Chapter 4
It was the final day before Max went back, grunting as she attacked the boxing bag in front of her. Her room packed up, no trace that she ever lived there, Two duffel bags at the door, one with clothes and everything she would need and the other with money, taking money from an ATM and then rewinding was a quick way to get cash.
The sweat covered Max swayed as she fought the bag, arms still covered in the blue markings; Max even started to think they looked kind of nice.
The plan was to stay within this time line, her own, no hopping into another Max. It would cause problems as she would be taking over a younger Max; replacing her. How would she explain it to her parents?, to Chloe?. She was taller than her 15 year old self for sure, 5 years older Max was still on the shorter side, but still young enough to pass for 17 or 18; Puberty she would say to Chloe and Joyce. She will tell her parents about a scholarship for Blackwell. Max's photography skills went far with the 5 years of solitude but really would being at school help her at all?.
No, she would just use it as an excuse to leave Seattle to Arcadia Bay, if that didn't work she would go anyway, having her parents agree would make it so much simpler.
Stepping away breathing heavily a gloved hand comes up and wipes the sweat from her eyes and forehead. The doubts and fear have been eating at Max for a week now, after her trip with entity into the void and the promise she made to it. She didn't think she could do this again and fail. She had already made up her mind, if she did fail this time she would end it, sure Max had kept going on this far but she was so very tired.
Stepping out of her shower water dripping down strong shoulders and arms and a rather nice set of abs walking over to the mirror looking over herself, she admits to herself she has changed lot over the years. Glancing down to the bullet necklace hanging between her breasts,Max remembered Joyce giving her them after the funeral, so she could take something of Chloe, so she would be with Max all the time. Looking back up into the mirror, to her eyes, she found her resolve.
Max dried off and got dressed, nothing fancy, jeans, boots, t shirt with a deer on it, gray hoodie and a faded denim jacket with holes at the elbow.
Walking to the door she flicked the lights off and picked up her bags and stepped out of her apartment for the last time.
The knocking at the door startled Kevin, getting up out of his chair, knees protesting from old age he walked over and opened it; Finding no one there, he went to shut it only to noticing a thick, off colour yellow envelope laying on his welcome mat, bending down with a groan he picked it up and walked back inside to his favourite chair.
"Who was at the door" A voice called from the kitchen.
"No one Martha, just an package" Kevin called back starting to open it.
"Damn kids these days, cant even stick around long enough to do there jobs, What if someone stole it, heh? " he half mumbled as he pulled out a note.
A tea towel slapped his shoulder, "No, mumbling" Martha said playfully, sitting on the arm of the chair next to him.
*Sigh* "Sorry dear", came the almost sarcastic reply, knowing full well if he argued it would be nothing but an ear full and dish duty for the week.
Kevin unfolded the letter putting the other package inside, aside and read aloud.
"Kevin & Martha,
Making friends has always been hard for me. So moving into a apartment filled with people i didn't know was daunting.
You both have been very kind to me, always with a friendly hello or asking how I was doing. Sometimes I didn't even reply to you.
I always feel bad about that.
When the police came and you helped out saying those things about me at the court hearing. You both were and are still kind to me after everything.
I hope this is enough to even begin to express my gratitude to the both of you.
- Max"
"Aww, such a sweet girl, What did we get Kev?" Martha said excited, looking down to see her husband pull out the another package opening it to see 500,000 Dollars in hundreds.
"Fuckin hell", Kevin mumbled shocked,
A tea towel slapped on his shoulder "D..Dishes!" Martha replied just as shocked. Unable to believe the gift they have just received from the quite but troubled girl from upstairs.
Max was in her room where she could hear her parents in the kitchen talking about their day while watching late night TV.
Max had taken her first steps to traveling back, looking for a certain picture flicking though an photo album. With her powers grown she didn't need to worry about being confined to a pictures boundaries, not being about to move outside the white void that surrounded her. Now, with ease she could move around in the world without restriction, She had long since broken those barriers.
