Author's Note: I thought I made it clear in the first chapter that there is no guarantee I would ever continue or complete this story. And I come back to 18 follows. Eugh. I suppose I should pleased that some actually enjoy my amateurish writing. Anyways here's the third chapter. I might do some polishing on it later as I feel there are some rough spots. I just can't detect them yet.

The silence was smothering. Max swallowed hard as her mind swirled about in frantic aimlessness trying to think up something to say. Chloe still hadn't said anything; the blue haired girl stared straight ahead casually guiding the pickup along the concrete road. Trees and an occasional house flashed by dreamily.

Alan was right, Max thought miserably. This would not have escalated to this point had she but the courage to contact her best friend earlier. No, instead she waited a month and a half. Great fucking job Max.

"After all these years you're still Max Caulfield."

Chloe's voice almost made her jump. It was like she remembered but it held an unnatural casualness in light of the situation. Chloe was trying but Max had sharper ears. Covered by her feigned disinterest, bitterness and anger was cleverly concealed. It only served to make her feel worse.

"Come on," Chloe gave her a slight nudge while her tone softened slightly; "at least pretend you're glad to see me."

Max turned to look at her friend. How she had changed in five years. The long golden haired girl of five years back was gone and in her place was a persona she barely recognized. Chloe had become a punk? Bright blue hair covered with a beanie, tattoos of all sorts covering her arms. A tattered jacket and beneath a white sleeveless shirt with the front decorated by a skull. But her face was still the same. A smile of remembrance broke forth as she unconsciously reached out to feel the blue locks that peeked out from under the beanie like shy children. Chloe had loved the outrageous hair colors of Manga characters, blue being her favorite.

"Uhh Max?"

Startled Max snapped from her reverie and realized her hand was gently cupping her friend's cheek. Chloe was alternating between glancing at the road and giving Max a puzzled, startled look. It was so cute.

Max withdrew in embarrassment. She couldn't help giving a bright smile as she looked at her friend again. Despite the tension, it was so good to see hear again after all these years.

"Chloe I am seriously glad to see you," her tone full of sincerity and happiness. Chloe must have noticed for her features relaxed.

"So what did Nathan want with you?" Chloe asked in a lighter voice as she turned back to the steering wheel.

"Hopefully nothing after today. Seriously Nathon Prescott is messed up."

"Tell me about it," Chloe muttered. "Your friend took him on nicely. Who is he?"

"Alan?" Max asked. "I don't really know… It's strange. I trust him.. he helped me a lot Chloe but I don't know anything about him. He's avoided talking about himself until today."

"Helped huh?" Chloe murmured with a frown. "That's great I guess."

Max turned a troubled face towards her friend. "Chloe what's wrong?"

"Max…" The blue haired girl was silent for a moment "How long have you been at Blackwell?"

Here it came. Max wanted to kick herself. If she just hadn't been so cowardly. It was too late now. 'Indeed' her mind cackled. With a beating heart she opened her mouth to give the answer.

"Around a month and a half."

"Figures."

"You don't think I'm happy to see you?"

"No," Chloe said her bitterness showing, "You were happy to wait five years without a call and now you've been at Blackwell more than a month without saying anything."

"I know and I feel terrible about it," Max acknowledged pleadingly. "I totally would have contacted you but I wanted to settle in first and not be such a shy geek." There she went again using the same excuses she had used earlier to delay her inevitable meeting with her childhood friend. And Chloe knew it.

"I bet you don't use these sad excuses on Jefferson. Don't use them on me Max."

Max fell back against her seat in dejected misery. This had spiraled far out from what she had imagined.

"That's why you came back isn't it? For Jefferson."

"Yeah-… I don't really know anymore. I was elated to know Jefferson was teaching at Blackwell but I guess Seattle sucked hard."

"I would think you'd fit right in with the art school hipsters."

"Please you look like the cover of Hipster Girl dot com," Max retorted with a spark of her normal spirit. It brought a slight smile to Chloe's face.

"At least you're still a smartass."

"That's why I'm here."

"Please girl, you came back for Mark Jefferson."

"I told you I don't know anymore. Sure it was great to hear Jefferson was teaching at Blackwell but…I guess there was something I missed."

"Sure couldn't have been me." The jab pierced her harshly.

'Chloe please stop' Max wanted to say but she clamped her lips firmly together. She deserved it.

