"This isn't what it looks like," I say, which is kind of dumb considering this is pretty much exactly what it looks like.

"It looks like you're sneaking out of the hospital," Kate points out.

"What? That's crazy. We're not sneaking out." From the look on her face, I might as well be trying to convince her that my hair is actually red. "We're just leaving. Like normal people."

"Please don't lie to me, Chloe." I thought my mom's 'disappointed' voice was tough to deal with, but I'll be damned if Kate Marsh's isn't straight up devastating. "Max, you're sick. You should be in bed."

"Chloe and I need to go, Kate." If Kate's weapons-grade concern is affecting Max as much as it's affecting me, it sure doesn't show. "I don't have time to explain everything, but I need you to trust me when I say it's important."

"Max, you had a seizure," Kate shakes her head. "Nothing is that impor-"

"I'm a time traveler."

Oh, so Future Max has no chill. That's totally going to make things easier.

"You're...what?"

"A time traveler. If I focus, I can rewind time around me." Max's voice is low and calm, her hands raised like she's dealing with a frightened rabbit. "It's a really long and really complicated story that we don't have time for right now, but I swear to you that I'm telling the truth."

Dropping a bomb on someone like that is a pretty ballsy move, especially for Max. And judging by the stunned look on Kate's face, I expect her to either call Max crazy or go running for the nearest doctor; maybe both. Instead, she glances down and whispers, "Courtyard..."

I have absolutely no idea what that's about, but it seems to mean something to Max. Kate's still looking at the floor, her eyes tracking back and forth, but whatever it is she's trying to work out, Max seems willing to give her time to do it.

"I saw you come around the corner. When I...when I was up on the roof," Kate continues, softly. "I know I did because I remember thinking that I didn't want you to see me."

"That's right."

"You were all the way down in the courtyard." She swallows and I can almost see the pieces coming together in her head. "But then you were just...there. One second you were standing on the ground, and the next second you were right behind me on the roof. I thought I'd imagined it, or lost the time, but...I didn't, did I?"

Max shakes her head, slowly. "No, you didn't."

Kate's brow furrows a little. "You were bleeding, too, weren't you? From your nose. You looked like you were in pain."

"A little." I know that look on Max's face, and I'd bet anything that it was a hell of a lot more than 'a little' pain. Oh, you'd better believe we'll be talking about this later, Caulfield.

"No, you were in a lot of pain, Max. It looked like you could barely stand."

"It wasn't great, but what was I supposed to do?" Max shrugs helplessly, ignoring the five-alarm glare that I'm practically drilling into the side of her head. "I couldn't give up. Not while you needed me."

The look on Kate's face when Max says that is like nothing I've ever seen. Seriously, you'd think Jesus Christ himself just walked in with a cookie bouquet and asked if she wanted to hang out.

"Y-you couldn't?"

"Of course not."

Aw, shit. Kate's starting to tear up, which means that Max will probably want to do something dumb like stay until she feels better. Don't get me wrong; I totally get where she's coming from. But even if Kate is putting out a bigger 'protect me' vibe than a box of kittens, it's just not something we have time for.

Damn it. Why do I have to be the level-headed one here? "Hey, I hate to wreck the moment, but the hallway is probably clear. If we're gonna go, we need to go now."

Max looks back and forth between me and Kate, conflicted. "I..."

"No, she's right," Kate interrupts, wiping her eyes. "Someone's going to notice you're gone soon. You have to go."

"You heard the lady." I take Max by the arm, ready to pull her out of there if I need to.

"Alright, alright." She pulls away, moving to the door. "I just have to take care of something first."

Before I can ask what that's supposed to mean, Kate rushes between us and puts herself between Max and the door. "Wait, let me check first."

Pulling the door open a little, she quickly peeks outside, then softly closes it with a grim expression.

"They're still out there?" I ask, kinda pointlessly.

Kate nods. "And they can definitely see my door from where they're standing."

Okay, that's not awesome. Luckily, we've got our secret weapon. "Looks like you're up, Max. Ready to get your rewind on?"

"Um...actually," she says, swaying on her feet a little. "I'm not sure I should right now."

"What? Why the fuck not?"

"I'm feeling a little weird." She gestures vaguely to her head. "I think I should take a break before any more rewinding."

"What do you mean more?"

"Thought about it. Figured I ought to get this back after all." Grinning, she holds up a Washington State driver's license belonging to the mysterious Mackenzie Clayton.

"How the hell did you...?"

"It was in the administration office. Took me a few tries." She leans back against the wall. "The security guy is surprisingly quick on his feet."

"Is that why you look like you just ran a marathon?"

"Two years, remember?" she mutters, but at least she has the common freaking decency to look a little guilty. "Cut me some slack."

"Alright, fine. So your time voodoo is off the table. That's just great."

"The fire exit is just across the hall." Kate points out. "If you sprint, you might make it before they see you."

