A growling, pained sound beckoned Max from her slumber. The noise was strange; strangled and primal, but extraordinarily familiar. She heaved herself upright and squinted in the dark, straining her eyes to try and find the source of it before realizing it was coming from right beside her. Even with very little light to go by, she could see the silhouette of Chloe contorted and clutching her head. A continuous hiss of pain sputtered from her throat, punctuated every few seconds with a sharp intake of breath.
What the hell?
"Chloe?" she asked, pouncing to her and taking her in her arms. "Baby, what's wrong? What is it?"
"It's nothing," Chloe replied, jerking her shoulder and pulling herself out of Max's embrace. She got to her feet, stumbling forward for a moment as if lacking any sense of balance.
"What..." Max made a move toward her, frustration percolating under her skin, "what do you mean nothing? Something is obviously wrong!"
What is she hiding from me!?
"I'm fine, Max," Chloe barked as she started toward the door. Max hurried off the bed and followed her.
"Chloe," she called after her, trying to make her voice as commanding as she could. There was no response. "Chloe!" Chloe picked up her pace, almost running as she fled into the bathroom. Just as Max reached the doorway, the door slammed shut in her face, followed by the click of the lock. "Chloe!" She pounded on the door. "Please, open up! You have to talk to me!"
What the fuck!?
"It's alright," Chloe's chilly voice came from behind the door, "I just need to use the bathroom, okay?"
Like hell is it 'okay!'
"Chloe, please!" Max slammed her hand against the door twice more, then simply leaned her forehead into it. "What was it?" she asked, her voice so quiet that she wasn't even sure if Chloe could hear her.
What was it this time?
"I just have to pee, Max," Chloe said, her voice quivering as she spoke. There was a small stretch of silence before a horrible scream flooded the bathroom, followed by the bang something breaking against a hard surface. Max gasped and manically jerked the doorknob, twisting it as far as it would go in either direction with hopes of gaining entrance. There was another violent sound, but it seemed flatter and was followed by a high-pitched yelp.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck.
"Fuck," Max whimpered, adding to the thought. Gripping the handle tightly, she let all of her weight fall backward. She flailed herself side to side, praying it would just turn a little more. "Chloe, please! Please, okay? I need to be in there with you! I need to! Let me in, please!" Her hand slipped from the doorknob and she fell backward onto her rear with a thud. Not missing a beat, she lurched forward and crawled back to the door. "Chloe! Please! Please..." She propped herself against the door, burying her face in her hands as she cried.
I don't know what's happening!
"Babe," Max pleaded, grabbing the knob again and pulling herself to her feet, "listen, okay? I really need you to let me in. You promised you'd let me help. Whatever it is, whatever you saw, I can help, okay? Please." There was nothing for what seemed an eternity, then a soft click came from the door and it slowly opened. "Baby," Max said, though she suddenly lost the ability to construct more words. Horror pried her eyes wide open at the sight of her lover. Chloe stood slouched, eyes red with tears and an expression buried under layers upon layers of sadness. But that wasn't what held Max rooted to the spot, unable to move and feeling like she'd be sick at any moment. No, that was caused by the swath of blood covering Chloe's lips.
"Max," Chloe whispered, shaking her head regretfully. She sniffled, then wiped her eyes as her lips bundled together. "I'm sorry..."
"What...what is happening?" Max asked, her tone spiking fearfully. Chloe brought her fingers to her temples and tried to speak, her lips moving soundlessly as she searched for something. "Chloe? What is this?"
"I don't know," she replied, hiding her face while she cried. "I don't know. I'm sorry. I should have told you. I'm really sorry."
What?
"Told me?" Max reached out for her slowly, resting her hand on Chloe's abdomen. "What are you talking about?"
"Last...last night when I had the dream, I, uh..." She gulped as she tried to explain. "I got a nosebleed when I woke up. I-I had that feeling Warren talked about. My head..." She stopped speaking for a moment, an elongated squeak replacing her words as her tears quickened. "It hurt. My head really hurt. And then my nose started to bleed. I don't know what's going on. I don't..."
Oh my god. Oh my god. Okay, okay, I need to...I need to do something.
