"What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
[Friday, October 11th 2013]
Chloe Price stood frozen in place on the cliff, a few feet back from the edge as she watched the girl before her. Wind and cold rain whipped around them, soaking them both to the core.
Chloe turned to look across the cliff to the bay beyond where a massive vortex slowly crawled it's way across the water toward the shoreline of Arcadia Bay, her home. Lightning danced and played between the storm's swirling forces and the water, flotsam danced and spun within and around giving it a menacing shape. The force of the winds created a low hollow sound, at times it sounded like whispering.
She understood now where sailors' tales of sea monsters and magical superstition came from. The storm looked horribly alive, like a demon or a predator taking slow measured steps toward it's mortally wounded prey.
She also knew now what that prey must feel in those final moments. Unable or unwilling to move, her fear was petrifying as she stared into the eye of the tempest imagining she could feel her life being drained away. She tore her eyes from it and looked back into the face of her childhood friend.
Max was shorter than Chloe by a few inches, younger by a year. She was thin, maybe even a little too much, Chloe knew she didn't eat very often. Max's normally bobbed mousy brown hair now looked black as it lay soaked on her face and scalp.
Chloe loved that face. Mere days ago had been the first time she'd seen it in years but she knew it instantly. Max's large blue eyes sat above gentle cheekbones and a delicate jaw and mouth. Her normally light complexion looked pale now. A light sprinkling of freckles added to Max's simple beauty. Chloe loved to see her smile, it was pretty and warm and one that Chloe had always found contagious.
But as Max looked back at her now, she wasn't smiling and instead wore a look of denial and utter helplessness, shaking her head slowly at Chloe. In her hand she held a simple polaroid picture of a blue butterfly. Chloe had loved that picture but now it only represented a twisting dread in her stomach.
Images and thoughts from the week rapidly tumbled through Chloe's mind.
Max had taken the picture Monday. The same day that Max had told her she'd watched her get shot in the Blackwell bathroom and how she'd stopped it. The day that Max had saved and changed Chloe's life forever. For Chloe it had been one of the worst and best days of her life.
She'd been desperate and angry. Her plan was stupid she knew, meeting Nathan in the bathroom to blackmail him. But she needed cash bad and she figured he'd give in if she played it right. She hadn't counted on how unstable Nathan was. She'd pushed him too far and shivered as she remembered her fear of the gun he'd jammed into her stomach. Then the fire alarm went off and in his confusion she saw her chance. She'd buried her knee in his stomach and shoved him to the floor. It was a small consolation for the cash she never got from him.
All she'd wanted to do at that point is run. Just get back to her truck and drive somewhere, anywhere but there. She managed to slip out of the bathroom and to the front doors just as her step dad, head of Blackwell Academy's security, had come down the stairs. Mingling among a crowd of students as they filed out the doorway she'd gotten outside without anyone really paying her any attention.
As the crowd spread out in the courtyard she'd ducked to the side of the Blackwell pool building and waited, smoking and trying to chill out. She didn't want to be seen leaving by anyone just yet, especially Nathan.
So she waited for what seemed like forever, eventually slipping behind the pool building to the other side where she had a good view of the parking lot and her truck. Finally Nathan had come stomping down the sidewalk heading toward the parking lot. Chloe saw him walk over and start harassing some kids, she knew that was her chance and bolted for her truck, staying low and out of sight. She wanted to kick his ass, especially for picking on those kids, probably for something stupid. But he had a gun and she was over it today.
As she'd jumped into her truck and was swinging out of the lot to escape she thought about clipping Nathan on the way out until he threw one of the kids directly into Chloe's path.
She'd slammed on the brakes just in time and in the next moment there she was.
Max.
After five years Chloe found herself looking through her windshield into the face of Max Caulfield as she stood back up in front of Chloe's truck. Their eyes had locked briefly as the flood of childhood memories came washing back over Chloe's mind.
