A/N: Well hello everyone! Everything's been getting pretty intense lately in this story, so much has been revealed yet more questions remain unanswered. Episode five part three is where everything comes full circle, and Max's destiny is truly revealed to her. I'm seriously getting excited seeing how this story is almost nearly completed. So, let's get started on part three now, shall we? Enjoy!
Previously on Life is Abominable...
Still trapped in the Purgatory dimension, Max is taken through time by Rachel to tell her the story of how Zara's stalking has affected her life. Max learned that Zara had written a series of deranged love letters as well as pictures of Rachel taken inside her own home, including one while she was asleep in her own bedroom. Even after presenting the evidence to the police, and a court date set to take Zara down for good, Nathan Prescott and his family defends Zara and attempts to paint the accusations as lies, even going as far as threatening Rachel with death if she spoke against Zara in court. Rachel then takes Max to Mark Jefferson's house, where she explains Zara is about to hire both him and Nathan to aid in her murder...
Jefferson Residence. 11:28 AM
The two girls watched as Zara sat on the couch of Jefferson's living room, patiently awaiting for him to join her as soon as he was done in the kitchen. Jefferson had taken a steaming hot kettle off the stove and poured it into two mugs, one was a plain white ceramic mug that could be found at any department store, and the other looked like a camera lens. After Jefferson poured the water, he inserted the two tea-bags inside and stirred them up before walking into the living room with both mugs in his hands.
"Tea, Miss Zara?" he offered.
"Thank you, sir" Zara politely thanked him before taking it into her hands.
"So, you said there was something you wanted to talk to me about?" Jefferson asked as he sat in the large leather recliner right next to the couch that she sat on. Max watched closely and kept her ear close to the back door screen so she would be able to listen and understand what they were talking about much more fluently.
"Indeed I did. I'm just going to get straight to the point here if you don't mind" Zara said.
"Oh, no, absolutely. Great idea" Jefferson said with a nod.
"Alright then. I know what you and Nathan have been doing with the female students in your class. Drugging them, taking them to your "Dark Room" and photographing them tied up and too high off their rockers to make out what's happening or remembered what you did to them the next day" said Zara.
"M-Miss Zara... I have no idea where you got the idea that I would ever..." Jefferson said, but was cut off when Zara held her index finger up at him as a signal to get him to be quiet. She then reached down into the envelope containing the money and pulled out some photographs of Nathan and Jefferson taking a classmate of his named Portia Walkins to the barn where the Dark Room was hidden with her hands and ankles tied together with gray duct tape. Jefferson was now starting to sweat nervously, he couldn't deny it now that the proof was in front of him.
"Fret not, Mr. Jefferson. I'm not here to blackmail or threaten you, I'm here... to make a deal with you" Zara said after she set the photos to the left of where she sat.
"What kind of offer exactly?" asked Mr. Jefferson.
"I want you, to drug and kidnap Rachel Amber. Do your usual thing with Nathan that you'd usually do with her, give me copies of all the photos you take. And after that, I want you to kill her" said Zara with a serious look on her face, as well as a tone of voice to match. The last part almost made Jefferson spit his tea out after taking a sip during her explanation.
"W-What? K-Kill her?" Jefferson asked in complete and utter shock.
"Nothing too extreme like a knife or a bullet. She's too beautiful to leave any holes or stabmarks in her body... a second more lethal dose of whatever crap you and Nathan have been buying from Bowers should do the trick" Zara told him.
"I don't understand. Why would you ask me to kidnap, photograph and kill Rachel? Isn't she the girl you have a massive crush on?" asked Jefferson with a hint of confusion in his words.
"She'd rather hang out with that blue-haired punk than me. I feel like this will serve as a form of "Disciplinary Action" so to speak, to show her how wrong she was for choosing Chloe Price instead of me" Zara explained. Max could feel her blood boiling with rage the more she listened in on the conversation, she wanted nothing more than to barge in and kill Zara herself, but it would have been pointless since this had already happened in the past and not the present. Zara then turned to her right and picked the envelope into her hand before tossing it over to Jefferson, and making it land on his lap.
