Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange.

We Are Forged In Fire (We Will Never Fall)

Chapter Three: We Few, We Happy Few

Despite the tempestuous first two weeks, Max finds herself quickly settling into a routine at Blackwell Academy.

Between spending time with Chloe, getting to know Kate and Warren, trying get to know some of her other classmates and dormmates, attending lessons, doing homework (nudging Chloe to do her homework) and putting any free remaining minutes into searching for more information on Rachel's disappearance, it's no wonder that the days slip past so quickly.

Before she knows it, it's the first week of October, and the trees are slowly turning into a glorious riot of colour, shedding flurries of red and gold and orange leaves every time the wind tosses their branches. Chloe nearly laughs herself sick when Max, leaning precariously over the back of a bench to get exactly the right shot of the sun shining through the leaves, predictably overbalances and goes sprawling across the grass. Max glares up at her, leaves in her hair, and promptly gets her own back by swiping at Chloe's ankles.

The blue-haired girl tumbles down with a startled squawk, and Max has a split-second to realise she didn't quite think this through, before Chloe lands on her. "Can't – breathe," she wheezes, flailing ineffectively at Chloe with the hand that isn't being squashed into the grass by her soulmate's hip.

Chloe's look of surprise is rapidly changing into smugness as she grins down at Max. "Well, serves you right for tripping me," she declares, deliberately letting her weight sag more heavily onto Max. "I think I win this round, don't I, Mad Max?"

Max is about to grumble back at her, when she becomes suddenly, acutely aware of the way Chloe is pressing against her entire body, warm and soft, and the way her face is mere inches away, blue eyes bright with laughter. Heat curls through Max, desire blooming – and then like a bucket of cold water being thrown over her, she sees Chloe's expression change, sliding to towards puzzlement.

Holy shit! Keep it cool, Max, don't fuck up! Remember your calming exercises! She clamps down on her emotions as much as she can, trying to smooth herself out into something approaching her usual emotional state, even as she manages to reply, "Yeah, yeah, you win this round. Now get off me before you make us late for class."

Chloe's grin sharpens, her earlier quizzical expression fading away, as she pretends to consider Max's request. "I don't know, Max, rolling around in the leaves sounds about ten million times more fun than Algebra, if I'm being completely honest. Which I always am, naturally."

"Chloe!"

Her soulmate laughs, before rolling off her and getting to her feet. Max rises unsteadily too, brushing leaves off her jeans, and trying her best to brush away her lingering attraction to Chloe at the same time. It's like now I've started noticing how beautiful she is, I can't freaking stop, jeez.

The last two weeks or so had seen rigorous employment of the techniques taught to Max by Dr Williams, whom her parents had insisted she see after her empathic bond developed five years ago.

("An empathic bond is a wonderful thing, sweetie," Mom had said, smiling at her. "But it's important to understand and regulate it as best you can, for the benefit of both you and your soulmate. Imagine your soulmate being really angry or upset about something – wouldn't you want to be able to help them, or comfort them, without being completely overwhelmed and distracted by the intensity of their emotion?")

Somehow, I doubt Mom and Dad had 'hiding your raging attraction to your actually-romantically-bonded-after-all-but-still-grieving-soulmate' in mind when they sent me to see Dr Williams, Max thinks exasperatedly, as they head off to class.

Life is freaking ridiculous sometimes.

xxx

The start of Kate's first semester at Blackwell has been nothing like she had expected so far.

She was so nervous about coming here, so far from home, that she almost threw up three times in the car on the journey down. The only thing that allowed her to keep a handle on her composure was the knowledge that her parents would freak out and worry they were making the wrong choice in sending her to Blackwell if she actually vomited.

But once she arrived, she surprised herself by settling into a routine quickly, striking up shy conversations with Alyssa and Stella in her History and Algebra classes, and actually enjoying herself in Science for once when partnered up with a guy named Warren, who was very helpful and enthusiastic about what they were learning.

And then it happened. Kate hadn't been expecting it at all, sitting in her English class and absently reading while waiting for Mrs Hoida to arrive, when a friendly voice suddenly chimed into her thoughts with a comment and a question about The October Country; a comment and a question that had been wrapped around her right knee in a cute, messy scrawl for as long as she could remember.

