"I wish you could have met her...wish you guys had met each other."
"We will, with all this stuff going on, i'm starting to think everything is related…"
Somewhere in Chloe's mind, she recalled a long time ago. A long time ago. When she'd been on the hunt for Rachel with Max. When they thought that somehow they'd find her. And the three of them would be best friends for life. Like it would really be that simple. They had found her, but not in away that allowed that to ever happen. Not in that life. Now, Rachel was here, and Max was missing. But Max had never been here. Hadn't just vanished, like Rachel. In a way, Chloe still felt an immense sense of role reversal. What was she doing saving Kate, hopefully busting Jefferson? What was Rachel doing here, helping her look for Max? Though that search had been...a dead end. Not in the same way the search for Rachel had been, though. Maybe not a dead end, but a sudden left turn. Now there was this girl who wasn't here before. Who looked exactly like Max...with some minor differences. This girl could clearly take a picture, if she was granted a scholarship to Blackwell, though she didn't seem all that interested in it, not like Max's obsession with the hobby. The hair was longer. But the face...the face was the same. The voice was the same. The eyes were the same. The mannerisms. The timidness. The major details, down to Seattle. She was just missing all of the minor ones. Though, Chloe supposed, amnesia could do that to somebody. But Chloe knew that wasn't all there was to it. There had never been a Maxine Caulfield here. Was this the universe's way of telling her to fuck off? One too many deviations from the grand plan? Though, what grand plan was there, really? Chloe had died. Been dead for a long time. Rachel much, much longer. And here they were again. Living out the week that changed everything, only this time, there didn't seem to be a chance of total destruction if the plan was deviated from. Instead, they'd have to live with the changes. Chloe and Rachel, anyway. Gail was...something else. Or was she, was she really? Chloe didn't know. She really, really didn't know. She just knew that Rachel was here, someone very much like Max, but not Max, was here, and she'd never felt more alone. Maybe this was the punishment for deviation from the plan.
"Chloe...where the hell are we going?", Rachel asked from across the cab. There had been awkward silence since they'd left. Chloe had been somewhere else totally. Lost in her own thoughts. Just staring ahead at the road. Gail was quiet, looking at the messy cab and stealing glances at Chloe, every so often. Rachel saw it, but didn't say anything.
"Huh...oh, the last place anyone would think to go", Chloe said, pushing her thoughts away.
"That...totally answers my question, thank you", Rachel's tone was curt.
"We're going to see dad, Rachel", Chloe said, passively.
"Oh. Well, yeah you were right, last place anyone would think to go" Rachel replied, gently, but Chloe glared at her.
There was a strange tension between these two, Gail had noticed. She got the feeling they were extremely close, but they seemed to disagree on every point, and there was something else...
"...dad? But, David...your father is in Arcadia?", Gail asked timidly.
"You could say that", Chloe said, lighting a cigarette.
Chloe didn't make this trip often. Never had. Not even before all this. In her old life. It wasn't something she liked thinking about. Even after her life had gotten better, before. Plus, she couldn't ever escape the feeling that she belonged here. The ride had very much been the awkward silence it had been, until Gail realized where they were. Rachel already knew. She had nothing to say about it, one way or the other. A different kind of silence fell over Gail.
After Chloe parked, she exited the truck, slamming the door harder than she probably meant to, and started walking, without looking back to see if Rachel and Gail were following her, towards the gates of Arcadia Bay Cemetery.
"Rachel...her father is...?", Gail asked as they exited the truck and slowly walked after Chloe, some distance between them.
"Car accident, ...five years ago."
...but, one day the older girl lost someone very close to her.
"I had...no idea...why would she come here, of all places?"
"Well, for one, she's right. If this somehow goes wrong, which it won't...I hope, Jefferson, Prescotts...cops, not going to think of this right away. Though...I think she needs to do this for herself. She hasn't mentioned him since we've been back, which…"
"...what do you mean since 'we've been back'?"
