After getting her room cleaned up and finding her outfit of the day, Max went over to Kate's room to return her book.

"Hey Max." Dana called out softly, getting Max's attention.

"Oh, Hey Dana." Max said awkwardly, remembering she caught the tail-end of her argument with Juliet. "Is Juliet okay?" She asked with concern.

"She'll be fine. But are you okay? She told me what happened and it seems pretty out of character for you." Dana said with worry.

"Yeah, sorry, I honestly don't know what came over me. Can you tell Juliet I would like to talk to her later? I would like to clear the air with her." Max requested.

"Sure thing. I owe you for yesterday after all." Dana said with a smile.

"Thanks Dana." Max said with a appreciative tone before she went on her way.

"And don't forget about the Halloween party later this week! I expect to see you there!" Dana said excitedly.

"We'll see." Max said wearily, still not sure about the whole thing.

She then made her way to Kate's room. While she went there to return her book, her main purpose was to get information about what happened to her at the Vortex party.

She told her about the one drink she had, the fact that Nathan of all people decided to help her, which was suspicious enough, and where she ended up.

"Somebody was talking to me in a soft voice...I thought it was a doctor...until I heard Nathan and felt a sharp sting in my neck...and...and..."

Max put a hand on Kate's shoulder. "Nathan won't touch you again, I'll make sure of it."

Max felt so bad, wishing you could do more for the girl. She advised Kate to give her statement to the police just in case, at least that way they would have his name on record.

At least that's how she felt about it before she received an email from Nathan's father, Sean, saying he'll sue her for defamation and a bunch of other crap.

Now she felt like she had put a bigger target on Kate's back.

But she would be there to protect her, no matter what.

"Hello young Max." Samuel spoke up to her, interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh, morning Samuel. You're up early." Max said quietly.

"I do love the early morning. Everything is so calm and quiet...and I can feel the animals waking up with me." Samuel said in a calm manner, taking in the atmosphere around him.

"Hey, sorry again about the door yesterday. I clearly didn't realize how old it was and created more work for you." Max said apologetically.

"No trouble at all, Max. You're clearly a special girl, more special than you realize." Samuel said with a sweet smile.

Max looked at him in confusion at that, feeling like there was deeper meaning in his statement. But she decided to change the subject.

"Speaking of animals, I saw a doe yesterday by the train tracks. I swear, I think it was looking right at me." She told him.

"Oh, that's your spirit animal! Nothing weird there, except you saw yours. Could be a sign about your destiny... What do I know? My spirit animal is a squirrel." Samuel told her.

"I like squirrels. Thanks Samuel." Max said kindly, Samuel nodded at that and she went on her way.

She was about to go to the bus stop when Warren stopped her.

"Yo! Super Max!" Warren called out as he rushed over to her, he had a bruise on his face from where Nathan had punched him.

"Warren! Hey, thank you for stepping in the way you did. I owe you one." Max said gratefully.

"I honestly don't think I did that much. You clearly had it handled the way you sent Nathan flying." Warren said with an impressed tone.

"Oh, I don't know if I pushed him that hard…" Max said nervously.

"Dude! You practically had him skidding across the other side of the parking lot! It was badass!" Warren said excitedly. "Didn't know there was a bodybuilder underneath that hipster attire!" He said with a fist bump to her shoulder.

"I-I just got lucky is all. He probably just tripped or something…" Max said awkwardly, cringing at her lame excuse.

"Maybe…" Warren said, not entirely believing it. "What is up with that anyway? You said he brought a gun into the girls' bathroom?" He asked with concern.

"I'll give you the story later. Principal Wells is taking care of it now, I hope." Max told him.

"Weird fucking week. Like that bizarro snowfall yesterday. Speaking of dystopia, that drive-in is having a 70's "Planet of the Apes" marathon. Let's "Go Ape"!" Warren invited.

"Maybe sometime later this week Warren, there's something important I have going on right now. You should try asking Brooke, I'm sure she would be interested." She told him gently, she knew how much of crush Brooke had on Warren.

