Kate Marsh walked into the fancy hotel with her two best friends and one of her favorite teachers beside her. Her stomach full from a delicious vegetarian burger, she was looking forward to the wonderful girls' night that awaited them. Her phone buzzed multiple times, indicating that she was receiving text messages.
She reached into her purse and grabbed her phone out and started looking them over.
Kate Marsh – you don't know me but may have heard people talking about CC, but I know you. I know the only R-rated movie you've seen is Passion of the Christ. I know that you were drugged by Nathan Prescott and (1/5)
Photographed by Mark Jefferson. I know that if no one had intervened you planned to jump off the roof of your dormitory on Tuesday. I also know you told your aunt off and confessed to Victoria that you knew Max was (2/5)
Hiding something. Now I need you to read this carefully and to trust me. My name is Christine and what I'm about to tell you could mean the difference between life and death. You need to bow out of hanging with Max (3/5)
And Victoria for now. Come up with an excuse like you need to call your dad. At 11pm you will finally go to your room and Victoria will be there alone, crying. Comfort her! In that moment you're going to do for her what (4/5)
She did for you just a few days ago. If you do not follow these instructions Victoria will not make it to morning. Please Kate, trust me on this. –Christine (aka CC) (5/5)
Kate read over the messages and frowned. "Hey Max, Victoria, I need to give my dad a call. I'll join you two a little later."
Max and Victoria both looked at Kate almost suspiciously, but they smiled to her and nodded that they'd see her in a few minutes. Kate started to make her way to the little nook where the hotel would serve breakfast in the morning and she reread the next messages several times.
Kate decided that she'd try to respond, see if she could get any more information out of this mysterious person texting her.
Okay, so you obviously know a lot about me, but what's the harm in me being in the room?
Message Send Failure.
Figures. But seriously, how did this Christine know so much about me? I mean only Max or Victoria were there for specific moments. And only those two had any clue that something was going to happen. But neither of them seemed to know what was going on with me.
Kate felt confused about what to do, so she did the only thing she knew that she could do once she was confused by something, she decided to spend some time praying.
She lost track of how much time she spent praying, and although she didn't get the answers she was hoping for she felt much better about things. Feeling a little more calm about the situation she found herself in, she picked up her phone and actually called her dad—she had promised she would and even though it was now pretty late, he would understand and be glad to hear from her.
Kate's conversation with her father went rather well though it was short due to the time of night it was. When she hung up she just decided to sit back and wait, playing some games on her phone.
Finally it hit 10:50 and she knew that it was time to start heading up. She got in the elevator and headed up to the room, a quiet trip. She reached the room and looked down at her phone—it wasn't time yet so she waited. Kate put her ear to the door to try and hear anything but was unable to. When the phone read 11 pm she put the keycard in the door and entered.
The hotel room was dark save for the bathroom light and a single table lamp that was between the two beds. On the far bed Kate could see Victoria laying on her side, and it looked like Victoria was sobbing.
Her phone forgotten, Kate rushed over to Victoria. "What's wrong, what's happened?"
Even in the bad light of the room Kate could tell that Victoria was now dry crying, her tears already used up by the time Kate had arrived in the room. "Victoria, what's wrong?"
Victoria finally registered that Kate was in the room with her. "I'm a fucking idiot and a pathetic loser, that's what's wrong Kate."
A frown crossed Kate's face. "Victoria Maribeth Chase, that's a lie and you know it," Kate said, sounding perhaps more stern than she ever had before.
Victoria stopped crying for just a moment to laugh at that. "That was a great mom voice Kate," she said sardonically. The sobbing started back up again.
Kate leaned over Victoria, gently touching her arm. "What happened Victoria?"
Victoria let out several more sobs, refusing to answer the question or so it seemed. When Kate was about to ask again Victoria quietly said, "Max."
Looking around the room, Kate failed to understand what was going on. "Max? What about her, she's not here."
A louder cry escapes Victoria's mouth. "I know, that's the problem."
Alright, now I'm really confused. "Victoria, did something happen to Max? I'm confused about what's going on here."
Victoria finally sat up at that statement, looking some combination between heartbroken, sad, and angry. "She left me, she left me right after I…" she paused, not sure how she should say what was coming next.
Kate looked a little more worried now, "Victoria, what did you do?"
Victoria gulped and took a deep breath. "Kate, I'm in love with Max."
The Christian girl missed the meaning of what Victoria was saying at first. "Well yeah, we both love Max but…" then it hit her. "Oh. Ohhhhh." Kate just nodded and turned red. "I, I didn't know you were that way Victoria."
The sobbing blonde shook her head, "I never have been, I think it's about loving the person." She shrugged. "But she left."
Kate frowned a little more. "Okay, what exactly happened Victoria."
Another deep breath before she responded. "We had a little wine, and after a while I told her that I was in love with her."
A nod from Kate. "And how did she respond?"
Victoria started crying again. "She. She started yelling no a lot and ran out of the room."
Kate gasped upon hearing this. Maxine Caulfield, what in tarnation have you done?
"Why would she do that Kate? I thought we were supposed to be friends. If she didn't feel the same way she could have just said so. Just the way she did it…"
"Made you feel like she ripped out your heart and took it with her as she fled."
Victoria took a sharp breath and looked up. "Yeah."
Kate leaned in to hug Victoria.
"I never open myself like this, I never let anyone in too deep and the first time I really do…"
Kate shook her head and hugged Victoria tightly. "It's not your fault. I'm sure it's something to do with Max. Maybe, maybe she couldn't handle it on top of everything this week."