She found the picture she was looking for; a stupid night time selfie with a camera her parents got her. Looking at the picture of a 15 year old Max looking so... innocent, unable to know the horrors of a wider world, It left a bitter taste in her mouth.
It happened almost instantly, plus with no Max to take over, there was no mild confusion about where she was or what was happening.
With a flick of her fingers time froze, she moved to the door and opened it walking past her parents watching TV on the couch (they loved there late night binge), going down stairs to put a forged Blackwell acceptance letter in their mail box for proof and going to a payphone on the corner block.
She let go of time to call home, hearing the ring she braced her self.
*Cough* "Hello, Hello" Max deepens her voice getting ready for the call,
"Hello" Her father answers,
"Yes, hello, Is this Ryan Caulfield?" Max started,
"Yes, err, How can i help you ?" he replied confused
"You sure can, This is Bernadette Hoida, English teacher and Assistant Principal For Blackwell Academy in Arcadia bay. We are happy to inform you that Maxine has been accepted into our prestigious photography course with a full scholarship" Max stated, forcing her voice full of pep and zip.
"Oh, I wasn't aware she handed that in, she told us she wanted to wait a few more years before submitting it." came the reply
"Well you know kids Mr. Caulfield, young go-getters!, plus nothing is more important then seizing the day!",
'Too much pep and zip' thought Max,
"So we are ready to accept her, full room and board paid for by the school of course, The dorms are lovely." Max pushed on, hoping to only have to do this once.
"Well Max has always talked about going there, Er, I Guess after we talk with her she will be on her way there within the next few days" Mr Caulfield replied having always been supporting of his daughters dream.
"Alrighty, Wonderful, I will personally be here waiting for Maxine to arrive in a few days and personally welcome her to the prestigious Blackwell Academy, I hope you have a very love night Mr. Caulfield" Hanging up, Max froze time and walked back into her home, past her father still with the phone to his ear in the middle of saying goodbye.
"Okay" Max breathed out and waited for her parents to come in, wake her up with the news. Taking off her jackets and pushing the duffel bags under her bed, then hopping into bed, wrapping up under the many covers, making sure to look like the 15 year old shy Max or at least trying.
It didn't take long, Parents barged into her room, talking and hugging her, 'Congrats sweetie', from her mother, 'Good night kiddo' from dad.
"That was easy" breathed out Max.
The next day was harder. They noticed Max hard grown a bit and looked different, hundreds of questions and remarks required hundreds of rewinds to get right, Max decided that playing on the whole 'baby girl leaving the nest' excuse was the best thing to get out of these questions.
Which would send her mother into tears saying,
"Oh my baby girl so grown up already" and hugging her father and forgetting all about her sudden difference in looks.
Max convinced them to let her go the next day to get settled in and ready for Blackwell saying she was super excited and nervous, Keen to make friends.
When the sign for Arcadia Bay came into view on the bus, Max stood up freezing time and put on her denim jacket over her hoodie, hiking both her duffel bags over her shoulder and walking to the back of the bus opening the emergence door and stepping down onto the road. With a stretch and a crack of her back she shut the door and walked over the the side of the road, unfreezing time. The bus speed into town leaving Max inhaling the crisp air of the Bay.
"I can do this" Max whispered to herself as she walked into town pulling up her hood covering herself from the misty rain on this semi sunny but cold day, She would fix everything she just needed to.
'Just gotta wait for the right moment strike.' She thought to herself
It was still fairly early, about 6:30 in the morning, The school year is about to start in a few days and she knows Chloe goes to the FireWatch concert at the Mill during the early weeks of school, Not really knowing when the concert was Max decides to travel though Arcadia Bay looking for a poster.
Shops where starting to open and people traveled on the roads to work. She can honestly say a part of her missed this place. It was a picturesque place plus it's was home for most of her life, horrible things happened here, Will happen here,
'Not anymore' Max says to herself.
The first thing Max needs to do is find somewhere to live and transport, the old car dealership was the only place to go to. Strolling though the lot with the chubby owner with a big mustache and arm over her shoulder talking about this car and that car.
