* Monday, Some Time Before Noon, After the Storm *

'Max, stop.'

The bluenette grips shoulders with much more force than necessary. 'In and out, just breathe.' The hands shake, vibrating the world ever so slightly.

'There's a reason for this.' It feels right for Max to find these words. 'We- we've been running around looking for clues.' A photo waves in Chloe's view. 'Look, Che. A clue.'

Compartmentalize. Focus on fact.

'But what does it mean? The pic from the day my d-dad died?'

Barely a stutter.

She's handling it now. Good.

'I have no clue.' Can't leave it there. 'But you can be damn sure we're going to find out.' Good. Placated. 'Later. We figure this out later.'

Nothing is ever so important that it cannot be put off until tomorrow.

A small shiver.

When tomorrow and today are the same time.

'Oh-kay, Max. We'll put a pin in it until later.' An index finger taps the smaller girl's nose. 'But I reserve the right to freak out later.'

Bossy Chlo is a cute Chlo. 'Aye, Captain. Shall I pack your brown pants?'

A sterner gaze than expected greets her comment. 'Max, you're hella cute. But I don't have it in me to laugh right now.'

'...kay...'

A grin cracks the bedrock. 'Do not even try the wounded puppy right now.'

I wonder if I can get that anime sad-eye look right. Max softens her r's as she responds. 'If you weally tink I need to be mowe sewious...'

'Max...'

'...I'm sowwy...'

A pair of thumps at the door abort an embrace before it starts. 'Max! Quit snogging your girlfriend and help!'

Dammit. The duo share a look. 'You think Kate told her?'

Chloe looks down. 'You mean brash, gossipy, outgoing Katie-bear?'

Half-second looks between them, doing the math. 'Actually, yeah. She gossiped a bit during our tea-time.'

More math, then in unison. 'Naw.'

Another pair of thumps rattle the door before Max pulls it open. Before her stands a pile of shoe-boxes above designer sweats and sensible shoes. Pivoting, a slightly red-faced Victoria is revealed.

'This is my last load and if you two are done humping we can get moving.'

'Victoria, isn't that a... a lot of shoes?'

A tsk emits before a juggling motion almost causes the pile to drop. 'Max, this isn't shoes. A bit of makeup, mostly papers and negatives, a few bits of what I need...'

'Okay, okay. Chloe will take down a load with you. I'll finish up.' A few shuffeled boxes and bags has Chloe emulating Victoria, granted with a bit more volume. A quick kiss on the cheek and Max shoos the two on their way.

The receeding conversation is still quite audiable in the empty hallway.

'You two don't have to be all snobby.'

'What are you talking about, Chase?'

'The whole peck on the cheek thing.'

'Victoria, that's what couples do.'

'WHAT?'

Ruefully, Max closes her door. I'll let Chloe have her fun. A couple of armfuls of clothes later and the duffle bag was bursting. Did not realize I had such an extensive wardrobe. How many graphic tees do I own?

Duffle bag on one arm, guitar on the other, mini suitcase dragging along. Half traveling minstrel, half unemployed hipster. Might be two halves of the same thing. She looks around, checking for any last minute necessities. I'll be back, right? Then why... why does it feel like I'm running away from home?

All quiet, all doors closed. Disturbingly like her nightmare. Yeah, really hoping to walk through these doors once. The silence isn't erie, precisely. It has that post-explosive whine, like tinnitus in your ear. It isn't the lack of sound that is heard. The brain instead tries to supply an idea of what should be heard. In this case a whine, barely on the edge of detectable, rising in volume as Max makes her way down the hall.

The school is empty and, save for a few final moments of activity as she is picked clean, dead.

Maybe Blackwell needs to die. Maybe everything that happened here needs to be forgotten.Maybe just you need to forget.Without a last look, Max leaves.

The warmth of the noon sun, in a sky unmarred by clouds, doesn't quite penetrate her bones. The animated discussion, on the other hand, taking place in the parking lot does bring a smile to Max's face.

