Sneaking back into the dormitories was easy enough, especially in comparison to what they'd just gone through at Pan Estates. Truthfully, Max might even consider them stealth experts at this point. And though she knew having skill at breaking and entering probably wasn't something to be proud of, she couldn't help but be.
It was around 4AM by the time they'd finally settled down in Max's room, and a collective sigh of relief was shared between them. It was the first time in hours any of them felt comfortable enough to relax even the slightest bit. The downside to this was that Max was once again very, very aware of how sore and exhausted she was. With the exception of the fifteen minutes before Chloe's dream the night before, she hadn't slept for going on 48 hours. She flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, wanting nothing more than to drift off into pleasant dreams.
Mmn... How many hours did they say it was before sleep deprivation was the same as being drunk? ...I wouldn't mind a bit of a buzz right now. Blood Mary dreams...?
"Okay," Chloe said, emptying her backpack out onto the floor, sending folders and papers scattering every which way. She took Max's and emptied it as well, then nodded for Warren to do the same with his. His lips drew into a tight line when the damaged drone tumbled out.
"I have no idea how I'm going to explain that," he groaned, taking a seat on the floor. "I might die. I might be murdered."
"We're not going to let her murder you," Chloe responded, lowering herself to her knees. "I'll coldcock her right in the vag, I don't even care." Max sputtered out a laugh and slid from the bed to the floor with all the grace of a pile of jello.
"Can't say I endorse that plan," she mumbled, pulling herself upright. She looked over the mess of papers on the ground and slouched over again. "Alright...where do we begin?"
There's just...so...much...
"Well, first and foremost, I want to know what the fuck my name is doing in that...whatever it is," Chloe replied. She reached for Benjamin's binder and hesitated, shooting a nervous glance at Max. "It's scary..." she murmured, then pulled it into her lap.
It is... It makes me feel weird.
"I mean," Max very intentionally looked anywhere but the pages, "we can make the obvious assumption that it's referring to the storm. That makes sense."
"Makes sense," Warren repeated with a grumble. He shook his head and began sorting through some of the other papers. "I don't know. I...I mean, what the hell? Now we're supposed to work with some kind of...what, prophecy? That's ridiculous."
"Warren," Max said, drawing his attention, "please direct me toward anything about any of this that isn't ridiculous. Please, I would love that."
I could really go for some 'not ridiculous' right now.
"Okay, yeah, I know," he said. "It's just...fuck, man." He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "So...basically, something had to happen to the Prescotts or else a crazy storm would show up and destroy everything. Does that sound right?"
"It...does fit all the vague things Samuel has said, at least," Max mused. "I mean, I think so? In his own Samuel-y way, he basically said that now that the Prescotts were in trouble, Arcadia Bay was better."
Or...something. Is it 'better' to have a town where nature is growing out of control like this? It seems...dangerous.
"But why the fuck am I in it?" Chloe asked, dropping the binder into her lap. "And Rachel and Kate? What the fuck is that about?" Though she was projecting anger in her voice, there was a very obvious undercurrent of fear.
"Look," Warren said, holding his hands out in preemptive defense, "I'm not saying this to undermine your feelings, but we can't know for sure that it's literally about you three. It's...freaky, and I guess possible, but..." Chloe narrowed her eyes at him, then took a deep breath.
"Warren," she placed her palm on the page with all of the scribbles, "you didn't feel what I felt when you guys read those names. Even when I look at them right now, it's... I can tell. I swear. You need to believe me, alright?"
It...does sound like more than a coincidence. And there is their...ugh...
"What do you three have in common?" Max asked with a knowing frown. She could already tell working their way through the puzzle was going to dredge up a lot of sore memories.
"Nathan," Chloe replied, flailing her hand, "like, I get that. But what does it fucking mean? There's no way this fucking stupid poem knew Nathan was going to shoot me in that bathroom."
"Wait..." Warren had taken the binder and was reading over it himself. He turned it to them and pointed at a specific line. "This one sticks out to me. It's weird, right? 'Your kin ensnared in a marsh of woes?' That sounds pretty specific. I don't just mean it has Kate's name, but specifically Nathan and Kate's situation... Right?"
"No," Chloe said forcefully, refusing to even spare it a morsel of belief. "Nathan went crazy, shot me in the bathroom, and got caught. That's what happened. That's it."
"Well, why were you even in the bathroom with him?" Warren asked. Max realized it was one of the few things he still didn't know. Chloe huffed and slapped her hand against her hip.
"I don't know, dude, I was trying to blackmail him," she responded.
Blackmail him. Oh, right. Because of the, uh...
Max glanced at her, remembering the reason Chloe had any leverage over him to begin with. Her hands tensed into fists as she thought of the photo she'd found in Nathan's room - the image of Chloe half-conscious on his bedroom floor after he'd drugged her. It filled her with rage, but...she was also able to analyze it and fit it into the bigger picture. If there was one thing she'd learned from her powers, it was that events didn't exist in a vacuum.
Butterfly effect.
"Blackmail him?" Warren perked an eyebrow. "Damn, that's gutsy. What made y-"
"Chloe," Max said quietly, interrupting him. The fabric of her jeans was bunched within her claws. She stared at the floor, readying herself to face the pain that came with saying it out loud. "When Nathan drugged you, he didn't give you enough, right? You woke up way before he expected you to."
"Yeah..." Chloe answered, side-eying Warren. He buried his face in his hands, distraught to learn of yet another example of his friends suffering. From the outside looking in, it was a completely different type of hurt that Max and Chloe were accustomed to.
"Okay," Max said, turning to her, "I have to wonder, like, why he wouldn't have given you enough? You'd think he'd know about that sort of thing. Unless..." she reached for Chloe's hand, preparing to tear open old wounds, "he was afraid he'd give you too big of a dose. Scared that he might make the same mistake he made before."
"Rachel," Chloe replied with a pained look on her face. "He...OD'd her by accident. Right. So..." she snickered, but it was somber, "huh. It's sort of like she...saved me, I guess."
In a horrible way, yeah...
"She did," Max nodded, giving a light tug of support to Chloe's hand. "But...listen. Think about how Nathan would react to that. He trusted Jefferson enough that he'd definitely tell him about it, and I'm sure he wasn't very happy."
"Right..." Chloe stared at her intently. "What are you getting at?"
"I'm saying, Nathan...worshiped Jefferson. To him, he was all he had. Disappointing him probably drove him nuts." Max took a deep breath and let her head roll back against the bed. "So, he'd be desperate to get back on his good side. Impress him. And if he thought he had the opportunity..."
"The Vortex Club party," Chloe said, looking at Warren. Visibly beaten down from the night's events, he simply shrugged in response. "So, he saw Kate there and...decided to drug her? As some kind of penance for fucking up with me?"
"Ensnared," Max said, gesturing to the page. "He was sloppy. Too eager to get back on Jefferson's good side. And things totally spiraled out of control after that. Since so many people saw Kate fucked up, it became this huge deal. It wasn't just like they took her there and sent her off without anyone noticing like they did to other girls."
"So, Kate knew something happened," Warren added. He stole a glance at the door, as if reassuring himself that she was still across the hall. "She couldn't forget about it entirely because everyone kept reminding her. And because it became big news at school, there was finally a reason for Nathan to be nervous?" He waited for Max to approve of his deduction. "He thought he might actually get caught."
