Max found herself wandering unfamiliar streets yet again. It was becoming apparent that she was not very good at following instructions, because no matter how many times she asked for directions to the bus station she couldn't seem to find it. Her heart was racing with urgency. It felt like there was someone right behind her, waiting to shoot her just as soon as she turned around.

Finally the station came into view, familiar. The woman behind the counter slid her a ticket when she approached. But when she reached to take it, the woman snatched it away, laughing.

"LA is dangerous. You best just go with that man there." She suggested, pointing to the space over the brunette's shoulder.

Max turned, stumbling back as she found the man in question to be Jefferson, brandishing a syringe full of what could only be her death. As if he was the one with rewind abilities, he appeared to teleport, and next thing she knew the needle was sinking into her neck. As her consciousness withered, so did her vision, fading to a blackness that pervaded for what felt like eternity. Then she was aware of a sensation of falling, and she looked down, shrieking as she hurtled towards the bodies of Nathan's massacre, as if to join them.

When she jolted awake on the bus, most of the other passengers were staring at her. She must have screamed in her sleep. They didn't seem pleased, but everyone went back to their normal business, and Max decided she'd better try to avoid sleeping till she got off the bus. That probably wouldn't fly a second time.

They came to a stop shortly after she woke, and she got out with the other passengers to use the bathroom and stretch her legs. The smell of food permeated the tiny building called a gas station from the attached diner. It made her stomach growl, but she wasn't going to push her luck. Getting the ticket had been lucky. That should be enough for one day.

She was the first back on the bus, and her hunger only seemed to grow as she waited for the other passengers to return, one by one. Most of them had rustled up at least a snack. Her mind was blind with jealousy. When they pulled back onto the highway, her stomach admitted defeat, and the hunger pains left her for the time being.

By the time that they'd stopped again, though, she was fighting a losing battle. She'd been awake far too long, hadn't eaten in roughly two days, and had been staring out of the same window for longer than she could even remember.

She got out to use the bathroom and freshen up again, stumbling as she went. She was getting dizzy. But no matter how long she stared at the food, she couldn't make it hers. No matter how much she wished for money, it would not appear for her.

It dawned on her, then, that she was being silly. She could bend time-space; She didn't need money! While some part of her knew it was morally wrong, if only because she'd been told so, her desperation won out. She was giddy at the mere thought of filling her belly.

But she bit it down, trying to behave like the other travelers did. She collected whatever looked good, carefully piling it in her arms until she could carry no more. With a little effort she tipped it all onto the counter. The man began ringing each thing up, bagging them carelessly and setting the bags on the counter once they were full.

"That'll be $48.43." He announced. But instead of paying, Max took the bags and walked out. The man didn't even have the wits about him to protest until after the door had already closed behind her. She ran for the bus, climbing inside before raising her hand to force time backwards, going further back than she needed to, just to be safe.

Sure enough, when she glanced out the window and into the station, the man at the counter was mindlessly ringing up the customer that had been before Max in line. She sighed in relief, sinking into her seat and rummaging through the bags.

She'd gone through a sandwich, a bag of beef jerky, two bags of chips, and a bottle of water by the time all the others boarded again. It was tempting to just eat it all, but she knew better, and set the bags aside for later. She needed to make it last; She couldn't rely on her abilities too much.

It became apparent at some point that there were signs denoting locations along the road, and she began using them to track their progress on the map. She also found Los Angeles after some searching. She was disappointed to find that it wasn't very far from where she'd started at all, but it was a start.

She'd watched cities and towns of varying sizes roll by her window, but none quite like Los Angeles. Her vision was filled with lights as they drove closer, countless signs flashing, cars creeping through traffic, buses, trains, skyscrapers lit up practically to the clouds. She'd never seen anything like it.

She was dropped off at a much bigger station. The employees there didn't pay her any mind, and she quickly left after using the bathroom one last time. She stumbled out of the station and onto the crowded street. People bumped into her until she eventually gave in and just began to follow the flow of foot traffic. It wasn't as if she had a destination in mind.

