Hey guys, welcome back. So, a few things are different from canon, right? Just how much, you'll find out as we go.

Chapter Three: Old Beginnings

Max's POV – Arcadia Bay – The Next Day - Afternoon

It had been a few days since the accident and I still hadn't figured out just what the hell was going on with me. I'd tried the whole hand thing a couple times, yielding the same result each and every time… rewinding. It was so bizarre, definitely not a fluke. How was this even possible? People didn't have powers like this in real life, films and books yeah, except... I did, for whatever reason. I could only guess that the crash acted as a catalyst, my own and my family's lives at risk. Or maybe I was just imagining it all. To be honest, that was the most logical explanation. Maybe I'd hit my head so hard I was hallucinating or something, in a coma perhaps dreaming all this. That was much easier to accept than the alternative.

While I had pretty much recovered from my injuries, there were still a few bruises and scars remaining, some of which I didn't think would ever go. A few of them had been pretty deep and might be fairly permanent, especially on my face. Broken shards of glass had made light work of gashing my skin. I had a horrible sinking feeling it would make me stand out. Not in a good way, either. So much for the 'blending into the background' plan. Hopefully, students at Blackwell wouldn't be too cruel about it. There would be bullies everywhere, but surely everyone had grown up from teen drama by the age of eighteen… I could only hope. Guess I would find out soon enough.

The first thing I had to do when I finally got to Blackwell was to meet Principal Wells and some of my teachers, Mark Jefferson included. They all seemed nice and welcoming, making it easier for me. My camera had smashed in the crash, beyond repair, so Mr. Jefferson kindly gave me one of his old ones to use. It was digital, not really my style but I couldn't complain, and way more expensive than mine had been. Actually, it made me a little nervous. Clumsiness was a huge flaw of mine. Luckily, the first week back had mostly been introductions so I hadn't missed much academically. Socially, however, I had a lot to catch up on. That much was clear already. Everyone already seemed to know who I was and had their own groups. I came back in time for my first photography class. Mr. Jefferson introduced me to the class, all of them muttering amongst themselves. I hated being in the spotlight at the best of times.

A couple of them couldn't care less, while others seemed curious. One of the girls in the back gave me a contempt filled scowl, another smiled warmly, sunlight glinting off a gold cross necklace. I made a mental note to avoid the first and maybe try talking to the other. The person who seemed the most intrigued was a girl sat in the middle of the room, with long blonde hair and hazel eyes. She pushed back her hair, exposing a blue feather earring. Judging by the way she was acting and dressed, she was one of the cool kids here. At least, she sure as hell looked like she belonged in that category. So, the complete opposite of me. There was something oddly… predatory about her eyes, like she saw me as a target. For what, I had no clue. Maybe I was just being paranoid… and maybe I was right to worry. Only time would tell.

I took a seat at the back in the middle, unfortunately close to the girl who had given me such a cold reception, taking out my notebook. The rest of class was uneventful and I just tried to keep my head down. No need to draw extra attention to myself. Finally, the bell rang and everyone began packing up. The first thing the scowling girl did was stick to Mr. Jefferson's side like glue. Whatever got her off my back, I was fine with. The girl who smiled at me earlier came over as I was packing to introduce herself.

"Hi, I'm Kate." She held out her hand for a handshake.

I took her hand, happy that at least one person seemed to be friendly around here. "I'm Max, as you already know."

"Are you in the dorms here?" Kate asked, curiosity crossing her features.

Since I had moved in when classes were still running, I hadn't bumped into any of my dorm mates yet. "Yeah, I'm in 219."

She smiled at me again, genuine and inviting. "You're close to me, then. I'm in 222. Just across the hall." Her smile faltered, eyes flickering with worry. "Although… that does mean your opposite Victoria."

From the way she was acting, I could take a good guess at who she was referring to. "Let me guess, the scowling one."

Kate glanced over at the short-haired blonde, watching her sucking up. "Got it in one, I'm afraid. Best to avoid her where possible."

