Chapter 06: Infinity

"Chloe…" Max sat up. Blinking away the light, she struggled to figure out exactly where she was. Then she met Frank's very unhappy face. She was in his bed. Again. "Shit."

"Took the words right outta my goddamn mouth."

"S-sorry… again." Even though she felt bad for making Frank carry her back here again, Max couldn't help but to let her mind wander back to the black void and her vision. It had to have been a vision. Dreams don't hurt, and the way she felt in that vision was nothing short of excruciating. She would go through that pain a thousand more times, a million, just to see Chloe's face again. To hear her voice—touch her skin.

"So just what the fuck are you? A witch?"

"A… What?" Max tried to pry her attention back to the present. A task that proved ever more difficult for her recently.

"That shit you pulled back at the cemetery," Frank pointed at her. "It had to have been you."

Max shook her head but made sure not to return her gaze to Frank. "What? You mean my meltdown? I-I'm pretty sure I passed out." Reaching out with her left hand, she grabbed her right arm. She rubbed her arm, for what little comfort it offered her. "I might've had a bit of a breakdown." She couldn't imagine how it must've looked to Frank. Between the voices talking to her and all the memories they kept forcing on her, even Max didn't really know what her body was doing in the present. "Thanks for carrying me back here… again. Are we at Blackwell?"

"We're at the Two Whales," Frank said. "And you still haven't answered my fucking question."

"I… uh," Max stammered, her addled mind struggling to keep her in the conversation, even though all her thoughts kept trailing back to what just happened inside her head. "What question?"

Frank clicked his tongue as he leaned back in his chair. "Just… Fuck it." He got up. "It's lunchtime and I'm gonna get some grub. Your scrawny ass is outta here." Staring hard at Max, he motioned toward the front of the RV.

Not really following everything going on, Max relented. She got up and made her way off of the RV. Again, the light blinded her and she raised her arm to shield her eyes. Squinting away from the sun, she found Frank locking the door to the RV.

Frank gave the door a yank to make sure it was secure, then he turned back to Max. "Tell ya what, scrawny. You tell me what that shit was, and I'll treat you to lunch. Even drive you back to Blackwell after." He pointed an accusing finger at her. "Otherwise, I never wanna see your freaky ass again."

Her mind drifting away from her commune with her spirit animal and that vision where she actually got to touch Chloe one more time, Max found the presence of mind to check her phone. It was 12:53. The last bus to Blackwell before afternoon classes already left some ten minutes ago. She looked back up at an expectant Frank. It didn't take her long to come to a decision. She didn't care if Frank thought she was crazy. Besides, it had almost been a full day since she last had a bite to eat.

"I'll tell you whatever you wanna know," she offered, though her eyes dodged his stare, instead settling on her phone.

"Good. I wanna hear this shit," Frank said as he walked by and up to the diner.

Max absentmindedly followed after, her gaze stuck to her phone.

[Warren]

[Max, I heard you took off with a drug dealer or something. Is everything okay?]

[Are you safe?]

[?]

[Talk to me, Max. Please!]

Word certainly got around Arcadia Bay quickly. Max was tempted to think that there were no secrets in the sleepy, seaside town, but she knew better. Arcadia Bay was a place with sinister secrets abound.

Better text him back before he calls the police.

[Max]

[I'm fine. I'm at the Two Whales. I'll be back soon. TTYL]

[Warren]

[You better!]

[I'll be waiting.]

Dog, was he clingy. Max pocketed her phone just as she slid into the booth. Frank hadn't led her to her favorite, instead dragging her to the far corner where he took the window seat.

Before Frank had a chance to say anything, a waitress showed up with a pair of menus. It wasn't Joyce, thank goodness. That would've been a painful conversation. Frank didn't even look at the menu, ordering his usual with a coffee. Following suit, Max ordered a burger and fries with a diet soda.

The moment the waitress left with the menus, Frank leaned forward, putting both forearms on the table. "So… out with it."

Max turned her gaze to her lap, her mind struggling to come up with a good way to say, I'm not crazy. I just had an argument with a bunch of voices in my head. "I guess… I had a nervous breakdown? I kept having these flashbacks, and then… then I guess I passed out."

"That—" Frank leaned back. Max was about to ask what was going on when the waitress returned with their drinks and an assurance that the food wouldn't be too long. While Frank ignored his drink, Max grabbed hers, stuck a straw in it, and started sipping away. "That shit wasn't what I was talking about," he said, leaning forward as before. "I'm talking about you making the whole fucking world stop."

