Max left the museum soon after. The conversation she had with Steph played itself on repeat in her mind.
Steph had let her go, saying that she still had to say her goodbyes. Max didn't feel the need to ask what that meant. Her usual need to be involved in other people's business had abandoned her at least for the moment.
In speaking of abandonment, she was left with a feeling of something being missing. A small, alien part of her being felt as though she had been left behind.
Max hopped on her bike and raced home through the incoming signs and smells of the thunderstorm threatening Seattle yet again. She wasn't zooming through the streets to avoid the weather, in fact, the atmosphere mattered little. Instead, she desperately needed to see something.
Max skidded to a stop near her house. She slammed on the brakes on her bike so hard, that the rear end of the machine tipped up, and spilled her out on her belly to the unforgiving asphalt below, that now was smattered with tears from the heavens.
"Max!"
Max glanced up, where her adopted sister and her girlfriend were advancing towards her, concern etched across both young women's faces. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Max shoved herself up on her feet. Fortunately, nothing was broken. Her only injuries seemed to be a few minor scraps, and the left elbow of her jacket had torn open.
"You're bleeding," Rachel observed.
"What's the fire?" Chloe asked.
"I said, 'I'm fine,'" Max gruffed.
Max didn't intend to be rude, and she internally cringed at herself for shoving aside their concern. She had more pressing matters on her hands to care about the pain she endured.
Chloe, however, wasn't used to being talked back to by her friend. In fact, neither girl was. Immediately, Chloe retorted, "Hold the fuck on, Max!"
Max hesitated for just a moment. She hadn't meant to be rude, and definitely not to piss her friends off, but she was in a hurry, and couldn't afford to slow down. She brushed past their worries and raced inside. The house was empty. Her mom was still at work, and her dad had left for his day, as well.
Max sped through the living room and down the hall to her room, with Chloe and Rachel hot on her heels. Chloe was cursing at her friend, while Rachel followed with a mix of irritation and curiosity.
Max burst into her bedroom and instinctively shut the door behind her. Chloe, who was hot on her trail, yelled a curse as the door hit her on the way to being shut.
"Sorry!" Max yelled. She scrambled her way to her desk beside her bed and turned on the lamp overhead.
"The hell is your problem?!?" Chloe demanded.
"Seriously, Max. That was hella fucked up," Rachel added. "What's so important?"
"This," Max pointed to the landscape she had drawn. The poster board resting on her desk was now under the scrutiny of three girls.
"What's so fucking important about a drawing?" Chloe demanded.
Rachel had calmed down, at least more so than her girlfriend. It was clear that curiosity had overcome her. "Yeah, Max. This is a strange thing to be so weird about."
Max shook her head. How could she describe what the poster board represented without sounding like she lost her marbles?
"I don't expect either of you to understand."
Rachel crossed her arms while Chloe groaned.
"You're being hella cryptic for nearly breaking my nose," Chloe accused.
"Calm down, Chloe," Rachel insisted. "This is apparently important to Max."
Max nodded. "Thanks, Rachel."
Max pointed to the landscape. It was a large elevated field, with a stream off to the west wide, and a small shrine to the east. The sun was setting in the horizon. The landscape wasn't colored, it was only in pencil, but the sketch was so beautiful that Chloe and Rachel couldn't deny that there was something alluring to it.
Chloe huffed. It seemed that she had calmed down enough. "Fine. But you still need to explain. You're acting completely insane."
Rachel leaned over the table. She inspected the landscape like she expected it to be the one to spill Max's secrets. "This sketch is so detailed. It's like you've been here before."
Max shook her head. "I haven't."
At least not in person… I think.
"It's just… something that I've been dreaming about for a while."
Rachel lifted her gaze. "How long is a while?"
Max shifted her feet. She tore her sight away long enough to head to her closet and pull out a different hoodie to replace her ripped one.
"Several weeks."
"Well, fuck," Chloe sat heavily on Max's bed. "That's a long time to dream about a random sunset."
"Still doesn't explain why you were racing so fast to look at this thing," Rachel added.
"Well, I was at the museum with Steph…"
"And how did that go?" Rachel was practically winking.
