Chapter 03: Taking Over Me

Max barely got the door closed behind her before she collapsed. She didn't even make it to her bed. Hitting the floor and curling up into a ball, she tried her damnedest to block out the haunting memories brought fresh by telling Kate everything. It was supposed to make her feel better, but it just reminded her of everything she lost. Everything she sacrificed because fate, the same force she was sure brought her and Chloe together again after five years, decided to completely fuck her over.

Fuck you, fate!

Conquer it.

"What?" Max choked out, her sobs ebbing away. She was alone, in her sanctum sanctorum. "Who are you?" she shouted at no one. "Leave me alone!"

Never.

"What do you want from me?"

The same thing you want.

"I just want Chloe!"

Take her back.

"I can't!"

You won't… yet.

"Shut up!"

A thumping sounded from behind. "Max? You okay in there?"

Max drew a sharp breath at the sound of Brooke's voice. The interruption granted her clarity, as she realized that she had just spent who knows how much time curled up in a ball on the floor arguing with voices in her head. "I-I'm fine!" Max shouted back as she stretched out, swiping at her wet eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Max replied, mustering much more confidence in her voice.

"If you say so, Max."

The sounds of Brooke retreating made Max feel a bit better, though it just left her alone with her own thoughts again.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

You keep wasting time.

"Shut. Up," Max muttered, making sure to keep her voice low enough that it wouldn't carry.

Her head hadn't been this muddled since the nightmare at the lighthouse. And she hadn't even used her powers. Not in any way that mattered. She still woke up screaming with the familiar pressure in her head spiraling out of control. The couple of seconds she rewound with Kate earlier because she got worked up. But she made every effort to make sure that things didn't change. If she did the exact same thing after the rewind, it doesn't count, right?

Why do I even still have this curse?

To win.

Max took a deep breath in and out. Maybe if she ignored the voices, they would go away. Trying to push every thought from her head, she tried to busy herself with what needed to be done. Stipping down, she grabbed her toiletries. She needed a shower. Maybe that would make her feel better.

It didn't.

A shower meant sitting alone with your thoughts. That was something Max did not need. At least the voices didn't come back to taunt her. It was almost like they wanted her to use her powers and fuck up the world. Max would never do that. The only reason Chloe was dead was because of how her powers led to catastrophe. If she abused her powers now, it would mean that Chloe had died for nothing. So never again. Never again would she use her powers. Not if she could help it.

Max grabbed her phone as soon as she got back to her room before flopping down on her bed. Any distraction would have been good at this point. Even one that meant interacting with people. The first thing that caught her eye was a text from an unknown number.

[Unknown]

[Hey. This is Frank. Your friend gave me your number.]

[I just wanted to say thanks for telling me all that shit. You didn't
have to but you told me everything like we were old buddies.]

[I owe you one. And I don't say that shit to nobody.]

And this is why Max hated social interactions. How the hell was she supposed to reply to that? Part of her was actually touched. Frank was thanking her, and he said that he owed her one, whatever the hell that meant.

[Max]

[I hope it brings you some closure. Just don't tell anyone I let you know!]

Next up, a text from each of her parents. Both read more or less the same. Someone, probably the principal, let them know that she had stopped seeing the school therapist. They were concerned and wanted to know if she was okay or if there was anything they could do.

No. No to all. Max was not okay. And there wasn't anything anyone in the whole shitty world could do about it. Not unless someone out there had necromancer powers to compliment her time-fuckery.

Auto Max really screwed up by going to a therapist to begin with. Max had been able to gather that she'd had two sessions with that therapist, but anything they'd talked about only the therapist knew. It wasn't like Max got any of Auto Max's memories to go off of. She didn't even know what Auto Max told the police. Probably a whole lot of "I don't remember" given that she'd possessed that particular Max in the bathroom.

"Shit," Max muttered as she drew ragged breaths in and out and tears spilled over. Of course her own brain proved to be the enemy, stirring up the worst memory of her life.

It took a few minutes before Max could pull herself together enough to move on.

[Kate]

[I hope you're still feeling better. I just wanted you to know that
I really appreciate your trust in telling me that story. If you ever
need to open up about anything, I'm always here for you.
xoxoxo]

Oh, Kate. I really shouldn't have put that on you.