'So, like, how long have you been dating?'

'Yeah, probably since last Friday, really.' Chloe scratches her head. 'I mean, I was crushing hella hard on her since we were teens.'

Victoria's face lights up with something half devious, half questioning, like she just found a puzzle she'd love to solve. 'You know, I never would have guessed Max was gay.'

Oh, let's nip this before it gets bigger. 'I'm not gay, Victoria. Well, I'm not, like, attracted to women. I think. It's just... for me, it's just Chloe.'

The couple's eyes lock, and the blank face of the bluenette is betrayed by the smouldering heat in her eyes.

'Oh, barf. Come on now.'

A smaller voice interrupts Victoria before she can get any steam. 'I think it's romantic. What could be better than falling in love with your best friend Vicky?' Kate is starting at the sky, a smile beaming from her face.

No one but Max detects the dark moment that plays across Victoria's face.

'Okay, so. Let's load up the truck. Katie, you go with Chloe. I'll ride with Victoria. This way if we get separated I can still get us to your house.'

'You sure Maxaroni?'

'Yeah.' That wasn't a good look on Vicky. 'The roads are screwed up enough, with emergency services and stuff, that we're probably going to get separated anyway.'

'Kay. Love ya babe.' A brief hug and kiss. 'See you there.'

So couple-like. I can definitely get used to this.

The dangerous smirk is back on Victoria's face but the brunette waits until they settle in the car before speaking. 'Victoria, if you were grinning any tighter your lips would fuse. What gives?'

A shake of the head, a slight giggle, and the car pulls onto the street before the blonde answers.

'Love? Really Max?'

'Well...' Uh... 'Why not? I knew Chlo for, like, ten years before I moved.' Am I defending this to Vicky? 'We weren't just friends. We were sisters.' Gross, wrong word. 'I mean, I've never trusted anyone ever the way I trust Chloe. No, not just that. We trust each other with everything. Not just gossip or secretes. I know she will be there, for everything, without me asking or needing her. And I'll be there for her. Even when I can't help, even when I know being there might hurt her. Because...' Where am I going with this? 'Because nothing, no happiness or pain or anger, is worth experiencing without her.'

Exhaustion blankets Max but does not linger. Instead it wraps her briefly before falling off, taking with it a tension Max hasn't noticed, a nagging sensation. I didn't understand why, before. I didn't question my feelings for Chlo, consciously. But I guess, a part of me was... scared? Or confused? I never put into words this before.

It takes Max a few moments to refocus on the car interior. When she does the sound of a slightly stuffy inhalation draws her gaze to the left.

The profile is pale and tight. A shine traces the front of the visible cheek. A black puddle begins to form under the eye, a slight brushing of mascara.

'Oh, oh Vicky. Oh, I'm sorry if I upset you.'

Quickly a hand wipes both eyes, visible and not, before settling back on the steering wheel. A whisper issues between the tight lips.

'no, max. it's not you. i... i understand exactly what you mean.'

Two more lights change from red to green before Max says the name of the third passenger in the car.

'...nathan...'

The car wobbles ever so slightly before righting.

'can we not max.'

I really don't want to so... 'O-okay Victoria. But when... if you ever need to talk. I'm here. I'm here when you need-'

'Why?' The sharp word cuts the air, creating a vacuum between the two girls. 'Why do you want to hear about Nathan? He killed people! He assaulted women! He wanted to... to me! Why should you want to hear about the guy who- who tried to hurt your girlfriend?'

'That's...' What? Am I just a glutton for pain? 'I...' I just... want... to... 'I'm not offering to help him! I want to help you. You need help with this.' Even if I have to talk about that stain. 'I can't just let you be in pain if I can help.'

The blonde still hadn't turned to Max. Her face is so screwed up in pain it's a blessing there is next to no traffic on the road.