"Okay...okay," Max said, trying to reclaim some sense of control on the situation. She reached forward with her other hand and took Chloe by the forearm, carefully coercing her through the doorway. She brought a hand to Chloe's lips and gently wiped at the blood, not caring that it was staining her fingers red. "Chloe, listen," she said softly, "I'm here, okay?"
"What's wrong with me?" she asked, the pace of her breathing bordering on hyperventilation.
"I don't know." Max brought her closer, slipping her arms under Chloe's. "Try to breathe. Come on, with me, okay?" Max took in a slow, long breath through her nose and let it out through her tightened lips just as slowly. She pressed herself against Chloe so she could feel the rhythm of it. "Like me, Chlo." She breathed again, trailing her arms up Chloe's back and pushing against her shoulder blades so that they tightly bound together. After a few more deep breaths, Chloe had successfully matched Max's pace.
"I shouldn't have hidden it," Chloe said. "I just...I didn't want to upset you. I didn't want you to relapse or something."
Of course, but...
"I understand," Max replied, now resting her cheek against Chloe's chest. "I know. I know you were trying to protect me. But you can't hide this from me anymore. Okay?"
"Okay," Chloe answered. She hesitated for a moment, then finally returned Max's embrace. "Am...am I sick?"
"What?" Max asked, pulling her head back a bit to look at her. "What do you mean?"
"Am I...not supposed to be here? Is it like...I don't know," Chloe sighed, "is it going to take me?" Max took a step back and grabbed Chloe by the shoulders.
"No," she said firmly. "You are supposed to be here. If you believe me on anything, it has to be that." Max's expression faded into something dark. "I don't care what I have to do, I will protect you." She shook her head slowly as she stared into Chloe's eyes. "I'd tear the universe apart if I needed to. Please believe me. Whatever is happening, I'll be here to help you through it. Just like you did for me."
"You're..." Chloe glanced at the ceiling, then back at Max, "you're taking this better than I thought you would."
Sure, okay.
"Because it's my turn to be strong," Max said. "I've been so unsure of what to say or do. I didn't know how to help." She brought both of Chloe's hands to her lips. "But now I do. Seeing you in pain like this... No, I won't allow it." After kissing Chloe's hands, her lips scrunched to the side. She held one out and looked it over. "You hurt yourself," she mumbled.
"I just had to get some of it out of me," Chloe replied quietly. "It's just bruised. It's okay." Max sighed sadly and kissed the injured hand once more.
Dammit. Dammit.
"Okay," she said. "I'll get you some ice, alright? Wait for me in your room." Chloe nodded and slowly shuffled past her back into her room. As Max went to turn off the bathroom light, she saw the Price's toothbrush holder smashed into pieces on the ground. She looked at the floor and gathered her wits, then went in to clean it up.
"Can you tell me?" Max asked. Chloe's hand was in her lap, snugly wrapped in an ice pack. "I need to know everything."
"There's...I don't know, there's not much to tell." Chloe dragged her free hand across the blanket mindlessly. "I told you the dream was different. How it was like a mix of several memories. And...I had that same feeling Warren had." She shrugged as if admitting guilt. "I called him while you were sleeping last night. I told him." Max showed a look of unease, then she nodded. "I had to tell someone and I didn't want to freak you out."
That sucks, but I get it. I'll have to check in with him.
"What did he say?" Max shifted her leg from underneath her to rest her foot against Chloe's thigh, just to have more contact.
"I mean, he didn't know, obviously," Chloe said. "But we compared the feeling and it was definitely the same one. And we...uh, tested it out." Max narrowed her eyes.
Uh?
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"He had me tell him something from another timeline," Chloe responded. "At first, it didn't work because he already knew it. But then I told him something else and it happened. So, we kind of assume that once you know, it doesn't affect you again."
"That's...something," Max said, though she disliked the thought of using Warren as a guinea pig.
"And, uh, we also tried to narrow down what would have been different about my dream to cause my nose to bleed." She winced when Max stared at her, awaiting a response. "The biggest difference being that I died." Max looked down at Chloe's hand in her lap, subduing the instinct to cry.
I did that. I caused that. ...wait a second.
"Chloe," Max asked slowly, "what was your dream tonight?"
"We were in the junkyard," she said. "Playing with the gun..." Max closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. "A bullet bounced off a bumper and hit me in the stomach. I saw you rewind it, but...I think it actually might have killed me if you didn't. They kept saying how much damage a bullet can do once it gets inside your body. I guess it, I don't know, counts. I guess...I was dead, you just stopped it before I was actually gone."
