Sunday, Quarter to Noon, After the Storm *

I can't even see the water from here.

The barriers, installed by the police or Guard or whoever, keep the trio of girls hundreds of yards back. Multiple organisations, ranging from the EPA to NSA, seem to all have representatives present. A group of individuals in hazmat suits are the focus of all attention, with two windbreaker-clad FBI agents directing the circus that was once a beach.

'This is hella lame. All the government types are here.' A long drag of a cigarette.

I hope she stops. It's not the smell or anything. But her health is gonna take a dive.

Kate skirts back from the crowded perimeter. 'I guess we'll just go back.'

Flicking the stub, Chloe shakes her head. 'Nope, Wild Kate. Where there's a will, there's a way. And I am very willful.'

Kate catches Max's attention, mouthing Wild Kate in confusion.

Chuckling, Max guesses. 'Shakespeare, I think. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. She thinks she's clever by constantly inventing nicknames.'

A haruph issues from the bluenette. 'I am clever.'

'Sure.'

'Like the Doctor.'

'Don't push it.'

'Katie, Max is being naughty.' She turns to Max, eyeing her with mischievous intent. 'You don't want to be here when I punish her.'

She's incurable. 'Chlo, not in front of the children.' Her blush refuses to dissipate, in spite of the cool air coming from the ocean. 'What if we go somewhere else? The... water stuff looked pretty big.'

Kate chimes in. 'What about the lighthouse? You know, get a lay of the land. You can get some aerial shots of... whatever this is, Max.'

'Uh, sorry Kate. Max has problem with heights...'

Not heights, just that spot. But Kate is right. 'It's all good. I'll be fine.'

'You sure?'

Chloe is worrying too much about me. I mean, I get it. But we need to talk about weirdness-related stuff soon. 'Yeah, I'm really sure.'

The trio head towards the lighthouse. The walk is full of chatter. Chloe regales Kate with stories of Max as a gawky preteen while the blonde talks about her sisters. Max, though quiet, basks in her two favorite people getting along so well.

'So we decided to steal my mother's jewellery. I mean, we needed some booty to bury.'

'That's terrible Chloe!'

'Naw, it's fine. My mom caught us before we left the house.' Chloe shakes her head. 'Though that time Dad took away our swords because someone thought she could force Mom to walk a plank.'

'Max? Really!'

Of course she leaves out... 'I seem to remember a certain captain holding the cat ransom until we got them back.'

'Um, I don't recall you complaining while you were petting him.' The taller girl punctuates her point with a stuck-out tongue. Dammit Chlo, quit acting bratty-cute.

'You two really were sisters growing up, huh?' Kate slows her walk, starring at the ground they tred. She has an inward smile, looking up at Max. 'My sisters and I were never like that. We love each other, and we shared things growing up. Mostly art and music. But we never got in trouble together.' A chuckle, again inward. 'I haven't been in trouble in years. Never did anything worth getting in trouble for.'

These words, along with her growing understanding of who Kate is, seem to have caused a computational problem in Chloe's thoughts. 'But, why? Didn't you have any fun?'

Of course you equate trouble and fun.

'Sure we had fun. My parents are just... strict. Not bad, but rules are ment to be followed. We also always had much to do. I volunteered, after school programs. I was always busy with one responsibility or another.'

Chloe is agast. 'Like, not even staying up past bedtime?'

Kate looks confused. 'Why would I stay up too late? A child needs all the sleep she can get.'

Staring at Max for help. 'Can you explain it to her?'

'Nope, you went down this rabbit hole all on your own, Malice.'

'Malice. That's a good one. You're learning.' Chloe leans her head towards Kate, explaining the finer details about why defiance and anarchy equal enjoyment.

I hate to say it but this is her operating at a 6. Maybe a 5. Max marvels at the interactions between her best friend and her girlfriend. I hoped they would get along. I expected them to get along. But still... They are such polar opposites. The blonde laughs at something the bluenette says. As long as Chlo doesn't corrupt her too much.

The precipice comes into view, the simple lighthouse looming over. Conversation and laughter die before they reach the cloud edge. None of them want till approach first, tho get that clear view of the waters below. Come on Max! Fish or get off the pot. She approaches, hesitantly. I need to see...

She can't explain. Her breath holds until the exhalation forces her to take a step back. Her companions join their hands with hers, facing the same reality laid out before them. But this can't be real...

The Bay, from shore to near horizon, is still and even. A near-uniform neutral blue is broken by a lighter band of thin rings. No, a spiral. Going clockwise. And it's not perfect circles. They are jagged, like a scribble. I've seen this before. Where?

My power!

No! I did nothing!