As shitty as scaring Kate about her well-being was, Max just couldn't bring herself to come up with any sort of reply. Instead, she clicked on the next name she didn't want to talk to.

[Warren]

[Yo yo Max.

I know it's been a real trip these past couple of weeks.
But hey, I got my new wheels and there's a sick drive-in a
couple hours away. Maybe getting outta town and catching
a flick might be just the distraction you need.]

[Let me know.]

I do need a distraction. But definitely not that one.

Turning off her screen, Max set the phone aside. That wasn't so much a distraction as an exercise in self-loathing. Maybe it wouldn't have bothered her so much if this reality wasn't so fucking perfect. Nobody died. No suffering and attempted suicides. No F5 tornado bearing down on Arcadia Bay. And all it cost was one innocent life, and all the happiness Max ever knew.

Was this what it was like for Chloe after William?

Max remembered how Joyce told her that the last time Chloe was truly happy was the day William died. And of course, Max abandoned her right after that. Maybe Max deserved this pain, but one thing was certain: Chloe didn't.

Looking for another distraction, Max grabbed her diary. She flipped to the page where she had started recording her recurrent dreams. Maybe she could keep her toxic thoughts at bay by trying to solve a mystery. Even if there was no real mystery, just her own conscience trying to plague her.

That damned dream always went the same. Just a different location each time. Maybe they would stop on their own once there were no new locations to visit. But they felt like more than just dreams. It was something closer to her visions of the tornado. Why then, would her spirit animal keep tormenting her like that? What could it possibly be telling her?

Trailing over the locations, she couldn't find a pattern. After the third or fourth dream a few days ago, Max thought that maybe the ghostly deer was trying to show her something she missed. Like, maybe there was something she could've done differently that would prevent her having to sacrifice Chloe. But she spent days teasing out that train of thought. It was just a giant mind fuck that led nowhere. Now, all Max could imagine was that the deer was telling her it didn't matter what decisions she made. No matter what happened, fate would've led her to the same fucking place: Chloe's grave.

Resigning with a sigh, she stowed the book in her bag. Max grabbed her phone and looked at the time: 09:49. It would still be almost an hour before she needed to leave for gym class, but what the hell else was she supposed to do?

Max somehow made it out of the dorms without anyone hassling her. But when she stepped down, a familiar face interrupted her otherwise successful attempt to talk to no one. She still didn't feel like talking to anyone, especially after her disastrous encounter with Kate. But her mind was still stuck on that dream, and before her was one person who might actually be able to give her some insight.

"Hey, Samuel," Max greeted as she walked up to where he was sitting on a bench.

Samuel gave her a warm smile. "Why, hello, Max."

"I, um… I know I haven't said anything to you in a while. Sorry." Max ducked her head down, avoiding eye contact.

"No need to apologize. You are lonely, but want to be alone," Samuel replied. "But Max, if you keep everyone out, your heart will only continue to bleed."

Max nodded, only mostly understanding what he was getting at. "Yeah. It's… not that easy, though."

"Nothing worth having is gotten easily. Friends help."

"Samuel, can I ask you a question?"

Samuel nodded. "Anything for you, Max."

"This might sound stupid, but I keep having this recurring dream. In the dream, a doe leads me along a moonlit path. And it… it always leads me to the same place."

"That must be your spirit animal," Samuel replied. "If it keeps appearing in your dreams like that, then there must be a very important reason."

"I was thinking the same thing, but do you know what that reason might be?"

"Spirit animals are guardians and guides. If yours is leading you somewhere, that is where you need to be."

God. No.

Max closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. "There… must be something else," she said as she opened her eyes, all but begging for a different answer.

"The deer is a very special spirit animal, you know. They might be shy, but they are also the only animals that will stand firm and challenge fate, even if they know it will destroy them."

"That… helps," Max said as she waved. "I really should be going, though. It was nice talking with you."

"Any time, Max," Samuel said, waving in turn. "But don't wait too long."

Max all but ran away from Samuel. Sure, it never occurred to her that the deer wanted her to actually visit Chloe's grave, but that was the last place on earth she wanted to be. There had to be another interpretation. There had to be.

As she rounded the corner and came up on the parking lot, Max noticed that Frank was still parked there. She wasn't sure if David was back to the job yet, but either way, Frank had to know it was risky to hang around so long. Before Max could ponder it any further, the door opened and Hayden stepped out, stuffing something into his jacket.