Just when I needed you most Max, there you were.
Just like the entire fucking week, you were there for me.
A bright flash of lightning brought Chloe's focus back to present and the sickening reality of what she was faced with. Looking at Max's desperate and grief-stricken face made her heart break. Max's eyes pleading for any choice other than the one she clutched in her hand. Chloe realized that if Max used that photo to go back to Monday it would mean Chloe would be shot, probably killed. Max had told her how it had played out before she'd stopped it.
Chloe thought maybe that might change things, actually prevent this storm from happening. If Max was right about this being the fault of her powers.
Max blamed herself for the chaos, she thought it was because she'd played with time so much but Chloe was no longer sure if that was right. She knew Max had a bad habit of blaming herself for everything too.
Max the Martyr. Maybe this isn't your fault.
Or mine…
Chloe knew they no longer had time to sit around and think about it. Something had to be done and the storm was almost to the shore. So Chloe had left the choice up to her, had placed her life in Max's hands.
Seeing the look on her face and the pain it was causing, made Chloe regret ever suggesting it.
Max looked back at her, voice full of anguish, "Chloe… I can't make this choice…" arms spread in frustration.
Chloe gently placed her hands on the girl's arms, trying to steady her. "No, Max… you're the only one who can."
She looked briefly at the storm. It was close to the beach and shoreline of Arcadia Bay now, their childhood hometown. The swirling vortex was impossibly large, it's diameter spanning nearly half the width of the bay and it would make landfall within minutes.
Looking back into Max's eyes she fought to keep her voice from quivering, "Max, it's time."
She watched Max step back from her slowly, an anguished horrified look still on her face.
Chloe felt Max would make the right choice, whatever it meant. But she admitted to herself, she was terrified.
"You are all that matters to me." Max's words echoed in her mind.
Gods Max.
Chloe wanted to grab ahold of her and tell her, everything. She didn't want to die, the thought scared the shit out of her. It also hurt as she realized too late what was really important in her life, much of it stood right in front of her. But she was sick of running from everything and everyone. If her being alive was the cause of all of this she didn't want others to get hurt because of her.
If Chloe was wrong though, if Max undoing it all changed nothing, then she didn't want to die an empty death. Bitterly she thought none of it made sense, neither of them deserved this.
Who the fuck ever does?
And life is…not fair.
Shit.
Chloe could barely imagine what Max felt right now and she hated herself for putting this on her. Empathy was something she wished she'd been better at but after five years of self-hate and bad choices she wasn't that good at it. It didn't matter now. Max was the only one who could change things and if Chloe knew nothing else in this moment, she knew she trusted Max with her life. She trusted her to make the best choice.
Max, you're my hero. You're so fucking amazing to me you don't even know.
Chloe was glad that she'd started hinting to Max about her deeper feelings for her. She probably wouldn't get the chance to see the rest unfold but she at least had admitted it to herself and that was something. She'd thought about Max over the last few years and her absence had only added to Chloe's pain. She thought she might feel the same but risking their friendship was a scary gamble. Chloe's feelings burned the question into her heart and gave her the courage to take the risk. She'd wanted to know.
Wallflowers are always lonely, right?
Since the moment when Max had taken Chloe's dare into that kiss she'd thought things had felt different between them. Closer at times with a subtle tension other times. It was nice in a different sort of way that Chloe wasn't quite familiar with. At least Max hadn't freaked on her or pushed her away and she hadn't exactly been her former shy self either, at least around Chloe. She remembered being so shocked that Max actually did kiss her, she wasn't prepared for it. Otherwise she knew she would have definitely enjoyed it more.
The subtle warmth and inviting tones of her relationship with Max felt different than they had with Rachel. They'd been friends for awhile and had some very cool times. Some completely crazy fucked-up times too. Chloe had started to fall for her after the first day they skipped school together, who wouldn't have, Rachel was gorgeous inside and out, talented, smart and fierce.
