Chapter 02: End of the Dream

Max walked back through the dorms. The sparing silence long since gave way to the sounds of people getting ready for classes. They were getting along in their perfectly normal, everyday lives. Like Chloe hadn't just been put to rest a week ago. Like everything was just fine. Nothing was fine.

And of course, Max got everyone's attention, walking down the hall in yesterday's clothes. She kept her head low and tried her best to keep out the jeering quips about her sneaking out. Max's pace picked up at each jab as her arms wrapped tighter around herself. But, as she neared her sanctuary, a different sound stopped her dead in her tracks. It was the warm, soothing sounds of Kate's violin. Max stopped, right in front of Kate's door. For a split-second, the smooth sound skipped, accompanied by a vision of Kate out on the ledge. But, as quickly as the flashback occurred, it vanished.

She still went through all that hell.

Of course, being the chicken shit she was, Max's first instinct was to just go to her room and text Kate. That would've been so much easier. But she couldn't do that to Kate. Didn't Kate deserve an actual conversation like a normal human being? Besides, Max sucked at texts every bit as much as real conversations, anyway. She'd probably not even text Kate at all if she made it back to her own room.

Max held out her hand, just wishing she could do both and pick the one she liked best. Who was she kidding? She'd have the confidence to waltz right in there knowing that the conversation would always turn up in her favor. And even if it didn't, well, then it never happened, right? Easy peasy.

Her hubris melted away as a tightness formed in her chest, making it impossible to breathe. Max saw Kate, kneeling over her own memorial. Max could feel Kate's anger. Her hate! Then, Kate was on the roof again, standing on the ledge. Max reached out to pull Kate back, but her rewind wouldn't work. Kate jumped!

"No!"

Max panted for air, not even knowing how long she'd been holding her breath. Everyone's eyes were on her, and she realized that she just yelled that out loud to a door. Max's whole body felt like it was on fire and no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't seem to catch her breath. She peeled her eyes back to her room, feeling a powerful urge to flee there, shut the door, and never come out.

No.

Kate needed her. No more cheating. No more running away. Max rapped on the door with one hand as she pulled on the handle with the other. It gave right away, and Max stepped into Kate's room.

"Max!" Kate greeted as she set her violin aside. This early in the morning and Kate was already set to go for the day. Even her hair was made up. And Max hadn't even had a shower, yet.

"H-hey, Kate," Max replied as she pulled the door shut behind her. Her free hand swept by her bangs, as she wondered just how much a disheveled mess she must've looked like. Probably smelled like weed and booze thanks to her time in that RV, too. At least Kate's room… was Kate's room. Not that gloomy hole she remembered from… from the week that never happened. "I just…" She drew an arm around herself as her gaze fell away before the bright face of her friend. "I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Max, you don't have anything to apologize for," Kate said, rushing up to Max. She grabbed Max's hand, pulling her over to the couch. Letting go, Kate sat down before patting the spot next to her.

Giving in to the pressure, she sat next to Kate. "But I do. I…" She held out her arm, before mentally reprimanding herself and pulling it back in.

When will I stop trying to cheat?

Don't.

Max's head snapped to the side, looking directly at Kate. "Did… did you just say something?"

Kate shook her head. "No, I was waiting for you, Max. It seems like you have something really important you need to say." She reached out, placing a hand on Max's shoulder. "It's okay if you need to take your time. I'm here for you."

"No… that's not—" Max shook her head. "I'm supposed to be the one here comforting you."

A lighthearted chuckle escaped from Kate as she gave Max's shoulder a squeeze. "Max, I'm… I'll be fine. I have my faith, my family, and my friends to give me all the strength I need. Friends like you."

Does everyone end up better off? Everyone but me? Chloe…

Hunching over, Max swiped at tears that threatened to fall. "I-I should've known. You're so strong, Kate."

Kate's hand moved to Max's back, slowly rubbing back and forth in a comforting motion. "I'm only as strong as those who let me borrow their strength. Please, Max, don't shut out those around you that want to help. We all know you're hurting right now. We want to help you."