"I like to pay for my services in advance, if you don't mind that is?" said Zara with a smirk before taking another sip of the tea Jefferson gave her. He reached into the envelope and began counting the money in his hands, bill by bill. Each and every one of the bills in the envelope are all hundreds, and not a digit lower than that. Jefferson had now counted about five thousand five hundred dollars before placing it back on the envelope.
"I trust that will cover it?" asked Zara. Both she and Jefferson stood up at the exact same time and locked hands with one anothers before commencing with a firm handshake.
"It most certainly will. You've got yourself a deal, Miss Zara" Jefferson said with the same creepy smile he had given Max while he photographed her in the Dark Room years ago. Zara returned the smile and nodded in reply while she shook the older man's hand. Max then watched as Jefferson escorted his guest out of the house and back to her car like a gentleman while they discussed what their best course of action for comitting the kidnapping would be.
"I trust you know what happens next" Rachel said, catching the younger brunette's attention. Max then looked to Rachel with a remourseful look on her face, and tears began falling down her face.
"Oh, Rachel. I'm sorry, I-I-I didn't know..." said Max, trying to express the sorrow she felt for Chloe's past lover knowing that her life was stolen from her all because one person refused to leave her be.
"Don't be, you didn't know any of this was happening until you returned to Arcadia Bay and discovered your powers. There was nothing you could have done" Rachel told her. Max then watched as she opened the back door that lead into Jefferson's house, but the minute she walked through the doorway, she disappeared. She knew this meant Rachel wanted her to follow her to somewhere else, so without delay she placed her hand on the doorknob and yanked the door open before running into the house and through the portal.
Location Unknown. Time Unknown
In a bright flash of light, Max found herself somewhere she didn't recognize at all. She was standing in the middle of a beautiful meadow of violets and honeysuckles. In the distance there were tall mountains completely covered in snow, and the sky was a beautiful shade of lilac covered in twinkling stars as well as two full moons in the sky. Max then looked down and saw that her outfit had been changed, now she donned a beautiful yellow sundress with no sleeves that went halfway down to her knees as well as yellow low-top converse sneakers.
"What is this place? I have no idea where I even am" Max asked herself out loud.
"I do" Rachel's voice said, causing Max to look behind her and gasp in surprise. She saw Rachel's outfit had been changed as well. She now wore a beautiful sleeveless burgundy dress that went all the way down to her ankles, and she had white high-heeled sandals on her feet.
"Why would you bring me here? What does this have to do with Zara and Everest?" asked Max in confusion.
"If you follow me, I will show you" Rachel gently replied before walking right past her towards a white gazebo that had appeared out of nowhere. Still unsure of what was going on, Max followed Rachel to the gazebo as well as look around as she walked. Max didn't know somewhere she didn't know about could be so absolutely beautiful. Once the two brunettes were finally underneath the roof of the gazebo, Rachel turned to Max and asked her a question.
"Have you ever wondered what happens when we die, Max?" asked Rachel.
"Sometimes, but not all the time though" Max answered honestly.
"I'm pretty sure you're aware that when someone dies they ascend to the afterlife right?" Rachel asked, making Max nod in reply this time instead of speaking.
"Sometimes, a soul cannot move on if they have unfinnished business. These souls end up here in the In-Between, where they stay until their heavy burden is lifted from their shoulders" Rachel told her.
"And you just so happen to be one of them?" asked Max.
"Exactly. I never wanted what happened to me to happen to anyone else. I was outraged that Emily Zara was still walking amongst the living while I had my life and everything I had ever wanted to do stolen from me" Rachel told her while she stared off into the lilac galaxy sky.