Wait, it's backwards. The opposite of my rewind.

Can someone fast forward?

Details begin to filter into Max's thoughts. A mild depression, almost invisible save for it's effect on the sunlight, sits along the near end of the spiral. A larger... protrusion is at its exact center. Like an unpopped bubble.

Max drops Chloe's hand to reach for her camera. Kate won't let go, in fact now gripping with both hands. Still, Max can luckily pull out Williams's old Polaroid and raises to her eye.

She depresses the button.

The sound of the shutter.

Red light, red skies, red water. The camera looks stained, the hand holding it flushed. One breath to next, a different world.

A small whimper breaks the oppressive silence. 'max...'

Get left hand still clutches a pair of trembling counterparts. I brought Kate? Fuhhh...

'max, what is this? what is going on..?'

Sorry, Kate. Gotta ignore you. Max looks down to the waters, absorbing everything she can. Unconsciously, she narrates aloud what she sees.

'The dimple in the water looks deeper, it's almost at the middle. The, uh, pimple I guess, it's big. Like four stories big. And pointy. Like a reverse funnel.'

'max, you're scaring me.'

'Sorry Kate. I need to look at this. I need to get all the info I can.' Her head tilts. 'I don't hear anything. Except for a siren, probably from town.'

'Max! Explain now! What the heck is going on!' She finally grabs Max's eyes from the tableau below. 'What is this and why are you so calm?'

The cold detatchment is cracked. Fear grips tightly but quietly along her spine. 'It's the future, Kate.'

Shock, disbelief, anger. 'Not funny, Max.'

'This is the future. This is my vision. Eh, our vision. This will come to pass if we do nothing. Or if we do something. I don't know. It's never clear.'

'WHAT? A vision? And- and you talk like this has happened before...' Gears shift and click. A puzzle Kate didn't understand she was solving is complete. 'You saw the storm coming... You knew... Did you know when?' A darker thought appears. 'If we do something? Did you-'

The dimple reaches the center. The entire edifice sudders and collapses, top to bottom. When the last drop meets the surface a concussive force bursts outward, knocking the two girls down. Still holding hands, Max attempts to pull Kate to her feet. But a second wave of pressure, then third, then fourth...

Lighting dims.

Hands part.

Thr brightness of the afternoon sun burns Max's eyes. Clear blue, left to right, darker to brighter. A splash a vibrant blue is just visible in the far left. It shifts, revealing a familiar face of worry. A smile removes some of the gravity, but not all.

'Max! You're awake. And so is Katie.' The face comes closer, nearly brushing noses. 'Was it a..?'

'Yes.'

Two heartbeats. 'Did Kate..?'

'Yes, see saw it too.'

The smile departs. 'What are we-?'

'Max.'

A quiet but firm voice, aligned with her head.

'What was that?' Sounds of movement. Another person appears. Worry again. And an alien emotion mixed in. Anger.

'Kate. I don't-'

'Stop. Now. I'm naive, I know. I'm not dumb.' Crossing arms and frown. 'Don't p-piss me off. No lies.'

Cursing? She has every right to be angry. I need to... tell her. To confess. I hope she can forgive.

'I can control time.'

'Max...'

'No, Chloe. No. I'm not going to lie to her. I've hurt enough people.' Max sits up and stares deep into the blondes eyes. 'I'm going to tell you everything. It's going to hurt, Katie. I'm not proud of all. Some of it...' Be honest. You need to be fully honest. 'Some of it you'll hate me for. I hate myself because of some of the things I did. I made some terrible choices.'

Shaking of a head. 'Max, I can't hate you-'

'Yes. You can.'

Start big. Start right here.

'Friday afternoon, I had to make a decision. Let the Storm happen. Let those people die. Or. Let someone else die for them...'

'How can you make a difference like that? That's insane.'

'That was my week. I said, I can control time. I'm serious. I could- I could have gone back and stopped everything from happening last week. I think.' Standard defensive Max body language. Arms crossing, looking down and to the right. 'I can only be pretty sure but... I had the opportunity to change what happened on Monday.'

'What happened on Monday? Or, what didn't happen?'

'Chloe... Chloe...'

'I die.' Both have forgotten her there. 'I die in the bathroom. Nathan shoots me. We don't know if he gets caught. Or if Jeffershit gets caught. Or anything else that would happen. Only that the Storm probably would not come.'

Kate lasers back in to the brunette. 'How?'

'Like I keep saying, I can go back in time. I could go back and not push the fire alarm. I can go and watch Nathan... kill her again.' Tears again. I'm so tired of crying this last week. Why can't I be stronger?