"This isn't about me!" Max cried, her tears breaking free.

Isn't it, though?

"No!"

Kate withdrew her hand as if it had been burned. "Max, we… I want to help you. Please let me."

Max got up, turning toward the door. "You should probably be getting ready for class."

Kate latched onto Max's wrist to halt her retreat. "We don't have class this morning."

Max tried to pull her arm free, but it wouldn't budge. She was bound. Trapped in the blinding white as a needle pressed against her neck. Max shrieked, and her arm finally came free. She fell to the ground, and the Dark Room was no more. She was back in Kate's room with a worried Kate standing over her. Kate's arm was still outstretched, her hand bent in an awkward position that only made sense if it was wrapped around a wrist.

Max released her powers, tears streaming anew. She looked up to find Kate frightened, and just a bit puzzled. But still, she had that look of genuine concern in her eyes. "Oh God, I'm so fucked up, Kate!" Rolling over onto her knees she reached out to Kate. Without a moment's hesitation, Kate too, was on her knees, ready to embrace Max.

"Hey is everything okay?" Dana's voice came from the door as it opened. "We heard a scream."

Though Max couldn't see it, she felt Kate give a small nod. Thankfully, no other words were exchanged before the door clicked closed. "I'm here for you, Max. I'm right here," she whispered. Kate pulled back, placing both her hands on Max's shoulders. "I have all morning, and I know you do, too."

After a few minutes to calm down and collect herself, Max found herself again on Kate's couch. Kate sat over on her bed, patiently waiting for Max to open up.

How did it end up like this?

Max came in here to reassure Kate and somehow, she was the fragile one, hanging by a frayed thread. Damned if it wasn't true, though. This past week had been hell. Maybe even worse than the week that never was. At least then she had Chloe.

An errant thought flitted through her mind. This morning, it had been so liberating to tell Frank even just a little about that week. Kate would totally listen to her and not judge. She probably wouldn't believe her, but did that even matter? "Kate, can I… can I tell you a story?"

"Yes!" Kate replied, way too quickly. The poor girl must've been waiting so long for Max to say anything. "I mean, well… yes."

Max couldn't help but to give a little smile. It fell away almost instantly.

How do I frame this?

"I… just keep going over and over in my head, what happened—what might've happened if I could just… just go back and stop Chloe from dying."

Kate gave a reassuring smile. "Channeling your feelings into art is a wonderful way to try to work through your emotions. I never knew you were one to write, though."

"I never wrote anything." Max shook her head before pointing to her temple. "It's all… up here. And it won't… Maybe if I get it out. Say it out loud to someone. I can finally..."

Do I even want to move on?

Don't.

Max was looking at Kate that time. Kate didn't say anything. Looking for the source of the voice, Max looked all around the room, but the only other occupant was Alice. And she wasn't about to say anything.

"Max, are you okay?" Kate asked. "You trailed off and now you're looking around like you've seen a ghost." Gasping, she covered her mouth with both hands. "No! I didn't mean to say that!"

"N-no. It's okay." Max turned her attention back to Kate. "I just… It's just a story, okay? Not even a very good one."

"I'm listening," Kate said.

Max proceeded to tell Kate the whole macabre tale, leaving out the superpowers and time travel. Just, the crazy, awful, wonderful week she had spent with Chloe. She skipped over a lot of the smaller stuff, the whole alternate realities thing and the nightmare she endured inside her fractured mind. The Dark Room was an important part of the story, but Max made every effort to spare details, more for her own sake than Kate's. She let the story end where she last saw Chloe. Kissing her at the lighthouse. Selfishly clinging to the best thing in her life as she abandoned virtually every other facet by letting it be razed by fate's wrath. The life she could've chosen. Her grand sacrifice.

To Kate's credit, she didn't interrupt much through the whole thing, and even offered emotional support through some of the harder memories. Max had tried to play the whole thing off as fiction, but what kind of storyteller gets choked up whenever something fucking horrible is happening?