That one was my fault too. "Shoot the bumper, Chloe..."
"I'm sorry," Max said. "I didn't tell you about that. I just...didn't think you needed to know."
"I fucking hate guns," Chloe muttered. "But there was...other stuff. It was weird again. Like the last one. I saw...I saw you pointing the gun at Frank. And I saw you helping Warren with a school project. And...I saw when you said goodbye. When you left."
Of course you did.
"Why are your dreams getting so jumbled?" Max asked, though it was mostly just to verbalize the thought.
"I don't know," Chloe said, providing the obvious non-answer. She thought for a moment. "Uh, I guess it's probably obvious now, but it hurts. It hurts Warren too. He just never told you." Max's shoulders slouched as she looked around in wounded disbelief.
"I...can't believe this," she said. "I didn't know. I didn't...ugh." She hung her head.
"I know you didn't," Chloe replied. "We agreed not to tell you a long time ago. I know that's not right, but...it's the same deal. We didn't want to risk anything." She rocked her head back and forth as if deciding on something. "He said it's worse every time it happens."
"Oh." Max chewed on her bottom lip in thought. "I feel really bad."
Poor Warren.
"We just have to be careful," Chloe said. "That's it."
"I've been trying," Max responded. "I don't want to hurt anyone." She lifted Chloe's hand and cradled it against her stomach. "How do you feel about...the other stuff? Seeing everything?"
"Not good." She tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling. "It's still fucking with my head. Do you..." she looked back at Max, "do you think there are alternate realities or that you just changed the same one over and over? What do you think?"
"I'm not sure, babe," Max said in a disappointed tone. "I wish I knew. I mean..." she chuckled joylessly, "I still don't understand the...idea that I was rearranging the universe. I don't know how to process that, you know?" She furrowed her brow. "What...what does that mean? Was it just...Arcadia Bay or was I actually rewinding the entirety of reality? Every star in the sky? What does that...make me?"
"Max," Chloe said. When the girl perked her head as if awaiting a question, Chloe just shrugged. "It makes you Max. That's all we can...deal with right now." Chloe snickered somewhat desperately. "We can't go down that path. No fucking way."
"I don't want to," Max said, huddling in on herself uncomfortably. She removed the ice pack and lightly sandwiched Chloe's hand between hers to warm it up. "Is there anything else you need to tell me?"
"No." Chloe shook her head. "I don't think so." She seemed to realize something and grabbed her phone, looking at the time. "It's 4am. You have to get some rest for school, babe."
Fuck that.
"I'm not going to go, Chloe," Max said, her tone firm. "Are you insane? I haven't missed a single day all year, I'm going to stay here with you. Joyce and David are coming home too and I want to be here to help navigate that in case you struggle."
"Playing hooky," Chloe chided, working up a petite smile. "You're such a rebel."
"I am," Max replied. "I'm sure Blackwell will be just fine without me. I'll text Kate to let the administrator's office know." She tossed the ice pack onto the floor and crawled next to Chloe, taking her in her arms. "I'm not going to leave you like this."
"Thanks." Chloe nestled into Max and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm so lucky to have you."
"I'm the lucky one," Max said, then shrugged. "I guess we both are." Chloe kissed her cheek once more, then turned the girl's face toward her so she could get her lips. She exhaled a laugh through her nose and pulled away.
"Uhh, I did forget something," she said. Max's lips tightened into a straight line as she braced herself. "I forgot to tell you that I went to the cemetery to see my dad after the dream and I kind of ended up, um, passing out there. Office Berry found me and took me to the station. It's fine, nothing happened but..." she shrugged, "you know, transparency." Max stared back at her with big eyes, then started to chuckle.
Wow.
"That's...that's ridiculous," she said, unable to curb her laughter. "Not why you were there, of course, but just..." She touched her nose to Chloe's cheek. "Only you could fall asleep in a graveyard, get...arrested and walk out Scot-free."
"I wasn't arrested," Chloe grumbled. "I was more...escorted."
