Nathan Prescott's mouth was dry and his head was pounding. He woke up and he swore he tasted salt. He shook his head and sat up. He needed water fast, his one-man party last night seemed to give painful consequences. He looked at the woman lying next to him, fast asleep. "Well, two-person party." He thought, allowing himself a small smile. Victoria Chase hair reflected the small sliver of light that dared to escape the mask of the blinds. She had insisted that they spend the night in his room, as she figured the boys wouldn't bother to disturb them.
Not that she had been making much noise.
Nathan shrugged. She HAD consented, to the photos and even to the drugs, after some encouragement. Which was more than young Samantha could say. He desperately to shake the memory from his head. His father had given him one hell of a beating when he found out, and that time his mother did not rush to his aid. A part of him did feel remorse, but it was only a small part. He slowly got out of bed and stumbled his way down the dorm and to the bathroom. It was crazily early in the morning, and he realised he wasn't fully sober yet. While the sun indicated it was already well into the morning, he still felt like all the boys on the floor would be asleep, so in his partially-drunk state, he took extra care to quieten his footsteps. Not because he wanted to be considerate - that wasn't Nathan's nature, he simply didn't want anyone to look at him until he was remotely presentable. At the very least, Nathan hated looking weak or pathetic. He looked in the bathroom mirror as he waited for the running water to heat up. His eyes were sunken and he made a concerted effort to rub the crusty yellow residue from them. Satisfied, he smiled and splashed water onto his face. As the water hit him, he remembered the... episode with the small girl the previous day. What was her name? Max Caulfield? He shook his head. He wasn't sure why she was so eager to rush in and do what she did. Was she convinced that she helped him? Fucking idiot if she was. He turned off the tap, but continued to examine his reflection in the mirror, admiring his own looks. He replayed the episode in his head, which clearly did not help to reduce his anxiety. Trying to downplay visions of his father, he recalled what he could understand from Max's fruitless attempts to calm him down. "They weren't that fruitless, they did work I suppose." He told himself. Again, a small part of him wanted to thank Max, but it was vastly overshadowed by one lingering thought.
Max knew something. Something about him and his father. Nathan wasn't sure how much she knew, but it could still pose a horrific threat. He had to subdue her and FAST. He turned the tap off and made up a quick plan in his head.
For the first time since he first left his shithead parents, Nathan grinned.
Max blinked as she awoke. It wasn't too early, but it wasn't too late either. She checked her phone and it 9:30am. She shrugged.
"Good time to get up, I guess." She said aloud. "Not that I have anything to do anyway." She got out of bed and looked around. Everything had already been packed away where she wanted it. It was her first morning in her room, and already it was beginning to feel like home. Chloe was busy at work all day, and Max had no idea what Rachel was doing. Most likely sleeping in. Her eyes were gluey and her hair felt disgusting. She blinked a couple times and stretched. "I need a shower. Badly." She slowly dragged herself around her room searching for the various items she needed for her shower. She was only in a t-shirt and underwear when she stepped out into the corridor, but she didn't care. It was a girls-only floor after all, so while she disagreed with the concept, it did help in these circumstances to make her feel more comfortable. She spotted Kate Marsh brushing her teeth at the sink. She was fully dressed and looked ready to go out.
"Hi, you must be Kate Marsh."
Kate Marsh spat in the sink and quickly rinsed her mouth before turning around. "Good morning. I've heard about you. 'The Girl with the Retro Camera', right?"
"Is that what they call me?" Max sighed.
"I mean, I don't view it as a bad thing." Kate smiled. "But I would like your actual name better. Maxine...?"
"Max Caulfield. Never Maxine. It's a pleasure to meet you." Max said, extending her hand, which Kate promptly shook. "Bit early, isn't it?" Max asked as she retracted her hand. She put her things down on a little shelf in the shower cubicle and turned back around.
"Starting the day early leads a life of better virtue." Kate replied as if she were reciting something.
"I don't remember that in the Bible." Max joked.
Kate chuckled slightly. "Naw that's something my mom told me." She shrugged. "Although I do appreciate the freedom to wake up when I wish now, the sleep-ins are nice."
"What time did you wake up?"
"8:30."
Max faked a gasp. "Scandal!" She said sarcastically. Kate laughed.
"Oh believe me in my house it would have been, especially on a Sunday."
Max grimaced. "I can imagine." She looked at Kate for a while, considering her. "Hey, um..." Max started as Kate began to walk out of the bathroom.
"Yes, Max?" She stopped and turned her head.
"Would you like to uh... hang out? Sometime? Just you and me, of course."
"That would be lovely. I've got a tea set in my room, so come to mine."
"Sounds great. Does this afternoon work?"
Kate laughed. "It's not like either of us have anything to do this week, huh?"
"I take it you're not much of a party girl, either."
