R2 Wednesday

The sense of their ever-present bond held close to Max's heart as the softness of Victoria's bed captivated her again with the lingering reminiscence of last night's pleasantries. When she opened her eyes, she was startled by how close Victoria's face was, still slumbering as she felt her breath against her cheek. After spending an entire day with the old Victoria, it seemed more apparent how she instinctively suppressed her feelings for her out of sheer embarrassment, but now they all came flooding back into her.

Suddenly, Victoria shifted a bit and snuggled more closely to her as if sensing this unconsciously. Their noses were just touching now, and Max could feel her heart flutter before picking up its pace. Victoria let out a whimper at the touch of their noses, then a slight smile appeared on her and faded as she seemed to slowly begin waking up from a pleasant dream.

Almost reflexively, Max's thoughts still in a slumber, she leaned forward and connected her lips with hers; Victoria responded, pushing her lips back with a pleasant look forming on her face, her eyes still closed. Max's arm came around her waist, massaging the small of it as she opened her eyes sleepily. When Max began kissing her more persistently, everything abruptly changed as she felt herself being forcefully pushed away and seemingly knocked out of her senses.

As Max found her bearings, she looked up with confusion at a freaked-out-looking Victoria, who responded reflexively, "What the fuck, Max?!" Max was stunned and didn't know how to react. Victoria's gaze switched from her to scanning the room she was in, suddenly looking perplexed. "Where the hell are we?!"

Max was startled by her words, her thoughts waking in her head. "Did this actually happen? Why else would she be freaked and not know where she was?" Everything became clear as her brain fully woke up, her thoughts changing to words in her mouth. "Victoria, were you just ... in the RV?"

Victoria looked at her like she was crazy. "Where the fuck else would I have been? Max, what's going on?"

Others began to slowly wake as Victoria looked at Max intently for an answer. "You shifted with me. ... Don't you recognize this place?"

Victoria's face quickly changed to a mixture of awe, shock, and reverence as she looked around again, more carefully than before. Everyone but Kate was sitting upright now, looking around with astonishment. There were a few moments of awe-inspired silence, then Victoria nearly whispered, "I barely recognize it ... although that walk-in closet looks familiar ... and the windows; god, I miss those windows."

She crawled off the bed and walked across the room to a tall arching window, partially covered by drapes. When she pulled the drapes back, there wasn't much light out yet, but Victoria's expression seemed to light the room with a feeling of joy and sentiment. They all watched her as she gazed out the window, tears forming in her eyes. She eventually turned around to them, barely able to contain herself; she seemed like she wanted to express something but couldn't quite get it out from the sudden shock of it all.

Rachel looked at her with empathy. "Just like you remember?"

Victoria didn't seem to hear her at first, then snapped out of it. "It's ... perfect; it was never like this; it's like ... a dream within a dream."

Victoria's nose sniffled as a tear rolled down her cheek, then suddenly her hands covered her mouth as her attention shifted with alarm to Kate, who was still sleeping despite all the drama. She lowered her hands slowly as she walked towards the bed with hesitancy, stopping a few feet away as her eyes remained fixed on Kate. She whispered, "Is that ... really her, Max?"

Max looked at her sympathetically. "Yeah, for the most part ... but with some differences, as you know."

Victoria gently sat on the edge of the bed beside Kate, slowly reaching out and tracing her hand around the frame of her face. Max suddenly became aware of Chloe on the other side of her, who looked like she was in a state of shock and deep in her thoughts. It may have been alt Chloe's body, but she could tell that her Chloe was on the inside, somehow.

As Max looked at her, she didn't seem to notice, but when she reached out and gently touched her shoulder, she snapped out of it as her eyes connected deeply with Max. Her voice sounded frightened. "He's really here ... for reals?"

Max smiled a little and nodded her head, reaching down and holding her hand. After a moment, as if finally absorbing her unspoken response, Chloe squeezed her hand, still looking frightened. Max spoke with care. "We'll take this one step at a time, Chloe. Just relax and breathe; he's not going anywhere, OK?"

After a moment, Chloe took a deep breath and nodded in response, looking more relaxed but still alarmed. Everyone was watching them now. Chloe reluctantly began to open her mouth. "I don't know why, but I'm scared. ... I don't get it; shouldn't I be happy or something? But instead, I feel like ... running away." She suddenly changed gears, looking angry as tears dripped down her face. "What the fuck is wrong with me!"

Esha was on the other side of Chloe now, holding her shoulder, and Rachel and Victoria were sitting beside them, looking at Chloe with empathy. Max wasn't sure what to say; she simply didn't understand what she was going through; she still felt their connection but couldn't relate to her situation.

Esha responded calmly, "Chloe, the reason for your anger is because you hate your father." Chloe looked at her speechlessly with disbelief. "I mean, not in the same way you hate David, of course; when he died, you felt abandoned and blamed him for everything that went wrong in your life, which is understandable, but it's going to take some time to reconfigure your internal perception of things."

Chloe abruptly looked confused, seeming to forget everything for the moment. "Reconfigure my ... what?"

A smirk appeared on Esha's face, which quickly spread to the others. "Sorry, I just mean that you've built up a callus against him with your anger to protect yourself from dealing with his loss. It's going to take awhile to get past it and warm up to him again, but it'll probably always be there to some extent, although I'm confident you'll get over it for the most part; as Max said, just take it a step at a time."

There was a moment of absorbing silence from Chloe, then she began to look more relaxed as she looked at Esha with a mixture of appreciation and cynicism. "Thanks for the psych evaluation; you probably got that from Rachel." She sighed with reluctance, "I guess today is destined for more of the usual goop. ... But seriously, I don't know what I'm going to say to him; even when putting aside all my baggage, my mind is just ... blank."

Esha smiled at her fondly. "Good."

Chloe looked confused. "Good?"

"Yes, because you don't want to speak from your mind but rather your heart."

They all smiled pleasantly, including Chloe with rolling eyes. "Guess I should have seen that one coming, ya mushy weirdo." They chuckled a little as Chloe's attention shifted to Rachel. "You absorbing this OK?"

Rachel gave a slight smirk. "After yesterday, I think it's going to be more downhill than not, and besides, I'm hella excited to meet my sister; I would dream about having one when I was young. I'm really going to enjoy this."

Victoria looked at Kate with fond interest. "She's a heavy sleeper."

Max noticed her again as the others shifted their attention. "Yeah, the last time we were like this, Rachel woke her up with a kiss."

They all looked at Rachel playfully, but she looked reluctant. "Sorry, guys, I ain't that Rachel."

Victoria looked at Max curiously. "Are my parents around?"

"No, I haven't even seen them once since I started coming here; I think they're away on business."

Victoria didn't look surprised as she rolled her eyes a bit. "I guess some things never change. Do they even know I killed someone?"

"I don't think so, or at least Victoria didn't mention it. I see her texting on her phone sometimes, so I think that's how they communicate for the most part."

Rachel began looking around the room with fascination. "I don't know about you guys, but I'd love to check this place out." She looked at Victoria expectantly. "Ready to go down memory lane?"

Victoria smiled with sentiment. "Yeah, but it's been so long; I'm not sure I can be a guide."