Unlike the previous night, Max had no trouble staying awake. Chloe being lost in a spiderweb of unanswerable questions about the inner workings of reality was surely horrid enough, but now that Max knew she was also feeling physical repercussions, it only made it more dire. She thought about when she used to get nosebleeds herself and how badly her head would throb. Not just her head, but sometimes her entire body. It didn't sound like the sensations were exactly the same by her and Warren's description, but she supposed she could relate well enough.
"What are you thinking about?" Max asked. She sat upright, her back against the wall as Chloe took a spot between her legs, resting against Max as the girl's arms draped protectively around her shoulders. Chloe's head rocked back into Max's collarbone.
"Everything," she said. Max frowned and leaned forward, planting a kiss in Chloe's hair.
"It's hard when you just...can't turn it off," Max said quietly. "It gets so loud."
That...endless sea of noise from every direction...
"What about you? What are you thinking about?" Chloe asked back.
"You, of course," Max said. She shifted her arms a hair and Chloe placed hers over top of them. "I'm trying to figure this out."
"Yeah." Chloe's voice was a bit hollow, as if she knew how fruitless the endeavor was. "I thought I was immune to it. I knew everything that happened. I guess I'm a late bloomer."
"Something about this has to make sense," Max replied. "There has to be some set of rules or something. It can't just be random." Chloe snickered and tilted her head to the side, kissing Max's bicep. It made Max feel slightly better that she was at least summoning some sense of humor or laughter, but it all sounded very tired.
"I'd be surprised if there were," she said. She sighed and pulled one of Max's hands into her lap and threaded their fingers together. "The, uh, only plus side I can see to this is that there's only so much ammunition." Max raised an eyebrow in interest. "I mean, worst case scenario, I just...have to suffer through it until I've seen all of the times I've died. If that's...what the problem is." Max scowled with enough emphasis that Chloe could feel it. "I know. I...know. I don't expect you to tell me how many times."
Chloe...
"It was..." Max steeled her nerve, "it was horrible, Chloe. I just kept ...losing you."
"And bringing me back," Chloe replied. "Tug-o-war with death. I guess you've got a hell of a grip." The soft smack of her lips could be heard as she debated asking her next question. "What do you think caused the storm? Why did it go away when I got shot?"
"Like pretty much everything else, I have no clue," Max said. "It definitely seemed related to my powers. I guess at this point, that's confirmed. But I don't know what it...was. And I don't know why it stopped."
"It's funny," Chloe snorted in a way that signaled it was decidedly not funny, "we know and have seen things that people have speculated about since the beginning of history. Life's unanswered questions. And, as it turns out, the answers to those questions are just more fucking questions."
"Not 'ha ha' funny, but I get you," Max responded. She squeezed Chloe safely in her arms. "The honest truth, and I think the truth the whole time has just been that I don't care." Chloe made an inquisitive sound. "I mean, we ended up where we ended up. I don't care how it happened or why. Would I like to know? Sure. But...I'm content having you here with me."
Nobody wants to know how sausage is made. I guess the same is true for defying fate.
"I hope in time I can get there too," Chloe said. "It's still such a fucking mess in my mind, but maybe I'll get there." She sighed and sat up, then turned around to face Max. "I'm really impressed with how you're handling this. I know I already said that, but..." She shrugged sheepishly.
"I kind of am too," Max admitted. She smiled awkwardly as if she wasn't sure whether to be proud or not. "I mean, I didn't even get the tiniest feeling like I'd have a nosebleed or that anything would happen. I was just concerned about you."
"Thanks," Chloe said quietly, "you're a badass." She traced her hands up along Max's body until they found a home in her hair, then slowly took her into a kiss.
They stayed in bed like that through the morning, carefully and quietly being together with no distractions. Though things were stable, even tiptoeing the line of 'positive,' neither of them were fooled into believing that things were better. But even in its own way, that was encouraging. To know there was a process they'd need to work through together to properly heal, but that they were still able to have moments of being alright. Max figured, if anything, that was a big step in the right direction.
As always, and with that small glimmer of irony, they lost track of time. It wasn't until they heard the sound of a car door that Chloe turned pale and uncertainty coated her features. Max knew she was more than happy to have Joyce and David back, even if it meant the end of their pretending to own a home. But she also knew Chloe was dreading trying to act okay in front of them. In the back of her mind, Max had been formulating a plan all morning as to how they would handle it. She'd run interference when needed or do her best to remove Chloe from the situation until she could reset.