Max blushed. She couldn't help but think about the kiss they shared. But that wasn't important right now.
"That's not important."
At that comment, Rachel lifted an eyebrow. Chloe's head shot up at Max, probably thinking she had now lost her mind.
"You're sounding hella fucking strange, Max," Chloe stated matter-of-factly.
"I'm aware," Max sighed. "Look," she turned off the desk lamp and delicately folded the landscape to fit in her camera bag. "I have to find where this landscape is."
"Okay," Rachel unfurled her arms and reached out to touch Max's shoulders. "Now, you definitely sound crazy. How are you supposed to find this random landscape?"
"She could Google it!" Chloe chimed in.
Max glanced over at Chloe while simultaneously shrugging off Rachel's grip. "I've tried that. I feel like I know where this place is, but I can't put a name to it."
"What's so special about this place?" Chloe had finally fully calmed down. She laid flat on Max's bed and stared at the ceiling. "Sure, it seems very pretty from your drawing. But, it's not special."
"Maybe," Max replied with steel. "But I'm leaving to go back to the museum to see if they can give me some answers."
"We'll go with you!" Rachel volunteered. "We'll go to the museum, find where this place is, it'll be easy peasy."
"Hells yes!" Chloe jumped out of her sister's bed and mock saluted two girls. "Sergeant Chloe reporting for duty! We've got a mission on our hands!"
Rachel laughed while Max shuffled her feet. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to have some help? She could use the company.
"Alright," Max nodded. She grabbed her camera bag and shoved her camera, as well as the landscape into the pocket. She made a quick glance at her room to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything, and then she spotted the blue wristband she had been wearing for the past weeks. She had forgotten it while hurrying to the museum. She put it on, and she felt the anxious knot in her stomach loosen its grip.
"But this is serious… at least to me."
"We know, Max." Rachel smiled her million dollar smile. The kind that made Chloe fall for her, and even made Max feel a little loose in the knees. "But that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun for the three of us!"
"Enough chat," Chloe slung her arms over both girls shoulders. "Let's get moving!"
*
When they arrived at the museum, Max was distraught. She hadn't been gone long at all. She guessed that it has only been half an hour to 45 minutes since she was there.
When the trio of girls had arrived in the pouring spring rain, they were stopped at the door.
"C'mon, man!" Chloe gruffed. "My friend was just here! She left her phone! Let us inside!"
The large, Samoan security guard shook his head in front of the glass door. "If your friend was here earlier, she should have seen the sign."
The guard moved to his left. Sure enough, a bright white sign glared at them.
Museum Closed at Noon for Renovation.
Will re-open on Monday.
NO EXCEPTIONS.
"Please," Max implored. "I just need to go in, and come back out. I'll be quick! I promise."
The Samoan man softed slightly. "Sorry, kid. I would, but it would be my job, and I can't risk that. I can go find it for you, if you want?"
Max shook her head sadly, and the trio slowly descended down the steps. Chloe was still snarling at the guard, while Rachel seemed thoughtful in the rain.
"Sorry, Max," Rachel apologized.
"It's bullshit!" Chloe declared. "All he had to do was let us in for 5 measly fucking minutes. And he can't even do that!"
"Should we go back home?" Rachel asked Max.
Max bit her lip. A small part of her wanted to go back home, curl up under the covers and watch the rain in her window. That part of her didn't want to do anything else but wither away from existence.
But an overwhelming amount of her soul needed to figure this mystery out. Her mind's eye was focused completely on the landscape. She could see it in every window, and in every blank space. She subconsciously played with the band around her wrist as she thought.
"We find another way in," Max mumbled.
"Did I just hear what I think I just heard?" Rachel chuckled in disbelief.
"What?!" Chloe demanded. "What did she say?"
Rachel led them over to a nearby building with a canopy large enough to fit the trio of girls and shield them from the onslaught of moisture. "She said we should find another way inside."
"Absolutely, badass, Max!" Chloe beamed at her. "I always knew you'd turn into a superhero!"
Max laughed. "I don't think superheros usually break into places."
"They do if justice needs to be done!" Rachel interjected.
Max just shook her head in response. "So how do we get in?"
