"Okay," Chloe began, running her fingers through her bangs. "I can't survive another day of dumpster dinner." She admitted solemnly as they pulled up to a red light. Max grimaced.
It'd been only two days since they'd left L.A., and already the food situation was dire. All they'd had to eat was what they could salvage from behind restaurants, and one takeout box of leftover pasta that Chloe managed to sweet-talk off of someone coming out of an Italian restaurant they were looting.
For Max, it had been some of the best tasting food she'd ever eaten. But she understood the hesitation; They were taking food out of the literal trash. Compared to her old diet of military food rations, it was heaven. But for Chloe, who definitely knew better, it was the worst possible option, starving aside.
The food situation was only one of their problems. They were both in need of a good shower, and a bed wouldn't hurt. Sleeping in the truck together, while possible, had proven to be less than ideal. Even so, Chloe didn't seem to regret asking Max to come along. Max wasn't sure why she hadn't been tossed out of the window for her uselessness, but she wasn't about to complain either.
"But I don't know how we're going to get money." She admitted sheepishly when Max didn't reply.
Max frowned, pursing her lips. It had become obvious that Chloe had just as little clue as her how to get money without a job. She had been hoping that the girl would be something of a guide through the real world, but she was quickly proving that she was mostly just another scared girl on her own for the first time.
That was alright, though. At least they were together.
"We'll figure it out." Max assured, turning from the window to give her companion an encouraging smile. It seemed to soothe Chloe's irritation, at least, for her expression softened, and she sighed.
"I know. I guess I'm just realizing that I'm not as much of an adult as I thought I was." She mumbled. Max nodded, patting her shoulder. It was a gesture she'd picked up from Chloe, among many others. Compared to the scientists that had surrounded her all her life, Chloe was a very physical person. Max was still testing the waters, honestly. She'd definitely initiated contact at inappropriate times, and had missed a few obvious signals for things like hugs and 'fist-bumps,' both of which Chloe was fond of.
"I guess... I can try my card again. Who knows? Maybe mom put some money in my account yesterday or something." She suggested hopefully. Max nodded encouragingly, though she didn't really understand the point of shoving a little plastic card into a slot. Was money really meant to come out? It had never worked for Chloe.
Chloe explained the process, though, and Max had something of an idea. But in order to execute it, they'd have to be able to withdraw money, which hadn't worked yet. It also involved her power, which she still had yet to talk to Chloe about.
She'd considered never telling Chloe at all. But after only two days of traveling together, she'd grown to care more about Chloe than probably anyone else. It wasn't saying too much, considering her parents were dead and everyone else she knew wanted her dead. Chloe was the only friend she had. And she wanted to be honest with the only person she had.
But there had yet to be a good opportunity to bring it up. Would there ever be? It was doubtful that 'I have superhuman powers' came up in casual conversation very often. Still, the urge to tell her grew with each day. If Chloe knew about her ability, it might make their lives a little… Easier.
"Um, Chloe." She prompted before she could think twice. Her throat seized up with nerves, though. She should have thought it through more before she started. It was too late, though, she had the girl's attention.
Where should she start? How was she going to prove it? What would Chloe do?
"I, uh, I think I should tell you… Something." She stalled. Chloe was obviously a little concerned, torn between looking at the road and at Max.
"Okay, dude. You're acting like you're about to tell me you have a terminal illness or something." She forced a laugh, trying desperately to lighten the mood without really knowing if it was appropriate to do so yet.
"Sorry, no, I just don't really know where to start. I don't know if you'll believe what I want to tell you, but… I want to tell you anyway. So, um… I can rewind time." She blurted. Better to just do it fast and get it over with.
Maybe it wasn't the best idea, though, for Chloe hadn't even managed to react yet. She just continued driving as if Max was simply taking a pause and was about to keep talking. Then her brows screwed up, and she spared a glance over to the passenger side of the cab.
When it didn't appear that Max would admit to kidding, she turned back to the road, still silent. Her lips pursed. Max nibbled on her bottom one, stealing looks on occasion to see if Chloe had made any progress on processing things.
"T-That's why I knew the owner of the motel was coming. That's how I got into the room, too. The window was locked. And it's why I need to put as much distance between me and where I came as possible." She continued, as if it might help her case at all.