The first thing she needed to find was a place to stay. Her attempt to stay awake the remainder of the bus ride had been successful, but that, along with the exertion from escaping, had her about ready to drop. She wasn't sure how she was going to pull that off, though, even with her power. She knew people stayed at hotels when they traveled. But if she tried to sneak into a hotel, they'd eventually find her, no doubt.

It wasn't worth the risk. She'd have to figure something else out. Which, an hour later, proved to be a gazebo in a public park. Unable to find any alternative, and just as unable to stay awake anymore, she curled up on the bench, hoping that the trees that surrounded the area would keep anyone from bothering her before she could wake up and move on.

No such luck though; She woke to the sounds of a man shouting at her. She recognized the uniform as police, and didn't hesitate to rewind until he was out of sight. It winded her, especially so early in the morning. But the police wouldn't think twice about handing her over to the military, and that was worth the exertion.

She beat a hasty retreat before he could spot her again, yawning as she squinted against the early sun. Her body was stiff from sleeping on the hard surface, but she was otherwise alright. Well, as alright as she ever was anyway.

The rest of her day was going to be spent trying to find three things; Food, money, and a way to get further east. Food would come with the money, but she didn't know where to start looking for that. She knew that people got jobs to get money, but that was a long term thing, and she didn't have a long term. She needed a lot, fast. But how?

And apparently her luck had run out, as far as the kindness of strangers went. No one even spared her a glance when she tried to use the same tactic at other stations. No one was as sympathetic as the first lady. And that meant no more free bus rides.

So money became her first priority.

But she knew so little about it. Surely there had to be a way to get a lot in a hurry. But she had no idea where to even get a small amount. Did she just walk in and ask to work? Anywhere?

When she tried saying that she needed money or a job, though, people just sort of laughed at her and walked off, or else they gave her a pitying look and sent her on her way with apologies or a couple of dollars. Not even a tip on where to go, or how to do it better. She was at a loss.

People were surprisingly cruel. The woman at the bus station had been a fortunate first encounter, but it had left her unprepared to deal with the rudeness that she faced from the strangers she stopped in LA. Most wouldn't even let her finish explaining what she wanted, scoffing or even shoving her aside before stomping off. Were most people like that? And it was getting dark again, which meant that she needed to find another place to sleep.

Obviously sleeping outside wasn't exactly allowed, as she'd sort of suspected, and she didn't want to risk putting herself in a situation where she could be found while she was unconscious again. Too risky. She couldn't just let herself into a house, though.

So, crazy as it sounded, a hotel was starting to sound like her best bet.

Lucky for her, she'd managed to wander into an area that didn't see as much traffic as where she'd been dropped off. The buildings weren't as new, and the signs had a few lights out here and there, but it was much easier to get around, and she assumed that it would be easier to sneak around with fewer people about to see her.

It didn't take her long to find a sign that said motel. She figured that was probably the same idea, and slipped around the back, stepping carefully through the brush that grew close to the windows. She glanced into any that weren't lit up inside until she found one that didn't appear to have any sign of an occupant.

Gritting her teeth, she searched out a sizable rock from the brush, happening upon an apparently abandoned old truck parked in the tall grass just out of sight of the motel. She briefly considered sleeping in there instead, but decided the bed sounded more promising. Rock in hand, she returned and threw it at the glass.

It shattered with a sound that seemed deafening, and she scrambled to duck inside. She could already hear people reacting. Her heart raced as she rewound, watching each shard of glass tuck itself back into place. She listened for any sign of alarm when she'd finished, but only heard the gentle whooshing of water through pipes in the walls around her. She heaved a sigh; It appeared the coast was clear.

Her efforts were rewarded with a bed, which she collapsed into without another thought. She didn't even manage to get both of her shoes off before she drifted off, more grateful for the mattress than she'd ever been for bedding in her life, even if it did smell a bit like dust.

It was nice, sleeping peacefully and waking up to quiet solitude at last. It took her a moment to recall where she was, but she smiled when she did, opening her eyes slowly as if to bask in the moment.

She was surprised to find that it was still dark. The room was lit dimly with artificial light she didn't recall turning on, but was otherwise shadowy in the obviously late hours of the night. She noticed that the light flickered, and her eyes followed to find it coming from a television. It was struggling to play some program that involved a group of five people.

