(Together Again)
Max and I time-traveled again after escaping from that photo. I was so dizzy when we emerged, and the rain and fierce winds soaked me completely.
Once the spinning in my head stopped, I noticed we were on a beach right in front of a tornado. Max was next to me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh Max… Thank god," I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around the girl I loved. She held me tightly in return.
At that moment, she was the only thing I could focus on. The fierce storm around us didn't matter at all. I thought I felt tears on my cheeks, but with the heavy rain, it was hard to tell. Max gazed into my eyes with her stunning blue gaze, and I noticed the freckles on her face that made my heart flutter.
I couldn't resist kissing her again, and she kissed me back. After a few moments, we pulled away and noticed Chloe turned away from us, staring at the storm. A rush of excitement filled me, and we hurried over to her. "Oh! Chloe!" Max and I exclaimed together as we rushed to give her a hug.
Chloe turned to us and said, "Looks like the real Max and Aiden are back! How was your trip through time, guys?" Max, with tears of joy, replied, "Shut up! You're alive! Oh, you're alive! All of us! We did so much to bring you back…" I added, "Wow, you're really here with us again," and pulled my cousin and Max into a big group hug.
After we let go of the hug, Chloe said, "It seems like fate wants us together. You guys traveled through so many universes to save me, and I really appreciate it. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave me behind after all the trouble I caused…"
"Chloe, you're my family, and I promise I'll never leave you again," I said to her. No matter the challenges we faced, she was still my cousin, and I loved her just like I did for my sister. I knew I could never walk away from her again.
"This week, we're the official drama king and queen of Arcadia Bay," Max said, her voice echoing with the rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning. "Look at the chaos our powers have created in just seven days." Chloe chimed in, "You're Max-fucking-Caulfield and Aiden Fucking Price, Time Warriors! No one could ask for a better friend and cousin. You didn't choose this, but it's amazing. You both need to realize how incredible you are," she said, placing her hands on our shoulders.
"We might have wished for this without even knowing it. We always wanted our lives to be an adventure, but we can't do it alone, Chloe. None of this started until Max came back. It's our bond that got us here," I replied, feeling more sure of myself than ever.
"No matter the scientific or magical reasons, we'll never truly understand why we were meant to be together at this moment in time. I believe Rachel was working behind the scenes for justice," Chloe shared. "Yeah, we all owe her that. Can you tell us what happened?" Max asked, her eyes full of hope.
"Well, we left the party and made sure Jefferson couldn't track us down. I was actually relieved to be in a strong place for once. Then the storm got really wild, and you said we'd be safe at the lighthouse," Chloe explained. We all turned to look at the tornado, which seemed to be growing even larger.
A large, dark object was spinning rapidly and making its way toward the town. "Oh no, guys. This storm is getting much worse…" I exclaimed, feeling shocked. Max looked scared and asked, "Did we cause this?" I recalled our powers being the trigger, remembering a vision I had in Jefferson's class.
"Stop it right now! Don't blame yourselves!" Chloe yelled. "Look at that giant storm! This must be Rachel's revenge. We need to get to the lighthouse—C'mon!" Chloe took off running, and I tried to keep up, but suddenly I felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground.
"Ch-Chloe..." I murmured, feeling a tight squeeze in my head that was worse than any headache I'd ever experienced. "I've got your backs, guys," Chloe reassured Max and me. Gradually, the pain in my head eased, but I noticed my nose was bleeding again.
"Shit..." I groaned, wiping the blood from my nose, which was gushing from both nostrils. It hurt a lot. When I glanced over, I saw Max unconscious in Chloe's arms. "We need to get to the lighthouse. Are you okay?" Chloe asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Yeah... I think so..." I replied, lifting Max bridal style. Together, we started heading toward the lighthouse to escape the tornado.