'What a week huh?' It was just six days from the moment Max's life turned upside down. She had acquired time-traveling powers, caused a huge tornado with it in the meantime, reconciled with her best friend, and solved a mystery of a missing person, all within a week.
Two girls were standing near the lighthouse, watching the storm as it was slowly making its way to Arcadia Bay, thinking about the way to stop it from wiping the whole city.
The blue-haired girl reached into her pocket and took out the photo of the blue butterfly. "Max." After a beat, the girl in question turned to her and the punk handed the photo to her. "This is the only way."
Shorter girl looked at the photo with sadness in her eyes "I...I...I feel like I took the shot thousand years ago." There was a long pause when neither of them said a word, both of them lost in their own mind.
Chloe was the first one to break the silence. "You could use that photo..." her voice hitched "...to change everything right back to when you took that picture."
Max turned to her with wide eyes.'How could she even suggest something like this?' "I can't make this choice!" She shook her head and took a step back as to put some space between her and the implication of the other girl's statement.
Chloe was quick to close the distance between them as she grasped the smaller girl by her shoulders. "No, Max..." She looked the other girl right into the eyes to prove that she meant it. "...you're the only one who can."
There was another long pause after this. Chloe had nothing more to say, after all, it was Max's decision to make, not hers.
The aspiring photographer shook her head. "No, I'm not letting you die." She saw Chloe taking a breath as to say something so she continued. "And I'm not letting Arcadia Bay get destroyed either." After a pause, she continued with desperation in her voice. "There has to be another way."
She looked at the punk, hoping that the other girl will come up with something, but Chloe only shook her head and avoided her sight to the ground, unable to look at the sadness in the eyes of the girl she started to have feelings for.
When Max saw that she turned to the storm like it was the last thing that could provide her with the answer.'There has to be another way, something I didn't try yet. Think Max, think!' Then it hit her. She started rummaging through her bag until she found the picture she was looking for. "There is one thing I still could do." When Chloe raised her eyes to look at her, she continued. "We never tried to save Rachel..."
The blue-haired girl snatched the photo from her hand and took a good look at it. "What the actual fuck, Max? It's one of the photos the fucking psycho took. Why do you even have it?" To say she was furious would be an understatement.
"I thought we could use some evidence if we went to the police..." Max says carefully, so she would not upset the other girl more.
Chloe didn't tear her eyes off of the photo. "Like they would believe us..." She swallowed and murmured. "I hate seeing her like this." It was like all the fight left her at once, and a few tears ran down her cheeks.
After a moment, she took a deep, steadying breath, wiped away the tears, and looked at the smaller girl. "You can do it? I mean, like save her?" Her voice felt small, almost like she was too afraid to hope or even to ask.
Max slowly nodded. "For some weird reason, I feel like maybe she is the key to everything." She saw that the other girl wasn't completely convinced. "It will work." After a beat, she added silently more to herself than anyone else. "It has to."
The blue-haired girl handed the photo back to Max. "It fucking better."
The smaller girl nodded in agreement, and with a deep breath, as to prepare herself for what comes next, looked intently into the picture. It showed Rachel bound to the chair pretty much the same way Max was not so long ago. She looked angry like she was ready to kill Jefferson, through the camera, even with her bound hands. Max couldn't say she was surprised, she herself actually felt relieved when David killed him. She shook her head to get rid of the memory. 'Back to work, Max.' She never tried to travel back in time with a photo she wasn't part of or she didn't take. This could end in catastrophe, but damn if she won't try. So she once again concentrated on the photo. Thinking about how it felt to sit in that chair. *Click* The uneasiness of the room itself. *Click* The sounds of the camera. *Click* How for a moment the flashes of it blind you. *Click*
And just like that, she was back in the Dark Room.
"Stop looking so angry, Rachel. You're ruining my shot!" Jefferson's voice sounded frustrated like this wasn't the first time it happened.
"Fuck you, you fucking psycho!" Came the immediate response.
Then came a slap. "Stop being difficult! You are a promising subject, but if you won't quit the attitude, I will find someone else..."
Max almost throw up when she heard Jefferson's voice again and decided to filter out the rest of his monologue. It was so surreal to be back here. She was right behind him and she needed to find the cover fast in case he would turn around. Luckily neither of the other occupants of the room noticed her as she carefully moved behind the couch. Just as she crouched behind the furniture, she heard someone, probably Rachel, spit. She could help the smile forming on her face.' I wish I could see it. I hope she hit him right into his stupid face.'
"ENOUGH!" Another slap. "If you don't know how to act as a good subject I'll make you!" With that Jefferson made his way to the cabinet right next to the couch.
To say Max was scared would be an understatement. She was terrified. All it would take was for him to turn around and she would be as good as dead.
Luckily for her, after searching through the cabinet, he just sighed and clicked his tongue, clearly disappointed. "Well.." He turned back to the bound girl. "Seems like we are all out." He got to Rachel and caressed her cheek. Paying no mind to her effort to get away from his touch. "I'll go to Nathan. He will give me more drugs for you, don't worry." He rummaged with some things on the table before he turned to her once again. "Be a good girl and stay right there. I'll be right back." With that, he turned around and made his way outside.