Before she could discern more about the program, though, her attention was drawn to the figure that must have turned it on.

Max jumped about a foot in the air, scrambling to her feet and making for the window.

"Whoa, there!"

Before she could even get the lock undone, there were arms around her waist, hauling her away from the window with a grunt of effort.

"Calm down, I'm not gonna jump you or anything, chill!" The voice panted, struggling to keep a hold on Max who was doing her best to be hard to hold onto. It was a girl. Well, at least it wasn't Jefferson.

"I'm not gonna bust you either! So just stop freaking out, alright? I'll put you down!" She bargained. Max found this a favorable alternative to their current position, so she cautiously complied. A few seconds after her limbs stilled, she was returned to the ground and released.

She spun to look at her assailant. It took her a moment to do anything more than stare though, because wowser her hair was exactly the colors of the sky the day she'd escaped. It made her heart race just like that first glimpse of sky had, and she let out a little sigh.

"I don't know how the hell you got in, I totally locked that window behind me." The girl offered. It took Max a moment to catch up, and she frowned.

"You snuck in too?" She wondered.

"Yeah, probably not long before you. I hopped in the shower and then found you in the bed. You didn't really have anything with you, though, so I figured you probably didn't exactly 'check in.' That, and you're kinda rank." She explained. Max's frown deepened.

"I'm… What?" She wondered. The girl laughed.

"Rank. It means you smell, dude. Where are you from?"

Max thought that was kind of a rude thing to say, but the girl was still smiling. So maybe it was okay? She didn't seem like she was trying to be mean. Maybe she was just blunt.

She needed to answer.

"U-Uh, Oregon."

She wasn't a very good liar. It would probably be best to avoid talking about where she'd come from. She considered going back and providing a different answer, but decided the girl probably didn't mean her any harm. After all, she was in a similar situation. If anyone understood, it was her.

"Really? Small world. Me too; Arcadia Bay. Not as cool as the tourist hype would make you think." She offered. Max didn't know what Arcadia Bay was, but she smiled anyway. It sounded kind of like it was supposed to be a joke. "Anyway, I don't mind sharing the room, if you don't mind sharing the bed. You gotta shower first though, seriously." The girl warned.

"We're probably better off together, anyway. If it gets tight, two heads are better than one, right?" She suggested. Max smiled again, and that seemed to be answer enough. "Cool. My name's Chloe."

Max took her hand, shaking it as she'd seen doctors and scientists do when they met.

"Max."

Chloe then shooed her into the bathroom, heading back towards the chair she'd been sitting in, presumably to continue watching TV. Max closed herself in the bathroom, stripping out of the clothes she'd been wearing for days on end. They looked ragged, and she dreaded to put them on again after she'd showered, but she hadn't exactly packed a spare set of clothes.

For the time being, she forgot about the clothes, excited at the prospect of a proper scrub down. Bathroom sinks weren't exactly the best bathtubs, and she swore she could feel the grime melting off her body in the wake of the hot water. It was heavenly.

She continued ignoring her clothes, leaving them in the bathroom as she returned to the main room. Chloe had migrated to the bed, where she sat propped up against the wall, finger swiping across the screen of a cellphone. The girl looked up when Max came in, and she grinned wryly when she saw Max in the doorway of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel.

"I figured you didn't have a change of clothes, since your bag is tiny. I've worn them once, but these are probably better than whatever you had going on before." She said, gesturing to a pile of clothing at the foot of the bed.

Max took it gratefully, retreating back into the bathroom to put them on. The pants were a little too long for her legs and tight around her hips, but otherwise it wasn't too terrible a hand to be dealt. And they did smell significantly better. As long as she left the button undone, it'd do. She gathered up her own rejected clothes and shoved them into her bag before heading back for the main room.

"Hey, not bad. Roll up the cuffs, though, or you're gonna trip. You're pretty quiet." Chloe observed. Max dutifully bent over to roll up the cuffs of the jeans, as instructed. "I can dig it, I guess. Got any food on you?"

Max pursed her lips, shaking her head.

"Yeah, it looks like you haven't eaten in a week. I don't have much, but we can split it. But you gotta help me find food tomorrow, deal?"

