Disclaimer: Anything familiar to you, I don't own. This is a work of fanfiction for personal amusement, fulfillment and a bit of self-therapy. I make nothing from any of it.
Chapter Twenty-Four: Dionysus Rising
September 4th, 2011 2:34 PM
Chloe shifted the truck into park and glanced at the car in the spot beside her. Rachel, Max and their new friend were distracted by something funny. It gave Chloe a moment to calm down and try to shake off the awkwardness she had been feeling for a while. Okay, Price, you fucked up earlier but try to let it slide. Across the lot a couple of families were still moving students in. She watched, in particular, as Dana and her mother talked outside of a fairly nice looking minivan. The cheerleader was dressed surprisingly up for move in day, but Chloe had learned a long time ago not to question when Dana chose to go the extra mile in any aspect of her. There usually wasn't any greater meaning behind it, she just lived one or two steps further than most people.
As her feet hit the pavement the car beside her truck shut off and one by one its three occupants evacuated. Chloe looked once at the girl climbing out of the back seat, her purse hanging from her shoulder. They met eyes over the back of Chloe's pickup bed and she gestured Chloe over to the three of them. Getting a look at the girl's sketchbook had been an unanticipated delight. Her style was rather cartoony but it was bright and clearly the product of dedication and practice.
"Alright," Chloe said as she joined the others, "let's get somewhere before David shows up." Max looked up with an odd glimmer in her eyes but rather than psychoanalyze everything, Chloe chose to interpret it as simple concern and in response nudged the photographer with her shoulder. Surprisingly, Max's response was to wrap an arm around Chloe's and start to lead her away. Though, to be fair, Rachel and Kate took the lead first. Chloe couldn't quite hear what they were talking about but in that moment her earlier gaff was out of her mind and she just enjoyed the feeling of Max pressed close beside her as they walked through a still fairly crisp day. Note to self, find out what rooms they're in. You can't sneak into and out of dorm rooms when you don't know who's where, now can you?
She ignored the suspicion in Max's face at her sudden, unexplained grin. Instead, not letting Max disengage from her arm, Chloe stepped up the pace, pulling the brunette past the blondes in front of them. Max made a sudden, frankly adorable noise of surprise and hurried to keep up, converse slapping against the sidewalk leading to the dorms rather loudly. Rachel was jostled to one side as they passed, and her indignant look was met by Chloe with an extended tongue and little else. She was about to turn to Max to make some joke about ditching them and finding somewhere to make out when she felt the girl stop so suddenly as to nearly pull her to her knees.
"What the hell? What's wrong?" Chloe asked her. Rachel and Kate stumbled to a stop just behind her. On both Max's and Rachel's faces were matching looks of immediate and intense discomfort. Chloe turned back toward the long and squat brick walls of the Prescott Dormitories and swallowed involuntarily. Max's grip on her arm only tightened. Standing only seven or eight feet ahead of them, just at the bottom of the steps to the dormitories was a boy they had not seen in eight or nine months. "Son of a bitch," Chloe exclaimed, depsite herself. Some noise came in immediate response from deep in Max's throat but Chloe didn't have a name for it.
Nathan had actually somehow grown somewhere around an inch since he had stood on the stage as Egeus last November. Even at their distance she could make out scars running across the angles of the right side of his face. These were not the severe scars of a fire but the results of a skingraft. They stood out in detail on his face and it only seemed to worsen as it grew red around the sunglasses obscuring a fair amount of it. Whatever Nathan Prescott was doing standing outside of the dormitories in his pretentious business casual suit, it seemed to have slipped his mind at the sight of the lot of them. Chloe didn't remember when it happened but in one second she was staring, open-mouthed at him and in the next she was pushing Max physically and forcefully behind her.