Max chimed in, "No worries, Victoria gave me the grand tour already, so I'd be happy to be your guide."

As everyone began to get up and look around for their clothes, Victoria looked at Kate again. "Should we wake her up?"

Max responded positively, "Yeah, she probably wouldn't like waking up alone, and she's always excited about what we're doing next."

Victoria walked over to Kate and sat beside her, hesitantly shaking her by the shoulder a bit. Kate began to stir. Victoria was startled, watching her in awe as if she was a dead person being resurrected. Kate slowly opened her eyes, noticing her with a sleepy smile. "Hey." She reached out and held Victoria's hand. As a tear rolled down her cheek, Kate began to wake up more fully with a look of concern, propping herself up on an elbow. "You OK?"

Everyone had stopped what they were doing and watched them intently. At first, Max wasn't sure if Victoria would be able to speak, then she finally responded, her voice filled with sentiment, "It's good to see you, Kate."

Kate smiled at her with an odd look. "Yeah, you too ... but why are you crying?"

Victoria's nose sniffled, and she couldn't seem to say anymore. Kate sat up and gently held Victoria's shoulder as more tears dripped down her face. Kate began to look more concerned now, caressing her shoulder as Victoria met her eyes again with difficulty. "Kate ... I'm so sorry."

Victoria abruptly embraced her in a hug as she sobbed into her shoulder. Kate looked bewildered but sympathetic too. When Victoria finally stopped crying and released her, Max intervened, "Kate, something far-out just happened; I mean, nothing more far out than usual, I guess, but ... different."

Kate shifted her attention to Max, still looking concerned. "Is everyone OK?"

"Yeah, we're all totally fine ... physically, anyway; ya see, when I shifted this morning, I didn't just shift myself this time."

Kate's eyes became wide as she looked more aware of everyone else. "Everyone?" Max nodded. Kate looked frightened. "That doesn't mean that they're gone forever, right?"

Max became frightened at the thought. "I'm pretty sure they'll come back."

Esha chimed in reassuringly, "Don't worry, Kate, they'll be fine."

Kate seemed to relax at her words, looking at everyone in a new light. "Well ... nice to meet you." She gave them a shy smile and a wave. In unison, they all smiled back at her endearingly, seemingly becoming instant captives of her cuteness.

Victoria suddenly looked apologetic. "Sorry about that; I have ... lots of baggage."

Kate beamed at her with sympathy, "It's OK, I get it now." She hugged Victoria again, whose spirit seemed more uplifted now.

After she backed away, Victoria looked at her fondly. "Kate, you're the sweetest person ... in any reality." Kate smiled back shyly.


After they got dressed, they went into the other room and got their bearings, sitting on the couch and admiring the new atmosphere. Victoria seemed to especially enjoy the photos on the wall. "She's got talent ... and great taste in décor. I'm not sure whether to feel depressed or inspired, though; it's like being in a world where everything in my life went right."

Rachel smiled at her grimly. "I think we'll all be feeling a lot of that today. Might as well try seeing it in a positive way ... if we can."

Victoria looked contemplative. "It kind of makes you wonder, though; what is life, anyway? I mean, if I'm Victoria, and this other me is also Victoria, then what does it actually mean to be ... Victoria?"

Everyone looked somewhat confused and in thought except Esha. "What it means is that memories and the structure of your mind can't tell you who you are."

Everyone except Chloe looked enlightened, which Rachel noticed. "Maybe it would be easier to think of it as having a clone in a cloned universe like some sort of cosmic experiment."

Chloe looked uneasy. "But who's running the experiment?"

Esha chimed in, "Or perhaps, who's making the dishes. Think of each reality as a dish, and the universe, god, or whatever you want to call it, is the chef, and a good chef is always known for the variety of their dishes."

Everyone smiled pleasantly as Max suddenly felt odd, like she heard this before. "OK, I'm getting a case of deja-vu here."

Esha looked at her curiously. "About what?"

Max thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah, you said that in the timeline that didn't happen when Rachel and Chloe went to see her mom." They all looked fascinated.

After a moment, Esha went on, "Well, whatever it is, we're certainly privileged to be aware of the nature of the universe on such a level. I've known many wise people who have searched for truth and meaning their whole lives yet never came close to what we've seen. I doubt we're the only ones but certainly the few."

Chloe looked perplexed. "And how do you describe this truth that we've seen without using metaphors?"

Esha responded swiftly, "You don't; you just experience and accept it as it is without the interference of thought. Ultimately, the mind can't understand something so deep and profound; it only labels and objectifies."

Chloe still looked confused. "O ... K."

Rachel looked at her with a smirk. "In other words, the truth is deeper than thought."

Esha smiled in agreement. "Exactly."

They quietly sat reflecting on this; even Chloe seemed to get it to some extent. Esha looked at Max with interest. "Max, it's becoming more apparent that the manifestation of your power is not only growing in scope and diversity, but it's reflecting more on your feelings and mere intentions. I'm assuming that when you went to sleep last night, you felt particularly close to us, and you embraced that feeling as you shifted, right?"

"Yeah, with all the emotional stuff going on, I felt more connected than usual. Clearly, I need to learn better how to control this. Expelling my sensual energy doesn't quite do it anymore; I mean, it certainly takes the edge off and makes my powers less erratic, but it feels like access to my aura has multiplied after my last showdown with Jefferson."

Esha looked at her seriously. "Max, I believe you're ready to take another big step: When I told you that it would be better to expel your sensual energy than to deal with it, I may have been mistaken. At the time, it seemed like the safer and more practical thing to do, but since your meditation has improved so much in such a short time, I believe you are safely capable of learning how to expel it in a more internalized way that allows you to retain control of it in a different form. In turn, this will help you to not only control the natural flow of your energy so it won't cause any interference with your aura, but it will help you control the energy from the aura itself."

Everyone quietly sat as they seemed to be absorbing what she said for a moment, then she continued, "The rest of you are certainly welcome to learn this technique too; the support would be helpful, of course." Surprisingly, Chloe didn't object but instead seemed quite intrigued along with everyone else. Esha continued, "I know that all of you have certain things you need to do today, but it shouldn't take much longer than the rest of the morning."

As everyone voiced their agreement, Victoria began looking at her phone intently. Everyone noticed and watched her with interest as her facial expressions became erratic from what she was reading on the screen. Rachel finally broke the silence. "Let's have it, Victoria."

Victoria became aware of them again. "Just getting over the friendly relationship I have with my parents here. Based on my texts, I think I actually like them; I mean, their completely different: They give me my space, they respect who I am and my own ambitions, they don't project their deficiencies onto me, and I could go on just based off a few texts I've read." There was a glimmer from a tear in her eye as she paused a moment. "And Alfred is here; he was like a grandfather to me. Not exactly someone who wore his heart on his sleeve, but he had a certain quiet wisdom about him. I'd bother him a lot, but he was always patient and taught me things. He was probably more of a father to me than my father was ... but when we sold this place, we had to let him go. ... Just a few weeks after, he died ... alone. It was the first time I really learned what death was."

Max tried to be positive. "You should see if he's around today."

