Life is Strange: My Unusual Journey

Chapter 29 of my Life is Strange novelization, enjoy.

Reviews

Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, still a little creeped out by that section to be honest...
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

Polarized – Full Circle

When I awoke, I was soaked through, Chloe escorting me to the cliff the lighthouse was on. The tornado and it's resulting storm was still in full effect. Overwhelmed by everything that had just happened, what I had just experienced, I promptly collapsed to the ground, bringing Chloe down with me. We disentangled ourselves and I slowly began to get to my feet. As I did so, I heard Chloe calling out to me.

"Max? Max, can you hear me? Please say something."

"Chloe..." I muttered; sill disoriented. "I...I must've passed out, sorry."

Chloe let out a relieved laugh. "Oh thank God, Don't you ever do that again, okay?"

I knew Chloe was joking around, but I couldn't bring myself to react. I was too worked up by my sudden epiphany, the full horror of it.

"I swear..." I replied; still woozy. "But that nightmare was so real, so horrible..."

I trailed off, we were now both kneeling, watching the tornado, I watched it in horror, my eyes wide as I saw it, not that I knew the whole truth, it was an even more horrifying sight.

I couldn't deny anymore, I blurted out the truth. "This is my storm, I caused this...I caused all of this."

The full horror of all this was almost crushing, but there was no other way, admitting it left me nearly catatonic again, despair clawing at me as I realized I was now responsible, all the damage, all the death that would come, it was all my fault.

We were both now standing, I turned to Chloe.

Dismay fogged my voice as I spoke. "I changed fate and destiny so much that, I actually did alter the course of everything...And all I really created was just death and destruction..."

I was frantic, pacing, still clutching at my head now and then, everything was just too messed up. I slowly approached the edge of the cliff, shivering and nearly in tears. Just then however, Chloe grabbed my arm, turning me to face her.

She was glaring. "Fuck all of that, okay? You were given a power, you didn't ask for it...and you saved me."

I turned away, it still didn't feel right.

"Which had to happen, all of this did..." She said, before softening and saying sadly. "Except for what happened to Rachel."

I turned back to face her, she looked desperate, fearful even. "But without your power, we wouldn't have found her!"

I bowed my head and she sighed.

"Okay, so you're not the goddamn Time Master, but you're Maxine Caulfield...and you're amazing."

I sighed, I wished that were so, but it wasn't so easy. I turned away, walking a little closer to the edge, looking at the tornado, feeling the cold bite of the wind and rain, the shame and fear I felt only compounded.

I heard Chloe sigh and knew she finally realized what I was feeling, everything was just too crazy, but what could we do?

Finally, Chloe broke our silence.

"Max...This is the only way."

I turned and saw her handing me, or all things, the photo I took of the butterfly in the bathroom, back on Monday, the photo Chloe took as a symbol of our reunion.

"I feel like I took this shot a thousand years ago..." I muttered as I took it.

I stepped away and looked at it carefully, still trying to figure out what Chloe meant.

Then she explained it and my blood ran cold. "You could use that photo to change everything right back to when you took that picture."

I turned to her in stark horror.

She continued, her voice catching. "All that would take is for me to...to..."

She covered her face and I shook my head vehemently. "Fuck that, no, no way!"

"I know what you're gonna say Max, you've proved over and over again that you are a brilliant friend and I don't deserve that." Chloe burst out, stepping away from me. "I'm so selfish, not like my mom...look what she had to go through, to give up and live with...and she did..."

There as a pause before Chloe then added. "She deserves so much more than to be killed by a storm in a fucking diner...There are so many more people in Arcadia Bay who should live...way more than me."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, horror and grief waged war inside me, but hearing Chloe's words, I could help but realize what she meant, but was it really boiling down to this.

Had I done so much, changed so many things, only for it to come down to two practically impossible choices. Could I be selfless, or was I just as selfish as Chloe claimed she was, what was I going to do?

"Don't say that..." I said at last. "I won't trade you..."

She shook her head. "You're not trading me, maybe you've just been delaying my real destiny. Look at how many times I've almost died, or actually died, around you. Look at what's happened in Arcadia Bay ever since you first saved me."

I couldn't believe I was hearing this, shaking and dismayed.

Finally she turned to me and grasped my arms.

"I know I've been selfish. But for once I think I should accept my fate, our fate..." She said, her voice choking.

"Chloe..."

She shook her head. "Max, you finally came back to me this week and, you did nothing but show me your love and friendship. You made me smile and laugh like I haven't done in years. Wherever I end up after this, in whatever reality, all those moments between us were real, and they'll always be ours."

She paused and then added softly.

"No matter what you choose, I know you'll make the right decision."

But her words did not ease me, it was still so hard, no, impossible.

"Chloe, I can't make this choice. "I burst out, tears spilling from my eyes, utter dismay fogging my mind.