Chloe only looked more confused and a little concerned, as if she was wondering whether or not she ought to stop and maybe ditch the crazy girl on the side of the road.
"I-I know how it sounds, but I'll prove it, if you'll let me." She offered. That seemed to pique the other girl's interest at last. "Next time we stop, though. I don't want to distract you."
Of course, it didn't take long for Chloe to stop after that, pulling into the first gas station they saw. She parked the truck as far out of sight as she could, then turned to Max with a quirked brow.
"Alright, Max. I don't really know what to think, to be honest with you. But… Impress me, I guess." She urged.
This, Max knew how to do, actually. The exercise was practiced and familiar, and required little effort on her part.
"First, I need you to show me what's in your pockets. Everything." She instructed. Chloe complied, half-standing awkwardly to dig all the way to the bottom, even in the cramped space. She laid it all out between them, mumbling about 20 cents she'd forgotten about having, and Max began studying the objects, memorizing details quickly.
"So, uh, not to be a downer, but you jacking my shit isn't exactly mind blowing."
Max found it in her to roll her eyes, holding up her hand before Chloe could say anything else and watching the girl work in reverse to put her things back in her pockets.
"-ess me, I guess."
Nice timing.
"I'm going to tell you what you have in your pockets." Max promised. Chloe blinked, but nodded her on, eyes a bit wide with interest.
"You've got a pack of cigarettes in the back pocket. Seven left, but one is kind of funny looking, like you made it yourself." She described. Chloe's eyes got wider. "And your lighter is in there. It's got a blue butterfly on it."
"…Okay, well, I mean-" Chloe began, but Max continued, cutting her off.
"There are two dimes in the tiny pocket."
"No there's-"
"Yes, there are. And a receipt from a bar in L.A. You had a shot of vodka and two beers."
Chloe didn't say anything, opting instead to empty her pockets. When she found the dimes, tucked snugly in the watch pocket of her jeans, her brows knit and she glanced up at Max, almost appearing nervous.
"W-wow, amazeballs. I don't even remember when I put the change in there. What the fuck." She murmured, sitting stunned for a while. Then she pursed her lips. "But… And I'm not saying you would, but you could've found all that out by snooping through my stuff."
Max had failed to consider that, but it was fair. She could have just as easily checked Chloe's pockets while she was sleeping, or watched her put the things there, even. She couldn't be mad at Chloe for bein thorough; She'd just claimed she could alter time-space.
"You're right. Um… Let me think." She requested. What could she do that would prove it? What information could she obtain only by going back in time? It struck her suddenly, along with a small self-satisfied grin.
"I'm going to predict the future." She announced. Again, Chloe's interest spiked. Her lips curled a bit with excitement she seemed to be having a hard time controlling. It had been so long since someone had been impressed by her ability, rather than annoyed. It was refreshing.
She ignored Chloe as the girl impatiently commented on Max's silence, observing the surroundings and picking out events that stood out enough that she could point them out when she went back. After she'd amassed a few, she halted Chloe yet again and rewound until the girl was looking at her expectantly.
After dealing with a little recoil from the double use of her power, she began to list off what would happen. They watched as a guy dropped the coffee he'd just bought, the cup bursting and the drink exploding across the pavement. Then a red truck pulled up, a man getting out and setting up the pump only to trip over the hose. A woman came out with a bag full of only blue Gatorade and a bottle of whiskey tucked under her arm. All like Max had predicted.
Chloe had adopted that kind of excited, kind of scared look again. She talked past it, though.
"Okay, yeah. I believe you. Holy shit. You really can rewind time. Is this even real? I must be tripping some crazy shit or something." She babbled. Max patted her arm, then thought better on it and withdrew; Chloe was probably a little freaked out by her after hearing about her power. She probably didn't want the contact.
"It's real. Still not sure how or why, but it's real. I've been like this at least since I was eight. Maybe before that, without knowing. But I've..." Max trailed, suddenly hesitant to share her story. It wasn't a pleasant one, and did she really want to burden Chloe like that? But then, wasn't the point to be honest? She sighed.