'Sal', She read on his name tag. Max can tell he's trying to play her for a fool, Over inflated prices and how the car picks the driver, Pulling her over to a 1985 brown Yugo.
"Well what do you think?" Asked Sal, Slapping her shoulder, morning breath assaulting Max's nose, cringing.
"It looks like if shit was moulded into a car" Was Max's dry response, her patience was already thread bare.
She looks over to the car she saw on the way in, the one she wants. It's a old Pontiac Gto by the looks of it and it was in a bad way. Tires flat, all the paint was chipped off, windows busted and the interior was, well non existent, she couldn't even begin to understand what under the hood was like.
Sal turns and looks at the car, half hidden in the weeds, He walks over to it while pulling up his belt,
"Well, considering the semi-classic nature of the vehicle, with the slick wheels and the custom paint job" he rambles.
"What paint?" Max said interjecting, gesturing to all the bare metal she could see.
"Not a dime over 7,500, Cash only. Gas not included", He said throwing in a smiley smile at her. "If that's not in your pric.."
"Here" Max interrupts throwing exactly the right amount; all rolled up in a rubber band, walking back to get the keys and sign the paper work.
Sal is stunned, quickly following after her and going though the money. They do the paper work and he hands over the keys,
"Alright" He smiles " All sales final".
"Yep" Max walks over to the car and pulls the rusted door open, it takes a few tugs and sits in the slightly wet seat, her face screws up. She just wants to get the fuck out of this car dealership, keys in to start Sal comes to the drivers side door leaning in to look at Max.
"OH, just so you know, this isn't road legal, Haha, Better get that fixed up. It's going to cost you a pretty penny." His breath wafts into the side of her face again.
Max grips the steering wheel tight with her right hand, knuckles white, keys already in the ignition the car just barely starts, whining like a dying dog.
"You know, if you give me something a little extra, I'll fix it up right for you" He chuckled, Max knows what he wants, he has been looking at her up and down the whole time shes been here. With a sigh her left hand reaches grabs his shirt by the collar pulling, slamming his head into the car before letting go.
"AH", he yells in pain falling to his ass, "fuckin bitch", it comes out nasally from a likely broken nose.
"Have a nice day" was the sarcastic response from Max as she puts the car into gear, flooring it out of the lot spraying him with pepples.
Not even 30 seconds later down the road the car billows smoke and the wheels wobble on their axis, backfiring and lurching. Sighing again Max pulls into a ally way off the empty road, one hand on the outside of door and another on the dash, she pushes with her power.
Not a minute later as shiny Black 1969 Pontiac Gto flies out of and alleyway roaring like it was it's first day off the production line.
'Car - Check'.
As for a place to live, buying a house seemed a bit.. wasteful. Max ended up renting a small apartment above a popular candle shop in the middle of the town. It was nice, already has some furniture (more than her old place.) and the owner said the rent money would go to the business that according her was "doing amazingly", 600 a month for rent, heating and water but Wi-fi was extra. Max paid up front and was allowed to park her car out the front of the store, again the owner said,
"Nice car like that, out the front. Would bring in good business".
With Max packing away her belongings it will take a few days to get herself centered but she knew she was seeing Chloe soon, only going to be a few more days to a week at most. Max knew that she would let events play out mostly with her in the shadows. Chloe never really talked much about the beginning with her and Rachel, only that they meet at FireWalk concert and Rachel "Totally saved my ass" in Chloe's words and they hung out ever since.
Max moved over to a bare bed, sitting down she took off her jackets and t-shirt before standing up again and pulling down her jeans leaving her in her underwear. She lay down and drifted off, Mental exhaustion was a bitch.
Chapter 4 for you. As you can see, We are now on the Before the Storm path. It will mostly play out as the game with Max jumping in to help things go more...smoothly and helping others. Would you want PoV shifts?, more details with describing the scenes?.. Also i will probably have to watch though the whole game again to help so i won't upload a frequent.
Cheers.