Kate had stammered out some response and the other girl had been briefly stunned, before lighting up with delight. "I'm Max, and I'm so, so pleased to finally meet you!"

Kate had been blinking back tears for most of the lesson, so incredibly happy to have found one of her soulmates – and the one who was actually be pleased to see her at that. The soulmark on her left shoulder blade had always worried her frankly, and in her more insecure moments, she wondered exactly what kind of person she'd be in the future that they'd her find so offensive. Most of the time, she was more optimistic about it, hoping that it was some kind of joke or light-hearted mockery.

And then three days after finding Max, she met Victoria Chase and had that optimistic hope shattered into a million pieces.

It had taken her about a week to bounce back from that revelation (it helped immeasurably that she and Max were in the same boat, that she has someone alongside her who understood exactly how it felt).

Now it is October, and Kate has begun tentatively thinking about ways to broach the gulf between herself and Victoria. She's not sure exactly what's she hoping to accomplish; all she knows is that she can't leave it like this between them. Kate looks down at the piece of paper in her hand, unconsciously worrying at her lip as she does so, before reaching for her phone and sending off a quick text to Max.

[10/04 4.32pm Kate]:What are you up to tomorrow night?

Her phone beeps almost immediately with a reply.

[10/04 4.33pm Max]: Chloe's mom Joyce is insisting Chloe come home for a family dinner. I nudged her into saying yes, so now it's apparently my responsibility to go as well to prevent bloodshed xD

Kate sighs, her shoulders sagging a little. Max is in high demand as moral support apparently.

[10/04 4.33pm Kate]: Ah, okay. Good luck :)

[10/04 4.34pm Max]: What was it you needed? Can I help?

[10/04 4.35pm Kate]: I was just thinking about going to the Vortex Club party tomorrow is all.

Her phone is silent for a moment, and then starts buzzing with an incoming call from Max. Kate blinks in surprise for a second, then picks it up. "Hello?"

"Why?" Chloe' familiar voice demands on the other end of the line. She can hear Max's annoyed cries of Give it back Chloe, and let go of my head, what are we five again? in the background. "Why the fuck would you want to go to a Vortex Club party?"

Her blunt, borderline rude tone makes Kate bristle a little, an instinctive reaction despite knowing Chloe is right in her assessment that Vortex Club is definitely not her usual scene. "Actually, I thought maybe I would get the chance to talk to Victoria," she says quietly, and hears Max abruptly fall silent on the other end of the line.

"…Oh," Chloe says, clearly surprised too. Then she rallies, picking up her argument again. "It's still a stupid idea. Everyone's going to be high and wasted, they always at those stupid fucking parties, and it's not like Victoria's magically going to be a nicer person there. If anything, she'll probably be even bitchier than usual, being in her element as queen bee of the rich kids' party."

Kate gives a quiet hum of acknowledgement, looking down at the flyer in her hand. "I know. But one of us has to reach out to the other first. And what better way, than showing an interest in what she's interested in?"

There's a moment of silence on the other end of the line. Then Chloe snorts. "And I thought Max was stupidly optimistic. Jeez."

There an indignant Hey! in the background from Max, and Kate feels a smile tugging unconsciously at her mouth as the good-natured bickering starts on the other end of the line again. "Thanks for your advice," she says, over the argument. "But I'm still going to the party – I won't get anywhere with Victoria if I don't try. I hope you enjoy the family dinner tomorrow though."

Chloe breaks off her squabbling, to snort in disbelief and amusement. "Yeah, fat fucking chance of that happening –"

Her voice abruptly gets faint and Max's voice fills her ear, sounding slightly out-of-breath and anxious. "Hey Kate, I'm really sorry I'm not free tomorrow, I really want to go with you too, but I said to Chloe first –"

"Max, don't worry, it's fine," Kate says, nearly laughing, even as Max's concern makes her feel warm and cared for. "I'll tag along with Dana or something, I know she's going. And I'll text you when I get back to the dorms, if you're worried," she adds, a little teasingly.

"Yes, please do that," Max says immediately and then Chloe crows in the background, Aww, I think I should start calling you Momma Max instead of Mad Max, and the bickering instantly starts all over again.

Kate hangs up, amidst a storm of playful squabbling and laughter, smiling all the while. She glances down at the flyer, feeling the hope well inside her, and sends up a quiet little prayer.