The trio of girls scanned the building, all the while avoiding the security guard and anyone else they thought came from the museum. They did find a few backdoors. Unfortunately for them, all of them seemed to be locked from the inside. Each time the girls debated on trying to pick the lock, but there were too many people around in the middle of the day, even with the weather.
They went through another alley, and that's when Rachel saw it. "Look, guys."
She pointed skyward, and the girls followed her pointing finger. Above them was a fire escape, and they could see an abandoned window cleaning unit that was wide open for the taking.
"You're joking," Max complained.
Rachel shrugged. "If you don't want to wait til Monday, or late until late at night to pick one of these locks, then that's our best shot."
"Besides, hippy, even you can make that jump. It's only the second floor. At worst you'll break an ankle!" Chloe added.
"Such a great thought," Max shook her head. "But fine, if that's our only option, let's do it."
"Yes, Max Attack!" Chloe exclaimed. "Rachel, boost me up. I'll make the first jump and let you know it's safe!"
That's just what they did. Rachel and Max knelt down and Chloe stepped a boot onto their conjoined hands. The two girls elevated Chloe high enough to grab the ladder. She messed with the ladder enough to lower it down enough for her two companions to follow her.
Chloe climbed high enough to reasonably jump across to the platform. Max watched with anxious eyes as Chloe made a running start, and leaping onto the platform.
"Fuck yes!" she exclaimed whilst flicking off the ground below her.
"You want everyone to hear us sneaking in?" Rachel smirked.
"I've got to give them a fighting chance!" Chloe shot back.
Max climbed the rest of the way behind Rachel, a small smile on her face. Meanwhile, Chloe had begun to work the lock on the window. Barely a minute later, Chloe started to slide the window up and she peaked her head in. After scoping the right and the left, Chloe declared the coast was indeed clear.
Rachel jumped after her girlfriend. Chloe had already slung herself inside, and Rachel had looked back at Max.
Max took a deep breath before leaping after the two girls. She made it across and sank to her knees. She felt herself breath rapidly several times before Rachel gently lifted her to her feet.
"You okay?" Rachel asked delicately.
Max nodded. She was finally able to reel in her hyperventilation after a few more heartbeats. "Yeah… but let's not do that again."
"What are you two waiting for!" Chloe said as she poked her head out of the window. "Let's go find this exhibit before someone comes up here!"
Max and Rachel nodded before they climbed in after. The trio of girls snuck their way down the hallway. They diverted their way leftwards down a different hallway once they heard voices down the right hand path.
It was clear that they weren't lying about the renovations. Caution tape was plastered over several exhibits they passed. They had to duck behind a set of statues when two overweight security guards shuffled past.
Max's heart was racing at a jackrabbit pace, but she wasn't regretting her decision just yet. She needed to see that exhibit again, and she was desperate for that image in her pocket to have some sort of pertinence.
In other words, she needed answers. Answers to questions that deep down in her soul she knew, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull the solutions out.
She was grateful for her friends. By now, she would have gone into a full blown panic attack and had gotten caught. But Chloe and Rachel were keeping her just enough grounded in reality and just calm enough to do what needed to be done.
Soon they were able to find a set of stairs that led down to the exhibit. Around two corners later, and past another security guard, they found what they were looking for.
Nostalgia stood in front of them. However, two security guards and a woman wearing a power suit were discussing something just in front of Nostalgia.
"Damn," Max sighed. "What are we going to do?"
With a gleam in both of their eyes, Chloe and Rachel mutually decided that they would take care of it.
Max agreed to wait in a safe spot while Rachel and Chloe followed through with their plan. The two girls ran off to hide behind an exhibit just out of the three strangers' eyesight. The two other girls had told Max to scamper to the window they had entered through once she was done doing what she needed done.
After a few heartbeats, Chloe and Rachel emerged. Rachel was leaning against Chloe as if she were mortally wounded. The two girls approached the trio of people in front of the exhibit Max needed, and, loudly Chloe declared that she needed help.
The two security guards and the lady immediately rushed over to Max's companions. Max knew that this was her chance.
She quietly maneuvered her way over to Nostalgia, and she scanned the exhibit for the photo she needed.