"To be honest, I was going to anyway. My nerd senses tingling," I mentioned, only half-joking. Having always been on the lower end of the social spectrum, I was usually pretty good at knowing who to avoid.

That put the smile back on Kate's face. "I think you'll do just fine around here. Just wait until you meet Warren. I have a feeling you two will get along like a house on fire."

"Max," the familiar voice from the front of the classroom cut our conversation short. Mr. Jefferson offered a smile. "Can I have a word before you leave? It won't take long."

Not really having any other choice, I agreed. Victoria didn't seem too pleased, though. "Sure."

"I can wait for you if you want," Kate offered. "The walk back is boring alone."

"If you don't mind, thanks." After arranging that, I approached the desk trying my best to ignore the icy glare I was getting from Victoria. Again, so much for staying invisible.

"So, how did you find today?" He asked when I was finally close enough.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I considered my answer. "Really interesting. I knew some of it and learned a lot."

"Well, it is my job to teach you. If you knew everything, I would be redundant." He crossed his arms, smiling again. "If you need anything at all, you just have to let me know."

"Thanks, I will." Eager to disappear from Victoria's line of sight, I ducked out of the classroom to find Kate waiting for me.

"I think I'm on Victoria's radar now…" I let out a deep sigh from unintentionally getting noticed as we walked back to the dorm building.

"She does seem very…" Kate hesitated, trying to find the right word, "possessive of Mr. Jefferson's attention. Rachel has proven that much."

"Rachel?"

"Long, blonde hair, hazel eyes, blue feather earring." Kate described who she meant, the girl who had really been sizing me up earlier.

"Oh, her. What's she like?" It was best to know what I might be up against. Just in case she did take an interest.

Taking a moment to gather thoughts, Kate finally replied. "She seems to be pretty popular here and Victoria's rival, although it's a little one-sided from what I've seen."

"How so?"

"Well, Victoria seems to instigate most of the confrontation and Rachel finishes it," Kate began hesitantly. "The dorm has become a bit of a war zone and we've barely even started. They were both here last year, so obviously there's some bad blood between them."

So much for the theory that everyone would have grown up beyond drama. "Thanks for the warning."

"One good thing, it keeps Victoria preoccupied. She has less time to pick on other people with Rachel to deal with," Kate mentioned, sounding almost sad for the trade-off.

When we reached the dorm building, we climbed the stairs and made our way down the hallway. As we proceeded, Kate gave me an overview of the people living here. Some of them seemed nice from what she described, others indifferent. It was all pretty overwhelming for now. At least I knew one person who seemed genuinely friendly. After exchanging numbers and goodbyes, Kate and I parted ways. I had mostly unpacked all my possessions so I decided to get ahead on my work, reading through the notes I had missed.

Not long after I started, there was a knock on my door. Realizing that I should at least try to be social, I got up and answered. Big mistake. Stood there was Victoria, her scowl seemingly permanent. It was too late to shut the door now she had seen me.

"Uh… hey." I managed, feeling nervous and awkward already.

Victoria drew herself to her fullest height, towering over me. "Max Caulfield, I came here to introduce myself personally and let you know how things are run around here."

"Okay…"

"Did I say you could speak? I don't think so." Not wanting to piss her off more, I kept my mouth shut. "Now, if you don't want any trouble you had best watch your step. We wouldn't want any… accidents happening because you overstepped the boundaries, would we?"

Unsure of whether that was supposed to be a rhetorical question, I just shook my head to play it safe. Before she had the chance to continue, another voice entered the fray. "Already trying to terrorize the new girl? Give her a break, Vicky." Curious to see who the other person was, I peeked around Victoria to see the girl from before Kate was telling me about, Rachel.

"I told you not to call me that," Victoria hissed menacingly, her attention solely focused on the confident blonde and not me.

Rachel shrugged, looking bored. "Eh, you say a lot of things. You don't really expect me to listen to them all, do you?"

That answer did not go down well, Victoria giving each of us one last glare before skulking back to her room. "I don't have time to spend with losers like you."