"And a very paranoid Nathan plus access to a gun equals..." Max flitted her hand, finding it unnecessary to finish the thought.
A sequence of events ending with Chloe...
"The three musketeers of tragedy," Chloe whispered, directing it nowhere in particular.
"What?" Max asked. She'd been tracing circles on the back of Chloe's hand with her thumb and was startled when the girl pulled it back into her lap.
"Ah, there was..." Chloe's lips curled into a smile. It seemed to be taking a great deal of strength to hold it, the way a weightlifter strains and trembles under a barbell. "There was just this thing when I was talking to your dad back in Seattle. He mentioned how it was like me, Kate, and Rachel were connected because of all the bad shit. David said the same thing, too." Her smile twitched, then crumbled, leaving only a blank stare. "Three musketeers..."
Though she was aware of the distress slowly building within Chloe, Max couldn't help but think of the other her in her most recent nightmare. It was something she'd said that, even at the time, struck her as peculiar.
"Do you think it's like a Passover situation and Arcadia Bay has a shortage of sheep's blood?"
…
"By the way, you missed a really good opportunity for a sheeple joke with the Prescotts and all that."
Max remembered the way she winked after that. It was so theatrical and condescending. And it was in that wink that the truth was finally revealed. After all this time of being unsure, she knew once and for all...
The storm really wasn't her fault.
"So, you're telling me..." Chloe continued, yanking Max from her thoughts before she could thoroughly process their truth, "that I was destined to die because of some fucking dream from over a hundred years ago?" She had a crazed look in her eyes. "No, no...I don't think..." she clasped her stomach and bent over, "I don't think I can handle that. I don't think I can, Max. Max?" She looked up at the girl and reached for her. "Max, I can't do this. I can't."
"Chloe..." Max said, "I'm here, it's okay."
"It is not okay," Chloe snapped back, pressing her palms hard against her temples, "it's not okay! Do you understand what this is saying? Do you get it?" She lurched for the binder and violently shook it in Max's face. "This fucking thing is telling us that my entire fucking existence is based around dying in that bathroom. That's all I exist for! I'm not even a real fucking person!" With a growl, she whipped the binder across the room, knocking over a stack of Max's books.
Max wanted to console her and tell her it wasn't true, but she had no idea what to say. Of course Chloe was a 'real' person. She was Chloe Elizabeth Price. She was the love of Max's life. She had a family, friends, likes and dislikes... She was as real as anyone can be.
But...it was very, very difficult to understand the implications of her revelation. If it was really true that Rachel, Kate, and Chloe were meant to play a part in the Prescotts downfall, then...how far did that extend? Was William's death part of it? Was Max having to move away? Rachel wasn't even born in Arcadia Bay. Neither was Jefferson. Surely it wasn't all predetermined. Surely...
"I'm just a fucking joke," Chloe sobbed, "I'm some fucking...cosmic chess piece. That's all I am."
Warren sat forward, looking as though he might say something, but Max shook her head. She turned back to Chloe and...watched as the girl heaved and melted into the floor. Max was frozen. She wanted so badly to find the right thing to say. That one cute, lovely thing that always made the hurt less painful. But she just couldn't.
And then Chloe looked up at her. It was the most striking, heartrending thing Max had ever seen. Because there was no mention in them of the despair that had instigated the reaction. There was no glimmer or swirl of existential torture. No, those things were...hidden behind something else. The truth was, the look in her eyes was one of hurt. Wounded, like she'd been rejected.
It said 'why aren't you helping me, Max?'
And that was all it took to find the right thing.
"Chloe," Max roughly gathered her into her arms and brushed away the hair clinging to her face, "listen to me, okay? I'm here and so are you. We're together. Remember, that's the mantra, right?" She kissed a tear away, then another. "It doesn't matter what that thing says, because it didn't happen. You're with me. You're here right now in this room with me and we're in love and it's all real, okay?" Again using force, she dragged Chloe on top of her so the girl was straddling her lap. She cupped her cheeks and pulled her into a deep kiss. "Listen to me," Max whispered, touching their foreheads together, "just...listen to me. My voice. You can hear me, right?" Chloe's uneven breathing washed against Max's face, and she nodded against her head. Her eyes were big as they stared into Max's, desiring nothing but the girl speaking to her. "Good. I'm telling you, we're together. We are together. Nothing else matters. No matter what anyone else tells you, you belong here with me. That's what I say will happen. That's what I decide."
She kissed her again and this time, Chloe leaned into it. Her arms slid over Max's shoulders and, like so many times before, they disregarded time and space. They ignored the beginning and the end. There were no directions, no left or right or up or down. No above or below. No far or near. They were more than any of those things could dream to be.
"Okay?" Max asked as they broke the kiss.
"Yeah, okay," Chloe responded, nuzzling into her. "I'm here and you're here."
Forever.
"That's right," Max beamed, pecking her on the nose. She heard a sniffle from the other side of the room. "Also, Warren's here."
"He is, isn't he?" Chloe chuckled quietly. She rolled off of Max's lap, providing her with a clear view of the boy. He was red in the face and crying.
"That was so beautiful," he mumbled, wiping at his eyes with the back of his sleeve.
"You hangin' in there?" Max giggled, resting her head on Chloe's shoulder.
"Fuck," he spat, searching around him, "I need...tissues." Chloe pointed to the box on the desk and he stumbled to his feet. "Guys, seriously, I don't know what I just saw happen but it was...I don't know."
"Love, I guess," Max answered with a shrug. "I don't know, we've never had an audience before." She slipped her hand under Chloe's jaw and looked at her thoughtfully. "Are you okay if we keep going? We can stop if you need to."
"Yeah, I can do it," Chloe replied, making sure she was as snuggled into Max as much she could be, "as long as you're here."
"I am," Max said, "I always will be." She turned back to Warren and squinted. "So, uh, did you have any more thoughts on the matter or were we too distracting?"
"You were, but..." he plopped onto the couch and let out a heavy burst of breath, "no, I was thinking. Mostly, I'm confused. I have questions." Max nodded for him to continue. "So, the first one is...why did it take so long for this thing to happen? I remember wondering this before, but now... That entry is dated 150 years ago. If Arcadia Bay has the power to create an apocalyptic storm, why would it...wait?" He snirked and rubbed his eyes. "It. Arcadia Bay is an alive thing."
"That's a very good question," Max responded, furrowing her brow. "If the Prescotts were such a threat and so loathed by...whatever it is, then why would it tolerate them for so long?"
"Not only that," Warren added, "but why would robbing the Prescotts of their status be enough to stop the storm from coming? That's such a...small thing, comparatively. I don't know, it seems way too contrived."
That's true, too. I mean...is it really that big of a deal? Enough to warrant the storm?
"That's pretty on brand," Chloe said, then she leaned forward and picked up a piece of paper. "You're right, though. It's...weird."
"I guess we can only read and hope we find something," Max said. "I think we should work our way backwards. Find everything from Martin Lewis, we can start there." She reached for the other binder, the one she'd stashed away in her backpack, and opened it on her lap. Warren handed Chloe two sheets of paper that were protected in a translucent sleeve. "I'm just going to start from the beginning and see where we end up."
