Chloe...? Chloe! Are you there? Where...?" Auto Max sounded confused and distressed. "I don't... where am I? Not again..."

The video was silent for almost a minute before it continued.

"You're not there... Nathan? This isn't it. Your house...?" There was a slight shuffling sound, and the camera moved. Max could only see the ceiling, and from the faint light, it looked like it was nighttime.

"Gah," said Auto Max from off-camera. "I... Blackwell again. Right."

A knock rang out from somewhere behind, followed by a voice. It was faint and difficult to make out, but Max could just barely understand the words.

"Max? Are you in there?"

It was Victoria. A few moments later Max could hear the door open as Victoria and Auto Max talked.

"Oh. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"It's... okay." Auto Max's voice was quiet, not because of distance, but because she barely spoke above a whisper. "What do you need, Victoria?"

"After we spoke yesterday, I want to do something nice for you for listening to me. You were right about Nathan, and I'm glad you were there for him." Silence for a moment. "Do you want to get breakfast tomorrow? I know a nice place just outside of town and I'm sure it's not what you usually like, I think you might enjoy it."

"Um. Sure." Auto Max's breathing was oddly heavy and her words were stilted. "Sounds good. But I'm busy now."

Victoria began to respond, but the sound of the door closing cut her off. Auto Max didn't seem to be in the mood to talk.

"All right!" Victoria said through the door. "Tomorrow then." Max couldn't tell whether she was annoyed at the rudeness.

There was an odd scratching sound, and then Auto Max picked up the phone. The video was recorded on the front camera, so Max saw her own face on the screen. Auto Max was looking at the wall.

"Keep it together, Max." She was speaking to herself and didn't even seem to notice the recording. "It's been hard to think, honestly. The past couple of days... My zone-outs have been getting worse. It's like I'm on autopilot sometimes. Am I schizophrenic? Two parts of myself fighting over my body."

If only she knew. It seemed that once again, Auto Max had no idea of her powers.

"Another nap might help." A pause. "I wish Chloe were here. When she gets back, maybe I should see the doctor again."

Auto Max looked off-camera for a while longer, then moved with the phone. She set it down on the bed and sat on her knees beside it. The photo wall hung intact above.

She sat there, staring at the wall, occasionally touching a picture to look at it. Her movements were careful.

Suddenly, she took a hand and dragged it across the wall, knocking down the very bottom row. Her knees moved her closer as she leaned to reach either end. The more she moved, the more the phone did with her. Eventually, she moved so close that the phone tumbled into the space between the unaligned bed and wall, landing face down on a fallen photo beneath.

The sounds of Auto Max knocking things down continued for another minute before the springs of the bed creaked and stopped. The recording was pitch black, and the only sound that came through was a quiet, faint sob.

That was all there was to see. Max scrolled through to see if anything changed, but the rest of the video was a silent emptiness. It would have kept going if the phone hadn't run out of space.

This was what Old Max meant. 'A Max always has to come back'. A version of herself back at Chloe's house was pulled forward instead of her because she fast-forwarded past it. The problem is, when the wrong Max comes back, it creates problems. First with herself in the other timeline at Nathan's house, and now with Auto Max in this one.

Her own conflict didn't last long. If she had to guess, she woke up from talking with Old Max around the same time she photojumped back. Here, Auto Max didn't fare as well. Sickness and pain plagued her as two Maxes battled in one mind until they were both overwritten by herself. Old Max said she was the strongest. Was this why?

Max had stumbled into something that she was not prepared for, and now other versions of herself were gone for it. Were they even truly alive? Or were they just splinters of herself? If they were, did that make herself one of Old Max?

She didn't know. What made a Max, anyway? No matter which way she looked at it, she wasn't the original in any sense of the word. That title belonged to Old Max, the one who had gone through hell and back to save the world, and now could do nothing but sit and watch from that strange world of hers.

The entire situation frightened her. She knew that the more she thought about it the more she would spiral into an existential crisis. There would be time for that later. For now, Chloe. Maybe talking to her would help. The only problem was, to talk about this would be to admit her betrayal. That's all it was, plain and simple. She had promised Chloe that there would be no more secrets, and yet she did it anyway.

With no more hesitation, because she knew she would overthink what to say, she called her girlfriend and listened to the harsh tones of her cracked phone making the connection. Chloe picked up on the second ring.

"Max? Is that you?" Her voice was strong, but Max could make out loud chatter in the background. Chloe was somewhere busy.

"Hi, Chloe."

"I was so worried, Max. What the hell happened? Why didn't you answer my calls?"

There were many answers to that question, some more damning than others. However, lying more would only make things worse.

"I have something I need to admit. You won't like it," Max said.

"You just got back from a photojump, right?" Chloe said it plainly.

Stunned, Max replied. "You... know?"

"I called you a few hours after I left. I could tell it wasn't the same you. It was that photo of us from Wednesday, right? That's why you wanted it. Not for any surprise for me." Chloe knew more than Max expected, and there was a hint of venom in her words. "You went back and changed things without telling me."

"No, no," Max said. "Nothing changed. It's... complicated, but I can explain."

"Can you? How many times did you go and photojump like that? This isn't okay."

"It was twice," Max said, then realized. "Wait, three times, but one didn't really count. But don't worry, everything is exactly the same."

"Jesus, Max," Chloe sighed. "That's not what I'm talking about. You left without telling me. First, I find out that the you I'm talking to isn't the same you, then I can't reach you at all. Do you know how scared I was? What happened to 'no more secrets'?"

Guilt snaked its way through Max. She knew she had messed up, and even though she had learned a lot, she still betrayed Chloe's trust. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I just wanted to find out more about myself before the accident."

"Look, I get it. But seriously, you can't disappear like that and expect it to be okay. How long were you gone? Three, four days? I can't even wrap my head around when else you might have jumped for this to work out."

"Two... It's complicated."

"Yeah, obviously." Another sigh. "If you had just told me what you were doing, I wouldn't be so upset. But when you act like I don't matter, or I don't get a say, that's the problem. I thought we were in this together."

"We are. I swear." Max didn't know what to say to fix things. There was a slight temptation to use her powers to navigate this conversation better, but she resisted. That would be a step too far, even after what she had already done.

"It sure doesn't feel like it," Chloe said. Max could hear a faint announcement in the background on the other end of the line. "I've got to go. The plane back to Oregon just started boarding. We can talk about this when I get back. Just... let me think about this, okay?"

"Okay." Max didn't want to end on that note. "I'm sorry."

"I know." A moment of silence. "Bye, Max."

A soft digital click cut Max off before she could respond.

A/N:

Thanks for reading.

Next chapter: 1-26