Victoria seemed to like the idea and tapped at the phone. She suddenly looked optimistic yet puzzled. "He is, and now he's asking if I want breakfast made."

Max was confused at her reaction. "Isn't that something he did before?"

"Not at all; we made our own food, and he helped with other things like gardening and cleaning."

Max responded informatively, "In this reality, you've got an entire kitchen staff, and most of them come here from the restaurant your parents partly own. You also have a staff for gardening and pretty much an entire workforce at your disposal."

Chloe looked impressed. "Damn, someone hit the jackpot."

Victoria smirked. "I guess. So, do you guys want breakfast?" They all smiled and nodded. Victoria tapped at her phone again. "It'll be ready in about half an hour."

Kate chimed in pleasantly, "I've never eaten so many extravagant foods before I came here, and you've got to see the garden."

Victoria responded, looking uplifted again by her words, "Yeah, I saw some of the photos; you seemed to really enjoy it."

Kate began to look excited. "You can't even imagine; photos don't begin to describe it; it's like walking into a whole new world. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was the garden of Eden."

They all smiled at her as Esha chimed in, sounding optimistic, "Sounds like a great place to meditate."

Kate looked at Esha curiously. "I know that all of you are different, but Esha, there's just something so strikingly different about you, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

Esha smiled back knowingly. "Yes, this Esha and I have lived strikingly different lives. Of course, that's true for all of us, but for myself, the nature of those differences is ... I suppose you could say that they're on another level."

Rachel chimed in whimsically, "'On another level' describes you perfectly, Esha." Everyone chuckled in agreement.

Victoria was looking at her phone again as they talked, and they all watched her curiously as she tapped at it with keen interest. Finally, she noticed the room was quiet, and everyone was looking at her again. "This is all so cray-cray; Victoria did tell her parents about killing Jefferson, and they had a conversation about it. I don't know the details since it was a phone call, but based on some following texts, they were concerned and wanted her to see a shrink, yet they trusted her judgment about being with you guys instead."

Max was at a loss. "What's so cray-cray about that?"

"Well, obviously, you don't know my parents; they never respect my judgment about anything, and they treat me like a tool. Apparently, the two of them get along here too. I know I already said it, but fuck, they're just altogether different people, yet at the same time, they still have their same jobs and general mode of being; how is that possible?"

"I wondered the same thing about Jefferson before I knew that he wasn't so different. These realities can make things seem confusing, but I guess it just is what it is."

Victoria looked mildly frustrated. "Yeah, maybe ... but how do I get from here to who I should be? I'm not even sure if I want to."

Max responded, "Victoria, you both have qualities that make you unique; you shouldn't look at this in terms of better or worse; you're both perfect in your own way."

Esha looked impressed. "I agree with this completely; perfection is merely a perspective on the way something or someone should be, not a defined thing."

Victoria seemed somewhat comforted by the sentiment as she took a deep breath, looking surrendered and shifting her attention to Max playfully. "Judging by this morning, you seem to be enjoying this Victoria's 'perspective' on things quite a bit."

Max was taken off guard by the sudden change in subject, feeling embarrassed. "Um, yeah ... sorry about that."

Victoria looked amused. "It's alright, it's not that you freaked me out perse; it was just ... unexpected."

Rachel, Esha, and Kate seemed to get it, but Chloe looked confused. "What was unexpected?"

Victoria responded with a smirk, "She kissed me awake."

Chloe looked playfully interested. "So, how was your first time kissing a girl?"

Victoria suddenly looked disconcerted. "Well ... since this isn't my body, I'm not even sure it counts."

Rachel chimed in, "I agree; whatever happens in this reality, stays in this reality." Everyone laughed.

Chloe came in on a different note. "Speaking of new bodies, I don't know about you guys, but I'm hella loving this one. Ever since I got here, it's been so easy to breathe, and I just feel so ..."

Max finished for her, "Healthy?"

"Yeah, I never realized how bad off I was until now."

Esha noted with optimism, "You're very young, Chloe; if you keep doing what you're doing, you can be just as healthy."

As everyone became quiet again and Victoria continued looking at her phone contents, Rachel and Chloe decided to join her, finding their own phones. Max quickly began to wonder herself and went to find hers. She hadn't really cared much about it before; she had looked at her Facebook page and sent an occasional text but hadn't thought about exploring it extensively. As she scanned through some texts, she could see that her relationship with her parents was fine yet not very active; they obviously gave her space and didn't worry or depend on her much, which was different.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Everyone looked curious, including Victoria. "Am I expecting someone?"

Max responded, "Not that I know of. Maybe you should ask who it is."

Victoria yelled, "Who is it?"

A muffled voice came from the other side. "Your coffee, Ms. Chase. Would you like me to bring it in?"

"OK."

Victoria looked started and pleased when she saw Alfred come in, pushing a small cart. She stood up and looked at him with reverence and awe as he rolled it next to them. "Please excuse me, Ms. Chase; I took the liberty in assuming you'd like your coffee before breakfast; it may be longer than usual before it's fully prepared."

Victoria smiled at him with sentiment, her eyes becoming wet. "That's perfect, Al. Thanks a lot."

Suddenly, and very unexpected to Alfred, he was in Victoria's arms. He looked startled at first, then began to look pleased as he hugged her back as if stepping out of his formal role for a moment. When she let him go, her eyes were full of tears as he looked at her with concern. "Mr. and Mrs. Chase explained to me what happened ... are you sure you're alright?"

Victoria smiled back at him as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Yeah, no worries, I'm in good hands with these guys. ... It's good to see you."

"You as well, Ms. Chase. If you need anything or ... would like to talk, please don't hesitate."

"I won't. Thanks, Al."

After he left, everyone served themselves coffee and continued perusing their phones. Esha seemed happy enjoying the morning peace and quiet in a subtle form of meditation. Kate began looking through her sketches and doing some touch-up work; it didn't take long for Victoria to notice and give praise.


After awhile, Victoria's phone buzzed and announced breakfast. As they began out the main door and down the long hallway, everyone marveled at the atmosphere and décor. Halfway to the stairway, there was a piece of art on the wall which Victoria looked particularly pleased with; she stopped for a moment and looked at it closely before continuing down the hall, pausing at almost every painting and artistic detail to absorb it completely.

As they walked down the staircase, Max began to inform Victoria. "There's also a separate room or gallery full of paintings you should see." Victoria voiced her agreement as they continued down the staircase and into the dining room.

They all marveled at the extravagant-looking breakfast dishes and assorted pastries spread out on the table on delicate plates and platters. Everyone sat down and didn't hesitate to dig in. Max didn't expect them to eat much given the emotional tension, but she couldn't have been more wrong, not that she could really blame them as the food looked and tasted amazing.

Max couldn't help but laugh a little as she watched Chloe start on her second croissant, stuffing it in her face shamelessly. Chloe smiled at her with protest. "What? This shit's hella good."

"Sorry, I've just never seen you so enthusiastic about eating. I guess this means I'm not imagining things about the food in this reality; it just has a flavor and quality above and beyond. Even the fish & Chips at Steve's Famous Crab is better than I remember."

