Event Horizon

The world snapped back into focus and all the horrific sensations vanished. Under normal circumstances this would have pleased him greatly, but the situation was far from normal. Kevin was as far from any positive emotion as he could possibly be. He had just been in front of his locker, and yet despite that irrefutable fact, he was now sitting at his desk back in Mr. Jefferson's photography class. Blinking in disbelief, he looked up from his three photographs, quickly scanning the room. His stomach twisted itself into a knot as he was overcome by a suffocating feeling of Déjà vu, his teacher repeating the very same lecture, word for word, as he had mere minutes before.

This can't be real, what the hell is happening? I was just here! Everything is happening just like it did before! Kevin's mind raced as it attempted to make sense of the situation, but his thoughts were brought to a screeching halt when Victoria's phone buzzed from across the room. Kevin would have jumped out of his chair, screaming at the top of his lungs, if something entirely unexpected hadn't happened at that exact moment. Max dropped her camera.

That didn't happen before! I would have heard it crash to the floor! Unable to tear his gaze from Max, Kevin watched as she looked down upon the remains of her now smashed polaroid camera. While he watched her, he noticed a massive shift in her body language. Max had seemed on the verge of panic within moments of the death of her beloved camera, but now she seemed resolute and eerily composed. Max slowly raised her left arm as if reaching out to something in front of her. Kevin flinched as his ears began to ring and the piercing pain in his head came back, as if summoned by her movements.

The world around him slowed to a crawl, a suffocating sensation overwhelming him. The slower everything moved the worse the sensation felt. Bracing himself against the pain, he watched in horror as the world froze in place and the smashed pieces of Max's camera put themselves back together. The now reformed polaroid camera shot into the air and slid itself back onto Max's desk. In an instant, the world sped back up, returning to normal. In that ghastly surreal moment, it felt as if every molecule of air had been physically torn from his body. Staring at the now fixed camera it was again sitting motionless on Max's desk right where it had been before…

Victoria's phone buzzed. The camera was not knocked off Max's desk. It did not shatter into several pieces on the floor. Max did not reach out in front of her but instead sat at her desk, entirely satisfied. Kevin sat motionless at his desk, unable to move, unable to form a single thought save for one: Max can control time. For what felt like an eternity, Max just sat there doing nothing as if lost in a trance.

Kevin nearly recoiled in terror when Max jerked forward and snatched up her camera. Spinning it around she snapped a quick selfie. Mr. Jefferson took notice and interrupted his own lecture to dive into the exact same lecture he had before. Kevin quickly scanned the room and found, to his horror, that everyone else was going about their business as they had before. No one else thinks this is odd, no one else remembers this, what the hell? As he desperately searched the faces of his peers for even the slightest hint that they too were witnessing history repeat itself, Mr. Jefferson asked Max the exact same question that he had before. But instead of fumbling the question as she had done previously, Max urgently asked if she could go the bathroom.

The gunshot! Something happened in the girl's bathroom! Something happened to Max in the girl's bathroom! Unfortunately for Max, Mr. Jefferson was extremely unsatisfied that she appeared to be dodging the question and demanded that she stay after class. Kevin watched as an intense worry clouded Max's face and within a few moments her left arm reached out in front of her as if she were grasping for something just out of reach. Time rewound itself right before Kevin's eyes as the storm of agony assaulted him just as it had done before.

As the world came back together he groaned with exhaustion. Max can control time and for some reason I'm not affected by it, but every time she rewinds time I feel like my brain is tearing itself apart. What the fuck happened in that bathroom? How long has Max had these powers? Kevin took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled slowly through his mouth as quietly as he could, trying desperately to calm himself. Relax. Think logically. If Max can reverse time, and if every time she does so I am unaffected, I would have fucking noticed this happen before, right? As he debated the logic of the insanity that was taking place, Mr. Jefferson again asked Max the dreaded question. Bracing himself, Kevin watched Max out of the corner of his eye with morbid curiosity.