'Victoria, you asked why it won't stop. That's because...' Because why? 'Because this is it. This is life.' All the power of the universe never stopped the pain. 'It's brief and chaotic and full of too much bad shit. Sometimes it's so painful you won't want to go on. You just...' Want to stop everything. Do it over perfectly. 'You just deal with all the shit around you because you get lucky. Every once in a while you get a moment that makes you realize... It's worth it.' Chloe's worth it. 'All the negativity is worth that one little moment in time that is the perfection you've been striving for.'

They had pulled over somewhere around "this is life" without Max noticing. She had closed her own eyes about the same time. Looking to her compatriot, Victoria is wide eyed and converting her mouth.

'You- you really see moments like that? I've never experienced that.' The shine of her cheeks is back. 'I don't have someone in my life like that. Well, I- I almost...'

Yup. Let us try again. 'Nathan.'

Staring back at her hands. A nod for confirmation. 'We go way back, you know. Art school for years together. He was always so... edgy. Provocative. Drew me like a moth to his flame.' A rummage through her purse, the pulling a folded page, a thrust into Max's hands. 'This is the first thing he ever did for me.'

The paper stock wasn't much different from construction paper, just firmer. The drawing, for that's what it was, shows a portrait of a young girl. It's Victoria. Fourteen, maybe younger. The artist's choice of medium wasn't readily apparent. It seemed much like pencil or charcoal, but that would have never stayed so clear considering the wear the page showed.

A dried black marker. He purposely used a nearly dead marker so the ink would come out weak.

The most impressive part was the actual approach. In photography terms, Nathan had recreated a photo negative. All that was bright in real life was presented in darkness, and vice-versa. The twinkle in the eyes were dark points in bright corneas. The bruised lips were stained with slashes of light. A hypnotic effect from the not quite solid black background.

She's beautiful the way E. A. Poe would call Death or Despair his mistress.

'It looks almost exactly like the photo he took it from. Except he said- he said this was how I look from the inside. How I saw myself.' Click, flick, inhale. 'He was right. I hated myself so much at times.' A hand to forestall any arguments. 'I know, teenager, hormones. Adult shit hits with no warning when you just want to go home and watch cartoons. Most of us go through moments like that growing up.'

'But Nathan saw mine and took them away.'

That's... deeply disturbing. And heartbreaking and beautiful.

'It's like, him knowing my demons made them leave. I had someone who understood me. Nathan kinda saved me.'

Dammit. So messed up. 'And you loved him.'

'I was in love with him. I still am.' A shaken head and the cigarette butt get flicked out the window. 'But he never felt that. To me or to any else. Physicality... upset him. He wasn't a germaphobe. He just can't accept intimacy. Even from his sister. He couldn't accept a hug without protest.'

Wow. Just, wow. 'Victoria, I'm so-'

'No! No pity. No sorry, or help, or "God's plan" or "everything will be alright". I fell in love with my demon slayer. Who was also a demon.' Finally she meets Max's eyes again. 'I understand completely when you say you love Chloe.'

She pulls back out on the road, looking to catch up. Or run away.

Depends on whether there is a from or a to when describing the journey.

Five minutes of silence is all Max can take.

'Vicky- I mean, Victoria. I... don't know what to say. Just. Thank you. For sharing. And trusting me.'

I cannot believe I'm going to say this too.

'N-nathan was a victim too. He still did some... terrible things. But. But he was a tool for that...'

A sigh and a very mild smile issue from the blonde. 'Thank you. For listening. And what you said.'

I knew she needed some real interaction today.

'And, uh. What you said before. About perfect moments?' The hesitation is clear. 'I think, Max, that. That's what makes you such a great photographer.'

Huh? Compliments? And... are we bonding?

...

Cool.

Lucky for both girls the Price household appears within moments. A waving Kate and an irate Chloe stand on the lawn waiting.

The house doesn't look too bad. Some missing roofing and shingles. And- the back fence is in the front yard. And the swings are on the neighbor's garage.

Still, could have been worse.The bluenette barely waited for the car to stop before starting in on them. 'The hell guys?'