There! Her eyes had found the photo. She pulled the landscape out of her bag and held it up. It was a perfect match.
Max held her hand out to collect the Polaroid. Her hand shook as she gently peeled the photo off of the wall.
Nervously, glanced over at her friends. Rachel was pulling off a hell of a performance as an injured teen, and Chloe was doing an excellent job following her lead and adding to the illusion. But the trick would only last so long.
Max turned the photo in her hand over. She hoped she could find a location, or some other hint to lead her to her destination.
Unfortunately, the only thing on the back of the Polaroid was a number. Presumably, this number represented the order of origin on the exhibit, or even some strange sort of assortment.
"Fuck," she whispered. She took a quick glance at the other photos. A photo directly to the right was the image of a small town. The town caught her eye more than the other images, and some alien part of her knew she was on the right track. Maybe it was some strange form of Deja Vu, but Max knew that the landscape/photo in her hands, and the photo to the right shared a connection.
She heard shouting, and she knew the time her friends had bought was coming to an end. Reacting quickly, Max retrieved two nature images from the collage in her bag, and swapped them with the two photos of the exhibit.
A feeling of guilt washed over her, but she swallowed it down. She reasoned mentally that she was already trespassing. Swapping out the photos might be bad, but it couldn't be worse right?
Besides, she could always bring the photos back… eventually.
Max turned heel and walked as fast and as quietly as she could back to the stars. She heard Rachel suddenly proclaim that she was better and the two girls booked it to the side door on the opposite side of Max.
Max was forever grateful for them. The path to her exit point was completely clear thanks to her friend's distraction.
Moments later, Max had opened the window and had climbed out into the mid afternoon, muggy air. She leaned across like before to the fire escape, and then climbed down to the pavement below.
She sent a text to Chloe to let her know she was safe. She could only hope that her two friends had gotten away. She couldn't help but feel awful, thinking that the girls had gotten captured and were in major trouble for what they did.
But to her relief, seconds later, Chloe messaged back, saying that they would meet her soon in the alleyway.
Max sighed with relief. She slumped against the wall and sank to her butt with her knees pulled up to her chest. She took several moments to breathe, before texting Chloe to meet her at the house instead.
After another minute, Max found her bike and pedaled her way home. The rain had relented and she was able to mostly pleasantly ride her way through avenues and streets to make her way home. She managed to beat her friends back and slumped on the couch in the living room.
Max pulled the two photos out of her bag. She flipped the landscape over and sighed in disappointment. She was hoping that the adrenaline had made her miss a key detail, but alas, there was nothing to help her other than confirm what she already suspected.
Then she scanned the other photo. The photo was definitely a coastal town near the ocean. In the distance, she could see the edge of the landscape in her other hand. These were definitely connected.
She flipped the second photo around and groaned in frustration. The rain had gotten to the photo just enough to smudge the ink that was written on the photo.
There was more than just a number on the back of the Polaroid. There was written word, however, the rain had made the writing nearly illegible.
But, she was able to figure out one word… Oregon.
"Oregon?" she whispered.
"That was amazing!"
The door suddenly opened, and there emerged her two friends. Chloe was ebullient that they managed to get away with their deception, while Rachel was far more humble.
"Did you find what you were looking for, Max?"
"Yes and no," Max said wistfully.
Chloe furrowed an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"
"Well I took these photos." Max produced the landscape drawing from her bag and laid it on the table next to the photos she "borrowed" from the museum.
The two other girls noticed that the photo matches her drawing absolutely perfectly. In awe, Chloe said, "Max, this is absolutely amazing. You drew this after you saw the photo this morning?"
"No," Max shook her head. "I've been working on this for at least a week. Every night, I see this valley and this horizon in my dreams."
"And what's with this town photo?" Rachel interjected. "Is there a connection to it or something?"
"Look," Max pointed to the far upper left corner of the town photo. "You can just barely make out this stream that is in the other photo. I'm certain they match."
Chloe adjusted her beanie. "I don't know, Max. It seems kinda flimsy."
"Look," Max sighed before standing. "I want, no, I need to find where these photos took place."
"I know you've been seeing it in your dreams," Rachel began, "but what is so important about this place?"