This time, to Kevin's immense relief, Max recalled the answer that Victoria gave Mr. Jefferson in what felt like a lifetime ago. She regurgitated it for the whole class to hear. Even though her answer was delivered with a slightly trembling voice and much less showmanship than Victoria, Mr. Jefferson ate it up all the same. Scoffing, Victoria cast a sidelong glance at Max and crossed her arms in apparent frustration. She has no idea that Max almost quite literally stole those words right out of her mouth… but from the past… or from the future? No stop thinking about it… stop fucking thinking about it!

Another deep breath, in through the mouth and out through the nose. Kevin refused to allow the improbabilities of time travel and what were supposed to be theoretical physics drive him crazy. Perhaps he was crazy? No this is real, this is really happening. Just to be sure he frantically rolled up his sleeve and pinched his now exposed flesh. Hard. Nothing happened, except for the obvious result, his arm now hurt because he had pinched it. Stupid.

Before he could cause any more harm to himself, the bell rang aloud and Max shot out of her seat and hastened towards the door. But to Kevin's horror, she froze in place right in front of him. For a single dreadful moment, he thought that she was going to turn towards him and look him straight in the eye. Thankfully, she resumed her quick pace, shifting her direction towards the still immobile Kate. And just as before, Max and Kate had their quiet conversation and Victoria and Mr. Jefferson had a much louder one. Only this time Kevin sat unmoving in his seat, frozen in terror. After a few parting words, Max made her way with all possible haste toward the door and exited the classroom.

Snapping out of his stupor, Kevin shot to his feet and hastily gathered his effects. With newfound resolve, he was determined to find out what the hell was going to happen in the girls' bathroom. Or had happened…? Don't think about it! But as Kevin prepared to take flight and chase down Max, his gaze came to rest on Kate. His heart almost tore itself in half as he looked down at an obviously grief-stricken girl.

As he looked down upon her immobile form, he realized that he now had a second chance to talk to her in a more helpful, decidedly less awkward manner. Or just not talk to her at all and avoid another painfully embarrassing situation. Kevin looked towards the door and then back at Kate as he wrestled with the conundrum that he had been presented with. Fuck it!

Kate visibly jumped as he enthusiastically flopped down into the chair next to her.

"Hey Kate!" Caught off guard, Kate forgot her troubles for a crucial moment and Kevin's excited tone and playful attitude struck home.

"Oh, hey Kevin!" She even smiled, infected by his uncharacteristically manic enthusiasm. However, the precious smile quickly began to fade as if something powerful was dragging her back towards the darkness.

"You called me Kevin?" It was his turn to be caught off guard. He was certain that someone had called him by name at least once during his short stay at Blackwell, but he had become so used to not being called by name that it was quite a shock to hear someone speak it.

"That's your name, isn't it?" Kate had good reason to be confused, but this seemed almost a positive to him, confusion apparently kept the darkness at bay.

"Yeah, that's my name, but I've grown so used to everyone calling me 'Canada' and stuff..." Kate giggled lightly, seemingly her old self, but not quite.

"What's going on with you today? I've never seen this side of you, you're usually so quiet and composed… and shy…" Well shy around you… fuck that means she's noticed…

"Oh, you know, just having one of those days… But hey Kate, we should hang out sometime?"

"Umm okay, yeah sure." And there it was again, regardless of his efforts, the darkness was clawing its way back, casting a shadow over Kate's life. The jewel of a smile faded as her eyes lost some of the brightness that shone from them moments before. But despite all this, she still agreed to his proposal that had come entirely out of left field. This was good, because cheering Kate up wasn't the reason he had been forcibly dragged back in time. He still had to catch up to Max and find out what the hell was going on. Unless this was the reason… Don't think about it!

"Neat! But hey I gotta run, so I'll catch you later, Kate." As he got up to leave, he watched Kate revert to the dark and depressed girl she had been a few moments ago. It happened with such suddenness that the small golden cross that hung around her neck swayed back and forth like a pendulum. Don't let life get you down, Kate, hang in there… Glad that he had kept his Hallmark-card thoughts to himself, he felt with a burning certainty that he needed to find Max.