The body that pressed against her shoulder in this next moment was Rachel's, stepping forward in one quick, long stride and leaving Max and a no doubt confused Kate behind them. Rachel was not scared or uncomfortable anymore. She was enraged. Chloe couldn't blame her. The moment stretched to seconds and Chloe was about to suggest they turn and immediately march in the opposite direction before the moment she had been dreading happened. He reached up and, shoulders rising and falling with breath that was coming too quickly, removed his sunglasses.
Chloe wasn't sure what she was expecting but judging by hints Rachel had given it was not to look into two ostensibly perfectly fine eyes blue eyes. Max said something under her breath that Chloe would just assume came out to 'what the fuck'. His face still red, Nathan seemed like he wanted to lock eyes with someone and it sure as hell wasn't her. Chloe glanced between Rachel and the Prescott heir, her stomach tightening. That nameless, enigmatic, ambiguous feeling of hurt settled into it. Somewhere a ways off, Chloe could swear she heard rapid, loud clicking of some sort. The boy's right fist clenched hard enough to shatter the expensive lenses in his hands and then, cursing, he turned and walked through the door to the dormitory as if nothing had happened.
Whatever Baby Prescott wanted to say, it seemed like he was content to wait for another day, but Chloe did not start walking again. It was better he had time to get into his room and not potentially be waiting on them. A hand rose to rest on the back of her neck, softly cupping it. It was enough to finally draw Chloe's attention away from the door. Suddenly aware of her protesting lungs, Chloe exhaled a breath she had not meant to hold. Beside her, Rachel's attention had also been grabbed by Max and the two of them turned toward the photographers behind them.
"So," Kate started from a step just behind Max. She had one arm reaching across the front of her, grasping at the strap of her purse. "What was that about?" The girl looked suddenly serious, if somewhat disturbed. Chloe thought that made sense. Even with Nathan inside, now, she thought the tension in the air could be cut with not so much a knife as a sufficiently strong gust of wind. Rachel's hand brushed briefly against Max's cheek and then reached past her to rest on Kate's shoulder for a second. The girl did not flinch or even think anything of it, which only further cemented Chloe's feeling that Kate was getting comfortable around the three of them.
"Kate, that was a very, very bad person who had something really bad happen to him." Chloe nodded in support of this assessment before the thespian added, "And the three of us are a little pissed he's back." Pissed is an understatement. I want to take back that time I stood up for him to Drew. I want to punch him in his stupid, psycho richboy face. "No matter what, Kate, I want you to promise me something." The girl did not speak so Rachel continued quickly. "Never, ever under any circumstances be alone with him and never leave an open drink around him."
"I'll make a note of that," Kate promised. Rachel relaxed, pulled her hand back. Chloe watched the tension ease in Rachel's face, her eyebrows rise slightly, her lips smooth out of a sneer. None of that did anything to erase the hunger in her eyes that Chloe thought had nothing to do with food, even if they hadn't just had lunch. Max remained quiet, but Rachel seemed to be unconvinced by the calm look on her face. For a moment, the brunette looked down at Rachel's offered hand and Chloe thought she must have been in space: she looked worried about taking it. Eventually, with Rachel leading Max and Chloe deciding to hang back with Kate, they hurried inside.
Once Kate was safely in her room only a little the wiser as to what kind of animal she had just had a close encounter with, Chloe turned to the two and demanded their room numbers so they could get out of the hallway and talk openly about what they just saw. She was confused as to how he seemed, beyond the scarring, relatively fine beneath the sunglasses. Max was, it turned out, housed in 219 directly across the hallway from Victoria. Rachel was only just a ways off in 218 but Max's room was closer to Kate's. Max took the lead but Rachel seemed unwilling to release her hand, so she followed close behind. Chloe wanted to think that she understood what they were feeling but the truth was that this was something they shared together, however unpleasant it was. Chloe had been nowhere to be found when Max was in trouble and that was something she still kicked herself for. And it all comes down to not just fucking talking to Rachel. Perhaps this thought was responsible for some of her frustrations about not being able to understand Max's mental and emotional difficulties.