A sniffle from Victoria. "Maybe you're right." Victoria broke the hug and made a little rattling sound. Kate heard it instantly.
"Victoria, what do you have in your hand."
The tears must have replenished themselves as they started falling from Victoria's eyes again. She was shaky as she opened her right hand to reveal a handful of little round blue pills.
Kate's eyes went wide. "Victoria, you hand those over right now."
Victoria didn't hesitate as she dropped the pills into Kate's waiting hands.
"What the… what the fuck were you thinking Victoria?" Kate almost screamed at the sobbing blonde.
If there was one thing in the world at that moment that could sober Victoria Chase up, it was the idea that Kate Marsh, the sweetest, most innocent girl that Victoria had ever known just asked her 'what the fuck she was thinking'. Victoria was convinced that it was a word that Kate wouldn't even think about saying, and here she just used it.
Victoria looked even more ashamed now. "I wasn't Kate. I just know how easily you took your life, and if you with everything you have going on for you, and with how awesome of a person you are, if you could do it what chance did that leave for me?"
Kate struggled to parse the jumbled sentence fragments that Victoria had just said to her, but one thing stood out to her at that moment. "What do you mean how easily I took my life?"
Victoria's eyes bulged from her head and her hands came up to cover her mouth. "I meant how easy it was for you to think about it."
That's a lie. Kate's eyes narrowed at Victoria. "No, no you didn't Victoria. You implied that I died."
"Fuck," Victoria said quietly and sighed. She moved back on the bed to lay down against pillows. She suggested that Kate do the same.
Kate obliged, but only after flushing all of Victoria's Ambien down the toilet. Her doctor back home can write her a new prescription.
"I know why Max seems to have PTSD, and her screaming nightmares. Listen, this story isn't going to make much sense, and you're probably going to think I'm on drugs, but you have to trust me."
"I've been getting that a lot," Kate said almost absentmindedly.
"Hmm?"
Kate shook her head. "I'll explain later. You first."
Victoria spent the next little while recounting the tale of how she found the duplicate bracelet, and what she had read in the journal after confronting Max. She told of how in the timeline Max had experienced Kate jumped (hence how Max knew to warn Victoria). She told of the many deaths of Chloe Price and of the tornado, and then she told of the dark room.
Kate was shocked and horrified at various different points in the story, but that was to be expected given how crazy Max's journey had been. When she got to the end she reiterated, "See, such a wonderful light could get consumed by the darkness. How do us stupid people stand us chance?"
"Wow, Christine wasn't kidding about coming up here at the right time?"
Now it was Victoria's turn to look confused. "Christine?"
Kate nodded to Victoria. "Have you ever gotten messages from someone named CC?"
Victoria cocked her head to look at Kate a little more seriously. "Yeah. Texts from CC led me to finding out about Max's problems."
"I got a message from her tonight, telling me that I needed to hold off on coming back to the room until 11, that I would do for you what you did for me earlier this week."
A sigh escaped Victoria's lips. "Well, this CC person certainly knows their stuff."
Kate laughed and added, "She told me her name was Christine, and she told me a whole bunch of stuff about myself that only you, Max, or I knew, but not any of you two had all the same pieces of information."
Victoria was paying full attention now. "So we have a name to go with our mysterious messenger." Victoria went looking for her phone and scrolled through her Facebook contacts, but found no Christine's. She didn't expect to though, she'd already searched for people with the initials CC and hadn't found anyone at all that she knew.
Kate looked at her own phone. "Goodness, it's already one a.m. Do you think…" She was reluctant to finish the question.
Another deep breath before Victoria responded. "She's probably just in Ms. Grant's room. But just in case." She started typing on her phone.
Look, I get it if you don't like me that way, just please let me know you're safe.
After brushing her teeth and changing into something more appropriate for bed, and making sure that Victoria was all set herself, Kate started crawling into the second bed.
"Kate?"
"Yeah Victoria?"
"Can, can we sleep in the same bed? I don't want to be alone tonight."
Kate bounded out of her bed and into Victoria's. Before Victoria could even move Kate had nuzzled up against her.
"Hey, I don't play li…" Victoria laughed. When Kate started to inquire, Victoria just responded, "Never mind. Oh and Kate, thank you."
With Victoria playing little spoon to Kate, the pair fell asleep.
The next morning the girls awoke to a knock on the door. Victoria was in the easier position to pull herself up and out of bed to get to the door so she did so. When she opened the door she was surprised to see Ms. Grant at the door with four cups of coffee.
Victoria yawned and stretched. "For us, thanks!" She motioned Ms. Grant in.
Ms. Grant entered and shut the door behind her, causing Victoria to frown. Kate had started to wake up at this time to the smell of coffee. "That smells great. Is Max with you?"
Ms. Grant looked a little confused, "I thought she was staying with you last night."
Dread started to set in for both Victoria and Kate. Victoria spoke up and said, "She left, we thought she went and slept in your room."
A shake of the head from Ms. Grant changed the dread to terror. "No, I haven't seen her since we got back to the hotel. Are you saying that Max is gone?"
Victoria scrambled to get over to her phone, Kate did the same thing. Neither of them had received any text messages. They both scrambled, Kate texted Max.
Max? Where are you? We're worried.
Victoria tried calling Max, but the phone rang only once before going to voicemail. She hung up instead of leaving a message and looked over to Ms. Grant.
"Max left here about 10:45 last night. None of us have heard from her. She's missing."
With that declaration, Victoria started to cry again.