Both girls settled into uncomfortable silence. Chloe put an arm on the window and leaned her head against it absently rubbing her beanie. Eventually Max bent forward to pick her camera from the floor. She had to do something; the silence was pricking her like sharp little pins. Her misery only mounted when she saw it had broken somehow.

"Are you cereal?" she said half despairingly.

"Wow haven't heard that one in a while."

"Not everything changes except my camera has officially taken a shit."

"My step-douche has a boatload of tools. Maybe you can fix it at my place…" Chloe left the not so subtle invitation hang.

"I need very specific tiny tools."

"Nerd alert! My stepdad has a fully stocked garage and he actually is a tiny tool. Welcome home Max," Chloe added after a moment. The words provided a modicum of comfort, lessening the tension as the two girls headed home.

The pickup pulled up in front of the house's garage and Chloe got out swinging the car door shut carelessly. "Come on in, don't be shy." She called.

Max took a moment to gaze at the house. It looked just the same. Memories of the moments she had experienced here came rushing in nearly overwhelming her with loneliness and nostalgia. She shook it off and said hesitantly, "The house still looks nice."

"Home shit home," Was the blue haired punk's response. Max followed Chloe up to her room, taking the opportunity to gaze at everything. Hardly anything had changed but she quickly reconsidered her opinion when Chloe led her into her bedroom.

Max literally froze in place as the scenery rammed into her eyes.

"My room looks a bit different than the last time you saw it." Chloe remarked striding in and settling onto the bed.

"And the understatement of the year award goes to one Chloe Price!" but outwardly Max said, "It's cool. At least we can chill out."

"This isn't exactly my "chill out zone" my step fuhrer made sure of that. Come in and close the door. Put some music on while I medicate."

Chloe even smokes now? Max wondered as she shut the door. Just how much have you changed? She looked about the room. It was the perfect representation of a pig pen with just no mud. Clothes were scattered all across the floor. The stereos and player were clumped together in one corner of the room. Boxes, open and empty, lay cluttered near them. Where do I even begin looking? Max wondered gazing at the disorder.

Her gaze landed on a luggage bag lying near an open cupboard. However she quickly recoiled as the smell dived into her nostrils. Max uttered a silent grunt of disgust. Reeks like really dirty laundry. Maybe the box above? It came crashing down shattering a small ice globe.

"Dude you broke my glass snow dome, thanks."

Max took a breath to steady herself and rewound time. The box sat perched at the edge just like before. She glanced at Chloe feeling strangely guilty and self-conscious. It still made her edgy to rewind time. Now to begin the search anew.

In her quest of turning Chloe's room upside down Max came across several things that brought back bittersweet memories of her time with her best friend. She almost felt like laughing aloud in bitterness at herself. At last she came across the music CD in a box that barely stuck out from under the bed. Nearly uttering a curse at the hidden object she knelt down to pull it out. But as she removed the CD with elation, a picture caught her eyes. She put the CD down to pick it up. It was of Rachel and Chloe together facing the camera. Max recognized the other girl instantly. How could she not? Blackwell was nearly overflowing with the girl's missing posters.

So Chloe's the one who printed out all those flyers, Max thought as she studied the photo with a twinge of jealousy. They looked to happy together. Suddenly the picture was snatched from her hands with a sharp, "Hey give me that!"

"Sorry. I wasn't trying to be nosey. Obviously she was a good friend…"

"That's putting it mildly." Chloe said heavily. The girl rested a hand against her head.

Max slowly moved to a take a seat beside her friend. "That's Rachel Amber… Her "Missing Person" posters are all over Blackwell."

"Yeah… I put them up. She was my angel. After my dad died and you moved, I felt abandoned. Rachel saved my life."

"Man… I had no idea."

"Well, you never much effort to find out. I was 14, we were best friends." That stung.

"So Rachel replaced me," Max said hoping her pain and bitterness didn't show, "I'm glad she was there for you."

"Rachel had my back. We were gonna kick the world's ass. You would laugh at how different we were… She wanted to be a star."

"She looks like a model."

"That was her plan. Our plan. Get the hell out of Bigfootville and into Los Angeles."

"So what happened? Did your folks, your mom, try to stop?" Max couldn't help but feel guilty pleasure at whatever misfortune disrupted the plan. Trying to imagine a life back in Arcadia without Chloe seemed so dismal and empty.

The punk scoffed. "My mom was too busy hooked up with Sergeant Shithead."