'Sorry Che, the, uh, Guardsmen stopped us for a minute.'

A separate conversation breaks in. 'Oh, Vicky! Why are your eyes so red?'

Gotta do... 'Oh, as soon as the guy got to the window, Victoria turned the waterworks on. It was masterful. The guy was so embarrassed he just let us go ahead without even asking a question.'

The story satisfies them. Damn, I'm good. A nod when no one's looking is all the thanks Max needs from Victoria. With a bit of pomp and ceremony Chloe unlocks the door and ushers everyone in.

'Welcome to Castle Price. Where anarchy and suburbia wage war.'

Jeeze, look at- "Chlo, looks like anarchy is winning.'

The entire back wall of the house is ruined. Previously glass doors and windows were framed by the wall itself. Now not a single square inch of glass remained, instead strewn across the living and dining room like fallen stars. Two metal poles, the ones used for traffic signs, are half skewered through the walls on either side of the door frame, one of which has taken a path putting it through a corner of the fire place that graces the room. Every item once on the wall, photos, frames, pictures, has been forced as far forward as the wind could force it. The fridge looks naked, no papers or magnets attached its surface. The dining table is overturned. Everything is damp if not outright soaked, and covered in a layer of grime.

Chloe is the first to break, a crack in her voice. 'Not quite sure if it's an improvement...'

No. You do not get to hide from this. We're facing this together.

In twenty minutes or so.

Max turns to the pair of blondes. 'Kate, the closet should have a broom and dustpan. See if you can... at least get the glass out of the way. Victoria, the garage is right through here. There's tools, and a tarp I think. And the suitcase. I'll be back as soon as Chloe gets some new clothes.'

Max's two new minions are quick to start the cleanup, only slowing to pick their way through the worst of the debris. A gentle prodding at the small of Chloe's back only sends her a step towards the stairs. Only insistent but gentle pressure causes the bluenette to attempt the climb, and even then she nearly trips before her gaze is taken from the destruction of the first floor.

Don't freeze on me.

It takes the third repetition of her name for Chloe to break from the fugue. The grin Max is greeted with, though, puts to rest most of her growing fears.

'You still with me?'

The taller girl's smile grows wider. 'I'll always be with you, Max.' She squarely faces her room door and only pauses to quip at her girlfriend. 'It's not like my room could get any worse, right?'

The destruction that greets them is... the normal kind. Both windows have minor cracks but neither are in danger of opening to the elements. Otherwise the room is just Chloe-chaos as usual.

'So it looks like your room couldn't get any worse...'

'Hey, that's your girlfriend you're talking to.'

'I know.' Picking up a tossed shirt only to let it drop from her fingers back in the corner. 'I'm coming to the conclusion she might be a slob.'

Gritted teeth flash towards Max. 'When I get hold of you Caulfield...'

What, you'll bury me in dirty laundry?

'Okay, first things first. I'm going to change. So, unless you want to help...'

Laughter. Small but welcome. 'Nope, I'm good. I might end up stuck in the castoffs.'

'Fine. then can you, um...' A serious face overtakes the fleeing grin. 'Can you see if they need help down stairs?'

Right. 'Yeah, that's the plan. See if you can find anything clean to wear. And don't forget Joyce and David need some clothes as well. And...'

What can I say in this situation?

Max grips the taller girl in the tightest embrace she can muster, just holding her for a moment. 'And take your time, Chloe. Don't rush. We got downstairs for now.'

Max feels the embrace returned as fiercely as it is given. 'I know, Max. I... Thank you.' A kiss alights the crown fo the brunette's head. 'How did I get so lucky with you?'

As if. 'Luck had nothing to do with it. We fought hard to be here. And we'll keep fighting.'

The first floor, on the other hand, almost makes Max regret he words. Victoria, in no-nonsense mode, lays out the damage.

'There's no power, still. Everything in the fridge is going bad, do not open it up. I unplugged all the non-essential stuff, just in case of a power surge. The TV looks ruined anyway. And the phones. And the microwave. And we are not getting this gunk off without some heavy-duty scrubbing.'