"Does it matter?" Chloe intervened. "It sounds like the hippie wants to go on a road trip! And I am so down!"
"I wouldn't say no to a road trip," Rachel beamed. "But how do we know where to go?"
"Well, I was able to make out the note on this photo that says it's from Oregon. How many coastal towns are in Oregon? Besides, Steph said something about knowing a friend that used to live there," Max supplied.
"So let's go ask her then!" Chloe exclaimed
Max nodded. "Good idea. She said she was leaving today, so we better go now!"
*
Steph wasn't there.
Rachel told the other two girls where to go, and the trio zoomed their way to their friends'. On the way, Max informed them of her "date".
Chloe was upset, to say the least. Steph had only just been introduced to their trio, and she was skipping town. For Chloe, it felt like betrayal.
For Rachel, the girl felt wistful but understanding. She could see herself making the same choice Steph had. Mostly Rachel felt bad for Max, as she understood that Max and Steph had had a thing growing between the two.
Max informed them that she was not upset with Steph's decision. In fact, she was only looking forward to discovering Oregon's coastal towns.
After finding out that Steph wasn't home, Rachel mused that she was playing DND with Mikey. One last session before skipping town seemed like the exact thing Steph would do. Rachel also guessed that her phone would be on "do not disturb", and there wasn't much of a chance of reaching out to her.
Chloe then looked up a list of towns along the coast of Oregon. Unfortunately, none of the names really rang a bell, and she grunted in frustration.
The trio of girls returned home where they sank on the couch. "We should come up with a plan," Rachel said. "Should we wait til tomorrow and ask Steph what we're looking for?"
Max stood quickly. She was growing twitchy with all planning, deliberating, and setbacks. She needed to see some progress made. Even the illusion of progress would be helpful for her.
"Let's just go."
Rachel gave her a surprised look, while Chloe practically cheered.
"I love seeing that fire, Max Power!" Chloe rushed over to Max and grabbed her by her shoulders. "C'mon, Rachel! We've got a whole three day weekend! Let's take a road trip!"
Rachel smirked. "Alright. But what are we going to take going down Oregon? It's a pretty big state and we don't know exactly what we're looking for!"
"We can take the truck!" Chloe offered.
Rachel and Max shook their heads. "I don't have a death wish," Max countered.
"Your truck is great around town," Rachel said. "But I don't want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere with it. Especially if we don't know where we're going."
Chloe huffed. "Fine, so what do we do instead?"
Max glanced over at her dad's room. He'll be home soon and he was always willing to let her drive. "I know what we can do."
*
The girls took the opportunity to plan their route. They looked at towns along the coast of Oregon, but none of them jumped out to Max. Max racked her brain, trying to remember what was so important about the two photos and her landscape. She couldn't point to a logical reason for it, but she needed to uncover this place.
An hour later, the three girls were on the road. Chloe and Rachel were in high spirits. They sang along to the radio and Rachel charted their course to the Oregon-Washington border. Meanwhile, Max stared listlessly out the window. She journaled lackadaisically in her notebook as she anxiously waited for their journey to take its next step.
She wished she remembered more about her various dreams. It was like she a word that was on the tip of her tongue that she just couldn't force out.
After enough time, she checked her phone. No notifications other than her mom and dad asking her to stay safe, and a couple likes and shares on a photo she couldn't remember sharing on social media.
On a whim, she decided to check her notes app. To her surprise, she found she could see numerous notes that she didn't remember making.
They were all dated with titles like: "Stop Messing with My Love Life!" and "I May Have Spilled Paint on Victoria…" All of the titles looked interesting, to say the least. And they were all dated within the last two months. When she tried to click on the most recent note, suddenly it disappeared as if it never existed.
"Weird," Max muttered. Her voice was drowned out by the sound of the car's stereo and the sounds of her friend's voices.
She tapped on the second note, and that one disappeared. In a flash, the numerous notes were evaporating before her very eyes.
Max panicked. She tried to find some way to reverse the erasure, but it came to no avail.
"You doing alright, Max?"
Max's head snapped up to see the worried eyes of Rachel looking back at her from the passenger seat. Max had elected the back seat to avoid this very scenario.