"I feel the love…" Max remarked sarcastically. "Now when did Rachel actually disappear?"

"Six months ago. She just left… Left Arcadia without a word… Without me."

"How do you know she disappeared? Maybe she just wanted to start a totally new life?" It was a poor attempt at comfort.

"Unlike you she would have told me, okay? Another sting. The blue haired girl was relentless. "Something happened to her."

"I believe you. I'm trying to get all deductive."

"Before Rachel left, she said she met somebody who changed her life… and then poof."

"And you haven't heard anything from her since?"

"Like everybody in my life. My dad, you, and Rachel… Gone… Can you put on some music now?

Max got up highly troubled but what else could she do. She opened the CD case and put in the disk before clicking the play button. A soft soothing guitar tune slowly sputtered into existence. For the atmosphere, Max found it rather gloomy. She looked back as Chloe spoke.

"Anyway… you can find tools to fix your camera in the garage…"

"Chloe, are you okay?" Max bit her lip at how stale it sounded. It would have been better to just leave.

"Sure, I'm awesome. I just want to blaze and be alone for a moment…"

Max gladly left the room. Outside she leaned against the door and brought one hand up to wipe her face. She felt drained, guilt-ridden, and crestfallen. Her best friend was full of resentment and enmity and most was directed towards her. How was she going to patch the road between them? Could it even be fixed anymore? Hand still pressed against her forehead Max walked unsteadily down the stairs.

She walked numbly through the house; past the kitchen and living room to the garage ignoring the familiar sights that called and beckoned for her attention. Alas a wide room full of drawers, cabinets, shelves and cupboards, proved too much for her ferret like instinct. Justifying the matter by having to search for the tools, Max curiously investigated every nook and cranny. A cold pit formed inside her stomach when she uncovered the credentials of Chloe's stepfather; it was none other than the Head of Security at Blackwell, David Madsen. It further amplified when she clumsily pulled down a folder of documents that fell onto the floor in a puddle of oil. The photographs inside were of several Blackwell students and the majority consisted of Kate Marsh.

Her mind flashed back to her encounter with Kate earlier. "What is this guy up to?" Max wondered worriedly. Why is he taking pictures of students? Fearing she would get caught, Max took a breath and rewound until the documents were back in their original position. Satisfied she turned her attention to the dishwasher. Aha! The packet of tools at the very top looked promising but how to get at it.

"You can always rewind time right Max Caulfield?" She said steeling herself for what she was about to do. Quickly flicking her dry lips Max reached for the stack of boxes on which the tools were and pulled sharply before darting aside. The boxes came crashing down with an almighty bang; spilling out their contents that clattered like an army of marching steel boots.

"Max?" That was Chloe's voice from above, faint but distinct. "Max what happened? Is-" Quickly seizing the tools that lay amidst the jumble of items, Max rewound until everything was as it was before. Her heart racing at what she just dared to accomplish, Max couldn't help giving a victorious smile. Feeling significantly bolder the photographer cast her eyes about for something she hadn't poked into. The poor remaining cupboard quickly fell victim to her prying fingers. Inside was a small TV monitor that strangely seemed active. Of course Max was unable to resist starting the device and she stared astonished as the screen flashed to reveal the living room.

"Chloe's stepdad actually installed camera's in the house? This guy has serious trust issues. Does Chloe even know?" Disturbed Max flicked through the cameras. Even Joyce's room was bugged but strangely not Chloe's. That was relieving. Putting away the information for later use, Max headed back up the stairs to Chloe's room where she stopped a moment before entering.

The blue haired punk was still lying on the bed, smoke curling up from her joint. "You found the tools? Sweet. You can sit at my desk and fix your camera." He tone was normal and it soothed Max's clenched nerves. Max removed her camera from her bag including her pictures and arrayed the on the desk. Her fingers hovered over the precision screwdrivers she had gotten so noisily before picking one that seemed right for the task.

The minutes ticked by peacefully. Focused on repairing her camera, Max was unable to give any thought to the situation of her best friend. Instead frustration was filling her and her camera quickly became a hapless torture victim screaming as the sharp screwdrivers pierced it. Alas imagination, though pleasant, cannot change reality. Max eventually fell back in her chair in hopelessness.

"I can't fix this thing!" She sighed loudly. Behind her Chloe had gotten up. The girl moved to stand by the desk.

"Are these your new photos?" Chloe asked craning her head at the pictures neatly lined up.