"...nothing. She hasn't mentioned him in a long time."
"William", Gail said quietly, nothing more than whisper.
"...what?", Rachel raised an eyebrow suddenly.
"Huh?"
"Did you just say something?"
"No?", Gail genuinely didn't know she had.
"...alright."
They walked silently behind Chloe, letting her be alone if she needed to be. She still hadn't looked back. She led them through the cemetery, before stopping at a large headstone. She sat down on the ground in front of it.
Rachel put her arm out in front of Gail.
"Let's...let her have her space."
"...alright."
Rachel walked in a different direction with Gail, though this place gave her an odd feeling too. Like she should be here. Here here. They walked through cemetery slowly. The autumnal fallen leaves crunching underfoot. Gail wondered how Chloe had become friends with someone as seemingly normal and level headed as Rachel, though she noticed a star tattooed on the inside of Rachel's left wrist. Not quite as extreme as Chloe's arm, but it was something. Then there was the clothing, the makeup, Rachel obviously prided herself on her appearance, whereas Chloe rolled out of bed and grabbed whatever was closest, still Chloe is...so pretty, though Rachel was wearing a different flannel shirt than she had been yesterday over a t-shirt for some band Gail had never heard of, she had a feeling that was Chloe's influence.
"Rachel, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Gail", kind, Rachel's voice was kind, when she wasn't annoyed, which seemed to be when Chloe wasn't with her at that moment.
"What's the story with you and Chloe, you guys seem really...different from each other."
"I've known her for a long time, Gail. There was a time when we weren't so different."
"How did you even meet?"
"Eh...how does anyone meet? Right place at the right time? Or the wrong time...but...no, we're very, very good friends. I met her at a really...bad time, in her life. And i've kind of...been with her, in a way, ever since. I know I seem bitchy towards her. I'm aware of it. I don't really know how to process all of this any better than she does."
"The Jefferson thing, or…"
"...life...I guess."
"There's more to it."
"There's always more to it."
"Is there…something between you two?"
"Like?"
"Like...are you...you know…", Gail could feel the tension between them, but wasn't sure if this was it or not.
Rachel understood.
"Not really. There was a time when I thought there might have been...then I met Frank and-"
"So...Chloe is, you know...like...gay?", Gail wasn't even sure why she wanted to know these things.
"Chloe is...Chloe."
"Is that what she's so sad about? You meeting someone else, or…"
"No. I don't think so, anyway", Rachel honestly wasn't sure if that factored into it or not, here. She sensed the hostility towards Frank, and some resentment towards herself, she knew Chloe loved her, but wasn't sure how deep it ran, after everything.
"It's about her other friend, right? Max…"
"...how much did she tell you about Max?"
"Not much...at all. I just...she said I reminded her of her, and...she told me this crazy story…"
"...what...story?"
"Something about two girls...best friends...one ended up with superpowers...or something...and she had to choose between saving her friend or saving...everyone."
"That's all she told you?"
"Yeah...is there...more?"
"I don't know."
"So you've heard it, too?"
"...you could say that."
"Hm."
They walked on in silence for a little bit. It was beautiful, if macabre, here. Gail thought she could get some nice pictures here, sometime. She actually did enjoy photography, even if she had no recollection of how she'd gotten "good", or at least what led to her being told she was good. It gave her an odd feeling, kind of like Chloe's room had. Almost familiar comfort, somehow. Chloe herself gave her a bit of that, too, for some reason.
"Can I ask you something else, Rachel?"
"Of course."
"Who is Max, really?"
"Max is...someone that Chloe needs. Always needed."
"Where is she?"
"...missing...in a way."
"Is she...like...her father?"
"No...nothing like that...she's just...missing."
"Is this thing about Mr. Jefferson and Nathan Prescott like...related?"
"In a way...I guess, it is. But directly, no."
"So why haven't you gone to like...the police...or something, if she's missing? What about her family?"