Kate peeks her head up from behind the couch, sweeping more garbage into the dustpan. 'Most of the glass is done, though.'

The pixie blonde nods. 'Yeah, and the drywall from where the sign posts came through.' She stares at the two-foot sections of metal jutting downward alongside the door frame. 'I am not ruining my nails trying to pull those out.'

Do Not Enter. Slow Down. Not like they're bad omens or anything.

'Okay then. Did you at least find some tarps?'

'Yeah, airing them out in the backyard.' Victoria eyes Max. 'Do you even know how to swing a hammer?'

Seriously? 'Yeah, I know which part not to hit my hand with, thanks.'

The trio sets to closings off the house from the elements. Once the tarp is in position, Max and Kate (on a step stool) holding it up, Victoria squares off, implements of construction in hand.

'How's Chloe doing?'

'She was pretty thrown, Kate. I mean, anyone would be, seeing their house all trashed like this.'

'Yeah, I guess...' She looks pensively as the first two nails go in crookedly. 'Vicky, just give me the hammer.'

'But I got it-'

'Did you spend the last two summers working with Habitat for Humanity?'

The next nail goes in straight and true.

'You need to know the right way to hold the hammer. Not just to be strong.'

Max and Victoria share a look.

'What? You two think I can't work?'

Victoria mollifies the other girl. 'It's just, well. You're Kate. I've never heard you raise your voice before, let alone a tool.'

The petite blonde blushes but raises her head. 'Well, I am a woman of many talents, not all of which are known by my appearance.'

A giggle dances across her features as she tries to maintain a haughty and stern expression.

Victoria is going to burst a blood vessel. 'Katie, are you mocking Victoria?'

The threatening giggle bursts forth. A small answer issues. 'maybe'

Max and Victoria share another look. Less doubt, more comedic outrage.

'You started her on this path, Max.'

'Did not. Wait. How?'

'Your hipster disenfranchisement and general screw-the-world attitude.'

'Oh. Okay, I'll take credit.'

Kate's head whips back and forth between the other girls, her smile only growing wider. 'Good. You two are friends now too.'

Are we? We can be, I think. It'd be easier to get along with Vicky instead of going back to the Cold War stand off.

Victoria speaks directly to Kate. 'No, we are not friends. But... I don't totally hate her anymore.'

Two can play at this game. 'Yeah. In spite of her bitchy exterior Vicky is actually quite a pleasant person.'

'Yes, Maxine. Your overly bubbly personality and slick witticisms have worn down my prickly exterior.'

Wait, are we fighting now. 'Well, you got the prick part right-'

'Stop!' Not loud, but insistent. I'm not sure Kate could be loud on purpose. 'We are not going backwards. Only forwards. No more fighting, or backbiting, or meanness. Now shake hands.' The expectant look Kate gives the two of them is fit for a mother.

Fine!

'Fine. Victoria...' Max thrusts out a hand. 'I'm done. No more hostility, or fighting, or... meanness.'

The returned grip is tight, but not crushingly so.

The tarp falls from the wall, tearing free from the nails.

Twenty minutes later combat boots walk down stairs to see the three girls laughing around the counter.

'Yeah, Chloe is up to her knees in the Bay, seaweed hanging off her shoulders. She's waving something in the air screaming about booty. I thought Joyce was going to have a heart attack.'

'What was it?'

'Some sort of crab or something. The things legs were squirming and it looked like it was going to pinch her.' Max takes a swig of water, before continuing. 'That was the last year we were allowed to be pirates for Halloween.'

The bluenette feels the need to interject. 'Didn't stop us from building our fort next summer.'

'Chloe!' Max runs to her, frantically gripping Chloe's arms in faux fear. 'I have terrible news! Kate made me... friends... with Victoria.' The last word, delivered in a whisper, adds in a childish conspiratorial element.