Max wasn't about to say no to a meal. And if Chloe had a clue how to get around, Max would be happy to follow her lead. At this point, she would take whatever help she could get.

Somehow, inexplicably, she felt she could trust Chloe. Maybe it was the color of her hair. Maybe it was her similar situation. Maybe it was the way that she talked. It didn't really matter. Max needed someone to trust. She'd just have to hope Chloe would be the right person to choose.

For now, she joined the other girl on the bed; tentatively, for she wasn't entirely sure how the bed sharing etiquette worked. Chloe didn't react when she sat down, though, so she assumed it was safe to heave herself up to mimic the other's posture.

Chloe reached down over the edge of the bed and retrieved a bag from the floor. From this she withdrew a few packaged food items, which she laid out between them on the bed.

"Have whatever you like dude; I don't really have a preference. Oh, and there's a cup by the sink if you want some water. I used it, but I don't have cooties."

Max didn't really have a preference either, but she picked a couple of the snacks and drew them over to her side.

"Take another one, I ate some while you were sleeping." Chloe insisted, pushing one more over to Max's pile.

They ate in companionable silence, the television still on but very low, likely to keep anyone from noticing that they were occupying the supposedly empty room.

"So, you on the run from something, or are on the run towards something?" Chloe asked, sucking on her fingertips to rid them of the dust from a bag of chips. Max copied, finding that she enjoyed the bizzare, salty flavor.

"From something, I guess. I don't really know, I just need to get somewhere that isn't where I was. That counts as from. But I'm going to the other place? Both? What about you?"

Chloe seemed surprised, but she smiled.

"You can speak! I'm not running, though. I'm looking for someone. A really good friend of mine." She replied, digging into the bag again and pulling out a folded up piece of paper. She unfolded it, smoothing out some creases, then handed it to Max.

She looked it over, finding that it was a photograph. Chloe was in it, maybe a year or two younger, smiling with another girl. She had long hair and knew her way around makeup much better than Chloe did. She was the sort of person Max expected to see in advertisements, not making a funny face into the camera with someone like Chloe. But Max had to admit, Chloe's honesty; The way her nose crinkled as she smiled making it obvious she was laughing, the way her eyes shone, it made her prettier, in Max's opinion.

"Her name is Rachel. Rachel Amber. No one's seen her in months, and I got tired of waiting around twiddling my thumbs. You haven't met her, by chance?"

Max shook her head, handing the picture back. Chloe took it, looking at it wistfully for a moment before returning it to her bag.

"Yeah, I didn't figure. Doesn't hurt to ask though. The only tip off I got was from a guy in a bar a few streets over. I dunno how much I trust his memory…" She mumbled, shrugging. "Anyway, I'm gonna try to pass out. Who knows when they'll figure out we're in here, so you better sleep while you can too." She suggested, sweeping the wrappers from their snackage into her bag before pulling the blankets over her legs and wriggling down till her head was on one of the pillows.

Max stayed up until she was sure Chloe was asleep. She didn't really like to think someone was watching her sleep, even though she'd dealt with that most of her life. Before getting comfortable she got up and fiddled with the television till it shut off. Then she copied Chloe, getting into bed on the other side and pressing as close to the edge as she could.

She would just have to hope that she wouldn't scream and wake Chloe in the night. But then, maybe the other girl would understand. She seemed to take pretty much everything in stride with relatively good graces. She didn't probe when Max hesitated to provide information. Max was willing to bet that she was hoping to be shown the same courtesy.

She could do that.

Chloe made a little snoring sound, and it reminded Max that she ought to be sleeping instead of overthinking things. She rolled over, staring at the back of the other girl's head. She found the color of her hair comforting, and let herself swim in the blues and purples and peaches of her first sky, drifting off without realizing.

-.-.-+-.-.-

Someday she might get used to rude awakenings. It wasn't that day, though. Max jumped high in the air as the door was pushed open, revealing a surprised, and then less than pleased woman that more than likely owned the motel. Chloe woke as the woman began shouting, and cursed quietly as she realized what was happening.