As he was walking around the couch Max was holding her breath and praying to anyone and anything that would listen so he wouldn't turn to Rachel again. It was apparently her lucky day as he disappeared behind the corner and the next thing she heard was the closing of the heavy metal doors. She decided to wait a little longer, just to be sure he is not coming back.
After a moment, Max heard sobbing. 'Oh, Rachel. What did he do to her? How long was she kept here?' She had so many questions, but she was already starting to feel lightheaded from the time travel into a memory that wasn't hers. She needed to act quickly if she wanted to save the blonde girl. So she raised from behind the couch and slowly made her way to the other girl as to not scare her.
When the blonde girl didn't notice her she called after her. "Rachel?"
The other girl's head snapped up in the direction of the voice. Looking defiant as she was a few moments ago with Jefferson. The only thing that was proving it wasn't how she felt was the puffy eyes and a little tremble of her lower lip.
Max put her hands in front of her to show she wasn't a threat. "I'm here to help you, ok?" There was no response from the bound girl. "I'm getting you out of here and that bastard will never ever hurt you or anyone else again." The only answer she got was a little nod. So tiny she almost thought she imagined it. Nevertheless, she looked around herself for something to cut the bounds of the other girl.
"Who are you?" Rachel sounded tired, and when Max turned to her with scissors that she found on a cart not so far away, she noticed she also looked like that. Like all the fight that she had in herself, when Jefferson was here, left with him.
"I'm Max." She moved to Rachel's right hand to cut through the duct tape and saw the other girl flinch away. "I'm a friend of Chloe...She was looking for you. She still is." She hoped this will make the other girl trust her at least a little.
Rachel nodded but she didn't let her eyes off of her while the darker-haired girl was cutting through duck tape. "You're the Max that left." She stated matter of fact.
Max faltered in her movements. 'How much does she actually know about me and Chloe? Is this how Chloe talked about me? As the one who left her alone? But in the end, it isn't a lie.' She finally managed to cut free one of her hands. "Yes." Simple answer but it wasn't like the other girl was looking for affirmation. She moved to work on the other hand.
"Where is she?" It sounded almost hopeful that Chloe will walk through the door every second.
When both of her hands were free she moved to unbound the legs. "It's a long story...and one that is very hard to explain." 'It's not like I can say: hey I'm a time traveler, let's go'. Max could sense the other girl wanting to argue so she beat her to it. "We really don't have time for an explanation." She finally cut the last two limbs free and looked the blonde into the eyes. "Look once we are out, I'll tell you everything, I promise, but right now, I have no idea when he comes back so we have to hurry. I guess you will simply have to trust me." With that, she held her hand to help the other girl up.
Rachel looked at the offered hand and then at Max's face as to say something about not trusting the other girl one bit when she noticed blood on her face. "Your nose." She frowns. "You're bleeding."
Max touched the skin under her nose and looked and her fingers, just to see that the other girl was right. "Well, fuck..." She muttered to herself. "We have to hurry." She made a move to grab the blonde's hand to lead her out of the bunker but the other girl once again flinched away.'Ok, no touching. Got it.' She let her hand fall back to her side and made her way to the metal door. Hoping the other girl will get the memo and will follow her. After few moments of fiddling with the wheel on the door, Max managed to finally open them and cast what she hoped was a reassuring smile behind her at the other girl.
Both of them made their way to the hatch at the end of the stairs when they heard the screeching of tires.
"Ok, time for plan B." With that Max ushered the other girl back to the bunker. Desperately looking for a hiding place.
Rachel wrapped her arms around herself, clearly scared of what is about to happen to them when Jefferson finds them. "We are never getting out of here."
The dark-haired girl just shook her head and raised her voice in desperation. "I didn't come here just to fuck up again!" She looked into hazel eyes with determination to prove her point.
The hatch opened and Jefferson's hurried steps were heard when he noticed the wide-open metal doors.
Max quickly grabbed the closest tripod to use as a weapon and hid behind a corner. She was just ready to swing at him when she saw Rachel throwing a camera, that was previously laying on the table, at him.
Jefferson stumbled a bit. "You bitch!" He said as he pulled his gun out and shot Rachel right between the eyes.
It took Max a few moments to shake away the still fresh memory of Chloe falling to the ground with a bullet hole in her forehead before she realized that it didn't really happen in this timeline and then...
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Max felt a terrible headache and her vision started to blur.'Better make this try count. I may not have another one.'
So this time, before Rachel could say anything about not getting out, the other girl was pushing her behind the white screen at the end of the room.
They heard as the steps were slowly getting closer. "Rachel, where are you? I know you're still here. Show up and I won't kill you. I promise."
The blonde-haired girl grabbed the other girl's arm in a vice grip and closed her eyes to stop the tears, that started to form, from spilling. She just wanted this nightmare to end.
As Max's headache was getting worse and worse. She wasn't able to pay attention to anything happening around her anymore. She couldn't even make out the silhouette of the other girl next to her. Max could feel herself slowly leaving this timeline. "I'm so sorry." She murmured before everything faded to black.