'Wait, let me get this right.' Pensive and quiet, Kate tries to work through this bombshell. 'You- you had to either let Chloe die, or the town. And you chose Chloe?'

A rhetorical question, but Max is compelled to answer. 'yes.'

Fury finally paints the petite girl's expression. 'Okay. Chloe, I dont want to offend you. You're pretty amazing and I understand why Max loves you. But how could you let her kill all those people for you?'

'She didn't-'

A click. A snap. How dare she question me. Nax doesn't know why the next words come out, but they need to.

'BECAUSE I'M HUMAN! BECAUSE EITHER WAY I'M A MURDERER! WOULD YOU LET ME DIE? OR YOUR SISTERS?' Max no longer is speaking to her two companions. 'THAT WHAT YOU WANT? I WOULD HAVE DIED FOR HER!' A double salute to the void. 'FUCK YOU! IT'S NOT FAIR! I CONTROL MY OWN FATE!' Tumbling accusations and pent up rage. 'NOT EVERYONE'S! WHY AM I THE ONE RESPONSIBLE!' She doesn't know if she has ever yelled so loud. Her voice already hurts and a snap is felt in her throat. The burn doesn't prevent her tirade. 'I was just a normal girl. I was fine. You put all this on me. You forced terrible choices.' The tears can't abate. 'Why?' Max tastes copper and a slight sweetness. 'why make me choose between love and...'

She turns to Kate. So much frustration, anger, aimed at her powers. Her situation. All-powerful yet helpless.

'i wasn't strong enough to let her die. i'm not... i'm not sorry she lives. i am sorry others are dead, but not this.'

'Abraham and Isaac.'

'what?'

'God spoke to His prophet Abraham, and commanded him to bring his son for sacrifice at the alter. Abraham was about to do so, but God stopped him, seeing the devotion in his heart.'

'this was not god. something else wanted her blood on the alter. i won't. i can't. not on blind faith. not without reason.'

'not chloe.'

Most of the anger had left Kate's demeanor. 'Max, I don't know how to- I don't know if I even believe you.'

'...i saw you jump on tuesday...'

'W-what?'

'i saw you jump. and i stopped it. i was off campus and got back too late to stop you. so i rewound and froze time. that's how i made it up to the roof.'

'Then- then why didn't you just keep me from... going up there?'

Rueful chuckle. 'i'm not all powerful. i have my limits. that's why my nose was bleeding. a warning when i push too hard.'

'Max, I don't know.' Trepidation. 'If what you're saying is true, then. Then you let four hundred people drown. You let Warren...'

Chloe once again steps in. 'Die. Yeah.' A hand through blue locks. 'I... I wanted her to let me die. Told her to do it. But you don't know the whole story. I asked her to... to basically murder me.' A cigarette comes out. Flick. 'The last five years I've been worthless. I've hurt everyone who loves me over and over. I've been hurt over and over. I wanted it to end.' She stares at her love, a small smirk devoid of any laughter on her face. 'I think I might still kill myself if it brought those people back.'

Oh, Chloe. No...

The taller girl pushes on. 'But it won't. I can't. That was a one time event. I hope. Now all I can do is be good enough and try to make my life worth something. So that people didn't die in vein.'

A hug between them. Forgiveness and support. Neither blames the other for choices made. They have understanding. And purpose.

Kate wraps them both up, though she is unable to embrace them much further than shoulders. 'I dont know what I would have done. I don't... I don't think I could have let my sisters die. But Max, this is still... messed up. People are dead. It's not your fault, I believe. But it is because of you. We need to do something.'

Max feels her heart break. 'we?'

The nod is felt, not seen. 'Yes, we. We need to help people. When you used your p-powers to save me, I became just as responsible.'

Back up. 'no. other people put you up there. you were attacked, hurt. it's not your fault that-'

A shake of a head, this time. 'No. I may have been driven to that state but... I climbed those stairs. I decided to... do that. You saved me from my demons. From myself. From something happening that was closer then even I thought.' She backs up and sets herself steely. 'So, let's do this. I think. Tell me what happened.'

Chloe and Max begin, trading off with a fluidity that only comes from years of friendship. Every few minutes one of the girls glances past the cliff face to the water below. Maybe to find a change. Maybe to wake up.

Kate shares as many sighs, sobs, and hugs as she can with the couple. Talk about emotional rollercoaster. At the end of the tale, the blonde also voices the concern lying between them. 'You haven't used your powers since Friday, right? What's going on with the Bay?'

Shared looks have shared questions. 'We don't know.'

Kate's worry overwhelms her. A hiccup issues. 'B-but if you didn't use powers, i-if you don't know... What can we do? We can help people. But not something like this. Not what we saw...'

Honestly, she's handling it better than I thought. Even the whole...