Chloe had told her she wanted to be more than friends and to her relief eventually Rachel began to reciprocate her feelings.
But it wasn't until the evening after Blackwell's production of The Tempest and their first kiss that Chloe had started to feel like things were beginning to get deep between them.
Next to Rachel Chloe seemed mellow by comparison. Rachel was wild, hyper and at times almost out of control, riding the wave of her own adrenaline. Chloe didn't mind the excitement, part of her craved it but she also liked chill, quieter times and that was something Rachel just couldn't sit still long enough to enjoy.
When Chloe had thought back on their time together she could tell Rachel felt the same about her even though she didn't bring it up much. She just couldn't slow down long enough to be there for Chloe. Most of the time Chloe felt like she was the one always providing emotional support and Chloe had days when she really could have used some from Rachel. That had hurt Chloe more than she'd ever told her, but she'd loved Rachel all the same.
Chloe had wanted Rachel in her life but for Rachel it seemed like she needed Chloe like a lifeline, which at times was like the literal truth.
But with Max it felt different in a good way and that kiss had felt…natural.
Unlike Rachel, Chloe didn't need Max, she wanted her. She wanted to experience life with her, as corny as that sounded in her head. As she watched the smaller girl it tore at her soul to see that conflicted disbelieving sadness on her face. She wore that look because of her.
Or for her?
There was something else that had flashed in Max's eyes briefly that Chloe had never seen in her before. It was brief but whatever Max had thought at that moment had sparked something behind her eyes. Chloe thought she recognized that look, that glint behind the eyes. It was the same one that Chloe had seen so many times when her reflection glared back at her from the mirror.
Chloe exhaled heavily as she tried to fight back fresh tears that welled in her eyes. She wondered if it would it hurt. If she'd feel anything or even remember anything? Or anyone…
Oh shit Max.
Chloe watched as the brunette stared into her eyes and slowly shook her head in disbelief.
Max stepped a few paces back turning toward the cliff's edge and faced the storm. The wind and rain, even stronger now, battered the cliff where they stood. Her small form was silhouetted against the massive dark vortex. Bits of debris blowing past and swirling around her made the entire scene look almost magical.
In that moment Max seemed more powerful than even the storm and in that instant Chloe felt such love and pride for having known her.
Max looked down at the photo in her hands as Chloe exhaled and closed her eyes.
The howling wind in her ears faded to a steady dull hum. She could hear branches wiping and cracking, she could feel her heart thumping in her chest. Everything else faded slowly to background noise until her heartbeat was the only thing she could hear.
A/N: Hello to you!
So, a little background on myself and this story.
This is my first fan fiction story and really my first story published anywhere. So that's my standard "Hi, I'm a writing NOOB!" disclaimer.
I started it pretty much when I finished my first play through months ago and spent a long time writing. Then re-re-re-rewriting and during the "week" of October 7th to 11th 2016 I realized I wanted to publish my story in timing with the end of Life is Strange and Max and Chloe's week. So from chapter one we see that the beginning picks up right on the cliff as the storm arrives!
Like so many others I fell in love with Life is Strange and these characters and wanted to see where the future would take them. Hopefully too in a small way my story may give something back to the amazing fanbase that Life is Strange has grown to be.
My novel is a work in progress and Pricefield-shipped. I want to try and stay true to the feel of LiS yet carry these characters forward into their futures. There will be feelings explored and fears realized and fought, it may get drama heavy at times but there will be also plenty of fluff to relax with!
I'm also giving a good amount of screen time to Chloe as well as Max and others with some original characters introduced. I have some interesting (I hope) character arcs for Chloe as well as Max and some long term stuff planned.
I hope to release a chapter each month or so, maybe sometimes sooner, depends on how often real life taps me on the shoulder.
So if you've decided to give my story a read, THANK YOU! I hope you enjoy the journey and feel free to drop me a PM if you've questions, comments whatever!
Be happy, be well!