Chloe concurred with a grunt as she chewed her food enthusiastically along with the others. After swallowing, she stopped for a moment with delight. "Really? Steve's Famous Crab is still in action here?"

"Yeah, it practically looks brand new, and Victoria's restaurant also has great food; there's just something about this reality and food, among other obvious things." They all looked in agreement as they continued eating.

After they were shamelessly well satisfied, they sat back in their chairs and watched with wonder at the people that came in and swiftly cleaned the table off. Esha eventually spoke. "Perhaps we should let this digest a bit before getting into our meditation."

They eventually made their way to the living room area and lounged for awhile, enjoying the atmosphere of the new room along with the enormous fireplace, then decided to check out the art gallery. Victoria almost lost her mind with excitement, especially at the painting of her and Rachel. After perusing the art for some time, they decided to head to the garden.

Max lead them through the yard to the treeline and down the trail to the entrance. For Max, being inside this garden again was just as delightful and wondrous as the first time. After everyone finished frolicking around and looking at everything, they eventually made their way to the center beside the large tree, where there was a small patch of plain grass big enough for them to sit.

After they sat in a circle, Esha commented, "This is truly a remarkable place. You were right, Kate; photos can't capture the beauty here. In all my life, I've never meditated in a place so seemingly perfect for meditation; it will be a good starting point for the journey ahead today."

After explaining the basics to Kate, she instructed them step-by-step in the new technique Max needed to use. It went slow at first, and there were many questions, but eventually, they understood and got it right. After doing several drills focused on Max, Esha stopped the special lesson and began a normal meditation session; they closed their eyes and focused inward.


Max was relieved with how pleasant this session was; she didn't have any trouble preventing her thoughts from wandering, and somehow, she could tell that no one else did either. She completely lost track of time; when Esha told them to open their eyes, it felt like only a short time had passed even though her phone said it had been hours.

Everyone else seemed just as startled, especially Victoria. "Max, did you seriously just fast-forward time?"

Rachel looked amused. "Now there's an idea. If you can reverse time, then why not try fast-forwarding it too?"

Max rolled her eyes. "It's not possible; the future hasn't happened yet."

Chloe looked at her skeptically. "How do you know?"

Max was at a loss for words and looked to Esha for support, who smirked at her. "My perspective on both the future and past is that they both don't exist except in our mind. Max, when you supposedly rewind time, I believe what you're really doing can more accurately be described as manipulating the flow of energy that brings together the present moment into what it is. So, if you can make it flow one way, I suppose it could flow the other way as well; perhaps, just like your water experiment, you should just give it a shot."

Max was startled yet impressed at Esha's ability to make her look at things differently. She never thought of it like that, yet it seemed to make perfect sense now, especially after the long meditation session. "OK, in the name of science; although, I don't think alt Chloe will forgive me for trying this without her."

Chloe responded, "I'll record it on her phone, so she can watch it later."

Chloe took out her phone and watched with everyone as Max closed her eyes and began. She reached out within herself as she would normally do to reverse time, but instead with the intention of pushing forward, although there wasn't really any way to describe it. Everything became blurry as the sound vanished like it usually did, and nobody around her was moving much at first. Suddenly, Chloe got up and began to pace around slightly faster than what looked normal, and the others stood as Esha approached Chloe and put her hand on her shoulder.

As she continued to curiously observe, she noticed that Chloe seemed to be crying now; this startled her, and she reflexively stopped as the blur of everything quickly came back into focus. All at once, everyone's eyes bolted in her direction with surprise, followed by what looked like deep relief. Now that everything was clear again, Max was startled to see that it wasn't just Chloe that was crying but Rachel and Esha too.

There was an intense moment of silence between them, then Chloe burst out with tears still in her eyes, "Don't ever do that again!"

The way she sounded was ominous and grave, which confused Max. "What happened?"

Esha responded, looking more relaxed than the others but not by much, "Max, it was like you disappeared from existence completely; not just your body, but your spirit as well. I couldn't feel you or your aura in the slightest; it was excruciatingly painful ... for Rachel and Chloe but especially myself."

Max was alarmed. "Don't worry, I'll just go back and-"

Esha interrupted, "No, don't go back; this was an important lesson; now we have truly known what it means to be connected to you and what the price is for that. I can only have all the more sympathy for what the other Esha went through before she found you."

As Max stood up and approached them, Chloe embraced her with tears, followed by Rachel and Esha. After they let go, Max felt unsure of herself. "Are you sure about this? I can always tell you what happened."

Chloe looked calmer now. "It's OK, just don't do it again; I think Esha's right ... as usual."


Thanks to their long meditation session, it didn't take long for everyone to re-center themselves. After spending some more time wandering around and enjoying the sights of the garden, they ended up sitting together on the old wooden swing. There was nothing but silence at first since they were still in their usual post-meditative state, but eventually, a thought came up through one of them; Max heard Rachel's voice. "This just doesn't feel right; here I am about to meet my sister for the first time and probably see my maternal mother for the first time in years ... yet I'm not feeling anything about it. Esha, are you sure there isn't such a thing as embracing this 'emptiness within' too much?"

Esha looked hesitant. "I suppose what it comes down to is how you want to live: Do you want to let emotions have the best of you and determine how you live or think? Do you want to embrace the calm and let logic and reason govern you? Or perhaps a balance or combination of the two? Before I met any of you, I was almost strictly governed by logic and reason, but after our connection, I saw this was a mistake; balance between the two is more rewarding. The universe is a place that's constantly striving to achieve balance, yet it never quite gets there. One way or another, we're a part of it, but the question is, do we resist or do we go with the flow?"

Rachel looked mildly confused. "So, does that mean I should meditate less?"

"Not necessarily; I didn't expect you to advance so quickly, but apparently, I should stop treating all of you like amateurs. How do the rest of you feel?"

Chloe responded, "I feel less emotional than before, yet I can still feel it in the background." The rest of them voiced their agreement with Chloe.

Esha looked impressed. "You're all improving nicely, and I believe this garden was a deep help too. The next time we'll try to focus more on creating positive emotions; in fact, right now, let's take a moment and focus on a positive thing in our past; something associated with the people you're going to meet today. Focus on it as you focused on the emptiness; be one with it, and let it grow."

Everyone quietly sat and closed their eyes. Max noticed that the emotional atmosphere between them began to grow more pleasant; it was like a ray of sunshine penetrated every cell in her body, making her feel more alive. After a short time, Esha told them to open their eyes, and everyone seemed to look how Max felt.

Chloe looked at Rachel curiously. "Care to share what you thought of?"

Rachel smiled pleasantly, her eyes slightly wet. "Even though the pleasant memories of my maternal mother are pretty limited, I'll never forget the way I felt when we were sitting up at the lighthouse, and I turned around and saw her standing there with that rose."

Esha smiled as if remembering too. "Hold on to that, Rachel; it's a perfect symbol of who she truly is in her heart, and it's probably who's waiting for you at your house now."

Rachel smiled brightly as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Alright ... I think I'm ready to do this, but Max, I need you by my side on this one; I don't want to feel that way again."

Chloe chimed in, "Yeah, me neither, but we probably shouldn't all go; this doesn't seem like the sort of thing for a crowd."