"And so you've been stuck here all these years until someone finally avenged your murder, of course! That's why I've been seeing that deer, it was you sending me messages from the In-Between right?" Max asked. Rachel turned to her and gave her a lone nod with a smile on her face.
"Yes, I had been watching Chloe as she tried to find me without any success for many years after Zara murdered me. When you came back and discovered your rewind, I knew you would be the one to help Chloe in bringing my killers to justice. But even after Nathan and Jefferson were killed, I couldn't move on" Rachel explained.
"Because there was still one more" Max whispered out loud.
"That "One More", was Emily Zara. As long as she still lived, I would never be able to leave the In-Between and my soul would never ascend to the afterlife. There were many pieces missing from the puzzle, but I knew without the right help Chloe couldn't make them fit" said the older brunette. Max could only imagine how awful it felt to know your killer was still walking free and that you would never be able to leave a plain of fabric of existance between life and death. To her, it sounded heartbreaking, like a neverending Hell she could never escape from.
"Well, what happened after the storm destroyed Arcadia Bay?" asked Max.
"After that, I turned my attention to Zara. I watched her every move from this gazebo, waiting for the right opportunity to punish her and condemn her for everything she did" answered Rachel. Max then began to hear the sound of water dripping from the gazebo's ceiling. She turned her head to see that the ceiling had indeed been leaking and a large puddle had formed in the very center of the dark chocolate polished hardwood floor. Max looked down at the puddle to see something on it's watery surface, it showed Burnish's men capturing Everest and leading him away from the mountain in chains like a savage beast. Watching this made Max's heart ache, she couldn't stand to see her semi-adopted son in such pain like that.
"I knew since you and Chloe would be in China at the exact same time Everest was to arrive at Burnish's compound in Shanghai, I knew this was the perfect opportunity. I created the telepathic link between you and the Yeti, and later on during your journey would gift it to Chloe as well" Rachel said as she also stared down into the puddle along with Max. The younger brunette's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with both her hands in shock and awe.
"Wait a minute... y-you're the reason Chloe and I can speak to Everest with our thoughts?" Max asked, still amazed at what she had just heard.
"That's exactly right. I had appeared before Everest while he was in transit to be delivered to Burnish's research facility, and I had planted a dream in his mind. The dream was similar to the one you had the day before you and Chloe boarded your plane to Shanghai, only it showed you holding your hand out to him on the bridge. The minute he had awoken, Everest knew that this mystery girl would save him from the people who had taken him away and return him to the mountain" Rachel explained in great detail.
"I-I-I can't believe this... it makes sense. It all makes sense now" Max said with a grin forming on her face that grew with each second.
"All this time I thought it was chance or fate behind this, but in reality... it was you, Rachel. You've been guiding us all this time, fighting behind the scenes and making sure we would follow the path you paved for us" she continued.
"And you have done so well. But even after you killed Zara... I couldn't leave. I didn't understand why at first, but the minute I saw Everest clutching his bleeding chest, I knew why I wasn't moving on to the afterlife. Everest had to make it back to the mountain alive after Zara was killed. Another innocent soul had paid the price for Zara's greed, and my heart broke when you broke down crying after he had succumbed to Zara's bullet" Rachel said sadly, a tear rolled down her cheek and into the puddle. Max's smile was now gone, and now she had a look of anger on her face, but her rage was not directed at Rachel, it was at the woman who had taken away the closest thing she had to a son.
"I swear on my life, Rachel, that's not going to happen again. I'm going to bring Everest back to life, and this time I'm going to do it right! Zara's going to die, Everest is going home to his family, and you will finally be able to happily ascend to the afterlife knowing that the woman who made your life Hell is gone for good" Max promised while clenching her fists tightly.
"I know you will. Because I can see in your eyes you love him like he was your own child. You and Chloe have given him so much these past few days, that it makes me smile every time I see him laugh and smile with you two" said Rachel. Max's angry look disappeared and only a small smile stood in it's place as she replied to Rachel's statement with a single nod.