"I've lived under military supervision ever since then. It started out as a psyche ward, then a really high security hospital, and then it was a military base, and I was staying in a bunker up until I escaped a few days ago. They've been studying me, and training me. There were some others. I escaped with a boy who could do… I don't know. It was horrible though. We separated in the town that we first ran to. I don't know what happened to him. I got on a bus and wound up in L.A." She shared, catching Chloe up on her life story.
The girl looked to be at a loss for words. It was probably too bizarre for her to comprehend. Max's life was the stuff of fiction, she'd come to learn that. It was her reality, but to Chloe, such a world couldn't possibly exist. But Max was proof that it did, and it was sinking in. She took a shaky breath.
"Shit. I'm sorry, Max. I… I don't really know what to say." She admitted, expression torn between distress and sheepishness.
"That's okay, you don't have to say anything. I just… I wanted to tell you. It wouldn't be fair of me to keep it from you if we're going to spend a lot of time together." She explained. "And… I want you to understand what I'm dealing with. I know that it's a little late now, but I'm sure that they are looking for me. I don't know if you'd be in danger, but… I definitely can't promise that you're safe if you let me stay with you."
She had to offer Chloe this opportunity, this out. She couldn't let the girl put herself in potential danger for her without even knowing. It was Chloe's decision to make. And Max couldn't begrudge her for it, even if she did wind up shoved out onto the pavement face-first.
"Christ!" Chloe scoffed, as if it was really very funny. "Let you stay? Max, we're in this together now. You couldn't leave me if you wanted to." She laughed, finally looking like herself again, her teeth showing as she found her smile again. "But wow, talk about a game changer!"
Well, that was about as good a reaction as she could hope for.
"Yes. And objects that I'm holding remain with me, even if I rewind." She added, as if to offer further reasons for Chloe to side with her, to stay with her. Surely it couldn't be that easy.
Chloe considered this new information for several minutes, her expression changing many times as she imagined the possibilities. She seemed to arrive at the same conclusion that Max had, though, for she scrambled for her bag, digging around for a battered wallet.
"Shit, do you think, if we could get some money, if you rewound while holding it-"
"Yeah." Max nodded, confirming that they were on the same page. Chloe looked like she'd been given a particularly well-wrapped gift.
"Fuck. Come on, mom. Anything. Even just fifty bucks." Chloe chanted lowly as she started the truck back up and peeled back onto the highway, frantically searching for any sign of an ATM. Max truly hoped that it would work this time. If it went as she planned, they wouldn't have to worry about money anymore, which meant they wouldn't have to worry about food anymore either. Or Gas. Or a place to stay. It would solve a lot of their problems, instantly.
They finally found one, inside another one of thousands of unremarkable truck stops. Someone was already using it, and Chloe's impatience showed in the rapid tapping of her boot against the tiled floor. But her annoyance melted as soon as they approached the machine, replaced instead with cautious hope.
She inserted the card and held her breath as she navigated the menus to get a balance inquiry. She stared at the screen a long time when it finally popped up, and she was so quiet that it was clear what had happened. Max sighed in disappointment, looking to see what sort of food the attached diner offered, since they'd likely be having the scraps for lunch.
"Max, there's a hundred dollars." Chloe whispered, as if she were afraid saying it too loud would scare the money away. Max spent a moment being unsure what she'd heard, then a flurry of excitement bubbled in her stomach. She watched as Chloe pressed a few more buttons, causing the machine to whir, then spit out a small stack of rectangular green papers. Chloe held them with a reverence that suggested she'd not seen a more beautiful sight in quite some time.
She then turned to Max, and handed them over, holding onto Max's hand for a moment and looking her in the eye. Was it encouragement? Max accepted it, whatever it was, tucking the money into her pocket, then began the reversal, checking her pocket as Chloe handed her the money again. The lump in her pocket doubled exactly, and then tripled, quadrupled. Her nose started bleeding as Chloe stared at the balance in disbelief for the sixth time.
"Max, there's a hundred-Shit! Are you okay?" She diverted, noticing the blood. "Hey, look, it worked! My mom must have been worried. A hundred isn't a lot, but we could get some food at least. You look like you need some nutrients..." She rambled, obviously nervous in the face of Max's ailment. It was apparent she wasn't sure how to comfort people, but that was sort of endearing. It had Max smiling, at least.