Please let me get through to Victoria. Please let tomorrow night go well.

xxx

[10/05 9.35pm Max]: Hey Kate, hope you're having fun. :)

[10/05 9.36pm Max]: Or at least, that it doesn't suck too bad. xD

[10/05 11.13pm Max]: Kate? Are you okay? Is Victoria being awful? :(

[10/06 12.37am Max]: Kate, I don't want to sound like I'm your mom or something (Chloe will never let me hear the end of it), but plz text me to let know you're okay. :(

[10/06 1.21am Max]: Kate?

xxx

Max wakes up with her phone in her hand, and for a moment she doesn't remember why she feels so disquieted, uneasy tension coiling in the pit of her stomach.

Then her memories of the previous night come flooding back and she immediately scrambles to look at her phone. A single message sits on her lockscreen:

[10/06 4.57am Kate]: Hey, sorry to worry you, got back late, very tired. Going to sleep now.

"See? It was nothing to worry about after all," Chloe says, yawning in Max's ear as she peers over her shoulder, squinting in annoyance against the morning sun streaming through the gap in her curtains. "C'mon, let's go back to sleep, it's only like nine or something, and it's a Sunday. Meaning no school. Meaning sleeping as long as we want. Especially after last night's bullshit with step-dick."

"I'm well aware sleeping is top priority around here," Max teases, even as she turns and burrows back under the covers. She sends off a quick text to Kate in reply, even as the faint sleepy irritation coming from Chloe smooths back out into the distant peacefulness of true sleep, and Max curls happily back into the warmth of her side.

There's time for another hour's rest with Chloe…and then some of Joyce's delicious pancakes…and then we'll head back and find out how Kate's night went.

xxx

Kate isn't answering her door.

Max isn't sure exactly why that fills her with such a sense of dread, only that it does. It's mid-afternoon and the majority of the dorms are stirring at this stage, albeit with much hungover groaning and complaints about the brightness of the sun. No one she speaks to can tell her anything much of anything, about the party in general or Kate in particular, apart from Dana. The cheerleader confirms they went together, but she lost track of Kate at some point. "It was a crazy night, Max," she says, leaning against the doorframe, looking very much the worse for wear. "She's probably still asleep if she didn't get to bed until super late. It's not unusual."

Not for anyone else maybe, Max thinks, even as she thanks Dana and hurries away, Chloe falling into step beside her. But Kate doesn't party and doesn't drink…I just can't see her being hungover at all really, let alone to this extent. And the more I think about it, the weirder the timing of that message is. There's no way Kate would have been out til nearly five in the morning, unless she somehow caught Victoria in an extremely chatty mood and didn't want to stop talking to her. And I think we all know how likely that is.

"You're thinking hard, Max," Chloe observes. "And it's clearly nothing good. What's going on in that brain of yours?"

"Something feels weird, Chloe. I don't know what it is yet, but something's definitely wrong," Max says, rubbing her arms as a chill passes over them.

They spend the next couple of hours roaming Blackwell in search of Kate in case she's not in her room after all, periodically returning to knock on her door with increasing anxiety every time. It's not until nearly 8pm that Max's phone rings, and she nearly drops it in her haste to accept the call. "Kate!" she cries, relief washing over her, as Chloe hurries to her side. "Kate, where are you?! Are you okay?"

There's a moment's heavy silence on the other end of the line and then Kate speaks, her voice thick with tears. "I'm…I'm in my room, Max. Please – please come –" her voice breaks and she lets out muffled sob before the line goes dead.

They book it across campus in record time, and when Kate opens the door, her eyes are reddened and bloodshot, still in her crumpled clothes from the night before. She all but collapses against Max, weeping and trying to speak into her shoulder at the same time, even as Max's arms come up automatically to encircle her in a protective hug. (Behind them, Chloe scowls at Juliet's curious face peering around the corner of the corridor, before slamming Kate's door shut pointedly and leaning against it.)

" – and I don't know what happened after that! I swear, I had like a sip of wine, but my memories are just gone!" Kate says miserably. "I didn't even get the chance to talk to Victoria, and then I felt so sick and dizzy I barely knew which way was up! Nathan Prescott offered to take me to the hospital –"

"Nathan Prescott?" Chloe's voice is sharp, and Max feels her accompanying spike of surprise and suspicion. "Why the fuck would he offer to take you to the hospital? The guy's a complete dick."