Esha looked agreeable. "I'll stay here with Victoria and Kate; the short distance won't bother me."


After Max, Rachel, and Chloe left the garden, leaving the others behind, they found Victoria's car keys and headed out in her blue convertible. Max drove as the others sat in the back. The short trip was quiet, but Max could feel the tension growing, which reached its peak as she parked and turned off the engine. She looked back at Rachel curiously. "Did you get any useful info on your phone?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, my mom knows what happened to Victoria and mentioned that I should come over to talk sometime, so it won't be a surprise that I'm here. I'm also fairly certain Leana will be here ... but I'm not sure about my dad." She sounded uncomfortable at his mention.

After taking a deep breath and opening the car door, Max and Chloe got out and followed her. When they approached the house, Rachel didn't even have the chance to knock on the door, as it swung open to the sight of her mom. She looked overjoyed and embraced Rachel in a hug. "Rachel, I'm so glad you came." After she let go, she looked at Rachel sincerely. "I've been so worried about you and Victoria since the incident; is she doing OK?"

Rachel looked stunned for a moment as if still absorbing her presence and demeanor. "Yeah, she's ... taking it well, actually; you know her, tough as hell."

Sarah smiled knowingly. "Yeah, to say the least." She glanced at Max and Chloe pleasantly. "I was just having some coffee; come in." Max felt welcomed by her genuine and casual personality as they followed her to the living room area. As Max and Chloe sat on separate recliners, Rachel and Sarah sat on a couch together as she went on, "Your dad is out at the moment, dealing with the aftermath; it's usually pretty quiet in this town, but he certainly has his hands full today. Help yourself to coffee, if you want."

They politely declined as she casually picked hers up and took a sip. Rachel looked in a state of awe as she watched her speak and drink. Sarah seemed to notice as she set her coffee down, looking at Rachel with concern. "Are you OK, honey?"

Tears began forming in Rachel's eyes. "Mom, it's just ... it's been a long time." She abruptly embraced her in a hug, this time more tightly and crying softly into her shoulder. Sarah looked touched but concerned.

They held each other for a minute until Rachel backed away, her eyes red and swollen now. Sarah caressed her back as she looked at her compassionately. "These things do have a way of changing us. ... Even the national news is looking into this; apparently, he's been doing this a lot. Victoria is a hero for what she did; who knows how long he would have continued if it wasn't for her and her sense of security; I mean, let's face it, I'm pretty sure she's the only woman in this town who carries a gun."

Rachel smirked a little. "Yeah, Jefferson finally met his match. ... But it's so strange; he always seemed to be such an approachable and friendly person. You'd think there would be more of a warning sign from a psychopath like that."

"Yes, a very odd case, to be sure, but I have faith that your dad will get to the bottom of it. ... So, planning on taking advantage of your time off school, I hope?"

Rachel hesitated. "I'm not sure."

Sarah looked flabbergasted. "You're not sure? As I live and breathe. Who are you, and what did you do with my daughter?" She chuckled as Max and Chloe looked amused, "Don't worry about it, honey, you'll find yourself again; you just need to get grounded. ... Ya know, you should talk to Leana; just between us, she seems to miss you more than usual lately, and not just because of what happened. You should maybe think of letting her tag along for awhile."

Rachel's countenance perked. "Yeah, I'd like that; I've been feeling the same way. Is she here?"

"Upstairs in her room, lost in one of her books, as usual."

Rachel looked curious in a heartfelt way. "Mom, when you were my age, did you ever have any ... hard times or things like this happen?"

"Well, as you know, I was known for being a party animal, but luckily, I met your dad, and of course, I had the support of my family too. However, I can't say that I've been through anything this horrifying."

"So, you never got into ... drugs?"

Sarah looked surprised by the question. "Heavens, no; drugs were just as rare back then as they are now, but I never had an inclination for that sort of thing; I mean, I did get into drinking for a time, but it never became a major issue. Speaking of, I hope you and Victoria are going easy on the whine."

"We got a little carried away last night, but ... it was one of those nights, ya know?"

Sarah smirked. "Yes, no doubt, just don't make it a habit."

Rachel smiled genuinely, touched by her concern. "I promise. Thanks, mom, talk to you later?"

Sarah smiled warmly. "I'm not going anywhere; we're always here for you, honey." Rachel returned the smile and hugged her again briefly before standing. Max and Chloe followed her upstairs.


When Rachel reached the top, she stopped and leaned on the wall, taking a deep breath. Max and Chloe stood on either side of her, looking concerned, Chloe with a hand on her shoulder. "You hanging in there?"

Rachel stared ahead at the wall, looking unsure of herself. "She's just so ... perfect; it's almost freaking me out. I could barely recognize her face; it was so pleasant and soft. She was a different person ... the person I always wanted her to be; I just want to go back and hold onto her. ... It's hard to believe anything like this can last."

Max felt sympathetic. "I know what you mean; this place is hard to let go of; it's like some kind of dream world. I guess you just have to learn to hold on to the center of things."

Rachel looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Deep down inside, we're all beautiful like here, but in our reality, some of that beauty got covered up; it's still there, but just ... harder to find."

Rachel smiled a little. "You're starting to sound like Esha, which I suppose is expected." Her face fell as she sighed, "I just feel like I've been waiting to live my life until now. I know that the other Rachel has to live hers, but ... it's going to hurt leaving this behind; just thinking about it hurts." Max held her hand as another tear dripped down her cheek.

After a few moments, Rachel took another deep breath and proceeded down the hallway to a door. She hesitated before knocking. "In my reality, this was a guest room; I'm going to assume it's my sister's now."

A moment after she knocked, the door opened, and a young platinum blond girl appeared, beaming with a smile as she launched herself at Rachel, hugging her tightly. Rachel instantly looked happy, smiling and laughing as she held her sister in her arms. Chloe looked taken off guard when she hugged her as well, then Max.

After verbally greeting each other, they went inside and sat on a small couch, Leana almost dragging Rachel along with excitement. Max was fascinated at the room's décor; it felt like a mixture of Rachel's, Chloe's, and Victoria's room. She even noticed some of the same wispy fabric hanging from her bed as Victoria's, which she obviously gave her.

Leana continued to hold Rachel's hand as they sat down, looking imploringly at Rachel while brimming full of sympathy. "How's she doing?"

Rachel looked like she was in awe again, taking a moment to respond, "You know her; she can take anything ... but what about you? Why are you hiding in here, reading a book?"

Leana looked bashful and a bit confused. "Oh, come on, you know I don't want attention."

"But you're clearly the most beautiful girl at school; this doesn't seem right."

"I enjoy being low-key like you and Victoria, and don't you even pretend I'm as beautiful as you are."

Rachel looked confused a second before she looked flattered. "You want to be like me?"

Leana began to blush, glancing at Max and Chloe with embarrassment. "Look, you already know all this; why are you embarrassing me?"

Rachel hesitated a moment. "You know me; I just love torturing my adorable sister."

Leana smirked. "So, just here to torture me then?"

Rachel teased, "No, we wanted to hang out with someone cool today."

Leana burst into resentful-sounding giggles. "You are so mean today!"