Guess Frank didn't have a change of heart after all.

Frank appeared after Hayden, reaching out to grab the door. As he did, he looked up and caught Max's gaze. He then pulled his head back toward his RV, a universal sign of "come over here" before pulling the door closed.

Max just stood there a moment, contemplating if she should go after him. Would the world never leave her alone for even a few minutes? There was only one person Max wanted to spend time with right now—

Max pulled her arms around herself as a chill ran up and down her spine. Before her eyes, an image of Chloe's grave flashed.

Go there. Message received.

Trembling, she started toward the RV. She raised a fist to knock, but the door swung open first.

"Hey, kid." Frank greeted, stepping out. "Didn't expect to see you back so soon." His eyes were bloodshot, making Max wonder if he was high, or if he'd been crying over Rachel. Though Max had a hard time imagining someone like Frank crying into his beer.

"I do go to school here," Max replied.

Frank gave a chuckle as he fished out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. "Fair enough," he said as he lit the cigarette and gave it a puff.

Before, the smell of cigarette smoke stirred a strong revulsion in Max. Now, it just made her miss Chloe. "You really shouldn't be doing that on school grounds."

"What is Blackwell security gonna do? Tell me to put it out and not do it again?" Frank took another long drag. "Fuck them." When Max didn't reply and just stood there, he continued, "Look, I just wanted to say thanks again. I mean it."

"You… you said that you owed me one," Max said, the words leaving her before she could even think about it.

Frank nodded. "Calling it in already? Shit." He threw down the half-finished cigarette and ground it into the blacktop with his boot. "Name it."

Max looked over to the RV. "I need a ride."

"Where to?"

"I need…" Max gripped the strap on her bag with both hands. "I need to see her. Talk to her."

"I'm gonna need more information than that. Like a damn location?"

Max took a deep breath in and out. "The cemetery, unless that RV of yours can go like, three alternate realities over."

"Tch." Frank opened the door and motioned for Max to follow. "You really believe in that multiple universes bullshit?"

"Yeah, I do," Max replied as she, for the second time in the same day, waltzed right into a drug dealer's home. Chloe would've been proud.

"Watch out for Pompidou, he's not fond of strangers," Frank said as he retreated to the driver's seat.

Pompidou, sitting by his food bowl behind the driver's seat, looked up at Max as his tail wagged. "Hey there, Pompidou," Max greeted with a genuine smile as she hunched down and reached out to pet him. He lapped at her hand before bowing his head to let her rub behind his ears.

"Well, shit," Frank said, looking over his shoulder at Max. "I don't think I've ever seen Pompidou take to someone like that. Not since… not since Rachel."

Max got up, heading over to the passenger's seat. "Sorry again. For your loss, I mean," she said as she buckled up.

"Yeah. Rachel's got her own plot there, now. I might do some visiting of my own." He put the vehicle into gear and took off.

[Dana]

[Hey i dont know how things are going on ur end
but i just saw max drive off with frank
yea THAT frank]

[Kate]

[Thank you for letting me know. I'm talking to Warren right
now, trying to figure out a way to help her. I just pray that
we can reach her.]

Kate sighed as she set her phone down. "That was Dana," she said, looking across the picnic table at a rather stressed-looking Warren. "She said she just saw Max drive off with Frank."

Warren shook his head a bit. "Who is Frank?"

Having learned her lesson from Dana, Kate made sure to look in every direction before leaning across the table and whispering to Warren. "He's a drug dealer."

Warren's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What?"

Kate shook her head. "It's not like that. I heard this morning that Frank just wanted answers from Max about what happened to Rachel Amber."

"The why doesn't matter!" Warren snapped, slamming his hands on the table. "Max could be in serious danger!"

"I think… I believe that Max is in safe hands. She trusts him," Kate said, keeping her voice calm and soothing.

"What, because of a story Max told you?" Warren argued.

"Yes!" Kate emphatically replied. "I told you, I… in my heart I know that it was not just a story."

"It's just… It's not possible. No way, no how."

"Can't you just believe? Even for a moment? Even for Max?"

Warren sighed. "You won't even tell me about the story."