"I'm fine," Max lied. "Just a little overwhelmed."
Chloe swerved to avoid something in the road. For a brief moment, Max wondered why they had let her drive. "Do we need to pull over somewhere?"
Max considered for a moment. "Yeah. So I can pee and we can ask someone if they know anything about this town. How close are we to the border?"
"According to Google," Rachel answered while checking her phone. "Like 15 minutes."
"Good," Max sighed. "Maybe we'll get lucky and the town is close to the border."
*
They did not get lucky. Rachel looked up the nearest gas station, which ran adjacent to a McDonald's. The girls stopped at the station. Chloe volunteered to pump some gas while Max and Rachel went inside to inquire about the town and order some food for the road.
No one inside that they talked to seemed interested. Or, if they were, they had no clue where the place was.
The duo went back to the car to find Chloe sitting with her feet on the dashboard. They told her the bad news, where the blue haired girl merely shrugged. "Figures. When do any of us ever get that lucky?"
"Let's stay on the highway," Max offered. "I'll keep an eye out to see if I can spot anything."
Chloe lit up a cigarette and gave a puff. "It would help if we knew what this shit hole was called. Have we tried looking it up?"
Max and Rachel shook their heads. "First thing I tried," Max answered. "I got nothing."
"Same here," Rachel answered. "Our only real chance is to see if we can find it, or at least ask around like we did before. Someone is bound to know where this place is."
With newfound vigor, the trio continued their journey through Oregon. Along the way, they made stops asking different people of different backgrounds where the landscape or the town was, but they could not come up with answers.
They even stopped at Portland. They asked around as much as they could before giving up with the Portland citizens. Rachel suggested that they try the library, only to find that it had closed an hour previously.
The sun was beginning to set. The girls discussed whether they should travel at night, but the decision was made to find a hotel and stay the night. Luckily, they were able to find a room despite the weekend and the girls attempted to relax.
While Chloe and Rachel were able to chill, Max was on edge. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was so close to what she was seeking.
When it came time to sleep, Chloe and Rachel excused themselves out to the balcony to smoke some weed. Max laid on the bed, simply staring at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and attempted to sleep, but she couldn't.
Her two companions reentered the room, smelling strongly of smoke. The two were giggly and very obviously high. They offered Max some, but she declined, stating that she wasn't in the mood.
Chloe mentioned that smoking would make her relax, but Max insisted. Rachel stepped in to let the matter drop, where Chloe simply shrugged and said that there was "more for her."
With that, Chloe and Rachel dug into the food that they had bought before checking in. Max ate a little, so they wouldn't worry, and soon after streaming a movie, her two friends fell asleep.
The room that they rented has two beds. Chloe and Rachel shared the bed next to her, while Max had the bed to herself. She was grateful that she had her own bed. She was worried that her restlessness would wake her friends.
But she glanced over at them lying together in the spoon position. Chloe acted as the big spoon over Rachel. Max curled up with her back to the bed's backboard and her pale legs pushed up to her chest. She grabbed her headphones and put on some music. Then, she wrapped her arms around her shins and held herself close.
She let the music fade into the background as she thought about her journey and what lay ahead, while avoiding feelings of envy of her two friends. What if she couldn't find what she was looking for? What was the deal with this town? It was like a magnet, pulling her along headfirst. And she couldn't help but feel she needed to discover where this place was, and why she couldn't find answers.
She grabbed her phone and sent a desperate message to Steph. The message showed that it was sent, and Max decided best to look once again at Google Maps.
Yet again, she was studying Oregon's coast. It was pointless, she knew it so, but she felt the need to at least try to make any sort of progress.
After an hour of surveying, she checked her message to Steph. It still said it was sent, and Max sighed in frustration.
She wasn't going anywhere right now. The only thing to do was sleep. If the girl could sleep.
She ripped the headphones out of her ears and laid her phone on the table beside her. She wrapped the covers over her cold legs and laid on her side, away from her friends.
Max only hoped she'd fall asleep soon.