Reacting viscerally, her body inhaled and then coughed her drink back up, spilling it all down the front of her shirt. "Shit!" she cursed between coughs, all the while her mind went spinning out of control. Max slammed the drink down on the table as she got up and bolted to the bathroom. The sounds of Frank's protests barely registered.

What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck!

Max gripped the sink for support as she grabbed paper towels to sop up the mess all over her shirt. After fervently scrubbing at her shirt all the while swearing under her breath, she reached a point where she resigned, throwing out the fraying and soaked bits of paper.

She then cranked the sink to full blast before cupping her hands under the icy water and bringing it to her face. The action did little to settle her spiraling thoughts as she looked at the scared shitless girl in the mirror.

Did I stop time again? But how could Frank even know if I did?

Several deep breaths did nothing to calm her down. If anything, it made it worse as she felt like she just couldn't get enough air. "Not again," she muttered, almost begging. As her heart began to beat in her ears, she reached into her bag. After a minute of fishing, she found it.

The yellow tablet.

She held it in her trembling hands for a minute before grabbing the tip and pulling. A fourth of the tablet came free, though she nearly dropped both parts into the damned sink her hands were shaking so much. She stared at the fragment between her fingers. She could almost hear Frank's words in her head, "A quarter shouldn't hit your head too much, but it'll help chill your ass out."

You better be right.

She placed the tablet on her tongue before dipping her hand beneath the faucet and bringing the drink to her lips. For such a little thing, it was hard to swallow. Max put the rest of the pill in her bag as she tried to calm her heart and ease her mind.

All in all, Max probably spent a good twenty minutes in the bathroom. But, either due to the pill or her own willpower, the racing thoughts and her pounding heart finally slowed down enough for her to pull herself together. But damn if the ordeal didn't leave her exhausted. Still, she had to figure out just what was going on.

Frank was still sitting there, though he had his attention on the food in front of him. Max's plate sat there, just waiting for her to return. Fear pricked at her heart as the hair on the back of her neck stiffened. She couldn't just run away. If what Frank said was true, then there was something else going on with her powers.

"Sorry," Max said in greeting as she slid into the booth.

"I'm starting to get really tired of your bullshit."

"I… I needed to take a chill pill," Max said, picking up a fry from her plate. Despite all the shit, there was no denying that she was absolutely starving. After scarfing it down, she continued, "I didn't realize I did that. At the graveyard, I mean."

Frank pointed his fork at her. "But you know exactly what the fuck I'm talking about it. And don't fucking deny it. You didn't exactly play things close to the vest."

"Yeah," Max muttered, her fingers picking at her damp shirt. "So… what was it like for you? Like, being in a photo, but with everything a little out of focus and all the colors a little faded?"

A knowing grin appeared on Frank's lips.. "It was you. What the fuck was that?"

Max toyed with her burger, her teeth begging for it, but Frank wasn't about to give her a moment to tear into it. "I stopped time. And don't ask me how. I don't know. I only did it one other time." As soon as she finished, she lifted the burger and took a ravenous bite. It was good, if not a little cold from being neglected for so long.

"St-stopped time!" Frank hissed, slamming his hands on the table. He leaned back, a hand rubbing across his face. "Fuck." He then gestured an arm in Max's direction. "And you. Just… like it's nothing! What the fuck?"

After swallowing, Max washed it down with the drink she was still angry at. She put the drink down, only to glance up and find Frank staring hard at her. "What?"

"What the fuck, 'what?'" Frank slid his mostly-finished plate aside. He leaned in uncomfortably close. "You. Stopped. Time."

Feeling a lot less hungry under such close scrutiny, Max leaned back to put a bit of distance between them. She shrugged. "I guess. I don't remember anything."

Frand pointed a firm finger at her. "No way. You don't get to pull that shit on me. You just described it perfectly."

Max grabbed her drink again. This time using it as more of a shield between her and Frank than for any other purpose. "I really don't remember anything from the cemetery. I was completely out of it." She played with her straw, clinking what remained of the ice around in the glass. "The only thing I don't understand is why you weren't affected."

Frank's brow furrowed. "What do you mean I wasn't affected? That was some of the trippiest shit I've ever seen. And I've fucking been around."

