Me: Hey shadows, I'm MissOblivionJ and welcome to my brand new story: Life's Greatest Wonder. I am a huge fan of the Life is Strange series, and this idea has been nagging at me for a while now. So here we go!
Of course, spoiler warning to anyone who hasn't played all three games! Also, this story contains a lot of mild language and blood. P.S. Anything said or happening in this story is pure fantasy. Like always, I own nothing except my OC and story! Without further ado, enjoy the story!
Chapter 1 - After the Storm
Winds howled, picking up more and more as a storm raged across the coast of Oregon. Rain blew across the bay, as giant waves hit the shore with mighty force. Harsh winds tore down poles and trees, knocking over citizens and cutting power lines down. A fire ignited the streets, and several ran for cover. While all that raged on, an enormous tornado moved through the bay straight toward Arcadia Bay.
Upon a cliff, still shining brightly, the lighthouse overlooked the storm. It was the only safe place, and where two friends stood watching in horror as the tornado approached their home.
The blue-haired friend looked away from the storm, meeting her friend's eyes. "Max, what are we going to do! That tornado is going to destroy Arcadia Bay! We need to stop it!"
"But how? I've tried every possible way! There is no way to stop this, even if I rewrite the past! One way or another, you die! I don't know how to stop this and keep you alive!" Max shouted.
"Then, go back!"
Max's throat went dry, upon hearing those words. "W-What?" she choked.
"Max, you have to go back. You have to make this right," her friend said, taking a picture from her back pocket. It was one of a blue butterfly - the day everything began.
She blinked back tears, "Chloe, NO! I don't want to lose you! It's not fair that you of all people have to be sacrificed for this. Do you hear me? It's not fair!"
"You have a choice. I'm not making it for you, nor am I saying either is right. Since when is life fair to me, Max. When is it fair to any of us?" Chloe hands her the photo. "I don't want my mother dying in a place like this with these assholes. At the same time, I don't want to die. I'm afraid of dying in this hellhole, but dammit what else can we do!" Tears filled Chloe's eyes, "I-I'm not forcing you to do anything, and I respect whatever choice you make whether to save everyone here or save me. It's up to you."
Max began to look at the picture, forcing closely on it -
Why do I have this power? Why can't I save her? Why is this so unfair!
Then, she thought of everything she had been through. Past to Present, back and repeated, again and again, trying to save Arcadia Bay and everyone who painted her as a foe when she was only trying to help. Why should I sacrifice Chloe just for awful people to keep moving on? Mr. Jefferson and Nathan put us through Hell. Victoria and her minions harassed Kate to the point where she tried to commit suicide. Why should I save those people who hurt others without a second thought! Max clung onto the picture more almost about to go back before she averted her eyes. Why save so many people that will never change?
She looked at the storm, then back to Chloe, then finally back to the picture. She closed her eyes, using every ounce of her strength to tear the picture. Opening her eyes, tears slowly filled them as she let the two pieces of the picture go, blowing into the wind.
"I choose to save you, Chloe. I-I don't want to lose you again," she sobbed. "I-I can't."
Tears filled Chloe's eyes as well, looking back at their home one last time, before hugging her best friend. "You won't." Max nuzzled her friend's shoulder, letting her cries be muffled within the jacket. "Y-You won't ever lose me."
Jerking awake, Max's eyes were full of fresh tears, still rolling down her face as she bolted upright. Her heart was hammering. Her body was sweating. Her breath was faster than normal. Darting around the room, she tried to find out where she was. On the left side of the room, pictures covered one side of her wall in the shape of a huge heart, in the corner a mirror sat decorated in flowers and cute animal stickers. The right side of the room held posters of bands and a rack of coats. Within the middle, a dresser sat with a flat-screen TV, cable box, and a picture of four people at a concert, that married the two sides together. She sighed, realizing she was in her bedroom.
Suddenly, the feeling of wind and rain came upon her like the ceiling was open. The storm was back. The storm was still going on! Her heartbeat sped. It was still happening! She was still in the storm!
Get a hold of yourself! a voice within her mind called out.