I want to roll my eyes. I want to roll my eyes so badly because that was an extremely eyeroll-worthy suggestion...but I don't. She's just trying to help. "I don't think they'll miss a couple of teenage girls sprinting out the fire door, no matter how fast we g-"

"They will if I distract them," Kate interrupts. I give her a dubious look and I know this is a serious situation and all, but the determined expression she fires back is fucking adorable. "I can do it. I'll just get to the end of the hall, sit on the floor and act like I'm upset. I bet I can even cry a little."

Well, at least she means well. "No offence, but there's three of them. I don't think that one upset patient is going to be enough."

"It'll work. They'll pay attention to me. They have to. I..." She looks away, embarrassed. "I'm still on suicide watch. If they think I might...um...do something, then someone has to sit with me until my doctor gets here. I just need to go over there and make a scene."

Huh. That might actually work. And it's kind of a badass move, too. I swear, the more I get to know Kate, the more impressed I am. "You sure?"

She turns to Max. "You said it's important, right?"

Max nods. She looks kinda bewildered; I don't think she gave Kate this much credit.

"Then I'm sure. Someone gave you these powers for a reason." I'm pretty sure it's unconscious, but the way her hand moves to the cross around her neck makes it pretty clear who she thinks 'someone' is. "So I believe that whatever's important for you is probably important for everyone else, as well."

"Kate, I..."

"I owe you my life, Max. Compared to that, this is nothing." She's already halfway out of the room. "Listen by the door and you'll know when to go."

She's gone before either of us can say a word.

"Damn, Max. Kate's kinda hardcore."

"I know," she laughs softly. "Before now, I never would've put the words 'Kate' and 'hardcore' in the same sentence."

"Guess it's true what they say, huh? That it's always the one you least suspect?" I bump our shoulders together, smiling even though I'm not sure what the fuck I'm talking about. Am I flirting with Max right now?

"Oh, Chloe," she murmurs back with hooded eyes and a small, suggestive smile. "You have no idea."

"Kinda wouldn't mind finding out, though." Yup, we're flirting. And even though I know that this is absolutely not the right time, I'm also pretty interested in finding out why Max is looking at me that way. I'm so caught up in it that I nearly jump out of my fucking skin when I hear Kate's scream.

"I HATE IT HERE!"

"It's alright, Miss Marsh. I'm here and I'm listening. Why don't you have a seat so we can talk?"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK! I WANT TO GO HOME! I WANT TO GO HOME RIGHT NOW!"

I risk a glance out the door. Sure enough, all three of them are entirely focused on Kate. And if I didn't know better, I'd say she was right in the middle of a full-on meltdown.

"Is it working?" Max whispers.

"Fuck yeah, it is. Ready?"

"Hold on," she whispers, then gives me a quick kiss that leaves my lips tingling. "For luck."

"O-okay." The door is right across the hall, but now I'm a little nervous that I might just run headlong into the wall.

"We should probably go now," she reminds me, smiling.

"Right. Totally." I take her hand. "Let's roll."

I double-check that Kate still has things under control (which she does, like a boss) and together we bolt for the fire door. We make it in a few seconds, none of the staff so much as glance in our direction, I don't run into any solid surfaces, and the last thing I hear before the door closes behind us is Kate Marsh's straight-up Oscar worthy performance.

44 Cedar Avenue
Arcadia Bay, Oregon

Getting out of the hospital is one thing but getting anywhere else requires wheels. That's why, about fifteen minutes after our bold escape, the two of us are lurking behind a hedge on my block and eying my house warily.

"Is anyone home?"

"What, like I have x-ray vision now? You tell me, future girl."

"Geez, I was just asking!"

I grunt an apology, wishing I actually had an answer for her. There aren't any cars outside but considering mom doesn't have one and David always parks in the garage, that doesn't tell us a whole lot.

"Alright, I've got my keys on me." Pulling my keyring out of my pocket, I unclip the one for my truck and hand it to Max. "You can drive, right?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"I'll get in and out as fast as I can. Get to my truck and be waiting with the key in the ignition. Hopefully, we won't have to make a break for it, but better safe than sorry, right?"

"You sure you want to do this? We can just take the truck and go."

"You said you came back with a messenger bag, right? Well, since the hospital didn't have it, there aren't a lot of other places it could be. Besides," I glance down at myself. "I could use some cleaner clothes."

"Okay. Don't be long."

The two of us dart across the street together, splitting up where my truck is parked on the curb. The front door is locked when I get there, but that still doesn't mean much; step-douche always locks it, even when we're at home. I let myself in as quietly as I can, listening for anything that might tell me who's home. I can't see anyone, and I definitely don't hear mom doing her thing in the kitchen. There is something that could be David fucking around in the garage, or it could be the clothes dryer running. Either way, I'm not sticking around one second longer than I have to. I just have to grab what I came for and get the fuck out.

