CHAPTER 3
The lead was a good one, following a pattern of chaos; A Wild fire that burnt over a quarter of Arcadia Bay's lush forest area, it was reported that it was deliberately lit however evidence was sealed and the case dropped. Max couldn't help but smile as the case file she got by using a few rewinds and a charming smirk to the lady at the desk, that ended up with the older women making heart eyes at the younger women, she got a copy to take home. It was too easy.
Arcadia Bay, a small town meant disasters such as wildfires got sent to the Oregon Department of Forestry, They had a team sent out to do there own report and too check over everything that the Arcadia Bay fire department and police did in concern to fires, Storing evidence and copies for the reports.
"Sealed by a District Attorney Amber" Max said as she looked through the files, black marker seems to cover certain names about who was involved or suspected.
Holding the paper in her hand, the blackout marks covering the names disappeared as light bent around her hand. As this was happening Max looked over the report, multitasking with ease.
"Lit trash can knocked over/kicked; litter burning into near by tree and shrubs". she read out, That was the cause they noted.
"hmm" looking back over to the sheet of paper in her hand the name became clear as a little smile came to her face.
"Of course Chloe would be there", then Report's only named suspect was Chloe.
Chloe never told her that she lit a forest fire, 'Did she guilty about that ?' Max wondered leaning over to the evidence bag and pulled out a badly burnt picture, if you could call it that, it felt like a glob of hard plastic that's been in the sun and then let to cool (probably had other crap stuck to it), completely unsalvageable, buuut ! not to her. As Max rewound the picture, she got a look at a little girl and her father in hiking coats, Max frowned again as her brows sunk down and the world around her distorted, voices calling and talking, colours fading but brightening at the same time. She focused letting her mind travel to before it was burnt almost reading its final memory.
It was night time Max could hear the crickets chirping and felt the soft breeze; she heard a teary voice ask,
"Can i borrow your lighter?" Max didn't know the voice, patting could be heard like someone searching for something.
"Thank you", Max's fingers heated up and the picture in her hands lit on fire,she could feel the pain and heat but her fingers where untouched, pain was numbed to Max, she felt it all but her concentration never faltered, she need to find out what was happening.
Max couldn't see but knew the picture was lit and then dropped into a semi filled rubbish bin.
"That was a stupid mistake"
"Quite" Max said back still in the pictures memory. The fire in the bin really started to burn, Max frowned again 'There has to be more than that' she thought to herself.
"Come on" said a voice in the memory that had Max gripping the picture tightly. Suddenly Max was forcing her self deeper into memory as the time rip opened bigger so she could actually look into the past. She had never done this before.
"Come on".
again.
"Come on".
again.
"Come on".
Max watched transfixed at a 16 year old Chloe was re wound over and over, Max drinking her. To Max's shame it had been awhile since she looked at a picture of Chloe. God she was beautiful. Time frozen as the person from the future looked at the person from the past, she didn't know how long she just looked but Max was only semi aware of it getting dark outside her apartment. Hours it must have been.
"Do you see me?" the voice that she began talking to months ago whispered to her "Do you want to see me die?"
Max, intrigued, looked into the memory, actually seeing Chloe and Rachel in the forest as the fire in the bin burned, It seems quite. Then Rachel ran up and was kicking it over into a very old looking tree, it all happened at once; the low hanging tree branch caught alight, the sound of wind hurrying in towards the tree, almost like the wind was going to try and blow out the flame before it spread more, hoping to snuff it, oddly reminded Max of herself as a kid trying to blow out birthday candles before the wax melts into the cake.
The wind was visible, building behind Chloe and Rachel rushing forward as someone screamed in pain and rage. Max let the air blow over her as she looked over to Rachel bending over crying.
"Look, look" the voice seemed determined to draw Max's attention, it worked as she looked over to the tree, It was burning as a wispy figure in the trees trunk swept out of a newly opened crack and floated down into Rachel seamlessly entering her as she stood up and screamed again, this time wind directed almost like Rachel's cry summoned wind to finish burning it down.
"Freedom" the voice whispered behind Max,
"That was you wasn't it?", Max replied as she watched Chloe freaking out and Rachel in a daze, Flame building and spreading from tree to tree.
"Death to be Re-born is all I wanted" It said back to Max, Sounding dramatic.
"Why did you pick Rachel?" Max wondered.
"Why not ?, It's not the first time I've lived within someone, I mean I'm with you now" It chuckled back.
"What are you ?" Max questioned with a hint of anger in her voice, ' If this 'thing' was with Rachel and she was murdered' Max added two and two together.
A chocked sounded from Max.
"You caused the storm" Max said in a monotone voice gazing at the tree as it burned, Chloe and Rachel disappeared like smoke as did the forest leaving only Max and a burning tree in a void of black.
"Hahaha,You're good Max, Smart." It's voice, deep, reverberates against her whole body making her clench her fists in rage.
"It was because of you Chloe had to die". Her voice raised as the corner of her vision burnt like when she would rewind to much,
"You have cause me this pain, WHY ?!" She demanded loudly, Creaking wood could be heard as if been bent to its limit.
"I needed you to be strong" was the reply, So casually as if the Voice was talking about the weather.