"You love him, don't you?" Rachel asked.
"With all my heart, Rachel. He may not be human, but that doesn't mean I'd love him any less. I'd give my life for him if it meant he would be happy" Max answered.
"Good, because I mentioned the last time we spoke there would have to be one final choice to make. And that choice is drawing closer with every step you take towards the end of your journey" Rachel told him.
"And what choice is that?" Max asked. Rachel just chuckled and shook her head before she spoke to the younger brunette girl.
"I'm afraid I cannot say. That is for you to discover yourself once you've finally reached the mountain" she answered before turning down to look at the puddle. Max looked down at it as well, and this time it showed a beautiful beach that was completely empty.
"This is where we say goodbye, Max. I've given you all the answers you need to understand your role in this journey, and now it's time I sent you back to the mortal realm with the knowledge I have gifted you" Rachel said, not taking her eyes off the puddle.
"Thank you, Rachel. And I promise I won't let you down, Zara WILL die and Everest will get home safelty without having to pay with his life" Max swore sincerely.
"I thank you as well, Max. But before you go... I ask that you look into the puddle again, but this time look deeper. There's one last thing I must show you, and may it help you in making the right descision" Rachel said before she had began to fade away until she was completely gone, leaving Max all alone in the gazebo by herself. She then did as Rachel instructed and stared deeply into the puddle, the harder she focused, the more a blinding white light began to fill every angle of the puddle's surface. After a few more seconds, she found herself being teleported somewhere else.
Unknown Uninhabited Beach. Unknown Time
Max now found herself no longer standing in the gazebo in the In-Between, and this time found herself on the same beach she saw in the puddle. Her clothes had been completely changed once again, now she donned an orange tank-top with brown short shorts, and black sandals, around her neck rested a dreamcatcher necklace. Max was initially confused at first, she wondered what it was that Rachel wanted to show her before sending her back to the realm of the living, as well as how it would play into the "Final Choice" she had forementioned before disappearing.
"What is this place?" Max whispered to herself. Out of nowhere, Max could hear music filling her ears. There was nobody else on the beach so she had no idea where the music was coming from.
(Start playing "Alice" by the Cocteau Twins as you read this next part of the story until it says to stop)
What Max saw in front of her next was something she certainly did not expect. Standing in front of her was Everest playing Tag on the beach with her and Chloe. These versions of her and Chloe looked much different than how they looked now, Chloe wore a pink tank-top and black shorts, her hair had grown out much longer and the color of it was no longer blue, but bright green. The other version of herself was wearing a black tee-shirt with a picture of a full moon on the front, and dark brown skinny jeans. Her hair had grown slightly too, only it reached down to the bottom of her neck, and had been styled in a much more grunge-like fashion, and her brunette hair was a much darker shade of brown, almost like dark chocolate.
"Tag! You're it, Everest!" Chloe said out loud before running down the sandy shore.
"Not if I catch you first, Auntie Chloe!" Max heard Everest say telepathically. Even though it was only just a vision, it was comforting to hear Everest's voice in her head once again.
"Yeah, go on! Go get her, Everest!" the other Max cheered as she ran after them. The sight of this was enough to make Max smile and start crying tears of happiness, she had no idea something so simple as watching herself playing tag on the beach with Everest and Chloe could make her heart feel so warm. Why Rachel wanted to show her this was still beyond her understanding, but it made her feel happy and lift her spirits after everything she had been shown previously.
"Tag! You're it!" Everest telepathically said as he gently tapped on the back of Chloe's shoulder.
"You better watch out, Mad-Max! I'm coming after ya!" the green-haired girl taunted as she started running after the other Max after Everest tagged her.
"Betcha that you won't get the chance to lay a finger on me!" said the other Max before laughing and running away from them.