"I'm okay. It just happens when I use my rewind too much." She explained, speaking slowly as she recovered.
"Wait, when did you… Hold on, did you already-"
Max tried out one of those smug grins for herself, pulling the folded bills from her pocket.
"I think that makes five hundred." She shared, handing them over. Chloe flipped through, eyes wide. Even after she finished, she did it again a couple more times, as if she couldn't believe it. Then she giggled.
"Fuck yeah! Wait, make that six hundred, I can-"
"No, leave it. That way we can do this again if we run out." Max suggested. Chloe gave her an impressed look that made her glow a little with pride, tucking the money into her wallet.
"Good call, Super Max. Shit, let's get something to eat!" She urged excitedly, grabbing Max's wrist and leading her towards the diner. She seemed to think better on it halfway there, though, and steered her instead to the bathroom.
"Here, uh, lean over the sink." She urged, and Max complied.
"It's not bleeding anymore." She promised, taking the tissue that Chloe had retrieved from one of the stalls. She dabbed at what was still wet, then wetted a paper towel and cleaned up what had already begun to dry. "Sorry if I scared you." She offered when she finished.
"I mean, I don't know if you should be as chill about it as you are. If you get nosebleeds when you use your rewind thing, it probably means it's hard on your body, right?" She guessed. Max looked up, catching her eye. Chloe continued to prove that she was very clever. She'd caught on to Max's plan with the ATM within minutes of learning about Max's power. And-
"Yeah. It strains my body. But there's no brain damage or anything unless I push it way, way further. And the more that I practice it, the further back I can go without reacting. But I don't really like to practice." She admitted, frowning. It was painful, and truth be told, she didn't really like using her power much.
Something about it seemed very wrong. Even as sheltered from the world as she'd been, she could tell in the way the scientists spoke to and about her that her ability was morally questionable. After all, what right had she to cheat the very flow of fate itself?
"…Then we'll try to avoid relying on it. Only when we have to." Chloe decided. Max just nodded. She knew that they'd wind up abusing it, just by the nature of their situation. But she appreciated that Chloe cared. She found the girl smiling at her, and, blinking, smiled back.
"Ready to eat, Maxo? You earned it."
"I am hungry. But, um, my name is Max." She reminded softly. It was kind of surprising to think that Chloe had forgotten, especially since they'd been together for a few days, and she'd been using her name without a problem up till then. I was maybe a little hurtful.
"Uh, yeah, I know. It's a nickname. Oh… Uh, maybe you don't really know about those. I guess they weren't… Friendly to you. The military guys?" Chloe wondered.
"No, not generally. I know what a nickname is, though. But I've never had one, sorry. I didn't know." She admitted. It was sort of relieving that Chloe knew. It made it a lot easier to explain why she fumbled so much in the social aspect of their new… Partnership.
"…Max isn't short for something?" The taller girl wondered.
"Oh, uh, yeah. It is. For Maxine. I guess it sort of is a nickname. But I never go by Maxine. I sort of forget it's my name sometimes." She admitted. That seemed to amuse her companion, which was better than freaking her out.
Chloe sat down in a booth, and Max slid in across from her. The taller girl picked up a very thin book that was on the table, and Max found her brows knitting.
"Chloe?" She mumbled, a bit hesitant to say anything. She didn't like to cause trouble. But she was really hungry. "Aren't we going to get food?" She asked.
The other girl stared at her blankly for a while, then realization seemed to dawn on her.
"Oh, sorry. This is a different kind of restaurant. McDonalds is fast food, which means it doesn't cost a lot of money, but is also not very good quality food." She explained. Max had half a mind to disagree, but decided not to interrupt.
"This place isn't fancy or anything, but it's a diner, which is a bit nicer than fast food. So you sit down, and someone will come out to you and ask what you want. The menu is in here." She said, pointing to the thin book she'd been perusing before.
"When they come over, they're going to ask you what you want to drink, so decide that first. Your choices are on the usually on the back." She continued, flipping the menu over for her and pointing where she should be looking. "Do you know what these drinks are?"
"I know what water is." She offered lamely. Chloe smirked.