"Okay," Chloe said, drawing the word out as if it were a chore, "let's...go try and do this."
You got this, baby.
As they reached the bottom of the steps, the door was opening.
"We're home!" Joyce declared as she came through the door, dropping her bags of luggage onto the floor as she held her arms out. Chloe took the cue and stepped into her arms, receiving they cloyingly sweet hug only a mother could give. To her relief, Max could see Chloe smiling and she could even tell that it was genuine. "You would not even believe how wonderful the trip was!"
"That's awesome, Mom," Chloe said, not yet breaking out of Joyce's hug. A moment later, David came through the door with another round of luggage and, unlike Joyce, carefully set it to the side. Chloe finally pulled out of Joyce's arms and immediately headed toward David. "Hey Dadvid," she said quietly, "I missed you."
"That's unbelievable," he chuckled, rubbing her back as she hugged him. "I missed you too, Chloe." He looked over at Max and cocked an eyebrow. "Hey Max," he said, checking the time on his phone, "aren't you supposed to be in school?"
Ergh.
"Oh, I wasn't feeling well this morning," she responded. Then, before he could question further, she moved into Joyce's embrace. "I missed you guys too!" She was sure to add extra flair to it. Joyce snickered and issued one tight squeeze, then let go of her.
"Missed you too, Max," she said.
"Do you guys need help with the suitcases?" Chloe asked. Max watched as the girl subtly bent and unbent her knees, hopping in place anxiously.
"No, that was the last of it," David responded, receiving a hug from Max. "It was such a great trip, We have to tell you both all about it."
"Sounds good, we have plenty of time," Chloe said, holding her hand up in a thumbs up.
"Wow, that sounds crazy," Max said, reaching under the table to rest her foot against Chloe's, feeling the jittery tapping of it against the floor. Joyce nodded enthusiastically.
"It was absolutely beautiful," she confirmed. "I do wish you two could have been there. Max, you'd have taken so many pictures."
"Oh, I bet," she said. "My camera is very jealous."
"Maybe next time," David added with a small smile, "we would definitely have to bring you both with us."
"That sounds like a promise," Chloe snarked, though Max could see her following a blueprint in her mind for what to say and how to say it. Chloe's shoulders slouched together and she glanced away when she noticed Joyce staring at her.
"Hon, are you alright?" she asked. Max took a deep breath, preparing herself to jump in. Chloe ran a hand through her hair.
Come on, Chloe. Give me a signal.
"Yeah, I'm alright," she said. "Just tired. Me and Max didn't get a ton of sleep last night." David's nose scrunched slightly and Chloe let out a real laugh. "Not like that," she assured.
Sigh. I wish. It would certainly be better than this.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about and you don't need to elaborate," he stammered. Joyce simply rolled her eyes as she tapped him on the arm in a scolding manner.
"I really missed you guys," Chloe said for what might have been the twentieth time. Joyce nodded at her.
"It makes my heart swell that you keep saying that." She turned to the kitchen and sighed. "Well, as much as I was used to being pampered, I should ask if either of you girls are hungry." When Chloe didn't respond, Max bonked her leg off of Chloe's.
"Yep, we're super hungry," she said, baring her teeth in a grin.
You have to eat, Chlo.
"You don't have to make anything," Chloe added. "I mean, you just got back."
"Oh, I don't mind." Joyce waved a flippant hand.
"I've certainly missed your cooking," David snickered. "Cruise food is amazing, but there's something about a good, home-cooked meal."
"Exactly!" Joyce said as she stood up from the table.
And it was just like that, Joyce slipped right back into her role as favorite cook at the Price household. It didn't take long before she had a meal ready for everyone, perfectly including each of the food groups. Chloe swallowed, working up her nerve to eat, then began jabbing her fork around for her food.
"What did you two do while we were away?" David asked, excitedly reaching for a biscuit from the basket in the middle of the table. "Anything fun?"
"Oh, not a ton," Max replied, stealing the opportunity for Chloe to avoid her food. "We sort of treated the house like it was ours, so that was neat. We felt very adult."
Also filled it up with weed stench and threw a party. And defiled most flat surfaces in the house. Sorry, not sorry.