"April 3rd, 1887
It would seem we're close to the fabled land that kept father so preoccupied near the end. Some of the others have questioned why I'm so set on finding it, but I can only feed them half-truths. How could they respect me if they knew they had uprooted their lives to chase the ramblings of a madman?
It isn't often, but I do sometimes miss the old man. When I learned that he had killed himself, I felt...free. It was difficult to deal with someone so ill. But now, I cannot help but wish he were here.
If only so he could point in the right damn direction."
"Harsh," Warren said.
"Yeah, that took a turn, huh?" Max replied. "So, Benjamin killed himself? That's...interesting."
"Sounds like he finally cracked from the whole dream thing," Chloe said thoughtfully. "Maybe he just couldn't deal anymore?" She pointed at the page. "You notice how he's looking for Arcadia Bay? Benjamin must have actually left. He took the threat seriously and bailed."
"Uh huh..." Max skimmed the next entry, then flipped the page.
"April 7th, 1887
We found it. Though there is no one who can truly confirm it, I can feel it in my gut. I am somewhat stunned to find that it truly exists. Not just exists, but it is just as father described. The old codger was right.
My mind is afire with possibilities. Perhaps the one good thing that man gave me was his sense of opportunity. I know that I can succeed where he failed and make this place something truly special. I will work on convincing the others to stay, but it shouldn't be too hard. If they refuse, to hell with them.
I have spent some time poring over what's left of father's scribbles and while I believe them to be a mess of nonsense, they have given me a rather clever idea. When the time comes, I will claim this land Arcadia Bay."
"Well, now we know why Martin Lewis is considered the founder and not his father," Max said, rubbing at one of her eyes. The lack of sleep was making it very difficult to focus on the words.
"Want me to read?" Chloe asked. Max nodded and handed off the binder.
"Huh, you know what I just realized?" Warren said, his eyes listlessly moving along the ceiling. "Sean named that place Pan Estates. His ego is so fucking huge that he named it after the god that lives in Arcadia." His head lulled forward and he gave Chloe a dry look. "He's that full of himself. He's taunting it."
"Wow," Max let out an incredulous chuckle, "I never even put that together. He's really that big of an asshole."
Maybe the 'I' in Et in Arcadia ego doesn't represent 'Death.' Or...maybe there's no real difference.
"That's not exactly breaking news," Chloe responded. "Let's not forget that he, uh..." she gestured to the homeless woman's wallet and swallowed a mouthful of poison. "Whatever. I'm going to read this..."
"April 20th, 1887
There was something father once told me, long before he lost his wits. "Money is powerful, but it cannot stop a bullet."
He was never the keenest on elaboration, so it took some time for me to unravel its meaning. It was only with careful observation of his own behavior that I truly understood what he meant: While a man will do nearly anything if only you promise him a bit of fortune, it does not grant you absolute control over them. To obtain that, you must prove yourself as someone not to be trifled with. See, a benevolent king is a weak king, and a weak king invites a coup.
I am no weak king.
And Edward Carney can no longer walk."
"Who does he think he is, fucking Tony Soprano?" Chloe asked as she finished reading. "Going around busting kneecaps like some kind of mafia member."
"That whole king thing is particularly hard to stomach," Warren added. He scrunched his nose and shrugged. "You know, Benjamin wasn't a great guy...considering the slavery and all, but he didn't really give off straight up evil vibes like this dude."
"I have a running theory," Max said, tucking her legs beneath her, "that each Prescott might be a bit more fucked up than the one before." Her eyes angled up as she tried to recollect the wording of the song. "There was something about Arcadia in their bloodline. Maybe, like, corrupting them?"
Is that possible? I mean...considering everything else, why wouldn't it be?
"Corrupting the corrupt," Chloe snorted. "That seems like a double negative. You think this thing is actually vindictive like that? It was planting some kind of seed so that eventually the Prescotts would implode on themselves?"
"I'm not sure," Max responded. "It kind of seems that way, doesn't it?" She let out a petite yawn, then nodded at the binder. "What's next on the itinerary?"
For the next hour, Max, Chloe, and Warren took turns reading from Martin Lewis' journal entries. Most of them were uneventful in terms of the supernatural, but they did provide a detailed look into the beginnings of Arcadia Bay. Even from the start, Martin had his hooks in every aspect of the town. He had final say over everything from trade, construction, and law. There were even instances of couples asking his permission to have children... Some of which he actually denied. As they read, one thing became abundantly clear: Martin Lewis really was a much crueler man than his father.
They had read and skimmed their way through several years worth of entries, yet there was no sign of Arcadia Bay's wrath. Finally, they came across a page that made Warren perk up.
"Oh boy," he said, loudly enough to snap Max and Chloe out of their daze. The three of them were so tired that, whenever there was a lull, they would enter a trance-like state. And so, they'd taken to practically shouting whenever they needed the attention of the other two.
"What is it?" Max asked, stretching her arms over her head. Warren gave her a knowing, acerbic look and sighed as he began to read.
"February 21st, 1895
The damned fire nearly spread through a quarter of the forest before the rain finally put it out. Nothing that time cannot fix, of course, but it bothers me to lose so many resources.
But it was worth it. It was time to remind the others what happens when I am crossed. I imagine the cinders of the Robertson's home will do a fine job serving as that reminder."
"Aaaaand there it is," Chloe said, pointing at the binder.
"How much you wanna bet?" Warren asked, tapping his index finger on the page like a jackhammer. "I give it five more pages until we're knee deep in some mystic shit."
"Yeah, I'm not touching that bet with a ten foot pole," Chloe replied, crawling over to sit beside him. She took the binder from him and pushed against her jaw, loosening the taut muscles within her neck. "Let's see what this goes..." She skimmed through two pages, then snorted.
"March 1st, 1895
I have begun to notice some...odd behavior from the wildlife around here. The other day, I was followed for a good hour by a pair of hares. I say this realizing it sounds a bit mad, but it's true. They followed me. They even stopped when I did. There was nothing else odd about them, but it's still quite strange given their usual demeanor. I suppose it's possible they were rabid? Either way, I finally grew tired of it and disposed of them. Although, something about it struck me as a poor decision.
And then, just today, I came home to a broken window and a bled out pig on my floor. You could almost convince me the bastard threw himself right through the glass. It would be...possible, I suppose, but I am more inclined to believe that someone decided it would be a humorous prank.
That Wesley boy seems as good a suspect as any. He's always rubbed me the wrong way."
"Whoops," Max said, feigning distress, "that's a big ol' no no. You're going to burn down the forest and then kill two of Arcadia Bay's little agents? Poor show."
Chloe 'mhm'd' in acknowledgment, then flipped through several more entries until her face went ashen.
"March 13th, 1895
They continue to search for the boy's body, meanwhile I am greeted with yet another mangled animal. A hawk this time, which leads me to question whether or not someone else really was behind the pig. It is possible to catch a hawk, true, but that is quite a lot of effort to go through.
It's a curious thing.
I cannot help but think of my father's writings. They remain nothing more than superstition, I am sure. Still, one has to wonder."
"Sweet summer child," Max said in a mocking, singsong tone. She scoffed and glared at the binder. "So, Martin Lewis now has an actual body count."