Taking a deep breath, she looked at her hands. They were trembling. Calm down. 1...2...3… She began to gain control of her hands, moving them around and feeling her covers. She took another breath. Steadily, she put her hands together in her lap. It's okay. It's just a bad memory. I didn't go back there last night. Just a memory. That's all it is. Slowly, her heartbeat began to return to normal. It's okay, Max. I'm okay.
Once she felt better, Max looked to the other side of the bed, finally noticing that Chloe wasn't there. Her heart gained, until hearing running water turn on within the bathroom and loud rock music began to blast. It was her.
Max sighed. Chloe is with me. Nothing's changed…. It was all a bad memory.
Slipping on her slippers, Max got up from the bed, looking at the pictures on her side of the room. They were all from their visits to California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and last, Texas. It was nice sightseeing and meeting other people of course but sleeping in a car wasn't exactly a great highlight of the trip. So, when it came time to settle down at an apartment, she was glad.
Stopping at the mirror, Max looked at her messy hair and frightened eyes, for a moment seeing herself with her usual bob, before seeing her current self. For the past year, she'd ditched her short bob, growing it to her shoulders. She looked different but held the same fears from two years ago. That hadn't changed…
Marching out the bedroom, she entered her living room passing picking up the TV remote as she made her way to the kitchen/dining room. Quickly, she placed the remote on the table before entering the kitchen. Sunlight hit her face as she opened the cabinet, taking out a box of green tea. Grabbing the kettle from the stovetop, she poured water inside and placed it on the front burner. With shaky hands, she switched on the burner, before holding her hands trying her hardest to calm down. But the nightmare - NO, the memory of that day still haunted her. One choice for a better future with Chloe and her together again, however, one so selfish it made her unsure of herself.
Picking up the kettle, Max moved to grab a mug - yet fell forward as something rolled under her feet. Falling to the ground, she lost grip of the kettle and - Smash! The whole kettle was in pieces and the water spread across the floor.
Crap! Quickly, getting to her feet, Max looked at the mess than the beer bottle rolling behind her. She facepalmed with a groan. Chloe, I told you not to leave things on the floor!
Raising her hand, Max bit through her guilt as she opened her palm. Instantly, everything blurred together as time began to rewind. One by one the shards of the kettle rose up and the water began to fill the kettle once more, by the time it was together - the kettle was back on the burner. Max put her hand down, holding her trembling hand to her chest. It's okay. She thought with a shaken breath.
Being able to control time was a gift that she possessed. It was what caused her hometown to experience strange phenomena and, in the end,, lead to the destruction of everything she knew. Ever since that day, Max barely used her powers unless she was late to work or if Chloe and she were in some type of danger. She refused to use it unless it was important! That included her very expensive kettle!
Carefully, Max picked up the misplaced beer bottle, placing it in the bin before picking up the kettle. Pouring her a cup, she placed the kettle down, then put her teabag within the water. As she waited for her tea to mix, she began to sit down at the table switching on the TV. Flipping through the channels, she stopped on the weather channel checking the weather for tomorrow. Sunny as always. Why am I ever not surprised by California?
"Morin'"
Max locked onto her girlfriend, then froze. Her dream flashed in her mind, seeing past Chloe with short blue hair and broken eyes standing before her -
Her heart skipped a beat.
But, by the time she blinked, she saw an older Chloe before her. In the two years and a half, her childhood friend had grown out her hair to her shoulders, re-dyeing it a lighter shade of blue at the top that bleed into violet tips. Instead of her usual black jacket, Chloe wore a denim jacket with spikes on her shoulders. Underneath her jacket was a blue tank with a white outline of an armadillo, she'd gotten on their stay in Texas. Her jeans were faded, a few rips upon her knees, she'd made with a knife last week. And black boots that stopped three inches to her knees.
"Good morning." Max's eyes stayed fixed on Chloe a bit longer, giving a low hum. "What's happening today that's got you up this early? Sundays are usually your sleep-in days."