Abandoning his usual measured pace, Kevin walked with urgency as he maneuvered his way through the school's hallway. Entirely focused on his mission, he walked right by Logan and his two jock friends as they pushed Daniel up against the lockers in the exact same manner as they had done before. God damnit!

Intervening was the right thing to do but he felt as if he didn't have the time to spare to go through the whole song and dance as he had before. And as easy as it would be to walk on by, Kevin figured that if he didn't intervene there could be possible repercussions with time because he was changing what he had done before. Wait… I already changed what I did before by talking to Kate… just don't think about it!

"Hey buds! Why are yah bothering my buddy Danny, eh?" Aiming for a more abridged version of the confrontation, Kevin hurried along the fist-bump and despite the increased ferocity of the action, he kept his balance this time. Logan awkwardly made his apologies, and Daniel awkwardly accepted them, and before the Jocks could make their next move, Kevin shocked them all when he brought up his interest in playing some football with them outside. This time however, he unfortunately had to accept a very aggressive high-five from one of the other jocks as the trio made their way outside. With his right hand still stinging from the impact, Kevin placed it on Daniel's shoulder and amazed the still stunned boy with a few parting words.

"Don't be afraid to do what you do best. Reach out to people and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised." Turning away from Daniel, Kevin finally spied his destination: the girls' bathroom. Max had to be inside already due to how long it had taken him to get to where he was. Then again, he may not have much to worry about as he remembered that if Max was indeed inside, as he suspected, then she had arrived far earlier than she had previously. Not knowing what all that meant he came across another problem.

What the hell am I supposed to do now? It's not like I can just walk in…

The thought had barely formed itself within his mind when, to his surprise, Nathan-fucking-Prescott walked brazenly up to the girls' bathroom and without a shred of decency, opened the door, and walked in. Well maybe I can just walk in if I was a rich self-entitled basket case. There were rumors that Nathan's massively wealthy family pretty much owned Blackwell Academy and vast amounts of the real estate of Arcadia Bay. Kevin hadn't liked Nathan from the first moment that he had met him.

Victoria was a spoiled rich kid, just like Nathan, but she had the sense enough not to act like an unhinged sociopath. Sure, she wasn't always the most pleasant person to be around but Nathan was damaged goods and it showed. Unsure of what to do next, Kevin felt a growing sense of dread from his inaction building deep down within his stomach. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Kevin threw his sensibilities out the window. His determined march, however, was interrupted by an unexpected interloper, a girl whom he had never seen before. Not once.

If one word could possibly describe the girl who was before him, it would have been 'punk'. Her bright blue hair was just long enough to poke out in several places from underneath her, black beanie. A small leather jacket clung to the girl's skinny frame, which was unzipped to reveal a tight white tank top and a necklace that hung loosely around her neck. What looked like three low caliber rifle bullets hung in place of a charm. The girl's blue jeans were somewhat loose, worn and even sported the customary holes and tears. In contrast, her black boots seemed to be well taken care of, despite an odd, barely noticeable, scuff mark.

"Watch where you're going…" But before the mysterious girl could say whatever clever insult she had on the tip of her fierce tongue, Kevin quickly performed a slight, yet exaggerated bow. Masterfully transforming her mounting hostility into confusion.

"Apologies, my lady, I know not how you escaped from my sight, the fault is mine." The girl's mouth twitched slightly as she almost successfully contained a smile, and her posture subconsciously switched from a defensive stance to a far more relaxed position. Despite this, her face remained serious. Alarmingly so.

"Yeah, okay, weirdo, just keep your eyes open next time. You must be hella' stoned to not see a chick with blue hair." After a quick sidelong glance, the girl with blue hair turned and with a self-assured swagger disappeared into the girls' bathroom. Are you fucking kidding me?