Rachel tried looking more sincere. "No, really, I have new friends I want you to meet, and school's out for the week; now isn't the time to be reading."

Leana almost looked shocked, glancing at Max and Chloe in disbelief. "Are you messing with me?"

Max chimed in, "No, truly not; we just thought you'd like to hang out."

Rachel continued, "All joking aside, it really would be our honor if you graced us with your presence; I mean, how long has it been since we've spent time together anyway?"

Leana responded coolly, "Forever."

Rachel looked offended. "Well ... what the hell is wrong with me?"

Leana looked at her oddly. "You're being weird today; are you sure you're alright?"

Chloe interrupted, "No, she isn't alright, that's really why we came here; she needs someone familiar around to ... ground her after the incident."

Leana looked hesitant but more positive. "Well, I guess ... but this better not be some kind of game you're playing with me."

Rachel squeezed her hand as she responded sincerely, "I do love games, but it isn't, I promise. You're going to love this new friend I have, Esha, she's from India, and Kate is wonderful too."

Leana looked fascinated. "Cool, I always wanted to meet someone from a different culture."

Max chimed in, "Then you're in for a special treat; Esha is way out there in the different culture zone; she spent most of her life in the Himalayas, away from most people."

Leana looked like she was struck with awe and excitement. "Wow ... are you guys going now?"

In unison, they all smiled at her adoringly as Rachel responded sarcastically, "No, we thought we'd watch you read for awhile so you could be in this room longer."

Leana giggled, "Should I bring anything?"

"You might as well spend the night at Victoria's."

Leana hopped up and began prancing around her room, putting clothes and things in a backpack. Max became interested. "What were you reading?"

Leana continued to pack as she responded, "Just some fantasy thing, but I read all sorts of stuff. I've even read a book on Indian culture and Hinduism. They say they have three-hundred and thirty million gods, which basically means infinity, and every one of them has a different purpose, that is, people pray to different gods depending on their needs. There's even a god that looks like an elephant."

Chloe looked amused. "Guess they're covered for everything then. ... Max, didn't we see an elephant dude near that Hindu convent?"

"Yeah, we did. Leana, do you know what people pray to him for?"

"Something about removing obstacles."

Chloe looked interested. "Is there a god of death?"

"Yeah, that would be Shiva, who also represents renewal."

Rachel chimed in, "How about the god of reality?"

Leana hesitated. "I'm not sure; I didn't read too extensively on it. ... So, you guys went to a Hindu convent?"

Max responded, "Yeah, it's kind of how we met Esha. We were ... doing a cultural project for school and wanted to find someone from India. We got along so well that we ended up being friends, and she came back with us to Blackwell; she's been staying with us for about a week."

"Cool, I'm surprised you don't know more about Hinduism than I do."

"Yeah, it's kind of weird, but she isn't really strongly into religion, although she came from a very religious background. She was just passing through the convent briefly for a place to stay; we're lucky we found her. We mostly talked to her about cultural things, but you should ask her about that if you're interested."

After Leana finished packing up, they headed out. As they walked down the stairs, Sarah noticed them. "Rachel, I don't want her drinking any whine or anything else."

Leana rolled her eyes as Rachel responded pleasantly, "No worries, mom, she's in good hands."

Rachel changed her direction towards her mom, sitting beside her and giving another long warm hug. When she let go, she kissed her on the cheek, which seemed to pleasantly surprise Sarah. "Wow, I can't remember the last time you kissed me; I miss that."

Rachel's eyes became teary as she held her mom's hand. "I love you, mom."

Sarah reflected her sentiment. "I love you too, honey ... and so does your dad; I hope you'll come back soon to see him; he misses you too."

There was a glimmer of hesitancy in her countenance. "Mom, tell him ... I will. Give him a kiss for me until I get back."

Sarah smirked. "Not that I need an excuse to kiss him, but I'll tell him the first one was from you."


After they left and hopped in the convertible, they were off on the road. Chloe was upfront with Max as the others were in the back chatting. Max glanced at Chloe curiously. "Find anything interesting on your phone?"

"Yeah, apparently we were supposed to go to dinner with my parents last night, but alt Chloe postponed it to tonight."

"Yeah, I forgot. Works out nicely, like it was meant to be."

Chloe looked uneasy. "Yeah, it freaks me out."

"You mean because it makes you feel like you have a fate?"

"Yeah, it's eerie as hell, like I'm not really in control."

"Just because it's your destiny that you're supposed to see him doesn't mean it's your fate; you have a choice to go there or not."

"Yeah, I guess ... but how could I choose not to; I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I passed it up, so ... whatever."

Max glanced at her with sympathy. "I know how you feel, truly."

"When we get back from this reality, I think I need a break from the constant meditation marathons. Half the time I don't even feel like myself anymore. I love Esha, and I like the meditation to a certain extent, but I like being me too; I don't want to give up my identity to the void of emptiness within."

"I guess we'll have to find a way to balance things out."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Sounds like something Esha would say."

"It does make sense, though."

"Maybe I'm sick of making sense."

"Chloe, I can still tell that you are you; you honestly haven't changed that much. ... Is something bothering you?"

Chloe looked frustrated. "Max ... I don't want to see my dad. The pep talk from Esha didn't help, and meditation didn't help; I don't know what to do."

"Chloe, you shouldn't feel pressure from all this fate and destiny bullshit; just do what feels right. Let's be real; this isn't the last chance you'll have to see him; in all likelihood, I'll get control of this, and you can come back later when you're ready."

"I don't know; I feel like I'm divided in half on this, like I'm going to tear myself apart inside. Despite everything you've done and what I've seen, this is just ... hella insane."

"I know, I feel the same way sometimes. ... Esha was really right about one thing, though; you should follow your heart."

Chloe hesitated. "My heart is the only part that wants to see him."

"Then fuck the rest of it; in the end, if you don't follow your heart, you always lose. Just imagine if I hadn't followed my heart up at the lighthouse and torn that photo in half; you would be dead now, and Arcadia bay would probably still be ruined."

Chloe looked somewhat comforted, taking a deep sigh. "Clearly, you know better than my dumb ass."

"Don't forget the one who saved me from myself; if it wasn't for you, this reality would have been my next victim."

"Maybe you were right about me being a broken watch that's right twice a day."

"If you are, then those two times a day are the most important times of the day."

Chloe looked amused. "OK, that was ... just a tad bit on the lame side, Max."

Max looked playfully apologetic. "Sorry, it's the best I could do." They both smiled as she pulled into Victoria's driveway.


As Max pulled into the parking space and turned off the engine, she could hear Rachel and Leana in the back still chatting. Max was relieved they were too busy talking to listen to her and Chloe, and of course, the convertible top being down helped too. As they got out and came to the front door, they continued to chat, but there was an abrupt silence after they walked inside as Leana finally seemed to fully see her surroundings. "Wow, this place is as big as I remember."

Max inquired, "How long has it been?"

"Years ago, when Rachel and Victoria began being more than friends."