"I see the military didn't shelter the humor out of you, at least. These ones are all sodas, so they're fizzy. Dr. Pepper is what we had at McDonalds. Mountain Dew is citrusy, I guess. I'm not a fan, but to each their own. Sprite's the better option if you want citrus, though. It's probably the least… Dramatic. If the Dr. Pepper was too much, Sprite might be more up your alley."
At that point, a teenage boy with a tired expression and ragged apron on came and asked what they'd like to drink. Chloe ordered Dr. Pepper again, and Max decided to trust her suggestion and ordered the Sprite. The boy retreated, leaving them alone again.
"Alright, now you need to pick something to eat. You're supposed to try and figure it out before he comes back with the drinks."
Max's eyes widened, then dropped frantically to the menu. How could she decide so quickly? There was a whole book of choices!
"Hey, calm down. It'll be okay if you can't decide, we'll just ask him for more time." She promised. That helped Max to calm down just a bit, but her eyes still moved too quickly to even comprehend what was written.
When the boy returned with their drinks, Max had barely managed to get through a single page, and she looked at him with a fear so obvious that he didn't even ask if they needed more time, setting their drinks on the table and retreating into the back.
Chloe quirked a brow, leaning her elbow on the table.
"I'm getting a bacon omelet. Diners are best judged by their breakfast food." She explained, flipping a few pages and pointing. "Or you can get a burger. What kind of food do you like?"
Max gave her another blank look, and then looked down at the menu again. After a moment;
"I'll get that too." She decided, giving up on trying to pick from limitless dishes she'd never heard of. Chloe nodded, and as if on cue, the waiter returned only a minute or so later to put their order in. Max relaxed once he'd gone, glad that she'd gotten past the stressful part of eating at a restaurant. All that was left was to wait and then enjoy delicious food.
She took a cautious sip of the fizzy drink that was clear as water. She remembered the surprise of the previous soda she'd tried. It hadn't been a horrible experience, just maybe a little overwhelming. This soda, though, had a more agreeable flavor. Not as sickly sweet. Citrusy, as Chloe had said, like lemonade. She'd venture to say that she maybe liked it a bit.
Chloe tapped her foot audibly under the table, and there was a constant jostling of silverware on porcelain, as well as a gentle hum of conversation from the surrounding tables and booths. It left the silence comfortable as the two girls basked in the small moment of stillness, knowing they'd shortly be back on the road.
"Shit-" Chloe sighed, reclining back as far as the booth would allow, letting her hips scoot forward so she could further slouch. "I'm beat, to be real. Forgot how intense road-tripping is." She admitted. After a moment, her eyes went wide and her mouth formed a little circle.
"Dude, whoa, this is your first road trip!" She shared, seemingly horrified by this discovery. "And it's been so shitty so far! God, I've been doing you wrong, Max!"
Max didn't really know why Chloe was so upset, especially since it seemed to be directed at herself for some reason, as if she was to blame for Max's lack of real-world experiences. She didn't feel as though Chloe had been acting maliciously or even negligently.
"I-It's okay." She quickly assured, holding up a placating hand.
"No, road trips are supposed to be awesome!" Chloe insisted, gesturing at her with her soda in hand, nearly sloshing it all over the table several times.
"Who says it hasn't been?" Max asked, throwing the other girl off. "And besides, you're trying to find your friend, and I'm an escaped superhuman on the run from the government." She pointed out, proud to see that she'd made Chloe grin at last.
"Fair. That doesn't mean we can't have fun on the way, though!" She continued, finally taking an actual drink out of the glass instead of gesticulating with it. Max didn't have it in her to argue, and didn't have the facilities to even try when the waiter returned with their plates.
What it was, she wasn't sure, but it smelled amazing. And when Chloe cut into hers and took a bite, strands of cheese oozed and strung between the plate and the fork, making Max's mouth water. She mimicked Chloe's eating procedure, cutting off a piece she could fit in one bite and quickly scooping it into her mouth.
It was hot, and she almost regretted it. Almost. As soon as her tongue had recovered, though, she was singing a different tune.
"Shit." She breathed out dreamily. It made Chloe choke on her food, because she started cracking up halfway through swallowing. Even once she'd managed to get it down she was still booming with boisterous laughter, loud enough that some of the nearby people turned to look at them. Chloe didn't even care though, not paying them any mind.