"You certainly have great perception skills, Max." Kate said with no obvious hint of irony.
"Oh Lord no, I'm just incredibly nosey."
"We all have our flaws." Kate shrugged. Max was surprised at Kate's nonchalant banter. She did not seem as timid and anxious as Max was used to. Maybe the Vortex Club traumatised her more than she thought.
"Oh believe me I have many." Max smiled. "I'll see you at around 2?"
"Best time for tea, I'm told." Kate smiled and turned back around. "I'll see you then. Bye Max."
"See ya, Kate." Max shook her head after Kate left. "Kate just seemed... happy. And confident." She said aloud to nobody. "In a way that I haven't seen before." She stepped into the shower and stripped as she waited for the water to warm up.
"God, can you believe Kate Marsh? The way she just tongued every guy there the other night?" Victoria Chase's voice cried above the noise of the shower.
"Yeah oh my God!" Taylor's voice laughed. Her voice echoed strangely, as did Victoria's. "I'm SO glad you got that on video."
"Speaking of video..." Victoria said, making a sound the resembled opening a handbag. Max could hear a loud squeak as she drew on the mirror. "Let's see how everyone else feels Kate's escapade."
"This isn't real." Max moaned out loud and clutched her head. She opened the curtains to discover that no-one was there. The mirror that housed a drawing was not a link to a video, just a creepy eye, staring right at Max. She shuddered, and closed the shower curtain.
Even as she walked out of the bathroom, the vision was fixed in her mind, playing on repeat. "Why that memory? It was so vivid." She shook her head and walked back to her bedroom. She heard running behind her and turned around.
"Max!" A voice called behind her. She turned and smiled, expecting Warren.
"Hey W- Oh." She looked up at the face of Nathan Prescott, smiling. The smile was so unnatural, it creeped Max out immensely. "Hi Nathan." She said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.
"Hey. I uh..." He turned around at Victoria, who smiled falsely. Even though Max could tell it was false, it was a lot more convincing, which Max more angry than scared. Max looked back at Nathan. "I just wanted to say thanks." Nathan coughed. "For yesterday, I mean. Not a lot of people make the effort to help like that, and it's good to know that someone, other than Victoria, cares." He turned back around and Victoria gave a thumbs up. Max briefly stuck her tongue out in disgust when they weren't watching. When Nathan turned around, Max was beaming.
"You're very welcome, Nathan. It was the least I could do. I just wanted to help."
"I really do appreciate that." Nathan was finding it a little more difficult to keep the bitternes out of his voice.
"It's clear Victoria put him up to this, but why? Is she really that determined to be nice to me now?" Max thought to herself.
"So... I was just thinking... did you wanna... come to my room at some stage today and uh... check out my photo portfolio? I really want more people to look at it before I show it to Mr. Jefferson, and you seem like an excellent photographer. Victoria says so anyway."
Max scowled briefly at hearing the name, but quickly returned with a smile. "That sounds good, Nathan. I'd be glad to. Say, 1:30ish? I have to see Kate Marsh later this afternoon as well so..."
"Make it 1. I have an appointment at 2." Nathan replied quickly. "And it uh, might take a little time. Cause I wanna see some of your photos, too."
Max blinked. She wasn't sure she liked this situation. "Nathan Prescott, taking interest in other people? This is insane." She dug her toes into the carpet subtly. "Great! I'm not a good photographer, but it'd be nice to hear from an expert." She hoped sucking up to him would make him happy, and it seemed to the do the trick.
"Tch. I suppose I do have some experience." He smiled. "Looking forward to seeing you, Caulfield." He flashed her a genuine smile before he left, sending shivers down Max's spine. Victoria placed a warm hand on his shoulder as he walked past, before approaching Max.
"Did you put him up to this?" Max asked her, pointing towards Nathan.
"What? No!" Victoria said hurriedly. "Do you really think that low of him?"
"N-no, I just..." She trailed off.
Victoria sighed. "Sorry, I don't mean to be bitchy. It's a rather nasty habit of mine."
Max blinked again. Two incredibly self-centred people expressing actual polite levels of social interaction in the same instance? Max pinched herself.
"You seem surprised." Victoria glared at Max. She sighed again. "I know what you're thinking: Rich, popular, blonde girl must act like a total bitch all the time, right?"
"No, I just happen to be friends with Rachel and Chloe." Max replied.
"Oh. I see." Victoria turned away. "I don't actually think that low of them." She looked at Max. "I don't know why, but I trust you for some reason, so I'm just gonna say this: I act like a bitch because..."
"You're worried nobody will ever want to form a genuine bond with you if you're nice, so you act like a bitch and hold on to your fake friendships, hoping that will hide how insecure you are?" Max replied.
"What the he-"
"Chloe was the same." Max lied. "Except she wasn't rich, and she had me to talk her out of that behaviour." She shrugged, acting like the whole situation wasn't entirely bizarre to her.