"That's kind of the impression I got as well, from seeing him in class," Max admits. "We've never spoken though."

"I didn't think he was that nice either, but he was being kind for a change." Kate wipes her eyes and Max feels a flash of skepticism from Chloe, but she doesn't say anything further. "I can only remember things in bits and piece but…it did feel like I was in a car, for a long time. Then I woke up in a room – I thought was the hospital, it was so white and bright. But then I heard Nathan's voice, and felt a sharp sting in my neck and then…nothing. I woke up here, in my room, like half an hour ago but I have no memory of getting back here last night. I saw your missed calls and texts, but I don't remember getting them, or sending you that text at 5am, and I feel awful and gross and my head hurts like crazy –"

She stops talking abruptly, trembling all over, and Max can only tighten her grip on Kate, as the blonde girl turns further into Max's shoulder, as though seeking to disappear entirely. "I don't what happened," she says in a tiny voice. "I don't know what happened to me."

Max can only curl around her, desperately trying to provide comfort and reassurance, despite the hollow feeling of horror growing within her. Even that, however, is overshadowed by her sense of Chloe's mounting rage, matched by the thunderous expression on her face. "It sounds like that fucker drugged you," she growls. "I think it's about time we have a little talk with Nathan Prescott about exactly what goes on at his parties."

"Chloe, wait!" Max says, alarmed as Chloe turns on her heel, yanking the door open. "You're going now?"

"Don't worry Max, I'll be back before you know it." The door slams behind Chloe, and Max can feel her storming away, trailing rage behind her like a thundercloud.

There's ringing silence for a few moments in her wake, then Kate stirs a little. "Do you think – do you think Nathan might have hurt me after that party?" Kate's voice is hoarse, and muffled against Max's hoodie.

Max closes her eyes, guilt burning through her. "I don't know," she says quietly. "I just don't know."

We should never have let her go alone.

xxx

Despite Chloe's best efforts, Nathan is nowhere to be found.

A quick phone call to Warren had sent him to meet Chloe as backup, so Max could stay with Kate, but it had been ultimately pointless – Nathan wasn't in the dorms and didn't appear to be anywhere on campus either.

Max watches as Chloe paces about her room like a caged lion, utterly fuming. "Can't believe that fucker – drugging someone as sweet and frankly nauseatingly good as Kate," she snarls, her anger rippling across the room to where Max is perched on her desk chair. Underneath the anger though, Max can feel something else – a thin thread of black suspicion and growing dread.

"What is it?" she asks, worrying gripping her. "There's something else, Chloe. What else is bothering you?"

Chloe pauses in mid-step, running a hand through her hair in a stressed fashion. "This – this reminds me of Rachel," she admits. "The last time anyone saw her was at a Vortex Club party and – and what if these two events are related somehow? What if she was drugged too and something happened to her?"

Something cold is sinking in the pit of Max's stomach as she stares at her soulmate, rocking back and forth on her heels in the middle of the room, tension in every line of her body. What if she's right?

"We definitely need to talk to Nathan Prescott," Max says, a little shaky.

"Damn straight we do," Chloe growls, fire in her eyes. "We are going to get the bottom of this fucking mystery, if it's the last thing we do."

xxx

[10/06 10.49pm Chloe]: Prescott, where the fuck are you? We need to talk. About what you did to Kate Marsh.

xxx

Victoria Chase is having the worst month of her life.

No, I'm not being overdramatic, Mom, fuck you.

First, she finds out her remaining two soulmates are complete losers. The moment when Max Caulfield ran into her in the hallway is so vividly emblazoned in her mind's eye that she has no doubt she'll remember it forever. (And not in a good way.)

She'd been so happy when she found out she and Nathan found out they were soulmates last year. I mean, sure, he has a whole slew of problems, but we're a good balance for each other. Plus he is one hundred percent the correct kind of person to be associating with. Unlike that stupid hipster bitch.

It had almost felt like a suspended moment in time. Victoria had heard the alarm bells of fast-approaching social ruination; she had almost been able to see the kind of hit her reputation would take, see the crumbling of her power and slow slide into social obscurity.