Kevin regarded the closed door and silently fumed. Relax, just think this through. Leaning up against the wall a few feet away from the door, he reflected on the situation. Max was probably inside; however, despite the near certainty of this fact, the only evidence to support this theory had been her actions before time had relapsed. Nathan was also inside and if Max was inside, too, she hadn't reacted to his presence. Which was troubling, due to what it implied.

However, this new girl with the blue hair had just walked in moments ago and not thrown out Nathan or caused any apparent fuss concerning that situation. If the girls' bathroom was anything like its male counterpart, then it was small and only supported four stalls. So, it was indeed possible that since Max had entered first and if she had gone into a stall then Nathan wouldn't have seen her and if he had gone into a stall then this new girl wouldn't have seen him or Max either. The bathroom door for the men's room wasn't exactly thick either so if any commotion was going on behind this door, Kevin should be able to hear it. It all seemed far too convenient to him.

The girl with the blue hair had gone inside shortly after Nathan, so the two had to be related. Right? Perhaps she was his girlfriend or something or even more probable his drug connection. Even though there were rumors about Nathan's family owning almost everything around here, was Nathan really that brazen to have his drug dealer meet him in the girls' bathroom? Maybe. Was that it? Did Max catch Nathan and this girl getting up to no good and a confrontation ensued leading to that gunshot? If this was the case, why in the hell would Max of all people rush back towards such a dicey situation?

Before Kevin could come up with a suitable answer, his thoughts were interrupted by raised voices that were barely audible through the bathroom door. It was hard to tell at first, but after listening carefully for a few moments, he was able to ascertain two distinctly different voices and neither of them were Max's. The girl with the blue hair and Nathan were obviously arguing and from the increasing intensity, the severity of confrontation was quickly escalating. Furthermore, the voices had suddenly gotten much clearer so the pair had to be extremely close to the door.

Having all the information he needed, his mind settled itself. No longer deterred by hesitation, Kevin stormed his way into the girls' bathroom. Directly to his right, Nathan had the girl with the blue hair pressed up against the wall, a gun pressed firmly into her torso. Kevin's sudden entrance caught Nathan's attention and as he turned to face him, so did the gun. Taking advantage of the distraction, the girl struggled with Nathan and before Kevin could move to her aid, the gun went off. The loud crack shocked Kevin's senses: in such a small and enclosed space, the sound was deafening.

His ears still ringing from the violent percussion of the gunshot, Kevin felt it odd that both the girl and Nathan were looking at him so strangely. Feeling numb and cold all over, he also noticed that he was no longer standing but was instead sitting on the floor with his back against one of the closed stalls. Strangely, he was unable to recall having sat down. Feeling weak and light headed, he lowered his head, horrified to discover that his white undershirt was stained red with blood. Shaking with fear, he numbly came to the realization that Nathan had shot him in the stomach.

As his brain failed to process when this had happened, he watched in mounting horror as a small crimson pool of blood formed around him on the cold, hard floor. Wondering to himself why he didn't feel much of anything, the ringing in his ears steadily intensified. Before his muddled mind could contemplate on this new sensation, several more flooded through his already overwhelmed body. Feelings of blinding pain that centered around his stomach spread to his head, matched by overwhelming sensations of weightlessness and vertigo. As the urge to vomit became greater and greater, Kevin realized that he was outside of the girls' bathroom once again.

He would have collapsed if he hadn't already been leaning against the wall. Slowly sliding down to the floor, Kevin shivered in recollection of what had just happened. Nathan shot me… his hands immediately went for his stomach where they found nothing out of the ordinary. Feeling sick, he leaned his head against the wall and pressed his eyes closed. He would have remained like that for the rest of his life, but the fire alarm jolted him upright.