"So what do you think?" Max asked, sniffling as she rubbed her eyes. She looked up to see Kate had a look on her face somewhere between shock and horror. Like the looks on everyone's faces when Kate took a swan dive before Max rewound. "Pretty messed up, right?"

"Oh, Max!" Kate leapt from the bed to wrap Max up in a hug. "Why would you imagine such horrible things for yourself and… and everyone?"

"It's just… what's in my head," Max muttered. "It's dark in here." It was a lame attempt at a joke, but even Max couldn't chuckle at it. "Lonely…"

Kate pulled back so that she could look Max in the eye. "Max your story… that felt like so much more than just a story. Was… did some of that happen? For real?"

"T-too close to home, huh?" Max sniffled. "Maybe I should add in some sci-fi stuff. Rewinding time and alternate realities and shit." She just couldn't hold out, and tears sprang anew. "That would be better, right?"

Putting her hand on Max's cheek, Kate forced Max to look at her. "Max, have you… I mean, I've been talking to my dad and the school counselor almost every day since everything happened. Have you considered talking to someone about everything? If you don't want to talk to the therapist my dad is super easy to talk to and a great listener."

Max shook her head as she pulled Kate's hand away. "You're a great listener, too, Kate. Thank you." Standing up, Max turned to the door. "That's… that's more than enough talk for one day, right?"

Kate held out a hand toward Max, but stopped short of actually touching her. "I… maybe we should have like… like a sleepover or something? You could stay here or I can set up in your room."

That look in her eye. Kate was scared. Terrified.

Unlike you, idiot, she's willing to put in the extra mile.

Max gave her what she really hoped was a convincing smile. "Thanks for listening to my story, Kate. I… I really feel better, now."

Marching to the door, Max felt Kate trailing after her. "Do you want to do lunch?"

"I don't… know," Max ground out as she opened the door. Across the hall, Dana rose from a sitting position, patting her rear to remove any dirt she may have collected.

"Max! You took forever in there," Dana said. Max stepped into the hallway with Kate right behind her. "I wasn't, like, eavesdropping or anything. I swear."

Max glanced over to her room, just a few steps away. "Were you waiting for me?"

"I just…" Dana reached up, toying with her hair a bit. "I may have screwed up, just a bit. I wanted to apologize in person."

"What happened?" Max asked, the urge to retreat to her room flitting away.

"Well, I might of kind of let a… uh, friend have your number," Dana said. "He was super insistent and practically made me give it to him. He's kinda… really shady, but he means well. I know he's just trying to find out more about Rachel Amber. I guess he figures you might know more, given… you know, everything that's going on."

Max shook her head. "You mean Frank?"

Dana's eyes went wide. "How did you know?"

"It's totally fine, Dana," Max said. "Seriously. Don't worry about it. I already told him everything. We're cool." Finally making it to the threshold of her sanctuary, Max turned back to Kate. "We… we should get together for tea again sometime."

"I'd love that!" Kate called back, just before the door closed. The moment it did, her shoulders drooped. The weight of what little burden she took from Max made her knees buckle. Deep in her heart, she knew that story was no work of fiction.

"Wow, you look worse than Max," Dana said, leaning over toward Kate. "You okay?"

Kate pulled a finger through a few stray strands of hair, setting them behind her ear. "Dana, can I ask you a question?"

Dana smirked. "You just did, but go ahead and ask another."

"This Frank… is he… is he a drug dealer?"

"Dude!" Dana reached out, slapping a hand over Kate's mouth as she looked up and down the hall. "Don't just blurt shit like that out!"

"Sorry," Kate apologized the moment Dana withdrew her hand. "So… is he?"

Dana chuckled, putting a hand on her hip. "You really don't seem like the kind of girl who parties."

Guilt and shame washed over Kate as the few flitting memories of the Vortex Party and the infamous video bubbled to the surface. Fear and horror followed as she looked at the pictures of herself the police took from the Dark Room. "No," Kate refused, her voice resolute. "Never."

"So what do you care?" Dana asked.