"Remember when I said it was extremely, extremely complicated?"
"...yes."
"Well, it is."
"She...actually exists...right, Rachel? ...She's not like...in Chloe's head?"
Rachel stopped and turned to face Gail, they were about exactly the same size, so their eyes met easily.
"No, Gail. She is very, very real."
"with all this stuff going on, i'm starting to think everything is related…"
"Ray, you've got to listen to me. I'm telling you. I can prove Mark Jefferson is-", David tried, again.
"Mr. Madsen. We've been over this. You cannot keep trying to tell me our most prestigious teacher is some kind of deranged killer", Wells said, his head in his hand on his desk.
"I never said that. But he knows something. About Kate Marsh. And about the other missing girls."
"How can you possibly know that, David? Are you spying on everyone? Who is the lunatic here, if that's the case? You keep pushing, and pushing. You are the best security we've ever had here, but you are not in a war anymore. I understand, I do. But you need to leave your paranoia home. Otherwise…", Well looked up at David, there was a threat there.
"Ray...how many...how many will have to go missing or end up like Marsh, before you listen to me?"
"What about Nathan Prescott, David? Care to explain why your step-daughter and Rachel Amber, who was a star student before she dropped out and never showed her face here again, were seen leaving the bathroom right before he was found barely conscious with multiple fractures? And why am I hearing rumors from students that Gail Roberts, a gifted student in her own right, with a serious mental condition, is hanging out with your step-daughter. Is that why she isn't here today? She was seen with her last night, at the diner, from what I hear. I've given that girl so much leeway because of her issues...adjusting. But i'm sure your step-daughter is a wonderful influence. Do you want to see her file, again?"
"Leave Chloe out of this, Ray. I'm sure Roberts isn't here today because of what happened with Marsh. Which could have been avoided, if you'd listened to me in the past. And what students do on their own time is none of your business. Unless, it's securing a weapon, like Prescott. You know damn well…"
"What, what do I know, David?"
"I know he had a gun, Ray. Anyone else would already be expelled, probably in jail, and you're sitting there defending him. I don't know what Chloe and Rachel were doing here, but is it really important? A gun, Ray. He could have seriously hurt anyone here. And I know...how he is. You're just scared of losing his family's money."
"Keep going, David, give me a reason to suspend you."
David finally set a folder down on Ray Wells' desk.
"What is this?"
"Your precious cash cow...i'm sorry, star student, is mixed up with Jefferson, in whatever sick fucking thing he's doing, that you refuse to acknowledge. Here's your fucking proof."
Wells took the folder and put in in a drawer in his desk.
"Take a break, David. A long break."
"Fine, i'll leave you to drink alone in here in peace, but this isn't over. I'm going right to the police from here. Enjoy it while you can, because you'll be burning with them."
"David-"
"No, Ray. I'm done. You hired me to protect these students, and that is exactly what i'm trying to do. The problem is you. I didn't want you to be mixed up in this. For yourself, and for Blackwell, but if this is how you are going to be..."
"Fine, David. I'll entertain this, but this better be good, or you're finished."
Wells took the folder back out and set it on his desk, looking at David before he opened it.
"Just read it, Ray."
Wells read through the first paper in the folder, then the second, then the third.
"...my Lord."
"Is that enough proof, for you?"
"It's proof enough that you've been spying on students and faculty."
"Are you serious?"
"None of this is provable, David. This is...insane. That's it. You're done. This is beyond illegal. You're suspended until further notice...don't hold your breath."
"Fuck you, Ray. I know where the last piece is, that will prove everything in there. And if you're not with me here, you're against me, and you're against Blackwell."
"Leave my office, David."
David turned to leave, he put his hand on the doorknob, then turned back to Wells.
"You'll burn with them", he said quietly, then left the office.
When Wells was sure David was gone, he opened the folder again.