Max couldn't really understand what the woman was saying, she was talking too quickly and too loudly. But she definitely heard the word 'police' and that was enough to have her raising her hand to command time to retreat. Chloe returned to sleep, the woman stormed backwards out of the door and down the hallway. Max persisted, though, for quite a while after the woman had retreated.

As the flow of time righted itself, Max reached out and nudged Chloe. It took a few tries, but she was alert almost as soon as she opened her eyes. It was a contrast to Max herself, who was naturally groggy when she woke. The scientists had trained her to react, though, and she could get moving when she had to.

Now was one of those times. She warned Chloe that the owner was going to check the room, and the girl didn't question it for a second, getting up and carefully cleaning up any trace that they'd been there. She moved quickly, as if she'd done this before. She probably had, actually.

Once she'd given the okay on the state of the room, she opened the window and easily swung her leg over and out, sliding onto the grass with ease. Max followed suit, stumbling as her foot caught on the window sill. Chloe easily steadied her, though, and then led her to the abandoned truck that she'd found the day before. Well, apparently not abandoned. Max chose to keep it to herself that she'd considered breaking into it. Maybe later.

Chloe pulled a few risky maneuvers, but got them to the road in a matter of seconds. As they drove past, Max noticed the woman had just gotten to the door of the room they'd been in. She pushed it open, looking inside. But it seemed that she hadn't been suspicious from the get-go, for she continued on to other rooms when she found it was empty.

The other girl noticed too, and she whistled.

"That was close. Nice call, Max." She praised. Max smiled, but it fell as she continued. "How'd you know she was coming?"

Max faltered, not sure what she could say. She really shouldn't have known that the owner was coming, unless she'd seen her on her way. But she'd still been in bed. There was no way-

"I heard her opening the doors across from us, and guessed." She lied. Chloe didn't look as if she was questioning it, so she breathed a bit easier. "Sorry for making it sound like I was sure. I just… I didn't want to risk it."

"Better safe than sorry." Chloe agreed, grinning. She sat back a bit from where she'd been leaning into the steering wheel, probably from excitement. "Well, that's one way to start the day. Now how about we find something to munch?"

Max nodded, letting a hand rest on her stomach so she could feel the growls.

"I have to pee, too." She added, suddenly aware of the fact now that the danger had passed. Chloe laughed.

"Fuck, me too." She cursed, as if she'd only just realized as well. It made Max smile, despite herself. "Alright, well, I've got a little cash left, so I guess we could blow it on one last meal. I just filled up on gas yesterday, so it'll be alright."

Though she said this out loud, it seemed more like she was talking to herself than to Max. But that didn't mean that Max could just be a bystander to the conversation.

"I, um, I don't have any money." She admitted woefully. Chloe gave her a look.

"Yeah, I figured. My treat, dude. That lady might've called the cops, which would've been hell. So I wanna thank you for the trouble." She reasoned. Max didn't know how she felt about Chloe using what apparently little money she had on her, but it seemed the girl was resolute in her decision.

"…You shared your food last night. You don't owe me anything." Max pointed out. It was promptly waved away. The rest of the drive was quiet except for the rumbling of the truck's engine, until they pulled up to a building and Chloe parked.

The girl led the way inside confidently. Max noted that it was busy; busier than any of the other buildings nearby. She assumed the big yellow M that was displayed so frequently it was almost annoying was meant to indicate the function of the building. But as they got closer to the door, that became clear anyway. If there was one thing Max knew, it was the smell of food.

Inside was bustling with people and activity. People sitting at tables eating food, some at a counter talking to people that must be employees, others bustling around with trays of food, or rags to clean tables. Behind the counter, though she couldn't see far, seemed to be full of people too.

It was a little overwhelming. She fought the instinct to grab onto Chloe in some way, even if just the hem of her shirt. Jefferson had always snapped at her for clinging to people when she was nervous. Instead, she kept her eyes focused on the girl's back, following her closely so as not to get separated.

They walked up to the counter, waiting behind a few people as they finished their conversations with the employees. Chloe looked up at a board that displayed pictures of food that had Max's mouth watering. Compared to what she'd been given at the bunker, namely military rations, and then the packaged food she'd taken from the gas station and Chloe's bag, it looked as if it'd been delivered from the heavens themselves.