They headed upstairs to Victoria's room to see if anyone was there. When they opened the door, they were on the couch chatting. Rachel introduced Leana to Kate and Esha, then she was quickly embracing Victoria in a warm and friendly hug. Victoria responded to her apparent concern, "No worries, I'm fine, kiddo; killing a psycho murderer isn't as devastating as you might think."

Leana let go and looked at her affectionately. "Are you sure? I heard you could get PTSD from something like this."

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see about that. In the meantime, what have you been up to?"

"Just reading, as usual."

Victoria made a sour face. "Reading? With your looks you could have a posse of boyfriends and sycophants."

Leana glared at her. "Now you're just teasing."

Victoria looked genuinely confused. "Is that what I usually do?"

Leana burst into giggles, pushing Victoria playfully. "Come on, Rachel promised you wouldn't play games with me."

Victoria forced a smile. "Sorry, you know me. I'll try harder." Leana gave her an odd look as everyone else began to sit down.

As Rachel sat on the other side of Victoria, putting an arm around her waist, Victoria seemed taken off guard before Rachel whispered something in her ear. As Esha and Leana went on about Indian culture, the rest of them listened with interest and admired Leana's curious nature. After awhile, Rachel had to intervene to give Esha a break. Max began to understand why Rachel didn't hang out with her much.

After chatting about random and insignificant things for awhile, which seemed to bore Leana, she went at Esha again. They began discussing the Hindu religion and philosophy, which seemed to bore Chloe. When Chloe couldn't stand it anymore, she burst out, pleading with them to change the subject. They agreed to all play cards on the game table.

After playing for some time, Max glanced at the clock. "Chloe, we should probably get going if you still want to go to dinner at your parents' house."

Everyone looked at Chloe as she hesitated and took a deep breath. "OK, let's do it."


As Max drove, she glanced at Chloe, remembering some things she hadn't mentioned before. "Just to let you know, in case it comes up, your mom is a preschool teacher, and before that, she worked at the thrift shop."

"Wow, that was like her dream job before dad passed; she was ready to take classes and everything ... but the thrift shop? Didn't see that one coming."

"Yeah, me neither, but I guess it ended up saving your dad's life."

"And I suppose that you not going to Seattle prevented the car crash I would have been in. ... We were obviously meant to be."

"I don't know about that; we eventually began to drift apart towards the end of high school. Alt Chloe says I saved us when I showed up and kissed her. I know; it messes with your head."

"Yeah, for sure. I'm beginning to wonder if my parents will recognize me; I mean, I may look the part, but alt Chloe is smart and a straight-A student."

"You're different, but it's not like they're going to think you're an alien who abducted their daughter's body. If they say anything about the way you're talking or acting, just blame it on the ordeal at school."

Chloe smirked. "Will do; blaming my problems on ordeals is my specialty."

"Oh, and another thing, they may suspect us of being together, so if it comes up and you have to tell them, try to be ... eloquent about it, OK?"

"Eloquence isn't exactly my thing, but I'll give it my best shot."

As Max parked the car in front of the house, Chloe looked pleasantly surprised. "So, there is a reality where we finish painting this house."

She began to look uneasy as she stared at it, which Max noticed. "You ready for this?"

Chloe stared a moment longer before opening the door with determination. "Yeah, I've got this."

As they walked to the door, Max noticed her slowing down and looking a bit pale. "Just remember to breathe."

When they got to the door, Max was expecting it to burst open with William standing there, but they had to knock this time. After a moment, the door opened to Joyce's smiling face. "So, my only daughter finally decided to visit me; how touching." Max instantly noticed that her appearance and mood were thinner and happier than she remembered.

Chloe looked relieved to see it was her. "Yeah, I was in a charitable mood today."

Joyce suddenly looked surprised as she noticed something behind them. "Now, what is a car like that doing outside our house? Where's your truck, Chloe?"

Max responded politely, "Actually, it's Victoria's car; we borrowed it since we were staying at her place."

Joyce looked impressed. "Well, I'm glad you're making new friends. Come on in; your dad will be just as thrilled to see you."

As they stepped into the front door and slipped off their shoes, they heard William's voice coming from the kitchen, which startled Chloe. "Hey, get over here and remind me that I have a daughter."

As Joyce walked away towards the kitchen, Chloe stood there like a statue for a moment before slowly moving forward. As they went by the bulletin board, Chloe noticed it and stopped, looking at the pictures with awe. Max noticed all sorts of new pics she had never seen before, most of them with William and Chloe together. After scanning them a moment, Chloe's eyes fixated on a particular one of her and William standing in front of the Eiffel tower. "We actually did it; ... we went to Paris."

When Chloe snapped out of her trans, she continued to walk and went around the corner hesitantly. She froze as she saw William sauteing some vegetables in a frying pan. When he noticed her, he turned off the burner and faced her with a look of casual delight and expectation. When Chloe continued staring at him with wide eyes, an odd look came over him. "You OK?"

Chloe's eyes suddenly became wet, but before William could look concerned, she launched herself forward and embraced him in a tight hug, knocking him back a few steps as he looked bewildered and concerned. A moment later, she began to cry in his arms. Max honestly wasn't sure what she had expected, but this certainly was one of the most understandable reactions.

The atmosphere of the room had suddenly changed, and Joyce was now approaching them with startled concern. As she continued to cry, both Joyce and William caressed her as Max watched with tears. When Chloe finally got a hold of herself, she managed to step back and look at them both, but she looked dazed and confused now as if she didn't know where she was anymore.

When William spoke, she looked at him more with disbelief this time. "What's wrong, honey? Is this about what happened at school?"

It took a moment for Chloe to register his words. "Um ... yeah, it was just ... hella crazy ... and I really missed you guys."

William responded sincerely, "Well, you don't need an invitation; you're welcome here any time, both you and Max. ... Did you know the girl at school who was involved?"

As Chloe hesitated again, Max stepped forward and responded, "Yeah, we just came from her house; it's been ... one of those days."

"I'll bet. ... Well, your mom made her world-famous salmon surprise; are you hungry?"

Joyce punched him in the arm softly. "Oh, that can wait; why don't we sit down and talk about this first."

Chloe suddenly looked awake again. "No, it's OK; we can eat."

As they all sat down and William served everyone, Max was surprised by how Chloe seemed to suddenly snap back into place, chatting and joking with them as if everything was normal again. As William sat down with the rest of them and began eating, he commented, "So, when did you start using the word hella?"

Chloe seemed taken off guard for a split moment. "Oh, I learned it from Rachel; she's Victoria's ... friend."

"So, it took you all these years to make a new friend; honestly, I never thought the day would come. How'd you guys meet?"

Max chimed in after taking another bite, "We were just walking on the beach while they were hanging out, and they invited us over. It was amazing how well we got along. We've been going to the same school for years, yet it's almost like we didn't notice them until now; it's weird."

Joyce chimed in, "Yeah, that's high school; you never know who you'll be friends with from year to year."

William glanced at them with interest. "Do you have any of the same classes?"

"I have Theater Studies with Rachel and Victoria, and we all have biology together on Fridays."

William responded hesitantly, "Yeah, I saw one of those videos of your play online; that was quite the ... convincing performance."

As William snickered to himself, Joyce scowled at him for a moment before adding, "It was a very touching story."