"Huh." Victoria looked away. She was roughly a head taller than Max, so when she looked up, it was well over Max's head. "Chloe is still a bitch, though."
"She can be, but you know what she's been through."
Victoria sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Unfortunately, I do." She turned around and looked down the hall, towards Rachel's room. "In a way, I sort of admire her determination. I suppose that's why Rachel likes her too."
"The unlikely couple not so unlikely, huh?"
"Yeah. Guess not." Victoria waved her hand. "I don't really have much time for more conversation. Do not repeat this to anyone, okay?" She sighed yet again and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You might actually be my only real friend here. And I mean that. I am tired of this lifestyle, but it's not something I can drop right now."
"You can try."
"And lose all of my other friends? Ha! Not likely, Caulfield." She checked her watch. "Anyway, I still have some more unpacking to do. I'd better let you got to whatever weird shit you do during the day."
"Taking selfies?" Max replied, pretending to pull a duck-face.
Victoria laughed. "You crack me up, Caulfield." Victoria reached her bedroom door. She looked at Max, and Max had never seen a more genuine smile from Victoria's face. It was almost sad. "I'll see you later, Max." She shut the door.
"Well that was two of the most absurd conversations I've ever had." Max said aloud to herself. "These people have totally changed character." Max walked into her room and sat down on the couch. She grabbed the guitar and began playing some random chords, not even paying attention to what she was playing. "Victoria is suddenly a much nicer person. I should probably talk to her more often." She thought. "And get Rachel and Chloe to talk to her too." She frowned. "Neither of them are gonna like that. And Nathan is an entirely different kettle of fish. While I fully believe Victoria can change - after all she has shown she can, I'm not sure I trust Nathan." She bumped her finger and briefly shook her hand before continuing to play. "I better be careful. I know where he keeps secret stuff. If he tries anything, I'll unveil all of his secrets." Max frowned. "If he still has any." She spoke aloud. She briefly remembered her conversation with Samantha and deemed that satisfactory enough. She finally stopped thinking about all the dark shit that could happen when she sees Nathan and focused on playing instead.
Hours passed, and Max hadn't done much with her day. Come 1 o'clock, and she couldn't remember whether or not she ate lunch. Her bank account had indicated she spent some money, and she hoped it was food. She approached Nathan's room on the first floor and knocked.
Nathan wrenched it open angrily, as if he'd been rudely interrupted. When he saw Max, his expression softened. "Oh. It's just you. Sorry Max. Come on in." He smiled, and once again it spooked Max. She slowly walked into his room, keeping her eye on him until she was at a safe distance. She didn't want to bring her camera, so she brought a couple polaroids from her wall to show him. She wasn't particularly proud of them, but she felt they were dreary enough for a man of Nathan's tastes to at least somewhat approve. She looked around. For whatever reason, Nathan's blinds were closed, despite the sunny weather outside. The projector hung high from the ceiling, producing the only light source in the room. Max made sure her cellphone was in her hand.
"I like your room." Max said, her voice weaker than she wanted it to be.
"Thanks. I always like to make my guests feel... welcome."
Max gulped. She looked at Nathan's bed, which was significantly larger than hers, and noticed two indentations in it instead of one. Naturally, the boy's bed was unmade. And Max made a mental note to never date a boy who never made his bed. Or any boy like Nathan, for that matter. She glanced at the projector screen.
"Are these your photos?"
"Yeah! You like them?" Nathan was genuinely wanting to know. Odd.
Max watched as several dreary grey photos, featuring mostly dead animals, flashed on the projector screen. "Mmhmm. They're good." Max said. She did not like the dead animal imagery at all, but she had to admit: He was good. He had good angles, and the way he experimented with black and white while still looking crisp and brand-new was clever. Really making the death imagery stand out, especially among the pale grey backgrounds, which were mostly kept fairly bland with little details, making the foreground stand out. Max threw her photographs casually on one of Nathan's many desks for him to look at as she continued to stare. One of the photographs was unlike the others: It featured a dimly lit forest, with little focus on the foreground, and more on the trees. A deer, that had been shot during a hunt, was lying on the ground, but the framing of the photograph made it insignificant. The complete contrast from the rest of his portfolio was astounding, and Max could tell this was deliberate.
Jefferson would like this one for sure.
"Yes, it's... perfect." Nathan said quietly from behind her.
"It certainly is a very nice photograph." She felt the air shift directly behind her and spun around, just in time to see Nathan Prescott looming over her.
With a cup of fizzing water in his hand.
Nathan cursed and swung a fist, still holding on to the water, which Max instinctively knew was laced with date-rape drugs. Max quickly ducked and held out her right hand, freezing his image in place. Max had to act quickly. Using great effort, she shifted the couch using only her left hand until she could grab the bag stuck to the underside of the couch. She grabbed a cloth and then used take the gun out from the bag. Still holding out her right hand, she moved the couch back and aimed the gun at his head.