"Brooke huh? I mean, I guess. But if you change your mind, let me know!" Warren said.

"I'll do that." Max said as she headed towards the bus.

She caught of glimpse of David talking, or ranting depending on who you ask, to Nathan. She couldn't help but worry about Kate.

…

After getting off the bus, she made her way into the Two Whales diner, where she was greeted by a welcoming Joyce.

"Hey sweetie! Chloe told me you two were coming by today. Anything I can get for you?" Joyce asked.

"Some coffee would be nice. As well as the Belgian waffle, haven't had that in a long time." Max told her.

"Coming right up." Joyce said with a smile.

"By the way Joyce, I'm sorry about William. I don't think ever said that before I left." Max said guiltily.

"It's alright darling. I know where your heart was. At least we still have the memories, and that's what matters." Joyce told her. "Just wish Chloe would realize that."

"She's changed a lot since then. I should have stayed in touch…" Max said sadly.

"You did the right thing. You moved forward with your life." Joyce told her. "Chloe chooses to stay angry though, especially towards David." She said regrettably.

"Can't really blame her for that." Max said. "No offense Joyce, but David's kind of a bully at Blackwell."

"I know he can a bit ill-tempered, but he means well. You just got to give him time." Joyce reasoned.

"I guess…" Max said unsurely.

Chloe soon entered the diner and approached the two.

"Mom and Max, together again!" Chloe said jokingly.

"And Chloe, looking for a free meal. You've put your whole damn college fund on your tab." Joyce said with an eyeroll.

"It's okay Joyce,I'm treating Chloe for breakfast." Max reassured her.

"No, you're not. This is my treat. To you, for coming back to rescue my daughter." Joyce said brightly.

Max paled a bit at that.

"Uh…w-what do you mean?" Max stuttered.

"Chloe might have mentioned how you got her off those train tracks, always knew you were a hero." Joyce said with a bright smile as she patted her shoulder.

"Uh, right." Max said with a nervous smile as she eyed Chloe, who was trying to suppress her laughter.

With that, Joyce took her leave back behind the counter.

"Chloe!" Max hissed.

"Relax dude. I didn't tell her you manhandled the tracks, just that you managed to find the switch to change their route." Chloe reassured her. "I just wanted to see that look on your face." She said with a smirk.

"You suck." Max said, red in the face.

"You know it." Chloe said with a sharp grin.

While they waited for their food, Max couldn't help but think about the snow yesterday and the dream she had.

"Hey Chloe, so about that snow yesterday…" Max began.

"Talk about weird." Chloe interjected.

"What if it's just the beginning?" Max asked her.

"What'd you mean?" Chloe wondered.

"It's just…when you woke me at the junkyard, I was having this dream about a storm that was approaching Arcadia Bay. That there was this giant hurricane that was going to destroy the entire town." Max explained.

"Well shit, I have a dream like that at least once a week. Give it time and it'll happen more often." Chloe quipped.

"Chloe, I'm serious! What if that dream was a premonition of some sorts." Max said solemnly.

Chloe gave it some thought. "Well, normally I would say you were overreacting. But considering I witnessed you crush a knife with your bare hands, I guess anything's possible." She said with acceptance. "If you're right though, what can we do about it? Not sure if super strength is going to do much against nature."

She had a point there, not that it helped Max a lot.

"I guess we'll figure it out when we get to that road." She said dejectedly.

"At least now we can add foresight onto your roster of superpowers!" Chloe said encouragingly.

Max shook her head in amusement as Joyce brought her waffle, which Chloe greedily split with her.

After they were done eating, Chloe suggested they go and test out more of Max's powers.

"Let's go to the beach today." Chloe said, before moving up close to whisper to her. "If you have super-strength maybe you have super-speed too. You need a sidekick to guide you!" She said excitedly.

"Okay, Girl Wonder." Max said with a chuckle.

Suddenly Max heard her phone ringing.

"Don't even answer. We have places to go and people to do." Chloe said dismissively.

"It's Kate Marsh, from Blackwell..." Max told her with concern.