"Know what you want? I think we're early enough for the breakfast menu, if you want."

She turned to Chloe, having practically forgotten the girl was there. Her mouth open and closed a few times, and she turned back to the board, realizing now what it was for. But there were too many choices. She was expected to not only read the entire thing, but decide on something?

"Whoa, you look like I just asked you to decide the fate of the world!" Chloe laughed, patting her back a little roughly. "It's just McDonalds, dude. Are you always like this when you order food?"

Max opted not to mention that she'd never done it before, making a noncommittal noise in response. Chloe shook her head, letting out a little chuckle as Max returned to scanning over the menu. She wasn't even sure what most of the words meant. What on earth was a McDouble? What was being doubled? The Mc?

When it seemed clear that Max wouldn't manage a choice any time soon, Chloe shooed her towards the bathrooms.

"I'll just order for both of us. Go pee."

Grateful for the way out, Max nodded and went in the direction Chloe had pointed out to her until she saw the signs for the restrooms. The other girl joined her while she was cleaning up her face in the sink, winking as she passed.

"You can pick a table, if you're finished." She called over the wall of one of the stalls. "We're 183, if they call it before I'm done."

Max didn't know what that meant, but committed the number to memory just in case. She did as Chloe said, finding an empty table and claiming it. Then she set to people-watching. It was her best means of learning how to behave properly in the real world, after all. She quickly learned what her companion had been talking about, with the numbers. As they were called out, people returned to the counter to retrieve their food.

So when she heard 183, Max dutifully got up and picked up the tray, nervously nodding at the employee that thanked her as she did. Her escape to the table was hasty. Once safe, she got to work looking over the tray with intrigue. There was a lot on it, and her stomach screeched at her for her continued negligence. But she persevered until Chloe emerged from the bathroom and took the seat across from her.

"Thanks for waiting." She said, one of her feet nudging into Max's under the table. Then she grabbed one of the wrapped lumps, unwrapping the paper to reveal… Something. Max wasn't sure. It sort of looked like a sandwich, but not exactly.

"Uh, dig in dude. Don't just watch me eat."

Assuming that was the 'go ahead,' she picked one of the lumps at random. The contents were similar to what Chloe was currently working her way through. Bread, some sort of meat, cheese, and some vegetables. It smelled good. She poked her tongue out to test it.

"Max, it's a burger. You act like you've never had McDonalds." Chloe said. It sounded like she was considering laughing, as if it was a joke. "If you're a picky eater, you should have ordered for yourself."

"I-I'm not." Max promised, quickly taking a bite to appease the other girl. She got distracted, though, after that, with shoveling food into her mouth. Chloe didn't say anything for a while, eating at a much calmer pace and glancing Max's direction every once in a while.

"…I'm really starting to think you've never had a double cheeseburger." She cautioned after Max had finished her second one. "Have some fries." She suggested, scooting a box of strange little sticks her way. Max was done questioning the food though, and didn't hesitate to put one in her mouth.

By the end of it, the table was littered with wrappers and Max found her tummy to be more satisfied than she remembered it ever being.

"I love McDonalds." She announced, dutifully licking salt from her fingers. She couldn't remember food ever tasting better. Chloe laughed, the sound getting caught in her nose and causing her to snort. Max liked the sound of it. She wished she knew how to laugh that hard.

"You're weird. Now that you've finished shoveling, want a drink?" She asked, offering a cup with a lid and straw. Max took it, sipping at the liquid. She didn't get much before pulling a face, though, looking at the cup accusingly. The drink was very sweet, but also fizzy on her tongue, like aspirin water.

"Jeez, not a Dr. Pepper fan?" Chloe wondered. Max didn't reply, just gave the drink another tentative taste. More prepared for the fizz, she chanced a bigger mouthful. And it was actually pretty tasty, once she got past the bubbly sensation. When she looked up, Chloe had a brow quirked. "Alright, never mind then." She dismissed.

Max returned the cup sheepishly, but the other girl just set it on the table between them.