"I…" Kate looked over at Max's room before looking back at Dana. Kate knew Dana was friends with Max, but just how close she wasn't all that sure. But still, the girl did rush in at the sound of Max's scream. And then she waited outside for what, an hour? Just to apologize in person. "Can you keep a secret? About Max."

Dana looked to the still half-open door to Kate's room. "Yeah. I can."

"Promise me."

Dana sighed, her eyes rolling. "Okay, I promise."

"Max… she told me a story. She said she just made it up, but…" Kate wrapped her arms around herself as an icy chill ran down her spine. "It was so... real. And it was so sad, and scary, and… horrifying." She shook her head. "In the story, she told me she had a few encounters with a Frank. He was a…" Kate looked up and down the hall, mimicking Dana's actions, before leaning in and whispering, "A drug dealer."

"He's kind of infamous 'round here," Dana replied. "I'm really more surprised that you haven't heard of him before. You look… kind of freaked out." Dana then slapped her forehead. "Shit." She grabbed Kate by the wrist and dragged her back into Kate's room. Shutting the door securely behind, she turned back to Kate. She hissed, "That asshole probably sold Nathan the drugs he used on you, didn't he?"

The thought never crossed Kate's mind. A sinking ball of disgust formed in the pit of her stomach as it dawned on her. That's exactly what happened. Kate took a calming breath, trying to erase the bad feelings. "If this is the same Frank from Max's story, then… then he regrets his role. He has a good heart, deep down, and deserves forgiveness."

Dana just stared at her for a moment before shaking her head. "Girl, you are a fucking saint."

"This isn't about me. This is about Max."

"Seriously. Saint." Dana nodded. "But yeah, go ahead. What's this story about?"

"That's just it, I don't think it's a story. I-I can't explain how or why. But the way she told it, the things she knew…" Kate shuddered. "Did you ever see the movie It's a Wonderful Life?"

"The one where the angel shows the guy what it would've been like if he'd never existed?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah. I think… and don't laugh, I am completely serious, I think something like that happened with Max. An angel showed her what life would've been like if Chloe Price didn't die."

Despite the "don't laugh" warning, Dana couldn't help but to chuckle. "Seriously?" She looked back at Kate's face and her jovial features ebbed away. "For real?"

"At first, her story was really sweet. Max was rekindling her friendship with Chloe and making friends and… and together both of them were looking into Rachel's disappearance. But it got so dark and so scary so fast."

"I guess, if Chloe never died, she would still be looking for Rachel," Dana mused. "She was always putting up those fliers everywhere."

"Right, and poor Rachel wouldn't have been found if Nathan didn't get arrested for killing Chloe."

Dana shuddered. "Kinda creepy how that lines up."

"It wasn't just that," Kate replied. "The whole story was like that. Like… details you would never think of on your own. Little things that definitely would be different. And things she shouldn't know!"

"Like what?"

"Like Frank!" Kate replied. "If she'd met Frank, then he'd have her number and not get it from you, right?"

"Well, not necessarily. I mean, like I said before, he does have a reputation."

"It's not just…" Kate trailed off as she wrapped her arms around herself. Max's tale of her attempted suicide and her uncanny description of the Dark Room fluttered through her mind. "N-nevermind. I'm just so scared for Max. She is not in a good place right now."

"I know," Dana replied. She rubbed her arm as she turned back toward Kate's door in the direction of Max's dorm. "At least she's letting you in. She won't even talk to me."

Kate shook her head. "But she hasn't been. Just… today…"

That awful story.

"I'm afraid Max is…" Kate's mind flashed back to the day that Chloe died. How she felt trapped with no way out before the truth about that video was brought to light. "Max is spiraling. This… Max coming to me was a cry for help! We have to help her!"

Dana's arms fell to her sides as she shrugged. "How?"

Kate's fingers wrapped tightly around her cross. "I wish I knew." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in and out as she prayed for Max's well-being. "Do you know if anyone else might know something?"

"No," Dana said with a shake of her head, "well, I mean, there's Warren. Poor guy's been following after Max like a lost little puppy even before all this shit went down. But I don't think Max has been talking to him, either."

Kate grabbed her phone. "Do you have his number?"