*
The rush of the air. The grating noise of the train. Headed straight home from the Zeitgeist Gallery outside of Seattle. The feeling of metal under her fingers. A boy, taller than her with fair skin. His wavy hair flowing in the wind. His face contorted in urgency. Max felt herself reach out and catch the bright blue object spiraling through the air.
"My name is Warren!"
*
"Maaaaaxxxx, breakfast!!"
Max's eyes shot open as Chloe jumped onto the bed with a bag of food in her hands. Rachel smirked behind her, already opening her own bag of breakfast foods.
Max smiled and greeted her two friends warmly, her voice still thick from sleep.
She tried to hide her annoyance with Chloe for waking her up so abruptly, even if it was her MO. Max was trying to remember the details of her dream but it was fading away fast like a leaf in a hurricane.
She subconsciously played with the blue band around her wrist as Rachel grabbed her food out of the bag she carried. Soon, Max dug into the food, and she ate ravenously.
She didn't realize how hungry she was. Then again, she couldn't remember the last time she ate. She figured it would be a good idea to eat now considering how much ground they needed to cover today.
"Chloe and I took the chance to look at our route. We still couldn't find anything about the town while we were getting food, but at least we know where we're going next."
"We're going to find this place, Max," Chloe smirked while taking a rather large bite of pancake. "Just wait. We're gonna have hella fun doing it too."
*
They spent the whole day looking. They came across multiple towns along the coast, but none of them matched the copies that Max held. At each town, they asked the residents for information, but no one could give them any answers.
It came to a point that even Rachel and Chloe were getting frustrated. While the duo were having fun, the lack of leads and aimlessness was getting to the trio of girls.
"I'm so tired of the fucking ocean," Chloe declared out of the blue.
"I hate to say it, but I agree," Rachel replied quietly.
"Max, are you sure this is worth all this? Maybe we should head back."
Max stared out the window for the umpteenth time during their journey. She was beyond restless and frustrated, but she was past realizing how fruitless their adventure was.
But some part of her knew this town was out there, and she couldn't help but feel she was getting close. Even still, she didn't think she could convince her two friends to keep going. They had already sacrificed all this time for her.
They were close to the Oregon-California border, within a hundred miles they'd reach it. "Let's turn around at the border and head home. I can't believe we couldn't find anything."
Chloe huffed. "Me either. I'm starting to believe this shit hole never existed."
"It does exist," Max grumbled.
"How do you know, Max?" Rachel asked. She seemed curious, and not at all intending to offend. However, Max couldn't help but feel marginally heated. Maybe it was due to her frustration, but she felt her emotions bubbling over.
"I don't know, Rachel. But I just know. We're going to find it. If it's not near the border, we'll find it on the way back."
None of the girls spoke while they ended their forward progress at the border, and then headed back. The day was getting late, and the sun was going low, and the trio were unfortunately getting fatigued. Chloe merged off, and the girls slowly pulled off into a small town with a population of less than 500.
"We'll go to this diner," Chloe stated matter-of-factly. "The best food is at the smallest places. At least, that's what my mom always said."
At this point, neither Rachel nor Max would disagree. Their stomachs rumbled and they were just ready for a good meal and to find a place to sleep for the night.
The server greeted them and they sat to eat. Chloe and Rachel left to use the girls room, leaving Max to herself. Max sighed, just melancholy from the day's events.
On a whim, she pulled out the sketch. The landscape continued to haunt her, and she worried it may do so for the rest of her days.
"Oh, look at that!" The friendly, perhaps middle aged server stopped by her table to serve the girls' drinks. "Come here dear!"
The server brought over her husband who asked what she was so excited about. The server immediately pointed to Max's landscape laying on the table.
"Doesn't that look just like Arcadia Bay, Roger?"
Her husband, Max assumed, adjusted his round glasses that hung on his hook nose. "I think you're right, Frannie! It looks just like that river we swam in on our honeymoon!"
"Arcadia Bay?" Max asked eagerly. It seemed she might finally be getting her answers!
"You haven't been to Arcadia Bay?" the server asked, shocked. "But you drew the landscape by the river so well!"
"I… I saw a picture of it on Google, and I drew it. My friends and I have been trying to find Arcadia Bay but we can't seem to find the right directions for it."