A child, too... Jesus.
"These people are sick fucks," Chloe pushed the binder from her lap onto the floor, and Max picked it up. "Seriously, what the fuck? They're demons."
"We haven't gotten to that particular reveal yet," Max remarked with apathy. She hesitated, blinking away the desire to sleep, then continued onto the next page.
"March 17th, 1895
The truth of the matter is, even if father were right, I cannot simply abandon everything I've worked for. Not like he did.
That isn't to say I have grown to accept his...beliefs. I am merely reminding myself that this is my land. The Prescotts are the ones in control of Arcadia Bay. Not anyone else.
Not anything else."
"Wow," Warren slowly shook his head with a smile, "I am seriously this close to being impressed. How does someone develop that much hubris? He chose to stay even when he was realizing his dad was right."
"I'm willing to bet we're getting close to when these started being addressed to the next generation," Max said. "He's on his toes at this point. This is when he decided to double down."
"He hasn't mentioned Harry yet," Chloe said, "but you're right. He's probably already concocting all sorts of plans on how to fend it off." She fluffed her hands through her hair and grumbled in frustration. "This is taking forever. There's still so many questions we don't have answers for."
"I know." The corner of Max's mouth quirked in uncertainty. "There's just so much to go through. Like, this is informative and all, but... I don't know." She pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes and yawned once more. "Let's take stock of everything we do know."
"Actually," Warren looked over the mess of papers and shook his head, "there's something...wrong with all of this."
"How do you mean?" Chloe asked, leaning into him. Her eyes drooped, then snapped back open. She stuck her tongue out and winced as she pinched herself.
"Well, it's just..." he swept his hand over several journal entries, "there's a lot of information here. And, even though we're missing a lot of specifics...and I can't believe I'm saying this...it all makes sense. Or at least, it connects, right?" He picked up one of the papers to use as a demonstration. "Prescotts fuck up, Arcadia Bay says unless they suffer, it's going to blow itself up and start again. It even predicts how it might finally happen..." He paused and eyed Max with concern. "Max, none of this has anything to do with you."
I...what?
"Oh..." she replied quietly. She'd been so immersed in the Prescott's exploits that it hadn't even occurred to her. She exchanged a nervous look with Chloe and shrank into her shoulders. "Oh."
"So..." Chloe drummed her fingers on her knees, "so, even with all this shit, we don't really know anything about the time stuff. Is that...right?"
"I don't know," Warren shrugged, "you guys would be able to tell better than me. But it's just...weird. You'd think Max would be mentioned in that dream song thing. I mean, she was the one who actually determined how everything played out. Like..." he looked at Max again, this time bracing himself, "I don't know any other way to say this, so I'm sorry, but you're the one who initially ruined the plan. The storm came because of...you and your powers."
"But..." Max stared at her hand. She could practically see the minutes swirling around her fingers. "But it has to be... This has to be connected. It HAS to be."
"It is," Chloe assured. "Max, we know it is. We've been too involved with the dumb fucking animals for it not to be. They're spazzing about everything falling apart, too."
I know she's right, but... Wait. The animals. Why...?
She'd only just made the realization, and it filled her with equal parts rage and sadness. If Arcadia Bay's plan was for Chloe to die all along, then that meant...the animals really were her enemy. Again, she thought of Nightmare Max and what she'd said about the doe and squirrels. It was all their fault, she'd said. They were the reason everything was dying. ...well, everything was dying except for Arcadia Bay.
She had no sort of deep, personal attachment to any of the animals. Even the doe, which had been around for so long, was just...a creature that occasionally showed up. Even still, she felt betrayed. Maybe even embarrassed. And more than that, she was worried. What...were they doing? Why did the doe guide her? Why did the wolf help her? Whose agenda were they furthering by pushing her toward the Prescotts?
Chloe lamented being what she had referred to as a pawn of Arcadia Bay's. And now...it was hard for Max to not feel the same way. Except, it didn't choke her like it did Chloe. It didn't flatten her fight and break her heart. She simply observed those feelings of betrayal, of embarrassment, of being taken advantage of... She observed them, then took them within her lungs. She breathed them and made them hers.
It was just more fuel on the fire.
"You okay?" Chloe asked. At first, Max thought she was talking to her, but she noticed Chloe was looking at Warren.
"Yeah, I'm good, just..." His eyes fluttered and he lightly slapped himself on the cheek. "I'm fine."
"You know what?" Max looked over the papers and sighed. "Warren, you need to get some sleep. Seriously."
Poor guy's falling apart on us.
"Really, I'm good," he argued. He pried his eyes open with his fingers. "I'm wide awake."
"No," Max's tone was stern, "you're not good. You're exhausted. You need to sleep. You've been amazing, but you need a break." He opened his mouth to argue once more, but Chloe clapped him on the shoulder.
"Come on," she said softly, "you're barely conscious." She smirked, and nudged him by the shoulder. "I know you probably don't think you'll really be able to fall asleep, but I promise, when you're tired, your body calls the shots. You'll be out like a light."
"Are...you sure?" he asked. He'd reached behind him for the leg of the sofa, ready to root himself in place.
"Very," Max said. "Thank you. A million times, thank you. But you're only going to worry me if you stay."
"You'll come get me if you need me?" he slurred. Chloe had stood up and was pulling him to his feet.
"Yes," she said, ruffling his hair. She took him in a big hug and rocked back and forth.
"Promise?" He almost collapsed into Max's arms when she came to hug him.
"Promise," she whispered. "Thank you again. You're the best."
"No problem." He patted his pockets, making sure he had everything, then blinked slowly. "I'm just...gonna leave that here for now," he said, pointing at the drone. Chloe skirted by him and opened the door, gesturing for him to walk through it. "Dang, you guys are like for real kicking me out," he chuckled.
"We are," Chloe said, giving him a smile, "but we'll let you back in later once you're a bit less of a zombie."
He stood still for a moment, nodded, then shuffled out the door.
"I'm glad he was with us," Max said as Chloe came to sit beside her, "but I feel...really bad about it. I regret getting him caught up in this."
I hope...we're not doing the same thing to him that the squirrels did to Samuel. I hope.
"I know," Chloe replied, "but he wanted to help. And he did help. A lot. I think he'll be..." she trailed off as she noticed Max staring at her. "Max? You o-"
Part two.
"Chloe," Max said, interrupting her. She placed a hand on Chloe's shoulder and laid down on the floor, guiding her to do the same. She took her in her arms and kissed her on the nose. "I want to make sure you understand, okay?" Chloe glanced to the side, showing her discomfort. "Nothing about any sheet of paper determines who you are or are meant to be. The fact of the matter is that you are here right in this moment." Chloe opened her mouth to speak, maybe to ask for them to change topics, but Max silenced her with a kiss. "No, let me finish, okay?"
Chloe nodded and scooted closer to Max, tangling their arms and legs together.
"Even if you want to think it's true," Max continued, "even if you just can't shake the thought from your head that you're some kind of pawn, then you need to see how much stronger that makes you for defying it. You...can't just look at me with those eyes and say you're nothing, Chloe." She pecked the corner of Chloe's mouth. "You're special. You're freer than most. You took something that was destined to happen and gave it the middle finger." She snickered, then gently nipped at Chloe's nose. "Listen, you always joke about how you've lost your edge. How you're not as punk as you used to be. But...I can't imagine a bigger act of rebellion than telling fate to go fuck itself. And you're doing that every single day. You're as punk as ever."