"Yeah. I just took them today."

"Let me see." Max ran a tired hand over her face and hair when Chloe's tone suddenly turned incredulous. "Wait… I've seen this before. No way! When did you take this?" The shot of the butterfly was flicked down.

"Uhh…" Max was given no time to answer before Chloe laid into her again.

"YOU took this photo, you brat! In the bathroom today… You set of the alarm! That's why Nathan raged after you… It totally makes sense." Chloe's voice turned into gentle wonder, "You hella saved my life. Now tell me the truth, Max."

Under Chloe's piercing gaze Max was forced to confess. Chloe would have seen through her immediately. "I was there… Hiding in the corner."

"Damn!" Chloe exclaimed with an excited smile, "you're a ninja!"

"A ninja would have cut Nathan's head off," Max retorted. "I just took a butterfly photo."

"That is so badass!"

"Oh yeah, I almost wet myself when I saw the gun." Max's tone was dry.

"So did you recognize me?"

"I wasn't sure…" It took Max some effort to say those words but Chloe was too elated at the revelation to take the opportunity for another prick.

"I know I look a lot different."

"You don't say," Max wanted to mutter but instead she said, "I was scared, too. I-I couldn't see straight."

"I don't blame you Max."

"Like you said, it's been that kind of day."

"So you must have overheard our conversation…"

"I heard something… I was too scared to focus."

"Max, there is no way you didn't hear every single vowel," Chloe said highly amused.

"Okay, I only heard something about money… drugs… but that's it."

Chloe's expression suddenly turned somber and her tone piercing. "Now for the big question: Did you tell anyone?"

"Absolutely!" Max exclaimed. "Nathan Prescott had a fucking gun on you."

"Gutless prick… That was scary. Who did you tell?"

"The principle but he didn't believe me."

"The principle? Are still 12? That drunk jackass only cares about cash for Blackwell Academy. Don't trust him."

"I didn't mention you at all. Swear."

"Thank God," Chloe sighed. "I'll tell you more someday, and I seriously owe you, Max."

The blue haired girl fidgeted slightly as she tried to decide something. Max watched as her friend turned and walked to an open cupboard near the music player where she reached in and withdrew another model of an instant film camera. Max recognized it instantly. Chloe's father, William, used it to snap shots of the two. Chloe gazed at the camera for a long moment before turning around in an awkward manner like it was her first time doing something.

"I, er, know it was your birthday last month… This was my real father's camera. I want you to have it."

"That's so cool you remembered my birthday. But I can't take this." Max protested accepting the device from Chloe's outstretched hand. She ran a hand over it lovingly before holding it back. Chloe was quick to grab her hands and press them gently over the camera.

"Of course you can. My dad would be pissed if I never used it. And now I know it will be used awesomely." As Max stood gazing delightedly at her present, Chloe reached for the desk and snatched the photo of the butterfly. "And I'll snag this picture as a symbol of our reunion. Cool?"

"Yes, of course it's cool! Thank you… This camera is so sweet."

"Now that we got that mushy shit out of the way, I feel like stage diving!" Chloe was back in her element. Enthusiastic and happy, she bounced to the stereo set and set a loud metal track to play.

"You're crazy," Max giggled as the music began blaring.

"Yep yep, I'm fucking insane in the brain! Let's dance! Shake that bony white ass!" Still swinging to the tune, Chloe snagged her joint from the ash tray before leaping onto the bed and fully submerging herself to the beat. "Or you can take my picture with your new camera."

Laughing Max readied her camera and snapped of a shot. "This song fucking rules! Can't dance, hippie? Come on! Rawk out, girl!" Bashful, Max's initial movements were slow and clumsy but under Chloe's encouragements they grew fluid and certain until a door slammed below and a man's voice bellowed out:

"Chloe, you up there?"

"Yo, turn it off, turn it off!" Chloe whispered urgently. Dreading the upcoming encounter, Max quickly jabbed the off button while Chloe dropped bristling down onto the bed.

"How many times have I told you to stop blasting that punk shit?" The voice continued.

"Dude, the music's not even on!" Chloe shouted back. "Asshole." She muttered after a moment of silence.

"I'm coming up, we need to talk."

Chloe violently tossed her head in a gesture of exasperation. "Oh no fucking way!" she cried out in a loud whisper. The girl quickly crushed the remains of her joint in the ashtray before hurrying to lock the door. "Max you need to hide. Now! My stepdad will kill me if he finds you here."