The bathroom door shot open and the girl with the blue hair bolted out into the hallway, hastily making her way to the main exit. As she disappeared into the exodus of students, Nathan stumbled his way out of the bathroom as well. Seeing Nathan sent tremors of burning rage throughout Kevin's body and his hands balled into fists. Nathan stalked away without noticing Kevin standing to the left of the door. One of Blackwell's security guards appeared from around the corner, giving Nathan a glare of suspicion. The mustached man made his way towards the girls' bathroom, casting a sidelong glance at Kevin as he approached. Fearful that he would soon be interrogated concerning the alarm, Kevin paled in grim anticipation. However, Max surprised them both as she hesitantly made her way out of the bathroom.

Snapping out of his stupor, Kevin did his best to avoid making eye contact with anything. Feeling as if the very walls had eyes, he stared fixedly at the floor as he numbly made his way outside. Revitalized somewhat by the beautiful fall weather, a fraction of his strength returned. The sun shone brightly above but a cool breeze kept the temperature in check just enough. However, even with the assistance of the amazing weather, he barely managed to make it over to one of the picnic tables before his weak, trembling legs failed him entirely.

Crossing his arms on the bench, he cradled his heavy head on the table as he tried in vain to collect his thoughts. His back and neck muscles were tight with tension, a slight burning sensation spread from his neck down his spine due to the aggressive stretch. Entirely unaware of the indomitable passage of time, he sat there with head down and tuned out the world. The cool breeze tickled his neck as it picked up in intensity for a fleeting moment.

Exhaling deeply, he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Lifting his head slowly, he fought back the slight dizziness that was still plaguing him. Shielding his eyes, they begrudgingly adjusted to the light. As the world came into focus, he immediately noticed Max as she walked the campus. He almost felt drawn to her. Kevin watched as she traveled from one group of students to the next. Sometimes she even made time to talk to a loner like Daniel who seemed to have recovered from his bullying because, after a quick conversation, Max sat down in front of him as he drew a quick sketch of her.

Despite everything, Kevin smiled to himself for a moment, feeling oddly proud for Daniel for finding the courage to ask Max if he could sketch her. Continuing to watch Max make her rounds to almost every group of students, Kevin shuddered as she rewound time while she was talking to Brooke who was flying her drone around the campus. Blinking, he shook off the sensation only to realize that the experience hadn't affected him nearly as much as it had before.

Either his mind was growing accustomed to the rough experience of time travel or her abilities had a comparatively minor effect on him when she wasn't in close proximity. Kevin mused over this just like he would a mundane, everyday problem. Meanwhile, Max made her way over to the skater kids who were doing their... thing. Max seemed slightly more comfortable with this crowd and remained talking to one of them for quite some time. She even took a couple photos, or more precisely 'action shots', as the skaters practiced their craft. Kevin found himself smiling grimly once again as one of them took a dive on the sidewalk. Max must have been inspired by the misfortune, because she crouched down and angled up a shot.

Max visited a few other students around the front yard of the school using her powers a few more times. Each time she reversed time, it was as if she was working to get the upper hand on a conversation to achieve a desired result. Despite Kevin's hesitancy to experience the pains of her time powers up close again, he was morbidly interested to check out which of his two hypotheses were correct. With this thought barely out of his mind, he had to quickly turn his gaze away from her as she turned towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her hesitate for a moment as she neared him, but she steeled her resolve and quickened her pace.

Wondering what he should do, a sense of panic crept into his chest. He had mere moments to compose himself as she bore down on his refuge. Had the two of them ever spoken before? Thinking back, Kevin was certain that they hadn't. In fact, Max's newfound interest in conversation had probably surprised quite a few people today. The little introvert had never seemed adept with casual conversation.

"Hey, Kevin," Max's voice had a hint of nervousness and wavered just slightly. She stood on the other side of the bench and struggled to meet his eyes. This was all too welcome because he was having difficulty doing the same. "Are you feeling alright?" Direct and to the point are we, Max? That's new. As he contemplated on how he should respond, he let out a heavy sigh and decided that there was no harm in being honest.