This time, Chloe kissed her, and Max could feel the smile on her lips. She took a sturdier hold of Chloe's waist and looked deep into her eyes.
"Chloe," she said seriously, "I know it's hard. I know it's unfair that you have to keep having your entire perception of life yanked out from under you. And I know that it's messing with your head and that it hurts. I know, baby. But listen to me when I tell you that I will never let anything happen to you. Ever." Max hesitated, then kissed her again. She dropped her voice to a whisper, but it was writhing with venomous intent. "I don't care if I have to burn down all of Arcadia Bay. I don't care if I have to kill Sean Prescott with my bare hands. Nothing is going to happen to you. So..." she softened and brushed a stray strand of blue from Chloe's face, "so you can't give up on me, alright? No matter how fucked this all gets, you can't. Because I won't give up. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Don't worry."
It was silent for a moment while they searched each others eyes. Chloe actually seemed to be surprised by the speech. Then she let out a breathy giggle.
"Okay, you sorta scrambled anything I was going to say," she admitted, hugging Max and kissing her on the collarbone. "I... Max, you know the only reason I'm okay or...could ever even be okay is because of you, right? I mean that in both a physical and mental sense." She pulled her hand up between them and delicately stroked Max's bottom lip with her thumb. "I trust you. I believe you. And as long as you're with me, I can do it."
"That's my Chlo," Max said with a big smile. She kissed Chloe's forehead, then her nose again. Chloe eyed her playfully, then chuckled. "What?"
"It's just..." she shook her head, "you've become such a damn badass. You always were, but...wow." She rolled over onto her back and laced her fingers with Max's. "It's crazy to me. I watched you change from that shy, self-conscious girl into this...warrior. You're so amazing."
I'll never get tired of hearing that.
"I couldn't do it without you," Max replied, resting her head on Chloe's chest. "It's a two-way street, you know. I couldn't be me without you."
"You ever think about how unhealthy our relationship dynamic must sound to people who don't actually know us?" Chloe snirked. "We're like, codependent as balls. But in a good way!"
"I just don't have the energy to create or deal with any issues between us," Max laughed. "I have enough on my plate. I bet Dr. Bill would be so mad when he couldn't find any red flags." She 'hmm'd' thoughtfully. "You're right, though. We're so weird."
"Uh huh..." Chloe sighed dreamily, then again with frustration. "So, I guess I'm some kind of chosen one, huh? I always dreamed of that when I was younger, just...you know, more in an Excalibur kind of way. Not...this."
"To be fair," Max brought her hand to Chloe's abdomen and softly pressed where the bullet scar was, "you've never actually tried to pull Excalibur out of its stone. You still have a chance."
"You'd be like Merlin," Chloe said, "all wizard-y and shit." She paused and ran her tongue across her top row of teeth. "I really don't know what any of this means. Even now, after all this. Especially..." she propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at Max. "I know we've talked about this before and we decided to just...ignore it, but you can time travel. You can. As far as we know, nobody else has ever had that power. It's so...what the fuck? You can change reality. Like some kind of..."
"Don't," Max begged, with a firm evenness in her tone. Boarding that train of thought always made her feel nauseous. "Don't say it."
Don't have the capacity to add that nightmare to the mix.
"Okay," Chloe said sweetly, pulling Max's fingers to her lips. She frowned and sat upright, looking over Max's wounded hand. "Gotta change this," she whispered as she unwound the bandage. Once it was off, she very gently traced the outside of Max's palm with her thumb. "So...what do you think of our little woodland friends?"
Yeah. Woodland friends. I'm a shitty Disney princess.
"I can't muster anything but anger," Max responded, wincing when Chloe accidentally strayed too close to her cuts. "They've been helping us, but now we can't deny that there's something insidious about them. They had this big plan all along..."
"I know," the corner of Chloe's mouth twitched in uncertainty, "I thought they were on our side... Oh!" She flopped onto her back and strained as she reached for something among the pile of papers. "I...brought... Got it!" She sat back up and shook a brown bottle in showy fashion. "I picked up some hydrogen peroxide last night when we grabbed our supplies. I figure it's probably gotten dirty enough."
"Ouch," Max chuckled, spreading her fingers to give Chloe better access to her wounds. "Sure, why not?"
Chloe twisted the lid off the bottle, plugged it with a cotton swab, then turned it upside down for a quick second. She puffed her bottom lip out to Max as a form of apology, then carefully began rubbing it along her cuts. Max shut her eyes tight, anticipating the burning pain, but...it never came.
"Uh, Chloe, did you take the seal off the bottle?" she asked, a devious smirk playing on her lips. Chloe furrowed her brow, then pointed to Max's hand.
"Uh, yes, Maxine, I did," she mocked. She narrowed her eyes. "Oh, that is weird though. It's not fizzing."
"It's not?" Max asked, bringing her hand in front of her face. "That's...odd. Maybe just pour a little in my hand?"
"Yikes, really?" Chloe cringed and Max nodded. "Alright, burn the witch, got it." She poured the tiniest amount of the antiseptic into Max's palm. It simply puddled there, remaining as clear as could be. "Kay, new theory," Chloe said, screwing the cap back on the bottle. "Your magic cuts aren't dirty at all. They're...healthy...cuts?"
"But..." Max hesitated, then narrowed her eyes, "yeah, okay. It doesn't even break top ten on the list of weirdest things we've seen today."
Maybe top fifteen. MAYBE.
"On that note," Chloe said, wrapping new bandages around her hand, "Warren's right. It's weird that we don't have a clue about your involvement with all of this. Why is that?"
"I don't know," she replied. She raised her head to look at the clock, then dropped it back to the floor. "It's almost 6AM. If it were still dark, I'd go out there and see if I could find some...thing to ask. Someone has to know." An idea struck her, and she grimaced at the thought.
If I had another nightmare, I could ask her. I can't believe she was right... Am I...on her side?
"We could go to the forest," Chloe offered, but Max shook her head.
"No, I think..." she smacked her arm beside her and clutched at a group of papers, "I think we should do a little more digging through these, and then try and get some sleep. Just a little bit."
She was slightly ashamed of the concession, but the truth was she just wasn't sure how much longer she could carry on. Things were beginning to look blurry, and her reaction time had fallen a few milliseconds behind.
"Okay baby," Chloe replied, helping Max upright. She scooched as close as she could, then opened the binder again over both of their laps. "I think I could go for some rest myself." Max realized that it'd been even longer since Chloe had gotten substantial sleep than it had been for her. She wasn't showing it as much, but it was still pretty evident.
"We should go to like, a spa resort or something after we fix everything," Max said, earning an emphatic 'oh god yes please' from Chloe. "I'd even do the little cucumber slices on my eyes thing. I don't care..." She sighed wistfully, then began turning through the pages.
"Wait," Chloe said, placing her hand on the page to keep Max from flipping to the next, "I meant to ask you... do you want to talk about the, uh, Jefferson thing? How are you doing with that?"