"Now that we're fed, I guess we should figure out where we're going from here." Chloe eventually suggested. Max gave her full attention, but kept silent for the time being. It didn't seem the other girl knew what to say either, though, for they just wound up sitting in silence for an awkward while.

It was broken by an exaggerated sigh from Chloe.

"Okay, so, look. Like I said, I got a tip yesterday that Rachel was headed for New York. It's the only break I've found since I left Arcadia Bay, no matter how shitty the source is. So I'm heading that way. I don't know where you're heading, but if you're going East-" She trailed. Max wasn't sure what Chloe was getting at, though, so she wasn't sure what to say.

"…You know. You're welcome to, uh, tag along." She finished, looking kind of unsatisfied with how it'd come out. Max stared at her.

"You mean… I can come with you?" She clarified, cautious of being presumptuous. Chloe touched the back of her neck, a gesture Max could read as awkwardness. But she nodded, anyway.

"Yeah. It's been kinda… Lonely, traveling on my own." She admitted, bashful. Max could tell that lonely probably wasn't the word Chloe initially thought of. If her experience on her own was at all similar to Max's, then she was probably using it as a euphemism for words like terrifying, exhausting, and impossible.

Max considered the offer. The part of her that the scientists had trained told her it was too risky. She didn't know much about the girl; Only what she'd been told by Chloe herself. Assuming that she could trust the information, it wasn't much to start with. For all she knew, Chloe could be a government agent in disguise, coaxing her into a trap.

But another part of her, one that had somehow avoided erasure over the years of being nothing but an experiment, had her heart thumping every time the girl talked. For some reason, inexplicable even to Max herself, the thought of never seeing Chloe again frightened her.

The girl made her feel hopeful, or maybe just brave. She felt like, together, they could maybe actually make it. Compared to how she'd begun the journey, afraid and desperate, it was a nice change. And it was nice having someone to look after her. Plus Chloe knew how to navigate the civilized world, a skill set that Max was astutely aware of lacking.

"Alright." She eventually agreed, replacing the look of worry on Chloe's face with a bright smile.

"Yeah?" Chloe prompted, and Max found a smile to give her in return.

"Yeah. Thank you." She added.

"Fuck yeah." Chloe replied, pushing her over a bit in the chair. She was giggling a little, though, so Max gathered that it was a friendly gesture. "Let's blow this joint, then." She continued, standing up and scooping all of the wrappers onto the tray, which she carted over to a box-shaped trashcan and discarded. After stopping off and filling the cup with an alarmingly brown liquid, she returned to Max's side and lead the way back out to the truck.

"Shit, this is gonna be like a road trip now." She mumbled lowly, probably to herself, as she got in. Max wasn't sure what that meant, since they'd already been traveling on the road, but it made Chloe smile, so she supposed it didn't matter.

The girl fiddled with some of the knobs and buttons before her, causing some sort of terrible music to start playing inside the cab of the truck, then she started it up and pulled back onto the road. With a bit of team navigation, they managed to find the eastbound highway. Once they'd settled into a lane, Chloe gave her another of those soft shoves.

"New York, here we come!" She announced brightly, her smile so big that it was contagious. Not even sure why she was excited, Max nodded.

"Here we come."

A/N: I won't normally update this rapidly, but I felt the first chapter was too "exposition" to serve as a point to judge the story. Hopefully this chapter will get a bit more interest.

But, honestly, I was surprised by the reaction I got. My first chapters are usually silently received; I'll get some followers, but that's about it. But I got quite a few comments already. Thanks to everyone who spared me some time, I seriously appreciate it. You'll come to learn that I love talking with readers, and I tend to respond to a huge percentage of my comments. Feel free to ask questions, and know that I'll probably respond.

I wonder if Chloe seems too okay with the Max situation? I'm trying to get across that she's got a very 'stay out of my business, I'll stay out of yours' kind of attitude, at least for right now. I'm also trying to keep this story kind of fast paced, as I have a nasty habit of drawing things out till they're boring that I need to work on. Let me know if it ever starts feeling rushed, or very slow. It can be hard for me to gauge.

Alright, well, thanks to anyone who stopped by for round two, and I hope I can look forward to some more comments soon! Till next time!

KuroRiya
九六りや