William suddenly looked curious. "Were those sorts of relationships even allowed in France back then?"

Max was taken off guard by the sudden shift in conversation. "I'm not sure; I wasn't originally going to make it so ... interactive, but then Rachel got a hold of it."

"Yeah, those two certainly are interactive with each other, based on the videos I've seen ... not that there's anything wrong with that."

Joyce looked at him accusingly. "That's an understatement; I had to take his phone away to stop him from looking at their collection of 'interactive' videos."

Chloe looked amused. "You were spying on us, dad?"

William protested, "Well, everything I saw was public, so I wouldn't call it spying; I was just ... curious, given the rumors about your association with them."

"Sounds like spying to me, but don't sweat it; I'm not into drugs or anything bad, and my grades are as good as ever."

"And I had no doubt about that ... but you're right; I was spying, and I shouldn't do that."

Chloe looked playfully suspicious. "It's OK; I know what you were looking for, but since I love torturing you so much, you'll have to ask the question if you want to know."

William looked baffled. "I don't know what you mean."

Joyce kicked him from under the table with a scowl. "William, can you just grow up for a change and be straight with your daughter."

He sighed as he looked surrendered, "OK ... are you and Max in a ... special relationship, which would be completely fine with us; I just refuse to rely on rumors to define who my daughter is, and it's-"

Chloe interrupted as she looked at him endearingly, "Yes, dad, we're in a 'special' relationship together."

They both looked relieved as Joyce responded, "Well, we both think that's wonderful, and we're happy for you." Max smiled back politely, feeling only somewhat awkward. Joyce went on, "So, how's the salmon?"

Max responded, "It's great, even better than I remember."

Chloe chimed in reflexively, "Yeah, it's been ages since I've had this."

Joyce looked mildly confused. "What do you mean? I just made it a couple weeks ago."

"Um, yeah ... I guess it just feels a lot longer with all that's been going on."

It became quiet for a few minutes as they enjoyed the meal. Chloe looked transfixed by her father's presence in between her bites. Max couldn't even imagine what she must be feeling or going through right now. William spoke up. "So, what's it like out yonder in the high-class part of town where your new friends live?"

Chloe responded playfully, "My god, you are such a shameless spy."

Everyone laughed as William sighed in defeat, "I know, I know; I can't help myself, but it's my job to know about the real estate around here, so you can't say I had to dig deep for that one."

Max responded sympathetically, "The property is beautiful and vast, the house is like a castle, and she has an entire staff to serve her every whim; it's like being inside a fantasy world."

"Do they have their own swimming pool?"

"Yeah, it's indoors, alongside their sauna, steam room, and gym."

"Ya know, I wish someone would open a decent gym around here; it's been ages since I've had a good sauna."

Chloe chimed in, "You could always build one in the garage or out back."

"Oh no, after I finished painting the house, I promised myself to never again get involved in any home improvement projects."

When they finished the meal, Joyce collected their dishes and served everyone chocolate cake. Chloe looked startled by it, which William noticed. "What, you know your mom's world-famous salmon surprise wouldn't be complete without her also word-famous chocolate cake."

Joyce retorted, "This world you live in must be pretty damn small." Everyone laughed as she sat down again.

Max took a bite, which was delicious. "Joyce, I have had dreams about this chocolate cake; even Victoria's posse of cooks and pastry chefs couldn't make something this good."

"Why, thank you, Max; I do believe that comment made my day."

After they finished dessert, they wanted to help clean up, but Joyce insisted they relax. She and Chloe went over to the sofa by the TV and sat. Max noticed that the familiar shipwreck of a couch was replaced by a nice new leather one, and there were no signs of their wine spill, although the carpet looked the same.

As Chloe sat down next to her, she looked surprisingly well with a balanced demeanor, but Max still felt concerned. "How are you holding up?"

It took a moment for her to process the words as she looked around. "Max, it's so weird; I can't explain it; it's like ... for the first time in years, I feel like I'm alive again, and the past years were just a bad dream. I completely forgot what it was like to feel like ... myself, and now that I think about it, I can't imagine being anyone else, which feels hella strange to say."

Max felt happy for her as she held her hand, but she couldn't help thinking how she might react when leaving this reality; she tried not to dwell on it too much.

After Joyce and William finished cleaning up, they joined them and chatted for awhile. William eventually asked, "So, now that you have school off for the next few days, do you have any plans?"

Max responded, "We were thinking about maybe going to Portland on a road trip, but we haven't officially decided yet; frankly, I wouldn't mind staying at Victoria's place and exploring, but getting away from Arcadia for awhile sounds tempting too."

William looked at Chloe pleasantly. "You going to need any extra cash?"

"No, it's cool, I'm fine; Victoria has plenty of cash to go around."

William smirked at her as he reached for his wallet. "Well, just in case." He handed her a few large bills, which she graciously accepted.

Max wasn't looking forward to the moment, but since it was getting late, she thought it was unavoidable. "Well, I guess we should get going. The meal was fantastic; thanks again."

Joyce responded pleasantly, "And consider yourselves invited again for next week."

As they stood up and said their last goodbyes, Max began to sense a tense resistance coming from Chloe. When she looked over at her, she was clearly having a dilemma. Everyone noticed and looked concerned. William reached out and caressed her shoulder. "You OK, honey?" When she didn't respond and tears began to form in her eyes, he continued, "Ya know, you're more than welcome to spend the night here; maybe you need something familiar to get you grounded."

Chloe finally snapped out of it, looking at him with hope mixed in with her tears. "Yeah, I think I need that." She shifted her gaze to Max imploringly. "Is that OK with you, Max?"

Max didn't know what to say; obviously, she couldn't outright say no, as that would seem too strange to everyone, yet what would happen to her if she went to sleep tonight so far away? Would Chloe shift back with her? It didn't feel right to leave her here like this and keep alt Chloe shut out of her own reality. Before Max could fully grasp the ramifications, she heard herself respond, "Yeah, of course, Chloe, whatever you need. ... Just call me tomorrow when you're ready."

A tear went down Chloe's cheek as she sighed with relief, then responded, "Thanks, I just ... really need this."

Max smiled back as she held her hand and caressed it. "It's fine; take as long as you need."

As Max began to leave, she momentarily looked back to see Chloe in her dad's arms again. By the time she got in Victoria's car, she finally registered what just happened but still didn't know what to do or if there was anything she could do. Chloe was obviously right; she really did need this, and it's not like alt Chloe would just disappear forever. For all she knew, she would still be able to shift Chloe back to her reality tonight. She hesitantly started up the car and headed out.


When Max got back to Victoria's place, they were already in their pajamas and watching a movie, so Max followed suit, taking a quick shower, changing, and joining them. After they had their fill of movies, she sent Chloe a text to see how she was doing as the others went to bed. After a few minutes, she received a text with a pic of Chloe and her cat Bongo together on her bed. Max smiled as she read the text to herself. "Not surprisingly, my old cat is alive and well. I just finished a crying marathon, and my parents were so baffled that they were beginning to suggest I see a therapist, but I convinced them it would pass." Max set her phone down and joined the others in bed. As she dozed off, she focused on bringing everyone back with her.