"Chloe, what's going on? Open this door, please."

"Chill, I'm changing, is that okay? Max! Find a place to hide NOW!" the girl hissed in a whisper.

"Chloe… What are you doing?"

Max frantically cast her eyes around the room. The bed? No! The closet! With some difficulty she slid it open only for a haphazardly placed lamppost to fall in knocking the shelves to the ground. Max cursed her clumsiness before realizing she could rewind. This time she moved the post before opening the closet. As soon as she was safely deposited inside, Chloe opened the door. It swung inwards forcefully as David Madsen brushed into the room.

"What's going in here?" The man looked about suspiciously as Chloe backed away and crossed her arms huffily.

"Jesus, I'm just trying on new clothes. You're so friggin' paranoid."

"Yeah, combat will do that to you."

Madsen slowly moved towards the desk while looking about for something amiss. "One of my guns is missing." He suddenly said sharply. His head jerked neatly to face Chloe. "Did you take it?"

"Oh Gawd, I didn't take your stupid gun. You do know I believe in gun control?"

"Wait, is that grass?" Madsen bent towards the desk his eyes fixed on the ashtray. He picked up the now cold cigarette. You've been toking up again in here!"

Chloe sprung up from the bed radiating fury. "Oh yeah," She cried out spreading her arms out in an emotional gesture. "Guns, weed. You are tripping balls."

"I am sick of your disrespect! Tell me the truth, that's an order! Whose is it?"

Unable to witness the confrontation and hoping to at least make up somewhat for having disregarded her friend, Max burst forth from the closet ready to take the blame.

"I'm sorry. That was my joint."

Madsen stared at her. "I felt something wasn't right here. Well, well. You do know how to get around, Max." Max swallowed at the hard emphasis on her name. "I don't like strangers in my home, especially dopers. So you're bringing drugs into my home. How about if I call the police? That would screw up your spotless Blackwell record. By the last part he was standing directly in front of her. Chloe moved to intervene but he lifted one hand in warning.

"I'm sick of you losers dragging Chloe down. Missy, you sure do like to pop up and start trouble. Like this afternoon." Unable to say anything in fear, Max took a step back. Madsen gave her a quick jab on the chest with his fingers. "You don't have anything smart to say now? Do you? Huh?"

By this time Chloe had had enough. "Get the hell away from her, man! Stop harassing my friends." She roughly grabbed her stepfather by the shoulder. He threw off her grip and stepped away in surprise.

"You don't have any friends."

"Like you know. You're not even a real cop. You're just a fucking security guard!"

This seemed to cut him. In a strangely broken voice he murmured. "I was a soldier, Chloe." Defeated he looked at the young photographer. "And Max, if I see you here again… you'll learn about real trouble." The door opened and swung shut and his footsteps receded deeper into the house. Chloe promptly flipped the bird with both hands.

"Because you're such a badass, Max… Let me show you my new toy." Chloe moved to her bed and bent down to retrieve something from underneath. There was a clicking of something metallic and as the teenage photographer craned her body in curiosity, Chloe suddenly sprung up and around much in the way Alan had done, startling her briefly.

With a strange, furtive expression, and both hands cupping something behind her back, the blue haired girl advanced, twisting her shoulders mysteriously. "I'm Price… Chloe Price! Bang!" and her arms sprung forth to point a revolver straight in Max's face.

Max quickly slapped her arms away. "Jesus!" She exclaimed in consternation. "Put that thing down."

"Chillax, sister. It's not even loaded… yet." Chloe said dismissively.

"I thought you believed in gun control."

"Yes, I believe I should control the gun. It's the men who need to be checked. You trust Nathan or David?" The gun was returned to its dark nest. "Thanks for taking the heat," Chloe said turning back to her. Her voice grew exulted as she continued. "We totally smacked his punk ass down, Max. He's no match for you and me now. That was an epic win." Max stifled a laugh at imaging the Blackwell security guard as a punk.

"Anyway. Let's sneak out this window… There is one cool place we can hang in this hickhole."

'Man that did not go well for me,' Max thought worried as she lingered at the window. Briefly the memory of how she and Chloe used to dare each other to climb down it surfaced. 'If I want to keep my Blackwell Scholarship, I shouldn't lie for anybody, not even Chloe.'