Max grinned as well, though quickly gave up on that in favor of devouring the omelet. Why she'd decided to murmur the curse, she didn't know, but she did know it would make Chloe laugh. She also just sort of felt like it was the only appropriate response, because, wowser, omelets were probably created by the gods.
Chloe returned to her food when she managed to calm down, sneaking peeks at Max whenever she could catch her eye, pulling a ridiculous face in an attempt to get Max to laugh as well. The other diners likely thought they were obnoxious, but Max hadn't felt so happy in probably as long as she could remember. After coming clean to Chloe about her power and finally having the money to live like real people things felt… Light. As if they didn't have anything to worry about in the world, and were free to just enjoy it.
That wasn't true, of course, but she wasn't going to let it spoil the moment. Good things had happened, and they might as well bask in it while it lasted. And it was nice, once they'd both entirely cleaned their plates, to not worry about scrounging change out of pockets and bags and the nooks of the truck, as they'd gotten used to doing at gas stations. Chloe handed the waiter two of the bills she'd put in her bag, and they were leaving the diner with full bellies moments later.
"God, that was awesome." Chloe concluded as they headed back to the truck. Max nodded her agreement, hopping up into her seat with an ease that was already practiced. Once they were shut in, on the road, and the radio was quietly playing some punk band that Chloe liked, the girl herself turned to Max. Her expression was a bit more serious.
"So, I checked the cash, and the serial numbers are different and everything. So, like, it's not even the same money over and over again." She explained. Max nodded.
"Anything I have with me stays with me. Nothing can exist twice in a reality." She offered, as if it was casual conversation. It only struck her as bizarre when Chloe gave her a look.
"Um, alright, gonna ignore the Dr. Who bullshit. What this means for us is that it's going to be really hard for them to track. There's not even a record of me having a transaction, since you stopped me. There's just going to be five hundred unexplained dollars missing." She reasoned. "Basically, this is the best case scenario. Your superpower is officially the coolest thing ever!"
For the first time, though, Max felt uncertain. Serial numbers? Money could be traced? There were things she hadn't taken into consideration. Had they been careful enough?
"Hey," Chloe prompted, snapping Max to attention, as if sensing the panic stirring. "Worst case scenario, we can jump the border to Canada. We're heading North anyway." She said it like it was a joke, but Max didn't understand what good it would do to go to another country.
"That would… Help?" She asked, brows furrowed.
"Oh, right. I keep forgetting you grew up under a metaphorical rock. Er… Literal rock, maybe… If you go to a different country, the American can't usually chase you. And when they can, it's way, way harder for them. A lot of criminals plan on moving across the border after a crime."
Max didn't like being compared to a criminal, but she supposed she must be. Stealing was a crime, after all, and she'd done it a couple times already. It was frustrating, though, to be called a criminal when her literal survival depended on her ability to provide for herself. She was doing it in the only way she could.
Again, Chloe proved to be more perceptive than anticipated.
"Hey. You don't owe the government shit. They poked you with sticks and locked you up underground for years." She reminded. "If I were you, I'd be doing a lot more than just copying money to eat."
And she had a point, as well as a way of putting Max at ease. So she let herself be comforted, and settled in for the drive, the scenery, the music, and Chloe.
A/N: Alright, so, I just really wanna say thanks to everyone who's commented and left kudos and followed and favorited and all of that stuff, because wow. I don't know that I've ever gotten this much of a reception with a new story. I really appreciate all of the feedback, especially as I wiggle into a new fandom. (A little late, at that!)
Again, I worry about things feeling abrupt, but I also can't imagine Max waiting longer than this to tell Chloe. Especially in this particular circumstance, where she has no other person in the entire world that she trusts, I imagine it would be excruciating to keep something from her only friend.
I think it would also make this story kind of excruciating to read, considering that's a big part of the plot. Like I said, I'm working on speeding up my pacing a bit, because I really do worry about my readers getting bored. If something ever does feel like it's entirely out of left field, though, please tell me.
Alright, time to get my nosh on. Till the next chapter, guys!
KuroRiya
九六りや