I make my way up to my room, and the first thing I notice is that the blue carpet that normally sits at the foot of my bed is missing. Mom probably took it out as soon as she got home, either to wash or throw out. Considering how much of Max's blood was staining it, I'd be happy if I never saw it again.

Looking around, I actually find two messenger bags. The one I recognize as Max's, dark blue with a Seattle skyline patch sewn on it, is still sitting beside the bed. The other one, dark red and a little newer looking, is on the floor next to my dresser and looks like it was kicked there from across the room.

Pulling an old duffel out of my closet, I shove both bags inside followed by a clean change of clothes for myself and some of Rachel's old stuff that should (hopefully) fit Max okay. I get Max's phone off the charger on the bedside table, then grab my lighter, some rolling papers, and a bag of weed; I have a feeling that what comes next is going to call for a little stress relief.

Finally, after a moment's hesitation, I reach under the bed and grab the revolver I pinched from David's gun cabinet, sticking it in the back of my jeans. I only have a dozen bullets left out of the handful I originally took, but it's a lot better than nothing.

Thinking about bullets, I glance over to the drawer handle where I usually hang my three-bullet necklace. I'm not exactly surprised that it's gone, but it does seem to add a little more weight to everything.

Hurrying downstairs as quietly as I can, I'm almost at the front door when I hear my mom's voice.

"Chloe? Is that you?" She's standing in the door to the backyard, and I'd bet anything she's been stress smoking. "What are you doing home? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. I'm just grabbing some things for Max." I lift the bag. "Toothbrush, change of clothes, stuff like that."

"How's she doing? Any change?"

I shake my head. I suck at pretending I'm not nervous, but I'm hoping she'll just think it's because I'm worried. "She was still asleep when I left."

"Oh." Her face falls. "How are Ryan and Vanessa taking it?"

"I...how would I know?"

"You didn't see Max's parents at the hospital?"

"No."

"Hm. You must've just missed them."

Blinking, I look past her and notice the pair of small suitcases sitting next to the couch. Talk about good timing.

"I guess I should be getting back, then."

Her phone rings before I can even reach for the door, sending a wave of dread right through me. I know that I should get moving. Every second I'm here is another second closer to either me getting caught, or to someone noticing Max outside in the truck. Instead I just watch in dumb silence as mom pulls out her phone and lifts it to her ear.

"Hello? Oh, we were just talking about you." She briefly puts her hand over the mic to whisper to me. "It's Max's mother."

"O-oh." I nod. I should be running. I should already be in the truck, but my feet feel stuck to the ground.

Mom is still listening, and she's starting to look worried. "Hang on. Chloe's right here. I'll ask her." She turns to me. "What was Max's room number at the hospital?"

"Uh...twelve, I think?" It comes out as more of a question, but she doesn't seem to notice as she relays the answer. "Something wrong?"

She nods. "They can't find Max. The hospital says she's not even registered as a patient."

This is going downhill so fast. I try to look like I don't know Max is right outside, reminding myself that it's not like anyone will think to ask about a patient named Macke-

"Who's Mackenzie Clayton?"

Son of a bitch. "W-who?"

"Mackenzie Clayton. That's the name of the patient in room twelve."

I'm so screwed. "No idea."

"You were sitting in that room for nearly four hours, Chloe."

"Maybe I got the number wrong?" It's not even a decent attempt at a lie; even if it weren't obviously bullshit, my voice is so choked that I don't think anyone on earth would believe a word I say.

She lowers the phone and her eyes narrow suspiciously. "Why are you lying to me?"

"I...uh..."

"Chloe, where's Max?"

Fuck this. I'm out.

Spinning around, I throw the front door open and bolt out of the house. Max must've been watching for me, because I've barely gone a few steps before I hear the truck's engine come to life. I yank the passenger door open a few seconds later, jump inside, slam it shut behind me and shout, "Drive!"

Mom's not even across the yard before we're peeling out. I can't hear her yelling over the engine but when I look back, I can see her expression well enough to know that this probably won't end well for me.

"I'm screwed," I moan, slouching down in my seat. "Your folks are gonna call the cops and I'm gonna go to prison. I don't wanna go to prison, Max. I've seen that orange and black show."

"You're not going to prison, Chloe. And put on your seatbelt."

"I'm a smartass, Max. I don't know how to not be a smartass. I've never even tried. There's no way I wouldn't get shanked my first day."

She laughs. "Did you grab my bag, at least?"

"Both of 'em." I pant the duffel bag between us. "They're in here."

"Awesome. Now we just need a place we can talk."

"No problem. American Rust, here we come."

"No!" Max practically shouts.

"Uh...okay."

"I mean, it should be somewhere that no one would think to look."

Filing it away with all the other weird-as-fuck stuff Max has said today, I take a second to think. "Actually, I might know just the place."