"Usually yeah, but Zoey and Dakota invited me to the art district for one of their crappy plays," Chloe said, grabbing a mug and pouring herself some water. "It starts in an hour. And traffic near the university is a bitch to deal with. So, I'm leaving early. Hopefully, no morning traffic." She drops a teabag in.
"A play? Sounds like fun."
Chloe's jaw dropped. "What? You want to come?"
"N-No. I just didn't think you liked plays."
"I'm not an open book like you, Miss Time Travel," She says, sitting on the counter. Max rolled her eyes. "Speaking of time." Her voice became tense suddenly. "Did you use your powers again?"
Max bit her tongue. "Huh? N-No. Why did you ask?"
Chloe pointed to her hand, "Your hand is shaking."
Max looked down not even noticing her hands were shaking again. Her nerves had done it once before, conveyed her true feelings more than she wanted. It was hard to control fear.
Quickly, Chloe jumped down from the counter racing to her side. "Max, please I'm right here. If you ever need to talk, I'm always open." She placed her mug down, clasping onto her girlfriend's hand.
Should I tell her? Max averted her eyes. Keep it secret or tell her?
Meeting her girlfriend's eyes, she gave a heavy sigh. "I had that dream again. I was back on that day. I made the same choice; I did everything the same. It felt like I was back there like I'd rewind time. I woke up terrified, not knowing if I was still dreaming or alone. I can't even tell if this is real or not."
Chloe squeezed her hand tightly. "This is real. I am real. You are real. This isn't a dream or anything. This is our lives." She brushed her hand across her cheek. The warmth of her palm made Max relax. "So, don't be afraid. The past is behind us. And, though it may haunt us…. We can get through it together."
Max sighed deeply, bowing her head. "But I should have done something. I should have figured out a way to save everyone. I just needed more time."
Chloe's hand falling from her cheek, as she pulled out a chair. Their hands still together. "Max, if you used your power like that, you'd bleed out before even saving anyone. You can't save everyone. Even if you want to, you can't."
"I... know." But, not doing anything makes me feel worse.
Silence filled the room.
When Max rewound time back then everything felt endless and she could help others, yet every choice has consequences…. And each one still haunted her daily.
"I'll stay here."
"Huh?" Max looked up. "Chloe, you don't need to do that."
"No, I do. I'm not leaving my girlfriend in misery. Even if you try to rewind time to keep it from me, I'm going to know somethings up and stay. I can't leave you here to mope. I've learned the hard way that going through pain and blocking everyone out sucks. That's why when Rachel and I became friends, we went through Hell at Blackwell and with our families, but it was better to do it together than alone."
Just hearing "Rachel" brought more pain, remembering that the mystery of Rachel Amber's disappearance was how Max found the dark truths behind Blackwell. They had searched everywhere/one in pursuit of finding the truth, however, when the truth was revealed, all Max felt was anger for being fooled by Mr. Jefferson and used as a human subject.
She shivered at the thought of the darkroom.
Coming back from reminiscing, Max squeezed Chloe's hand giving her a look of understanding and sadness. "Chloe, I don't want you to give up hanging with our friends, just for me."
"I can always hang out with Zoey and Dakota. I can always see a play another day," Chloe said, before letting her hand go and heading out of the room. She looked back, giving a small grin. "Besides, I'd rather be here for you than anything."
Watching her girlfriend leave, Max sighed deeply. Taking a sip of her tea, she began to scold herself. I ruined her morning… She must have been really looking forward to the play.
Ding-Dong!
Huh? Who's here?
She began to get up -
"I got it!" Chloe shouted, rushing past to the door.
Max sat back down. Who's here? Did Zoey and Dakota come to pick her as a surprise? Her heart skipped a beat again. Now, for once she did NOT want the likes of this unknown visitor to be here. As the door opened, Chloe thanked the person at the door, but there were a few moments of low voices that Max could not hear. As the door closed, Max felt her heartbeat pounding in her ears, each time footsteps moved.
Chloe reentered the kitchen, carrying a medium-sized box. Her eyes went wide, as she gasped. A package?
"It's for you, Max," Chloe said, setting the box on the table.