She raised the window and crawled through too occupied to notice a figure across the road jerk in surprise and hurriedly vanish up around the corner. She dropped to the ground. A thump from behind indicated Chloe's landing. The two girls climbed back into the pickup and were off to Chloe's secret destination. Max couldn't stop the nostalgic smile that spread when she saw where Chloe was heading. It was the lighthouse, one of the locations they used to play at as children. The forest leading up to it, the birds chirping in the trees, the squirrels peering at them with bright inquisitive eyes, it all came flooding back as she walked up the peaceful path. Chloe was in the lead playfully calling her to hurry up before moving on at her insistence.

But something felt wrong. As Max slowly walked up the path she realized what the feeling was pointing at. This was the exact same location she was at in her nightmare earlier during class. A burst of cold fear flooded her before dissolving in light of the serene surroundings. A pair of birds took flight.

"Birds are so lucky…" Max murmured in a dark heavy tone. "They can always escape."

At the top she found Chloe resting on the only bench facing the bay. It was beautiful. A lone boat was traversing the sea, leaving a white trail. To the left by the shore was Arcadia town. The setting sun illuminated the water's surface to a golden sheen.

Chloe's position stirred something in her memory. Max moved behind her and realized it was much like when she had taken the shot of Alan. The young photographer pulled out her camera again and focused it until her friend and the sun were in a view and then she pressed the capture button. It seemed Chloe didn't even notice. Max went to sit beside her friend.

"Sure you don't want to be alone" she asked with some concern.

"Take a seat Pete," Chloe replied lightheartedly.

"You're in a good mood." Max said rather cautiously. It seemed unusual after their encounter with Madsen.

"Seeing my step-dork get played makes me happy." Of course. Chloe would enjoy that.

"David is indeed a "step-douche."

"I'm sorry you had to experience it firsthand."

"You have to live with him. Has he always been this way?"

"Ever since my desperate mom dragged his ass to our home. I never trusted David."

"He freaked out on poor Kate Marsh today."

"I know her. She's cool. Only that prick would bully her."

"He has some weird agenda… I don't know what he has against the students. I saw his files in the garage. It's full of photos of them." Max eeped as Chloe turned to look at her.

"You're the sneaky little ferret, Max." The blue haired girl remarked smiling. "Rambo has a lot of secret files. Still thinks he's gathering enemy intelligence. He has a total surveillance fetish. Sometimes I worry there are spy cams in the house."

"I knew you didn't know!" Max declared. "Chloe, your house is under surveillance." The girl turned a confused face towards her.

"What are you talking about?"

"There are camera's all over the house. I saw it on a monitor in the garage."

Chloe's eyes flashed fire. "I knew it! He is so hella fucking paranoid. I'll keep this a secret for now."

"Sometimes ignorance is bliss."

"No wonder I'm so miserable. Everybody in this town knows everybody's secrets." After a moment's silence, Max asked the question that had been nagging her since the morning:

"So what's the secret between you and Nathan?"

"He's an elite asshole who sells bad shit cut with laxative. And he dosed me with some drug in his room."

"What?" Max turned sharply not quite trusting her ears. "Chloe did he…"

"No." Max sighed thankfully. "I met him in some shithole bar that didn't card me. He was dead wasted and kept flashing bills. I was an idiot. I thought he was so blazed it would be an easy score."

"You needed money that bad?" Max was astonished. Just how was Chloe living?

"Actually, yes. I owe big time. And I thought I'd have enough for me and-and… Rachel if she ever showed up."

"How much do you owe?"

"Three grand plus interest," Chloe continued uncaringly before the photographer could explode, "And before I could get a chunk out of that from Nathan... he dosed my drink with some shit."

"God Chloe, I can't believe this… I mean, I do. What happened next?"

"I know I passed out on the floor. I woke up and that perv was smiling and crawling towards me with a camera…"

"Go on…"

"Everything was a blur. I tried to kick him in the balls and broke a lamp. Nathan freaked so I managed to bum rush the door and get the hell out." The punk gave a short sigh. "Oh Max it was insane."

"That bastard!" Max snarled softly. The thought of how close her friend had come to being violated set every vein pulsing with rage. As she sat there seething, Chloe continued with the story:

"I figured I would make him pay me to keep quiet. So we met in the bathroom."

"And he brought a gun."

"That was Nathan's last mistake!" The punk swore vengefully.

"He's still dangerous, Chloe. Not just to you."

"Oh, good thing you notified the principle. I feel safer already."