Max's dorm room looked much the same as her last one: same cheap rug down the middle of the room, same thick quilt on the bed and a fresh, fluffy looking pillow in a dark pillowcase waiting, beckoning. Against the brick facade of one wall sat her small computer desk and a bookshelf. One of the windows on that wall was propped open. A black futon rested against the wall opposite of her bed beside a floor lamp. Generally things were still a little hectic, Max had clearly not finished unpacking. Maybe they would get that done for her and take a little stress off her hands, but that was not where Chloe's thoughts were at the moment. The photographer sat her bag down just beside her door and made for the bed, sinking down onto it with Rachel practically sitting in her lap. Chloe dropped into the computer chair at the desk and spun it around, scooting it closer to the edge of the bed. The long, loud breath Max exhaled seemed to be something of a starting gun.
"I can't believe they saved his eye," Chloe admitted, her confusion in her voice as she turned to Rachel. From what little Rachel had let on that seemed unlikely.
"Me either," Rachel replied. Then, in a careful, metered voice she said, "I promise you, I saw what happened with that shard of the lamp and that eye… there's no way they could have saved it."
"They didn't," Max said, voice quiet. "They absolutely didn't." Chloe prompted her to continue and, finally being released from Rachel's grasp, Max pulled awkwardly at the neck of her shirt and continued. "Most of my digging has been pretty shallow and legal." The darker blue of Max's eyes met Chloe's own. "Most, but not all of it." For a moment Max reached into her pocket. Rachel seemed to grow still beside her and Chloe didn't quite understand the look of anxious anticipation on her face. Still, when Max pulled out a small, black thumb drive Chloe got interested.
The device sailed through the air and Chloe snatched it up without hesitation. It only took a second for Max's laptop to come on, having apparently been left in sleep mode when the photographer walked out of her dorm that morning. A password prompt waited ahead of her, cursor blinking in the box as Chloe found a USB port and slid the drive in. When Chloe turned back she expected Max to be rising to input the password herself but once she saw CHloe was paying attention, the girl absentmindedly ran her hand through her hair and recounted her password openly.
"E-L-O-R-E-N-Z. All caps," Max instructed. She looked grimfaced. Chloe wasn't sure what to make of that but if Max had indeed spent all summer digging into the Prescotts she was ready to see it. "I've got everything on that thumb drive already on my hard drive but I'll be making copies as I go. I have to figure out where to keep that thumb drive but for now I think it'd be best if it rotates between the three of us so no one can find it and take it from me." Chloe had some ideas about that, but this all sounded like Max had a bombshell or two to drop on them. Rachel seemed barely interested, she was more content just staying close to Max, face twisted into a kind of thoughtful concentration that Chloe wanted to ask several questions of. E. Lorenz, Chloe thought. That's a name. Why is that name familiar?
The homescreen loaded up and Chloe's stomach flipped a little at the sight of Max's desktop background: the photo taken of their entire gaming group during the last session of Steph's campaign. It took her a second to pull her eyes away from it and find the file that let her access Max's apparent stash of documents on the Prescotts. The files propagated themselves in front of her: pictures, .pdfs, about five videos and several documents, some of them HTML as if Max had saved a webpage or two.
"They didn't save his right eye. It's gone, so whatever that was it was some kind of prosthetic," Max declared. Chloe wasn't sure she wanted to know how Max was so sure of that.
"They can sometimes connect the muscles of an eye to a prosthetic and teach a person to turn it as if it were their actual. If they did that, it's not a shock that the Prescotts would spring for one that looked as real as possible," Chloe responded, eager to keep the conversation going. "Expensive as all hell, but he's been out long enough to heal up, have a prosthetic crafted and installed. Besides, they're definitely loaded." Max did not immediately continued so Chloe began to scan through the filenames. Most of them were gibberish but in the previews of photos she could see, it was clear that Max had been saving any photo of Sean Prescott that the internet had to offer. "You've been busy as fuck this summer, what all's here?" It was better to ask than just stumble blindly. Max had shown her this thumb drive for a reason.