"What?" Slowly, she began to stare more at the box. Then, to Chloe. "But I didn't order anything though."
"It's a gift from your aunt."
"Aunt Flora?!"
Bolting to her feet, Max grabbed a knife from the kitchen, then returned to the table in seconds. Cutting open the box, she felt like a child on Christmas, as she cracked it open and began ripping out white paper left and right, trying to reach the gift. For once this morning, she felt ecstatic! Oh, how her aunt used to send her mementos from her trips to Asia and Europe, ones that were so breathtaking!
Her hands landed on something hard, but as well cold to the touch. She felt her joy skyrocket even more, as she gripped the item and pulled it out. The coldness of the chain hit her arm, rattling gently. Tracing the item, Max analyzed the small circle, with the engraving of a bird sitting on a tree of flowers. The object was a pocket watch, one that was silver all-around with hints of blue and brown on the birds, trees, and flowers. Max traced the top, before opening the lid to find a clock, but at the wrong time. It's current time resting at 12 o'clock.
"Why did she send me a pocket watch?"
Chloe shrugged. "Maybe an early birthday present. Your birthday IS in a few months."
"Or a joke. We did tell her I was a "time lord". Maybe, she wanted to play a joke."
"Well, Flora must have sent a note or something. I doubt she'd just give you the pocket watch without a word."
Max peered into the box, sure enough, to see a single white paper. "She did." Picking up the paper, she cleared her throat putting on her best impression of Aunt Flora. "The note says: Dear Maxine," She paused, feeling annoyed by her first name. Chloe snickered. "I've been thinking about you lately since your move to California. I know you didn't want to talk about what happened to Arcadia Bay, but sometimes it's easier to accept it. This pocket watch is special, and I believe it will benefit you a lot. Always keep it on your person. Love, Aunt Flora." She looked at the pocket watch more closely. Returning to her normal voice, she hummed. "Seems this pocket watch is important so how. I wonder how?"
Chloe reached out for the watch, which Max handed off. "... It seems like a normal pocket watch though. What makes it special?" she wondered, looking at the design.
"Maybe at a certain time it does something?"
Clicking the button, the lid opened leaving her girlfriend to gasp. "I don't think it's that. Maybe it's broken, the hands aren't moving at all." Max begins to stand up. "Hey! When was the last time you talked to Aunt Flora anyway?"
"Ummm..." Max throws the box into the recycling bin as she thinks. "About two weeks ago, when I told her we were going to visit my parents. I haven't talked to her anymore since then and she never said anything about a package coming here. I guess she wanted to surprise me like always."
Max felt herself smiling, as Chloe handed the pocket watch back to her. Looking at the gift, she couldn't help, but be reminded of everything her aunt had done for them.
…
...
Two years back, soaked cold to the bone, driving for hours at a time, and sleeping in a truck, Max and Chloe were homeless. Their phones were dead. They had barely any money to buy food. They were all alone, followed by the news about the destruction of their hometown.
It wasn't until they hit Cyanide that the two found relief.
Once they arrived at Aunt Flora's house and pulled into the driveway, a brown-haired woman in a plaid shirt and jeans came their way carrying a broom, readying to hit strangers. However, when Max opened the door and stepped out, her aunt gasped.
"M-Max? Is that really you?" she said, her voice cracking as tears filled her eyes. "I thought... I saw the storm... I-I… Oh, my goodness, you're okay!"
"... I am." Tears filled her eyes as well as Max hugged her aunt tightly. She sniffed, "I am okay."
As they broke apart, Chloe entered the moment, causing her aunt to look at her. Max grabbed Chloe's arm pulling her closer to them, "Aunt Flora, this is my friend, Chloe Price. We… escaped from the storm together. We were hoping we could stay here for a while."
"O-Of course," Aunt Flora nodded.
Moments later in the dining room, Max and Chloe sat next to one another silently. However, Max could feel Chloe's eyes on her, yet didn't meet her eye. That whole time Max was trying her best to figure out what to tell her aunt. What to tell her parents? What to tell herself as well? There was only so much she wanted to say and so much she didn't want to remember because each timeline felt bleaker than the next and each time, she lost Chloe. But not this time.