'Katie, you better not be filling my girlfriend with friendship-is-magic nonsense.'

Kate claps, bouncing in place. 'I love that show! Rarity is my favorite, but Pinkie Pie is...' The looks she receives quickly still her enthusiasm.

Until-

'Rarity is the best.' Everyone wheels on Victoria. 'What, I have younger cousins.'

'You are a woman of hidden depths, Victoria.' Chloe starts rummaging in her pockets. 'Speaking of depths, my pockets are missing a lighter. You got one on you?'

'Yeah, I'll join you.'

I hope you quit soon. 'Hey, you better brush your teeth before we make out later.'

'Yeah, sure.'

'Who said I was talking to you Chloe?'

Turn back, Max sees the petite girl practically vibrating in her seat. 'Something up Kate?'

A piercing whistle interrupts the answer before it can form. 'Tea time!' Two quick cups of steeping tea appear in front of Max.

'So, Max. What... what's it like? You know...' A gesture towards the front door.

'Being with Chlo? Well, aside from the world changing drama, pretty good.'

'No, not... not just that.' The petite girl turns a bright crimson before mumbling her clarification. 'What's it like, you know... kissing?' She immediately buries her face to hide her embarrassment.

Here's the tea-time gossip I love. And I get to share juicy bits!

'Well, it's... messy.'

'Wait, what?'

'Half the time we get to, you know, kiss... One of us is usually crying, or just done crying, or about to cry.' Puzzlement falls across Max's face. 'Our relationship is built around tears.'

'Oh, it can't be all bad.'

'No!' Giving her the wrong idea. 'Listen, the first time we kissed, for reals, we were in the woods outside of town. Chloe run ran off because we fought about, nothing really. She was worried about Joyce and I was talking about my mom... well, it doesn't matter. I chased after her and found her just, just destroyed. She was heaving from the pain. So here we are, sitting in a forest clearing and I finally calm her down and... and she just looks at me and tells me...' Oh Dog, its sounds so lame and romantic at the same time. 'She tells me she doesn't see me as just a friend. She wants more. And she dares me to kiss her...'

Kate is near tears, her face blissfully imagining the scene. 'Oh my gosh, Max. I never would have guessed Chloe was so romantic.'

Yeah, you and me both. 'I just sat there. Not gonna lie, I hesitated. But Chloe is the person who always pushed me. She always dared me to be more. So when she dared me I just... I had to know. I mean, I thought about it, sorta, over the last week.'

Kate interrupts. 'Max, from what you told me... everything you did last week was so that you and Chloe could be together. Like, if I only heard about what you put yourself through last week, I just would assume you were in love. It's fairy tale stuff, what the two of you did.'

'Yeah, well. I wish someone had told me. All I knew is I needed Chloe in my life. I didn't even think it would be... this way.' The wistful look on Max's face elects another giggle from her friend. 'Oh stop.'

'No, you continue.'

'Where-oh, right. So, she dared. And I did it. And I knew really knew how I needed her in my life.'

Yeah, that was it.

Forgetting the doe, though.

Not like it's important to the story.

Isn't it?

'Max, what's wrong?'

Steeling herself, Max sours the conversation. 'Not to change subjects so harshly but... there's more weirdness.'

'What-'

'Max! Katie-bug! Look at this shit!'

The intrusion from the front door startles both girls. Rushing over, they see what's going on to cause the stir.

'It just started, like, boiling out of the Bay.'

A wall of fog, starting from the beach and enveloping the town bit by bit. Not like the sort of fog that lays over land only to be burned off .by the morning sun. This is more the thick plume from a steam engine, rolling outward at least three stories tall. Thick, a fog machine working overtime in a club. It flows like water around houses, defying gravity as it travels uphill. It has already made major strides inland, even up towards the lighthouse.

A firm grasp is on Max's left shoulder even as her right hand seeks Chloe. Standing there, fantasy firmly slams down on Max's reality.

'Oh, damn. I'm getting so tired of this shit.'