"Oh, uh..." Max shrugged, "I don't know. I completely lost control of myself. It was...scary." She pursed her lips. "The thing is, that version of Jefferson was...I don't know, maybe innocent when we started? And I just didn't care. I kept telling him things from other timelines until he turned into this Frankenstein's monster of different Jeffersons." She looked at Chloe half-ashamed. "I'm not proud of myself. Really, I'm not. I'm kind of glad you weren't there to see me like that."
"Max, you know that I wouldn't have been any kinder," Chloe assured. "However it went down, I can promise it wouldn't have changed the way I feel about you." She snickered and nudged Max's shoulder. "For real? After the conversation we just had, you still think I'd freak out?"
"I don't know, man," Max responded with a little laughter of her own, "I don't know. I'm not thrilled about it. But I also...I'm just tired. Like in the bunker tonight? Fuck it. Fuck all of it." She flitted a finger under her cheek and scowled. "Hey, I should tell you... I tested something out on Jefferson. It'd been worrying me for a while."
'Tested' is probably a...generous term.
"What's that?" Chloe asked.
"Just, for the longest time, I've been wondering what would happen..." She held out a hand in explanation. "So, we give people brain shocks when we tell them about something in another timeline, and it screws with their head, right? So I've been a little nervous what would happen if-"
"If you told them they died?" Chloe guessed. Max looked at her in shock. "Yeah, I've thought about that, too. Because..." she sat up straighter and stretched her hands in front of her, "because, alright, we still don't know for sure how things work but I think there's some kind of...immunity difference between me and everyone else?"
"Immunity?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Or something like that," Chloe continued. "It's just...so, obviously I don't get the zaps just from knowing what happened to me in other timelines, right? Whether that's because I knew about them from before or because I went back in time with you, I have no idea. But I did start to get them as soon as I started dreaming about the times I've died. Nosebleeds, too. So..." she hesitated, "my thing is, if that's what finally started to fuck me up, what would happen to someone who wasn't as...tolerant as I was?"
"Right..." Max replied. She hadn't used the same path as Chloe, but she did end up at the same conclusion. "I wasn't sure what that would do, and there was obviously no way to test it out. I'm still not sure if Jefferson really...counts, because he was already this weird, unstable collection of memories, but it's enough to convince me to stay the hell away from doing that again.
"Very good plan," Chloe agreed. "It scares me to think about that happening to...well..." She furrowed her brow and cleared her throat. "You know, I never actually realized it, but all of our friends and family have...died at some point. At least in some timeline. That's...uh, really upsetting."
It's...not a good thing to think about, no.
"Not in this one," Max pointed out, "and it's staying that way. I promise."
"Except Rachel..." Chloe looked down at the floor, her lips quirking sadly. "Kate and I are okay, but Rachel didn't make it out of that...thing. That's so...unfair."
Rachel. Damn. You didn't deserve that...
"I know." Max nuzzled into Chloe's shoulder. "It's not. And it's just another thing that makes me so fucking...angry. I wish I could have saved her..."
"You did everything you could just to hold the world together," Chloe said. "It's not your fault. It's...well," she gestured to the binder in their lap, then huffed. "Moping can wait. Want to keep going?" Max nodded reluctantly, then began to read where they'd left off.
As to be expected, instances of Arcadia Bay's fury became more common as the entries progressed, and so too did Martin Lewis' belief in them. Though it wasn't really a shock, they still found themselves a little surprised by how Martin's maliciousness only grew as time went on. Max was right when she said she was expecting him to double down, but not even she thought it would be with such force.
All in all, by the time Harry Aaron was born, Martin's body count had amounted to nineteen people. Most of them were through indirect means, whether he had someone else do the deed or simply manipulated conditions so death was the inevitable outcome, but Martin himself could claim direct responsibility for ending six lives.
Death was just the most stark example of his misdeeds. Much like the current Prescotts, Martin wielded his wealth like a weapon, using it to threaten and control whatever and whoever he desired. Eventually, he reached beyond the borders of Arcadia Bay, spreading his influence like a plague via business opportunities. His acts of violence against the land itself became more frequent as well. These were often disguised as simply expanding the town, with things like clearing out sections of the forest or over-hunting the wildlife, but it was the way he wrote about it that showed just how much malice was behind it. He expressed his belief, and hope, that Arcadia Bay was able to see the cruelty in his heart. He wanted it to know he was hurting it, and doing so with glee.
There was something Max and Chloe noticed as the entries continued that even Martin seemed oblivious to. Over time, he'd mentioned here and there about how some of Arcadia Bay's more spectacular resources ran dry; how certain animals and vegetation seemed to disappear entirely. It was clear to the girls, knowing all of the information they did, that Arcadia Bay was in the process of dying. Or, maybe not dying, but 'suffocating.' Unable to breathe.
"It's almost like he was winning just so he could lose later," Chloe mused. "Think about it. He probably thought he was 'beating' Arcadia Bay and thriving, but he was really just setting the table for an even more devastating loss."
At least I can take some pleasure in that.
"Yeah," Max said. "Maybe there's something to that..." She yawned and shook her head roughly. "You know, like what Warren was saying? The idea that all it took for the storm to not come was the Prescotts suffering some kind of loss seemed really...overkill. But now that we've seen how much Martin Lewis valued his power, I can actually see how it could become...what was it?" She looked at Chloe apologetically, feeling guilty about bringing it up.
"Dearest price," Chloe responded somewhat coldly. "Pay the dearest price."
"Right." Max pressed her fingers into her eyes, soothing some of the building pressure behind them, and then let go. "If we assume that each Prescott becomes an even bigger maniac than the last, then by the time we get to Nathan..."
Shit, Nathan. Maybe you had it even worse than we thought.
"Ripping it all away from them would be a huge dose of karma," Chloe finished. She thought it over and her chest heaved with a silent chuckle. "In a way, it really set the stage for Nathan as a sacrificial lamb. Used all of the experience the Prescotts gathered over the years and turned it into a ticking bomb. I'm still not sure what to think about that. Doesn't that really make it seem like...Arcadia Bay is, I don't know, especially vengeful?"
"It was planning on killing itself just to spite them," Max replied. "Granted, it seems like it works on some kind of...cycle, like a phoenix, but even still. That's pretty fucking dramatic."
"The forest god of Arcadia Bay is just a scorned teenage girl," Chloe laughed. With a bit of flourish, she scooped the binder off their lap and dropped it onto the floor in front of them. "I've had enough of Martin. Let's get some sleep and then start looking through Harry's shit."
Yeah, I think I'm Martin'd out for now, too.
"Good plan," Max said, "if Warren comes back then we could speed up the process if we all read a different thing." She sighed. "Maybe find something about me, too. Some clue or...something."
"We'll get there," Chloe said, kissing Max's head, "we're making progress. We really are."
"Finally," Max responded. Despite how grim it all was, there really was a sense of relief.
A very, very brief one.
The knock on the door was gentle and quiet, but it appeared so suddenly that it felt like a lance through Max's eardrums. Wide-eyed, she turned the door and swallowed.
"Hello?" she called. She prayed she'd hear Warren's voice in return. Anyone else would be too much to handle.
"You awake?" Victoria asked. Max gnashed her teeth together and slammed her face into her hands.