Sitting down, Aunt Flora gave them both a wary look.
"Did you hear from my parents yet?" Max began breaking the silence.
"Not yet. But I'm sure they've heard the news. Do you want to call them and tell them you made it out?" Her aunt says. "Even more HOW did you get out of Arcadia Bay? How in the world did you two make it out alive?"
Max's stomach tightened but knew she had to tell her something. And, it had to be the truth. "Can you keep a secret, Auntie?"
Her aunt stared at her perplexed.
Once Max and Chloe explained everything that's been happening, the room became silent once more to the point Max could hear her heart beating in fear as she watched her aunt take in everything.
"... You two must be crazy. Max can control time!" Aunt Flora said, flabbergasted.
"Auntie…. It's true. I really can control time."
"... Maybe you can or maybe you can't. I need proof to really believe you. I'm afraid," she sighed deeply. "But not today. You have been through enough already. Until the commotion dies down, you can stay here. I have a spare bedroom in the back and the bathroom is just down the hall. Please make yourself at home."
"Thank you, Ms. Caulfield," Chloe told her aunt, then turned to Max. Max hesitantly met her gaze. "I'm going to go clean up."
Max opened her mouth to say something, yet nothing came out. Instead, she nodded
her head. Chloe left the room, leaving Max and her aunt at the table. Both quiet and waiting for water to start. When it did, Max exhaled.
"Thank you. I don't know how to -" "Maxine, thank me when I'm in a better mood because right now I don't want to hear it," she cut in.
Max gasp. She'd never heard her aunt like that or even reacted in such a manner. She just thought there would be an easy understanding, but really that is what Max hoped for. Something that didn't involve any conflict with herself or others, yet it wasn't exactly something that could just be brushed off. And she knew that.
Flora sighed deeply. "I'm sorry to snap. I-It's just… how can you think of risking your life like that? You were in a life or death situation with no one, but Chloe who knew about your power. You should have called me or told your parents about this."
"They wouldn't have believed me."
"You don't know that, nor should you not tell them," her aunt says. "Things like this, you need to let people you can trust know about this. There are times to hide things and times where you need to tell the truth. What happened at Arcadia Bay was tragic… And, while I don't agree with your choice, I know watching your childhood friend die is painful as well. You had good intentions that's all that matters, but please don't risk your life on everything. Even if you could turn back time, there are still consequences. And, gambling your life all the time will hurt you, Max. In more ways than one. It's not your responsibility to save everyone."
"I ... know."
Max began to get up, "I'm going to go check out the spare room. Make sure it's not littered with bed bugs like last time I was here."
"Oh, I remember that. You were seven years old then. Ah, you used to love that room full of world treasures until those bugs invaded," her aunt chuckled. "But, don't worry since then those critters are long gone."
"'kay"
She began to head up the stairs -
"And Max…."
She stopped at the fourth step, looking back at her aunt, "Yes?"
"When using your powers, always think before using them. As you have noticed everything you do has a chain reaction in not just your life, but many others. Use it wisely."
Max nodded slowly. "I promise I will."
As her aunt watched her off, Flora felt a tingle of worry slithered into her mind. As if, she doubted her niece's pledge. Getting up, Flora headed back into the kitchen, coming face to face with a hooded figure sitting on the counter.
"So, you weren't lying. They really did come as you predicted," Flora says, sadly. "So that means..." She didn't want to finish that sentence, knowing the harsh truth.
"You have proof like you asked. Now, can you help me?" the figure asked.
Flora nods, "What do I have to do?"
"Not much." The figure pulled out a pocket watch - the same one in the future. "But I feel as though this Max will serve a better beholder. I'm sure she may not understand it now or ever, and it may even leave her befuddled… though I have faith in her. She'll go far with this. I know it."
A MissOblivionJ Production presents….
Life is Strange: Life's Greatest Wonder
= Chapter End =
Me: Chloe's hair and Max's hair are both very different from LiS2. I did this to show that the time differences between the two games since this is taking place in between them.