"Oh, you know you can stay here whenever you want," Joyce said, though she did frown a bit. "I'm not too pleased with you skipping school to do so, but the sentiment stands."
"If she wasn't feeling well, she wasn't feeling well," David defended with a shake of his head. At that, Joyce shrugged in acceptance.
Max's eyes kept straying to Chloe and she was relieved to see more and more instances of sincere smiles appear as they all talked. It seemed that having them back was also easing something in Chloe's mind. Though, to the point of confusing both Joyce and David, the girl did keep stressing how much she missed them.
That's great, Chlo. Anything that helps.
After they'd finished eating, which took far longer than it should have with all of the active conversations, Chloe decided that she and Max would join her parents in the living room as they watched TV. They were there, just as she knew them. Her Joyce different than the Joyce in her dream. In Max's other timeline. Suddenly, David shifted on the couch with a look of discomfort and sat forward, digging his hand beneath him. His face only registered muted shock at the beer bottle he'd found. Nothing like anger, but a curious, silly expression that only seemed to say 'busted.'
"Okay, I may have had some friends over," Chloe admitted, laughing as she shrugged.
"How are you feeling?" Max asked, combing her hand through Chloe's hair as the girl laid on the bed beneath her.
"Uh, you know," she said, "pretty janky. But, I'll admit...I'm so glad to have them home." She made a 'hm' noise. "It's nice to have them back so I can remember just how...real and lucky I am with them. It was a reminder that, no matter what else happens in another timeline, I have them now and that's pretty great."
That's a great way of looking at it.
"See that?" Max bent over to give her a kiss. "If we can just keep reminding you that what you have is how things are meant to be, it could feel better." Max gave a tiny smile. "Like grounding."
"Tether me to the floor," Chloe replied with a dry but not unkind tone. "I don't know. I don't know..." She sighed. "Maybe I'll get over this at some point. Maybe. But what about when I dream again? It's just going to reinforce all of this shit. Just...waiting for it to happen again."
"But I'll be here," Max replied. "I'll be here to help. To remind you that I love you. I'll ground you to us. What we have."
"Thank you, Max," she said. "I hope...I hope I can get this under control."
"I know." Max took a deep breath and gripped Chloe against her lovingly. "You will, though. I promise."
It wasn't too long after that that Chloe showed signs of sleepiness, though it was evident the idea of it scared her, which Max of course found reasonable. It had happened two nights in a row. It never did that before. Still, she didn't try to aid in Chloe's attempts to stay awake. She knew the girl needed rest desperately. Instead, she held her until Chloe fell asleep, despite all of her best efforts.
Good. Try to get some rest.
Max watched her for a while, holding her breath and waiting for her to spring awake in a panic because of another dream. It was difficult to come to terms with the fact that this would be something she'd have to worry about every single night. She frowned and kiss the girl's cheek before slipping out of bed. Quietly, as to not disturb Joyce and David, she crept to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
Strong for her. That's what's important.
Still, without the immediate need to placate Chloe, she began to think about everything. Why were her dreams suddenly different? Why was she getting bloody noses? Why did she get the dreams at all? She hated how much pain, both emotionally and now apparently physically, they put her through. And it was all too stark a reminder of how hard things were when she experienced her own problems a few months ago. That something this drastic was still happening bothered her greatly. Even more than that, it scared her.
There, safely by herself in the bathroom, she finally removed her armor. She relaxed all of the tightened muscles that forced her to stand tall and comfort Chloe. She sighed out long and slow, thinking about what all of it could mean. Then, once she had been sufficiently submerged in the feedback loop of those thoughts, she broke down in tears.
A/N: Heya! Things have been a bit intense, eh? The next chapter should be after a somewhat decent timeskip, so we'll have to see how everything plays out!
In other news, I actually compiled a little 'guide' to all of the music references so far in Ouroboros. If that's something you'd be into, you can check that out here (as always, shitty FFN link rules apply) - docs. google (dot com) /document/d/1APEZ0PfImAAxCXmxqbdm0S5ZlnFvRZyrOwr-8jcWrxA/edit?usp=sharing
Also made a CuriousCat! If you've ever had a question for me, you can shoot one (and be anonymous) at curiouscat (dot me) /tomorrowheart Doesn't have to be about Ouroboros, just whatever!
Think that's it for now. I'll catch you guys for the new chapter!