After Chloe had said whatever she needed to, or maybe had just sat there, thinking. She caught up with them. They walked around and talked for a bit. Like...friends. Something Gail wasn't used to. But there was a weight, an anxiety to everything. Eventually that made their way back to the parking lot and sat at the truck. Gail and Rachel on either side of the truck bed, facing each other. Chloe had climbed onto the roof and was lying there, staring up at the sky, smoking a cigarette. It had been a few hours, now. Gail was getting hungry. Rachel looked more bored than anyone Gail had ever seen.
Rachel sighed.
"You going to share those, if you're really doing this again, Chloe?"
"Rachel Amber, I thought you quit...and after everything...I dunno, man…"
"After everything, Chloe, ….just give me a fucking cigarette."
Chloe tossed the pack to her without really looking, it landed in the bed of the truck.
"Nice shot, champ", Rachel said, bending down to retrieve the pack.
"Next one will be aimed at your head."
"Uh huh", Rachel said as she lit her own cigarette.
"Guys are we...like...safe? I mean...even I know the Prescotts have a lot of power here. And Jefferson...what if David can't prove it or..", Gail was more worried than Chloe was. About that.
"David can prove it. It's more a question of where to go from there", Chloe said, sadly.
"What do you mean…"
"I have a lot of things to figure out. We both do."
"Yeah. We actually kind of do", Rachel added.
"But...you guys aren't like...leaving, right?" Gail asked, she found that she didn't want these two...her...friends, to go anywhere…especially Chloe...
"Not in the foreseeable future, unfortunately", Chloe replied, quietly.
"You want to leave?"
"I want a lot of things. Well, one thing, actually. And I don't think i'm going to find it by leaving."
"Max?", Gail asked.
Chloe sighed in response.
*bzzzt *bzzzt*, Gail's phone buzzed in her pocket.
Kate: I just wanted to say thank you, Gail. Without you and Chloe I...just, thank you
Gail: Kate...you don't have to thank me. Ever. I don't know you very well but I want to.
Kate: No, thank you. If you and Chloe hadn't been there...I just...thank you, again
Gail: Are you alright now?
Kate: I'm in the hospital for a few days...but doing much better...still sad..but...maybe you could come see me?
Gail: I will. And i'll try to get Chloe to
Kate: I didn't even know you two were friends
Gail: Kinda a recent thing
Kate: Well, be careful. She's kinda...off. But...she saved my life, so...and I do like her, she's just a lot to handle
Gail: i'm seeing this
Kate: Well, I have to go. Thank you again. Come see me
Gail: I will
Rachel and Chloe were talking about something, but Gail totally missed what.
"Hey...Chloe...Kate just texted me...thanked me...and you too...she wants us to come see her, when we get a chance."
"I want to. But…"
"But?"
"Risky", Rachel said.
"With Nathan there...hella cops probably...I dunno", Chloe added.
"Well..hopefully this will be over soon...I mean, we can't stay here forever...i'm already hungry, and a cemetery...at night?"
"Shit. Yeah. Probably should have gotten food somewhere..but...hey, here is the safest place, unless you're scared of ghosts...", Chloe said, her own phone rang, "What the-", she said, answering it. She slid down the front of the truck to the ground.
"Hello...this is...I….what…..how? No way. Fuck. FUCK. NO I WILL NOT CALM DOWN. FUCKING HELL. WELL, IS HE GOING TO BE ALRIGHT? WHERE IS HE…...I...I...see….alright..."
"Chloe, what was that about?", Rachel asked.
"Fucking David. He's in the hospital", Chloe said, starting to cry. Rachel was horrified that this was going to break her completely.
"...what?"
"HE'S UNCONSCIOUS, IN THE HOSPITAL, WITH A BULLET OR TWO IN HIS CHEST."
"Oh my God", Gail muttered.
"Holy shit...what happened, Chloe?".
"I don't know. Exactly. He fucking took two. In his car. Someone pulled up along side him, best they can guess. He was heading out of town...towards-"
"The barn...the Dark Room", Rachel finished.