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
"Yep," Max muffled through the gaps in her fingers. She glanced at Chloe and found the girl staring at the ceiling, like she was having a stern conversation with god. "What's up?"
"I...really want to talk to you," Victoria said. Her voice was timid and strained. "Can I come in?"
"Shit," Max hissed under her breath, swiping at a group of papers on the ground. She collected some in her hands, then jammed them into the nearest backpack. "One sec!" she yelled. She and Chloe scurried to gather up all of the Prescott's notes, and Max internally swore as what little bit of organization they'd actually managed was ruined. "Alright, you're good!"
Victoria opened the door slowly, suspicion clear in her eyes. Even though they'd managed to hide the papers, they were still sitting on the floor surrounded by the other contents of their backpacks. The crowbar and baseball bat were especially damning.
"Uh, hey..." Victoria said, coming into the room. She raised an eyebrow as she looked around her. "Where have you guys been? I tried to check if you were up around 2AM but the room was empty."
"Oh, we were at Chloe's house," Max responded. "We actually just got back."
Sorry, Vic, but my 'honesty' clause has expired.
"Uh huh..." Victoria looked her and Chloe up and down, remaining unconvinced. She sighed and shook her head. "Okay, whatever. That's not what I'm here for. I just...uh, I'm kind of freaking out after our talk yesterday." She glanced at Chloe, unsure if the girl was clued in, and received an affirmative nod.
"I'm sorry," Max said, "I know..." The promise of sleep was right there, taunting her. She needed some rest. Badly. They both did. She had no idea how much longer she could last. But... Sometimes she hated how much she cared. "Come on, we can talk about it if you want."
"Okay, thanks," she said, taking a seat on the couch. She scrunched her lips as her hands restlessly tangled in her lap. "Uh, so...what do I do?"
The prize winning question.
"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.
"Like, things are kind of hard to...grasp now?" Victoria cleared her throat. "You know, like, things I thought I knew don't make sense anymore. Or...I don't know. Are you..." she looked at Max, desperation in her eyes, "sure you're not just messing with me?"
It was obvious she was hoping Max would reveal that, yes, she was simply joking around. She was hoping Max would laugh and take away the troublesome thoughts. And she considered doing it, too. With every second that passed since she'd talked to Victoria, her regret for doing so only grew deeper. But...there was no taking it back. Even if she'd said she was lying, the damage was done. The thought would still loom over Victoria. The dreaded maybe. The horrible if.
"I'm not," Max said gravely. She took a deep breath and got to her feet, joining Victoria on the sofa. "Talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking. I'm sure Chloe and I went through the same thing."
"Oh, most definitely," Chloe added, her tone inadvertently dark. No matter how bad it was for Max, Chloe had certainly taken the brunt of the existential massacre.
"Well, so, you can like..." Victoria closed one eye as she thought, "you can change the future. Or, you already did. That's...um, kind of crazy." Max nodded understandingly. "Well...why? Why can you do that?"
I would love to know that myself, Vic.
"I don't know," Max replied, "I honestly don't. It just happened."
"When..." she directed her gaze toward Chloe, "when you died?" Chloe's nostril flared. It was an exposed nerve, and Victoria had touched it with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. "You died? Like, really?"
"More than once," she responded coldly, earning a devastated look from Victoria. Max glared at her. She knew Chloe didn't do it on purpose, but her inability to hide her frustration had just opened an entire oil drum of worms. It wasn't the kind of mistake she'd usually make. She was just too tired to think it through. "I'm fine now, though. Shook it off."
Dammit, Chloe. Dammit.
"Wh-what? Are you serious?" Victoria turned to Max and gripped her by the shoulder. "What the hell happened in your other timeline?"
"Things," Max replied shortly. "I already told you, I'm not going to elaborate."
"Right, okay..." Victoria regarded Chloe sadly. "Oh my god, I can't imagine what that must be like."
You could if you knew the truth, but you won't. Ever. Especially not after what happened to Jefferson.
"Yeah, the Lazarus life ain't all it's cracked up to be," Chloe said dryly. "Hungry for brains all the time. Can't walk in direct sunlight. Huge pain in the ass..." She sighed and rolled her head around on her shoulders. "But look, yeah, I know it's fucked up to think about. It's hard. But Max and I, and even Warren, will help you get through it."
"Alright," Victoria said, seeming at least a little reassured. "It's so..." she trailed off, "I don't know. Like, Kate and I spent the night together and-"
"And what?" Max asked sternly.
Don't you dare tell me...
"I didn't say anything," Victoria responded, holding her hands out in a placating gesture. "I didn't, I promise. It's just that..." she huffed. "Okay, I definitely wouldn't say I'm...religious. But," she lazily flitted her hand over she shoulder in the direction of her room, "I'd say I have a vested interest in the subject, considering my girlfriend is on the fast track to be canonized. But this...thing you dropped in my lap really fucks with that. I don't know what it means."
"All the more reason you shouldn't say anything," Max cautioned. She knew she probably should've said something a little more comforting, but the idea of Kate learning anything about it was much more important. Victoria glared at her.
"I'm not a fucking idiot, Max," she snapped. "Do you have any idea what I'd do to protect that girl? Do you? After everything she's been through?" She glanced to the side and gained a sickly expression. "Even...the things you won't tell me..." Involuntarily, both Max and Chloe perked up in alert, and Victoria's eyes went wide. "Oh my god. I knew it. I knew it. Something happened, didn't it?"
No, no, no... Do not do this, Vic.
The room became a bowstring, tense and trembling as it readied an arrow. Max simply stared back at her. She held her palm out to Chloe, as if warning her 'don't.'
I can't...say anything. Just one wrong word...
"Answer me..." Victoria whispered, her eyes glassy with incoming tears. "Please?"
"Nothing happened," Max lied. Victoria shrank at the response, then looked at Chloe. If only she'd just drop the subject, things could be okay. If she'd just move on and not tempt the chaos that surrounded them. But...Victoria had spent too much time in the company of guilt. She loved Kate too much.
"Did I do something to her?" she asked, the words eking out shrilly.
No. No! STOP!
"Vic..." Max looked her hard in the eye, but her voice wasn't as firm, "nothing happened. Nothing."
She hated herself for telling her anything at all. She knew there would be some sort of repercussions. And now, they were trapped. Victoria had locked the three of them in a burning house with no way to escape. See, the problem was, a lack of answer was an answer. Avoiding the answer entirely was really just confirmation. If Max had been more prepared, if she'd been a little less tired, she might have been able to spin a believable enough lie.
"You won't tell me," Victoria said, her tone lacking any emotion. "You won't. I know you're not going to. And I just have to...think about it. Imagine all of the worst possible scenarios." She sobbed and buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I should have listened to you."
"I shouldn't have told you," Max responded sadly. "I was too afraid I'd lose you. I was...weak. I'm sorry." She looked at Chloe, and sniffled. "I messed up." Chloe closed her eyes, mouthed something to herself, then got to her feet.
"Victoria," she said, sitting on the other side of the girl. "Please, please believe me when I tell you that we've all had to confront some terrible shit with this. But, you have to understand, alright?" She slung her arm around Victoria and rested her head on her shoulder. "Max and I...we've been dealing with this since October. Since everything happened. And it's been really, really hard. But the only way we've been able to keep sane is because of you and Kate and everyone else."