"Not really, no," responding with visible effort, he did his best not to seem entirely incapable. Max's forced smile faded slightly as she shifted her body with visible discomfort. "Care to join me for a bit?" Kevin had made up his mind and he wanted Max as close as possible. He somehow had to bait her into using her powers to rewind time, it was time to test his hypothesis.

Max nodded, seating herself as far away from him as she could manage. As she sat down, their eyes met for a brief moment and it couldn't have felt more awkward.

She probably watched me get shot in the girls' bathroom and I know that she can control time. Not something either of us can talk about without sounding like a lunatic.

"You don't look so good…" Max's voice trailed off as her gaze rested on his stomach for a moment. Yup she's definitely recalling seeing me laying on the floor covered in my own blood. Funny, so am I.

"I'm just having a weird day…" Smiling to himself Kevin managed to hold Max's gaze for a moment as he carefully watched her for any reaction, "I just keep getting this overwhelming sense of Déjà vu, as if I've done certain things more than once today."

Max's eyes widened and her body tensed like a rabbit sensing a predator. Shifting her anxious gaze away from his, her face became wrought with a intense guilt. Jesus, okay, stop torturing the poor girl.

"It has been a super weird day…" If it hadn't been for Kevin's exceptional hearing, he probably wouldn't have been able to make out what she had said.

"You're certainly right about that, I don't think I saw you submit a photo for Mr. Jefferson's contest today. How are you going to win if you don't turn anything in, eh? Everyone knows that you're the best." Well, except for maybe Victoria… Kevin's change of subject brought Max back to reality and she cheered up significantly.

"I kinda… ripped my photo up." That is not what I expected. Not at all.

"Oh yeah? That unhappy with it, eh?" Max simply nodded. "Ah, well, I can certainly understand that… I might as well trash these as well." As he said this, he pulled out the three pictures that he had been agonizing over earlier. He tossed them dejectedly onto the table that separated them, Max inched closer to examine his work.

"What are you talking about? These are so cool!" Max was a completely different person now that she was in her element. Her love for photography suppressed all of her worries as she examined each picture in turn.

"You really think so? If that's the case, Max, which one should I turn in? Because I probably couldn't decide even if someone pointed a gun at me." Immediately regretting his choice of words, Kevin saw Max's body language change as she obviously recalled a grim scene. Her shoulders slumped as her face paled noticeably. Eyes seemingly focused on something far away, Max handed him back his pictures and he returned them back to his laptop bag. "I just haven't taken the right picture yet, and I'm guessing neither have you."

Max ceased avoiding his gaze and looked straight into his soul. Her piercing stare sent a chill straight down his spine. Max's phone buzzed causing the two of them to jump. The moment had mercifully passed. After checking her phone for a moment, Max hesitated before speaking.

"Hey, I have to get going... but we should talk more later?"

"Certainly, I think I'm feeling well enough to make it to my dorm." As Kevin attempted to stand he felt a new sensation of dizziness flood through him and as he tried unsuccessfully to steady himself, he collapsed.

As he lay on the ground, he was only vaguely aware of his peers who had gathered around him. His head felt odd and when he touched the side of his head with his hand he winced in pain, his hand came back wet with blood. He must have slammed his head against the bench when he fell. The world became hazier as an intense sharp pain dug its way through his mind.

He didn't need to see the world around him freeze, then quickly rewind: the loud ringing in his ears and the overwhelming sense of vertigo he felt told him what had happened. He most certainly wasn't getting used to suffering the effects of Max altering time. The pain he felt this time was almost unbearable. The sheer intensity of the sensation was perhaps the worst yet.

The instant in which the world regained its cohesion, Kevin found himself sitting across from Max as she hunched over his photographs. Despite his best efforts, his hands reflexively shot to his pounding head as he doubled over in blinding pain, gasping loudly.

"Oh my god, are you okay?!" Max half shouted as she discarded his photographs and scrambled over to his side of the table.

"It's okay… it's just a headache…" Even though the pain was slowly subsiding Kevin spoke through clenched teeth as he struggled to breath. Even through the fog of pain, he was keenly aware of Max leaning over him, a small, delicate hand firmly on his shoulder.