So she had done what she did best; strike before she could be struck, and publically rejected the other girl. Her reputation might suffer a little from the mere fact that Max Caulfield was one of her soulmates (it had happened in an unfortunately public place after all) but her pre-emptive strike had reaffirmed her image enough to make the damage negligible.

And then Kate Marsh had happened. The moment the other girl had spoken the words delicately looped around her left ankle, she'd felt the bottom drop out of her stomach and the thought of This cannot be happening again had had the cruel words spilling from her mouth before she'd had a chance to even think about them.

Kate's white face had disappeared out of the room, hurried along by the other sad excuse she apparently had for a soulmate, and Victoria had been left sitting, staring after them in horrified shock.

It hadn't taken long for that shock to melt into fuming anger and for a week, Victoria had been an ordeal to be within twenty feet of, her tongue sharper and her words more dangerous than ever before. She sowed chaos in the general student population, destroying two relationships and four friendships in the span of three days in an effort to vent her fury – and it had left her with nothing but a cold, hollow ache in her chest, the usual thrill of claiming control over something (anything) entirely absent.

The way that two such utterly unacceptable soulmates had just casually meandered into her life, upsetting her mindset and destroying her neatly ordered plans for the future, made her want to scream and claw out someone's eyes.

Preferably theirs.

Nathan had listened with a sympathetic ear they smoked weed together, curled up on her bed as she bitched about the unfairness of life. "Forget those losers, Victoria. Who needs fucking soulmates? It's not like they actually make life any fucking better."

There had been something strange in his tone, almost lost in the usual tidal wave of bitterness. (He'd never quite forgiven his sister for fucking off to join the Peace Corps and her soulmate, 'doing the work they were destined for'. Victoria can still remember the look on his face when he'd gotten that phone call.) Still, she'd adopted an offended tone, nudging him with her leg. "Excuse me, I am your soulmate, and I am pretty fucking amazing."

He'd rolled his eyes at her, from where he was languidly sprawled across her duvet covers. He never looked as relaxed as he did when he was high, when the drugs smoothed out all the stress from his face. "I am so sorry, your highness, whatever I can I do to earn your forgiveness?" he'd deadpanned mockingly. Naturally, she then stole the joint in retaliation, leading to an unexpectedly hilarious wobbly and off-balance tussle for the weed, which had ended with them both on the floor, cackling with laughter despite themselves.

In the end, however, Courtney had ultimately, and unexpectedly, been the one to end her rampage. Despite the fact she and Taylor had received the brunt of Victoria's rage – more due to proximity than anything else – the other girl had timidly spoken up while they sitting together outside the dorms, checking their Twitter feeds before class. "Maybe you're thinking about this the wrong way, Victoria," she had said, biting her lip. "Maybe your soulmates aren't as uncool as they seem. They have to be worthy to be your soulmates, right? So maybe they don't totally suck, like, deep down?"

Victoria had stared at her for so long after that daring comment that the other girl had grown very visibly nervous and had already began babbling apologies, when Victoria cut her off with a snapped, "Shut up, Courtney. You don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

Despite her dismissive words, something about Courtney's comment had made her pause. A tiny voice had whispered, What if?

She had begun watching them, her would-be soulmates, with a critical and judging eye, just waiting to be disappointed. And naturally, she was. Caulfield was a self-absorbed poser, always taking selfies like her tragic fashion sense and nearly non-existent make-up actually made for good pictures. (She doesn't care what other people think about her – when was last time you walked out the door without giving a shit about what you wearing?) And Kate Marsh was a pious goody-two shoes, a relic from the eighteenth century with her 'no-sex-until-marriage' crap, and so sickeningly sweet that it made Victoria want to vomit. (She's kind, even to people who aren't kind to her, and she's got a backbone of steel when it comes to the things the things she believes in. That stare down she gave Logan, when he mocked her church group…)

Then, as the days passed, Victoria had begun to notice something. It had started like a quiet humming just on the edge of hearing, and she'd been convinced she was going crazy for a few days. Then the feelings had started trickling through – a flash of annoyance here, a twinge of anxiety there, but overall, a radiating sense of contentment and happiness.