"C'mon, Everest! Help me catch mama!" Chloe said in her thoughts. Everest only nodded and began chasing after the other Max with his auntie. Then, all of a sudden out of nowehre, a big white window appeared and was levitating in mid air. Max was curious as to what that was doing there, so she walked over to the window and looked into it to see the inside of a beautiful house filled with Christmas decorations. Max also saw herself, Chloe, and Everest sitting in front of a Christmas tree, and they weren't the only ones there. Yi, Jin, and Peng were sitting on the couch wearing the goofiest looking ugly holiday sweaters she had ever seen before.
"Alright Everest, let's see what Santa brought you" said the other Max as she handed Everest a large box covered in red wrapping paper with tiny little silver spots on it and a big gold bow on the top of the box. The Yeti took the box into his hands and shook it close to his ear to see if he could determine what it was.
"Open it up, big guy. Let's see it" Chloe encouraged. Everest then took the lid of the box off and gasped when he saw what was inside. He reached in and took out a giant dark blue pullover hooded sweatshirt that was his exact size.
"You like it?" the other Max asked Everest.
"I love it! Thank you mama!" Everest said in his thoughts before pulling her in for a big hug, which took her by surprise at first but she happily returned it.
"It'll keep you warm until Spring comes in April" Chloe added. Max then looked behind her to see a door standing on the surface of the beach. When she looked back in front of her the window had completely disappeared and was nowhere to be found. The song that had been playing inside her had was no longer audible as well, it had completely stopped.
(You can stop playing the song now)
The brunette girl then looked over to where she saw Everest playing tag with her and Chloe but even those other versions of them were gone as well. Now, she was alone once more on the beach with nothing but a plain wooden door painted white with a gold doorknob. Max then walked over to the door and analyzed all it's features, she also felt a small blast of cold air coming from the door's keyhole.
"This must be how I get back to the past" Max said to herself. She then slowly reached her right hand out in front of her and placed her hand on the gold metallic knob tightly. After taking a deep breath and exhaling, she let out a nod and turned the knob to the right which sent the door flying open to a big blank white room. After she walked in through the door, everything went completely white and she could feel herself awakening from Purgatory.
Outside the Himalayas. 9:14 AM
"*Gasp*" Max said as she awoken to the exact point in time she had taken the Polaroid of Mt. Everest in the distance. She saw her SX-70 was in her hands and watched while taking steady breaths as the picture printed out of the front of the camera.
"Max? Is something wrong?" she heard Chloe ask as she put a hand on her shoulder. Max couldn't be more relieved than she was right now to see her Chloe again. She then looked to see Yi, Peng, and Jin staring at her with worried looks on their faces.
"Oh my god, Max... your nose" Jin said, pointing that blood was pouring out of both her nostrils and down her mouth and chin.
"Here, let me help you clean that up" said Chloe as she pulled out a dirty white cloth and wiped Max's face completely clear of blood as well as have her blow her nose of any excess blood.
"Wait, where's Everest? Where is he?" Max asked with a worried tone of voice.
"Mama, I'm right here. What's wrong?" Everest asked using his mind to communicate with Max. The brunette then ran over to her semi-adopted son and hugged him tightly before she began crying into his chest. Everest was confused but hugged his temporary mother back tightly to comfort her. Everyone else was worried and confused as to why Max was acting like this and wanted to know why.
"Max, is something wrong?" asked Yi. Max then broke away from the hug and she turned to face the others to explain everything that she had just seen and learned back in the purgatory dimension.
"Guys... we can't go on that bridge" said Max with an urgent tone of voice. Everyone began listening to her as she began her long explanation of what Rachel had showed and told her.
A/N: There you have it everyone! Max is finally out of the purgatory dimension, and has information to share with Chloe, Everest, and the others too. Because now that Max has been bestowed the gift of knowledge, it can be used to change the outcome of what happened before in the previous timeline. Now, we're two episodes away from the finale, and we shall see what the outcome will be. Please review, thanks!