"News articles, literally every public arrest record for the Prescott clan and everything I can find out online about their 'business empire.' And I don't understand a quarter of it." Max sounded tired, despite the early hour. If she had been engaged in this all summer, Chloe wouldn't blame her for feeling exhausted evendescribing it. "That's all the shit I think I can get legally."
"And the stuff you can get illegally?" Rachel spoke up suddenly, her reverie set aside.
"It's going to require time, being really careful and skill, depending on what it is," Max replied, but her voice grew stronger suddenly, as if she was ready to get down to business. "Some of those skills I have in spades."
"What do you mean by that?" Chloe asked.
"I mean being a nosy bitch," Max answered. "There are a few people I think are working with or for the Prescotts and I have questions about them. Probably where I'm going to start."
"Who and why?" Rachel immediately queried, sounding as if she were in.
"Can't say why yet, exactly," Max started. Chloe cut across her.
"A good PI never reveals her confidential informants," Chloe advised Rachel, knowingly.
"As for who," Max led in, turning large, sorrowful eyes on Chloe. "I'm sorry, but can I get a ride back to your house after school tomorrow?" Chloe raised an eyebrow at Max but she knew it wasn't her Max was implying to be in league with the Prescotts and unless they were going into the mom-and-pop diner business, it wasn't likely to be her mother.
"Well I'm going too," Rachel declared. Chloe gestured Max onward with one hand.
"I think David's wrapped up with them." Even Chloe scoffed at that idea. There wasn't a lot she would put past David or anything, but he was just an aggressive nobody, save for his friends in the police department. Still, she cracked her knuckles and nodded.
"Deal, but first you'll have to sign up for the play," Chloe left the laptop and the cache of files behind her, hoping that springing it on Max like this might get either compliance or more of an explanation as to her unusual behavior the last time they brought it up. Instead she elicited a pained groan.
"No," Max said, and then immediately repeated it when Chloe attempted to pout at her. "Look, it's not like I don't want to," she continued, her voice rising slightly. Chloe sat back in her chair. "It's just… he'll probably be there." Add that to the list of shit I should've thought of and didn't, Chloe told herself immediately. It's a long, long list. Feeling shamed, especially by the way Max's shoulders sagged, Chloe closed her eyes. "I don't want to be anywhere close to him."
"I get it," Rachel said. "I've had the same thought but I don't want to… let him win." The last three words passed quietly from her mouth, as if she too were embarrassed and ashamed. "I'm sorry, I didn't think about it when we pushed you earlier. This is your choice and I more than get it." If David is working for the Prescotts, I'm going to make his life a living hell from now until the end of time. The more Chloe thought about it as she shut her mouth and let the two of them talk about this thing she had not experienced, the more it made sense. When you have a sick twisted little hellspawn at school, who better to pay off to keep him out of trouble than the head of security, if not the principal. Wells is in on it, too. No fucking doubt. Wells had gone to bat too many times for Nathan Prescott. "It's just… you know he's going to probably be in your photography class, too." Max shifted uncomfortably on the bed but nodded. Rachel reached halfway out in response and then stopped, as if unsure what Max wanted.
"I just don't think I can do the play. Class will be bad enough."
"I'm sorry I didn't think about that," Chloe told Max earnestly, when there seemed to be a pause in conversation. She moved closer as Max tried to shake her head against the apology. "It's not okay, I should've thought about it, alright?" The brunette looked up and matched her eyes, finally nodding when Chloe took her hand. It was about this point that she realized that despite the cool air outside and the propped open window, the room was growing warm. Way too warm. They released hands and as pushed back toward the desk her eyes met Rachel's. The ragefire shone clear from behind her irises. I have never wanted to be a Prescott less than I do right now.