She dropped her right hand and gripped the gun with both hands. Nathan Prescott's image rapidly came back to life as his fist swung at nothing.
"What the fuck-"
"Stay the fuck back, Prescott!" Max cried.
"How the fuck did you get over there?" Nathan didn't seem phased by the gun being pointed at him, he was too busy fixating on what he believed was Max's lightning ninja speed. "How the fuck did you get my gun?"
"Never mind how I got it!" Max yelled. She relaxed a little bit and stood up straight, still keeping a firm hold on the gun. "I know about Samantha."
"Well duh, everyone-"
"And I know about your father. And I know about Jefferson."
Nathan's face quickly dropped and he froze.
"I know what Jefferson likes to do in his spare time, and I also know he has recently employed YOU for help."
"I-I-I... I... I don't know what you're *ahem* talking about." Nathan coughed.
"Oh I think you do, Prescott." Max was feeling a lot more brave now. Braver than the last time she aimed a gun at someone. She gradually circled her way to the door, blocking the only viable exit. "Tell me Prescott, are you happy? Can you live with yourself, the way you are?"
"Don't analyse me! I pay people to do that!" Nathan growled.
"Correction, your father pays for them. All of your money comes from the greedy prick, who steals it from working class citizens!" Max snarled. "And also, don't argue with me. I'm not the one with the gun pointed at them."
Nathan shut up.
"Good." Max felt guilty at how powerful she felt in this situation. She could feel her grip tightening on the trigger, eager to pull it. She resisted. "So. Does Victoria know?"
"She knows nothing. All she knows is my... fetish for photographs." Nathan admitted.
"I suppose that's one way of putting it." Max allowed herself a shudder. Nathan didn't seem to notice.
"So. If Frank Bowers is out of the city, where the hell did you got those drugs?"
"Pharmacy." Nathan shrugged. "They're regular narcotics. How the hell do you know Frank Bowers?"
"I'll ask the questions here, Prescott." Max growled, then sighed. "He was Chloe's dealer. Ran into him once."
"You've never done this before, haven't you?" Nathan smirked.
"Actually, I have. I held a gun to Frank Bower's head after he threatened Chloe Price." Max smiled, watching Nathan's smug expression quickly vanish. "He's still alive because of me. Do you want to gamble on my mercy like he did?"
Nathan shook his head.
"Unlike Bowers, I pity you, Prescott. Because you're not an aid to Jefferson. You're just his victim. A long-term victim. And just like all of his victims, once he doesn't need you anymore, he'll get rid of you."
Nathan's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No. No. You're wrong. I'm a valuable asset to him and his work!"
"No. Your money, or rather your dad's money, is a valuable asset to him. Why the hell do you think he chose YOU, of all people?" She looked him up and down. "Granted, you're sick enough to actually go with it, but also you're the richest fucker in this entire city! Jefferson can do whatever the hell he wants as long as he gives you the empty promise of a successful photography career."
"How the hell do you know all this stuff?"
"Because I've seen it. All of it. First hand."
"How?"
"Same way I managed to grab your gun in the time it took for you to miss a punch." She walked slowly over to Prescott, who backed away. She raised the gun at him. "Stay still." He obeyed. She closed the distance. "Grab onto my shoulder." He obeyed. She pointed the gun up and shot the projector.
"Wait the hell are you doin-" Nathan cried.
Max raised her right hand. Slowly, the bullet retracted from the projector, the metal repairing itself as the bullet moved slowly backwards through the air. She stopped time halfway through it's path and held it. "Whatever you do, don't let go of my shoulder, no matter how much it hurts your head."
Nathan blinked and rubbed his forehead with his free hand. "What in the fuck...?" He breathed slowly. He moved his hand towards the bullet, and Max slapped his hand with her left hand, gun still in it.
"Don't touch it, or it will actually hit you."
He quickly retracted his hand. "You have time powers." He shook his head. "That explains everything." He looked at her. "How far back can you go?"
"A few days using this method. Several years if I use a photograph, but only to certain times and events, before I wake up in the present."
"So wait, how did you go forward then?"
"I didn't. I simply was forced to relive the past 5 years of my life." She shrugged, as if the situation was completely normal. "I can't go forward in time, sadly."
"But you can stop it."
"It's more like reversing it really, really, slowly, but yes." She nodded. "This way I can move while I'm reversing time."
Nathan seemed very excited by all this and started asking questions. She simply pointed the gun at him and he shut up.
"I will say, though, that the reason why I came here was because I thought you changed. Clearly, I was wrong. Still a lot of work to do then." Max stated.
"What are you gonna do?" Nathan asked hesitantly.
Max smiled. "Well, with your help, I'm gonna put Mark Jefferson behind bars."