She grabbed me again and spoke quickly. "No Max, you're the only one who can."

We stood in silence for a long time, everything ran through my head, from this whole week, right down to this very conversation. It made everything clear, horribly clear.

"Chloe, I'm sorry." I said at last, hugging her.

She returned the hug. "It's alright Max, I know, you'll always remember this week, no matter what...You're my partner in time."

I stepped back and sighed sadly, Chloe turned away. I took one last look at the tornado and then, with a heavy heart, I focused on the photo and let me power do its work, one last time. I felt that familiar tug eventually and I was going back, back to where I started this whole crazy week off.

I was back in the bathroom, the butterfly photo fell from my old camera, landing on the floor. I sank to the floor myself, sitting with my back pressed against the final stall. I focused all my attention on the photo, waiting, waiting for it to happen.

The very thing that was supposed to happen but I prevented. I flinched as I heard the gunshot and that was when I just collapsed, my tears bust forth and I broke down.

It was over, Chloe was dead, now time was righting itself, I could feel it all around me, just as I heard the door burst open, the sounds of David arresting Nathan and breaking down in dismay upon finding Chloe's body.

My mind was too jumbled to process things properly, but I was dimly aware, some time later, of the police and such arriving, taking Nathan away, Chloe's body being taken and then I heard it and realized the noise I had been making.

"Max..."

I looked up and saw David standing there, he must have heard me crying.

"D-David, I...I..." I choked out.

He shook his head. "God, you, you were here?"

I nodded and he surprisingly helped me up, showing that softness I'd seen in the Dark Room.

"C'mon, you need to get outta here." He said at last, his own voice choked up.

I let out a sob but nodded and allowed David to guide me out of the bathroom, just behind Chloe's body and the arrested Nathan.

Just the opposite of when I was on the rooftop with Kate, my mind started to go into overdrive, I ended up taking everything in, too much.

Everybody gathered, their shock, horror, poor Victoria fainting and having to be caught by Taylor and Courtney. The looks of sheer horror on Warren and Kate's faces when they saw me too. That was when my sensory overload kicked in and I stopped remembering much else about that day.

What I did remember was scattered, throughout the week, the snow, the eclipse, the dead whales, the double moon, none of them happened. Jefferson was brought down when Nathan confessed to everything, the Dark Room was shut down and Rachel's body discovered.

Kate was finally left alone as the truth came out and was spared from ending up in that pit of depression; she did not attempt suicide and I made sure I was there to help her, despite my own grief and despair.

The Prescott's hold on Arcadia Bay was lost and they found themselves facing a series of lawsuits and Sean was backed into a corner. I wasn't sure how I managed it, but somehow, despite my own problems, I was able to correct many problems, without any rewind powers.

Reconciling Dana and Juliet, taking Victoria to visit Nathan and even showing support for Taylor about her mother, before long, things slowly began to change.

In the end, even thought I let out my grief every night, supported by Kate, I managed to hold on. Kate and Warren where my biggest supporters, I was reminded of my feelings for Warren again, but I felt too worked up to bring things up, now wasn't the time.

Finally, on Friday, with the day clear, no danger of a tornado, Chloe's funeral was held. The hardest part about all this, was seeing Joyce, she was so broken, David did his best to support her.

But to see Joyce, who was normally so strong, in such a terrible state, was heart-wrenching.

I stood by her, with Kate and Warren also present, so too was Dana and Victoria. We stood by the coffin, as the funeral commenced I spotted Frank standing in the distance, by the trees, Pompidou at his side. I nodded slowly to him.

I had sought him out and spoke to him, he had changed following Rachel's death, but in the end, I was able to get through to him and now he was cleaning up his act. Everything was just too much, but then, I saw something, something which gave me hope, a blue butterfly, it flew in and landed on the coffin briefly; I managed a soft smile, I knew what it was, a symbol.

Yes Chloe was dead, but she was by no means gone, so long as we held onto that everything would be alright.

Some time later I was back on the cliff by the lighthouse, looking at the setting sun. The funeral was over, the wake was still in progress, but I needed some time to myself before joining them again. I didn't come alone, Warren and my parents were here too, they were waiting down the path, I had asked them to let me come up here by myself.

I knew they were worried but I accepted that, I could understand why they'd think that and made sure I was easily visible. I let out a slow breath as I considered everything, I couldn't deny, Chloe's death was hard, we'd all face problems and have to deal with them, but we would overcome, I knew that, together we would make it.

"Chloe...Au revior..." I said softly.

After that I turned and made my way back, faced with my only option, to leave the past behind, to live in the present and look towards the future.

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.

Well, now we reach the end of Episode 5, it was one hell of a journey for me, typing all this up, but now we come to the...almost, end, I've secretly had an epilogue planned too, which I will post tomorrow, enjoy.