Before Chloe could turn back to the desk, recognition lit up Max's face, or maybe simply realization that the reason her face was reddening and a thin sheen of sweat was upon it was that the girl on the bed beside her was getting… fired up. Note to self, never let them hear that one. They are punhaters. Pun judice. I'd bepun ished. That realization turned to surprise and quite all at once Max turned and threw her arms around Rachel's shoulders, pulling herself in tight. Devoid of context the action would have been cute instead of a little heartbreaking. Chloe let the two hold each other and turned to quietly review the files on the screen in front of her. She was beginning to get bored and feel as if she would go cross-eyed before she even finished reading her first news report about a new Prescott aquisition. How the fuck has Max dealt with this shit?
In the photo section a series of pictures labeled KP-1 to KP-13 jumped out. She decided to open one at random. It was a screenshot of an email from someone named Kristine Prescott to an e-mail address that Chloe did not recognize. EWindF had delivered Kristine Prescott some news which she apparently did not care for.
Re:Re:Your Brother Needs Help
To: EWindF
From: Kristine Prescott
Listen, I get that my family throws its power around and my father does a lot of fucked up shit. I do not appreciate you taking any of that out on my little brother, though. It's not his fault that my father's a dickhead. Spreading lies about his mental health is not funny, it's not okay. I do not appreciate this. Whoever you are, it's time to stop contacting me. If you keep this up and I find out you're harassing my brother I will be a bigger dick than my father could ever dream of. If you think Nathan's bad, you haven't seen anything yet.
K.P.
Chloe held back the urge to whistle in some respect for the loyalty, but she now, at least, had an idea of what was going on. She started from the beginning and watched as EWindF - presumably Max herself- tried to engage with Kristine Prescott and ease her into the idea that her brother was 'dangerous and unhinged.' Shortly after the message Chloe had just read, Max must have decided to take the kid gloves off, as she warned Kristine that her brother's injuries weren't a random malfunction but a result of a struggle between himself and a girl who he drugged and photographed. He was sick and needed her help and while, Max had argued, it was not her responsibility, she thought she had to try. The remaining couple of emails were curt but less aggressive on both sides. The accusation had apparently carried enough weight with Kristine Prescott for her to promise to 'look into my brother's health, regardless of the other accusations.'
Max was clearly trying all angles to change what the Prescotts were up to, but Chloe personally thought that the medication Nathan needed the most involved a kick in the testicles. When she glanced back, Max and Rachel were lying the wrong way across the bed, still cuddling in some sort of quiet contemplation that Chloe wasn't sure she was in the mood to join. Her mind was running rather quickly. Chloe scrolled down the folder to the documents. The majority were .pdfs or .txts, but one, an .rtf stood out. Unlike all the others around it, it was not labeled with a series of numbers that were likely dates. It was a one-word title: Why? It was jarring enough that Chloe opened it and immediately suspected that neither she nor Rachel were ever supposed to see it.
Months ago on a rare quiet afternoon in early November, Chloe had caught a glimpse of Max writing something on her laptop. Whatever it was, Chloe had been unable to interpret it as anything but gibberish and when Max realized she was being watched the girl had closed it quickly. Chloe had been gifted with one quick glimpse of a folder full of documents titled in gibberish. On the screen before her now was a short document, the page half full with what looked like the same nonsense. While she had not seen Max writing in this gibberish ever again, the idea that she had possibly continued all this time was enough to reignite Chloe's curiosity about it.
It was surprisingly easy to open a browser, log into her own email account and send herself a copy of the file. Chloe was smart enough to cover her tracks thoroughly. She felt a little guilty when she had finished and turned back to find Max and Rachel both completely unaware of her invasion of privacy. Unfortunately, she was just about at the end of her rope with Max's behavior growing more and more disturbing by the second. If there was something here that she was keeping from them and if it even possibly related to the Prescotts or anything else going on with Max, she had to know what it was.
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