"You should've been frozen, too," Max replied. She tried to remember, she really did. But no matter how hard she tried, the only thing in her mind was her past assaulting her while those voices barked. "I don't think… No. I've never had anyone other than me actually witness that kind of thing."

Finally, Frank withdrew back to his seat, sitting firmly in the booth. "So, maybe I'm immune to your damn witchcraft."

"No. That's not it." Max said as she set the drink down and went back to her plate.

"Yeah, I don't like how fucking sure you seem of that," Frank replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

The only explanation that made sense is that Max used her power to keep him outside of the time freeze. But how? Why? Max chanced a look up to find Frank looking grumpy as ever, staring hard at her. "Do you remember what I was doing or saying when it happened?"

"You're asking me?"

Max shook her head. "I really don't remember."

"Okay, so Pompidou and I were looking for you so we could bounce. I spotted you, stumbling around and holding your head." He shrugged. "I didn't know if you were having a really bad trip or some shit. Then, you look up, right fucking at me. You held out your arm and boom! I felt it in my chest."

"Your chest?" Max asked, her hand covering her still half-full mouth.

Frank gave a nod. "Like a goddamn bomb went off."

It struck Max as strange, given all her powers always hit her in the head, making it feel like it was about to explode. Especially when she pushed too hard. Her hand moved to her upper lip. She tapped there, just below her nose to feel it dry. "Was my nose bleeding?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah. I half-expected your ass to be dead by the time I got there."

How could she have possibly used her power that much and not even realize it? "Wait…" Max stiffened up as it came rushing back to her. She did see Frank coming when those voices were overwhelming her. "I remember. I was reaching out to you because I wanted you to help me." Her eyes dared to glance over at Frank.

"Help with what?"

In spite of her best efforts, Max just lacked the ability to shrink into nothing right there in her seat. "I was having flashbacks," she muttered, trying to paint the rosiest picture she could. Certainly sounded better than the batshit crazy stuff that actually happened. "I couldn't make them stop. Right after I reached out for you, I flashed back to the only other time I… well I stopped time."

"Yeah? And…?"

"And that's what happened. I must've accidentally stopped time because of the flashbacks, and I somehow managed to keep you from being affected because I wanted you to help me. That's it." Max shoved her plate away. "Can you take me back to Blackwell, now?"

"No," Frank shook his head. "No way. You're not getting off that easily."

Max hugged herself, shrinking under Frank's demanding gaze. "You said all I had to do was tell you what happened. I just did."

"Fuckin' witch," Frank muttered shaking his head as he got up out of the booth and headed for the counter.

Finally alone, Max's mind went right back to her spirit animal in that dark abyss. One thing stood out, echoing over and over in her mind, "Then do not return."

Was it possible? Could she find the right Polaroid and go back to that moment and start her life again from that point? Some point in the past before Chloe ever would've died. She could still save her. But how could she do something so impossible?

With your power, it is not.

"Shit." Max held her head in her hands. So much for the voices being chased away by her spirit animal.

Wait… didn't the doe say something about borrowing power from those that want me to succeed? All these voices have been on about is beating fate… Getting Chloe back.

"You ready?" Frank's voice broke Max's train of thought.

"Yeah," Max said before taking one last bite from her half-finished burger and scooting out of her booth.

Just what are those voices?

"All right, just how serious were you about taking that 'chill pill?'" Frank asked as he fished his keys from his pocket.

Max's head hung just a bit lower. "I… I took a piece like you said." As much as it pained her to admit it, aside from feeling a little tired, it wasn't like that groggy, weak fog from—

No. Stop.

Taking a deep breath in and out, Max tried to clear her thoughts. "I think it helped."

"Good. Like hell am I gonna let a fucking neurotic witch in here."

"Frank," Max said as she followed him onto the RV, "can I ask you to not tell anyone about this?"

"Promise not to turn me into a frog or light my ass on fire or whatever, and you've got a deal," Frank said with a chuckle as he started the RV. "Who would believe me, anyway? Real life fuckin' witch!"

His enthusiasm made Max's stomach turn. It reminded her just a little too much of Chloe when she learned about her powers. Max closed her eyes, holding onto those better memories with a new sense of purpose.

I'm coming for you, Chloe Price. I don't know how, yet. But I'm not gonna let anything stand in my way. Least of all fucking fate.