"Well, you can't get there by the highway," Roger chimed in. "You need to go down the road north for about 25 minutes or so, and then take a side road to get to the town. It'll come up on your left."
At that moment, her two companions returned. "What's going on?" Rachel asked.
"They just told me how to get there!" Max proclaimed. "We should head there!"
Rachel looked at Chloe. "We'll go in the morning, Max. I'm tired and hungry."
"Ditto," Chloe agreed. "Sorry, Max Attack. But I'm hella exhausted."
Max frowned, but she didn't disagree. She wrote the name of the town and the directions on the bare side of the landscape, and the three girls ordered their food. Max didn't talk much at all as she digested the information with her food.
She sat quietly, but inside her soul was brimming with excitement and anxiety. She couldn't wait for the morning to finish their journey. Briefly she wondered why this Arcadia Bay was so secret that even Google couldn't find it, but she put the thought out of her mind.
Soon, the trio had paid and left generous tips for the server. Afterwards they found a motel to stay the night and her friends managed to sleep.
However, Max struggled to sleep. She fought the urge to take the car and venture out on her own to find Arcadia Bay, but she shooed the ridiculous impulse away. She should be patient, but she couldn't sleep.
She took her mind off of it by trying to read, to sketch and to journal, but all activities led back to Arcadia Bay and her restless thoughts.
Eventually the sun came up, and Max wasn't sure if she was actually able to sleep or not because she felt exhausted, yet at the same time, wired for anything.
She laid down to at least try once more to sleep, and then what seemed like moments later she was disturbed for her heavy sleep by Chloe, who mentioned that Rachel was still in the shower. Chloe's hair was still damp, and Max assumed she took a shower of her own.
Max quietly agreed that a shower was a good idea. And after a few more minutes, she was assigned the bathroom. She was instructed to wait a bit for the heat to return to the water, which was fine by her. She examined the bags under eyes and sighed.
A part of her really wanted to look cute. She felt like she needed to impress someone. She could picture a face. She could picture fair skin, messy brunette hair, and a boyish voice.
Max stripped off her clothes but she left the blue wristband around her left wrist. She had worn the damn thing every day for the last two years or so. She couldn't remember exactly how she got it, but the thought of taking it off seemed absurd to her, that she almost always left it on. In fact, she almost felt naked without it.
She stepped in the shower and embraced the warm water. It felt great to clear her thoughts and mentally prepare for what lay ahead.
What exactly was waiting for her at Arcadia Bay; she couldn't quite figure out. But she knew she was close to something important.
She closed her eyes for a moment while she let the water cascade down her face, then suddenly she saw herself. Well, it wasn't her, but she was standing in front of a mirror with a button up dress shirt and black pants. A fancy inscription was printed on the left breast and a name tag was visible on the other breast, but the name was blurry. She looked in the mirror and saw messy brunette hair and a boyish face.
She opened her eyes and she found she was sitting in the tub. The shower water was falling directly on the crown of her head.
Max couldn't remember sitting down, but she wasn't concerned with that. Like she was in a trance, she went through the motions of stopping the water and toweling off before throwing on what fresh clothes she brought with her on the trip.
She didn't bother to do anything with her hair, but she brushed her teeth and stepped out of the bathroom. Her two friends were eating and they passed along eggs, bacon and toast for her to munch on which she accepted gratefully.
Max closed her eyes again. She willed for something else to come along, but all she saw was the back of her eyelids. She pushed her disappointment to the back of her mind and quickly finished her meal.
Once she was done, Rachel declared that they were heading out. Max could tell they were eager to finish up and end this escapade, but Max didn't care.
Every step and every minute spent on the road to Arcadia Bay felt infinitely longer than ever before. Chloe and Rachel tried to break the tension by cracking wise and starting small talk, but Max wasn't in the mood.
Half an hour later, with the sun high in the sky, the girls took the side road mentioned by Roger and sped down to the town. They saw a sign that said Arcadia Bay 1 Mile, and Max and Rachel fought the urge to cheer for joy. Chloe wasn't able to control her impulse, however, and declared, "Fuck yes!"
Three quarters of a mile later, the car stopped dead in its tracks.
"What the hell?" Rachel said.