Episode 2

Broken

"Ya know, I think I could survive like this" Max thought to herself as she watched the little blue butterfly flutter around her in the darkness. As she watched she noticed the butterfly's movement start to become a little sluggish and the rich blue color in the wings began to fade to a pale white color. "Whats wrong," Max asked out loud as the butterfly's wings went from a soft blue to a harsh white color and almost instantly the butterfly froze and fell to the floor and smashed with an over-exaggerated sound of broken glass filling the void.

"What the" Max woke with a start with one eye wide open the other was sealed shut with sleep from where she had been crying. She sat upright and rubbed her closed eye to remove the sleep. With her eyes clear she looked around, she was still sat on the cliff overlooking the bay. The sun was high in the sky and a gentle warm breeze washed over her face,quickly she checked her phone it was dead. "Shit, I must have left the light on" She muttered to herself. It had to be in the afternoon as the sun was really high up in a nearly cloudless sky just a few wispy white ones dotted here and there.

She could have stayed up here forever but her stomach gave a subtle growl, She hadn't eaten anything decent since that day in the bathroom and that was nearly a week ago. Sighing Max forced herself to her feet only to stop midway frozen to the spot. "No fucking way" She muttered to herself, Her eyes darted around the area trying to focus on what was happening around her. Shakily she held out her hand and watched as a single snowflake came to rest on her palm and almost instantly melted.

The pain in her chest grew feeling like someone was pulling out her heart as she let out a scream at the top of her lungs "Nooooo" She collapsed to her knee's tear's running down her face and parting from her chin hitting the ground beneath her. Her mind raced a blur of images and words she couldn't make any sense of what she was trying to convey.

"It's still coming" she muttered to herself, "I didn't change a thing" The realization sent her reeling. "I gave her up for nothing" She screamed the last part out, her face now red with tears. "I'm so sorry Chloe" she mumbled to herself over and over as she watched the tiny seemingly harmless snowflakes fall to the ground paralyzed, her mind blank, She couldn't process it.

As she stared into the distance just letting the snow fall around her she noticed a small blue butterfly land on a yellow flower just a mere foot from her, It took a moment but then it suddenly hit her, Without even thinking she raised her arm and focused, At first nothing happened, Focusing harder everything seemed to begin to slow down the snowflakes paused in mid-air like little Christmas ball bulls hanging by invisible strings and slowly started to float back up to the sky, The butterfly took off flying backward just out of Max's view. She lowered her arm and allowed time to resume, The snowflakes began there decent once again as the little blue butterfly came once again to land on the yellow flower.

Max stared out to sea her brain running a million miles an hour, "It wasn't me". A small glimmer of hope in her eye's "Ok it's running a few days behind but" shakily she got to her feet using the bench to pull herself up and out of nowhere she felt a spark ignite inside her, "It's still coming" She shouted at the top of her lungs not in anger but with hope. "Fuck the consequences, I will not accept this" She muttered to herself. "I'm coming Chloe, I will save you" directing the last part towards where the blue butterfly stood perched on the flower. "And this time, This time I'm playing for keeps" As she felt a fire building inside her, she turned on her heel and ran down the hill.

As she ran down the hill her mind began to race "Ok Max what's the plan, You may only get one more shot at this so you need to think this through, The picture what happened to the butterfly picture, I know I dropped it but I don't remember picking it up" She searched her mind trying to recall what happened to it but came up empty. "Come on Max THINK" she urged herself, "What happened, You went back took the picture and dropped it on the floor and then Chloe was.." She felt that all too familiar pain bubbling to the surface as she tried to block the image from her mind, "No..it won't happen" she hissed through gritted teeth, as she ran down the hill.

As she ran into the town still trying to recall what happened to the picture she screeched to a halt as she spotted the Two whales diner. "David" The words just came out, "He was there he might know" She ran across the road without even thinking when a loud honk and a tyre squeal caused her to spin on her heel just in time to raise her hand stopping the truck from hitting her, The scene rewound itself and when the truck was far back enough she released time and quickly dashed out of the way. "Max, Your no good to Chloe dead, Pay attention"She scorned herself as she approached the diner.

As she walked up to the diner she realized it was shut. "Max you idiot of course it's closed they only buried Chloe yesterday there going to be at home" Turning away from the diner she raced towards Joyce and Davids house, Her legs ached and her lungs were screaming but she forced herself to keep going until she finally staggered into Joyce's driveway, She put out her arm to steady herself on the fence and missed it collapsing on the driveway.

"Joyce" Max could hear a male voice calling out as she heard heavy footsteps approach her, She felt someone kneeling down beside her picking her up. "Joyce" The voice call out again. A few moments later Max struggled to focus on what was going on around her, She was on something soft and could hear Joice's voice in the background "She looks like she's been through hell" Joyce said in a sympathetic voice. "hmmm It's kind of cruel really, She came so close to seeing her again and she had to see...that" The male's voice replied quietly.

"David" she muttered recognizing the voice as she opened her eyes and willed herself upright. "You're awake," Joyce said with an air of relief, "We was about the call the hospital" She continued as she walked briskly over and placed a cup of black coffee in front of Max. "I'm ok" Max replied her voice a little dry, She grabbed the Coffee and drained the mug, She felt the hot strong liquid rush down her throat into her belly and the warmth permeating her body. Placing the now empty mug on the table again Joyce looked at her a little shocked. "Another," she said with a little chuckle. "please" Max replied just as her stomach also seemed to make itself announced by letting loose a deep grumble, Max blushed. "And something to eat I think," Joyce said smirking.

"What happened to you Max," David said a little abruptly but Max could tell there was a genuine concern there. Max shook her head "If I told you everything you would think I was a loon or had just had a complete mental break" Max looked at David using what strength she had left to hold back everything. David looked Max in the eyes searching wondering.

"At least let the poor girl eat first," Joyce said a little annoyed as she walked from the kitchen and set a plate of pancakes down in front of Max, "Sorry there only reheated, But they should still be good" Joyce proclaimed. Without even thinking Max picked up her fork and tucked in mumbling a "Thankyou" through a mouthful of pancakes. Before she even realized it Max had cleared the plate and had a second mug of coffee in front of her, It was good to be full again it felt like forever since she had last eaten.

Max felt David's gaze on her the whole time she knew he wasn't going to let it go. "Well, I guess if I'm going in for a penny I'm in for a pound, as they say," Max said in a shaky voice. "But first I have to show you both something and this is going to be difficult to believe".

Not sure about the title, again any comments feel free