"Yes", she muttered.
"How. How would anyone have known...we didn't…"
The mistake they had made dawned on Chloe.
If David was asking questions...poking around...and then...FUCK.
"We fucking left Nathan alive. We ran before we could take his fucking phone. Like fucking dumbasses. I'm sure he fucking knew David was my-"
"...shit."
"We're fucking next...we're…"
"Don't say that, Chloe...we just have to change plans again", Rachel tried, though she was now obviously scared too.
"ANOTHER PLAN? HOW COULD I HAVE POSSIBLY FUCKED THIS UP ANY WORSE? ANY OF IT? MAX IS FUCKING GONE, KATE'S IN THE HOSPITAL AND NOW DAVID IS TOO, FOR SOMETHING MUCH WORSE-"
"Chloe, please...we can do this...we've been through so fucking much already...we can figure this out-"
Gail hadn't said anything, she just started crying again and sank down into the bed of the truck.
"Fuck it. We're going there."
"Where?"
"The hospital, to make sure David is not going to fucking d-", Chloe couldn't finish this, "...and then we're going to the Dark Room, getting what the fuck we need, getting David's files and doing this ourselves."
"Chloe...we can't just-"
Chloe pulled a revolver from under her jacket.
"I'm not. Scared. Of him."
"Fucking hell, Chloe…"
"Oh...my God...Chloe, why do you have that...I-" Gail finally spoke.
"We're going. Or i'm going. If you're not coming with me, then don't. If you are, let's fucking go."
"Do I have a choice?", Rachel asked.
"Yes, you do. I'm giving you the option to walk away clean, right now."
"And leave you to do this alone? Chloe...I can't do that to you. Plus, we both beat Nathan's ass. We're in this fucking mess together."
"Alright...Gail...we're going to drop you back at my place. You're not coming with us for-"
"No...I'm coming...don't leave me alone...not with all of this...mess...I-" she sobbed.
Chloe actually slowed down for a moment, she tucked the gun away again.
"Gail...come here", she said, gently, holding her arms open.
Gail slowly made her way out of the truck bed and into Chloe's arms. Chloe held her tightly.
"What did I tell you this morning?"
"That you...wouldn't let anyone...hurt me.."
"Yes. And I won't. I fucking swear."
"What if...I mean he knew David was...your step-father...what if he knows where you live, too?"
"Shit", Chloe muttered.
Joyce is safe, at the diner, she doesn't know about any of this anyway.
Gail whimpered, which caused Chloe to hold her even tighter.
"Gail...alright...because honestly unless you have a quick way out of Arcadia, I don't see a hella lot of options…"
"Don't...leave me alone, Chloe...it's like...a nightmare...but I can't wake up...like the visions...and...the 'other me'…and...the dreams...after the storm…"
Oh my fucking God….Max?
"Max...is that...you?"
"...what...no...Chloe how could you even...at a time like this...i'm not Max...do you only care about me because...I look like her?"
What the fuck….
"No, Gail...of course not...but did you hear...what you just…"
"Yes, Chloe...life is a fucking nightmare I can't...wake up from.."
"After that…"
"I didn't...say anything after...that."
Gail was latched onto Chloe even harder than Chloe had embraced her. She was horrified. Confused. And Chloe felt terrible. About it all.
"I...alright, Gail...just...if you're coming with us...we need to go...now…"
Chloe really, really didn't want to bring Gail. Put her in any kind of danger...and...that...what she just said, but she knew, due to her oversight, they were in this together now.
"Rachel", Chloe called, tossing her the keys, "Come on, Gail. It's gonna be alright. I promise."
She guided Gail to the door of the truck and sat her in the middle, she sat in next to her in the passenger's seat, never letting go.
"It's okay...shh...it's okay, this will all be over soon", Chloe whispered.
Rachel got in the driver's seat and looked over at Chloe. Chloe looked right back, despite her soothing words to Gail, her eyes said it all.
Let's fucking go.