Kate shook her head. "If it's not a story, then it was… very private things about Max's life. Or the life she could've had. It's not my place to—"

"It's just a story!" Warren nearly shouted. "Chloe Price is dead, and Max is going through hell because she watched her childhood friend die right in front of her."

Kate grabbed her phone, stowing it. Just as she was about to get up, she tried one more thing. It was a small matter, but it had been bugging her for the past hour. "Wasn't it strange?" she asked. "How Max changed overnight the day of the funeral? She was freaked out for a couple of days right after Chloe… passed, but then, it was almost like she was back to normal. And then, ever since the funeral, it's like she's a whole different person."

Warren opened his mouth to retort, but stopped himself. His eyes trailed away and Kate could almost see the gears in his mind churning away. "I was her ride, you know," Warren said. "On the way there, she was… sad, but she was moving on. She wanted me to drive her back here after everything so she could see the school therapist."

"Please tell me she's still seeing her!" Kate begged.

A shake of Warren's head dashed those hopes. "Out of the blue, Max just… she went from being together to a… a sobbing mess. She said she couldn't do this and begged me to take her back to Blackwell. I talked her into going to the funeral, and she held herself together after that, but… On the way back, she completely shut down. She… never went back to the therapist and she stopped talking to me altogether."

"When Max changed… was it a little after noon?"

Warren scratched his head. "Y-yeah, now that you mention it. I think so. What does that matter?"

"Warren, Max's story… it ended around noon on October 11th."

For a moment, Warren just sat there, slack-jawed as his eyes flitted back and forth. "No… no way!" He got up, taking a few steps away before stepping back. "You're saying that Max experienced two realities simultaneously, and then it came full circle at the end? Like some kind of quantum memory? Is that even possible?"

Kate watched Warren pace back and forth for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm not… entirely sure what you're talking about, but I truly believe that Max experienced another life for a week. And I think that life has affected her so very deeply."

"And you're absolutely certain that this story is somehow real? That it really happened?"

Kate nodded. "At first, I had my doubts, but the more I think about it… I honestly believe that this was something she experienced firsthand."

"Prove it," Warren challenged as he sat back down. "Make me believe."

With a sigh, Kate brought her arms around herself. "O-okay. There was… one part about her story that was about me. That should make it okay for me to share."

"Yeah," he said, leaning in. "Go on."

"The day Chloe died… That day was a very hard day for me, even before the gunshot. There was… a video of me going around about the Vortex Club party."

The excited, expectant look on Warren's face melted away as he sat back. "Yeah, I heard about that. Didn't the police take it down?"

"They did," Kate said. "But if Chloe didn't die, if Nathan didn't get arrested, it would've stayed on the internet, forever." Taking a deep breath, Kate tried to find her center. When her breath came out, it was ragged with negative emotion. "In Max's story, I kept getting bullied about that party. Bullied to the point where I went up to the dorm roof… and stepped out the edge."

"Kate, there's no way you would—"

"I'd already thought about it!" Kate snapped back. "The night before Chloe got shot, I couldn't sleep. I found my way up to the roof and it was so serene and so…" Fighting a lump in her throat, she shook her head. "I thought it would be so much easier if I just…" Kate sighed again. "I think I'd made up my mind at that point. What I was going to do. How I was going to do it."

"I… I had no idea."

Kate hugged herself tight, feeling a terrible chill run through her. "No one did. I never told anyone about that. I certainly didn't tell Max. But in her story, she knew everything Warren! The video, that Nathan dosed me, the Dark Room, everything!"

"The Dark Room?"

Kate brought a hand to her mouth. "I-I'm sorry! I'm not supposed to talk about that with anyone. Forget I said that!"

Warren looked to both sides before catching Kate's gaze again. "This is about the police investigation, isn't it?"

"Please, forget I said that," Kate begged.

"But… I mean, isn't Max involved with the investigation, too? Shouldn't she know all those details?"

"No!" Kate nearly yelled. "Max… All Max did was witness Nathan shoot Chloe. She didn't have anything to do with any of the rest. And the rest—the details she knew. She knows more than the police do, Warren!"

Warren sighed as he hunched over, resting his arms on the table. "Okay, say I believe you, which I'm not 100% there. What are we supposed to do with this information? How do we protect Max from an experience that never even really happened?"

"I… don't know…"