You can say it.

I did NOT murder those people.

Suuure...

I was told to murder Chloe.

You were asked to save people.

Then why didn't it matter?

Chloe died in American Rust. The Storm still came. Chloe died in-in that bed. The whales still beached themselves. The Storm still came. I saw it before any of this happened. How could an event from a week ago produce the same exact results as an alternate timeline from five years ago? The only way it doesn't happen is one death on a Monday? Why? It makes no sense.

Yeah, but you-

No. No buts. You, me, whatever, this voice is the only voice not seeing the reasoning here. Butterfly Effect my ass. There is something making this Storm. These events are going to happen regardless of what I do.

You keep blaming something.

What if it's someone?

'MAX!'

Huh? 'what?'

Chloe harumphs. 'I asked about what you saw. And said your name. Four times.'

'Sorry. I was thinking this through. Or rethinking it. Chloe, in... in the William world... the whales still beached themselves. The snow and eclipse and everything still happened...'

The pain in Chloe's voice, either from her lost father or the ordeal Max went through. Both. It hurts Max. Kate even reacts. 'Y-yeah.' She turns to the blonde. 'That's w-where Dad didn't get hit. I did. Paralyzed, respirator. M-max h-helped me...'

Silence.

Silence has been doing a lot of talking.

'i euthanized her.'

Kate looks sick. 'Oh, oh God. Max, that's...'

'i'm terrible. i know.'

'No! That's not-' She clenches her fists, getting heated. 'Max, how many times have you seen Chloe die?'

'i don't know. five?' She looks to the bluenette for confirmation.

'And how many people have you seen die.'

Max has to think hard. Victoria, Jeffershit. Um, the walk in town there was a few. The diner had like 20? 'i don't know. dozens. but a few were multiple times, i think.'

'Dear G- what do you mean, multiple times?'

'well, chloe, obviously. the train hit her, like, three times before i got it right. the diner blew up twice. i, uh, couldn't find the sand right away.' Her voice sounds little different from a person recounting an afternoon shopping for shoes. 'and david shot jeffershit twice. i mean, i knew he wasn't dead-dead, i was going to change it anyway. so i got a little extra revenge...'

Why are they looking at me like that? 'guys? uh, i mean gals. what's wrong?'

Chloe takes the plunge. 'Max, you're freaking me out. How can you be so calm about it? How are you turning on a dime like this? People died. I died! Right in front of you!' She shakes in place, one arm wrapping herself for protection, the other reaching out.

Confusion. A touch of anger. A spoonful of fear. 'but you're not dead. why wouldn't i be fine?'

'Kate..?'

The third girl pauses the conversation, gathering words. 'Max, you are not acting normal. No that's wrong.' A new approach. 'You are acting too normal. Too okay with all... this.' Hands thrown up in defense. 'I'm not trying to attack you. It's just, you are being so emotionless about all these deaths you witnessed.'

'what are you talking about? I've spent more time crying the last few days than the rest of my life.'

'Yeah, but it's always about Chloe.' Pressing on. 'You get upset, emotional, when it's Chloe being effected. Not your friends. Not family. Not the hundreds of people dead.' She can't stay impartial. Emotion leaks through her stoic facade. 'I knew you care for me. And I know you feel. The horror of the past week is obvious. But you get so... cold. When you talk about it, I don't know... Will we get unstable but emotional Max? Or. Or...'

'Sociopathic Max.' Chloe voices the thought neither girl wants true. 'You- Okay, Max. You're... the rest of me. You help keep me sane. I can't do this without you.' Laughter, trying to diffuse the situation. 'We have ample evidence. But you keep... I don't know. Dropping out? You stop being here. I can't. I can't deal with all this without you here, fully, with me.'

How dare they. How can they say that...

Are they wrong?

Wha..?

Are they wrong? You do keep checking out. You are compartmentalizing you grief and guilt. And not in a healthy way.

No.

Yup. Listen when you talk. You watched David kill Mark. And rewound to watch him do it again. That's fucked up.

oh.

Yup.

Oh wow.

That's what I've been saying.

What's wrong with me?

We don't know. Neither do you. But you need to figure it out.

A numbness has overtaken Max. A drunken feeling, fuzzy lips and confusion.

'chlo.'

Arms reach. Contact is made.

'chlo, there's something wrong.'

Tight arms. Fingers soothing through hair.

'I got you Max. I got you and I'm not going anywhere.'

Some grounding is regained. Not all. There is still the... split. The disconnect. But Max sees it. A step forward.

'but we have a problem.'

'Besides your reality check?'

'the storm. the new storm. i didn't do it. i think... i think someone else might have.'