"You, Maxine are the most remarkable person I have ever been cared within, Your powers!, I have never seen a vessel like you before, the power you hold, breathtaking" A gust of wind whipped around Max, going back to the tree making it burn brighter, Max could then make out a silhouette in front of the burning tree.
'It is time for answers' Max thought.
"MY power, Where does it come from? Why me?" Max wet her chapped lips, her eyes wide looking at the entity.
"Where they come from?" The Voice says "I do not know Maxine, But why you?"
Max could feel the shit eating grin in the Voices reply,
"Why not?"
A screech of fury left from Max as she lifted her hand towards the entity and tree, as she rewound, putting all her hate and rage to fuel her. A winding sound, followed with voices and distorted sounds as Max tired to rewind this, this THING into nothing, before it existed, killing it.
"Come one Maxine, you should know better, I'm never going to leave you.", IT walked forward towards Max, The tree behind IT went from burning to lush, old to sapling; battling between existing and not.
"Maxine",IT started.
"FUCK YOU!" Max's swift reply cutting in. As she roared harder, blood coming out her nose,
"YOU, You think you can play me? Max Caulfield! I am time !, I have the power to do whatever the FUCK i want, I will kill you for what you have done to me! What you made me lose", Max on the edge of hysteria, her voice was horse from yelling; until she stopped and looked around as the entity raised it's hands.
The dark room lit up with memory's from Max's life, the beginning of her dreams, the Storm in class, all the way though the very end. Max's power let up as tears formed in her eyes, the entity was in front of her,
"Maxine, I know your struggle, I was with you every step of the way." IT said softy,
Her hands drop as she falls to her knees, taking in everything the void showed, Her times with Chloe overwhelming her once again.
"I never meant to hurt you, I only wanted to push you Maxine, Look at how far you have come". It waved its hand over to the left directing Max's eyes to her barely saving Kate, the strain on her face as she rushed to save her, To her mastering photo traveling in the dark room, to when she tried fighting the storm's in the other timeliness,pushing them back only for them to grow and become stronger. Trying to stop them from destroying cities and towns and everything in between.
"When Rachel died, I only responded to her last wish. To either leave Acadia Bay; which was impossible for her at the time or if she died to take everything out with her. Her final moments filled with fear in the dark room but also a deep hate for the place and people who have hurt her" IT whispered to Max.
It made sense to her, Max left thousands to die only to have Chloe beside her. She could understand Rachel in her last moments wanting to destroy the people who hurt her, But Rachel never knew about this Entity within her. The powers it seemed to posses, How could she know that with her wish it would actually happen in the form of a storm.
Gritting her teeth a plan formed, "You where freed from the tree right ?" Max asked looking up into the empty space in front of her. She couldn't see it anymore since the tree's fire was only smouldering now.
"Yes" The entity's voice echoed.
"Did you want Rachel as a vessel?" Max said.
"No, she was just the closest", Memory's faded around them as the void again became pitch black.
'If, IF Rachel caused the Storm which set everything in motion, c..could that mean Chloe would be fine ?, I mean keeping Chloe alive was what seemed like the cause but maybe, maybe it was..' Max thought frantically.
"Chloe dying and no Storm? Why?" Max demanded.
"Your sacrifice of her was enough for me to get you to where you needed to be, Where I wanted us to be.. I need you Maxine, Your powers. I'm safe with you Max"
"What?" Confusion coloured her tone, then realization "So you CAN die?"
"Of course, Everything dies. Why do you think I must find a vessel so quickly? I had been in the tree, locked away by the natives of this land until they where gone, They promised to keep me safe, That wasn't until the colonisation began,No more rituals to keep me safe, no more people there to help the land grow and prosper, for me to thrive"
Max looked toward the tree, Markings covered the roots and with the bark burned away they also covered up the trunk, They looked so old.
"The markings, What do they do ?" Max asked.
"They mean strength,growth and power, They kept me protected and safe" IT replied.
"Promise me you will never cause that fucking Storm again." Max looked forward with determination.
"Why?" The Voice echoed.
"If I go back and take you before Rachel, I will keep you safe. Only if you Promise me no Storm", Max's plan falling together, holding hope inside her self with a deep ache.
'This could solve everything' she thought.
"I promise". It replied cause the fire to flicker, then grow hot. Max walks to the tree.
"That will have to do" Max said as she grit her teeth putting her hands on the burning wood.
Wind whipped around her and the tree as her hands and forearms caught alight slowly moving up to her shoulders. Max screams louder than before as both her arms are covered in markings that once covered the tree. From mid forearm to shoulder they carved with what felt like hot blades leaving what looked to be blue glowing words of a language she didn't know or understand.
As it finished, the tree died and Max stumbled backwards falling down onto her hard wood floors in her apartment.
"Ah" Max softly cried out as she tried to sit up, feeling drained, turning to see the walls and floor of her home warped and twisted, the wall with her notes had two burn marks in the shape of hands. Max looked down to her bare arms to see the ancient words covering them.
The sun was beginning to rise flooding her room with the dim light of morning, Max crawled over to her mattress, her arms like noodles as she fell face first, sleep starting fall over her.
"Remember your promise to me Maxine" The voice whispered to Max as she was on the edge of sleep.
"Max, never Maxi..." Exhaustion took her before she could get the words out.
I hope you enjoyed writing that one, Err yeah, comment if you can think of anything that could improve. I'm already trying to write longer chapters.