"Big whoop. You don't call me once in five years and now you're all over some bee-atch you-"

"Chloe! Enough!" Max said assertively, not liking how she was speaking about Kate.

Chloe reeled back at the sudden bark from her friend, not expecting that at all.

"Go wait in the truck. I'll be there in a moment." Max told her, not taking no for an answer.

"I…fine, like a give a shit." Chloe said, her mood having dropped.

Max answered her phone.

"Hey, Kate, what's up?" Max asked calmly. She could hear sniffling on the other end. "You okay?" She asked with worry.

"Victoria's been really hassling me today. I don't know if I can even go out anymore." Kate said on the phone, Max could practically hear the tears coming out of her eyes.

"It'll be okay Kate. Just do your homework and don't stress..." Max tried to reassure.

"Do you think it's still a good idea for me to go to the cops? I know Nathan's parents are important people around here." Kate asked timidly.

Max was kind of stuck on that as she didn't want to dissuade her friend, but the email from earlier also made her want to reconsider it. Before she could think on it, she suddenly heard the honking horn of Chloe's truck, Max knew she had to make it up to her.

"I really don't think we should go into this right now. I'll call you later, okay?" Max told her.

The other end was silent for the moment, Max was worried Kate hung up.

"Okay Max. If you say so…" Kate said quietly.

"Kate…" Max tried to say but then she really did hang up.

Max sighed. "You'll see her at class later today, you two can talk then." She tried to reassure herself.

She waved goodbye to Joyce and joined Chloe in her truck, who had a sour look on her face.

"Oh, so you do want to hang out with me and not your new best friend, Kate?" Chloe asked sarcastically.

"You shouldn't have called her a bitch." Max said displeased by her attitude.

"I said 'bee-atch', there's a difference!" Chloe tried to defend.

"Chloe, she's being bullied at school! She was likely drugged by Nathan like you were!" Max said angrily.

Chloe froze at that, realizing her blunder.

"…Fuck…" Chloe said as she rubbed her face in frustration. "You could have just said that."

"I shouldn't have needed to. Kate's an amazing person; I honestly think you would like her if you two were to meet." Max told her.

"I already have." Chloe admitted, which surprised Max.

"You did? When?!" Max asked with raised eyebrows.

"It was a couple of weeks after you moved. Her and her dad came by to give their condolences and offered to come to his church if ever needed 'spiritual guidance'." Chloe explained, air-quoting "spiritual guidance".

"I was angry about dad being dead and you moving away that I lashed out at them, saying we didn't need their help. But Kate was patient with me, giving me a smile and telling me I could always talk to her if needed." Chloe reminisced. "I didn't take her up on her offer but we did cross paths every once in a while and she always treated me so nicely, like I didn't even know people could be so nice."

"Sounds like Kate." Max said with a smile.

"She is amazing, just like you said." Chloe said quietly before sighing. "You're right. It wasn't cool of me to insult her like that. I've heard about the video and I think it's bullshit what she's going through. I just…I don't know, I just worry you might have…" She trailed off.

"…Might have what?" Max asked, wondering what she was getting at.

"…Replaced me…" Chloe said with a scared look in her eye. A look that said she had been through this before and she could shatter any second.

Max's heart broke for her as she quickly wrapped her arms around Chloe.

"Oh Chloe! That could never happen! Kate's an angel but no one could ever replace you! You're my Chloe!" Max told her determinedly.

"Oh? I'm yours, huh?" Chloe asked with a sniffle, she had tears in her eyes, but she couldn't help but tease.

"Yep, and no one can say otherwise!" Max said with a satisfied smirk, not even caring about the teasing.

"I guess that settles it then." Chloe said with a laugh before backing out of the hug. "I gotta say though, I'm actually impressed that you stood up to me back in the diner. Having superpowers really has made you cocky!" She said with a grin.

"I like to think I'm more confident." Max said. "I don't know what it is, Chloe. But ever since I got these abilities, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest. Like I could take on the whole world and not hide behind a shadow anymore." She said with quiet amazement as she looked at her hands.