She'd known who it was; it hadn't taken much observation to pinpoint which of the two losers matched up to the fluctuating emotions she was feeling. (Every morning, the happiness had soared with the rising notes of a violin, the sweet, bright sound floating down the hall of the dormitory.)

It had become a constant accompaniment to Victoria's days, a happy golden hum, like a colony of honeybees busy about their work. Despite her steadfast disregard (if I don't acknowledge it, maybe it'll go away), it was with her everywhere she went. The hard edge of Victoria's constant anxiety (everything has to be fucking perfect, it has to be) melted away ever so slightly. She found herself snapping less frequently at Taylor and Courtney, found that she was less inclined to make biting remarks about her social inferiors.

And then the Vortex Club party had happened.

Victoria stares down at the phone in her hand. At the utterly damning video that she could upload to the internet at the touch of a button. She should be feeling smug right about now – she knew sweet, innocent Kate Marsh was too good to be true. No one was that fucking naïve and virginal and pure.

And she has been proved right. But instead of very justified smugness, all she feels is…a thoroughly baffling anger. Victoria narrows her eyes at her phone, perplexed and not a little irritated with herself, as the sunlight creeps in through her blinds and the sound of the dorms waking up around her for the start of Monday morning classes fills the air. What the fuck is wrong with me?

(The night before last she'd been too high and wasted to notice much of anything, but yesterday afternoon, when she'd woken up, it'd had been the first thing she'd noticed. The absolute silence from the bond, such complete and utter nothingness that it had filled her with terror like she'd never experienced before. The same terror had sent her scrambling to throw back her covers and check her ankle, check that the words written there still as black as fresh ink.

They were – and as her fear faded, her heartrate slowing down again, confusion and anger had bloomed in equal measure. Nonsensical words from old fairytales tumbled through her tired mind, the voice of her grandmother murmuring, And the princess will fall into a sleep like death, so deep that even a soulbond will fall silent, and only true love's kiss can break the spell –

Then, as time crawled past in her dorm room, she became aware of the echo of Kate's emotions again, as though they were returning from someplace far away, surfacing from the depths of the ocean, or rising from the centre of the earth.

And they had been black, black with fear and confusion and creeping dread, a horrible shivering sensation that scraped over Victoria's nerves like a knife on piano wires, so far from her usual state that it almost didn't even feel like Kate at the other end of the bond.)

And no wonder. Victoria glares down at the phone, cradled in her perfectly manicured hands. What a slut Kate Marsh has turned out to be after all. I should upload this video right now and let everyone see what a fucking hypocrite she is.

Before she can tap the button though, something in her twinges, and she hesitates. The memory of the happy golden hum that has been her constant companion for the last few weeks fills her mind, and she gives a growl of frustration, hand clenching convulsively around the phone.

Then Victoria stands, and throwing open her door, marches down the corridor and raps sharply on Kate's door.

There's about twenty seconds of no response, but just as Victoria's getting impatient, the door opens a crack. Kate peers out and Victoria, despite knowing full well how she's feeling, is still somewhat taken aback by her appearance. The sharp, wild, jagged emotions from last night have levelled out into a dull kind of misery, one that radiates out from Kate like a miasma, and her reddened, bloodshot eyes and dishevelled appearance reflect that.

Her eyes widen when she sees Victoria on her doorstep, and Victoria is thoroughly astonished to feel something like happiness flare through the other girl for a brief instant. Then it's gone again, like a beam of sunlight swallowed up by rainclouds. "Um, hi, Victoria." Kate looks like she has no idea how to react to finding Blackwell's queen bee at her door at 8am on a Monday morning, standing there as if this is a regular occurrence. "Can I help you?"

Victoria manages to regain some of her usual poise, pushing past Kate into her room. "Yes, actually." It's dark with the blinds still drawn, and she strides over to open them, letting the light flood in. She turns back to Kate, who looks and feels bewildered (anything is better than that blank misery) and holds her phone out towards her. "I want to you to take a look at this. And I want to know what the fuck you're playing at. Close the door," she adds, as Kate's confusion deepens. "I doubt you want an audience for this."

Kate does as she asks, closing the door and taking the phone, before pressing play on the video. The whining buzz of incredibly loud club music comes through the phone's speakers, but the sound isn't what's really important.