"Really?" Victoria asked, taking both Max and Chloe's hands into her own.
"Yes, of course really," Chloe continued. "You didn't know it, but you were helping us get through it by giving us something to hang on to. And we'll help you in the same way. I promise." She turned her head just enough so she could see Max on the other side of Victoria. "Max has been persistent in pointing out that no matter what happened in any other timeline, it's not what happened in this one. They're just...bad dreams. This is our reality."
God, you're such a savior, Chloe.
"And our reality," Max added, "is that you and Kate are together and in love. Chloe and I are together and in love. We have friends that love and care about us. It's perfect. And it's all that matters."
"I've never told anyone I loved them before," Victoria said softly, "but it came out so easily with her. I just...never, ever imagined things would be this way. That she and I could...be what we are." She strengthened her hold on Max and Chloe's hands. "We're so different, but... She does this thing..." Finally, a small smile came to her lips. "She does this thing, I don't know, it's just the way she looks at me. I don't know how to describe it."
Max couldn't help but smile with her. She was fairly certain she'd said the same thing about Chloe once or twice.
"She loves you," Chloe replied. "Isn't that amazing? What it feels like?"
I can vouch for it feeling amazing.
"It's the best," Victoria said, and her smile faltered. "The thought that I might have done something to her is... It hurts so bad."
"Then love her now," Max responded simply. She yawned again, though she tried to hide it as best she could. "Everything is fine. Kate's not going anywhere. You have all the time in the world to show her how much she means to you."
Max knew it wasn't as simple as that. But she also wouldn't consider it a lie. She was more determined than ever to fix things. And she knew she was going to.
"I...think I'm going to go do that," Victoria snickered, then sniffled. "I'm still, um, not sure how I'm handling this whole thing. We might need to talk about it some more."
"Of course," Chloe said, "we're here for you." She sat up straight and rubbed Victoria's shoulder. "You go get your smooch on before classes."
"Yeah," Victoria laughed again, this time with much more energy, "I think that sounds really good." She tugged on their hands, sandwiching herself between a hug. "Thanks guys. Thank you, really." She stood up, sighed, then smiled. "You two are...pretty special, you know that?"
"We try," Max replied, scooting over to be closer to Chloe.
"You do a good job of it," Victoria said. She glanced around the room once more, then went still. Her eyebrows were high on her head as she stared at something on Max's desk. Max followed her gaze, grimacing when she saw it ended at Chloe's gun. Before she could speak, Victoria turned to them. "You...sure you guys are okay?"
There's no way to make that look good. Fuck.
"Promise," Max said, using the same cadence as when they spoke after Chloe's nightmare. The kind that said more than the words coming out of her mouth. "I really do."
"Alright..." Victoria seemed like she was fighting very hard to not discuss it, but she finally relaxed. "Okay, well... Talk again later, right?"
"You got it," Chloe responded with a nervous chuckle. Satisfied enough, Victoria thanked them once again, and then returned to Kate.
"You saved that from being way, way worse than it could have been," Max said, kissing Chloe on the cheek. "Thank you so much."
"Yeah, well," Chloe giggled, returning the kiss, "I may have had some very recent inspiration." She patted her knees excitedly and squealed. "Oh my god, we get to sleep! Now we can sleep!"
"I know!" Max flopped back against the couch cushion. "Holy shit, I've never been so excited for a nap before. I'm just...I almost want to cry." She sat up and pointed at her bed threateningly. "Get ready, you comfy thing. I'm going to own you." She chuckled, then used Chloe as leverage to stand up. "Okay, you get all ready for me. I'm going to go pee and wash my face. I feel like...gross."
"You're still beautiful," Chloe responded, "but yeah, I'll get everything all fluffed and warm." Gleefully, she bounded from the couch to the bed in only one step. Max laughed as the girl burrowed under the blankets, then left her to accomplish her tasks.
She was lost in thought as she paced down the hall, but there was enough of her subconscious leftover to take in the commotion around her. People were getting ready for classes, and the hectic nature of it provided some familiarity to cling to. She actually missed going to class. The mundane things were so tantalizing when they were held out of reach.
Okay, okay... How long should we sleep for? I think at least two or three hours would be good, but we can't do too long. We still have a ton of shit to go through and I think maybe I'd like to talk to Samuel again? I just hope Chloe can get some sleep without...that happening.
She shambled into the bathroom and scowled at the stickiness of the floor. It was always best to not question its origins, but one couldn't help but wonder. She looked up and found Taylor brushing her teeth at the sink, and thought about the time she found her after Kate's attempt. It was maybe the first time she ever felt a true spark of humanity from Victoria's posse.
"Hey Tay," Max said, surprised at how real her own smile was. Taylor's brushing slowed to a stop and she turned to Max with an eyebrow raised. "How are you this morning?"
"Um..." Taylor spit out a glob of toothpaste into the sink and regarded Max with irritation, "can I help you with something?"
Wha? What's that about?
"I was just saying good morning, jeez," Max responded with a pout. She hesitated, waiting for Taylor's expression to change, and sighed when it didn't. She decided to skip to a more 'interesting' topic. "So, you notice how often Kate and Victoria are sleeping together now? Pretty scandalous, right?"
"What?" Taylor's face morphed into a mask of rage. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"
"Uh...kind of," Max said, recoiling away from her. "Did something happen with you two? Are you guys alright?"
"Wh...what is the matter with you?" Taylor asked, dumbfounded but still very much angry. "What the fuck is your problem?"
"I...don't know what you're talking about," Max replied, shaking her head. "I was just being silly. I thought..." She stopped and studied Taylor's face. She wasn't just angry. She was livid. Not only that, but there were tears in her eyes.
In a heartbeat, Max was running.
No, no, no. Please. Please don't be. It can't. Please.
"Kate?" Max called, stopping at the girl's room. "Kate, you in there?" She banged on the door hard, her stomach tumbling down an endless chasm. "Kate, open up, alright? I need to ask you something." She reeled back and slammed her fist into the door, sending sparks of pain through her knuckles. "KATE! OPEN UP!"
"Max?" Chloe asked, coming out of her room. "What's...going on?"
No, please. Please.
"Kate!" Max screamed, ignoring Chloe. She grabbed hold of the door's handle and twisted, but it didn't budge. "Kate! Open the door!" She took a step back, then kicked the door as hard as she could. By now, people were gathered in the hall, watching as she lost what little sanity she had left.
"Max, what happened?" Chloe asked again, trying to take hold of her. Max slipped from her grasp and darted across the hall, ripping the fire extinguisher from its post.
"PLEASE!" she shouted. Gritting her teeth, she brought the fire extinguisher down onto the door's handle. Then again, breaking the lock. She pushed the door open hard enough that it nearly fell from its hinges and hurried into the room.
It was barren. The bed was there. The couch, too. All things provided by Blackwell. But there was nothing of Kate. Not a single trace.
"Kate?" Max squeaked. A horrible sadness rolled up through her until it clasped her shoulders. "Kate...?"
She could call her name a thousand times, but it wouldn't change the truth. Kate wasn't there. And she hadn't been for some time.
Max fell to her knees and wept.
A/N: John 11:35