"Jeez, she seems especially pissed today. Bet she didn't like Mark even looking at someone else. Experience backs that guess up." After muttering to herself, Rachel turned back to me with a grin. "Anyway, enough about her. I'm Rachel Amber, a pleasure to meet you, Max."

"Same."

Giving me a thorough once over, Rachel finally spoke again. "I've heard a lot of things about you already, you know. Blackwell does breed gossip. Wanted to check how much of it was actually true."

"I don't think I even want to know what's been said." God only knew what people had been saying about me. The accident had definitely put me in a position of attention, one I really didn't want to be in.

"Nothing all that bad, I assure you." Something shifted in her hazel eyes then, a similar glint to the one she'd had in the classroom. "I'm glad you're as cute as they said, though."

Not knowing how to react to that, I stumbled over my words. "Uh… ha… um… th-thanks, I guess."

Smiling, she thankfully changed the subject. "So, I hear you used to live here."

Now starting to understand the extent of the information people already knew about me, I answered her question. "I did, yeah. A long time ago now. Not much has changed."

"Except maybe it's become more of a shithole than before?" she suggested.

"I wouldn't say it like that, but…" there wasn't really a better word for it, or if there was I couldn't think of it now, "...yeah. Have you ever lived here? Aside from now, of course."

"Nope, although I have spent a lot of time here over the years. I knew someone who lived close by, so I know the area pretty well." It sounded like there might be a story behind that, but I didn't press for now… as tempting as it was. From the way she said that, it probably wasn't a particularly happy memory. Maybe bittersweet was a better word for it. "Anyway, I look forward to getting to know you better, Max. I'm in 224 if you want to come say hi. My door's always open for you."

"Thanks, uh, same goes for you."

Exchanging numbers like I had with Kate, Rachel gave me one last charming smile before returning to her own room. Gone as quickly as she had arrived. After the weird exchange, starting off with a threatening lecture and ending in a friendly chat, I went back in my room. Blackwell was already turning out to be an adventure and it was only my first day here. I'd already caught the attention of two popular characters here, Victoria and Rachel. As far as Victoria went, she was pretty clear cut. She obviously saw herself as the Queen Bee here and was ready to demonstrate why… or put down anyone who said otherwise. She was definitely one to avoid at all costs.

I wasn't so sure of what to make of Rachel. She seemed nice and all, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her than met the eye. There was something mysterious about her, the kind of mystery you wanted to dig into even if it brought trouble. All I could think of was the way she had looked at me. Very intense and curious. A predator eyeing up its prey, considering which angle was best to strike from and when. What could she possibly want from someone like me? Nothing, as far as I could tell. I was pretty average in every way. Maybe I had misinterpreted things. Not the first time. Rachel had gone out of her way to come and greet me and all I could do was put her down as a threat. Still… I couldn't shake the feeling she was up to something. For now, I would reserve judgment.

Sighing, I sat at my desk again and started reading through the notes. Before I could really get into it, my phone went off with a message. I glanced over to see what it said, slightly surprised when I saw who it was from.

Rachel: I forgot, let me know if Icky Vicky bothers you again

Rachel: I'm pretty good at fending her off

Rachel: Today was nothing. You haven't even seen my best moves yet ;)

Not sure how to interpret that last message, I replied with a neutral-ish response.

Max: Thanks, Rachel. I appreciate the offer. I would say the same, but… I suck with confrontation

Rachel: No worries. Leave her to me

Rachel: I'm sure you're good at other things

Rachel: Can't wait to find out what

Again, I didn't know why, but that last message threw me. Maybe it was because of her comment earlier about me being, uh, 'cute'. Now I was starting to see everything as flirting. Jeez, get it together. Reading social cues 101 with Max Caulfield… Rolling my shoulders, trying to forget about the whole incident, I went back to reading. Unfortunately, I didn't take in even a single word I read, my mind too distracted. Way to start my first day.

Poor Max has been thrown in at the deep end, huh? Everyone wants a piece of her. Not the same piece, either. Have a great day and see you next time.