"I might not be there to save you next time…"

"You were here today, Max. You saved me! I'm still tripping over that… seeing you after all these years feels like-"

"Destiny?"

Chloe made no answer and bent forward tiredly. Max placed a hand on her friend's back in a comforting fashion. The blue haired girl took no notice of the action and stood up to walk the few yards to the edge of the cliff. Max looked downcast but stood to join her and the two girls gazed out over the sunset lit bay.

"If this is destiny, I hope we can find Rachel. I miss her, Max." A long silence followed before Chloe broke it. "This shit-pit has taken away everyone I've ever loved… I'd like to drop a bomb onto Arcadia bay and turn it into fucking glass!"

Pain… slow, gradual, building pain, rising in an ever falling crescendo. Max stumbled back clutching her head as Chloe looked at her surprised. It felt like her head was splitting and then it vanished with a final burst that made her scream and lightning boomed above.

Max stared about her shocked and fear happily seized her in a tight embrace. This was her nightmare again. But how? How could this happen? Oh my God, Chloe! Is she still up there? I have to find out.

Why is this happening to me? Max felt like crying out. Holding up a hand to protect her face from the fierce wind and harsh rain, she struggled up the path. A large boulder came thundering towards her and she barely managed to leap aside. A tall tree up ahead cracked. Max's eyes widened and she charged forward desperately just before it fell blocking the path.

"Why why why?"

There was no answer. A lone spectral deer stood observing her. Then the creature turned and bounded up the last few meters to the lighthouse. Her heart turned to ice as she saw the massive tornado swirling in the bay with thunder flashing around it. It was heading right towards the town. Chloe was nowhere in sight. A boat flung from the tornado came whirling and smashed into the lighthouse. A heavy chunk of debris came crashing down before rolling and toppling over the cliff's edge. The deer stood by the lone bench and then suddenly vanished. Max hurried over. A newspaper caught on a stake caught her eye. She grabbed the fluttering paper.

"October 11th? Is this Friday? Oh my God… that's only 4 days away."

She dropped the paper and it whirled off to vanish into the tornado's yawning mass. As she stood staring utterly at loss, a hand was placed on her shoulder. She whirled about with a cry and everything was back to normal. She was still at the cliff's edge with Chloe gazing at her in concern. Max collapsed from the emotional strain and was caught by her friend.

"Chloe… you're here… Thank God. I'm back. Oh my Lord, this is real… it's real…"

"Max, what's going on? You totally blacked out on me." Chloe was completely flummoxed on what had just happened to her friend.

"I didn't black out!" Max cried out. "I had another vision. The town is going to get wiped out by a tornado."

Chloe stared blankly unsure of what to say. "Oregon gets about 5 tornadoes every 20 years. I think you zoned…"

"No, no, no, I saw it. I could actually feel the electricity in the air." Max grabbed her friend's arm in her babbled speech. Chloe leaned back frightened but then gently took the other arm.

"Come on, take a breath, okay?" she said soothingly.

"Chloe, I'm not crazy. But there's something else I have to tell you. Something hardcore."

"Talk to me Max…"

"I had this same vision earlier in class. When I came out of it, I discovered I could reverse time. Like I said: Not crazy."

"But… high right?" was the punk's response with a awkwardly raised brow.

"Listen to me," Max pleaded desperately. "How do you think I saved you in the bathroom?"

"By reversing time? Yeah sure."

"I saw you get shot, Chloe. Saw you actually die… I was able to go back and hit the fire alarm."

"Okay. I see you're a geek now with a great imagination but this isn't an anime or video game… people don't have those powers Max."

"I don't know what I have. But I have it and I'm scared shitless."

"You need to get high. It's been an insane hella fucking day…" Chloe was clearly disbelieving. Max violently shook her head in protest when something cold landed on her cheek. Uncertain she brushed it off and looked up. Snow was falling!

"What the hell is this?" Chloe exclaimed leaping up.

"Snowflakes…" Max murmured.

"It's like 80 degrees, how?"

"Climate change…" Max turned ominously towards the bay, "Or a storm is coming."

Chloe stared at her silently then the light of belief sparked in her eyes. "Max, start from the beginning. Tell me everything."

A figure stood watching the two girls from the safety of the trees. He peered up unsettled at the white flakes falling around. "So you're going to tell her. I hope I'm doing the right thing keeping silent…" he murmured greatly troubled as he looked again at the two girls.