"You know, if you want to pick an image for yourself, you should really stick to it," Victoria says pointedly, examining her nails. "I mean, ultra-religious-church-girl is a weird one to choose, considering we live in the 21st century, but you should at least try to have some consistency. If you actually prefer to party –"

She glances up, just in time to see Kate's face go absolutely bone-white as she stares at the screen, and the blast of utter horror that hits Victoria a second later nearly sends her to her knees. Only pride keeps her standing, albeit shakily, and it makes her snarl bad-temperedly, "What the fuck, Marsh, don't pretend like you didn't know –"

"No."

Kate's quiet, devastated whisper is somehow impossibly loud in the small room. "No, no, no, no, no, no…" she shakes her head, her horrified gaze still locked on the screen. "No, this isn't me, it can't be–"

"Newsflash, Marsh, it's fucking you," Victoria snaps. "Unless you have a secret – and convenient – evil twin stashed in your closet who's the real party fiend –"

"No, you don't understand!" The words burst from Kate, a loud, pained cry as she shoots to her feet. Overwhelming pain and horror and shame roll over Victoria like a tidal wave, as the other girl stares at her, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "I was drugged at that party, Victoria, I don't remember anything! I went, hoping to get the chance to talk to you, and I had a sip of a glass of wine and I barely remember anything else that happened! Then I woke up in my room yesterday evening –"

Her voice cracks, and she gives a pained sob, dropping back down to sit on the bed, with her hands over her eyes. All Victoria can do is stare. She's not sure what has stunned her more; the revelation that Kate went to the party hoping to speak to her, or the complete and utter sincerity rolling across the bond from the other girl.

She absolutely believes everything she's saying is true. God, she really is that sweet and naïve after all. Fuck. And then, as Victoria's brain abruptly starts shifting gears; I bet she didn't even think to guard her drink. She really is a naïve fucking idiot.

(My naïve fucking idiot, a part of her brain says, which she promptly ignores.)

Victoria crouches beside Kate and holds out a hand. "My phone," she says, in a tone that is more or less a command. Shakily, Kate returns the phone. Victoria holds it at an angle at which the other girl can easily see the screen, before tapping the delete button – and just like that the video is gone, never to see the light of day.

Victoria meets Kate's stunned gaze levelly. "Now, if you're very lucky, no else will have filmed you – I think I was the least wasted of everyone there, but I'll make discreet enquiries just in case."

"W-why –?" Kate stutters, her shock washing over Victoria. "Why would you help me? I thought you hated the idea of me being your soulmate?"

Victoria fights the urge to grimace, her conscience twinging as she remembers exactly what words she left permanently etched somewhere on Kate's skin. "Let's just say, it's come to my attention it might not completely suck, having you as a soulmate," she sniffs. "And besides, we have an empathic bond. I can't go the rest of my life feeling you moping around like a wet weekend; I'll go crazy. And break out in terrible acne or something."

With those parting words, she sweeps out of the room, leaving Kate staring after her, open-mouthed in shock.

(There is a faint flutter of something that curls through the bond towards Victoria as she walks back to her room; a weak golden warmth that hums in the distance, like the first notes coaxed from a violin.)

xxx

[10/07 8.31am Chloe]: Don't think if you ignore me I'll go away, Prescott. Where the fuck are you?

[10/07 12.59pm UNKNOWN NUMBER]: You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, you stupid punk bitch.

[10/07 1.03pm Chloe]: Actually, I fucking do, you asshole. You drugged Kate Marsh at that party, and guess what? I know another person who had something awful happen to them after a Vortex Club party. Care to guess who that was?

[10/07 1.19pm Chloe]: Well, Prescott? Hiding and crying like a little girl?

[10/07 1.26pm UNKNOWN NUMBER]: Meet me in the disused classroom on the second floor at 4pm. Don't be late, bitch.

A/N: Oh my God, this chapter ended up being way longer than I expected! xD Victoria especially ran away with me at the end there, her POV ended up being unexpectedly fun to write from. Also apologies – Nathan has sort of showed up, but only through memories and text messages. Proper appearance for him in the next chapter for sure, along with Warren's reaction. xD

Thanks again for reading guys, if you liked it, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought! :) I really appreciated hearing your thoughts/comments on the first two chapters, thanks for that. ^_^