She thought about her outburst towards Juliet and wondered if it had anything to do with that, but it was probably just a spur of the moment thing.

Chloe couldn't help but look at her in surprise, she could feel her chest heating up a bit as well. "Wow Max, that's pretty badass."

"Of course, what else can you expect from The Woman of Tomorrow!" Max said proudly.

"Come on! The Arcadian Warrior is so much better dude!" Chloe argued with a sharp grin as they drove away.

…

As soon as they got to the beach, Chloe immediately suggested they race each other across the beach.

It was one of their favorite games they used to play after school when they were kids. A game that Chloe always found herself the winner of, which she always liked to brag about.

And all these years later, she found herself beating Max again.

"Ha! All these years later and I still have better leg muscles!" Chloe bragged after she crossed first on the invisible finish line. "Guess you got nothing on the Flash after all!" She teased as she did a little celebratory dance.

"Maybe…" Max said offhandedly, as her focus was more on her own body than what Chloe was saying.

"Oh come on, Max-a-Million. So you can't run any faster, big whoop." Chloe told her, not wanting her to sulk.

"It's not that. You know how whenever we finish the race, I would immediately be out of breath?" Max asked her.

"Uh, yeah. You always sounded like you ran a marathon." Chloe said, not sure where Max was going with this.

"I don't feel that. You were faster than me, but I don't feel exhausted or like I used up any stamina at all. As if I never ran in the first place." Max explained with surprise.

Chloe's eyebrows lifted in shock at that. "Really?"

"Yeah. I honestly feel like I could keep going without a problem." Max said, starting to get excited.

"Well shit, let's see how long it takes before you finally catch up to me." Chloe challenged with a sharp grin.

Thus, they started racing again.

For a couple of minutes, Chloe managed to stay in the lead. But she eventually used up all her energy and Max zipped right past her and continued across the long shore of Arcadia Bay.

She soon was approaching the town's residential lighthouse, which was at least a mile or two away from their original location and she still hadn't broken a sweat. She couldn't help but laugh in amazement at this development, it was an incredible feeling.

As she continued to run, she waved her arms up in the air, feeling the wind past through them, as if she was flying!

And a thought occurred to her with that.

What if…just what if…she could fly?

So with that, she braced herself, closed her eyes, and thought with all her determination to take a leap into the sky.

And as she JUMPED…

…She landed flat on her face into the sand and skidded a few feet more.

It didn't hurt but she still felt her previous excited mood dwindle a bit, especially when she heard the loud, obnoxious laughter coming from the approaching Chloe.

"Guess flying is off the table!" Chloe said, still laughing her ass off.

"Laugh it up. I still had you beat." Max countered as she got back up and patted herself off.

"Fair enough. That was pretty awesome though." Chloe said after her laughter finally died down. "I actually had to drive the truck just to catch up with you."

"And I can still keep going!" Max said ecstatically, back to being excited.

"Well let's she how you match up against the truck!" Chloe said with anticipation.

"That rust bucket? Pfft! Doesn't even stand a chance!" Max said with cockiness.

"Oh you're on, Caulfield!" Chloe said excitedly as they ran back to the truck.

To Be Continued…

So a bit more fluff and canon scenes going on in this chapter and less power-related stuff, though I wanted to make sure there was at least something to show off.

So when it comes to the so-called "super speed", I wanted it to be based more on Captain America and less The Flash. By letting Max have more physical durability, I like to think it gives her a major increase in stamina as well, letting her have more energy to run longer without tiring out. Think of the beginning of Captain America: Winter Soldier when Steve was running laps around Sam, he wasn't faster than him he just didn't have to burn as much energy due to his enhancements.

When it comes to her scolding towards Chloe when she answers Kate's call, I think that was just something needed in the game. I love Chloe but I think it was harsh to dismiss Kate like that, and I personally don't think Max should have just taken it lying down. My personal opinion anyway.

Anyway, hope you liked this chapter, things are going to start taking a turn in the upcoming ones!

Until next time, comment and tell me what you think!