"I don't know... I think I should get some help or-"

Before Max could finish her sentence, he cut her off perhaps a bit sharper than he had intended. "No. just help me to my dorm… please."

Despite Max's obvious reluctance to his plan, she helped him stand and supported his weight surprisingly well despite her small frame. The pair made their way across the campus towards the dormitories in silence. With each small step, Kevin recovered more and more. Not letting on to his improved state, he began to develop a plan. Due to his plotting, Kevin failed to notice that Victoria and two of her friends were lounging on the steps blocking the entrance to the dormitories.

If Max had been alone, there would certainly have been trouble. However, when the trio saw the now struggling Max and the beleaguered Kevin, they shot to their feet without hesitation. Courtney and Taylor nearly fell over themselves trying to help Max carry him through the heavy door that Victoria opened for them.

Kevin cast a quick glance at Max, she seemed utterly bewildered, her face red with embarrassment. After a cacophony of well wishes and a suffocating blanket of worry, Max and Kevin stumbled into his dorm room. Feeling vastly improved but still worryingly light-headed, Kevin collapsed onto his bed with a thump. Max hovered like a worried hen, asking him if he needed anything.

"What I need, Max, is to thank you," waving away his thanks Max's face flushed with further embarrassment but Kevin held up his hand to interrupt her hasty objections, "for intervening when Nathan shot me." At this Max froze in place, her mouth slightly ajar, her eyes widened with shock.

"Y-you remember that?" Her words were quiet and soft, her eyes locked on his.

"I'm finding it quite difficult to forget," he admitted, still remembering the horrific scene with frightening clarity. "But I also remember you breaking your camera in class. I remember Mr. Jefferson asking you to stay after class and I remember you using the very response Victoria used to answer his question." Luckily for Max, Kevin had a very comfy chair on the opposite side of his room from his bed. She collapsed in it.

"You remember everything?" She gasped, shaking her head in disbelief, eyes wide with shock.

"Yeah and I had to save poor Daniel from being bullied twice because of you." Kevin's joke fell flat on Max as she shook her head in disbelief. An uncomfortable silence took hold of the room as they stared at each other. But fortunately, Max's phone buzzed in her pocket, startling the pair once more. She looked at her phone for a moment and then back at him, visibly grateful for the distraction.

"I guess you know that I have something I need to take care of too… and that I can…" Still obviously uncomfortable with what she was capable of doing, the words stuck in her throat.

"And I guess it's super painful for you?" She looked horrified at this realization, her shoulders slumping, face darkening in shame.

"Only when you're really close to me. It seems to hurt less the further away you are... but it doesn't last long." To prove this Kevin jumped to his feet and only had to steady himself slightly due to a slight head rush. "The main issue is that I'm still shaking off that feeling of getting shot… seriously though… thanks." Max exhaled with relief as she stood, though with much less enthusiasm.

"You were just trying to help. Nathan was going to shoot that girl! Before I could figure out how to stop it you came running in. But I smashed the fire alarm. You know the rest, I guess. But I seriously have to go. We definitely need to talk more about this though. Maybe we can figure out what's going on… together?" It seemed like a huge weight had been lifted off of Max's chest. It must have been a relief to have someone to talk to about her powers. Kevin was probably the only person who would believe her because of his seemingly unique resistance to them.

"My thoughts exactly. I'll be here when you're done doing whatever it is that you need to do. Just keep the time warping heroics to a minimum, please."

Max nodded and smiled awkwardly as she left his room. After a few minutes of standing alone he let out a deep, refreshing sigh. Satisfied with the state of the world for the moment, he flopped back onto his bed.

Somehow, they would figure out what was going on and together, perhaps, they could do something about it. As he lay there feeling the tension of the day bleeding away, he wondered what he would do with Max's powers and became slightly miffed that all he could do with his 'powers' was suffer the effects of hers. Fucking lame.